Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines

Here’s my review for Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines….No one hate me….

Oh where do I begin?  First I want to say that I did like Fallen Too Far, I hated Never Too Far because it was too short and I felt that it was cranked out just to appease fans, that story could have been an epilogue, or fleshed out a little and made into a better book or released as a novella. I was disappointed that I paid $3.99 for it. 
Anyway. Over to Forever Too Far.  To say the least, I’m disappointed (for the first half of the book).  Abbi Glines, I like you, you seem like a really sweet person and you love your fans and actually listen to them when they speak, and I love your voice it’s cute.  But this book was annoying.  I hated that it went back and forth between Rush and Blaire so much. Half the time I didn’t know who was speaking and I had to go back and check.  I would have liked it better if you’d stuck with one or just let it go for a couple chapters so I could connect with them better.  I was left feeling confused and unsure how each really felt.  And I HATED Grants POV.  Wow, what a perv and I would never want a man to think of me in that way.  He referred to Harlow as a walking sexual fantasy.  I would never want my son to think of women in this way and I hope that no boy my daughter is interested treats her as an object of a fantasy instead the respect that she deserves.  I understand that men think with their downstairs brain, but really, this was just really wrong.  If I was Harlow, I would run in the opposite direction, ESPECIALLY when I found out he dated Nan.  I would never want to do anything to ruin Nan further than she already is. 

So, it WAS sweet how protective Rush was of Blaire, but it quickly became too much.  Let the girl breathe!  I don’t believe what Rush is showing to Blaire is love.  All he does is drag her around and not talk to her and then get mad when she talks about Nan.  I also think that Blaire has devolved into this shy, weak, wimpy mess.  She used to be kick ass.  She took care of her mom and pulled a gun on Grant and Nan, but now she just slinks off into the corner and lays in bed the whole time.  And what the heck about her cramping and bleeding.  What doctor would allow her to fly off in a plane the next day? And sex would be a huge no no.  For real. A doctor would have explained all that upon discharge.  Also, Blaire supposedly needs no stress and says she needs time to think while at her dad’s so when Rush asks to come see her, she should have said NO! “No, I need to think, give me a day.” But no, she lets him come. And then her dad drops that, oh, by the way, you have a brother! And the Rush says “hey, you have a week to plan the wedding…” Yeah. No stress my patootie. 

Ok, the book turns around after the wedding.  Rush and Blaire’s wedding was sweet and simple.  It was cute what Rush did right before the wedding.  I almost cried.  I almost cried again when she was walking down the aisle, and yes, I bought the dang song on itunes.  Its ok, Rush’s voice is weird.

I LOVE that Blaire had a natural birth and that she’s breastfeeding…I’m a mom, I did those things so it resonates with me. 

And Blaire did her kick ass back a little at the end.  I liked that, but I wish it would have been there the whole time. 

I still feel really sorry for Nan.  She needs someone.  Anyone.  Please Abbi, let Nan fall in love.  There doesn’t always have to be a villain.  Everyone deserves to be loved and shown love and to have someone in their life who cares. Second chances are awesome, even if it’s the 10^th second chance. 

School was hard, and other musings

Blah, so it's Tuesday and I didn't write a blog post! I have a super amazing one in my head.  School is really kicking my bootay this week and I just haven't even had much of chance to do anything else! I haven't even read much in Forever Too Far (WHAT! I know).  I think I just wasn't too impressed with Never Too Far so this hasn't really been the page turner for me that it is for most.  BUT, I'm not judging it until I finish it. Sometimes books start out really slow for me, and then BAM! I hit a good part and can't put it down.  I have several books on my Kindle right now waiting to be read, but I want to finish FTF quick because spoilers are popping up, and Abbi just posted that people were writing rude reviews.  That's sad.  I've written rude reviews, but I've recently gone back and edited them because I feel that the book is something that the author spent time on and quite possibly put their whole heart into, and being really harsh and rude is just mean.  There's a difference between constructive criticism and meanness (<--Who knew meanness was spelled that way?).
Anyway.  What books are you all currently reading? I just finished On An Edge Of Glass and OMG it was amazing. That's what the super amazing blog post in my head is about. I also just downloaded Stitch and Anne of Green Gables (I love a good classic AND its apparently considered YA!).  I really need August to get hear so I can read Komal Kant's new book.....wink wink.....And also Erica Cope needs to get to writing.....but she has an excuse to not....
So yeah, boring blog post. So comment and tell me what to read!!!

Abbi Glines Giveaway Winner!

MORGAN LESLIE you are the winner!
Email me at cope.blog3@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Interview with Abbi Glines & a Giveway!

EXISTENCE captured my attention but THE VINCENT BOYS stole my heart. 

I was lucky enough to meet Abbi Glines at a book signing in Broken Arrow, OK back in June. And I have to admit, I was ridiculously star struck. You would have thought I was a giddy teenager meeting Robert Pattinson or something. I carried my signed copy of THE VINCENT BOYS around with me for the rest of the day week. She is every bit as charming as you would expect a Southern gal to be and I completely adore her.

So without further ado, please welcome Abbi Glines to A Dash of YA!

Thanks for letting me interview you Abbi!

Thank you for asking me :) I'm flattered you wanted to interview me.

I have read everything you have published to date and I have to say I am Team Beau all the way. Out of all of the swoon-worthy men you have created, who is your most favorite?

That's a hard question. I'm torn between two. Cage was by far the most fun to write. I enjoyed writing him and getting in his very naughty head. However, Sawyer was so wounded and made such bad decisions but REAL decisions. I understood him and I felt bad for him. So it's a tie between the two of them.

Where do you find your inspiration for your stories? How much would you say are “real life” experiences?

Other than setting and dialogue nothing I write is inspired from real life. Music inspires me. I'm also a people watcher. Body language and interaction between couples is something I pay attention to a lot. Then there is always, my overactive imagination.

I know that BREATHE was your debut novel, but was it the first one you wrote?

Yes. Breathe was the first complete novel I wrote. I tried writing many books before Breathe and never could finish them. Once I finished Breathe I realized I'd worked out my issues and I was on a roll.

You churn out books insanely fast (which is much appreciated by your impatient fans like myself!), how long does it typically take you to write a first draft?

One week.

Wow! That’s impressive! How many hours do you spend writing a day?

6-8... though, I've been known to write 12 hours straight.

Do you have an all-time favorite author? Who and why?

Yes. Jennifer Echols. I know that when she releases a book that I will read it in one sitting. I can't put down anything she writes. Her stories never disappoint. She also writes southern setting since she lives in Alabama too so that is fun for me to read. And no, I have never met her.

EXISTENCE was the very first book of yours I read and as much as I enjoyed it, I think I love your Sea Breeze series even more. Which genre is the most fun for you to write, Paranormal or Contemporary Romance?

I love writing Contemporary Romance. I won't lie. As much as I love Dank Walker, I can not wait until I am finished with Ceaseless so that I can write Preston's story.

Can you divulge a secret about Cage that no one else knows?

Yes, he looks like Channing Tatum in my head ;)

Yum! I can totally picture that!

CEASELESS (Existence trilogy #3) was just released on September 18th and JUST FOR NOW (#4 Sea Breeze series) on October 23rd, plus I heard you were writing a second story for Cage and Eva! Do you have any big plans for after that?

Yes. I have an urban fantasy trilogy that I will be releasing in 2013. However, the dates on that have changed. It is now going to be late 2013. I will be giving Ethan from The Vincent Boys a story next summer. AND If I can get to it, I have a stand alone New Adult romance that I want to write. Hopefully I can get it out by early spring.

As an author who has both self-published and gone the traditional route, what advice would you give to aspiring writers out there?

If you've written a book get yourself an editor and a cover artist. Make sure your cover is attractive and self-publish it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo. Grow yourself a fan base. Don't worry about having a publisher or an agent, just yet. Build up to that. When you're ready, you'll know. I love my agent and my new publisher for The Vincent Boys (Simon Pulse) but I wasn't ready for them back when I released Breathe (who was released by a small publisher. I still had to do all the marketing myself.) I had a lot of learning to do. I think you will grow more as an author if you have to figure out how to make a book successful without help. That, of course, is just my opinion.

A big thank you to Abbi Glines for taking the time out to answer this crazy fangirl’s questions!

If you haven’t had a chance to check out her books, I highly recommend them to everyone! You can find them all in e-reader format. The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers are now available to pre-order in paperback and hardback format. They are both being re-released on Dec. 25^th with an extra 12,000 words and steamier scenes! Can’t wait for more Beau! *swoon*

And just because I love Abbi Glines so much and want you all to love her too, I'm going to give one lucky reader BECAUSE OF LOW or WHILE IT LASTS!

All you have to do is "follow" us and leave a comment telling which book you would like and whether you have a Nook, Kindle or prefer to read good old fashion paperbacks.

Piece of cake, right?!

For additional chances of winning, "like" A Dash of YA on facebook and/or tweet about this giveaway and leave us comments saying you did so!

I'll announce the winner one week from today--good luck!

Existence Trilogy with the novella LEIF

The Vincent Boys series

Sea Breeze series. Coming soon JUST FOR NOW