Monday, July 2, 2012

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 | 
WebsiteKaren 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

21 comments:

Christina Fiorelli said...

Christina K. in the rafflecopter

I'd love to read this book! It's such a unique romance, and learning more about Amish culture is interesting.

I never knew they weren't taught science at school!

Thanks so much:)

Amy said...

This book sounds very different and interesting. I don't really know much about the Amish so it's intriguing for me. I love a good romance and this sounds like it's a really great book. It's good to know that even though it's slow moving it kept you interested. Great review!!

Natalie said...

I've never heard of this book until now but it sounds really sweet and cute! And this may sound wierd...but I love stories about Amish culture! I find it so fascinating! Great review as always :)

Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue said...

You know, I'm STILL struggling with my thoughts on this book. My review went live today on my blog if you'd like to check it out, because we have some similar thoughts and some opposing. I've read a lot of Amish fiction and so I had a good understanding of their culture and community, and Noah STILL frustrated the heck out of me. But I will admit that he and Rose are very sweet and very forbidden, and I really DID like this book in a lot of ways!

danya said...

I think I've been seeing some mixed reactions to this book, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! I'm not sure about the slow pace but I'm interested in the portrayal of Amish culture, and it's great to see a forbidden romance where both characters involved are thoroughly human (not vampires or werewolves or ghosts or what-have-you! :D)

Reading said...

Sound interesting. I remember visiting the Amish in PA as a kid. They always facinated me.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

PAC said...

This sounds like an interesting read and would love to win it! Thank you for the entry :D
contestwpggirl@mymts.net

Bookish in a Box said...

This sounds great. I love sweet YA romances for summertime, and the slow , steady pace of this one sounds perfect.

alicia marie said...

this sounds like an interesting read. definitely a little different from what i've been reading lately. i'll have to add it to my list : ) thanks for the giveaway!!

Anonymous said...

I love reading books like this! I've read a few Amish Romance and Christian Romance books and they're all just so sweet. I love how innocent the love is in them.

Thanks for the giveaway!

Jen said...

This book sounds awesome!
-JennyC

Rebecca said...

I'm not sure about this one but if anything is going too persuade me, it's goona be one of your reviews! So glad to hear you enjoyed this one :)

Tanja - Tanychy said...

I have this book and I should read it soon. It sounds interesting as Amish community is mostly mystery to me.
Great review! :)

PuttPutt1198Eve said...

It sounds like an interesting story, mixing the Amish with any other background would be interesting.

Bonnie said...

Evie, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this book! I also picked it up on Netgalley last month (but haven't been able to start it yet). But that is no surprise for me considering Amish fiction is my 'guilty pleasure' genre!

I would love to win a copy (I donate all my Amish fiction to my Church library, apparently mennonite women around here love their Amish fiction too!).

Thanks so much for the giveaway and thoughtful review. The slow, lazy pace sounds perfect for a summer read! :)

Anonymous said...

I really want to read this book because of the whole Amish community thing. Like you, I don't know much about them. Plus, the romance seems really sweet.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Evie. :)
Lovely review !

Kelly said...

Wow, it sounds like Ms Hopkins can do anything! I love the Amish people. We stayed in a cabin in Pennsylvania once and were awakened by the Amish Farmer across the street at 5AM plowing his land. He was singing. I loved it!

Alessandra said...

I read a galley of this book. I liked the romance, even though it went way too rushed to me - they start talking about marriage and kids after a week or so of knowing each other. Also, I thought this was going to be a stand-alone novel, so I was disappointed by the open ending. I think I will want to read the next book in the series, though.

Dana said...

wow this is such a great giveaway!

Jerz Bookish Nerd said...

Amish people make me feel at home.
I grew up in Lancaster, PA so seeing Amish people was part of the norm but living in Florida now I miss the stink from the farms haha

Jaime Lester said...

This book seems like it could be an incredibly unique book in the YA world. I am not sure that I would love it, but I definitely think that I will be reading it for the experience. I think it may be the cover that is throwing me. I know, I know. Don't judge a book by its cover. I should have learned me lesson on that one by now, as many times as I have been wrong, so wrong. And hopefully, I will be proved wrong again, and fall head over heels for it. One can hope.

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