Unlikely Allies Tour!!! Interview With Tiffany King & Review

Today I have the pleasure of being part of Tiffany King’s blog tour for her newest novel Unlikely Allies. This tour was put together with the help of the amazing Valerie over at Stuck In Books. Make sure to check out the rest of the stop here and be sure to enter the giveaway for a  Kindle Paperwhite & an ebook copy of Unlikely Allies!

For the stop here on A Life Among The Pages, I had the pleasure of interviewing the author. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and I can’t wait for you to read it. But before you get to that, here’s my interview of yet another home run of a book, Unlikely Allies.

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Title: Unlikely Allies (ARC)
Author: Tiffany King
Rating: 5/5 Stars

*This review is for an ARC copy obtained from the author

The first thing I’d like to mention is that I waited until the morning to write this review. I wanted so badly to write it immediately after finishing the book…but I think the review would have looked like this: “HOLY F*** WHAT THE WHO AWGJADF AKDFGARGKL SHE DID WHA FDKJ KFMG OMG AMAZING…” And so on. Instead, as I do for many reviews that leave me with that reaction, I wait a few hours or overnight to absorb all of it.

I have yet to be disappointed by a book of Tiffany King’s so far. I’ve read both Wishing For Someday Soon and Forever Changed earlier this year. They both blew me away. This book lived up to this author’s previous standards.

What I was initially drawn in by was the characters. In the first few chapters that’s what kept me reading the most. Kimberly, the main character, is very likable. I especially like the artistic side she has. Through this, King was able to capture the beautiful settings in the novel.

There were many characters that I fell in love with. One of them was Amy (of course). When the reader meets her, it’s hard to not like her. She reminds me of a character out of Gilmore Girls. Since I love the fast-talking, eccentric, always a great friend personality of characters like Rory, Lorelai, Lane, and Sooki…Amy was a perfect match for a reader like me. I also really liked Rick. The story could have gone a different way, if King had given him a different personality or reaction to the situation at hand. I was surprised and pleased to get to know the loving man and new father that is Rick.

Since this book is set mainly in a summer camp for kids, it is only natural that there are great younger characters as well. Tiffany King seems to have a natural talent for touching the reader’s heart through these young characters. In her past books this is true, and she’s done it again in Unlikely Allies. These kids have gone through a lot in their lives. They are all children who are in the foster care system and haven’t known stability much. Camp Unlikely Allies was established to try to give children like them an opportunity at enjoying life and growing up.

Alyssa is one of the young characters that really touched me. She’s very closed off from others. She always has a wall up to everyone. The reader gets a little background on her and that’s when I wanted to just give her a huge hug. There’s a certain part of the story in which I was close to tears because of this little girl. That’s something King is also good at. Grabbing the reader in an emotional tractor-beam and playing with their hearts.

Now about the setting. It was a welcome change from earlier King books I’ve read. Most of it takes place in the mountains of Colorado. I’ve always wanted to go there myself, and the picture painted in my mind was beautiful. I think everything that’s great about being in the great outdoors enjoying nature was touched on here. While I don’t live in the Colorado wilderness, I do live in the wilderness for the most part, and I could picture myself easily going through some of the struggles that take place in Unlikely Allies.

What’s the main reason we’re here though? It’s not the characters or the setting is it? Maybe. I know a few readers will have picked this book up for the romance as well. AND the adventure. Both those elements are in this book. They actually go hand in hand. I was left baffled at times with the interaction between Kimberly and Mason. I questioned the relationship between them the entire time. It’s one of the reasons I had to keep reading. I needed to know who was going to strangle the other first, haha.

The struggled that they both go through later on in the book was great as well. I don’t know if King has been stranded and injured in the woods before, but I think she has written a very believable account of what it’d be like. I was left on edge the whole way through wondering what obstacle was going to arise next. Whether it was physical or emotional, everything kept me sympathizing for the characters.

I can’t say any more.  There’s just so much greatness in this book. If Tiffany King wasn’t one of my favorite authors out there already, she’d have made it on the list with this one. I’m eager to see how other readers enjoy the book once it’s released.

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And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for….here’s my interview with one of my favorite authors, Tiffany King.

1.       What was your reasoning for focusing on contemporary young adult novels lately, when your first three books, The Saving Angels series, were paranormal/romances?

No reason in particular except that I just have so many ideas in my head. I don’t purposely sit down and decide that the next book will be paranormal or contemporary. I just get inspired to write something and go with it. What I have done is write the types of books I like to read myself. I think variety is good anyway and now that Unlikely Allies is out, I’m thinking of trying something in the New Adult genre.

2.       You keep coming up with incredible and very unique book swag. I’m the proud owner of a variety of Tiffany King Swag. Do you have anything new and fun planned for Unlikely Allies?

I have the Unlikely Allies Postcards. What I’m really excited about is merchandise I am putting together that will be available on CaféPress. Look for that coming soon.

3.       Unlikely Allies is set in the mountain wilderness of Colorado. Do you have any real life experience in this setting? Do you enjoy camping?

I lived in Colorado for several years, but not in the mountains, although I have been to the mountains many times for hiking and things like that. As far as camping, that would be a hell to the no. I like air conditioning, and hate bugs. Now if you got me a sweet trailer with all the amenities? Now we’re talking, but, is that still camping?

4.       You’ve written many enjoyable characters in your books. Some of my favorites have been the younger ones. I fell in love with Megan in Forever Changed and Kevin from Wishing For Someday Soon. Now, in Unlikely Allies, the readers are introduced to Alyssa. What is the inspiration for these young loveable characters?

All my characters are a mix of different memories and inspirations from my childhood. Some of their traits were born from my own personality, while others come from my life’s experiences. The view of the world as seen through my character’s eyes is a large part of who I am today.

5.       I see you recommend many great books that you’ve read, on Twitter. How do you balance an abundant reading life with your writing life and with a family life as well?

I completely ignore my family. Kidding. Actually, life is a crazy juggling act sometimes, but luckily, I really enjoy what I do. Besides writing, the fact is that I am a huge fan of reading, that’s what started all this. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest perks of being in my position is all the fabulous authors I have had the pleasure of getting to know. There are some seriously talented people out there and they all inspire me every day.

6.       Aside from the fact that I know any upcoming releases from you will be praiseworthy, you also continue to wow your fans with beautiful book covers. Do you create these covers yourself or is there a Michelangelo of Book Covers that you use?

My sister-in-law did the original two covers for Meant to Be, and Forgotten Souls, but when we decided to go a different direction, it was out of the scope of what she was capable of. So, everything that you see now was done by the talented Stephanie Mooney.

7.       Lastly, a question that will always be asked of you since I can’t get enough. What should we expect to see from you in the future? (Even though you JUST released a great book, it doesn’t mean I can’t ask this, lol)

Oh my gosh. Well, let me start by saying that I hope everyone enjoys Unlikely Allies. From there, I have so many ideas. For my next book, I am venturing into the New Adult genre to write something a little spicy. After that, I pitched an idea to my husband for a Saving Angels spin-off that he absolutely flipped over, so that is down the road as well.

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Please don’t forget to enter the giveaway for this tour. Don’t miss your chance to win a  Kindle Paperwhite & an ebook copy of Unlikely Allies. That’s maybe the best prize ever 😀

Click here for the contest Rafflecopter

Don’t forget to let me know what you thought of the book if you’ve read it already, or maybe another book of Tiffany’s that you’ve read. Let’s show her some love in the comments section 😀

(Don’t forget to check out Stuck in Books for more tour fun)

You can find more from Tiffany King:

• Tiffany King’s author site
• Tiffany King on Twitter
• Tiffany King’s author page on Facebook
• Other books by King