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AUTHOR: Karen Ann Hopkins SERIES: Temptation, book 1 PUBLISHER: Harlequin PUBLICATION DATE: June 26, 2012 ISBN: 9780373210541 PAGES: 304 SOURCE: NetGalley GENRE: realistic, romance GIVE IT TO: HS girls into romance novels |
SUMMARY: Months after her mother’s death, Rose and her family move from the city to an old farmhouse bordering an Amish community. The day they move in, Rose catches the attentions of Noah, an 18-year old Amish boy who helps do repairs on their old house. Noah and Rose begin to meet in secret, and it is not long before the two fall hard for each other. Rose and Noah are determined to be together, even though both know their separate worlds would never allow it.
REVIEW: I LOVED this book! I read it in almost one sitting (my Nook battery died at 1AM, so it had to wait until the next morning).
Hopkins does a fantastic job setting up the romance realistically. These are two teens madly in love, and yes, it is melodramatic. There is crying and plenty of intense kissing and declarations of love, which won’t appeal to everyone. I could really feel Rose and Noah’s closeness, and the intimate scenes between the two of them were beautifully written. I rooted for them, even though Rose is a bit spoiled and Noah is a bit quite rigid. It works for their characters and helps to define the insurmountable odds keeping them apart.
The big question throughout the story is, how can they possibly be together, considering their very different cultures? It reminds me a bit of Twilight (which I loved, despite all the Twi-haters), how Bella cannot truly be with Edward unless she turns vampire. The same is true for Rose and Noah: They really can’t be together without one of them giving up everything they know and believe. What had started as a simple, sweet summer romance quickly turns into something infinitely more complex, leaving readers wondering how this could possibly be resolved.
An interesting twist at the end sets up a second book, which I am not sure is entirely necessary. Contemporary romance does not typically scream for a sequel, unless it is more a spin-off of different characters (as with Elkeles’s Perfect Chemistry trilogy). The NetGalley copy I read includes the first chapter of the sequel, which interestingly, begins with Rose’s brother Sam’s perspective. He doesn’t come off as a very sympathetic character, so I am curious to read his viewpoint. Without giving away the ending, I can’t see how the solution proposed at the end can possibly be a permanent solution. Noah and Rose’s romance really faces some serious hurdles, and I can see where their conflicts cannot be resolved in 396 pages. So while I don’t think a sequel is entirely appropriate for contemporary romance, I have no doubt that I will be reading it when it is published.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Temptation is not for everyone, but readers who enjoy books with forbidden or secret romances will be riveted.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: It’s not published yet, but I’ll probably get it. Because of lots of intense kissing and talk of sex and getting pregnant, Temptation is for more mature romance readers. Still, I have quite a few girls who I know would love it.
READALIKES: Perfect Chemistry (Elkeles); Twilight (Meyer); Leaving Paradise (Elkeles), Red Heart Tattoo (McDaniel); You Against Me (Downham)
RATING BREAKDOWN:
- Overall: 5/5
- Creativity: 3/5
- Characters: 4/5
- Engrossing: 5/5
- Writing: 4/5
- Appeal to teens: 4/5
- Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
- Language: mild; three sh**
- Sexuality: medium; lots of intense kissing and talk of intercourse; Rose’s father has an out-of-wedlock sexual relationship; some allusion to Rose’s brother’s promiscuity
- Violence: mild; one scene has lots of animal blood
- Drugs/Alcohol: mild; teens drink at a party