Reviews

Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell

kippins's review against another edition

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4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Not normally the biggest fan of shifters, but this really sucked me in, I liked most of the characters and the ones I didn't I wasn't supposed to so that worked out well LOL

I actually LOL'd a few times...and in public too if you don't mind!

Will definitely be continuing on with this series :)
Can't believe I left this on my kindle for so long unread!!!! So silly.

jencam11's review against another edition

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2.0

I read this book because I wanted to turn my brain off for a few hours. Did not disappoint. Just another story about a spunky, adorably-flawed heroine (she's not your average leading lady, you see, because she's "ugly"; so ugly, in fact, that the two sexiest men in the book can't keep their hands off her. She's also clumsy, yet somehow an expert at martial arts, because she's just that quirky. And she can't even cook a pop tart. Because that means she has depth). No sense of setting. No real character development. Cheap, shallow entertainment and nothing more. But it gets an entire extra star for killing off a main character at the end. Well done there, Ms. Blackwell.

erencich's review against another edition

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4.0

Review originally posted at Doodle's Book Blog


I picked this book up because of my love for reading about paranormal entities, but that's not why I continued reading the book after finishing a sample. I finished this book because of the relationships between the characters, the funny quips, and an overall feeling of needing to know how it ended.

The characters in this book are well rounded and have had a lot of thought put into them. Scout Donovan is a seventeen year old girl who is intelligent and funny without trying too hard. Her brother, Jase, is the ladies man, an athlete, and loves video games. They may not be blood related but everyone calls them "twins." Charlie Hagan, Jase's cousin, is just starting college and has been the apple in Scout's eye since she was two. Alex Cole is described by Scout as being charming, kinda cute, intelligent and slightly charismatic with infectious laughter. Talley Matthews, Scout's best friend, tends to be a know-it-all with good intentions.

Throughout the novel, Tammy Blackwell provides the reader with funny stories and unforgettable lines. We learn that Scout and Jase are never allowed to have class or lunch together since they caused their third grade teacher to have a mental breakdown. Scout and Alex are required to do an article in the school paper together on socialized medicine. Alex asks Scout what she knows about socialized medicine, "Ummm...they have it in Canada?"

The ending is not one I hoped for because of the damage mentally and emotionally done to Scout. However, it is a good end point to lead into the next book, Time Mends. It is not a cliffhanger ending, but definitely leaves the readers wondering what will happen next. Overall, this is a book that anyone who enjoys reading about paranormal science fiction will enjoy.

halynah's review against another edition

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5.0

Fascinating book with great plot, amazing characters, humour, romantic tension and a tragic end. The world of shifters presented in this book is interesting and unusual, the main characters are really cool and Scout's sister Angel is adorable - nearly every episode with her is pure fun and delight! Wonderful read - great beginning of the series!!!

chloeproc01's review against another edition

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2.0

Although i liked the writing style i found the generic 'unconventional looking girl has to choose between life long friend with secret crush and new hot guy' love triangle bs didnt do anything for me and is getting old. If you dont have an intense hatred for that kind of plot then its a good read. Scout is an interesting character and im a sucker for sark. There was just to much focus on the romance and not enough on the supernatural for me.

redentrapy's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this book. The plot was cliche. You typical love story Romeo and Juliet style. My favorite thing in the whole book was Scout. Her character reminded me so much of myself. She was a geek, stubborn, didn't take shit from anyone, and she did what her heart told her to do. She was spunky and she was in love. Her character was deep and some of her lines were hilariously funny especially when talking with Talley her best friend. My favorite line in the while thing is when Scout is complaining about being in love with two guys and her calling herself and idiot and Talley says she's not an idiot but "'You're a human, Scout. Congratulations on finally joining us.' She placed a consoling hand on my arm. 'Now, as a human you may experience a wide range of emotions in addition to the annoyance you are used to feeling. Do not be alarmed. While somewhat baffling and occasionally painful, these emotions are normal.' GREATEST LINE EVER!! Talley is just so awesome too. Still the whole feuding Shifter species thing bugged me a little. Definitely Romeo and Juliet. Loved it. The ending made me cry so hard. I loved Alex. He was charming, kind, had a sense of humor, and was just a great guy.

nitzanschwarz's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my all-time favorite YA shifter series, and all time most underrated series, is the Timber Wolves Trilogy. People, I implore you, stop reading this review and go read this novel instead. You will not regret it.

