Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King Book Review

 Title: Unlikely Allies

Author: Tiffany King
Cover Opinion: Not exactly how I imagined Mason to look nor Kimberly (maybe a bit more beach bunny?)

Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥-  ohmygosh you just have to read it!

Eighteen-year-old Kimberly gets the shock of her life when she learns the father she thought was dead is not only very much alive, but never even knew she existed. Angry with her mother for lying all these years, Kimberly flies to Colorado to meet the father she knows nothing about before heading off to college in the fall.

Her father’s world turns out to be nothing like she expected. Rather than the typical nine to five lifestyle, Kimberly’s father runs a summer foster camp that teaches young children skills to build their confidence and self-esteem. The Colorado Rocky Mountains are a different world than the sunny shores of California, taking Kimberly completely out of her element, and causing her to second-guess her spur of the moment decision.

Never being one to quit anything, Kimberly is determined to show her father that a surfer girl can fit into this rugged mountain wilderness. That is if she can deal with Mason, an arrogant nineteen-year-old guy who has made it his mission to point out every mistake she has made since her arrival. While she would love nothing more than to rub it in his know-it-all face, Kimberly can’t deny the feelings he stirs up inside her, or the chemistry between them, even during their verbal assaults.

When a tragic accident leaves them stranded in the mountains, Kimberly must use her shaky skills to save Mason and survive the elements. Suddenly, fighting is the last thing on their minds as they must rely on each other if they want to live. In their struggle for survival, they realize what they thought they knew about each other isn’t true after all.

This is the first book I’ve read by Tiffany King and it sure won’t be my last :)

Her last summer before she leaves for college to do art, Kimberly (Kimmie/Kimbe/Beach Bunny) finds out that her father never abandoned her as she had been told by her hardworking (but forever lying) mother, he just never knew that she existed.

Feeling betrayed Kimberly cancels all her summer plans and goes from sunny California to frosty Colorado to spend time with her newly acquired father, where she meets Mason. And thus it begins. ‘It’ in this case not being I-love-yous and flowers at sight but instead something more like mixed feelings and harsh words. Mason (Greeky/Greek God) doesn’t want her there so Kimberly’s going to do all she can to prove him wrong and that a beach bunny can survive in cold temperatures.

I loved all of the characters in Unlikely Allies, but I have to say Amy was my favourite.  She is such a bubbly and happy person it made me smile. As one of the ex-campers and being a foster kid she could have turned out to be cursing society for her luck, but instead she was making her life beautiful by looking out for others and moving on. I'm secretly (or now not so secretly?) wishing for a sequel about Amy.

 I quite liked Kimberly’s strength of character, having soon adjusted of the idea of having a father she was determined to make him proud. Rather than succumbing to Mason’s criticisms of her work she worked harder, even though she already was not so self-confident.

Mason was put into foster care after becoming orphaned. Having seen his father’s reaction to his mother’s death he wanted nothing to do with love and especially not a city-girl like Kimberly. However unlikely the relationship, it does begin to slowly bloom in the dark. Not so much later, Mason pushes Kimberly away as he tries to come to terms with the changes life have to offer him. Ever accepting Kimberly waits.

But will she ever become tired of waiting?

Love