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regskathleen's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
atticusmammy's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t like this as much as the similar series by Lisa Scottoline but it was pretty good. It sure doesn’t paint a very flattering picture of the Amish! I’m interested in seeing what Serenity does next.
One question, if Mervin and David fought,tussled, rolled around in the corn near Naomi when David injured Mervin’s leg, why wasn’t it obvious that the corn was trampled when the body was found?
One question, if Mervin and David fought,tussled, rolled around in the corn near Naomi when David injured Mervin’s leg, why wasn’t it obvious that the corn was trampled when the body was found?
jeanz's review
5.0
Please tell me this is the start of a new brilliant series!!
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Looking forward to this one with mixed feelings, trepidation and a little anxiety, as I truly loved the Temptation Series, will I love this too?"
MY REVIEW
I received a ARC of this one from the Author via Kismet Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
The cover shows a pretty bleak sky over a large cornfield, which is an important place within the book as that is where Naomi Beiler's body is found. I love the Amish buggy on the cover too as well as the plainer, perhaps Amish like font.
So now to the actual plot, Serenity is the new Sheriff of the small rural town she grew up in, though the old Sheriff Tony Manning still seem's to think he is ruling the roost!
There is a large Amish community which also comes under Sheriff Serenity's jurisdiction so when an Amish girl is found dead in a corn field, she has to investigate. She learn's that the Amish prefer to "take care of their own" and Tony Manning takes great delight in goading her that she will never find out how the Amish girl was shot. After taking with her Deputy and the coroner about how to approach the Amish she visits Daniel Bachman, a man who was brought up the Amish way but left to "go English". Daniel agrees to help Serenity but only if she does things "his way" which means them pretending to be in a relationship and using the pretense that Daniel may he considering going back to being Amish. So alongside of the girls death plot we also have a fledgling romance too. I really enjoyed how the two plot lines ran along side each other. Finding out what happened to Naomi becomes even more personal when she finds out someone close to her is kind of involved (but I refuse to say who as that would be a large spoiler!).
The story is told from three points of view, you have Serenity in the "now" after the body has been found. Then there is what happened leading up to the death told by Naomi's point of view. Also towards the end of the book we have some of the story told my Daniel Bachman and his point of view.
I really enjoyed the mystery, suspense and drama in this book as well as it indulging me a little more in my fascination with the Amish culture. Karen Ann Hopkin's writes so well and the just flows brilliantly, I really enjoyed it. So much so as I was reaching the end I didn't want it to be over. I really hope that this book is just the beginning of a series. We can see Serenity and Daniels relationship develop as well as seeing Serenity solve other cases. There is a hint towards that at the end of this book.
So did I enjoy the book? Definitely Yes! Would I recommend the book? Again, definitely yes! Would you read another book in this series if there is one? I certainly would and I do hope we are going to have more of Serenity, Daniel, Todd, Bobby and the Amish. Would you read other titles by Karen Ann Hopkins? I would certainly take a close look at anything written by this author, I love her writing style and plots.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Looking forward to this one with mixed feelings, trepidation and a little anxiety, as I truly loved the Temptation Series, will I love this too?"
MY REVIEW
I received a ARC of this one from the Author via Kismet Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
The cover shows a pretty bleak sky over a large cornfield, which is an important place within the book as that is where Naomi Beiler's body is found. I love the Amish buggy on the cover too as well as the plainer, perhaps Amish like font.
So now to the actual plot, Serenity is the new Sheriff of the small rural town she grew up in, though the old Sheriff Tony Manning still seem's to think he is ruling the roost!
There is a large Amish community which also comes under Sheriff Serenity's jurisdiction so when an Amish girl is found dead in a corn field, she has to investigate. She learn's that the Amish prefer to "take care of their own" and Tony Manning takes great delight in goading her that she will never find out how the Amish girl was shot. After taking with her Deputy and the coroner about how to approach the Amish she visits Daniel Bachman, a man who was brought up the Amish way but left to "go English". Daniel agrees to help Serenity but only if she does things "his way" which means them pretending to be in a relationship and using the pretense that Daniel may he considering going back to being Amish. So alongside of the girls death plot we also have a fledgling romance too. I really enjoyed how the two plot lines ran along side each other. Finding out what happened to Naomi becomes even more personal when she finds out someone close to her is kind of involved (but I refuse to say who as that would be a large spoiler!).
