#DGRFave & Review: When The Time Is Right by M. Mabie & Aly Martinez

WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. Mabie & Aly Martinez
Release Date: July 30, 2020

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.

 AMAZON

He was Hudson. My brother’s best friend. My reluctant partner in crime—or at least the man there to bail me out when I was partnering in crime alone. He was…a really fucking good guy. Not to mention stupid hot and all that masculine energy I craved.

Excuse me? Can I have your undivided attention please? I have a big announcement to make.
*clears throat*
This was easily my favorite friends to lovers romance I have EVER read.
*pauses for dramatic effect*

I KNOW. Big statement, right? But let me just tell you. This book? It was absolute perfection. It was everything. All of the things. It was swoony and emotional. It was hilarious. It was full of the best banter and so many laugh out loud moments that my face still hurts from grinning like a loon the entire time I was reading. I don’t even have the words to describe to you all of the ways I loved this book. But I’m going to attempt to here. Because it deserves all of the words.

Hudson has been the rock for Alexis as long as she’s known him. He’s the stable, reliable, and always there for everyone kind of man. He’s her brother’s best friend, but he’s been her friend as well. He was there for her through the worst and helped piece her together in the after effects.

His best friend’s family has been the only family Hudson has truly ever known. He loves them like they’re his own. Hudson is a single father and an amazing daddy. He’s also not exactly winning it in the dating department. Hard to date when you’re a workaholic single father after all. But then he makes a bet with Alexis on who can set the other up on the best blind date…and things take a very interesting turn.

Now lets talk about the friends to lovers trope for a hot second here, shall we? Because the pacing from friends to the realization that there’s something more was pure perfection. I adore the way the authors handled the timing of everything. It just felt so genuine and authentic. It sort of snuck up on both Lex and Hud and hit them over the head but it didn’t come as a shock. I don’t know how to explain it to you without you experiencing it, but let’s just say that it was SO GOOD.

These two together was everything. I couldn’t get enough of their banter and their easy camaraderie. They love each other so much but they don’t see what everyone around them have seen for years, which is how perfect they are for each other.

I loved Lex’s fiery sass. The woman had attitude and zingers for days and I couldn’t get enough of it. She’s a spitfire but she’s also a fierce friend and I loved the way she loved Hudson. As for Hudson, I can’t even begin to describe all of his perfection. This single daddy with a heart of gold was just GAH. He was everyone’s rock. He’s there for his family and his friends when they need him and he’ll do anything for those he loves. His son was the most adorable secondary character every and the way Hud and Lex were with him just melted my heart.

There was no crazy drama but there were plenty of feels. It was just one of those utterly perfect feel good romances that just suck you right into its world and wrap you up in it like the coziest blankets. It was magical. It was swoony perfection. It put a smile on my face and kept it there until the very last page. I loved the hell out of this book. I didn’t want it to end. And if you’re a fan of friends to lovers, you simply need this book in your life. It was EVERYTHING. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. And I simply cannot recommend it enough.

Review: Release by Aly Martinez

RELEASE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: January 5, 2020

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aly Martinez comes an all new standalone.

Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal.

At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend.
At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss.
By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon.

Love never fails, right?
But for Ramsey, it did.
Love failed him.
I failed him.
The entire world failed him.

At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me.

Move on, he wrote in his first and only letter from prison.
Start a new life, he urged.
I don’t love you anymore, he lied.

There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever.

So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don’t even know to emerge from between the chain link gates.

AMAZON

“I can’t do this without you.”
“Do what?” I asked.
He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Breathe.”

Aly Martinez is the queen of feels and plot twists. The woman will tug at every heart string you have and then turn your world upside down with a twist you never see coming. And Release brings both of those things in spades. MAN. My heart. My whole heart.

Thea and Ramsey owned my heart from the very first chapter. Martinez takes you on a spellbinding journey as they meet as children. What starts off as grudging friendship between two broken kids, slowly blooms into something much more potent. Ramsey and Thea meet at a time where they need each other the most, though Ramsey’s pain isn’t as obvious as Thea’s. Young Ramsey is undeterred by Thea’s hissing and swatting him away as kids. He slowly but surely weaves his way into her heart with his easy smile and sweet demeanor. But that easy smile hides painful secrets, secrets that young Thea doesn’t spot right away. Their friendship slowly blossoms into teenage love, but then one dark evening shatters their life as they know it.

