Did you ever hear the joke about the guy whose wife cheated on him with his best friend? So he quit his job, moved into his parents’ basement, and gained fifty pounds? No? Because that wasn’t a joke. It was my life. Four years later, I’m back with a dream job, a killer apartment, and a set of abs that are better than ever.So, when Maggie Light, a stunning, snarky blonde moves in next door, and … blonde moves in next door, and we spend the hottest weekend of our lives together, I think this could be the greatest comeback story ever.
That is until I realize Maggie has moved to town to do one thing—steal my job.
Maybe this isn’t a comeback story after all. Maybe this is war—one I intend to win.
What I never anticipated was that maybe I’d rather win her.
Perhaps, if I’m lucky, the universe has finally run out of jokes and I can somehow win both.
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These two authors together are magic!
When the Walls Come Down was a refreshing easy story to just fall into. I love Aly Martinez books, have read almost all of them, but I’ve never read M. Mabie. The two authors together were golden and wrote an incredible romcom story with fantastic characters.
I was totally invested into this story and so very much wanted to see them get their HEA!! Shane and Maggie were incredible in the starring role in this story. I absolutely loved their chemistry, banter, and sense of humor, it was instant upon meeting like they were made for each other. It was all fun and games there are some bumps in the road to their HEA. This was a great summer read, I hope that there two co-write another beauty like this again!! This definitely one of my favs this year!!
When I first heard about these authors collaborating on this story I was excited. I knew it would be the perfect blend of wit and emotions. I was correct in that assumption. There is just something special about both of these authors individually, but combined they are a force to be reckoned with. I knew the story would be good from just the blurb. However, it was better than “good”, instead, it was just what I needed in this crazy world going on in 2020.
The story was refreshing, humourous, and endearing. I fell in love with the banter and the connection between Shane and Maggie. I laughed out loud several times at their antics and off-the-cuff snappy responses to one another. Their connection is the type that the majority of little girls dream of when they picture their someday, Prince Charming. Shane’s awkwardness and Maggie’s desire to live an adventure-filled life were the perfect balance for each other. I adored the secondary characters too. IF Heath wasn’t already married I would have wanted his story too because his “father” type personality and role in life along with his grumpy alpha ways had me LOVING him.
This book would be great for anyone out there looking for a lighthearted read that will make them feel better. I hope that these two will find the time to collaborate in the future because they work well together. It was hard to guess who wrote what which says something.
I was lucky enough to be given an ARC of ‘When The Walls Come Down’ by Aly Martinez, and what a book!
The book is about Maggie Light, a girl who leaves her home in Atlanta to fulfil her dreams. She gets a dream job, a dream apartment and is determined to live a life that her mother or siblings weren’t able to do before settling. But when Maggie meets Shane, an awkward talking older man in a bar, it appears fate has other plans.
Shayne is 33, divorced and a workaholic. He’s had a troubled past in love and has spent four years making work his sanctuary. But to his annoyance, his younger sister and brother in law want more for him, determined to force his hand and push him to take risks. But can risks pay off?
A beautiful story with two very lovable characters. Their natural chemistry and easy going banter had me non-stop laughing, and I loved the drama and twists. The perfect read for all romance lovers, and is guaranteed to leave you with a real feel good vibe.
When the Walls Come Down was a great easy romance read. One of those books you can just pick up, get stuck into, enjoy it and wipe the slate clean in your reading journey. A story about Maggie Light who picks up and moves across the country for her dream job in advertising, when on her first night in a new city she meets Shane. After a wild and very enjoyable weekend Shane and Maggie discover they are neighbours, and Maggie has been hired as Shane’s replacement for a job his doesn’t want to leave. The novel is about how our two main characters navigate the working relationship as well as the mutual attraction they share towards one another.
This book was full of likeable characters, and strong sense of family. What I loved most was the clear chemistry between Shane and Maggie and the banter was on point, it made them both incredibly likeable and you really rooted for them to figure things out for their relationship to succeed.
I have read Aly’s work before (although not the retrieval duet that Maggie is linked to) but I have not read Mo’s novels before (my book bestie however adores her Wake series, that Shane’s characters comes from). You can bet I will be reading more of both of these Authors in the future, for a co-write it flowed seamlessly. There was no obvious miscommunications, no juxtaposition in writing style at all, it blended beautifully. So if you are looking for an easy read romance, with a good sense of humour and sizzling chemistry then I highly recommend this you pick up this book!
This was a really fun read. The story was sweet and sexy and it flowed really well. It definitely had me hooked and I devoured this book in one sitting. I really liked Shane and Maggie and thought they had great chemistry and banter and can I say I really enjoyed reading about a male lead with insecurities and doubts. With just the right amount of angst thrown in, this was a really enjoyable romance.
