Temptation (Temptation Novel, #1)

by Karen Ann Hopkins

Your heart misleads you. That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah. And he loves me. We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms. It should be ROSE & NOAH, easy. But it won't be. Because he's Amish. And I'm not.

• ISBN10: 037321054X
• ISBN13: 9780373210541
• Publish Date: 26 June 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

3.5 Stars
http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/

Temptation is a beautifully sweet teen romance. A light, fluffy, feel good read about love between a typical Caucasian family melding with the Amish neighbours. What did interest me, was the aspect that the Noah's family and wider Amish community seemed to look down on what the called the 'English', anyone not being Amish. Being of the belief that non Amish are promiscuous trouble makers that are spoilt. We usually hear more about the minority groups and the adversity they face, it was refreshing to see the flip side of the coin.

It was entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series, as now I'll need to know what happens with Rose and Noah.

[Angie]

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

I was drawn to this book because I was always fascinated by Amish culture, and the idea of a non-Amish girl and an Amish boy falling in love is absolutely amazing sounding! I love tales of forbidden romance, and Rose and Noah's relationship is truly forbidden. I initially assumed that Rose and Noah met during his Rumspringa, but that's not the case. I actually liked how Noah was completely in his community when he and Rose are together, since it added to the tension.

Just a word of warning: DO NOT read the preface! I read an ARC, so I'm not sure if the preface made it in the finished copies, but if it did, DO NOT read it! I was so mad when I read the preface, because it spoils a major turning point in the book! I don't usually mind when there's an intro that actually takes place late in the story, but I do mind when it reveals something that huge!

"That was the problem with English girls -- they did what they wanted. But then again, maybe that was one of things that made Rose so intriguing...and dangerous to me (7% eARC)."

I absolutely loved Noah's chapters! I really enjoyed learning more about the Amish way of life and their beliefs. It was interesting how behaviors I wouldn't even think twice about are considered inappropriate for Amish women, but those same behaviors from Rose caught Noah's attention. I almost wish the entire book was from his perspective, since it is so different than my own. Also, I sometimes find myself annoyed with Rose. Some of her reactions to the Amish community are ones that I'd imagine myself having, but then there are times when she acts like she never knew there were people different from her in the world. Occasionally her thoughts were down right rude.

Of course, Noah isn't without his faults, but he's been raised in a totally different manner, so I could understand his occasional sexist statements. Sometimes I would cringe when he was thinking about his future with Rose, but I don't think he honestly could see what was wrong with some of his ideas. Those moments just made me want to keep reading though, to see how Rose would react when he eventually told her of his plans.

Overall, I loved this book. It did get a little repetitive at times, since Rose and Noah would sneak off together, then have to ignore each other, then Noah would find a way for them to sneak off together again, rinse and repeat. But it was also sweet, frustrating and heartbreaking. After that ending I'm so glad to realize that this is a series! I'm eager to learn more about Noah's community!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Rowena]

I finished this book last night and still I’m still not sure how I feel about the book. Was it a good story? Yes. Did I enjoy the story? A little bit. More than anything, I was curious about what was going to happen next and that was why I kept reading. The author sucks you in with the romance between Noah and Rose. He’s Amish and likes being Amish. He shouldn’t be with the English girl but he can’t help himself because he loves her and amazingly enough, she loves him right back.

This is a young love kind of romance. It’s about two people who fell in love, who shouldn’t have fallen in love because they’re from different places and no matter what they do, their love is there. It’s front and center which isn’t surprising because they’re both so young but there were quite a few times that my guard went up because of the high handed way Noah was with Rose. He was overprotective and wanted Rose to act a certain way so that his parents would approve of her. I wasn’t a big fan of the way that he just assumed she’d give up her entire way of life to be with him and didn’t really think about how big of a decision it’d be for her.

Did I doubt their love for each other? No. Was I annoyed that Noah gave Rose that ultimatum with a deadline? You betcha.

The thing about this story was that while I couldn’t put it down, I was also cringing at how young both Noah and Rose was and how deep their love was for each other. I mean, Rose was only sixteen and she had to decide whether she loved Noah enough to leave everything she’s ever known (cell phones, high school, prom, her family). She leaving everything she loves to be with the boy that she loves. That’s a lot to tackle at sixteen. She just got her learner’s permit and now she won’t be able to drive a car anymore because Amish folks don’t drive. Having said all of that, I thought Hopkins did a pretty good job of telling Rose’s story. She brought out the emotions, the realism of their love for each other and made it pop because while I couldn’t imagine going through something like that, I connected with the characters in this story enough that I understood what they were up against and what they were feeling.

This book isn’t a book that I would read again but I’m not sorry that I read it. It was an interesting story about two people from opposites sides of the world, falling for each other and dealing with it the only way that they knew how. Would I recommend this? I’m leaning toward yes, just so that you can make up your own mind about this story. It’s good enough to give a try.