The story is told from three points of view, you have Serenity in the "now" after the body has been found. Then there is what happened leading up to the death told by Naomi's point of view. Also towards the end of the book we have some of the story told my Daniel Bachman and his point of view.
I really enjoyed the mystery, suspense and drama in this book as well as it indulging me a little more in my fascination with the Amish culture. Karen Ann Hopkin's writes so well and the just flows brilliantly, I really enjoyed it. So much so as I was reaching the end I didn't want it to be over. I really hope that this book is just the beginning of a series. We can see Serenity and Daniels relationship develop as well as seeing Serenity solve other cases. There is a hint towards that at the end of this book.
So did I enjoy the book? Definitely Yes! Would I recommend the book? Again, definitely yes! Would you read another book in this series if there is one? I certainly would and I do hope we are going to have more of Serenity, Daniel, Todd, Bobby and the Amish. Would you read other titles by Karen Ann Hopkins? I would certainly take a close look at anything written by this author, I love her writing style and plots.
mercyblue's review against another edition
3.0
Star rating: 3 - 3.5 stars
After a young Amish woman's body is found shot to death in a cornfield, Sheriff Serenity Adams knows that fowl play was involved... The problem will be proving it. Given a deadline by the mayor, Serenity is put in a tight spot as she tries to reason with the inhospitable Amish and find Naomi Beiler's killer at the same time. Little does she know that secrets run rampant and deep within the local Amish community, and she's about to find out more then she bargained for.
This novel had me throwing up my hands in consternation at every turn. Not only was it slow to begin with but it doesn't truly speed up until you're almost 70% of the way through it. In my opinion, none of the main characters had any real redeeming qualities. Naomi was whiny and naive, and while I understood why the author decided to write her in that light it didn't make her character any easier to read about. Serenity's 'relationship' with Daniel was not only frustrating but at times completely nonsensical. She decides that she doesn't want to have a real relationship with him, before she ever really gives him a chance to get to know him better. In that instance I could feel the author's handiwork more then ever. She just wanted to draw out the romance so that you'd have to pick up the next novel just to find out what happens between both characters. Most likely I won't pick up the next book in this series because I found the main characters to be too unlikable.
After a young Amish woman's body is found shot to death in a cornfield, Sheriff Serenity Adams knows that fowl play was involved... The problem will be proving it. Given a deadline by the mayor, Serenity is put in a tight spot as she tries to reason with the inhospitable Amish and find Naomi Beiler's killer at the same time. Little does she know that secrets run rampant and deep within the local Amish community, and she's about to find out more then she bargained for.
This novel had me throwing up my hands in consternation at every turn. Not only was it slow to begin with but it doesn't truly speed up until you're almost 70% of the way through it. In my opinion, none of the main characters had any real redeeming qualities. Naomi was whiny and naive, and while I understood why the author decided to write her in that light it didn't make her character any easier to read about. Serenity's 'relationship' with Daniel was not only frustrating but at times completely nonsensical. She decides that she doesn't want to have a real relationship with him, before she ever really gives him a chance to get to know him better. In that instance I could feel the author's handiwork more then ever. She just wanted to draw out the romance so that you'd have to pick up the next novel just to find out what happens between both characters. Most likely I won't pick up the next book in this series because I found the main characters to be too unlikable.
tien's review against another edition
3.0
The basis of this novel reminds me of a Jodi Picoult’s I’ve read years ago called ‘Plain Truth’ which delved into the world of the Amish from a perspective of an outsider. Both novels are of the mystery / crime genre which is the sort of fiction I enjoyed reading. “Lamb to the Slaughter” was a fairly easy and enjoyable read. The characters, the atmosphere of the town / community and the romance were the highlights for me.
There were 3 alternate perspectives to this novel: the main character, Sheriff Serenity Adams, the love interest, and the victim. The novel began with the incident which, therefore, means that the victim’s perspectives were written in the past whilst the rest of the novel is written in the present. I’m not really a fan of this sort of back and forth between time setting however it quite easy to catch on as bits and pieces are slowly revealed at around the same section of the novel.
Serenity Adams is an independent and intelligent woman with her own set of issues. I love that she’s a capable sort of woman and isn’t insecure about her position. She’s somewhat prickly in the romance department (the reason why is not exactly made clear yet –being the first book of a series) but I think that contributes to the whole uncertainty / excitement with the romantic angle here.