Ramsey has spent the last twelve years behind bars for killing the boy that tainted what should have been the best night of their life. Thea has spent the last twelve years for Ramsey to finally come back to her. But the man that walks out of the prison isn’t the boy she fell in love with. He’s broken in ways that Thea isn’t sure she can put back together again.

I loved the two halves of a story this gives us. There was a sort of poetic justice in seeing Ramsey fight for Thea and do everything she doesn’t realize she needs in the first half as they were kids, to then watch Thea return the favor for Ramsey all those years later. She doesn’t shy away from his growling and convincing he doesn’t need her. She knows the heart beneath the new roughened exterior and she won’t rest until she proves that their love isn’t so easily forgotten.

My heart broke for Ramsey and everything that he went through. This was no light read. It was full of depth and emotion in a way that only Aly Martinez can write. It was slow paced but poignant. A sizzling slow burn that kept me riveted to the pages until the very end.

#DGRFave & Review: Written With You by @AlyMartinezAuth

WRITTEN WITH YOU
Series:
The Regret Duet #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: June 13, 2019

When I was fifteen, a single bullet changed my life. I spent the next decade trying to outrun the devastation of my past, building an empire that would shield me from whatever life could throw at me.

But all the money in the world couldn’t help me when I found a screaming newborn abandoned on my doorstep.

I’d never wanted to be a father. Passing the sludge that ran through my veins down to an innocent child seemed like a tragedy. But there she was—pink cheeks, red hair, and mine.

Somehow, against all logic, that little girl became the best thing that ever happened to me. It was impossible to stay lost in the past when I was the only one who could protect her future.

Which is exactly why, when her mother came back four years later, I was ready for battle.

If only I could stop myself from falling in love with her during the war.

AMAZON

I lived in the seconds. One emotion. One tick of the clock.

If there’s one thing Aly Martinez can do, it’s write one unpredictable story that will grip you by the heart and keep you at the very edge of your seat. And this book? MY GOD! It was EVERYTHING. Seriously all of the things. An emotional powerhouse of love and secrets, pain and regret, and second chances. Written With You owned me. Absolutely owned me. Beginning to finish. I never wanted it to end.

Admittedly, I struggled a bit with the heroine in the first book. Alright, so I was judging the hell out of her, okay?! So sue me. But if you’ve read the book, than you’ll know exactly why I had problems fully connecting to her. But this book was a total game changer. After the cliffhanger that leaves you reeling in book one, book two finishes you off with a one two punch straight to the feels. Holy mother of everything!!!

I don’t want to give anything away, because to be honest, the entire thing is a dang spoiler of book one. And I wouldn’t want to take that experience away from anyone. I typically struggle with duets and trilogies, but never with Aly’s books. Somehow her second book is always even more powerful than the first. And let me tell you, the first was no walk in the park. It was gut wrenching.

Our entire lives were one impossibility after another.

This was filled with so many twists and turns, it will leave your stomach in knots and your head reeling. I devoured it in one breathless sitting and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s different. It’s gripping. It’s addictive. And it will own you, heart and soul, from one devastating page to the other.

#DGRFave & Review: The Truth About Lies by Aly Martinez

THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES
Series: The Truth Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: August 23, 2018

Truth: From over a thousand miles away, I watched on the screen of my phone as two men murdered my wife.

And I was helpless to save her.

Consumed by hate and rage, I spent four years running from my memories.

Until a shattered woman gave me a reason to stop.

Cora lived in a nightmare, but through sheer force of will, she’d turned it into something beautiful.

She had a smile that could pierce the darkest soul.

And with one glance, she shredded mine.

Lie: I was only there for a fresh start.

Lie: I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Lie: There was nothing I could do to save her, either.

But that’s the thing about lies—you never know who to believe.

AMAZON

One in. One out.

This book! OH GOD! THIS. BOOK. I knew from the very first chapter, that this will be unlike any other book that I’ve read from this author. And having had read her entire backlist, that’s saying something. The Truth About Lies is not a sweet story. It’s not a light and sunny romance. It’s spine-tingling good and oh so gritty. I had goosebumps from the first few pages, and that told me immediately that I was in for one emotional ride!

I was the sinner in this story. With a heart filled to the brim with hate and a mind overflowing with vengeance and chaos.

If you’ve ready any Aly Martinez book before, then you already know that she knows how to pack one hell of an emotional punch. Her duets absolutely slay you, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience with The Truth About Lies.

Lies—I needed them more than oxygen. I was never going to be able to survive the truth. Not again.

This is a story of two people who have gone through their own personal hell. People who hide their pain and personal demons behind a smokey veil of lies; lies that are absolutely necessary for their own survival.

