I will always be here for you. There isn’t a world that exists where I’m not gonna be around for you.
When the Time is Right, a funny, sweet, and emotional standalone from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez and M. Mabie is available now!
Review
I’d spent over fifteen years being immune to Alexis Lawson, and then three words and my name didn’t just open that door in my brain, they dropped-kicked it right off the hinges.
Aly Martinez and M. Mabie have done it again! I could tell that their partnership was something special after reading When the Walls Come Down, a belief that was further solidified after reading this, their newest co-written offering. This was a total standalone, although you’ll recognize a few familiar faces if you’ve read their first book, and it was a sweet, sexy, swoony, and heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance. I really loved it!
Hudson Bradley was everything! A sexy single dad with a protective streak a mile wide. He had his moments of cockiness and stubbornness but he loved with his whole heart and would do anything for the people he cared about. When Lex’s life shattered six years ago he was there beside her helping to put her back together and he spent every day of the years since supporting her and being there for her. But he was her brother’s best friend and sort of an honorary member of her family so they just never crossed that line. But when a bet that they can find the perfect match for each other backfires they realize that their feelings for one another may extend beyond just friendship.
It’s always a tricky situation when two people who are the best of friends decide to take the leap into romance but I loved everything about the path Lex and Hudson took. Their chemistry was undeniable and I felt and understood their fear and apprehension as they started their relationship but I also knew their pairing was a foregone conclusion – they were just perfect for each other. For the most part, this was a lighthearted, feel-good read, but there were certainly some angsty moments, including one situation that I really didn’t know how they’d find their way out from. What I loved, however, was that through it all, their connection and their love was always at the forefront. Communication was a huge strength of theirs and I felt confident that they’d be able to overcome any obstacle because of their open and honest communication.
I hope that Aly Martinez and M. Mabie continue to collaborate in the future because these books are a delight and really speak to my romance-loving heart!!
About
Fate doesn’t always happen overnight.
Hudson Bradley is the cockiest, most stubborn, hard-headed man I’ve ever known. And for fifteen years, he’s been my brother’s best friend.
But lately, what I’m feeling for him isn’t friendship at all.
Why is my heart racing every time his blue eyes lock on mine?
Why does every word he rumbles in my ear make my body come alive?
And worst of all, why did I bet him that I could find a woman he and his son would both love?
If I hadn’t given up on love altogether, Hudson would have been perfect for me. After all, he was there the day my world fell apart. He’s spent the last six years piecing me back together.
There are a million reasons why we could never work, but after a single kiss, I can’t remember any of them.
Now that the time is right, I have to make him mine—before I lose him forever.
Download your copy today, exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Ya9wEH
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whenthetimeisright
Add WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gYGYXu
Excerpt
I did everything I could to not make eye contact.
Actually, my MO for the past week had been no contact period, but that was a little hard to do when the guy you’re dodging knows things about you. Specifically, the lock code on your front door.
“You can go home, Hudson. I’m fine.” Out of my periphery, I watched him perch his hands on his hips.
“No,” he argued. “Not until we figure this out.”
So he had noticed my ghosting. I hoped he wasn’t as good at calling my bluff.
“There is no this.”
“What about what you said at the—”
“Yeah, I must have had a cold or something. Whatever it was, I’m over it.”
Lies. Lies. Lies. Hopefully, I’d start believing them.
“Over it?”
“Yep. Hey, how was your date?” My topic-swapping skills were on point. When he stopped, only an arm’s length away, I finally seized what scrap of pride I had and looked up into his blue eyes. “Are you seeing her again?”
He huffed. “Well, that’s kind of up to you.”
“Me?” I dropped the spoon into the sink and put the ice cream down so I could cross my arms over my chest. “What do I have to do with it?”
His lids fell shut, and he tipped his head at the ceiling, stretched his neck from side to side, and then brought his gaze back to mine. “Kate seems to think that, maybe, I have a thing…for you.”
My face flushed hot, and I wondered if maybe I’d fallen down trying to get out of my leather skirt earlier and I was dreaming, passed out on my bedroom floor. The issue with that theory was I could smell him, feel the warmth from his body in front of me, and see his heartbeat thumping in the vein in his neck.
This was real, but I still wasn’t sure I could handle it.
“Well, that’s just, uh, dumb,” I contended weakly. Shaking my head to rattle myself back to sanity, I asked, “W-why did she say that?” I tried to laugh, but it was as fake as my gusto.
“Because, apparently, I talked about you the whole night.”
Okay, I was wrong. I’d thought riding in a car with him and seeing him shirtless and watching him play with Jack and seeing how much he loved my family and having him touch me and avoiding him all week had been torture.
This moment was a whole new level of torment.
“So?” I said childishly.
It didn’t matter how I felt or what I wanted. I couldn’t just leap into his arms and expect everything to turn out the way it was supposed to. That’s not how my life worked.
“So I need to find out if this, whatever’s been building between us, is something.”
Wouldn’t that be nice? Up until that very second, it had all been one-sided. I’d racked my brain all week to understand why I’d felt the crazy things I did about him.
“How you gonna do that?”
“We’re going to kiss,” he stated very matter-of-factly, and then he closed the distance between our bodies.
“We are?” I whispered. My voice had all but left the building.
“Unless you stop me right now.”
I wanted to.
I didn’t want to.
I was scared.
I was excited.
But mostly, I wasn’t stopping him.
About Aly
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
Connect with Aly
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2RvbjCA
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2DUCq1Z
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2We92eT
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2V32S4B
GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2UKGUOM
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2DEpPAh
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2DUgzrJ
Website: https://alymartinez.com/
Stay up to date with Aly by joining her mailing list today:
http://bit.ly/2WnkxjS
About M. Mabie
M. Mabie lives in Illinois with her husband. She writes everything from steamy romantic comedies to angst-filled, pull your hair out drama. She enjoys it all. With her unconventional love stories, she tries to embody “real-life romance.”
She cares about politics, but will not discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head. She has always been a writer. In fact, she was born with a pen in her hand, which almost never happens. Almost.
M. Mabie usually doesn’t speak in third-person. She promises.
Connect with M. Mabie
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2W3M2Bu
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3de6q8K
BookBub: https://bit.ly/35wkuaT
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2SBypHu
Twitter: https://bit.ly/2W1cr2W
Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2xzhmyF
Website: https://www.mmabie.com
Stay up to date with M. Mabie by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/3dkTJcp