Serenity is surrounded by some interesting characters with their own quirkiness that made up a small town. Whilst some of these characters barely scratched the surface, I do look forward to see them more developed later on in the series. These characters definitely made Blood Rock a curious place to live.
The mystery was a little too straight forward for me; being a mystery buff and all. Indeed there were red herrings scattered throughout but the original and most obvious was the conclusion. I was really hoping for some twisted ending and whilst it was ‘crazy’ enough, the hoped-for-twist just wasn’t there.
Whilst this novel was somewhat lacking in depth, I don’t believe it to be a novel of exploring the Amish and their belief. Rather, it was a setting of which the author is familiar with. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book for better character development.
“…If you want a horse to be your friend and work well for you, then you have to be patient with them.” She [Naomi] paused patting the pony on its thick neck before continuing, “You have to be kind to them and give them some freedom.”
Copy of book was provided to me for an honest review via blog tour
There were 3 alternate perspectives to this novel: the main character, Sheriff Serenity Adams, the love interest, and the victim. The novel began with the incident which, therefore, means that the victim’s perspectives were written in the past whilst the rest of the novel is written in the present. I’m not really a fan of this sort of back and forth between time setting however it quite easy to catch on as bits and pieces are slowly revealed at around the same section of the novel.
Serenity Adams is an independent and intelligent woman with her own set of issues. I love that she’s a capable sort of woman and isn’t insecure about her position. She’s somewhat prickly in the romance department (the reason why is not exactly made clear yet –being the first book of a series) but I think that contributes to the whole uncertainty / excitement with the romantic angle here.
Serenity is surrounded by some interesting characters with their own quirkiness that made up a small town. Whilst some of these characters barely scratched the surface, I do look forward to see them more developed later on in the series. These characters definitely made Blood Rock a curious place to live.
The mystery was a little too straight forward for me; being a mystery buff and all. Indeed there were red herrings scattered throughout but the original and most obvious was the conclusion. I was really hoping for some twisted ending and whilst it was ‘crazy’ enough, the hoped-for-twist just wasn’t there.
Whilst this novel was somewhat lacking in depth, I don’t believe it to be a novel of exploring the Amish and their belief. Rather, it was a setting of which the author is familiar with. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book for better character development.
“…If you want a horse to be your friend and work well for you, then you have to be patient with them.” She [Naomi] paused patting the pony on its thick neck before continuing, “You have to be kind to them and give them some freedom.”
Copy of book was provided to me for an honest review via blog tour
thekrazysheep's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like the back and forth pov between the current characters and I found Daniel especially annoying. The "romantic" scenes were written in the terms of bad romance novel tropes.
Not sure I buy that the Amish are much like they're portrayed in the novel, seemed like the majority of the Amish adult women were either abusive or had a mental illness, or both. The teenagers weren't much better. The Amish men were portrayed as stoic, close minded, and a bizarre combination of ignorant to the behavior of their wives and "all knowing" when it came to what their children were up to. Right up until the end, of course when they were all "surprised" by who the actual killer was. I'll give the author this, she did not reduce them to the tropes of the "peaceful Amish". However I think the author went too far the other way.
Overall, not a horrible book (I've read far worse) but be sure to skim over the "romantic" bits and just pretend you're not reading about an actual culture that exists and is being portrayed incorrectly.
Not sure I buy that the Amish are much like they're portrayed in the novel, seemed like the majority of the Amish adult women were either abusive or had a mental illness, or both. The teenagers weren't much better. The Amish men were portrayed as stoic, close minded, and a bizarre combination of ignorant to the behavior of their wives and "all knowing" when it came to what their children were up to. Right up until the end, of course when they were all "surprised" by who the actual killer was. I'll give the author this, she did not reduce them to the tropes of the "peaceful Amish". However I think the author went too far the other way.
Overall, not a horrible book (I've read far worse) but be sure to skim over the "romantic" bits and just pretend you're not reading about an actual culture that exists and is being portrayed incorrectly.
prpltrtl946's review against another edition
4.0
Cultures collide, mystery & a cliffhanger!
I was reading along satisfied with the book and wham, a cliff hanger! Yuk! But the mystery and culture clash were enough to keep the fourth star.