Cora is a heroine unlike any that Aly has written to date. This woman is a survivor. She’s got an inner core of strength that allows her to do anything she has to do to protect those that she cares about. And that’s ultimately what she is; a protector. This is a woman that cares and cares deeply. I couldn’t help but connect with her right away. She’s been through hell and back in her young life, but that doesn’t get her down. She’s the epitome of perseverance.

Then there’s Penn. This man is an enigma. He’s utterly magnetic. There’s this electric current to him that you feel when you read about him. I can’t even describe it to you, but every time you get one kernel of information about him, you’re also left desperate for more.

Sometimes lies are a necessary part of survival. Sometimes the truth hurts more than you can imagine. Sometimes what you think you know isn’t even what’s close to being reality. And sometimes, two lies crash into something incredibly real that has the power to send everything into a flame of betrayal and love.

The Truth About Lies was raw, gritty, emotional, and completely unputdownable. It was a smoke screen of half truths and lies, all wrapped around a gripping romance that owns your heart from beginning to end. I couldn’t get enough of it. I was utterly captivated, hypnotized, and totally enraptured with this story. And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rock myself in a corner until book two, because I still CAN’T EVEN!!!!

#DGRFave & Review: The Brightest Sunset by Aly Martinez

THE BRIGHTEST SUNSET
Series: The Darkest Sunrise Duet
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: July 27, 2017

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

AMAZON

he’s shown me that there doesn’t have to be light for something to be beautiful. Love can grow in the darkness

How do you even begin to review a book that touched you on such a visceral level that you don’t think you’ll ever forget it? How do you put those feelings into words that can even begin to do a book the justice it so deserves? How do you attempt to relay everything that this book was without giving anything away? You don’t. Because it’s impossible.

The sun still hung bright in the sky, but midnight fell all the same. And, in that moment, I feared I’d never escape it again. The darkness was going to be my executioner. It was going to crush me, suffocate me, and then devour me.

The Brightest Sunset concludes The Darkest Sunrise duet and man did it go out with a bang. Prepare for a story that will keep you up well into the night and I hope you have plenty of tissues handy because Aly Martinez will not just tug at your heart strings, she’ll rip them to shreds like the sadist that she surely is.

I won’t tell you what happens, because if you haven’t read the first book, my review will be one giant spoiler. But what I can tell you is that Porter Reese stole my heart and I never want it back. Here was a hero that had none of the typical frills. He wasn’t an overbearing alpha. He wasn’t intense or demanding. He was just an amazing man. A man that loves fiercely. A man that will make any sacrifice for the ones he loves. A man that isn’t afraid to feel and show those feelings. A man that’s an alpha but not in the obvious way.

If you were on the fence with Charlotte in book one, you won’t be in this one. You really get to see the soft beneath the cold front exterior. You get to see a woman that finally finds her voice and the way to use it. A woman that finally discovers what love means and how to fight for it. A woman that’s every bit deserving of an incredible man like Porter.

Aly puts this couple through hell and back. I was in hell right along with them. I have never had so much anxiety reading a book. I bit my nails to shreds. I sobbed my way through the entire last third. I was a sobbing, sniveling pile of goo and I loved every devastating second of it.

The Brightest Sunset was a stunning, emotional, unforgettable story of second chances and love beyond all odds. It was phenomenal. It was beautiful. It was everything.

He’d made the darkness a beautiful place filled with understanding and acceptance.

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★Fighting Solitude★ by Aly Martinez

fighting solitude book tourFIGHTING SOLITUDE
Series: On the Ropes #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: February 2, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

I was born a fighter. Abandoned by my parents, I spent my life forging my own path—one guided by my fists and paved with pain.

Untouchable in the ring, I destroyed everyone who faced me, but that’s where my victories ended. Outside the ropes, I repeatedly failed the few people who loved me. Including my best friend, Liv James—the one person I’d die to protect.

Even though I didn’t deserve her, Liv never stopped believing in me. Never gave up. Never let go. After all, she understood what I’d lost, because she’d lost it too.

Liv was everything to me, but she was never truly mine.

That was going to change.

I lost my first love, but I refused to lose my soulmate.

Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting to be the man she deserves.

Fighting the solitude of our pasts.

Fighting for her.

Buy LinksAmazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | iBOOKS | KOBO

[Read more…]

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★The Fall Up★ by @AlyMartinezAuth

the fall up book tourThe Fall Up
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: October 26, 2015add-to-goodreads-button3

the fall up cover ebook

I wanted to jump.

He made me fall.

As a celebrity, I lived in the public eye, but somewhere along the way, I’d lost myself in the spotlight.

Until he found me.

Sam Rivers was a gorgeous, tattooed stranger who saved my life with nothing more than a simple conversation.

But we were both standing on that bridge for a reason the night we met. The secrets of our pasts brought us together—and then tore us apart.

Could we find a reason to hold on as life constantly pulled us down?

Or maybe there’s only one direction to go when two people fall in love at rock bottom—up.

Buy-Links10Amazon / iBooks / Kobo 

the fall up teaser use

Review5 starsThe Fall Up- Dirty Girl Romance

My career was soaring while, personally, I was plummeting. Every single day felt like a terrifying free fall in no particular direction. I was stuck in the middle with no way up- or down.

It’s not secret that I love all things Aly Martinez. The woman can do no wrong in my eyes. Between her emotional stories, captivating multi-dimensional characters, and incredible romances, I will never get enough of her books. But this one? This wonderful, beautiful, unforgettable book? She simply outdid herself with this one. It’s not often where I’ll read about a hero that’s neither a manwhore or an asshole, and fall completely head over heels in love. But that’s precisely what happened here. Sam Rivers may very well be one of my favorite heroes this year.
The fall Up teaser 3-DGRThe Fall Up is wonderfully swoony romance about two broken souls that find each other at the worst and best times of their lives and help each other heal. It was as emotional as it was romantic and I couldn’t bear to put it down for even a second. There was no crazy drama. No overwhelming angst. No unnecessary twists. Just a beautiful romance about healing, forgiveness, and an imperfectly perfect love. It was interspersed with just the right amount of humor to make it one of my favorite books from this year.

Have you considered that maybe I’m the one who’s in over her head here?”
“Excellent point. I’m going to need you to try really hard to keep it together, Levee. You haven’t even seen my six-pack and huge cock, yet.”
“You brought beer and chicken?”

Levee Williams is a famous pop star that seemingly has it all. Yet every night she’s been finding herself on top of the Golden Gate Bridge…contemplating. Buried by grief from her past and trying to live with it has been systematically sending her deeper down into a dark spiral that she ultimately doesn’t see a way out from.
The Fall Up teaser 4-DGRBut then on one of the darker days of her life, she meets a man that changes everything for her; Sam Rivers. Sam is a sexy, tattooed stranger with some dark secrets of his own. But in his dark times he manages to bring Levee on her fall down…back up. Together they were absolute perfection.
The Fall Up teaser1-DGRThe man also happens to have piercings in the most delicious of places. But that’s neither here nor there.

Between the secondary characters, the swoony and sexy romance, and the captivating writing, I fell completely in love with this story. Both Sam and Levee have issues of their own but I loved the way that they dealt with them. There’s no silly misunderstandings. I can’t say enough about this couple and the way that the author wrote them. It was perfect. Just. Perfect. One of my favorite things about The Fall Up was one of the secondary characters, Henry. The banter between him and Levee never failed to put a goofy grin on my face. I couldn’t get enough of him.

This is so not fair. Why would you flaunt this fine specimen of a straight man in front of me and not even let me nibble. Do you not love me at all?” He pouted.
“No one is nibbling anything,” Sam quickly added.
Henry winked. “Yet.”
“Jesus, I need a cigarette.”
“Oh, me too. Let’s go outside,” Henry agreed…
“Don’t you dare! First of all, you don’t smoke. Second of all, Sam is completely off-limits to you.”
“You’re so selfish,” he whined….”Maybe if you quit your bitching, we could watch him walk away together. His ass is insane.”

And the best news is that Aly will be giving Henry the book that he so rightfully deserves. As charismatic as he was as a secondary character, I can’t wait to see what he’ll have to offer in his own book.

If you’ve read any of this author’s books, then you already know how fantastic she is. But if you haven’t? This is the perfect standalone to start with.


About the Author

aly martinezBorn and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Fighting Shadows★ by @AlyMartinezAuth

figthing shadows book tour

Title: Fighting Shadows
Series: On The Ropes #2
Author: Aly Martinez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 7, 2015
add-to-goodreads-button-2 fighting shadows cover

I come from a family of fighters. I always thought I’d follow in their shadows, becoming unstoppable in the ring. That changed the day I saved the life of a woman I loved, but could never have.My brother hailed me as a hero, and my reward was a wheelchair.

