Review: Leaving Amarillo (Neone Dreams #1) by Caisey Quinn

Leaving Amarillo

Author: Caisey Quinn

Series: Neon Dreams

Pages: 352 

Publisher: William Morrow

Release date: 17/03/2015

Amazon

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I originally grabbed a copy of this title because I love the cover! it portrays our MC perfectly. The blurb also sounded quite original and interesting so I started this book the moment I downloaded it.

Nineteen year-old Dixie Leigh Lark is a fiddle player and eager to get out of the orchestra pit at her prestigious music school so she returns home to look after her grandfather and play in her brother Dallas and his best-friend, Gavin’s band – Leaving Amarillo. When an opportunity arises for them to play at MusicFest they jump at the opportunity but it also forces Dixie to announce her feelings to drummer, Gavin who has always been warned by her brother to keep away since they were kids.

What I loved initially about this book was the dynamic between the trio, the tidbits we get about their childhood was great and I found their friendship to be refreshing but when Dixie felt the need to announce her feelings in a not so subtle way I inwardly cringed; I wasn’t a big fan of how she went about it all, it could have played out completely differently but it felt unexpected and sudden and to me, didn’t flow naturally.

I really liked hot tattooed drummer Gavin, my heart broke for him and his childhood. Dallas is still a bit of a mystery – I am eager to learn more about him, I felt sorry for the self-imposed responsibility he gave himself to protect Dixie when their parents passed away.

The smexy times were written well but they did become repetitive; I preferred the subtle, stolen moments that little bit more.

I was pleasantly surprised by a few revelations and I’m eager to see them play out in the next book – the mystery surrounding Gavin has me curious, the beginning of the book felt a little slow but by the half way mark things became interesting and I was more invested in the story.

The writing is engaging, some of the dialogue came across as a little cheesy but I was able to overlook it to enjoy the story. We are left hanging at the ending of the book so I am more the keen to get hold of Loving Dallas, the second book in the Neon Dreams series.

Thank you to William Morrow via Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review Leaving Amarillo.

About the author: 

Romance Writer fueled by coffee, music, and love. Bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series. 

I love hearing from readers and other writers, and those freaky hybrids like myself! You can email me at caiseyquinn @ gmail (dot) com or follow me on Twitter @CaiseyQuinn. You can find me on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaisey...