Temptation (Temptation #1)
by Karen Ann Hopkins
Publication: June 26, 2012 (Hardback)
Pages: 383
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository
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.
Forbidden romance intrigues me. Mostly I’ve been reading about it in paranormal romances, so I was interested in seeing where a contemporary forbidden romance would take me. Within the first couple chapters, I began to feel that this book wasn’t for me; however, I wanted to give the characters a chance (to grow and mature). They ended up taking me places I didn’t want to go.
When he notices Rose’s unhealthy attraction to Noah, her older brother Sam warns her that it won’t work out. He’s genuinely concerned for her and tries to be the mother that they no longer have. At the same time, Noah’s father reminds him not to get close to the “English” girl, as she’s a bad influence (on his Amish traditions). Again, a family member concerned for his own. Both Rose and Noah, however, dismiss their family’s concern for them, believing that they know more. The two of them fail to consider how they can be together when they come from such different worlds. Rose believes that she can convert Noah to English while Noah believes that Rose loves him enough to become Amish. It’s frustrating how the two of them expect the other to give up what they aren’t willing to give up themselves. I’m especially angry at Noah because he tells Rose that she is the one with the power to keep their relationship when he could just as easily leave his own family as he can ask her to give up hers, but why put the responsibility in her hands when he’s the man and two years older? The things he thinks about her after she makes her first decision officially earned him the title of jerk. He may be eighteen, but he’s not mature at all.
Rose and Noah are attracted to each other from the beginning. It isn’t unusual to meet someone, think they’re hot, and feel the chemistry. However, their relationship progresses rather quickly. Within a couple dates, the two of them are kissing each other rather passionately, and Rose realizes why her brother warns her not to be alone with a guy somewhere secluded like the woods. She still meets up with Noah. In fact, she always wants to kiss him. She seems a bit too eager to be in this relationship when she doesn’t know where it will go. At one point, she even asks Noah to run away with her, that life with her family wouldn’t be worth it without him. That’s probably where I lost all respect for her. She’s been with her family longer than Noah, and they all want the best for her. Can she so easily ditch them for a guy, even one she loves as much as Noah? Rose is sixteen and hasn’t been in such a serious relationship with a guy before, and I’m wondering if she knows what she’s getting into.
In a different novel, my favorite character would be the heroine, and her love would be sweet and handsome and wonderful. However, my favorite character in this novel was the one I would have labeled the jerk elsewhere. Sam is a jerk for making his sister go to parties and hang out with guys she doesn’t like; however, I can see that he means well and genuinely tries to do best by his little sister. On the other hand, Noah loves Rose, but he makes decisions for her based off Amish traditions and his own security. He doesn’t want to become English because he has much to gain financially by staying with his family, and he expects Rose to see things his way when she was raised in a different world. And he thinks that Rose is the material one?
While this is a story about forbidden love, I wasn’t expecting it to be so romance-centric (silly of me, I know). I guess I expected to see more of the couple’s life outside of each other fleshed out, so we can have a better feel for their respective situations. Temptation did not turn out to be the book for me.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Stina Lindenblatt says
Thanks for the honest review. I hadn't heard of it until now, I don't think I'll be adding it to my list.
Bookish Brunette says
I'm still so on the fence about this one!!! Like I WANT to read it… but I don't… LOL *sigh*
Crystal says
I understand the sentiment. After the first pages, I wanted to read and see what happened; at the same time, I didn't feel as though I could relate to the characters.
Lisa says
Oh dear! I worry a little at this fast love and stubbornness of the characters. I've seen in mentioned in other reviews too. I've held off on reading my ARC since it's still a little away but…I'm a bit anxious now. Opinions are very mixed! Still curious though. Thanks for the review π
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Crystal says
The fast love was pretty disturbing for me. It seems really dangerous, and I worry at how quickly Rose was to leave her family. I can relate to the curiosity. That's how I picked up this book in the first place π