Paralyzed, my life became an inescapable nightmare.

Until I met her.

Ash Mabie had a heart-stopping smile and a laugh that numbed the rage and resentment brewing inside of me. She showed me that even the darkest night still had stars, and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.

I was a jaded asshole who fell for a girl with a knack for running away. I couldn’t even walk but I would have spent a lifetime chasing her.

Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting the shadows of our past.

Fighting to reclaim my future.

Fighting for her.

Buy Links

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Excerpt

“Hey, Flint? What time is it?” Quarry asked.Ash’s smile actually slipped completely. For the briefest of seconds, she appeared almost ashamed.

I dragged my eyes away from her in order to answer his question, but as I looked at my wrist, I had no answer at all.

“Here,” she said as she pulled my watch from her pocket.

What. The. Fuck?

Quarry howled with laughter, and Ash chewed on her bottom lip.

“Explain,” I demanded, wrapping my watch back around my wrist and shoving my wallet in the front pocket of my hoodie.

Quarry filled in the blank. “She’s a pickpocket, dude. You should have seen her when she fell on your lap. It was so fucking fast. She straight-up stole that shit from you, and you had no fucking clue.”

“I didn’t steal it! I was gonna give it back,” she amended uncomfortably. “It was just a joke.”

A joke.

  1. Fucking. Joke.

And just like that, I remembered why I didn’t laugh anymore.

“Was it funny? Stealing from the cripple? You get a good laugh out of that?” I snapped, spinning and rolling myself away. “You know, maybe my judgment of you wasn’t all that off to begin with. Like father, like daughter, I guess.” It was a low blow, but I felt completely betrayed by a woman I didn’t even know.

“Flint, wait. I wasn’t picking on the cripple!”

I fully realized that I had just used the term, but it enraged me that she’d had the audacity to repeat it back to me. Who the hell was this chick? I pushed a hand into my pocket, searching for my keys. Fuck the food. I’d leave her ass there. Hell, Quarry too if he didn’t get his ass to the car.

“Get in the car, Q!” I yelled, only to close my eyes and drop my chin to my chest when my hand never made contact on the keys. “Son of a bitch,” I said as I spun back around.

Quarry was laughing next to her, but Ash’s cheeks were bright red.

“Keys.” I snapped my fingers and opened my hand, palm up.

“Stop being a dick,” Quarry said, casually tossing an arm around Ash’s shoulders.

She didn’t budge as she held my glare.

“Keys,” I repeated, but she remained still.

“It was a joke.” Her chin began to quiver.

For fuck’s sake, I wasn’t in any kind of mood to deal with bullshit from some girl I didn’t even know and was quickly discovering I didn’t care to know, either.

Quarry’s eyes grew wide as she turned to him and buried her cries in his chest.

What the fuck, asshole! Q signed before rubbing his hands over her back.

Her shoulders shook as she let out a loud sob that shocked us both.

“Come on. Let’s sit down.” Q tried to guide her over to an empty table.

Ash refused to look up and tripped over one of the chairs.

“Shit,” Q said, catching her around the waist.

I was just about to roll my eyes when she glanced my way. He was still trying to get her back on her feet and over to a table when her tear-free, bright-blue eyes pointedly glanced in my direction. My head snapped back in surprise, but a smile grew on her face.

Ash was about to put on a show, and with that one look, she had invited me to have a front-row seat.

As she floundered all over Quarry, her hands slid between his pockets and her own. Every noise she made and each time she flailed covered up a jarring movement. She was keeping his mind too busy for it to process all the places she was touching him. Hell, I was only watching her and I could barely keep up.

There was no denying that it was entertaining, but I wasn’t willing to show her that. However, as she accidentally lifted her knee, catching Q in the balls, a laugh erupted from my throat. He cupped his crotch while she apologized profusely and pushed him toward the same chair he’d been dragging her to only seconds before. Just before he sat, Ash swung her arm out, unwinding Q’s belt from around his body before tossing it at me.

“Oh God. I’m so sorry!” she said as Quarry held a finger up to ask for a second to recover. She didn’t wait at all though. Instead, she walked over in my direction; her prideful smile grew with every step.

She pulled my keys out of her pocket and dropped them into my lap. They were quickly followed by Quarry’s phone, wallet, and house keys. Then she snagged his belt off the floor and tossed it over her shoulder.

“It had absolutely nothing to do with you being in a wheelchair. It was a joke and it wasn’t supposed to piss you off.”

“Hey!” Quarry yelled. “That was messed up. You did not have to knee me in the balls to prove a point to him.”

