Cage York has to choose between a love of the game and a love of the girl in this sultry Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines.

After waiting for his big break, bad boy Cage York is finally called up to prove his worth in the college baseball arena. But when Cage’s girlfriend, Eva, mourns the sudden loss of her father, it’s not Cage’s comforting arms she runs to, but those of her former fiancé’s twin brother, Jeremy.

Torn between his baseball dream and the girl of his dreams, Cage must prove he’s worthy of Eva’s love, or risk losing her to Jeremy forever.

Oh boy!!

First of all I must clear up something. I LOVE Abbi Glines‘ books. Like really love them. All of them. I don’t think the woman has written a mediocre story. The reason though that I have never reviewed an Abbi Glines book before is because I was late to the party. So late. Man did I kick myself for that. I kept seeing tweets about her books and several times tweeted her saying I’m finally getting to start your books. She ALWAYS replied. Always. I can’t begin to imagine how many tweets these authors get every day but I am pretty sure she makes an effort to acknowledge them all. Anyway it was a while before I got around to reading them, you know – so many books, so little time and all that. Well not anymore. My to be read pile is HUGE. This book released yesterday and wasn’t even in my to be read pile. Why? It didn’t need to be, it’s a given now, when Abbi releases a book I drop everything and pick it up.

So we all fell in love with Cage way back in Because of Low and were delighted when we got his own story in While it Lasts. The boy is so damn hot one book was never going to be enough and I know I jumped for Joy when I found out we would be getting another healthy dose of Cage in Sometimes it Lasts. Was it worth the wait? YES, HELL YES. I bought it yesterday morning with the intentions of reading it last night. While waiting for the water to heat up to clean the kitchen I was having a cup of coffee and said I would flick through the first few pages. In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, “Big mistake. Huge.” Like I was ever going to put it down again. My children were lucky to be fed never mind my housework completed.

Anyway, right there from the prologue Abbi Glines managed to get me sucked in. Sucked in with tears streaming down my face. Oh yeah, and a tummy full of angst (I am sure it is no coincidence that Abbi is critique partners with another queen of angst and intensity – Elizabeth Reyes!) . When reading the first few chapters all I could think was “how the hell did he manage to screw that up”, especially when we knew Jeremy was waiting there in the wings and now she has his ring on her finger!

The following are my favourite lines in the whole book, I kid you not – I had butterflies and reread it a few times!

Cage shook his head slowly and dropped his hands from his chest. Then he took two long strides to stand in front of me. He leaned down, putting a hand on each side of the rocking chair until his eyes were level with mine and only inches away. “Make no mistake. There will always be an us. You can pretend like what we had never happened. You can ignore your feelings. Hell, baby, you can even marry Jeremy fucking Beasley. But there will always be an us. No one and nothing can change that.”

Eva and Cage are for ‘Always’. OK so they aren’t together but he didn’t ever think that she would be with someone else. She was his and he had to make her see that, no matter the cost.

So it begins. This is an absolute must read for all Abbi Glines fans. If you haven’t read Abbi Glines before then, like me a few months ago, you just have no idea what you are missing. Please go out and get yourself a copy of Breathe, the first book in the Sea Breeze series. There are 5 so you are in for a treat and you never know, by the time you catch up number 6 – Misbehaving will probably be available because this woman is a machine!

As for me I am looking forward to more of my lovely Woods when Simple Perfection comes out next month!