Review: While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

  Title: While It Lasts
  Author: Abbi Glines
  Publisher: Self-Published
  Publication date: July 31st 2012
  My rating: 4 stars

Description on Goodreads: Maybe driving home after a few (or more) shots of tequila had been a bad idea, but hell, he did it all the time. The cops had to have been freaking bored to have pulled him over. He wasn’t even swerving! That’s Cage York’s story and he’s sticking to it.

Unfortunately, his baseball coach isn’t buying it. Cage has a free ride to the local junior college for baseball -- or he did, until he’d gotten a DUI. Now, Cage has to decide: does he drop out and give up his dream of getting noticed by a college in the SEC, and possibly making it into the Major Leagues -- or does he give in to his coach’s demands and spend his summer baling hay?

Eva Brooks planned out her life step by step when she was eight years old. Not once over the years had she lost sight of her goals. Josh Beasley, her next door neighbor, had been the center of those goals. He’d been her first boyfriend at seven, her first kiss at ten, her first date at fifteen, and her first tragedy at eighteen. The moment she’d received the phone call from Josh’s mother saying he’d been killed along with four other soldiers just north of Baghdad, Eva’s carefully planned life imploded in the worst way possible.

Cage isn’t real happy with his closet-sized bedroom in the back of a foul smelling barn, or his daily interactions with cows, but he knows that if he doesn’t make his coach happy then he can kiss his scholarship goodbye. Only a sick and twisted man would decide his punishment was to be working on a farm all summer. No hot babes in bikinis waiting to meet a Southern boy to make her vacation complete. Just him and the damned cows.

Oh -- and an uptight, snarky brunette with the biggest blue eyes he’s every seen. But she doesn’t count, because as hard as he’s tried to charm her out of her panties - he’s pretty sure she’d rather see him hung from the rafters than let him get a taste of her pretty little lips.

While It Lasts is a companion novel in the Sea Breeze series.  When I first heard that Abbi Glines was writing a book about Cage, I was a little skeptical.  Cage is a character we first met in Because of Low, and to be honest, I was not part of his fan club.  In fact this is my status update at 31% in Because of Low:  “Someone needs to tell Cage this is no way to woo a woman. Cage=Moron!”  He was a total man-whore who had a different girl/girls, every time he came into the picture (yes, girls as in pleural!)  So yes, I knew I was going to take some definite convincing to warm up to Cage.  Thankfully, Abbi never disappoints me, and I fell hard for that boy! 

Cage gets into some trouble jeopardizing his scholarship and chances of finishing school by getting a DUI.  His coach gives him the option to work at his brother Wilson’s farm, as a punishment and as a condition to keep his scholarship.  Wilson is someone who demands respect and hard work, so Cage is not getting off easy.  Cage has to bale hay, herd and clean up after cows; miles away from the parties and girls as he’s accustomed to.   The only woman in the near vicinity is Eva, the farmer’s daughter.  Even if Wilson didn’t tell Cage that she’s completely off limits, Eva herself looks at him like he’s the dirt beneath her fingernails. 

Twenty-year old Eva is still grieving over the only love she ever knew, Josh.  He was her first love and she was engaged to marry him before he was killed on duty in Bagdad, a year and a half ago.  She still wears her rings and finds little enjoyment in life.  When Cage shows up on her doorstep, she has no intention of letting him into her heart.  Sure he is gorgeous, but he knows it, and she’s seen his type before.  Eva is not about to let him use and lose her! 

Like I said before, Cage’s previous record was going to be hard for me to overcome to the point where I’d actually like him.  Luckily, he came off as sweet and protective in this story.  And it certainly didn’t hurt that he oozed devilish charm and charisma.   Here’s an example:

He stood up and glanced back over his shoulder.  When his eyes locked with mine, a wicked grin touched his lips. “You see somethin’ ya want, baby?”  “Maybe. I’m checking things out.  Seeing if I’m interested,” I shot back with my own evil grin. Both his dark eyebrows shot up and he turned completely around giving me a view of his sweaty chest. Oh my. That never got old. “I see something I want,” he drawled as he came toward me. My heartbeat started that silly fluttery thing it did when he got near me.  “You do?” I asked as he stopped in front of me and leaned in. “Hell yeah, I do,” he murmured. “I love chocolate.”…..His arm reached out beside me and took the piece of chocolate cake I’d brought him. 

 For some reason, Eva was a girl who commanded his respect.  Probably because she wasn’t easy like all the other girls he’s come across.   Also, once he found out her sad story, he really wanted to be the one to make her happy again.  After being slowly wooed and seduced by Cage, Eva finds that she’s coming back to life again, but guilt feelings over Josh hold her back. 

 Another reason I gave Cage a chance is because we find out some of the reasons behind his behavior.  Because of being neglected by his mother and treated like nothing, he decided to never let anyone close enough to give them the chance to hurt him. So he just used girls up, never letting them mean a thing.   Low, his best friend, was the only exception; she loved him unconditionally since they were young. 

When reading an Abbi Glines story, I know I’m always in for a fun read full of sexy banter and steaming HOT chemistry; one that will leave me with a satisfied grin on my face when I’m through. I think this is Abbi’s hottest story to date. It was a scorcher!  

I should say that this was not a YA story.  I think this falls under the New Adult or Adult genre and there are some explicit scenes in this story.  So if you’re young or if that kind of thing bothers you, consider yourself warned.