Forever (Temptation #3) by Karen Ann Hopkins
YA Contemporary Romance
Published: 28th January 2014
"Description"
All I want is my happily-ever-after.
That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.
From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.
If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.
But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.
That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.
From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.
If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.
But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.
"Guest Post"
What Rose and Noah face when they begin
courting.
Yes, there still is a
place in the world where the process of a boy and a girl getting to know each
other is called ‘courting.’ In Amish
communities throughout the Midwest and stretching into other regions of the
United States, dating is called courting and breaking up is referred to as ‘quitting’
each other.
Because of my years of
contact with Amish teens coming to my farm to participate in horse-back riding
activities, babysitting my children or hanging out with my own teenagers, I’ve
come to understand their secretive world of courtship very well.
First, Amish teens do
get to pick their partner, contrary to popular belief. But they must choose another Amish member or
they’ll get into heaps of trouble as seen in TEMPTATION where Noah, an Amish
teen, falls for Rose, an outsider. The
boys and girls of a community spend their entire lives together; meeting as
toddlers, going through school together until the eighth grade and
participating in church and weekly youth activities, such as singings and
volleyball or softball games.
By age sixteen, many of
the Amish have already decided on their future spouse. Courting is serious business for the
Amish. ‘Dating around’ is not acceptable
behavior within the Amish society. A
person chooses carefully who they will commit to courting, because they know
that they will be expected to stay in the relationship due to problems that can
arise within the community when couples ‘quit’ each other. Also, divorce is almost unheard in the Amish
world, so teens tread lightly with the opposite sex until they decide on the
right person.
The Amish youth are
encouraged to begin romantic relationships, because it helps insure that they
will remain Amish. Since the teens
aren’t allowed to court until they’ve officially gone through the ceremony to
join their church, many young ones who might have reservations about living
their lives the Amish way, will commit to it in order to be with the person
they’re fond of. With courting, comes
the prospect of marriage and a jump into adulthood, which satisfies the hope of
more freedom.
Each community has its
own set of courting rules. The community
I live in for instance, has a-hands-off courting policy. This basically means that a couple will get
in HUGE trouble if they get caught holding hands, kissing or going any further
physically within the relationship.
Punishment includes reciting their sins before their entire community on
Sunday and possibly being ‘shunned’ for a length of time, usually lasting one
to six weeks, depending on the conduct.
Shunning is especially painful to the couple, because it means they
won’t be able to see each other until the time is up. Other communities are a bit more relaxed on
the matter, but Amish teens are always held to a high standard when
courting. This doesn’t mean that couples
aren’t getting a kiss in here and there or even going much further into a
physical relationship, but they are watched carefully and learn early on to
either abstain or be extremely stealthy in their liaisons.
Although, the courtship
rituals of the Amish society might sound harsh to those of us on the outside,
there are many positives to their strict structure. Most couples will begin courting at the age
of sixteen and marry by the time they’re nineteen or twenty. Because the teens have a deep sense of
responsibility and meaning about entering a relationship, they don’t play
games, and there is much less drama and heartbreak involved. They enjoy support from their families and
community and begin their lives together on solid ground.
I’ve witnessed many
teens go through the process of courting and each couple eventually married.In
the end, they were in love and happy…and isn’t that what we all strive to
achieve?
You can read firsthand
about Rose and Noah’s courting experience in TEMPTATION, where they meet
secretly and struggle to find a way to be together. Their story continues in BELONGING, when they
finally have the opportunity to court in the Amish way, but are torn apart
again when Rose’s family puts a stop to it.
You will find out once and for all if Rose and Noah find their happily-ever-after
in FOREVER.
Learn about a
fascinating culture while taking an emotional roller coaster ride in the
TEMPTATION series! I love to hear from readers!
You can contact me on my FB page (Karen Ann Hopkins) or the Temptation
FB page.
Happy reading!
Karen Ann Hopkins
About the author
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.