#106 Book Review: Temptation [ARC]

Temptation [ARC]
Release Date: July 2012
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Cover:
I think the cover reflects the characters in the book quite well! The girl and the boy in the cover looks similar to how I imagined Rose and Noah looks like when reading the book. I like how the Australian cover is different from the US one too!

Story:

Can you resist temptation?

Before I read this book, I had no idea what Amish is. So when I found out this book is about Amish romance, I had to 'Google search' the definition of Amish. After reading the definition and having a basic knowledge of what Amish means, I started to read the book and was very surprised at how much I really enjoyed reading Temptation. Temptation is told from dual perspectives of Rose and Noah. The book goes at a steady pace, exploring the life of an Amish family and neighbourhood while telling the story of an Amish boy who falls in love with an English (any people who are not Amish) girl. There are so many forbidden romances in YA books these days but I never read a forbidden romance between an Amish boy and a Non-Amish girl. Temptation is beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading how Noah and Rose's relationship develop throughout the story and also learning more about what it means to live an Amish life. I also really love the setting. I love how it's set in the farms, with beautiful meadows and ranches. The first half of the book is really good but then I was a bit annoyed with how the story develops and I'm not pleased with the ending. But this doesn't mean I'm not excited for the sequel because I am!

Characters:
Rose and Noah are both well-written characters. I really enjoyed reading about them both though I'm not exactly swooning over Noah. I do understand how Rose can fall for him but reading his POV in this book makes me annoyed with him. I think both of the characters fell in love at first sight but their love grew as they spent more time together. I did like how they became more connected because they both love riding horses. I personally really liked Rose. I love how she is strong-willed and quite innocent in terms of 'love'. I really liked Noah in the beginning of the book but then he annoyed me as the book goes. Noah is supposed to court an Amish girl and his relationship with Rose will never have a future unless Rose decides to be Amish or Noah leaves his family behind to be 'English'. Now, this is the bit I'm really annoyed about. I thought Noah was a bit too possessive and selfish. When his father told him that he will accept his relationship with Rose if he can get Rose to change and be Amish, he immediately liked the idea and 'forced' Rose by tempting her with kisses and affection so Rose wants to be Amish. Why can't Noah leave his family if his love for Rose is all that matters to him? But this changed by the end of the book and I won't spoil you what the change is. This makes me really excited for the second book because I want to see how the story develops! I really enjoyed reading about other characters such as Sam, Rose's older brother, Rose's father and also Noah's family.

Overall:
Temptation is a sweet, touching and heart-breaking story, exploring the forbidden romance between Rose and Noah and the life of an Amish family. This beautifully written book showed me that love is impenetrable, love is not a temptation but a desire and that love can never be forbidden.

4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Temptation!

 Thank you Harlequin Teen Australia for the review copy!