{ARC Review} Leaving Amarillo by Caisey Quinn

Title: Leaving Amarillo

Series: Neon Dreams #1

Author: Caisey Quinn

Published: 17th March 2015

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC provided by author for fair & honest review

Rating: 5/5

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BLURB:

Nashville meets New Adult in Neon Dreams, a dramatic, sexy series from bestselling author Caisey Quinn, about a country band’s rocky road to fame—and the ambition, dreams, and love of the people who make the music.

Dixie Lark hasn’t had it easy. She lost her parents in an accident when she was young and grew up in a ramshackle house on a dirt road in Amarillo with her ailing grandparents and overprotective older brother. Thanks to her grandfather, Dixie learned to play a mean fiddle, inspired by the sounds of the greats—Johnny and June, Waylon, and Hank. Her grandfather’s fiddle changed Dixie’s life forever, giving her an outlet for the turmoil of her broken heart and inspiring a daring dream.

Ten years later, Dixie and her brother, Dallas, are creating the music they love and chasing fame with their hot band, Leaving Amarillo. But Dixie isn’t enjoying the ride. All she can think about is Gavin, the band’s tattooed, tortured drummer who she’s loved since they were kids. She knows he feels the connection between them, but he refuses see her as more than his best friend’s little sister.

Convinced that one night with Gavin will get him out of her system, Dixie devises a plan. She doesn’t know that her brother has forbidden Gavin from making a move on her-a promise he swore he’d always keep . . . a promise that once broken will unexpectedly change the future for Dixie, Gavin and the band.

A feisty heroine, a beautifully flawed hero and a deeply intense 'forbidden' romance. Leaving Amarillo is a novel that will set your senses on fire!

REVIEW:

The story:

Dixie Lark and her brother Dallas have been friends with Gavin since childhood. And now touring as a band they are closer than ever. But Dixie has always felt more than simple friendship towards Gavin and believes he feels the attraction too. But despite this he's never made a move because of the promise he made her bother, that he'd never go there with her. Dixie knows touring will mean spending 24/7 with him and she's going after what she wants!

I must admit, 'older-brother's-best-friend' tropes are one of my all time favourites! The whole protective older brother forbidding he's friend and warning him off her, is always a winner. This book does end somewhat up in the air, which has left me begging Ms Q for the next book, Dallas's story!!

The characters:

Dixie is a feisty little character and I loved that she knew what she wanted and went after it. She's extremely selfless and will do anything to make her brother's dream of stardom come true, even if that means denying her own wishes.

Gavin is a rough and beautifully flawed character. He's hiding secrets about a dark period he went through while Dixie was at college. He seems ashamed and feels undeserving of Dixie's love, which for me made him all the more worthy *sigh* He's loyal, so much so that he's willing to break his own heart trying to keep a promise to his best friend Dallas - a promise Dallas had no right to ask for.

Dallas is a bit of mysterious character to me. He's extremely determined to make it in the music industry and very dedicated to his work. It's quite an intense character and I can't wait to see more of him in his own book to see the real Dallas.

The romance:

It was really refreshing to see the girl going after the guy for a change. Dixie puts herself out there by confronting Gavin about the obvious attraction between them and refuses to let him hide behind her brother's warning. The chemistry between them is super hot and it's clear that they both have feelings beyond lust and sexual attraction. They both care about the other and will do anything to see each other happy. And once these two finally give in to their feeling…WOWZAR do things get HOT!!

The writing:

I'm a huge fan of Caisey's books and I personally feel this is her best work yet. The characters are all really well developed with strong backstories, which created dynamic relationships between all three main characters.

FINAL WORD:

A feisty heroine, a beautifully flawed hero and a deeply intense 'forbidden' romance. Leaving Amarillo is a novel that will set your senses on fire!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium-strong / several descriptive sex scenes

Violence: mild

Language: medium / several f words

Drugs & alcohol: medium / references to drug use & dealing