Book Review: All We See and Seem by Tammy Blackwell

All We See and Seem

A Timber Wolves companion novella
(AKA 88 pages of awesomeness)

Blurb:

Jase Donovan always knew exactly what to expect from college: frat parties, coeds, and a spot on one of the most prestigious college basketball teams in the world. It was the life he was destined for... until his sister became the Alpha Pack's Most Wanted. Now he's playing a dangerous game of espionage and subterfuge with the most powerful Shifters and Seers in the world, and if he loses, his life won't be the only one on the line.
Talley Matthews has always been able to look on the sunshine-and-rainbows side of life, but it's getting harder and harder every day with the knowledge that one friend is on the run and another is barely clinging to life.
To complicate matters even more, after being pegged as an Alpha Pack Potential, she's having to fend off advances from Shifters who want to use her to gain a little power. The attention might be nice if her heart didn't already belong to someone else.

In this companion to the best-selling Timber Wolves trilogy, readers will finally discover the path Jase and Talley took to discovering their love for one another
I absolutely love Tammy Blackwell. Adore her! Her books are so wonderful. Her characters are always well written and I love the wit that oozes off the pages.
I was given this ARC in return for my honest review and well, my honest review is that this is such a deliciously sweet story.
We see in the final book of the Timber Wolves series that Talley and Jase are madly in love. I had a hunch they loved eachother in Time Mends but I don't think either of them knew at that point.
All We See and Seem shows how Talley and Jase finally became, well, Talley and Jase.

In AWSaS Talley FINALLY got to see inside Jase's head---Oh my goodness! It was amazing!
Jase just moved up on my Book Boyfriend list.

I have so many favorite lines but this one is particularly sweet:

“See, you’re in a different kind of hell. This one is known as a guy’s college dorm room where unknown funguses and germs abound. At least, that’s what my best friend tells me.”

Talley sat up. “I’m the one who has told you that. Repeatedly.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Seriously, how adorable is Jase?
I <3 him.

Reading this novella makes me even more excited about the upcoming Shifters and Seers series!
Get busy writing Miss Tammy this fan is getting impatient! :)

Review: Fate Succumbs by Tammy Blackwell

Author: Tammy Blackwell
Title: Fate Succumbs

Publisher: Self-pubbed
Released: Sept. 9^th 2012

Summary from Goodreads:
Having narrowly escaped an unjust death sentence, Scout Donovan is on the run. But the more she discovers about the Alpha Pack and herself, the more she realizes she can’t run forever. Destiny is propelling her towards an unavoidable battle. Can Scout survive, or will she finally succumb to fate?

I purchased Fate Succumbs (#3 Timber Wolves)about a month ago and honestly, I was hesitant to start. Not because I wasn’t dying to read it (because trust me, I was) but because I was scared (and a little sad). I knew it was the grand finale to Scout’s journey and I just wanted to drag it out a little bit longer. I enjoyed Destiny Binds and Time Mends so much that I never wanted the story to end. What if one of my favorite characters died (again)? What if it wasn't a satisfying ending? What if I spent the rest of the week bawling my eyes out just like I did when I turned the final page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? 

Finally, I could wait no longer.. I managed to make it last all weekend, but it still wasn’t long enough. I already miss Scout, Liam and the rest of the pack.  

Fate Succumbs picks up with Scout and Liam on the run after the big escape at the end of Time Mends. They travel all over America and end up settling down in a secluded cabin located in Canada where they remain through the winter surviving on canned food, Poptarts and whatever game they manage to kill. While snowed in they train and Scout learns more about her destiny. 
Most of the novel consists of Scout and Liam traveling and training, the action doesn't really start until the second half, but don't let that fool you in to thinking this is a boring read. It is every bit as entertaining as the first two novels. As always Scout’s wit had me smiling (and even laughing out loud) throughout the entire story.

Tammy Blackwell writes such brilliantly authentic dialogue. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the banter between the characters and I adore Scout’s inner thoughts. She is one of my all-time favorite heroines. 

Fate Succumbs is a well-thought out, unique novel and a fantastic conclusion to this amazing trilogy. I think everyone, even those skeptical to read a Shifter book, would enjoy Scout's story. 

Interview with Tammy Blackwell & a Giveaway!

I picked up DESTINY BINDS on a whim in January (the 17th to be exact). I was on a big "self-pubbed" kick and thought I would give it a go. I was expecting a "good for the price" story jam-packed full of errors (you know how it is) what I got was a smart, fun and original story I fell in love with. Tammy's book is witty and sarcastic and just plain amazing. I loved the banter between the characters and I adored Scout's internal monologue. I purchased the sequel, TIME MENDS, the very next day. I was so sad that I had to wait months for the final Timber Wolves trilogy installment but FATE SUCCUMBS was well worth the wait. I have definitely become a fan of Tammy's and definitely look forward to reading more of her work.

I am delighted to say that the awesome Tammy agreed to let me interview her for A Dash of YA!

Tammy, what inspired you to write the Timber Wolves trilogy?

A lot of things, really. My family. Some awesome teachers. Meeting some fantastic, but very down-to-earth authors at the 2008 YALSA Lit Symposium. A neighbor with a gun. You know, the normal stuff.
My biggest inspiration, however, was the teens at the library where I work. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the coolest kids in the world, and I wanted to write a book that reflected their lives and personalities. Destiny Binds was the product of that desire.

When you started Scout's journey did you already know how her story would end or did it develop as you wrote?

Not to sound horribly didactic, but I knew what I wanted readers to take away from the story and some of the ways I would attempt to accomplish that. Basically, I knew some of the major plot points, but a lot of what really made up the story came during the writing process.

Have you started writing your new Seers and Shifters series yet? I’ve started the research process, but no words have been put on paper (or screen) as of this moment. After putting out three novels in 18 months, I needed a bit of a slower pace for a couple of months. However, I am still writing a little. It’s just that what I’m working on right now is a secret… Shhhhhhhh!

I know you work as a YA service coordinator at a library so that sort of makes you an expert on the genre! Are there any YA authors you are inspired by or just really love?

Oh mercy! There are way too many to name! But in my professional opinion, THE YA writer for this generation is John Green. Not only are his books well-written and entertaining, but they all carry such a powerful message. And that doesn’t even take into account the amazing things he’s doing for YA culture as the original Nerd Fighter.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read and write every day; finish something, even if it’s horrible; work hard; believe in yourself; and always be kind to others.

Could you tell our readers about your cause Hope Conquers?

Hope Conquers is based on the belief that books matter and that they can change lives for the better. My small community has recently been hit hard with childhood cancer. Four of the people I graduated with have had a child diagnosed with cancer, and currently there are three teens in our county undergoing cancer treatment. Hope Conquers is my way of helping those families. There are two aspects of Hope Conquers. The first is that I’m donating the profit from every Kindle edition of Destiny Binds sold in October to The Ronald McDonald House, which supports families with seriously ill children. The second part is that I’m collecting signed books with inspirational inscriptions from authors to donate to the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. You can read more about the project and how you can help on my website at www.misstammywrites.com.

A big thank you to Tammy Blackwell!

If you haven't had a chance to check out DESTINY BINDS yet I highly recommend you do so! Not only is it a fantastic read and all profit for the month of October is being donated to a great cause, but as an added incentive it is currently only .99! Go get it! NOW!
(You can find it here and here.)

Even though I am already a proud owner of this fabulous book, I really want to help out Tammy's cause soooooooooooo you know what that means! A Giveaway!

Tweet about Hope Conquers and/or share this post on your facebook or personal blog and leave us a comment saying you did so. I will announce the winner one week from today! Good luck!