I was reading along satisfied with the book and wham, a cliff hanger! Yuk! But the mystery and culture clash were enough to keep the fourth star.
losetimereading's review
5.0
SERIOUSLY?!?! that's the way it ends?? lol... I love a nice cliffhanger/lead on to the next book :)
***
I could not even wait for this release when I seen it pop up on Goodreads so when I seen that Kismet was hosting a book tour, I immediately jumped at the chance to participate. After reading Karen Ann Hopkins’ Temptation series I was completely hooked on her writing and stories so I was itching to dive into this as soon as I received it.
Lamb to the Slaughter is told in three alternating points of view: Serenity, Daniel and Naomi. Serenity is the town sheriff and this is her first encounter with the Amish community, Daniel was born Amish but left when he was a teenager and Naomi is the young girl who was killed. I think telling the story in these separate points of view really gave it that added wow factor. I loved reading all three points of view, but the one that really hit me hard was Naomi’s. You know immediately that she is the young girl that dies, so that’s not a spoiler, but hearing her story in her words up to her death is just so sad. She really didn’t get a fair chance at life, and her POV really impacted me.
The characters are just so easy to love. I find this is a common element in Hopkin’s writing, she writes wonderful, wonderful characters. Serenity was strong and determined and really what you could except from a sheriff of a small town. Daniel was sexy and I loved his role in the mystery. Serenity really utilized his knowledge of the Amish culture and I loved the budding romance throughout the story.
The mystery itself was really attention grabbing. I found it nearly impossible to put this book down! I honestly had NO idea what was going on, or what happened to Naomi, that in itself being a surprise because I can always guess the endings. I really had no idea what was going on, because you are led astray so many times by the Amish community, and I was thoroughly shocked by who the killer was found out to be! I had a totally different suspicion in my mind…
One thing that is clear, is that Karen Ann Hopkins, really puts a lot of thought and research into creating her worlds. It’s obvious that she is very familiar with the Amish culture and does a wonderful job depicting that. I find their traditions and customs fascinating and even while reading fiction, I’m learning about the Amish people as well.
I would highly, highly recommend this one. I cannot find a single thing I disliked. From the mystery, the characters, and the writing this is a fantastic book! I was so excited to find out this is the beginning of a series. I loved the way the story ended and I’m glad that there is room for certain plot points to develop into the next book. I cannot wait for book two!
***
I could not even wait for this release when I seen it pop up on Goodreads so when I seen that Kismet was hosting a book tour, I immediately jumped at the chance to participate. After reading Karen Ann Hopkins’ Temptation series I was completely hooked on her writing and stories so I was itching to dive into this as soon as I received it.
Lamb to the Slaughter is told in three alternating points of view: Serenity, Daniel and Naomi. Serenity is the town sheriff and this is her first encounter with the Amish community, Daniel was born Amish but left when he was a teenager and Naomi is the young girl who was killed. I think telling the story in these separate points of view really gave it that added wow factor. I loved reading all three points of view, but the one that really hit me hard was Naomi’s. You know immediately that she is the young girl that dies, so that’s not a spoiler, but hearing her story in her words up to her death is just so sad. She really didn’t get a fair chance at life, and her POV really impacted me.
The characters are just so easy to love. I find this is a common element in Hopkin’s writing, she writes wonderful, wonderful characters. Serenity was strong and determined and really what you could except from a sheriff of a small town. Daniel was sexy and I loved his role in the mystery. Serenity really utilized his knowledge of the Amish culture and I loved the budding romance throughout the story.
The mystery itself was really attention grabbing. I found it nearly impossible to put this book down! I honestly had NO idea what was going on, or what happened to Naomi, that in itself being a surprise because I can always guess the endings. I really had no idea what was going on, because you are led astray so many times by the Amish community, and I was thoroughly shocked by who the killer was found out to be! I had a totally different suspicion in my mind…
One thing that is clear, is that Karen Ann Hopkins, really puts a lot of thought and research into creating her worlds. It’s obvious that she is very familiar with the Amish culture and does a wonderful job depicting that. I find their traditions and customs fascinating and even while reading fiction, I’m learning about the Amish people as well.
I would highly, highly recommend this one. I cannot find a single thing I disliked. From the mystery, the characters, and the writing this is a fantastic book! I was so excited to find out this is the beginning of a series. I loved the way the story ended and I’m glad that there is room for certain plot points to develop into the next book. I cannot wait for book two!
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