⇒ Download Destiny Binds Timber Wolves Trilogy Book 1 Tammy Blackwell 9781460918685 Books

Destiny Binds Timber Wolves Trilogy Book 1 Tammy Blackwell 9781460918685 Books

Download As PDF : Destiny Binds Timber Wolves Trilogy Book 1 Tammy Blackwell 9781460918685 Books

Destiny Binds Timber Wolves Trilogy Book 1 Tammy Blackwell 9781460918685 Books

First off, this cover is fantastic yeah? It’s what initially convinced me to stop and read the blurb. And the title was the second thing that pulled me in, it’s mysterious, no?

However, this story was pretty average as far a YA paranormal romances go.

I mean, I liked the book. It sucked me in right away; even with the typical love triangle. The twist with regards to the love triangle was refreshing. And I thought it was done tastefully.

One thing that stood out for me was the fact that Jase isn’t a blood brother and the author made it clear to the reader many times. It seemed a bit of overkill to me with that bit of foreshadowing. But, hey, I can overlook it. I was almost hoping they had some chemistry but in the end the love interest did end up making sense. The writing was solid, clear and concise. It was a quick read.

I’m looking forward to the next one.


Tags : Destiny Binds (Timber Wolves Trilogy, Book 1) [Tammy Blackwell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Scout Donovan is a girl who believes in rules, logic, and her lifelong love of Charlie Hagan. Alex Cole believes in destiny,Tammy Blackwell,Destiny Binds (Timber Wolves Trilogy, Book 1),CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1460918681,Children's Teenage fiction & true stories,Children's BooksAll Ages,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),General,Juvenile Fiction General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Young Adult Fiction General

Destiny Binds Timber Wolves Trilogy Book 1 Tammy Blackwell 9781460918685 Books Reviews

(cross-posted from Wading Through Electronic Ink blog)

The Plot

Scout Donovan has an ordinary life in Timber, Kentucky until Alex Cole moves to town. Her step-brother and his family instantly hate Alex and insist that Scout stay away from him. But Scout, being the heroine of a YA paranormal novel, finds herself inexplicably drawn to him anyway. She soon discovers that not only is Alex a werewolf, but that her closest friends and family have been keeping their true natures a secret from her for her entire life.

The Good

I began this project with the intention of finding self-published books that were as good as published books. (By which I mean good published books. We've all read one or two... or many... that may not have deserved that honor.) By the time I started reading this, my fifth book, I was starting to doubt whether there were any self-published books that would merit a 5 - or even a 4 - star rating. Maybe, I thought, a book really does need to be edited by a team of experienced professionals in order to warrant large-scale reading.

I am pleased to say that Destiny Binds has laid my concerns to rest. Here is a book that I could have picked up off the shelf at Barnes & Noble without asking, "Why can this get published when I can't?". The characters were likeable and interesting, and I laughed aloud in a few places. And I'm not even a huge fan of werewolves. So, please, people who have qualms about buying self-published books, download this book with my assurance that you will not regret the dollar you spent on it.

It even has a Laurell K. Hamilton joke. Oh, Laurel K. Hamilton. I remember reading you back before your books turned into porn.

The Bad

I could nitpick this or any other book to death, but I don't think Destiny Binds warrants it, and I'm sure you don't want to read it. So I will just mention the couple of things that bothered me most.

First off, at one point, Scout says that the topic of socialized medicine is boring. She does a lot of research on it and still finds it uninteresting. Maybe it's my years of working in public health, but I just don't see how anyone could think that. Pandemic flu? Yeah, that gets boring. But the question of whether to socialize healthcare is one of the most important facing our society today, and to describe it as boring is just incomprehensible to me.

Okay, my other comment, which is actually about the book, is that the ending doesn't feel very done to me. When I first read the book, I thought it was going to be a stand-alone novel (for reasons that I cannot tell you without massive spoilers), and I was quite frustrated with the way the book just stopped. After some internet research, I have discovered that the book is the first in a trilogy, and the lack of closure bothered me less. But I still feel as if the author just ran out of story to tell and stopped writing. I like to see a little denouement.

The Romance

Like just about everything else in Destiny Binds, the romantic set-up was far above average. The overall set-up was a love triangle, but it was not of the two-opposite-boys how-can-I-choose variety. Scout has always been in love with her brother's cousin Charlie, but she does not think that he feels the same way. (And that is not as creepy as it sounds. He's really her step-brother, but they've been siblings for so long that... You know what? It'd be faster for you to just read the book than for me to explain.) Then she meets Alex, who is very much interested in her, and she comes to return his feelings. Over the course of the novel, Scout learns that there is no such thing as "one true love," which just makes the romantic journey in the book all the more satisfying.

Will I Read More?

NEEDS MOAR NAO!!

I mean, yes. Yes, I will be reading more. I very much want to know what happens next. But I shall be patient in waiting for the next installment in hopes that it will be of equally high quality as Destiny Binds.
STORY BRIEF
This is told in first person by Scout, a high school senior, valedictorian. She considers herself odd looking. Alex and his older brother move to town. Alex is a senior and gorgeous. He stares at Scout. Scout's stepbrother Jase hates Alex for some unknown reason and tells Scout to avoid him. She tries to avoid him, but it's hard because they have classes and school activities together.

Scout has loved Charlie all her life, although they never turned it into a boyfriend-girlfriend thing. Now Scout finds herself also falling for Alex. She learns that Alex is a wolf shape shifter, and she begins learning more about that world.

REVIEWER'S OPINION
Refreshing dialogue! This is rare! Many, many times I was chuckling out loud. Read this for the author's conversation style, her voice, whatever you want to call it. It's not that she's being an obvious comedian. The humor is more about the unexpected or subtle. Below are three examples.

"I wanted to go lie down next to him. I wanted to feel his arms wrapped around me and discover what his lips taste like. I wanted to tell him I had been secretly in love with him since I was two years old. So, I did the only thing I could do. I hit him in the head with Guido, my sock monkey."

She was lost in the woods during a storm and thought she might die. She heard her name being called and felt her body being lifted off the ground. She is thinking it must be the Angel of Death lifting her. "Apparently, he decided if I wasn't going to get up and follow him to Heaven, he would just carry me through the Pearly Gates. Of course, that was assuming I was going to Heaven. According to what Reverend Jessup taught from the pulpit every Sunday, I was good to go, but what if God wasn't Southern Baptist?"

"Charlie attempted to engage James in conversation, but that went over about as well as a Joan Crawford parenting manual."

As to plot, this is typical young adult high school teens, first loves, and shape shifters (wolves and coyotes). The parents exist but the story doesn't show interaction with them. Plot was fine but nothing we haven't heard before.

Characters are good. They include the different types of kids that we all remember from high school, the jocks, the weirds, the beauties, the smart ones, etc. They were well done.

This is the first in a trilogy. Sadly the author used a cliffhanger ending which bothered me. But it wasn't horribly bad-sad. The reader knows good things are coming. She ended the book with questions about a stranger and Liam's whereabouts was which I thought provided enough motivation to buy the sequel. What I did not like was what she did with Alex to create the cliffhanger. Still, I plan to get the sequel as soon as it's out. According to her Facebook page, the sequel is called "Time Mends," but I don't know when it's coming.

Minor problem. The author needs a grammar editor. Several times she used the word "that" instead of "who." For example "Mrs. Sole was the only one that talked about him." There were a few other blunders for example using "he had went" instead of "he had gone."

DATA
Story length 223 pages. Swearing language moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual language none. Number of sex scenes none. Setting current day Timber, Kentucky. Copyright 2011. Genre young adult paranormal romance.
First off, this cover is fantastic yeah? It’s what initially convinced me to stop and read the blurb. And the title was the second thing that pulled me in, it’s mysterious, no?

However, this story was pretty average as far a YA paranormal romances go.

I mean, I liked the book. It sucked me in right away; even with the typical love triangle. The twist with regards to the love triangle was refreshing. And I thought it was done tastefully.

One thing that stood out for me was the fact that Jase isn’t a blood brother and the author made it clear to the reader many times. It seemed a bit of overkill to me with that bit of foreshadowing. But, hey, I can overlook it. I was almost hoping they had some chemistry but in the end the love interest did end up making sense. The writing was solid, clear and concise. It was a quick read.

I’m looking forward to the next one.