“Oh, that wasn’t to prove a point. That was for bullshitting me. You knew good and damn well that he wouldn’t find it funny,” she said without ever tearing her gaze from mine. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of friends. And I’ve mentally noted that pickpocketing might not be the best way to make new ones.” She shrugged. “Consider it a lesson learned.”

“Three burgers all the way, onion rings, and a shake?” the guy at the counter called out.

Ash arched an eyebrow. “You want it to go, or are we good?”

I didn’t have to drop my attitude. Sure, she’d apologized, but while I might have had a short fuse, I also had a hell of a long burn. However, as she stood in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes pleading for forgiveness, it magically fell away.

I swallowed hard. “No. We’re good.”

“You sure?” She leaned in, eyeing me warily, but her smile began to grow.

I swear to God it pulled at my lips as well. I fought it. But the harder I tried to keep it restrained, the bigger Ash’s grew. She was stealing my smile. The chick was good! Finally, with an eye roll, I let out a quiet chuckle, which seemed to appease her.

“Good. Now, help your brother get redressed and I’ll make the fancy sauce.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Review 4.5 stars

FS-DGR


I fell in love with a girl who changed my life by showing me that even the darkest nights still had stars and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.

Aly Martines has quickly become one of my go-to favorite authors to read. I stalk her new releases incessantly and would pre-order without even batting an eye lash. I love her books that much. She writes some of my favorite broken heroes and heroines that melt their hearts and mend their broken pieces. Fighting Silence was one of my favorite books and a huge 5 star read for me. The teaser at the end of it for Flint’s story almost drove me mad in my wait for it. While you may technically read this book as a standalone, I’d advise against it. The story is based on the 3 Page brothers, and while each book focuses on each individual brother, it helps to know the full backstory, and Flint’s began partly in Fighting Silence. I knew just from reading the prologue that this book will be a huge winner for me, and I was not even a little bit wrong.
Fighting Shadows2-DGRFlint Page is the middle brother. He idolized his brother, heavyweight champion of the world, Till “The Silencer” Page. But while Till’s successful career only made his brother proud, his wife caused their inevitable disconnect. Flint has been in love with Eliza for as long as he remember, and the more he sees her with his brother, the more he gets swallowed up by his jealousy and self hate.


Whoever said time heals all wounds was an ignorant asshole. In my experience, time made everything worse.

The end of Fighting Silence finds Flint jumping in front of a bullet for Eliza and losing his ability to walk after getting shot in his back. Angry at the world, resentful, and drowning in his jealousy of his brother’s woman that he knows will never be his is slowly chipping away at him. His answer is to leave it all behind and to move as far away from them as possible in order to start anew. This is when Ash Mabie walks into his life.


If he’d just smiled a little more he could have been attractive. Maybe. But what really boggled my mind was the fact that it seemed like he truly wanted to be a miserable asshole. And let me just tell you, he excelled at it. Luckily, my father was a dick. I knew exactly how to handle it.

I loved Ash from just the first few pages. Having her father married to Flint’s deadbeat mom is the connection that brings them together. This is not a girl that had an easy life. Forced to pick pockets for her father, moving numerous times in a year and unable to go to school because of their less than legal life, this is someone that by all intents and purposes should be just as jaded as Flint. But she has this hopeful and sunny outlook to life that you can’t help but love. She’s so open with her feelings and trusting, and it all just works so well for her character. Her ways of looking at the world and calling Flint on his bullshit soon begin to chip away at his grumpy ways too.

There was no pain.
No ache in my chest.
No pity.
No bitterness.
I was numb.
And it was incredible.
Ash Mabie was quickly becoming my own personal brand of lidocaine.

What first began as an unlikely friendship soon begins to turn into something so much more. But Ash is heartbroken to learn that while she’s been falling head over heels for Flint, his heart belongs to another woman. That doesn’t stop her from giving her heart to Flint unconditionally; that’s just the kind of person she is.
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Flint, don’t get so caught up on the shadow that you forget the man who casts it. You might not be able to walk, but that’s the extent of your disability.

Of course what would an Aly Martinez book be without the hero’s inevitable fuck up. And when Flint Page fucks up, he royally fucks up. But oh man the feels of this book and his road to redeeming himself was so worth that fuck up. As much as I loved the first half of this book, I loved the second half even more.


You can try to run and I may not be able to chase you physically, but we need to be clear on one thing, Ash. I will NOT let you go again.
You belong with me. And I will do whatever I have to do in order to keep you….
I will chase you for the rest of my life if that is what it takes to be with you.”