Whilst this was definitely a different style of book than what I normally expect from Aly Martinez, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I especially loved Shane, he was so awkward and charming and genuine. I Loved working out the connection between Maggie and some characters from another Aly Martinez book.
Overall an enjoyable read.
This story had all kinds of funny, heavy sarcasm, and quick wit. Maggie has me laughing from the start with all the retaliatory things she would say to Shane.
Maggie has moved to San Francisco to start her dream job. Her first weekend in town she meets Shane at local bar. He attempts to start the most awkward conversation with her. This hilarious meet starts the story off right. More than funny though this couple steams up the page. Yum. Insta-heat always makes for a good story. Wink.
You get a bit of conflict when this couple discovers Maggie has come to SF to take Shane’s job. Yikes. More humor happens and more drama occurs because of poor communication. You have to read this story to know what I am talking about. Lol.
Love Aly Martinez and will always be addicted to her stories. M. Mabie is a new author to me but I definitely plan to read more of her stuff. Happy Reading Everyone!
So normally I’m not a huge fan of insta love stories but with this one, it just works. So what if they met the night she moved into town and they instantly hit it off. It worked for them. They have their moments of insecurities that they don’t always handle well. These two had an instant connection that came with some sexy moments along with some sweet and hilarious ones as well. I loved watching them grow and work together to make things work better. Yes there’s some tension and good jokes along the way but with the help of communication and their families, they make it work. Maggie is the youngest of her family and the one wanting to fulfill her mom’s dreams. She wants to live her life to the fullest but it takes her brother to make her see she was already doing that.. This is a great story with characters that despite the age difference and fighting for the same job, they make their relationship work. It was such a sweet book with moments that will have you laughing out loud and swooning hard! I loved every moment of this book!!!
I’m so excited by this co-write with M Mabie and Aly Martinez!
It’s a standalone rom-com with a feel-good, happy-tears HEA.
Blurb:
Did you ever hear the joke about the guy whose wife cheated on him with his best friend? So he quit his job, moved into his parents’ basement, and gained fifty pounds?
No? Because that wasn’t a joke. It was my life.
Four years later, I’m back with a dream job, a killer apartment, and a set of abs that are better than ever.
So, when Maggie Light, a stunning, snarky blonde moves in next door, and we spend the hottest weekend of our lives together, I think this could be the greatest comeback story ever.
That is until I realize Maggie has moved to town to do one thing—steal my job.
Maybe this isn’t a comeback story after all. Maybe this is war—one I intend to win.
What I never anticipated was that maybe I’d rather win her.
Perhaps, if I’m lucky, the universe has finally run out of jokes and I can somehow win both.
Did you ever hear the joke about the guy whose wife cheated on him with his best friend? So he quit his job, moved into his parents’ basement, and gained fifty pounds?
No? Because that wasn’t a joke. It was my life.
Four years later, I’m back with a dream job, a killer apartment, and a set of abs that are better than ever.
So, when Maggie Light, a stunning, snarky blonde moves in next door, and we spend the hottest weekend of our lives together, I think this could be the greatest comeback story ever.
That is until I realize Maggie has moved to town to do one thing—steal my job.
Maybe this isn’t a comeback story after all. Maybe this is war—one I intend to win.
What I never anticipated was that maybe I’d rather win her.
Perhaps, if I’m lucky, the universe has finally run out of jokes and I can somehow win both.
M Mabie and Aly Martinez did a breathtaking job with this standalone! SO highly recommended!
Maggie Light was the youngest of five siblings and was raised by the older brother, Heath.
Since her mother married very young and had no great adventures in life, Maggie, now 24, wants to live what her mother could not.
So she agrees to move from Atlanta to San Francisco – much to her brother’s dismay – and work at the Bay Brewing Company.
On the first weekend, she is encouraged by her sister Melanie to hang out, go to the bar and be a little inconsequential. Leave responsibility for Monday.
Maggie does just that and is rewarded for meeting a wonderful, caring guy who shows her around the city and… other secrets.
Shane Warren was fired by his brother-in-law.
After dedicating the last few years to the company of his brother-in-law and his sister, Blake, he discovers that he will be replaced.
He had been in a sad divorce. Having married very young, less than two years later, he discovered that his wife cheated on him with his best friend. After living in his parents’ home and growing a depression, it was work that brought him to life.
But that same weekend when he found himself unemployed, he met the woman who made him turn his head and wanted to try again.
The hard part was finding out on Monday that the two would be fighting for the same job.
Where would the relationship be? And emotions? From lovers to enemies?
