Always Watching (The Rayne Tour #1)Author: Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Source: Public Library
Challenges: Libary, For the Love of YA, I'd Wish I'd Read That
221 pages
"This daughter of a rock star has it all until murder crashes her world.
The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley OConnor, on tour with her mothers popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limos. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing except the one thing she cant have.
During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley OConnor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens death connected to her?
Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at a time like this?
As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Toms killerbefore he strikes again." - Goodreads
This is the first book in The Rayne Tour series. I have reviewed, book two and three. So check out those if you'd like!
I think this series is awesome. It's a thrilling fast paced (but not short of writing skill) story which follows Shaley and her mom along with many other characters as they go on tour. But things start going wrong. Soon, Shaley finds her friends body backstage- dead of course, then she gets creepy messages, paparazzi are everywhere she turns and on top of it there are mysteries about her father. All happening in a time span of I think three days. It's crazy thrilling!!
The characters are strong in this book as well as the series. The only problem I had for this book was that Shaley comes off as sort of a cry-baby. No doubt that she went through dramatic stuff but still it seems she's always crying. Pull yourself together girl! Be strong! Other than that, lots of action, twists and turns, suspense and just down right edge of your seat type of plot.The events keep rolling, so there's never a dull moment!
I would highly recommend this to people who like these types of books. I am so happy I read these because I thought all three were rocking awesome! Great work Brandilyn and Amberly!!
Excerpt:
The screams of twenty thousand people sizzled in my ears.
“Rayne, you reign! Rayne, you reign! Rayne, you reign! …”
At the sold-out HP Pavilion in San Jose, California the crowd chanted and clapped and stomped for my mom’s group, Rayne—named after her—to do one more song as they left the stage. As usual I stood backstage with Tom Hutchens, my mom’s twenty-five-year-old hair dresser and makeup artist, and my closest friend on tour. Tom was short and slim, with thick black hair and an intense-looking face that didn’t match his crazy personality at all.
Tom feigned the pucker of a hip-hop artist and splayed his fingers in front of his red T-shirt. “Yo, she reign, they go insane!” He had to shout at me, his Vans-clad feet dancing. Tom always wore these wild-looking sneakers with blue, white, and red checks and a red racing stripe on the sides. “Ain’t nothin’ plain about rockin’ Rayne!”
I punched him in the arm, laughing. His silly rap rhymes were getting worse by the day.
Blonde hair bouncing, Mom came flying down the steps on the way to her private dressing room for the two-minute break. Sweat shone on her forehead as she passed by. She flashed her red-lipped grin at me and raised a palm. We high-fived as she sped past.
“They love us, Shaley!”
“’Course, Mom, they always do!”
