BLOG TOUR: Last Second Chance by Caisey Quinn

Welcome to our stop on the LAST SECOND CHANCE Blog Tour! Not only do we have a review, teasers, the playlist, and another awesome GIVEAWAY (lots to WIN), but we also have *get this*  VAN'S INTERVIEW with ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE!!! Buckle in for a rough ride, ladies. Van Ransom is about to ROCK your world...

As always, thank you to Caisey Quinn and the awesome chicks at Inkslinger for our ARC, hosting this tour. Y'all totally rock our socks.

Happy reading! ~Shell

When Stella Jo Chandler gets an offer to work at the Second Chance Ranch celebrity rehab facility right after graduating from Texas A&M, she’s tempted to turn it down. She wants to help real people with real problems, not spoiled celebrities going on vacation for publicity. But growing up on her family’s ranch left her with a love of horses that draws her to the opportunity. How bad can babysitting a bunch of strung out celebrities be?

What she didn’t count on was being roped into a tangled mess with infamous rocker and three-time rehab drop out Van Ransom on her first day. And she sure didn’t expect to feel the overwhelming attraction that pulls her to the man who has more issues than she can count on both hands. Like the hotel rooms and tour buses he’s famous for trashing, the havoc he could wreak on Stella’s heart would be irreparable.

Van isn’t at Second Chance for publicity or because he’s suffering from “exhaustion”. He’s on the brink of destruction, and he needs the kind of help Stella isn’t sure she can give. But without her, he'll lose everything. Because he’s on his last second chance.

Add to Goodreads

 VAN RANSOM: Mad Man or Just Misunderstood?

ROLLING STONE INTERVIEW WITH VAN RANSOM

  

RS: Hello, Mr. Ransom. It’s nice to meet you.

Van: Is it? *leans back in chair and folds heavily inked arms* What would you say is particularly nice about it?

RS: Um, well…your band, Hostage for Ransom, has had an amazing year. That must be pretty exciting to be a part of. How has the past year been for you?

Van: *snorts* Honestly I can’t remember most of it.

RS: *checks notecards* When you say you can’t remember, you mean…

Van: I mean I was dropped on my head a lot as a kid and I have short-term memory deficit.

RS: Okay. Perhaps you should see a doctor.

Van: Perhaps I should. I’ll look right into that.

RS: Mr. Ransom, surely your aware of the rumors circulating.

Van: Can’t say I am. Don’t have a habit of paying attention to rumors.

RS: Ah well, of course not. I just meant that, with all the media speculation, surely you’re aware that there have been mumblings about the possibility of your label, Red Devil Records, dropping you due to the incident last year in Vegas.

Van: I was in Vegas last year? Well, damn. Kind of wish I did remember that.

RS: Let’s take this opportunity to lay the rumors to rest then. Did you or did you not wreck a ten thousand dollar a night hotel room?

Van: *raises and eyebrow* That’s what they tell me.

RS: Any idea why you might’ve done something like that? Did you have a fight with someone? Another member of your band perhaps?

Van: *huffs out a harsh laugh* The only person I fight with is the voice in my head. So yeah, maybe he pissed me off.

RS: And the bus?

Van: *narrows eyes* What about it?

RS: Want to tell your fans why you trashed your tour bus last week and canceled two shows in New York?

Van:  There was…New York is… You know what? On top of all the shit I can’t remember, I have no recollection of agreeing to this interview. I think we’re done here.

*stands abruptly, knocking over chair and is followed out by his manager and a publicist*

Van Ransom, ladies and gentlemen. Mad man or just misunderstood? We can’t be sure. Guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself.

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 Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com . 

 Website  /  Goodreads  /   Facebook  /   Twitter

 Amazon  /   B&N  /    Kobo

 I enjoy a good tale about a broken man and a damaged woman. A chance at redemption. A chance to be happy, healthy, and live a good life. And finding the one that makes it all okay. And LAST SECOND CHANCE is just that. A good story. Really, really good. It just wasn't great. Bear with me here. I'll explain. Y'all know what a big fan I am of Caisey, but... it didn't blow me away as Caisey's other books had. It had moments that tore at my heart, had me in tears, and often in stitches. But there was something that didn't give me that desperate feeling of this being Van's last chance to straighten his s*** out. Something that niggled at me throughout the book.

Again, bear with me, and don't get me wrong. Caisey is wonderful at creating characters you can empathize or at least sympathize with. She digs deep, cuts to the core, and usually, is no holds barred in bearing her characters souls.
She did that here. We pretty quickly know all of Van's sins. His doubts and fears. We know about his addiction. And its' cause- his great losses. Which were great indeed. It's easy to see why he would try to numb it all.

We also see into Stella's past. A history of feeling lost, unloved, and unwanted. In actuality, she is just the opposite. As Van, and everyone else at Second Chance Ranch, make perfectly clear. She's an asset and ally. A fierce protector and caring friend. Still, she struggles with doubts of Van's feelings and her self worth. Unfortunately, Van has these very same worries. It's a constant inner battle for both. And it's agonizing to witness.

Their romance is a whirlwind of heat, denial, and confusion. Unabashed desires and wicked pleasures, mixed in with hopes and dreams of sobriety and letting go of the past. But is it real? Or is it a way for Van to pass the time and still indulge himself? Can it survive the "real world" once Van completes his program? What do either really want? And are any of their dreams possibilities? Totally tense and heartbreaking...

So what really bothered me and made this not the usual scorching 5 flames? Van is by nature a very intense, passionate, FEELING man. Most musicians are. They bury themselves in their music, sex, and drugs. We all know this. But what drives Van's addiction is so personal and down right devastating. There is no denying it would drive most people to self destruction. So while I felt the anger, the desperation to stop the pain, I didn't really feel his struggle with his addiction itself. And that's what I was expecting. The recovery felt secondary rather than why they were brought together. Having dealt with addiction in one capacity or another my whole life, and experiencing the depths that Caisey usually takes her characters too, I was surprised- and OK, disappointed, that she didn't do that with Van. I wanted to feel his pain and suffering from withdrawals and the demand and expectations put upon him. *** slightly spoilerish***
Instead we deal more with the forbidden attraction these two can't seem to fight no matter what the consequences. And that is the other thing that got me a bit. Stella was a good girl. A rule follower, a hard worker,  outstanding student, and on her way to breaking away and becoming her own woman. As strong and smart as she was, she gave in too easily to her desires when so much was at stake for them both. Her only addiction was Van. And boy... well, I won't get into anymore of the actual story. I've already come close to breaking one of my own rules...

All that said, LSC will test your patience and strength, just as it does our main characters. It pokes and prods at you. Makes you question your own feelings for Van, and your flaws and afflictions. How you feel about addiction and how it affects more than the abuser. It isn't pretty. But then, it's not meant to be. What it is, is... a wildly explosive and racy romance about two people who on paper should never, ever work, but despite the odds, just very well might. Go in with an open mind and you may find you fall for Van and Stella. Despite the minor disappointments, these two grabbed a piece of my heart and had me praying everything would work out. Does it? Well, you'll have to on this crazy ride yourself to find out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway