BELONGING BLOG TOUR STOP
about Belonging (Temptation #2):
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.
Find/Buy Belonging:
on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Indiebound or Book Depository
about Temptation
the first novel in the series:
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.
Find/Buy Temptation:
on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Indiebound or Book Depository; Temptation Facebook page
Review, Author Guest Post, Tour Schedule, & Giveaway below . . .
Belonging (Temptation #2)
Harlequin TEEN
April 30, 2013
408 pages
After falling in love with Noah in Temptation and finding out that they couldn't be together -- he's Amish and she's English (not Amish), Rose is ready to give up her world for his. But is she really prepared to leave the 'modern' world and everything she knows -- her family included -- behind for the boy she loves?
I really enjoyed that Belonging started with Rose and Noah both in the same 'community.' Though they're still in quite different positions and viewing it differently. It both puts them on more even footing and makes things more unequal for them (than in Temptation).
It's great to see even more of the Amish lifestyle explored in this novel. From the different things Rose is expected to do, what is expected of her and the encounters she has. It's different from anything we would have seen with Noah as our only glimpse into that world -- or Rose as a complete outsider, either.
The little things that bothered me about Noah as well as Noah and Rose's relationship in Temptation were still present in Belonging but I felt more that they were supposed to be noticed -- either by the characters themselves or me, as a reader. I liked Rose a bit more this time than in the first book. The change in circumstance affected her in quite an interesting way. It was easy to see how both being a teenager, in love, and her recent past really did play a part in who her character is. (More so with where things have developed in the story, now.)
I loved that Rose's brothers, Sam in particular, were again a part of the story. They, along with the characters either entirely new to the story or given more of a role are a fantastic addition. We see both Rose and Noah, Rose especially, interacting with others more in this second novel, and it gives us a better glimpse into who they are. There's not as much of the gotta-have-it-right-now rush of their romance that was in Temptation, but their relationship isn't new so that makes sense. Bringing others into their story works very well.
Guest Post
from Belonging author Karen Ann Hopkins
Growing Up Amish
Early on,
language is one of the main differences between Amish children and
non-Amish. The Amish speak Pennsylvania
Dutch (a form of German) as their birth language and learn English as they go
into the first grade. English is
predominantly spoken in the school, whereas, Pennsylvania Dutch is the language
used mostly in the homes.
My community
is made up of relocated families from various parts of the country, including
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indian and Iowa.
They all have difference accents, with some families speaking English
very comfortably and others seeming a bit more strained with it.
When kids are
as young as six or seven, they have chores around the household and farm. Sweeping, cleaning, mowing and tending to the
livestock are common place jobs to be shared by the youngest members of an
Amish family. They don’t mind much
though, because the work ethic among the Amish is so strong that it’s just a
natural part of their young lives. And it’s a good thing that they’re so
accepting, because as the children grow into teens, hard work and
responsibility become a major part of their lives. Whether girl or boy, they’re expected to
contribute to the household’s income and livelihood. After graduating in the eighth grade, Amish
teens are finished with schooling and thrust into the workforce, either leaving
the home for a forty hour work week or putting that much time into in a family
business. Jobs include carpentry,
metal work, farming and welding for the boys and butchery, bakery, woodworking,
retail, teaching, child care, and housecleaning for the girls. Usually, 90% of a teen’s income is given to
the family as an intricate part of the family’s financial survival. A portion of the ten percent that the teens
retain is saved towards the teen’s future married life, while the rest is for
their own enjoyment.
Even though
Amish teens work hard, they also play hard.
Oftentimes, they will take short trips with their church groups, visit
relatives and friends, and participate in activities such as hunting, horseback
riding and skiing. A usual day for an
Amish teen begins at five o’clock in the morning, followed by prayer, breakfast
and morning chores. After working an
eight hour work day, the youth will arrive home to afternoon chores before
dinner with the family. The evenings are
playtime for the young people. They can
be found at the church’s youth group gatherings, such as singings and ball
games or they may be seen riding their horses or bikes on the roadways.
Most people born Amish will stay
Amish, although some do leave their culture and join the outside world. More often these young people are
disillusioned by what they think their new lives will be like and the
adjustment is difficult. In my
community, I’ve personally known several teens who have have left, only to
return to the community a year or two later after they realized that the
outside world wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
One particular young woman married an outsider and seems to have taken
on her new situation really well.
The truly fascinating part of life
for the Amish young people is that as a whole, they seem content with their
lives. Once they turn sixteen, they are
old enough to begin courting and they do choose their own partners. Most Amish
are married before they turn twenty-one and will begin having their children
immediately. As birth control is not
allowed, a family will expect to have at least five and as many as twelve
children.
The cycle continues on and a whole
new group of kids begin the process of growing up Amish.
About Author Karen Ann Hopkins:
A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.
around the web:
her Blog, Facebook, Goodreads author page
visit the rest of the tour posts . . .
Tour Schedule:
Monday, April 22th - Ashley loves books
Tuesday, April 23th - A Little Shelf of Heaven
Wednesday, April 24th - One Day YA
Thursday, April 25h - Fic Talk
Friday, April 26th - Bittersweet Enchantment
Monday, April 29th - Reader Girls
Tuesday, April 30th - Bumbles and Fairy Tales
Wednesday, May 1sh - The YA Bookworm
Thursday, May 2nd - The Book Heist
Friday, May 3rd - Page Turners
Monday, May 6th - Books Complete Me
Tuesday, May 7th - Bookish Escape
Wednesday, May 8th - Book Sp(l)ot Reviews
Thursday, May 9th - Irish Banana
Friday, May 10th - The Cozy Reader
Enter to win
your own copy of Belonging!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
thank you to Kismet & Karen Ann Hopkins for having me participate in the tour -- as well as Harlequin and NetGalley for the egalley of Belonging
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