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I enjoyed the first book, Temptation, so much that I couldn’t wait to jump into Belonging and see where Rose & Noah’s story continued…
Pages: 408
Published: April 30th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Series: Temptation #2
Source: Received for tour review
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I left everything I knew behind.But it was worth it. He was worth it.
No one thought an ordinary girl like me would last two minutes living with the Amish, not even me. There are a lot more rules and a lot less freedom, and I miss my family and the life I once had. Worst of all, Noah and I aren’t even allowed to see each other. Not until I’ve proven myself.
If I can find a way to make it work, we’ll be NOAH & ROSE
together forever.
But not everybody believes this is where I belong.
**May contain spoilers for Temptation**
The way Temptation ended had me dying to start on Belonging. Rose had decided to become Amish so she could be with Noah, and Temptation ended off just before her new journey began.
I really, really liked Rose in Belonging, probably even more so than in Temptation. She is such a strong-willed and determined young girl that you cannot help but root for her. I also really enjoyed Noah, still, but I found that his voice wasn’t as prominent as it was in the first book. I love Rose’s family, and despite the fact that I agreed with practically zero of their tactics to get Rose back, I still loved them. I can only imagine if I was in their shoes, and wanting my only daughter/sister back, that I might not be inclined to try some of those very things. I also really enjoyed Rose’s new-found friends in the Amish community(and outside) especially Summer. She was loyal, sweet and exactly the type of friend that Rose needed in this story. And last, but certainly not least, I absolutely ADORED Ruth and James. They were stern and hard on Rose but you could tell that they absolutely fell in love with her. That was probably the most heartwarming thing about Belonging, in that this couple, who had certainly had their fair share of child rearing was so willing to take in an English girl and give her a chance to become Amish. Love <3
I loved seeing Rose battle with the Amish chores, her expectations in the community and the “Plain” ways. Like I said in my review for Temptation, before reading this series, I knew little to nothing about the Amish community so it’s incredible to read about. The Amish are so entirely different from my lifestyle that it’s often hard for me to relate with the situation but it’s very interesting to watch the story unfold. That being said, I had a lot of personal conflicts with some of the Amish and their treatment of Rose. There was times I wanted Rose to do so well and become a part of the church, and times I wanted her to run for the hills. The proof is in the pudding however and the fact that Rose was so willing to give up all those unnecessary luxuries to spend the rest of her life with Noah is a testament to her character.
The ending is shocking. As a matter of fact, I was shocked for about the last 25% of Belonging. I had no idea the story was going to go down the road it did and I was both stunned and a bit excited. I don’t even know how I will be able to wait to read Forever, the ending is most definitely a cliff hanger and I have no idea what is going to happen in the third book.
If you haven’t picked up Temptation yet, go do it! And then also pick up Belonging because you will want to have it close on hand 😛
*Open to US/Can*
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About Karen Ann Hopkins
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. More books in the Temptation series are in the works.
I was approved for a review copy of Belonging when I first joined Netgalley, but I didn’t realize that it was the second in a series, and I couldn’t track down a copy of book 1 at my library, so ended up not reading or reviewing it. I think my library has both books now, so I might give this series a try. The Amish thing was both intriguing and off-putting, so I’m not sure where I’ll stand on these ones!
I was actually iffy about the Amish part also Melissa but I decided to give it a go and it was quite interesting. While I disagreed with almost everything they did/believe in, the story itself was so nice I quickly forgot about the things I disagreed with! If you pick them up let me know 🙂
[…] took part in one tour but it was the second part of the Belonging tour… I posted by review for Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins. I loved this book and I’m going to be anxiously awaiting the third and […]