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I read this book in one sitting, completely unable to put it down. I spent the first half waiting for the shoe to drop (because the prologue was the worst tease ever), and I spent the second half with butterflies in my stomach reading Flint work for his forgiveness. I simply adored these two together. While Till and Eliza are still my favorite book in this series, Fighting Shadows was fantastic as well. Then came the tease for Quarry’s book and OH MY FREAKINGGAWDAREYOUKIDDINGME?! If I thought the wait for Flint’s book was painful, the wait for his book just may kill me.

Fighting Shadows was a beautiful and emotional story about love and second chances, strength and perseverance. It was packed with feels, heartbreak, and heart melting moments. Aly Martinez simply gets better and better with each new book and I can’t wait to see what she has in store with the next one. If you haven’t read this amazing series yet, you need to! Trust me when I tell you that you’ll be kicking your own ass for not reading it sooner.

 

Haven’t read this series yet? Meet Flint Quarry, Till & Eliza in Fighting Silence

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Sa2iVr

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Lhhn62

B&N: http://bit.ly/FightingSilenceBN

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1A2cSnr

iBooks: http://apple.co/1KQ2gmC

 

About the Author

aly martinez

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Giveaway

$50 Gift Card

Signed Set of Paperbacks (Fighting Silence & Shadows)

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Fighting Silence★ by @AlyMartinezAuth

Meet Till & Eliza in Aly Martinez’s newest fighter series!
It’s no secret that I adored this book. I’ve been singing it’s praises all over the place. Now you get to see exactly why. Scroll down to read my review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
About The Book

Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it’s the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?I’ve always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn’t a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.

You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.

They both happened anyway.

Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting for my career.

Fighting the impending silence.

Fighting for her.

Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.

I think that’s the sound I’ll miss the most.

Review
5 stars

I’d never had anything I could call my own, but Eliza Reynolds would always be mine.

If ever there was a book that everyone has to add to their TBR, this is that book. This incredible, emotional, beautiful, simply unforgettable book. This is Aly Martinez’s best book to date and quite honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It was also probably my favorite friends-to-lovers romance I’ve ever read. Period.

…I had already been drowning in the ocean of life. Every gasp of air was a struggle. Just as I would breach the surface, filling my lungs with hope and determination to make it through another day, I was forced back under- harder every time.

Till Page met Eliza Reynolds when they were just 13 years old, and they each became an escape for the other. An escape from their glum reality. An escape from their problems. An escape from the real world. A fantasy built from the innocence of young hearts that built into an indescribably love as they got older.

Till’s life has never been easy. Forced to raise his two younger brothers from the time he was just a child himself because their parents couldn’t care less about anyone but themselves. Till struggles to make ends meet, all the while knowing that he’s facing a future of silence. A future in which a genetic condition may cause him to lose his hearing. A future that’s he’s absolutely terrified to face. When he climbs though a window of an abandoned apartment, looking to escape his reality, he comes crashing into a pair of blue eyes that irrevocably changes his life forever.

Eliza Reynolds grew up always fending for herself and never knowing the warmth of the love of her parents. But when a scrawny boy with tears in his captivating hazel eyes comes into her life, nothing is ever the same. She knows exactly who Till is, they go to school together after all. But he’s never acknowledged her, and that doesn’t change after they meet. But under the shadow of the night, in that abandoned apartment, they became the world for each other.

It was more than a friendship, but there wasn’t romance or sex. There was definitely love though. Immeasurable amounts of it. I knew Till had this grand fantasy about me. But what he didn’t realize was all that he gave me in return. He was the only thing I’d ever had that I honestly thought I couldn’t live without.

As they grow older, their friendship begins to turn into something much stronger. Something that Eliza knows is love unlike any she’ll ever feel for any other man, and a love that Till is absolutely terrified to acknowledge as more than that for a friend in fear of losing Eliza.

Turning his head, Till Page spoke words that solidified his claim on me for all eternity.
“I love you, Eliza.”

The book spans from the time Till and Eliza are 13 until they are 21, but it’s such a perfect progression that you can’t help but fall harder for them with every chapter. The author did such an incredible job infusing their romance with just that right amount of angst and emotion. It was absolute perfection.

There was nothing, NOTHING that I didn’t like about this book, and that’s a rare thing to happen to me. You feel everything right along the characters; their struggles, their pain, their love. I was an emotional wreck reading the second half of this book. And then that last 30%? Forget about it! I down right ugly cried.

