Review: Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

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.

I’ve read quite a few Christian novels in my time, but NONE of them have been about the Amish. Weird, right? Considering all the Christian books out there dealing with this topic, in particular. So, I honestly came into this book not knowing too much about them. And while I wouldn’t label this a “Christian” book, I’d like to think that Ms. Hopkins accurately portrayed what would happen in such a situation as this.

Noah and Rose had an instant connection. Or, some would call it “love-at-first-sight”. And from the beginning I don’t know if either of them REALLY took into consideration how difficult it would be for their love to flourish in this situation. I think that, oftentimes, they were both ruled by their hormones (teenagers!!).

Rose’s family moves to Meadowview after experiencing great loss. Her father, a doctor, managed to get a job close by. When the local Amish community welcomes them in, hoping to get to know the new doctor, Noah and Rose get their first introduction.

There are some very sweet moments in this book, where I think Rose gets to be on the receiving end of chilvalry and care that most “English” girls don’t ever get to experience. But, for Rose, where does the chivalry end and the chauvinism begin? The Amish are very old-fashioned and very set in their ways. This is just one area that Rose and Noah will have some hurdles to overcome.

Half-way through the book I realized that this story can only end one of three ways. It was interesting to see the journey Rose and Noah took, while so young, to get to this “ending”.

All-in-all this was a great story. I really enjoyed how realistic the author portrayed Rose, as a normal–sometimes very emotional–sixteen-year-old girl, and Noah as a more mature–but, slightly, impatient–eighteen-year-old boy. This is going to be a series and with the book ending the way it did, I’m anxious to see what happens next.

My Rating:
½