Forever Too Far is the third book in the Too Far series by Abbi Glines, and covers the marriage of Blaire Wynn and Rush Finlay and the birth of their son. Their future looks idyllic – they have each other, a baby on the way, and they’re desperately in love and ready to build a family. But first, they have to deal with the families they were born with, particularly with Rush’s crazy, bitter half-sister Nan.
Nan feels angry and rejected because her father Kiro never cared for her but did raise another daughter, believes that Rush is the only person in the world who loves her, and is furious with Blaire for “taking him away.” Nan will do anything to split up her brother and his fiancee – but how far will she go before she loses Rush’s sympathy? And that isn’t the only family chaos; from a newly-revealed older half-brother for Blaire, Nan’s ex-boyfriend’s passionate infatuation-at-first-sight for Nan’s shy, virginal half-sister, to a friend’s romantic life being set on end by the terms of his late father’s will, there are any number of issues needing resolution in their circle of friends and family. Can they stay together long enough for their happy ending? Can they help find happy endings for the people they care about?
The main story is an intense romantic thrill, with lots of erotic energy. The lead couple sizzle on the page, and there are other tantalizing hints of romance in minor characters’ lives, which might lead to more sequels even though the main story appears to be concluding with a happy ending. Rush is mostly a decent guy raised in a crazy situation, and it’s rather sweet to watch him giving his pregnant wife footrubs and cuddling his baby son. There is very little more appealing than the sight of a large, tough, muscular man cradling a small child, and this book takes full advantage of that appeal in some of the later scenes.
Blaire is simply a good person, and one cannot help sympathizing with her desire to build a peaceful family – she does try to be kind to Nan, to her credit, even though subject to Nan’s vicious hostility. (Perhaps a little too kind – Blaire occasionally comes across as something of a doormat, and it’s a relief to see her stand up for herself finally, at least a bit.)
The book is essentially a happy ending in book form – though it does have some conflict in it, there’s not enough to visibly derail the relationship for very long. Nan’s character rather goes over the top in terms of nastiness and mental illness; I won’t say it’s implausible, as sadly that sort of person does exist, but it’s a little wearying to the reader (as it surely must be even to Rush, who does love her). Rush, too, has worrying tendencies, including a recurring obsessive, possessive sort of jealousy, which is rather disturbing in an otherwise likable character.
The book is not for the squeamish or for minors, either. The f-word is tossed around like a beach ball, becoming frankly a rather dull, repetitive refrain, and the book is heavier on raw, bawdy sex than on romance and emotional connections between male and female characters. (The main characters are an exception, in that they do actually seem to be in love rather than only in lust, though they certainly have their share of raw, bawdy sex as well.) Subtlety, in short, is not the author’s greatest gift. But then, depending on what you’re looking for in a romance novel, subtlety may not be what you want. This is also not to be read as a standalone book – it really needs the first two books in the series as background, as there are a lot of characters with complicated relationships to be explained.
This is a novel to be read for its erotic energy and electric sensuality, but it is unfortunately frequently hampered by over-the-top melodrama.
Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader