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Book Review: ‘Temptation’ by Karen Ann Hopkins

Gabrielle Bondi

I’m a sucker for forbidden romances. I know I’m definitely not the only one. Many of us like the idea of a love so passionate and strong that it can defy all the odds against the couple. Well, the aptly titled Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins seemed to promise that. Hence, I went ahead to read the story about an Amish boy, Noah, falling in love with an English (aka non-Amish) girl, Rose. It sounds like a pretty sweet romance. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed by this tale. With forbidden romances, you want to root for the couple. For Temptation, I didn’t.

The story begins in Rose’s perspective. She’s a sixteen year old girl who has just moved to the country with her dad and brothers. As they try to get settled in, their neighbors come by to offer a helping hand. Their neighbors are an Amish family. Once, one of the Amish neighbor’s sons and Rose lay eyes on each other, they become instantly smitten. From that point, Noah and Rose try to navigate a relationship, while finding a balance between both of their very different worlds. Will they be able to sacrifice everything they’ve ever known to be together?

One of the good and bad things about the novel is that it switches perspectives between Rose and Noah. It’s good because I was able to understand both of them pretty well. It was especially good for understanding Noah, since he’s Amish and I don’t know many of the specifics when it comes to the Amish’s rules and ways of living. However, understanding both characters made me realize how wrong these two were for each other. I get that they’re so in love, but they really don’t understand the kind of commitment love needs. Sacrifices need to be made, and these two aren’t anywhere near mature enough to make those kinds of sacrifices. They’re stubborn and young. Rose is a bit of a push-over, which I didn’t like. Noah is always insisting on her turning Amish. And at times, he’s even condescending about her “English” ways. Rose doesn’t bring up Noah turning English as much as she should have. I guess, in a way, they are acting like how real teenagers would act in that kind of situation. In that regard, I do commend the author. Too bad, it’s just something that I didn’t expect or care to read.

As the story goes on, their devotion to each other grows. It ends on a decision being made, and I was disappointed. Yet, I didn’t realize that this book was the first of a series, and a sequel is due sometime in the future. Rose and Noah’s story isn’t over yet. The brief snippet of the next book did interest me surprisingly. It was written from a different character’s perspective, but I don’t think it’s enough for me to want to continue this journey with Rose and Noah.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins comes out June 19, 2012. You can pre-ordered it at our TYF Store, powered by Amazon.

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