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!
