Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins

Temptation
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Pages: 408
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

  

 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.

Belonging is the second book in the Temptation series. After reading Temptation in May, I was quite eager to read Belonging after seeing it in the bookstore plenty of times. Though I was quite eager to buy myself my own, I resisted and decided to wait until the library had it available (I was actually second on the wasting list.)

I didn't particularly like Temptation, because of the insta love that happened between Rose and Noah. But, I did like the whole premise of forbidden love in Temptation which made it quite addicting.

In Belonging, Rose gives up everything - basically her old life- in order to be with Noah. She is put into a situation where she cannot date Noah or in their case "courting" until she becomes Amish. The both of them are followed in with challenges and loads of twists and turns.

There were two thing that frustrated me in this book:

1) Noah

You thought Noah was selfish in Temptation? Well, in this one he goes beyond selfish. I'm not joking. I don't understand why Rose is in love with him in the first place. Everything has to go Noah's way, if not, he gets incredibly angry and makes irrational choices that only benefit him.

Here's an example of Noah's selfishness:

"For Rose's sake I didn't want her to be with child, but for my sake, I silently prayed she was." 

When I read this, I was furious - furious to the point where I wanted to throw the book at Noah. No wait, I don't want throw a book, I'd love to throw my fist at his oh so handsome face instead. Noah doesn't care what she's going to go through with, the only thing he cares about is himself. Being pregnant under the age of eighteen is one emotional wreck, I've witnessed it myself. Noah wants her pregnant so that their families have no choice but to let them be together. But wait, doesn't this sound familiar?  Didn't Noah suggest this in the first book? In fact he did.

"In a course voice I (Noah) suggested, "Maybe if your father thought you were pregnant he'd agree." (Temptation, Book 1) 

Well, people, this is exactly what Noah did. He made her pregnant. Obviously, Rose wasn't aware what his real intentions were.

2) "Amish Way" 

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time absorbing this. When you're being sexually abused, you don't just wait and see what the Amish leaders of your church and let them think what the punishment should be. Instead, you bring them right to the police and have them deal with the criminal themselves. People like them should be handled by the police so that rapists like them don't get a chance of raping another person.

Overall, this book reminded me of those badly aired tv soap operas. Though I was majorly disappointed, I will be reading the last book, hoping that the author will surprise and sweep me off my feet.

2/5 STARS