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Escaping Indigo #3

Scratch Track

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Being a roadie isn't everyone's idea of a dream job, but it's all Quinn wants. He loves touring, loves getting to hear amazing music every night and, more than anything, loves being someone the band members of Escaping Indigo can lean on. When Quinn joins the band in the recording studio, it's supposed to be fun, but it only seems to remind him of doubts he thought he'd left behind--doubts about his brother's death, his place with the band, and his ability to care for and support his friends. So when his ex, Nicky, tumbles back into his life, Quinn's completely unprepared. The failure of his past romance with Nicky is yet another strike against Quinn's confidence. But Nicky's unassuming kindness makes it hard for Quinn to resist a new entanglement. Quinn isn't sure they won't make the same mistakes again, but he wants a second chance, even if that means facing the past, learning to let his friends support him, and proving to Nicky that, this time, he'll be someone Nicky can rely on.

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2018

36 people want to read

About the author

Eli Lang

9 books13 followers
Eli Lang is a writer, drummer, and origami enthusiast. She lives in Arizona with too many pets and too many books.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications.
1,037 reviews152 followers
January 21, 2018
This is an extremely character driven plot. It's heavy. Like trudging through a morass of feelings.

Unfortunately, I'm more of an action plot fan. So this was tough reading for me. I got to about 45% before I threw in the towel.

I think that for those of you who like 'heavy on the feelz' stories, this is going to be a real winner.


Review ARC graciously provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley
Profile Image for Truusje.
850 reviews
January 21, 2018
For me Scratch Track was the introduction to Eli Lang and the world of Escaping Indigo, but it is the third book in a series. While I’m not fussy about reading series in order, I felt in this case it might be better to read book #1 first as it seems to be closely linked. I was a little confused about all the characters at the beginning and some of the backstory. It also would have been good to see Quinn from a different perspective than his own.

Scratch Track has lots of strengths, especially towards the end of the story. There is some beautiful and insightful dialogue. At those moments I could really feel the pain of the characters and the love between them. However, at other moments I felt I didn’t know the characters at all. This was particularly true for Quinn, the narrator. He mostly remained a mystery. Apparently, he was a roadie who carried the heavy gear but also some sort of tour manager who made sure the band got fed. We were told this two or three times, but we never saw any of it. In fact, he didn’t seem to be doing anything. The band were in a recording studio and he didn’t have any responsibilities so he just hung around. I understand this was part of him feeling lost and useless, but since I had never seen him any other way I found it difficult to connect with him. Of course, I may have felt differently about this if I had read book #1.
Nicky seemed a lovely guy but again I don’t think I got to know him as well as I would like. Quinn and Nicky together were great and I loved how they talked things through. There wasn’t a ton of conflict between them, but it felt real and I could see both of them grow to resolve it. The resolution made sense but it seemed a little rushed. I didn’t quite believe in an HEA for them yet; it was more a tentative HFN.

Rock star romances are often filled with alcohol and drugs and groupies begging for sex. It was refreshing to see Scratch Track didn’t have any of that. At the same time, I found it hard to believe they more or less worked office hours and in the evenings they occasionally went out for dinner but nothing else. They also seemed very respectful and earnest all of the time. It’s great to see characters taking each other seriously but I would’ve liked to see a little joking around and some heated arguments.

I felt this book was very good when it came to the way Quinn learned to deal with his grief and his feelings of failure and being left out. I also thought Quinn and Nicky together was one of the books strong points. The rest of it felt more like a sketch than a completed painting. For example, I didn’t know until somewhere towards the end the studio was in LA. And in the epilogue I found out Quinn had a beard. This book really could have used some stronger world building and characters with more varied complexities.

3.5 stars

*** I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
Profile Image for Tracy~Bayou Book Junkie.
1,574 reviews47 followers
January 26, 2018

3.75 Stars

I loved the blurb, but this story had the same issues as book one for me. We spent too much time in Quinn’s head and not enough time getting to really know Nicky. Although I think this book has more dialogue than Escaping Indigo perhaps, I still wanted more. The second half of the book moves much faster and had more dialogue than the first half.

This story feels heavy. You can feel the grief, sadness and guilt coming off of Quinn in waves and, at times, it was daunting to trudge through all of that with him. I had to keep closing the book and coming back to it.

I loved Nicky and Quinn as a couple and I thought they had great chemistry, but I would have loved to see more of them as a couple as well as a more solid ending. This is definitely a tentative HFN ending.

I loved getting to catch up a bit with Bellamy and Micah, but again I wish there had been more dialogue and interaction between them. We were told about them going out to lunch or dinners, but I’d rather be shown what’s happening, not just told they did this or that.

The author’s writing is beautiful, almost poetic and it draws you in. The story had good bones and potential, but it needed more dialogue and character development and interaction. I’d still recommend it, but I think Escaping Indigo needs to be read first as Micah and Quinn are both dealing with the death of Quinn’s brother, Eric, so the stories are closely linked.

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,020 reviews515 followers
January 31, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.

4.5 stars


Scratch Track is the third book in the Escaping Indigo series and falls back into the same quiet, introspective atmosphere as the two books before it. The book mostly works on its own and if you are okay with not knowing all the small details that came before, you could start here.

This book solely rests on Quinn’s shoulders, even though Nicky is the more energetic and dynamic character. It’s been a year since Quinn’s brother, Eric, died and Quinn can’t seem to move on. He is starting to accept that Eric is gone, but he carries so much guilt that he let his brother down. Quinn takes care of people. It’s what he thought he was good at, but now feels like he failed Eric. And, if he failed Eric, his whole care-taking persona was a lie and Quinn has no idea what to do with himself.

Nicky was devastated when Quinn didn’t call or respond to his messages. He’s not into casual sex and he thought they really had a connection and a chance. He ever knew what went wrong or if it was him that did something, yet when he sees Quinn again, he can’t take his eyes off him. Quinn knows he owes Nicky an explanation, but he’s so caught up in is own head that he can’t find the words to say out loud, but he remembers Nicky vividly and intimately.

Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
Profile Image for Annie Maus.
394 reviews12 followers
January 30, 2018
In Scratch Track, Eli Lang’s requiem to grief, music and love serve as counterpoints to pain. I was wowed by her demonstration of how to live on!
 
Also impressive is that the book works as a standalone. I hadn’t read the first two in this Escaping Indigo series, but still enjoyed the rich cast of characters, who function like a chorus to the main couple’s drama.
 
Quinn, a road manager, joins his band, Escaping Indigo, as they produce an album, though he’s neither working, nor necessary. He’s escaping his younger brother’s suicide, its associated guilt, as Lang conveys, “and figuring out how my life worked with this giant home where Eric had been.”
 
Lang pens Quinn “as the guy who listened, and who fixed where I could … took care of them. That was how I liked it. That was how I worked best.”  Now, his brother’s death has left Quinn questioning. “I hadn’t ever known what Eric needed. I hadn’t seen any need in him at all. So obviously that (caretaking) talent was a lie.”
 
Has Quinn isolated himself? Or has Eric’s death revealed Quinn was never the band member’s true friend? “There was something about the way they tuned in to each other, focused on each other, became almost like one mind when they were writing and working on songs, that made me feel…lost. On the outside. Like I was a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit. It made me lonely in an abstract way,” Quinn muses to himself.
 
Immediately before the trauma, Quinn enjoyed a promising flirtation and tryst with Nicky, drummer for another band, Rest in Peach. (Great band name for a novel about grief, no?) They’d promised to maintain contact - until Quinn’s abrupt, unexplained withdrawal.
 
When Peach records at the same location as Indio, it’s awkward for both men. Nevertheless, Quinn is still drawn towards Nicky, who he reminisces was “easy to be with…He made things simple. He made you want to stand beside him and soak up some sun. So I did.”
 
It’s not simple. Not knowing about the death, when Quinn ignored Nicky’s overtures, Nicky was hurt. It’s equally painful to discover Quinn didn’t think enough of Nicky to share the pain. But Quinn is better at giving than receiving. Can two distrustful men get back together?
 
While listening to an old record, thinking back to when he’d first heard it, Quinn realizes it “made me feel for a few minutes like I was in both places, both times.” Much like death differentiates a survivor’s life into before and after, so can love, “as if two side of my life-the side before I’d met Nicky, before I’d slept with him again, and the side after, with everything that meant and everything that came with it – were crashed together.”
 
This is Lang’s brilliance. Writers often repeat complex concepts throughout a book. But she sorts and shifts through themes of love, responsibility, powerlessness and death, using different contexts, perspectives, and the prisms of different personalities, until reality shines through.

 
The result is much like a musical fugue. By adding and subtracting flourishes to a basic premise she creates new music, as we watch characters confront their pain and confusion in order to change. Can Quinn, who feels like a fraud, become someone who can support the man he’s coming to love? Can Nicky, burned once, trust again? Should he?
 
Lang is clearly a musician. I love her descriptions of the role music plays in helping people process their emotions non-verbally. A scene in which Nicky shows Quinn how to play a drum becomes a blueprint for how to move on. Music aficionados will be impressed.
 
I think I highlighted more phrases in Scratch Track than any book I’ve ever read. Eli Lang’s novel deserves 4.5 stars.
Profile Image for Jody.
2,088 reviews59 followers
January 31, 2018
As a fan of rockstar romances I found myself eagerly grabbing at this book the moment it hits shelves and upon completing it I must say that there’s a lot to like about this m/m romance. There’s also a bit of frustration too in this tale of second chances and grief as it went on a bit too long and got lost in its lyrical narrative a time or two.

From the first page to the last this book sets itself apart from other rockstar romances as it’s not your typical tale of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Yes, it’s a steamy tale but there’s no groupies or heavy partying going on to affect the band’s connection. There’s actually a familial vibe amongst the members of Escaping Indigo and Rest In Peach as they spend time making beautiful music together while in the studio. It’s a time consuming process that gives ample time to the reunion of roadie Quinn and Rest In Peach’s drummer Nicky. Their one night together could’ve amounted to more but a tragic event befell Quinn, an event that he’s still punishing himself for and that’s keeping him from living life to the fullest. In this third installment in the series these two men work through the pain of the past in a journey of self-forgiveness and trust.

Quinn’s always been the caretaker, from the band to his family, the one everyone could count on to see to their needs and keep them safe. It’s a role he took seriously until the day his brother overdosed. That moment left him reeling, feeling lost and ashamed for all that he didn’t do and it’s something he still can’t forgive himself for. His grief has caused him to wallow in self-punishment as he doesn’t feel worthy of love and happiness after failing his brother. His feelings are the crux of the division between him and Nicky and keeps them struggling every step of the way. A lot of time is spent in Quinn’s head but there were still times I felt that there was still much I didn’t know about him. He’s always been quiet and contemplative and he’s still that here, spending a lot of time rehashing his grief. It ultimately made for emotional storytelling but much frustration too.

Nicky’s the more carefree of the two, the one to initiate their reunion. He got Quinn talking and made him start dealing with the past head-on through many heartfelt talks and by opening up a bit more about himself. One secret he shared was a definite surprise and changed their dynamic a bit. It deepened their connection, made it more of a commitment between the two of them. In some ways I felt like I knew Nicky more than Quinn and yet I still felt like there was more missing. He was hurt by Quinn leaving without a word and it’s clear he’s still holding back a bit. For every step forward they took I felt there were many more steps missing in their journey of forgiveness but I applaud Nicky for each olive branch he extended to Quinn.

This was a steamy story as Quinn and Nicky were a crackling couple teeming with sexual tension. From longing glances to deep talks these two spend a lot of time together, spend a lot of time dealing with their pasts while hoping for a future, and it made for some intense reading. Their issues were weighty and Quinn’s grief was an especially heavy burden that didn’t allow for many lighthearted moments. It did all lead to a satisfying ending though, an ending that felt more like a HFN than a HEA, but no less rewarding for all that came before.

3.75 Stars
Profile Image for Roberta Blablanski.
Author 4 books65 followers
January 28, 2018
Scratch Track is on my list of anticipated reads of 2018. Here's the link if you'd like to see the others on my list:

http://www.robertasramblings.com/2018...

I absolutely adore Eli's introspective writing style. I'm partial to rock star romances and all the debauchery that comes with them; however, Scratch Track has none of the drugs in the typical "sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll" theme. There's rock'n'roll in the form of Escaping Indigo and Rest in Peach (Quinn's love interest's band) laying down tracks in an LA studio and, of course, sex in the form of Quinn and Nicky coming together. But drugs are a sensitive subject for Quinn, whose brother died from an overdose the previous year.

Eric's death and Quinn's self-imposed guilt for failing Eric is the crux of the story. Scratch Track chronicles Quinn's journey of "melodramatic self-contemplation" and eventual acceptance that preventing his brother's death wasn't his responsibility. This journey is necessary for Quinn to develop a relationship with and form a commitment to Nicky.

In Escaping Indigo (the first book of the series), Quinn comes across as the silent, stoic type. The reader gets a small glimpse of him as a perceptive, emotional being at the end of the book. In Scratch Track, we get better insight into his personality and his internal struggles. It becomes apparent that he hasn't allowed himself to grieve and tries to absolve himself for his perceived personal failings by denying himself happiness, Nick becomes a casualty of Quinn's self-flagellation.

Nick has his own complication outside of his hurt stemming from Quinn's abandonment the previous year. This complication was a complete surprise to me but it didn't feel out of place to the development of the story and characters. I appreciate the realistic way the author presented Quinn's apprehension, eventual acceptance of his limitations to and acceptance of this development.

The way the author addresses Quinn sexuality is so refreshing:

"I was pretty sure there wasn't a label for me, but then, I hadn't ever really searched for one, either. I liked what I liked. When I liked it, which wasn't often."

I love the following quote, one of Quinn's introspective thoughts during a conversation with Ava.

"And I understood, in a way, seeing your future diverge from what you imagined it would be, or what you wanted. The loss of that, even when you were happy with what you had."

How poignant? I have a feeling this will stick with me for a while.
Profile Image for Severin Beck.
44 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2023
This was terrific. Quinn is just so broken but so vulnerable and loving at the same time, like his big heart can't help but open up despite the risk, despite his pain. And Nicky is just a delightful character, and Lang does such a good job of capturing his energy, while drumming and otherwise. In this book and in the first of the series, Lang's portrayal of grief -- both Quinn's and Micah's -- as something so personal, so unique in its impact, despite being a universal experience.
Profile Image for WhatAStrangeDuck.
478 reviews33 followers
February 17, 2018
The good thing about this book is that the musicians are actually musicians first and rock gods second. I like that the book shows how important the music is to the protags. So kudos for that.

But it was heavy reading, dominated by grief and miscommunication so that it dragged on a bit.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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