Review : Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Harlequin

Publication date: 6.26.2012

Pages: 400

Source: Own 

The Story:

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. 

-Barnes and Noble 

Rating: FOUR GOLD STARS!!!!

My Review: One Word: ENSNARING

Each and every time I have visited Barnes and Nobles recently, I have picked up Forever and stared at it curious about Noah and Rose's story. But it was the last books in Karen Ann Hopkins trilogy. So, when I finally decided to head to B&N to pick up Temptation low and behold there were no copies. of any of the three books in the trilogy. Anxious to read the trilogy, I got my butt on Amazon and purchased them.

I could not stop reading!

I am not even joking, for two days straight, I binge read the Temptation trilogy. From beginning to end, I was ensnared with Noah Miller and Rose Cameron's love story. The way Hopkins incorporated the Amish culture and using it as the basis for the forbidden love aspect was brilliant. And so darn believable.

When I say believable, I absolutely mean it. All of the characters, especially Noah and Rose were written so genuinely. They felt and were portrayed exactly as teens in their age would. Neither character was put on a pedestal. or flawless. There were times where I go frustrated with them, for being the teenagers they were.  For instance, Noah was honorable, kind but selfish. Rose was the typical teenage girl but bitchy.

And I found the experience was refreshing.

Noah and Rose's story is about two teenagers falling in love for the first time and all the pains, headaches and adult interference that comes with it topped with an Amish twist. Temptation is definitely a worthwhile read.

Happy Reading!

TGTG #14: And the winner is . . .

My fourteenth Thanks-Giving Thursday Giveaway is now complete! With that said, today is the day to name to winner. May I have a drum roll please? The winner of the is . . .

Danielle Meek

Congratulations, Danielle!

You are the recipient of ARCs of Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater & The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater!

On a final note, I've already sent you an email regarding your prize. If for some reason you have not received said email contact me at TheTatteredPage@yahoo.com. Remember, you have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will have to be drawn.

Thank you to all for becoming followers of The Tattered Page and for participating in my giveaway.

Hope you enjoy the books, Danielle!

Happy Reading!
Haysel

P.S. For those of you who didn't win, don't fret I will be hosting a ton of giveaways over the next few months!

Review : The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc

Publication date: 7.1.2010

Pages: 384

Source: Own 

The Story:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

- Barnes and Noble

Rating: FOUR GOLD STARS!!!!

My Review:

Before I start my rant about The Hunger Games, I have to admit that I was reluctant to read it -- as you can see I waited until now to do so. And to be honest, I cannot give you a good reason why. Perhaps it was a number of things that prevented me from reading the book. Maybe I was afraid the book would let me down since the film was so good? or maybe I was afraid that the film strayed to far from the novel and I would be pissed?

Well, that does not matter now. I finally give in and read The Hunger Games. And loved it!

The characters were real and came off the pages. Katniss, the girl on fire, and Peeta, the boy with the bread = . The pace off the story was steady. There was just the right balance of thrill, unrequited love humor (yes!) and relative material. I mean, I fell into the story. I felt a part of it. The whole while I was reading The Hunger Games, I felt as if I were beside Katniss. Absolutely mind-altering work of literature that gets under your skin.

"Without thinking, I pull an arrow from my quiver and send it straight at the Gamemakers' table. I hear shouts of alarm as people stumble back. the arrow skewers the apple in the pigs' mouth and pins it to the wall behind it. Everyone stares at me in disbelief.

'Thank you for your consideration,' I say. then I give a slight bow and walk straight toward he exit without being dismissed" [page 102].

What I found most interesting, was how Katniss always assume she would be the one to kill Peeta during the games, although she never outright stated or even admitted it (Pages 33, 72, etc.). Yet, in the end, Katniss was the one to save Peeta.

But let us get back to Peeta Mellark. Oh, Peeta, Peeta, Peeta. He is such a sweetheart but not to the point of weakness. Maybe that is why I love his character?  Not to mention, how much better does it get then when you find out the cute, kind boy with the beard secretly pined Katniss since they were 5 years old! Can I get a "book boyfriend material!"? Amen.

"'And right when your song ended, I knew -- just like your mother -- I was a goner,' Peeta says. 'Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you'" [pages 300-301].

Now, I am patiently (sike!) waiting for my copies of Catching Fire and Mockingjay to arrive in the mail. Cannot wait to read them -- although I think I am going to wait to read Mockingjay after the movies since that will be the case for the first two books in the trilogy.

*** Check out Suzanne Collins website for more information about her and The Hunger Games: HERE

Happy Reading!