In this light rom-com full of inspiring quotes, Mabie and Martinez show us that each person has the adventure they deserve and values; that love can come unexpectedly… and that everyone should have a Casey to shake up your life sometimes…
4,5 stars
I absolutely loved Shane and Maggie’s story. This was one of the sweetest and funniest books I have read in a long time.
I still haven’t read a book by M. Mabie yet so this is my first encounter with her writing, now together with Aly Martinez and I’ve really enjoyed this duo. It was a fun, romantic yet thrilling story with a lot of lighthearted moments.
Maggie is leaving her life behind to start a brand new beginning with a new job and a new home. She feels very confident that this is the new change she desperately needs, even if she had to leave a big part of her family behind. Trying to get a feel of the city she goes out and meets Shane; they just hit it off and it just seems to click between them. They find out they live near each other and spend a lot of time together getting to know each other more. When Maggie finally starts her new job, she’s in for the shock of a lifetime as it’s Shane she’s replacing. Tension starts to rise between them and both will have to make a choice about what happens next. Will they find a way?… Or is their relationship doomed to come to an end…
“But you can’t plan everything. You might have a nice little neat timeline of the things you want to accomplish right down to the month, day, and year. But I promise you: Life has other plans.”
So, I’ve been SUPER hype about this book ever since I heard about it — two of my favorite authors teaming up? Yes, please! Just to preface, I’m not 100% familiar with all of their respective back catalogs of work, but you don’t have to be in order to enjoy this story.
No lies, I had a rough start with this one. The characters are great. The world surrounding the characters, including secondary characters, also great. But there was something about Maggie, that I didn’t realize until later was excellent storytelling, that kept me at a distance. Y’all, I literally felt the walls she was putting up through the story! It wasn’t until about almost the end, like 90% through, and Heath lays into Maggie, that I realized I had actually been kept outside of the walls she keeps up. Brilliant.
The Story & The Characters
Maggie and Shane’s story was adorable, difficult, heartbreaking, and beautiful. When they meet, their relationship seemed so innocent and fun. I mean, of course they had blistering chemistry, but they went out and did cute things, acted silly, and just got to know a bit about each other. It was that adorable honeymoon phase at the beginning of a relationship where you just want to do anything and everything with your partner. Let me just say that Shane’s first date idea was my absolute FAVORITE.
As they start to develop real feelings for each other, I could tell that Maggie was scared. They never really talked about feelings, but I knew that the big L-word was coming fast. Maggie watched her mom dedicate her life to raising her children, but instead of seeing that as a gift and a privilege, Maggie had seen it as settling. She had all these plans for her life that included her truly LIVING her life, and she didn’t think that falling in love and creating a family was part of that (at least not yet). In limiting herself this way, she put up these walls that were unlike any I’ve read in some time. She opened herself up to a relationship, to fun, to sex, and even to intimacy, but she didn’t let herself attach (or Shane to attach for that matter).
When Shane realizes that he loves Maggie and wants to be with her for any of the foreseeable future, he moves the world to make it happen. Gosh, I fell in love with Shane. He’s not the notable “alpha” type that flows through the romance world, but it’s not like he was some pansy-pushover. He seemed truly genuine, like a man I could run into at the farmer’s market or the dry cleaners. He does take care of his woman, creates a life for himself (and her), but there’s something vulnerable and human about him that I haven’t seen in a male character in some time.
Overall Feelings
This story really made me feel. I know I feel all the time, but there was something different here. I don’t usually enjoy a story when I don’t connect to the characters, and for a vast majority of the beginning I didn’t connect with Maggie — it was like I was there with her, but she wasn’t completely present. This was a valuable feeling, though, in context with the story. Maggie closed her full heart from everyone because she had a timeline of events to achieve, and as the reader I was closed off from her as well. Once she let me in, though, there was SO MUCH to love about her.
I also truly loved Shane’s character. He seemed unsure of how to proceed, cautious because of his past, but he persevered because he felt something real for Maggie. He messed up, he went too fast, but he truly gave himself in every aspect of their relationship.
Loved this story. Any partnership from this team is one I’ll be on board for in the future. I definitely recommend this book.
“When the walls come down, there’s just love.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a rom-com cowritten by Aly Martinez and M. Mabie. I’m used to raw, intense and twisty reads by Aly Martinez and M. is a new to me author. Well let me tell you I freaking LOVED it!!!
Maggie is the baby of a large family. She’s independent and strong. She determined to live a full life….away from her home state of Georgia. She lands her dream job in California.
Shane is the big brother in his large family. He’s a loner and his life is work. He’s in a rut and his family is determined to push him out of it.
Fate? Destiny? Serendipity? There’s some master plan conspiring to get these two together. They are hilarious together and have an intense and hot chemistry together. While I did laugh a lot, these two authors also made me shed a tear or two. Well done!!