{Blog Tour} Review & Giveaway: Girl On Tour by Caisey Quinn
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Caisey Quinn,
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Title: Girl On Tour
Series: Kylie Ryans #2
Author: Caisey Quinn
Published: August 27th 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult (MA 17+ Content)
Cover Design & Formant: E.M. Tippetts Book Design
Age Group: New Adult (MA 17+ Content)
Cover Design & Formant: E.M. Tippetts Book Design
Source: eARC provided for a fair & honest review
Rating: 5/5
BLURB:
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…
REVIEW:
The story:
First off I have to say that there are right ways and wrong ways to write a prologue, and can I tell you Caisey seriously knows how write one hell of a prologue!
This story, as the title suggests, is about Kylie & Trace going on tour. The only problem is they aren't touring together this time, and everyone knows that long distance relationships are difficult enough as it is, without the added stress of being on the road. Both of them face problems along the way; Trace is struggling with his alcohol addiction and Kylie is trying to deal with her sudden rise to fame, with paparazzi following her and nasty stories appearing on the internet. All these problems add more stress to Trace & Kylie's relationship, and soon cracks start to appear. The question is are they strong enough with withstand the pressure, or do they need to learn how to be apart first, before they can have their happy ending
The characters:
Kylie has grown up a lot since we first met her and she grows a whole lot more in this book too. Touring by herself and dealing with the pressures of being in the public eye, she learns the hard way how rough famous life can be. However she's stronger then many people around her believe she and doesn't back down from what she believes in. I think Trace's pet name 'Hot Head' suits her perfectly (in a good way)!
Trace has made some progress in his own life since meeting Kylie. We see a different side to him, where he's admitted his problem with alcohol but is still struggling to overcome his demons. Trace is one of those characters that you can't help but love. He makes mistakes, breaks your heart and on more than one occasion I wanted to shake him and yell "are you freakin blind!?" But just like Kylie:
"I'll always come back. No matter how many times you push me away."
There are also some excellent new supporting characters. I loved the dynamic relationship between Kylie and her new tour buddies, Mia & Lily. They bickered and fought as any women trapped on a tour bus together would, but at the end of the day you could see that they had each other's backs. And then there's Trace's new tour co-headliner, Gretchen, basically the female version of Trace himself. She's out of control and Trace starts to see what he must have looked like not that long ago. All these characters have such strong personalities and play important roles in Trace & Kylie's lives. Even Gretch, who in a way plays the 'bad' character, had multiple sides, and by the end I couldn't help but be invested in her story too.
The romance:
Kylie & Trace's relationship is really put to the test in this book. Not only are they trying to make a long distance relationship work and dealing with the media scrutiny, but they also have to learn how to trust each other when others try to make them doubt their relationship. Kylie struggles with her jealously of his past romances and Trace believes he's not good enough for Kylie and will only destroy her career if they stay together. But when these two are together, their scenes ignite. There are some seriously hot and steamy moments between them that prove just how strong their connection is - the scene is the barn was especially hot!
The Writing:
I'm the first to admit that I'm a slow reader, especially for someone who reads everyday. But when a book captures my attention and has beautiful fluid writing I find I read so much faster. I read this in less than day! Seriously I hardly ever finish a book in that time unless it's a novella! The story and the characters grabbed me from the very beginning and the writing was effortlessly smooth.
FINAL WORD:
Well the ending absolutely shattered my heart, but I felt that these events needed to happen - it just makes the story that much more emotional & believable. This story made me feel so many emotions; happy, angry & utterly devastated at times. And after reading the special sneak peek of Girl In Love I am going to be counting down the days until it's released so I can get my next fix of Trace and Kylie!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium-strong / several sex scenes
Violence: mild-medium / bar fight
Language: strong / frequent f**k
Drugs & alcohol: strong / alcohol addiction major theme throughout
AUTHOR BIO:
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.caiseyquinnwrites.com.
www.facebook.com/AuthorCaiseyQuinn
www.twitter.com/CaiseyQuinn
www.goodreads.com/CaiseyQuinn
a Rafflecopter giveaway
AUTHOR BIO:www.caiseyquinnwrites.com.
www.facebook.com/AuthorCaiseyQuinn
www.twitter.com/CaiseyQuinn
www.goodreads.com/CaiseyQuinn
INTERVIEW WITH CAISEY QUINN
What inspired you to write this book/series?
My love of country music mostly. And I was very curious about Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert touring together when they were at very different places in their careers and how they fell in love. Since they’re probably never going to tell me what happened, I had to make up my own story!
The great thing about New Adult books is that many of the readers are in the same age group as the characters, making it easy to relate to them. Was there a specific character you related to best?
Ha! Well…I’m 30, so I’m not quite a new adult. ;) But I do relate a great deal to Kylie. I’m not quite as vocal about my feelings as she is but I did move away from home many years ago with no money and very little family. I wish I was as tough as she is though!
Which was your favorite character to write and why?
So far, Trace. He’s a combination of so many of my loved ones and he’s deeply flawed and struggles to accept that he’s worthy of love. His complexities make him a lot of fun to write.
Country Music plays a big part in these books. Did you base either Trace or Kylie after a specific country artist or artists?
They were inspired by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Trace’s musical style is very similar to Luke Bryan’s. (I got the idea for Girl with Guitar at a Luke Bryan concert). But they’ve become their own people in a lot of ways.
