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Cornfed
Jacob Yoder is a young Amish man on "rumspringa" (running around time, an Amish tradition) in New York City. There he runs, quite literally, into Fahd ibn Azar, son of a powerful Saudi Sheikh.
Fahd is smitten with Jacob, and brings the all-too-trusting Amish man to his penthouse hotel suite, where he introduces a confused but willing Jacob to the pleasures of the flesh. Jacob feels guilty by indulging in his most secret (and forbidden) fantasies with Fahd, but Fahd's situation is much more dire. Fahd's brother, Munif, wants to be their father's heir and successor, and has decided to kill Fahd in order to assure his place in the family hierarchy.
Forced to flee Manhattan without a penny to his name, Fahd accompanies Jacob back to the family farm in Pennsylvania, where he hopes to hide out and avoid Munif long enough to get political asylum. What Fahd doesn't count on is falling hopelessly in love with his blue-eyed, blond, cornfed Amish savior, or on Munif finding him in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Coming from two vastly different cultures, Jacob and Fahd must struggle with both dangerous outside forces and serious internal doubts to find happiness in each other's arms, and neither is certain love will be enough to overcome their adversities in the end.
Fahd is smitten with Jacob, and brings the all-too-trusting Amish man to his penthouse hotel suite, where he introduces a confused but willing Jacob to the pleasures of the flesh. Jacob feels guilty by indulging in his most secret (and forbidden) fantasies with Fahd, but Fahd's situation is much more dire. Fahd's brother, Munif, wants to be their father's heir and successor, and has decided to kill Fahd in order to assure his place in the family hierarchy.
Forced to flee Manhattan without a penny to his name, Fahd accompanies Jacob back to the family farm in Pennsylvania, where he hopes to hide out and avoid Munif long enough to get political asylum. What Fahd doesn't count on is falling hopelessly in love with his blue-eyed, blond, cornfed Amish savior, or on Munif finding him in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Coming from two vastly different cultures, Jacob and Fahd must struggle with both dangerous outside forces and serious internal doubts to find happiness in each other's arms, and neither is certain love will be enough to overcome their adversities in the end.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 22, 2013
Fahd ibn Azar, son of a powerful Saudi Sheikh, runs into Jacob Yoder, a young Amish man on "rumspringa" outside the United Nations and the two men are immediately attracted to each other despite their both coming from cultures that anathemize homosexuality. While Fahd's initial intentions are strictly carnal, Jacob is amazed by the most satisfying of all his new experiences, and is quickly overwhelmed by the powerful, wealthy, and worldly young man. But when Fahd's brother launches a plot to have Fahd killed so that he may assume the sheikdom upon the death of their father, the boys flee New York and take refuge amid the Amish. Now it's Fahd who quickly discovers a way of life previously unimagined.
For years I've been fascinated by the Amish in America, probably because I've always found a combination of vulnerability and strength to be alluring. Theirs is a culture that rejects most of the "improvements" of modern society and instead they rely on honesty, humility, family, hard work and community. Part of their culture is the concept of rumspringa, a time of decision for those on the cusp of adulthood. These young people, having been raised in the Amish tradition, are encouraged to explore the ways of the "English" (any non-Amish) and then decide if they are ready to join the Amish Church and commit to a life based on their values.
Of course the deck is stacked a bit. While the young people have been schooled in strength of character and the virtue of hard work, they have no schooling past an eighth grade level and are almost totally unsuited to well paying jobs in the outside world. If they choose to live among "the English" they may still visit their family from time to time but pretty much give up all other support of their community. On the plus side however, they've been schooled in the virtues of hard work, a healthy lifestyle and moral honesty. Attractive traits to most employers and at least one book reviewer.
The author deftly incorporated a number of graphically hot sex scenes into the engaging, well crafted narrative despite their very real lack of privacy, while providing a great peek into the Amish way of life. Both young men were given some depth of character and the overall arc of the story was well handled.
The story was worthwhile as well. As I read I kept drawing parallels between the men's two cultures; both cultures frequently stop formal education with eighth grade, both place a high value on modesty, both relegate women to "follower" roles, both have been characterized as being "behind the times" in their beliefs. I'm certain that these parallels were not just coincidental.
This book was originally recommended to me as a result of a recommendation request for a book about an Amish youth on rumspringa. While it turned out to be much more about what happened upon their return, it was certainly enjoyable. Perhaps a sequel could be written. After all, Jacob has a precocious younger brother who'll have his own rumspinga soon... and now...
For years I've been fascinated by the Amish in America, probably because I've always found a combination of vulnerability and strength to be alluring. Theirs is a culture that rejects most of the "improvements" of modern society and instead they rely on honesty, humility, family, hard work and community. Part of their culture is the concept of rumspringa, a time of decision for those on the cusp of adulthood. These young people, having been raised in the Amish tradition, are encouraged to explore the ways of the "English" (any non-Amish) and then decide if they are ready to join the Amish Church and commit to a life based on their values.
Of course the deck is stacked a bit. While the young people have been schooled in strength of character and the virtue of hard work, they have no schooling past an eighth grade level and are almost totally unsuited to well paying jobs in the outside world. If they choose to live among "the English" they may still visit their family from time to time but pretty much give up all other support of their community. On the plus side however, they've been schooled in the virtues of hard work, a healthy lifestyle and moral honesty. Attractive traits to most employers and at least one book reviewer.
The author deftly incorporated a number of graphically hot sex scenes into the engaging, well crafted narrative despite their very real lack of privacy, while providing a great peek into the Amish way of life. Both young men were given some depth of character and the overall arc of the story was well handled.
The story was worthwhile as well. As I read I kept drawing parallels between the men's two cultures; both cultures frequently stop formal education with eighth grade, both place a high value on modesty, both relegate women to "follower" roles, both have been characterized as being "behind the times" in their beliefs. I'm certain that these parallels were not just coincidental.
This book was originally recommended to me as a result of a recommendation request for a book about an Amish youth on rumspringa. While it turned out to be much more about what happened upon their return, it was certainly enjoyable. Perhaps a sequel could be written. After all, Jacob has a precocious younger brother who'll have his own rumspinga soon... and now...
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February 25, 2011Hands up: this story by Kiernan Kelly was born by a specific request I did in a chat almost two years ago. Sheikhs romances are my kink, dating back when I was still reading Harlequin Presents, and I so wanted to read a story with a young and handsome sheikh in it; the obvious counterpart in this type of romance is the innocent virgin, but giving the modern time, where you can find a completely innocent boy to fit the dress? Of course in an Amish community! And so here was the very high level plot bunny, a romance between an Amish boy and a sheikh. That night, during the chat, I think we agreed the only obvious place where these two completely different men could meet was in front of the United Nations in New York City, and so from there Kiernan Kelly developed Cornfed.
Jacob is a 18 years old Amish boy leaving Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for the first time in his life for his rumspringa; his secret dream has always been to visit New York City, and so he is realizing it, even if the reality is not so shining, and by the way it’s even more expensive than expected. While touring in front of the UN, he literally bumps into Fahd, second son of a Saudi Arab sheikh, visiting NYC in a diplomatic mission.
In a way, even if from completely different roots, Jacob and Fahd are not so different after all: both of them have to hide their secret desires for men, even if Fahd has already consciously realized it, and experimented his sexuality, while instead Jacob, has not even yet internalized his sexual urges. Jacob is completely innocent; he has never had any sexual experience and he has neither once questioned that he will go back to Intercourse, enter the church, marry a woman and bear children, many of them. Both Jacob than Fahd are from families where there are multiple brothers and sisters, so it’s not like they have to continue the family line, it’s simply that they have to “adapt” to the common way.
The main difference between Jacob and Fahd is that Fahd is a “rebel”, he doesn’t want to follow his father’s rules, and in a way, he is not as bonded to his family as Jacob is. Fahd can renounce to his family, I see really unlikely that Jacob can do the same.