Destiny Binds starts the epic journey of Harper "Scout" Donovan, a kick-ass, headstrong young woman who will take none of your shit, thank you very much. But she is not just strong, inside and out, she's also funny, smart and logical, but most important - loyal and loving. So what if she happens to be stubborn, snarky and odd looking? the girl is my perfect kind of heroine.

As many of these stories go, and mark this down because it's just about the only typical thing about this whole series, Scout's journey begins with the arrival of Alex Cole and his brother Liam into town. Alex is every girl's dream - sweet, charismatic, loving and... hot, with two killer dimples and a tortured past that gives out that edge we so love. Can you blame Scout for falling for him? I sure can't.

But there are things to consider... such as Alex's threatening brother, and Scout's protective brother (and also a personal favorite of mine), the infinitely awesome Jace Donovan, who is against the Coles for some reason. And as Scout and Jace are closer than real siblings, their relationship built equally on banter and devotion, Scout can't just ignore what he thinks.

Now, the romance in this book, and series as a whole, is really unique, and I mean that in the best way possible. In this book alone we are introduced to a heroine who picks a guy when confronted with a sort of love triangle, instead of twiddling her thumbs for three books. Then, there is the beautiful slow build to Alex and Scout's romance, starting slowly from simple attraction, into wary friendship, and then into far, far more.

But it doesn't end there, because the romance of the Timber Wolves trilogy can only be truly appreciated when looked upon as a whole, and it is truly a sight to behold.

So, I've sang enough praise about our main characters, but have I mentioned the array of utterly fantastic supporting characters? First, there is Talley, best friend to Scout and the kind of girl who sees the best in everyone, while also understanding her friends to their core. So yeah, she's going to see the best in you... but she also knows your worst.

Then, there is Charlie, Jace's best friend and cousin who is Scout's crush for, like, forever. He's a peacemaker, the logical one in any situation. Together; Scout, Jace, Talley and Charlie are the Fantastic Four of their small town.

And then there was the ending. Not gonna lie, I cried, both times I read it. The one thing I feel I need to say is that Ashley is a stupid bitch, and I don't brandish the B word lightly.

Blackwell is not afraid to take chances and mess with her readers, and it simply works.

puppylovebooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Broke my heart :(

curls's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m torn on how to rate this book. A three seems like a nice average rating so I’ll go with that.

Scout is your typical atypical girl next door. She has a brother Jase who is her age. He’s technically a step brother but they are close. They have a little sister who is adorable and was my favorite part of the book. Scout is in love with Charlie, Jase’s older friend.

All this changes when Alex and his brother move to town. Alex is a nice guy who Jase seems to despise for no reason. Jase warns away Scout from Alex and Scout and Alex quit talking. Until they have a mutual assignment for school that requires them to work together.


They become close, there’s attraction, and then there is a school trip. Alex becomes sick, Scout wonders off and is assaulted by a homeless guy, who is chased off by a wolf with Alex’s eyes.....

Oh come on, we all know this is a werewolf story.

Scout finds out that not only is her crush a werewolf, her brother and his friend Charlie are in a pack of coyote shifters. Alex and his brother Liam caused drama moving to their town, but are keeping the peace by staying away from shifters.


The romance is sweet. There is a little bit of a triangle between Alex and Charlie, but it’s resolved rather quickly. The relationship with Jase and Alex is great and I loved their little sister.

But that ending.....

Spoilers....









Alex and Scout go out on a date in the woods. Alex is attacked by the coyote pack and is killed.

For real. The love interest is killed by her brother. And his best friend.

Killed off for real. No coming back as a ghost or immortal wolf.

I love it when a book takes risks and that was risky. But it was also so depressing. So I’m still on the fence on continuing the series. Probably not, since book 3 is not on kindle unlimited.



brandym103's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more in the series. It is self published, so there are some typos, but nothing too distracting. Definitely didn't effect my enjoyment of the book. There were also some inconsistencies in the storyline, but that could have been me just missing some detail that would have explained it, and again, didn't make me enjoy the book any less.