Bouncing off the last Question, if you could pick three Country Songs to sum up Kylie and Trace's relationship what would they be?
Ah! Only three? Okay, let’s see…
It Goes Like This by Thomas Rhett
Hot Mess by Tyler Farr
Damn I Do by Rachel Farley
AND:
Like Jesus Does by Eric Church (sorry I couldn’t pick just 3!)
Besides country, which I think we can tell is a fave, is there any other type of music on your playlist that you like to listen to, to get into the writing mind set?
I listen to a lot of “harder stuff” actually, because of my musician brother. I love bands like Flyleaf (even though I think they broke up), Paramore, Red, Killswitch Engage, and such. I love the idea of country-rock crossover, which readers will see as Steven Blythe becomes a bigger character. I also love Christina Perri, Jason Mraz, and Katy Perry. My iPod is pretty nuts. Looks like it belongs to five different people.
What made you decide to start writing? Has it always been something you enjoyed doing?
I never actually “decided” to start. I always just did. Even as a kid and teenager. I love it and can’t imagine my life without it. ;)
Many of the readers out there are also writers. Do you have any advice for writers who are trying to be published?
I’m always nervous about giving advice because that indicates I know what I’m doing and I don’t know that I’d recommend the way I do things to anyone. The only real advice I can give is finish what you start and don’t give up!
What was the best advice or piece of wisdom given to you?
I’ve gotten so much good advice from the generous and wonderful members of the writing community that it’s hard to pick the best. But the most recent piece of advice I got was “always take the high road.” Something hurtful happened to me recently and I was very upset. Luckily I have a very levelheaded and intelligent mentor who reminded me that this is always the best way to handle difficult situations.
If you could only pick one, who would be your favorite Book Boyfriend?
Oh this is just a mean question. One? ONE??? Ugh. Okay, well this week’s book boyfriend is Cole Pritchett from Elizabeth Lee’s Escaping Me. He reminds me a lot of my husband in that his expectations of himself are pretty low but when you see him for who he really is, he’s a hardworking lovable man with a precious heart. And the tattoos are pretty hot, too! ;)
Are you a wine drinker? If so, what is your favorite type? If not, name your poison? Coffee, Soda, Chocolate? All of the above?
I’m a wine drinker. I prefer sweet whites like Riesling and Moscato. I’m also a coffee drinker but I prefer it iced. And with chocolate syrup on top.
What characteristics, if any, do you share with Kylie?
We both HATE to ask for help. But sometimes you just gotta!
I'm sure naming your characters is much like naming your children. How did you come up Trace and Kylie? And give us Rae too, as that's my middle name. :)
I wish I had a cute story about this but I don’t. Both names just came to me as soon as I started plotting the story. Rae is named after my cousin who is adorable and spunky and just had to have a character named after her!
Tell us about your writing rituals? Silence vs Music? Coffee house vs comfy chair? Mac vs PC? Bananas vs Pears (Just making sure you are paying attention.)
No fruit is involved but I do have a comfy chair and I write in silence unless I find inspiration from a certain song. Sometimes I’ll put on the soundtrack for a book as I edit/revise if I have it created already. I’m a recent convert and use a MAC. Macs for Life!!
E-book vs physical book?
I’m a former English teacher so I’m a paperback/hardcover girl. But I have recently been filling my Kindle and it is handy at bedtime not to need a reading light.
If Physical: Dog ear vs bookmark? (Wow, there are a lot of "vs" in this interview)
If it’s my personal book I might dog-ear a page of something I loved so I can come back, otherwise I always use a bookmark. (Or sticky note, envelope, whatever I have handy!)
If E-book: Are you a highlighter or note taker?
I do both!
Who is your current book boyfriend?
Current one is a secret because I’m writing him!
*Speed Round*
1. What kind of snack/drink is a MUST for you when writing?
Iced coffee, so I can stay awake!
2. What made you start writing?
All the characters constantly yelling at me in my head.
3. What is your biggest inspiration source (where do you get your ideas)?
Everywhere. Music, movies, the news, the grocery store…
4. Describe your perfect writing space? and where do you actually write?
I write in my comfy chair in my living room once everyone else has gone to bed. Pretty much anywhere quiet would work though.
5. Is writing your full time job? If not, what else do you do?
I’m a stay at home mom so my three-year-old daughter is my full-time job.
6. What is one surprising fact about you that not too many people know?
Hmm…I’m pretty open so this is tough. I was in a near fatal car accident in high school so I have lots of pins and plates and rods where things like bones and joints should be.
7. What are you writing now?
Girl in Love (Kylie Ryans #3) and a few novellas for compilation projects with other authors.
8. What is the first Romance book you remember reading?
What is the last book you read? Oh gosh, I’m not sure what the first one I ever read was. Probably something I was too young to be reading. When I got back into reading romance a while back I read Rachel Gibson’s Rescue Me and I loved it. The last book I read was a manuscript by Rachel Harris. It was awesome and I can’t wait for y’all to read it!
9. What was the last book you read that gave you a "book hangover?
Hmm…Either Tangled by Emma Chase or The Redemption of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorenson. Both kept me up late into the night!
Thank you so much for having me! ;)
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Wow, this sounds like a great book! I need to hop on this series :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really like this: (it made me smile.)
"2. What made you start writing?
All the characters constantly yelling at me in my head."
Haha I liked that answer too!! And YES you definitely need to start this series, it's excellent! :)
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