ARC Review: Leaving Amarillo by Caisey Quinn

Title: Leaving Amarillo
Author: Caisey Quinn
Series: Neon Dreams #1
Publication: March 17th 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: New Adult ~ Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

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.

Leaving Amarillo was yet another great book by the amazing Caisey Quinn. Lord knows I love her books and this one wasn't an exception. I thought it was a beautiful story and, though it took me a little while to get really into, it really did something to me.

This book centers on Dixie Leigh Lark, a ninteen-year-old fiddle player, together with her brother Dallas and his best friend Gavin, in Leaving Amarillo, a country band that's on the rise. Dixie has been in love with Gavin ever since they were kids and finally has the nerve to tell him how she feels. There's a lot of dancing around each other but eventually Gavin gives in to his feelings also. It's there when things get complicated. Enter a new manager who may or may not have the best interests of the band in mind and a secret that Gavin is hiding and you have one hell of a dramatic and electrifying book!

The characters were all pretty intriguing in their own way. I loved Dixie for her nerve to finally tell Gavin how she felt and I can tell how much she loves him and her family. Gavin was simply breathtaking. I simply fell in love with him. Thank you very much for yet another book boyfriend, Ms. Quinn! Dallas was a whole different story. I'm not sure yet what I think of him. I couldn't really read him yet. I hope to learn more about him in the next book. But I thought the three of them together was pretty dynamic. 

I can't ever say anything negative about the way the author writes her books. Sometimes the writing was so beautiful that it choked me up. Seriously, I don't need anything more than that. And the ending was pretty sudden. I'm not sure if it's just me but wow... where will things go from here? I gotta know!

Overall, Leaving Amarillo was a book that snuck up on me. The first 30 to 40% of the book I was thinking it was an okay story but it was then when things started picking up and where I had trouble putting the book down - I just wanted to keep on reading. It was beautiful, steamy, dramatic and just a story that I loved. 

About the Author:

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Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her daughter and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels featuring southern girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com.

She is represented by Kevan Lyon of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.