Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Girl on Tour by Caisey Quinn


Seriously, this is one of my favorite series and I absolutely LOVED this book. It is definitely safe to say that no all second books fizzle out because Girl on Tour was just as riveting as the first. I am super excited to share my review as part of the blog tour, hosted by Hardcover Therapy.

To check out the rest of the tour, click on the link below:

Girl on Tour
Kylie Ryans #2
Author: Caisey Quinn
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

~Synopsis~
An up and comer trying to make a name for herself...

KYLIE never expected to be stuck on a tour bus with a pampered princess and her boyfriend’s ex.

A troubled artist struggling to hold onto his career...

TRACE thought he was finally getting to do things his way. Until the label added co-headliner Gretchen Gibson, the only person in country music with more issues than him, to his No Apologies tour.

Surrounded by tabloid rumors and people they can't trust, Kylie and Trace need each other more than ever. But the choices they make will change everything.

Because chasing your dreams and following your heart don’t always lead you to the same place…



~Prelude~
I absolutely loved Girl With Guitar and fell in love with this series and these characters right away. This was the first #GwB twitter read along the girls and I did and that makes this series even more special to me. I am so happy to be a part of this tour and share my love of Kylie and Trace.

~Review~

This is a three book series and Caisey warned me that book 1 is happily ever for now and book 3 will be happily ever after but book 2 would break me. She wasn’t kidding and even though I was warned, I still wasn’t prepared for the emotions I would feel and the book hangover that ensued.

After struggling with their feelings and overcoming the obstacles, Trace and Kyle have reunited, only to now be separated again. Kylie is joining the Vitamin Water Tour and Trace is getting ready to start his No Apologies Tour. They will be apart for 12 weeks, with opportunities to see each other only coming around a few times when their tours cross path. They are determined to make the distance work and Trace is resolute to quit drinking and be a better man, a man that Kylie deserves. However, distance and temptation threaten to break everything they’ve re-built and they both learn how difficult being together in the spotlight really can be.

Kylie is still the same kick-ass, tell it like it is chick and I loved her even more after this book.  She still acts first and thinks later when it comes to her emotions and the decisions that she makes but that is Kylie and I don’t think I’d like her as much if she was different, even when I want to scream at her for it. She recognizes this in herself but is strong about doing what is right, consequences be damned. She loves Trace, flaws and all, and she never tries to change him. She only wants him to stop drinking because of what it does to him and his family. She would never try to change the person that he is because that is who she fell in love with. Despite jealousy and her in-ability to ignore the media and tabloids, she works really hard at her relationship with Trace. I was disappointed in her when she didn’t recognize Trace’s real feelings when he was pushing her away. I wanted her to fight harder for him but I understand the insecurities she still feels in their relationship and he definitely played that to his advantage.

“I’m from Oklahoma, honey. I can bless your heart and hate your guts all at the same time.”

Trace is a man that must grow on you. He was a total dick and a selfish drunk in Girl With Guitar but when his past and his home life was delved into more, it was so much easier to understand his actions and the persona he put on. I couldn’t help falling for him in spite of his actions because it was all a front for a man that was just afraid of becoming someone he never wanted to be. He opened up to Kylie, allowed her into his carefully guarded heart and in turn saw so much more in himself. Despite his many mistakes in Girl On Tour and the poor decisions that he made, I couldn’t help falling for him more. He wanted to quit drinking and be a better man for Kylie and it made me so sad that he never felt good enough for her, even though she always told him he was. He was so hard on himself and held so much self-loathing and contempt for himself and it crushed me as he spiraled downwards.

“I’ve never wanted anything like I want you. Not a drink, not a drug, not even music. Not a single damned thing, Kylie.”

Kylie and Trace have a very delicate relationship and being apart and in the media spotlight is not easy on it. Trace is trying to straighten out and Kylie is his sounding board but being away from her makes it really hard for him to stay straight. It also doesn’t help that he is touring with Gretchen Gibson, the “female version” of him, as Kylie puts it. She puts a lot of stress and pressure on Trace and without Kylie around, his self-control is tested and he ultimately fails. When it comes to Gretchen, Trace makes some poor decisions that put a lot of strain on the relationship. His heart is in the right place but he didn't always think about the affect those actions would have. Gretchen carried around demons that she only shared with Trace and despite her actions and attitude, she never tried to intentionally cause problems for Trace and Kylie and I actually felt bad for her towards the end. Kylie is on tour with a sixteen year old drama queen, Lily Taite, and Trace’s ex, Mia Montgomery, who seems to be holding a grudge. The tension on the bus, along with being away from Trace so much, starts to get to Kylie. For most of the book, I was not a fan of Mia. She seemed like a stuck up bitch and she held a intense grudge and hatred for Kylie without any real explanation. However, towards the end, she changed and her and Kylie came to terms with each other. In fact, I have a feeling she will be a great friend and source of support for Kylie in book 3.

“If you give everything you have to other people and they don’t have anything to give you in return… you end up with nothing. Not a single thing.”

This book slowly broke me as I watched the separation and Trace’s loss of control disintegrate their relationship. They loved each other so much but Trace couldn’t keep it together and my heart shattered as he pushed Kylie away and made some tough decisions in the end. Kylie was so heartbroken and vulnerable and she failed to recognize what Trace was really doing. I understood Trace's reasons for what he did and I loved him for his fierce desire to protect Kylie but I wish he could have seen himself the way she did and recognized the love she had for him. The final 2 chapters seriously left a lump in my throat that I had to swallow down to keep from crying. The most amazing thing about this series is the incredibly emotional story that is being told and the writing is so well done that I feel like I am right there with the characters, feeling all their emotions. There is nothing better than a book that plays like a movie in my head and this series does just that. I can picture every character and every moment as if I’m living it and that is the kind of story that leaves me reeling for days. The final book, Girl in Love, is by far, my most anticipated release for 2014.

~IPOD Picks~
"Must Be Doin Something Right" by Billy Currington
"Tomorrow" by Chris Young
"Every Storm" by Gary Allen
"All Your Life" by The Band Perry
"Breathe" by Taylor Swift


PURCHASE LINKS:



Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the author of several New Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. She is currently working on Girl in Love, the third and final book in the Kylie Ryans series.

You can find her online at:
www.twitter.com/CaiseyQuinn
www.goodreads.com/CaiseyQuinn



a Rafflecopter giveaway

*An eARC was provided to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbaised.*

Thanks Casey!

8 comments:

  1. Great review Chelsea, it was like watching two friends destroy each other! You want to slap some sense into them but I have total faith in them (and Caisey!) that they will sort themselves out :-)

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  2. Great review indeed girl! My heart definitely hurt at the end! And I felt so bad for both Kylie and Trace. Their relationship is so new and fragile still but I feel it had to be tested in order for it to work. Kylie and Trace also have to learn to trust one another and there was so much jealousy and miscommunication that made its way between them- trust was a serious obstacle. I am ready for the HEA now!

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  3. Oh boy. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of yelling as I read.

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  4. Lovely review hon! Totally agree! :)

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  5. Thanks! I totally agree. They frustrated the hell out of me and the end left me in pieces. I need book 3 to pick me up.

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  6. Thanks Chica! I knew it would be messy. Trace is so volatile right now and they both have issues to work out. He broke my heart but I couldn't help loving him anyways :-) I definitely need that HEA

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  7. LOL, you will definitely be pulling your hair and threatening to throw the kindle :-)

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