{Blog Tour and Review} Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King

From Goodreads: 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.

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Once again, King has blown my mind with another beautiful young adult novel that sucked me in from start to finish.  I absolutely adore King’s books, all of them, and Unlikely Allies is another gem that I highly recommend to any who enjoy a sound, realistic plot line, swoon worthy characters, a bit of drama, and a triumphant ending.

Kimberly, our protagonist and a highly engaging character, is visiting her father for the first time, having just found out about his existence.  Whisked away from California to the Rocky Mountains, she is in for a “rude awakening,” but in my opinion, Kimberly handles herself extremely well.  Though she doesn’t necessarily fit in with those around her, she shoulders the animosity of some campers/staff extremely well, while quickly making friends with others.  I really enjoyed her happy-go-lucky attitude, and though I’ll say the book moved a bit faster than I would have liked (I so wanted more of Mason and Kimberly), I really loved every moment of it, especially the witty banter.

Mason, nicknamed “Greeky” for his Greek god physic and attitude, is to die for.  Though he is downright nasty in the beginning, I found his search within himself to be extremely real and well written.  Mason’s life hasn’t been peaches and cream, and the appearance of Kimberly brings extreme thoughts of jealousy to the forefront as, in my opinion, they should—we’re only human, after all, and if someone walked into my life and laid claim to the only person who’d kept me grounded throughout everything I experienced, I’d probably react the same way Mason does.  But with time, all things heal, and I loved watching both Kimberly and Mason fight their attraction only to realize their true feelings for one another… though the timing couldn’t be worse as they’re thrust into a battle to survive…  (and I just loved this… my heart was in my throat for the remainder of the story).

King’s story is highly engaging, bringing to life not only the characters, but also the Rocky Mountains.  I’ve never been there, but through the descriptions of the wilderness and the harsh realities of an unforgivable terrain, I was easily able to imagine it every step of the way.  I love novels where I’m drawn into the scenery as much as I am into the characters’ lives, and King achieves both in this latest release. Five stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.