Book Review: Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins
Karen Ann Hopkins- Temptation Format- Paperback Source- Review copy Publisher- Harlequin Teen Publication date- August 2012 Synopsis- 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 beROSE & NOAHforever, easy.But it won't be.Because he's Amish.And I'm not. Review- I received Temptation for review and at first glance noticed it was a YA contemporary romance novel, so I added it to my TBR pile. What I found when I inspected it more closely, was a story that hinted at a love story between an ‘english’ girl (non-Amish) and an Amish boy. The Amish culture is one that I find quite fascinating, albeit don’t know much about. I believe there is (or was?) a small Amish community out in the country, not far from where I live and I do remember coming across some young women once or twice at my local shopping centre who wore long denim skirts and head scarves, dressed in old-fashioned attire they attracted the attention of the locals. I have no idea whether the community still exists there or not, but I took the opportunity to learn more about this culture/ religion by reading Temptation.Rose is sixteen, loves to dance and horse-ride and moves to Meadowview with her father and two brothers less than a year after the death of their mother. Rose is grieving her loss and brooding about the country lifestyle change. However, the moment she sets eyes on Noah, an eighteen year old boy who greets the family on day one, she is drawn to him and experiences her first intense attraction to the opposite sex. One problem- he’s Amish. Ultimately, he isn’t able to date as teens normally do, rather he is expected to ‘court’ a young woman from his community and marry- very soon.The viewpoints switch between Rose and Noah and the author portrays a sensitive insight into the Amish lifestyle, the drawbacks and the advantages. For example, the traditional gender roles and the expectation that the young women would not complete school, pursue further education but marry early and start a family. What's clear is the sense of community that really appreciates a simple, organic lifestyle.It was also interesting to view this lifestyle from an adolescent perspective, during a time where developmentally it is expected that teens will rebel, have a surge of hormones and question their identity.Rose and Noah’s attraction is instant and through limited contact they manage to develop a friendship and then a secret relationship. At times I felt like some scenes dragged due to information overload and I really didn’t quite understand their obsession with each other beyond a physical attraction and their fascination with opposing lifestyles. Noah’s controlling behaviour didn’t sit well with me and I wasn't expecting how easily Rose made her choice in the end to become part of Noah’s community to maintain their relationship.What I didn’t realise when I began the story is that it would be left fairly open-ended and a sequel in the works. I didn’t particularly love this story and I highly doubt I would read the second book.
2.5/5 rating
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