She's living her dream...
Kylie Ryans is the biggest thing to come out of Nashville since, well, since Trace Corbin. With a hit album and a powerful label behind her, she appears to be the girl who has it all.
But appearances can be deceiving.
Fresh out of rehab, Trace Corbin is ready to take on the world. Just not the girl he walked away from. Because if there's one thing he knows for certain, it's that the people you love are the ones who have the power to destroy you.
As their worlds collide, they'll have to make the ultimate choice. Follow their dreams, or give it all up for love.
They say love conquers all, but for Kylie and Trace, it just might wreck everything they've worked for.
4.5 CMA-Worthy Entertainers of the Year Stars
This series has been like entertainment
magazine or E! News. I needed to keep updated on all things Kylie and Trace. To
some they may just be a couple from a book, but to me they are one of my
favorite celebrity couples who you root, awe and ache for. Like Faith Hill
& Tim McGraw or like Blake Sheldon & Miranda Lambert – Kylie Ryan and
Trace Corban rank right up there in matches made in country stardom. The first
book was building Kylie’s foundation for her talent but also for them as a
couple. The second book was half honeymoon stage of their relationship and the
other half completely broke me. I was beyond ansty to get my hands on this
third book and Ms. Quinn did not drop any clues as to what to expect. The title
Girl In Love does not tell me if Kylie is still in love with Trace or if she is
in love in general (I don’t know about you but the name Trace sounds a whole
lot more appealing than a guy named general!).
We have seen Kylie grow both as a woman and
as a country star over the first two books, but after unfortunate
misunderstandings leading to a devastating heartbreak, Kylie cracks. She is no
longer the hopeless romantic, bubbly, youthful gal with a feisty side….. she is depressed, drowning herself in her music to
avoid reality, too afraid to let herself care for people in fear of them
leaving her.
With the help of her friends, Mia
especially, Kylie snaps out of her rut that she was sinking in. Damn, when she rises she is a firecracker with sparks, sparks emitting betrayal, hurt, lust and
confidence.
"I’m not the one that your mama
would choose. I’m not the kinda girl that you propose to. Turns out I’m just
fine with a one-night-stand. Baby I’m not lookin’ for a wedding band. I’m not a
nice girl."
So what happens when you bring Trace back
into the mix? Two broken souls are presented with a helluva obstacle course,
they both must navigate if either wants to come out of the course as separate
pieces, let alone come out together as a whole. Caisey Quinn does not take it
easy on your heartstrings. She never played the chord you expected her to
regarding this couple, which left you biting your nails anxiously, to find out if
Kylie and Trace could get their happily ever after. And the lyrics Ms. Quinn
offers could give Taylor Swift a run for her money… move over T-Swift make room
for C-Quinn!!
It isn’t only Kylie that has growing to do,
throughout the whole book I had my cheerleading outfit on for Trace Corbin. It broke me
when he left Kylie for rehab at the end of Girl on Tour, yet I gained so much more
respect for him having the courage to get help.
Ms. Quinn does an exceptional job handling
the topic of alcoholism. The struggles, the concerns from others and the
uncertainties surrounding Trace are all so realistic that you, as the reader travel
on the journey to recovery with him. However, his recovery is anything but a
straight path. Could the lifestyle of going back on tour trigger his craving,
then add a tour with Kylie, is Kylie a trigger for him? While many doubts
consume Trace, one thing is for certain, his selflessness in this book knows no
bounds. Unfortunately for Trace, putting others well-being ahead of his own has
a habit of costing him dearly.
"Because he wasn’t just
a fuck-up. He was a champion first-class fuck-up. A regular fuck-up would have
lost her. But no, not him. He hadn’t just lost her. He’d lost her
twice."
As if these two characters don’t have
issues to sort out for themselves, other secondary characters added on the
drama and you definitely can’t pry your eyes away. Steven *sighs* I loved this
man. Sure he may be cocky. Sure he may have rubbed Trace the wrong way
intentionally. Sure he isn’t Grade A Boyfriend material but damn if the man
isn’t a drool worthy, tattooed rocker whose dirty mouth is almost up par with
Trace. (Almost close but doesn’t count, like being in the same state as Channing
Tatum saying “You could of almost met him” yeah you were close but didn’t
count!). Then there is Gretchen
*scrunched face*. For 90% of this book Ms. Quinn does a great job utilizing
Gretchen as that secondary character who you love to hate. She is always stirring up
drama but not necessarily her herself but her presence. The relationship between
Gretchen and Trace is a blurred line, you as the reader have a hard time
determining what their status is. So I do not blame Kylie in her frustrations
and insecurities regarding their “friendship”. Tabloids, photos and Trace’s
interactions with Gretchen would make any girl question. Trace and Kylie’s relationship is like a
puzzle, no matter how bad you want a piece to fit you can’t make it work unless
you sort through the other pieces to solidify the groundwork around it. Is the
groundwork of this couple too broken? Kylie has always acted first, thought
later and in this book we see the same process mixed with more maturity
"She’d once begged him
not to leave her. And he’d had to go too. She finally got it. Sometimes it was
better to walk away. Painful as it might be sometimes that was the only
option."
So strap yourself in for one helluva
emotional roller coaster. Will Kylie and Trace be able to survive all the
twists and turns? Will the loops be too much for Trace? Will he fall off the
wagon? Will Kylie be able to let go of looking back at the past to focus on the
future?
It is hard enough to write a series that is
a sequel, let alone a trilogy and not
replay plot lines or drama. However, Caisey Quinn’s Kylie Ryans series blew
me away. Sign me up for Trace Corbin Addicts Loud & Proud. I don’t need nor
want to be anonymous! With each book I was sucked in further into both these characters
as individuals and as a couple. I won’t lie, at one part of this book I had my moment
of “ehh I love both Kylie and Trace so much maybe they shouldn’t be together, I
don’t want either to hurt anymore” but then smart, sexy, witty, talented, dirty
mouth that will make you pant Trace Corbin reminds you
"And sometimes you have
to choose love, Kylie Lou. Even when it isn’t the smart choice, or even the
best one for all involved parties."
Yup you can say “Goodbye Heart *waves*” because if this man as a package hasn’t
already stolen your heart, that line right there surely line, hook & sinks
ya!
~ Review by Tori
Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New and Young Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com.
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