Blog Tour: Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins (Review, Guest Post, Giveaways)

Genre:	Young Adult, Contemporary,  Drama, Romance
Publication.Date	June 26th 2012
Pages:	383
Published By:	Harlequin |
Website	Karen Ann Hopkins |
	Temptation - Goodreads
My review copy:	ARC received from netGalley via Kismet Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

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 forever, easy. But it won’t be.

Because he’s Amish.

And I’m not.
(Goodreads)

I sighed, wishing Mom were here with us. Then it would all be okay. But she was six feet under, buried in the cold, dark ground of Mount Hope Cemetery.

I had no control of my life, and it seemed as if no one else did either.

The thing I wasn't used to, though, was the way this Amish guy looking at me was affecting my body. As if it had just come out of a deep hibernation - all the fluttering and tingling vibrations that were now popping up in the center of my belly were spreading out, letting me know I really was alive, after all the troubles of the past year.

Their way was definitely not my way.

     Reading Temptation was definitely a new and very interesting experience to me. Mainly because the premise of this book was so different from anything I've read before. I have never had a chance to read a novel featuring an Amish community, so going into this one I honestly had no idea what to expect. I'm pleased to report that this book was wonderful. I was very intrigued by the cultural background and beautiful, vividly depicted rural settings. Offering a swoon-worthy, heart-pounding romance and insightful, enlightening plot line, Temptation makes for a truly incredible and affecting tale of forbidden love, family bonds, and life-changing choices. 

     Temptation is many things, but most of all it's a story of love. When sixteen-year-old Rose moves to Meadowview, the last thing she's expecting to find in the boring countryside in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio is love. Yet there it is, knocking on the door of her new house on the very first day after she and her family (father and two brothers) arrive there. And not just any love, either, but a very much forbidden one, considering the fact that the boy that is about to steal her heart comes from a totally different world. And while their worlds co-exist, they certainly don't mix. But what's more tempting and desirable than a forbidden fruit? What's better than the thrill of secret meetings, stolen kisses, and the words of love whispered in the dark? Will Rose and Noah find a way to be together? 

     I enjoyed the romance very much. It was sweet, charming, at times passionate and spine-tingling, but mostly just very innocent, pure, and cute. Neither Noah nor Rose had any previous romantic experiences, and seeing them realize just how much they cared about each other was quite fun and heart-warming. Plus, it was really interesting to read a true forbidden-love story, and not just one that would pretend to be forbidden because of some outrageously silly reasons (like height difference or picky parents). 

     The book was rather slow-moving and filled with long, descriptive passages, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least not for me. I actually enjoyed the slow, almost lazy pace, as it allowed me to get a good feel of every-day life in the countryside. I thought that Hopkins did a great job depicting the rural setting in this novel. I found her prose very descriptive, almost poetic at times. Very atmospheric and mesmerizing. I did feel that the romance developed rather fast, but - considering the forbidden factor - it was only to be expected. I wouldn't be able to help myself, either (wink wink). 

     Karen Ann Hopkins really nailed the cultural background of this novel. Before reading Temptation I had absolutely no knowledge about the Amish, their beliefs, and all the strict rules they follow. I knew about their existence, but never actually got to take a closer look at their community. Temptation opened my eyes to a whole new world and introduced me to a totally different lifestyle. Attempting to preserve the elements of late 17th century European rural culture, the Amish follow a very strict set of rules and beliefs. They avoid most of the features and amenities of modern society, from electricity and electronic gadgets to auto-mobiles (including tractors and other machines that would help their field work), and phones. They're a conservative lot, and a deeply religious one, too. Marriages outside the faith are not allowed, and couples who are about to get married need to follow certain procedures. We're talking arranged marriages and courtship periods under supervision, etc. Can you imagine how difficult a situation the young Amish boy and beautiful English girl are facing? Everything and everyone is against their relationship. Not to mention that their lifestyles are so different from each other, that the disapproval of their families is not the only obstacle on their way to happiness. Is their love strong enough to survive all this? 

     I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good love story with an interesting, unique premise. Anyone interested in learning more about the Amish and their way of life is going to enjoy this read a lot, too!

And here's a short, but very entertaining Guest Post by Karen Ann Hopkins, the author of this fabulous YA romance novel!

Five things I’ve learned from the Amish: 

1) They are not taught geography or science in school.

2) Their families deal with many of the same problems as everyone else, such as marital, financial and child rearing.

3) If an Amish couple does divorce, which is highly unlikely, they are not allowed to remarry.

4) Amish families often move around, relocating to another region or state due to problems within their community.

5) The Amish pay federal and state tax, but not social security tax.

About Karen Ann Hopkins:

website, Facebook, Goodreads

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the Kismet Blog tours and Harlequin Teen each of the tour hosts gets a chance to host two amazing giveaways! 

Here's what you can win:

The first giveaway is for the chance to win a physical copy of Temptation! To enter the daily give-away, please enter via Rafflecopter below!
Open to US/Canada only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second giveaway is for the chance to win an awesome, grand-prize Harlequin romance pack, consisting of: 

1 copy of TEMPTATION by Karen Ann Hopkins, 
1 copy of SPEECHLESS by Hannah Harrington, 
1 copy of INSIDE by Maria V. Snyder, 
1 pair Harlequin socks, 
1 red Harlequin bag, 
1 large Harlequin notebook, 
1 small Harlequin notebook 
& 1 pack of 3 Harlequin notepads.

Here's a picture:

Entries in the daily give-away also count toward the grand prize give-away.
Open to US/Canada only

This review, giveaway and guest post are posted as part of the Temptation blog tour organized by Heather and Danny from Kismet Blog Tours & Harlequin Teen!

Full schedule here:

Monday,June 25th - Ravenous Reader
Tuesday, June 26th – Xpresso Rea
Wednesday,June 27th - Harlequin Paranormal blog
Friday, June 29th – Page Turners
Monday,June 2nd – Evie Bookish
Wednesday, July 4th – I Like These Books
Friday,July 6th – The Cozy Reader