In comparison to similar romances set among the Amish people, I think that Kiernan Kelly did a fair job, simply since she didn’t exaggerated the whole, and it was not an easy task, not only for Jacob and the Amish, but also for Fahd and his background. True, some “easy” escapes Fahd had were maybe a little too quick and lucky, but indeed he is the son of a sheikh, so it’s not like he is an ordinary man.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/12...
Jacob is a 18 years old Amish boy leaving Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for the first time in his life for his rumspringa; his secret dream has always been to visit New York City, and so he is realizing it, even if the reality is not so shining, and by the way it’s even more expensive than expected. While touring in front of the UN, he literally bumps into Fahd, second son of a Saudi Arab sheikh, visiting NYC in a diplomatic mission.
In a way, even if from completely different roots, Jacob and Fahd are not so different after all: both of them have to hide their secret desires for men, even if Fahd has already consciously realized it, and experimented his sexuality, while instead Jacob, has not even yet internalized his sexual urges. Jacob is completely innocent; he has never had any sexual experience and he has neither once questioned that he will go back to Intercourse, enter the church, marry a woman and bear children, many of them. Both Jacob than Fahd are from families where there are multiple brothers and sisters, so it’s not like they have to continue the family line, it’s simply that they have to “adapt” to the common way.
The main difference between Jacob and Fahd is that Fahd is a “rebel”, he doesn’t want to follow his father’s rules, and in a way, he is not as bonded to his family as Jacob is. Fahd can renounce to his family, I see really unlikely that Jacob can do the same.
In comparison to similar romances set among the Amish people, I think that Kiernan Kelly did a fair job, simply since she didn’t exaggerated the whole, and it was not an easy task, not only for Jacob and the Amish, but also for Fahd and his background. True, some “easy” escapes Fahd had were maybe a little too quick and lucky, but indeed he is the son of a sheikh, so it’s not like he is an ordinary man.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/12...
June 18, 2011
It reminded me of that movie, Witness, with Harrison Ford. The developing relationship between the two men was nicely handled, but the writing was rather clumsy at times, with way too many mentions of each character's name and not enough use of male pronouns. I don't know whether this is the fault of the author or the editor. Sometimes it's unavoidable to use a character's name more than once in a sentence, particularly when two or more characters in a scene are the same gender, but I think the readers should be trusted to keep their minds on the action as the author describes it. An example: Fahd could feel Jacob's body heat and smell the clean, male scent of Jacob's skin. It would have been fine to say 'his' skin. This happened a fair bit.
It was light, undemanding reading. It didn't wow me, but that is probably the fault of the genre, which is romance, only with two men and a lot more sex than we generally get in simple romance novels.
It was light, undemanding reading. It didn't wow me, but that is probably the fault of the genre, which is romance, only with two men and a lot more sex than we generally get in simple romance novels.
September 29, 2013
1.5 stars
I admit I got caught up in the scene after the MCs were reunited but overall I don't think the love between the two MCs was real. They met then they are having sex and more important one of the MCs didn't know what hell gay meant. It seem they were thinking with their little head more than what is in their heart. I just didn't like this book and would not be recommend this book to anyone.
I admit I got caught up in the scene after the MCs were reunited but overall I don't think the love between the two MCs was real. They met then they are having sex and more important one of the MCs didn't know what hell gay meant. It seem they were thinking with their little head more than what is in their heart. I just didn't like this book and would not be recommend this book to anyone.
March 23, 2011
Very cute romance that almost veered into WITNESS territory, but didn't quite. Only Kiernan could have pulled off a sheik and an Amish boy in love. She did it with such skill I was back in the Pennsylvania hills learning top drive a semi while avoiding Dutch buggies.
June 30, 2011
Very sweet romance between a young Amish man and the son of an oil Sheikh. The story had romance, drama and international intrigue. Loved it!
January 6, 2012
3.5 Pretty woman meets Witness, a bit unrealistic, but throughly funny and charming makes this story a guilty pleasure.
April 7, 2011
A cheesy kind of story but cute enough to keep one "awe" over the couple.
May 27, 2011
3.5 stars.
August 8, 2011
2.5
It was sweet and straightforward, but didn't really keep me interested.
It was sweet and straightforward, but didn't really keep me interested.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews