Book junkies, I am so very PROUD to kick off my Birthday Teasing Extravaganza with one of my favourite authors, the woman who made me fall in love with not one, but two Vincent boys last year, and then gave me Rush-liciousness … the one and only, Abbi Glines!

Abbi’s writing is pure perfection. She awakens every romantic bone in my body with her roller-coaster stories of meant-to-bes, and she makes me dream of boys with trucks. I haven’t found many books that succeed in making me feel the same exact thing every time I re-read them, but somehow Ms Abbi has managed just that.

Last year, I stumbled upon a cover that got me all hot and bothered. It might have taken five minutes for me to actually realise that it was a new Abbi Glines release because I could not peel my eyes off of THAT kiss. So, I read it… It was EPIC.

Read my review of Fallen Too Far…
Buy Fallen Too Far: Amazon Kindle | Amazon paperback

The only small “defect” it had was that it had a sequel and we had to wait a few months to get it. Abbi, I’ve been piling up the therapy bills for your consideration, if you don’t mind! February 26 is now just around the corner, we ALL know what we’ll be doing on that day, but in the meantime I give you the touching Prologue of Never Too Far that up to now has only been available at the end of the Fallen Too Far paperbacks…

Prologue

13 years ago…

There was no knock at the door then just the small shuffle of feet. My chest already ached. Mom had called me on their way home to tell me what she’d done and that now she needed to go out to have some cocktails with friends. I’d be the one that would need to soothe Nan. My mom couldn’t handle the stress it involved. Or so she said when she called me.

“Rush?” Nan’s voice called out with a hiccup. She’d been crying.

“I’m here, Nan.” I said as I stood up from the beanbag I’d been sitting on in the corner. It was my hiding spot. In this house you needed a hiding spot. If you didn’t have one then bad things happened.

Strands of Nan’s red curls stuck to her wet face. Her bottom lip quivered as she stared up at me with those sad eyes of hers. I hardly ever saw them happy. My mother only gave her attention when she needed to dress her up and show her off. The rest of the time she was ignored. Except for me. I did my best to make her feel wanted.

“I didn’t see him. He wasn’t there,” she whispered then a small sob escaped. I didn’t have to ask who “he” was. I knew. Mom had gotten tired of hearing Nan ask about her father. So she’d decided to take her to see him. I wish she’d told me. I wish I could have gone. The stricken look on Nan’s face had my hands balling into fist. If I ever saw that man I was gonna punch him in the nose. I wanted to see him bleed.

“Come here,” I said reaching out a hand and pulling my little sister into my arms. She wrapped them around my waist and squeezed me tightly. Times like this it was hard to breathe. I hated the life she’d been given. At least I knew my dad wanted me. He spent time with me.

“He has other daughters. Two of them. And they’re… beautiful. Their hair is like an angel’s hair. And they have a momma that lets them play outside in the dirt. They were wearing tennis shoes. Dirty ones.” Nan was envious of dirty tennis shoes. Our mother didn’t allow her to be less than perfect at all times. She’d never even owned a pair of tennis shoes.

“They can’t be more beautiful than you,” I assured her because I firmly believed that.

Nan sniffed and then pulled back from me. Her head tilted up and those big green eyes looked up at me. “They are. I saw them. I could see pictures on the wall with both girls and a man. He loves them…. He doesn’t love me.”

I couldn’t lie to her. She was right. He didn’t love her.

“He’s a stupid asshat. You have me, Nan. You’ll always have me.”

Are you guys ok…? Did we all survive the Prologue? But… you didn’t think this was going to be ALL that Abbi was going to torture leave us with? No no no… Abbi never does things half-heartedly so she gifted us with another delicious little snippet set in the present time…

“Ever heard of calling before you come over?” Nan snapped as she walked into the living room dressed in a short silk wrap. She looked so much like our mother the older she got.

“It’s almost lunch, Nan. You can’t keep the man in bed all day,” I replied and opened the doors that led out onto the balcony overlooking the gulf. “I need to talk to you and I don’t want to do it so that your bedroom buddy can hear us.”

Nan rolled her eyes and stepped outside. “I find it odd that I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me for weeks and now that you want to talk you come barging over like I have no life. At least I call you first.” She was starting to sound like our mother too.

“I own this condo, Nan. I can come in any damn time I want to,” I reminded her. She would be leaving here in August to head back to her sorority house and her still undecided major. College was a social function for her. She knew I’d pay her bills and tuition. I’d always taken care of everything for her.

“Snarky much. What is this about? I haven’t had my coffee yet.” She also wasn’t afraid of me. I didn’t want her to be but it was time she grew up. I wasn’t going to let her send Blaire running. In a month, Nan would be gone. Normally I would too. Not this year. I’d be keeping my residence at Rosemary. Mother would have to pick another location. She wasn’t going to have this house free for the rest of the year.

“Blaire is back,” I told her bluntly.

The Story

He had held a secret that destroyed her world.

Everything she had known was no longer true.

Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him. Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again.

What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately?

You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

The Author

Abbi Glines was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She grew up in the small town of Sumiton, Alabama where she left the summer she turned eighteen. She didn’t get far… she chased her high school sweetheart down to the coast and she’s been there every since.

Abbi now lives in the quaint southern town of Fairhope, Alabama with her three children and husband Keith (the high school sweetheart she chased after). Her life is never dull and Keith always makes sure there is another “experience” for them to explore.

Books published by Abbi include The Vincent Boys and the USA TODAY bestseller The Vincent Brothers, Breathe, Because of Low, the USA TODAY bestsellers While It Lasts and Just For Now, The Existence Trilogy that includes the USA Today Bestseller Ceaseless, and The New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal bestseller Fallen Too Far. Currently she is working on Never Too Far, the sequel to Fallen too Far.

When Abbi isn’t locked away in her office typing away she is hauling her kids to and from their many social activities. You could say her second job is the Glines Kids personal chauffeur. It’s a rather illustrious job.

Connect with Abbi: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The Giveaway

Beautiful Abbi is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback of Fallen Too Far!! Yep, I am not kidding. And she is willing to ship it internationally! Abbi, what have you been drinking, love? I am “matching” her offer by adding a set of e-copies of both books to the pot, Fallen Too Far AND Never Too Far (to be delivered on release day)! So, two winners – one gets the signed paperback and the other gets the e-books. To win these babies, please enter below. By entering, you accept the following Giveaway Conditions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other books in the series or related posts: