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 … 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.
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First of all, I love the little goofball, Jackie boy! I wish he had made more appearance in the book
Again, like their previous book, this is amazing! I’m looking forward for more from these two amazing authors, they’re like the new power duo.
I’ve always been skeptical of books with friends-to-lovers trope, because it’s usually so typical and predictable. But not this one! The title really fits Hudson and Lex’s love story. Their time to realise they’re actually supposed to be more than friends has finally come after so many years. I seriously envy their friendship. I feel like they are the ones who are best friends, more than Hudson and Calvin, Lex’s brother. Especially when Hudson said there’s no one he’d rather talk about his feelings to, but Lex. It’s so fun to read them working their “new” feelings for each other.
I enjoyed and absolutely recommend this book!
If you are looking for a way to turn that frown upside down and your emotions inside out, When the Time is Right proves to be the perfect go to. Martinez and Mabie unite in angst and wring the heart dry with feelings. Alexis and Hudson are a laugh through your tears kind of heartache. With a history that shadows them, yearning that drives them and happy that awaits them, their relationship is complicated. Sassy, sexy and sentimental unite to create the ultimate heartbreaker of romance.
4.5+ stars
Hudson Bradley is Alexis Lawson’s brother’s best friend. They have known each other for what seems like forever. They have always been close and have a shared group of friends, but have never crossed any lines, always deferring to each other like siblings – banter, teasing and all. They find themselves in a wager to find a date for the other, after several failed date attempts for each of them.
Hudson is a swoony single dad, and though he runs a successful and growing construction business, keeps his son at the center of his world. He is protective, driven, and loyal. Lex is spontaneous, feisty, and independent.
I loved watching the dates pan out as each tried to find the perfect match for the other. The situations were hilarious and just quirky enough that they were priceless moments leading up to the main characters’ emotional revelation.
This is friends-to-lovers perfection. This is not a case where one has been pining after the other for years. Both are hit with the feels as they work to set each other up, and I loved the way it played out after they started to recognize the feelings building between them. It has the banter and all the feels that I look for when I pick up a book.
The side characters were fun, with a few crossover/cameos from characters from When the Walls Come Down. Jack is a sweet bridge between Lex and Hudson, referring to Lex as Aunt Lex and already having a strong bond with her.
This author duo has quickly risen to a must read for me, and I will look for future books between them. Their writing styles mesh nicely and the story flows like 1 author. When the Time is Right was the perfect book for the mood I was in while reading it, and it hit the spot!
I’m really starting to adore this writing duo. Alex and Hudson were amazing. This starts out with a tough scene but it lays the foundation for Lex and Hudson’s relationship. So many things changed with that one event but it inevitably brings them closer. I love the childhood best friend (and brother’s BFF) storyline. The supporting characters were wonderful as well, especially Jack- who doesn’t love a too ‘smart for his own good’ seven year old. And the ‘10 yrs later’ epilogue was wonderful.
3.5 Stars
This is a fun and beautiful friends to lovers romance that came just at the right time for me. Hudson and Alexis are friendship goals they have been there for each other in times of stress and crisis. I really enjoyed the banter between them it was so funny. I particularly liked the relationship she had with Jack Hudson’s son it was natural and didn’t feel forced over the top. It took me awhile to get on board with the romance as I wasn’t completely sold on their chemistry. The relationships with the other characters in the story helped make this an enjoyable book.
Another beautifully written story from these two very talented writers. I couldn’t stop once I started. You won’t be disappointed.
This could be another contemporary story about losses and people who help each other, and end up finding more points in common than they imagined, and BANG! Fall in love.
But believe me, it is much more than that.
Hudson drives around town trying to find his best friend’s sister to break the news. Her boyfriend, a very experienced motocross racer, had an accident and was between life and death in the hospital. This devastates Lex (Alexis) who, from that moment on, always has her cell phone charged and ready.
The years go by and everyone’s life follows its course. Work, broken relationships, friendship; others get married. But there’s a connection waiting for a trigger to be exposed.
This is not just a contemporary story about losses and people helping each other. But yes, a story that shows that in life there is much more than what you can see in people, even those we have known all our lives and love most.
Aly Martinez is the master in plot twist. Get ready for the bombastic ending.
5 stars
WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT is a contemporary standalone.
Brother’s Best Friend
Single Dad
Strong, witty heroine
A romance 15 years in the making.
An alpha and the woman who he never realized owned his heart.
Angst and tons of emotion
And, of course, hilarious banter.
I lived this book. Hudson and Alexis are so good together. I also loved her relationship with Jack. It was great how they both fought for each other!
This has become my favorite 5 star read in 2020. With every frustrating thing going on I needed Lex’s snark. I need Hudson’s devotion. I needed the connection these two shared. I needed the laughs, the smiles, and the tears. I cried for Lex and the pain she went through. I loved Hudson and Jackie Boy. I enjoyed Cal, Judith, and David. This family had my heart. I adored how Hudson was always there for Lex. I loved how he fought for her when he realized just how much he loved her. I loved how Lex talked to Hudson, I loved how she fought for him. I just couldn’t stop reading this book. I needed to know what happened and couldn’t stop until my heart was happy. Thank you for this heartwarming story. Thank you for reminding us that love will always prevail.
4.25 stars–WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT by M. Mabie and Aly Martinez is a contemporary, adult stand alone romance story line focusing on twenty eight year old Alexis ‘Lexi’ Lawson, and single father / businessman Hudson Bradley.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Lexi and Hudson) WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT follows the best friend’s sister relationship between twenty eight year old Alexis ‘Lexi’ Lawson, and single father / businessman Hudson Bradley. Hudson Bradley is a single father’s whose relationship with the child’s mother is friendly and amicable but six years earlier Lexi’s life imploded when the man that she loved was killed, and in the ensuing time Lexi has worked hard to move forward including supporting her brother’s best friend Hudson, and his growing son Jack. As a group, Lexi, Hudson, Lexi’s brother Cal, and Hudson’s ex Lauren are a tight knit group that has always supported one another from the very start including helping to raise Hudson and Lauren’s son Jack as part of their extended family but Cal’s recent marriage to Vanessa was a reminder that our couple remained single while everyone else was moving on so Lexi and Hudson made a bet to set one another up with a potential love interest that would fail spectacularly when each realized their love for one another. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Lexi and Hudson, and the potential fall-out as Jack’s personal life is about to spiral out of control.
Hudson Bradley remains friendly with the mother of his child, a friendship that blossomed over fifteen years earlier but Hudson was never in love with Lauren, and since the birth of his son, Hudson focuses on his business and raising his child. Lexi Lawson has loved and lost but her love for Hudson continues to grow. Fearing another loss, Lexi struggles to move forward including falling in love with her brother’s best friend. A snarky and mouthy young woman, Lexi falters with memories from the past, memories of which she continues to hold.
The relationship between Lexi and Hudson is a friends to lovers ; a wonderful relationship that is the foundation of a group friendship that has weathered the good with bad. As our couple set one another up with potential dates, Hudson and Lexi both realize they were doomed to fail at dating when they were both comparing their dates to each other. The back and forth camaraderie between Lexi and Hudson is flirty and fun-there are plenty of humorous moments, laughter and giggles. The $ex scenes are passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
The secondary and supporting characters include Lexi’s brother Dr. Calvin Lawson, their parents Judy and David, Hudson’s ex Lauren, their son Jackson Bradley, as well as an assortment of potential ‘love interests’ for our couple including Lauren’s new beau Mark.
WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT is a story of family, friendships, support and love. The premise is engaging and captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are energetic, fun, and colorful. WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT is a wonderful and magical story of friendship and love.
I love this duo!! This story and the back and forth between Lex and Hudson was everything! All the characters had such real relationships that they made you feel like part of the story. This is a must read!!
Two of my favorite authors did it again! I love a good friends to lovers book and this one did not disappoint! It gives you all the feels plus more. I cannot wait to see what they do next!
When The Time is Right is a really good story. There was bit of angst here and there, enough to make your heart beat too fast and have you shedding a few tears.
I love the build up in the relationship between Lex and Hudson. They were really good friends first and I do believe the chemistry was there since moment one, but they just weren’t ready to face the truth and accept their feelings because it involved doing something about the painful past.
Overall, I loved the story. It made me laugh so hard and it made me swoon with how sweet these two were with each other, with Jack and the amazing relationship between their friends.
Funny, swoony and cute.
What a fantastic read! Once I started this book I could not put it down until the very end. When the Time is Right is a funny, heartbreaking friends to lovers story. I for one, love friends to lovers books. They really tell a lot about the characters from the past and present.
I fell in love with Hudson and Lexi, they were the perfect couple. Hudson was very cocky and hard headed. He had to have everything his way. And Lexi….I loved her personality. She was very outgoing especially with her baggage.
I absolutely love any books by M. Mabie. I have not ready any of Aly Martinez outside of this series. But I will be one clicking! I can’t wait for more!
I Googled what do you do if you have feelings for a friend and how to handle wanting to fuck your brother’s bff”
And the story’s highlight is this facepalm moment!!
A rib tickling romcom on fire with hot molten passion, makes this brother’s best friend romance trope a fabulous speedy read. When Aly and Mo, two 5 stars authors come together, the result is uproarious laughter fest served with a heavy dollop of feelings.
A group of childhood friends so close their family ties are intertwined, their camaraderie fusing together and they seem more like a one large happy family sharing memories and milestones. Alexis Lawson and Hudson Bradley are two in the group of six friends and in time when rest have moved on in marriage and careers, they’re the only ones single standing.
“We weren’t who the other wanted; we were simply the only ones left.”
They are best friends, laughing, drinking, fighting over the prized Red Chevelle.
They’ve been in love with each other since teenage years, only both are oblivious to their connection. Rest of the cast is betting on their eye opener. Hudson is larger than life, big-Dick energy alpha male. Fiercely loyal and protective, he’s a natural care giver.
“Over the years, I’d learned there were three different versions of Alexis Lawson. Sweet and caring. Sarcastic and mouthy. Drunk and argumentative as fuck.”
Lex is sassy, spunky and drop dead gorgeous Cat- Mama
Her dusty skeletons are locked tight in the storage which she never wishes to open, she’s a natural runner away from problems kind of girl, until Hud forces her to uncover the sheets and declutter her life.
The story is full of witty banter, unique hilarious situations and intelligent reparteé. Very engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.
This being my second book by the duo, I’m now super excited to read more from them together.
5 stars for Purrr…fect story
5 The Time is Finally Right Stars!!
I FREAKING LOVED this book!! I laughed and cried and once again two of my favorite authors have written a book that was unput downable!
I’ve been reading a lot of single parent books recently and I was over the moon when I read the synopsis for this book because….single dad!! Add this to a story that seemed like it would tug at all my heartstrings and it’s a winner for me. What I wasn’t expecting was the laugh out loud moments with the snarky and sarcastic conversations not only between Hudson and Lex, but Jack, Hudson’s son too and I was in book heaven.
Hud and Lex have been friends for so long and there’s always been this attraction between them but there’s a little bit of an age difference and Lex’s older brother is Hudson’s best friend so there’s the “stay away from my sister” vibe that went on too. But there’s a moment in the book that just tore me apart that changed everyone’s lives and really changed who Lex is as a woman, friend and sister. But Hudson and Jack were constants in her life and over time and not only did their friendship strengthen to unbreakable, but the way they thought about each other changed and I loved how they moved from friends to lovers!
Their passion is blazing hot and they navigated these new feelings carefully because they didn’t want to lose the friendship. I fell in love with their love!! Hud and Lex discovered that love can be had again and it can be the most beautiful thing ever. I laughed so many times in this book which I wasn’t expecting but I’m totally on board with because I’m exactly like these two with one-liners that are smart and funny at the same time. And Jack adds so much to this story and their relationship as a whole This kid is one of a kind and I fell in love with him too!
It all comes down to that this is a fabulous story that gave me all the feels and allowed me to have several moments of hilarity while giving me a story that I could sink my teeth into! I’m absolutely hoping that Aly and Mo team up again in the future!
There are few tropes I love more than friends to lovers and this one was done perfectly. Hud and Alexis had been in each others lives for years. Always there for each other when there was a need. Complacent about their relationship and how it was supposed to look. It takes some eye opening events for them to realize that they’ve been doing it wrong. LOL When the TIme Is Right is their journey to realization. It’s fun and sweet and funny af. M. Mabie and Aly Martinez are two of my favorite collaborators at the point. Their writing is seamless. Their stories are entertaining and their heroes are swooooony. Enjoy!
Another amazing read by this dynamic duo! I love these authors individually, but together, they are magic! When The Time Is Right is a MUST read. I adored this friends-to-Lovers, Brother’s Best Friend, Single Dad romance. It has everything! I loved Hudson and Lex. Their story started out in such a heartbreaking way. I had tears while reading the prologue! Don’t worry. While their story can be a bit emotional, there is also so much love and laughter wrapped around them. Little Jack steals the show and will keep you smiling until the very end. The epilogue is fantastic, and I can’t wait to read what’s next!
Lys
Fun, heartfelt and passionate, this friends to lovers story is the perfect anecdote for a lazy summer day.
It starts slow but it picks up and it was just a fun read. Fast paced with lovable and relatable characters.
The best part of this read was the epilogue!!