I absolutely loved how Aly Martines was able to tie in characters from her previous books (Leo, Slate and Caleb make an appearance). But she does this giving readers that have read her previous books a little bonus, but allowing new readers to get to know these characters without ever feeling lost.

This book was so much more than just a romance though. It was also more that a fighter romance. It was a story or perseverance, of strength in the truest meaning of the word. Till’s story will absolutely break your heart. His relationship with his two brothers will also melt it. And his love for Eliza? It will warm it.

Eliza was a fantastic heroine. She was the perfect match for Till. Her strength, her maturity that’s well beyond her young years was so refreshing to read. This book truly had everything. It was emotional, it was a little angsty, and of course it was oh so sexy.

I may’ve been the first, but this time when I make you come I want to know I’ll be the last. Now,  fucking tell me it’s forever.

God, I just loved it so much. I don’t want to give you more of the plot because I don’t want to ruin the experience of reading it for yourself. Take my advice and go into this book without reading many reviews. You’ll just enjoy it that much more.

One of the most touching and unforgettable romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I absolutely cannot wait for Flint’s book next. Aly Martinez has given me a fighter romance that is a not only an auto-buy, it’s a MUST buy. I simply can’t recommend it enough. If you’ve loved her previous books, you will flat out adore this one. And if you haven’t discovered this phenomenal author yet, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll become a fan after reading Fighting Silence.

About the Author

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Blitz, Review & #Giveaway: ✩Broken Course✩ by @AlyMartinezAuth

Broken Banner
Title: Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #3)
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: November 10, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Seven years ago, my life changed forever. One accident and the person I saw in the mirror no longer resembled the woman I used to be. I was lost and confused inside my own body. I felt alone and disconnected from the world, carrying the incredible weight of guilt and loss that wasn’t even mine to harbor.

Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn’t hurt to breathe. Don’t get me wrong. Leo isn’t perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another.

Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn’t questioned and being happy is…well, easy.


Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?

**Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone.**

BrokenNormalteaser
4 Healing Stars


Only, in my book, there are no more fresh pages- I’m writing in the margins these days.

In my never ending fashion of doing things backasswards, I dove into this book without having read the first 2 books in the series where the heroine was first introduced. I did read Among the Echoes, which is where I first fell in love with Leo James. When I heard that Aly Martinez will be giving him a story in Broken Course, I absolutely knew that I must read it. Being a reader that tends to be be very hard on the heroines, I’m partly happy that I didn’t read the first two books (YET), because I think that Sarah may have originally turned me off. If you did read the first two books and that is holding you back at all, don’t give it a second thought. Because there’s no way you can continue to hate her after this book. Now on to the review…

Can two broken people make something whole?

In usual Aly Martinez fashion, she gives you a prologue that is guaranteed to suck you into the story. With a chilling introduction like that, how can it not? But this is not as gritty or dark as the prologue makes you think it is, which is actually a big reason why I loved this book as much as I did.

Seven years ago, a devastating accident changed the course of Sarah’s life. Left in the ruins of a life that she can’t remember and a woman that is no longer her, Sarah barely manages to keep her head above water. All she knows is almost irrational anger and guilt. But she’s no longer that woman, she’s made a change and is trying to right the wrongs…when fate leads her straight into the arms of Leo James


Angel, you were mine from the first moment I laid eyes on you.

Leo is struggling with demons of his own. If you haven’t yet read Among The Echoes, I highly recommend you to because it will give you a much deeper understanding of the man that he is and the dark memories that haunt him.

Leo is instantly drawn to the blonde beauty when he runs into her on a busy Chicago street. There’s just something about her that calls to him, a connection that he can’t explain…or can he?

The author did an incredibly beautiful job handling an extremely sensitive issue. Leo may be sex on a stick, and when he whips out the Spanish in bed he will melt the panties right off of you, but this is a man with a dark past. Struggling with crippling guilt, depression and PTSD, he is by no means perfect. I loved that the author didn’t gloss over his issues, but faced them head on. I also really loved the way that Sarah handled his issues. As broken as both of these characters were, I found them to be absolutely perfect together.

I will not give you more of the story since it simply just has to be experienced. But what I can tell you is I thought this was the perfect book to end this series with. There is no heavy angst, manufactured drama, or really any abundance of gritty or dark events. It’s a story of two broken people that learn to heal one another while realistically dealing with their own issues. This was a more character driven story than anything else, and I loved it for that. Both Leo and Sarah show an incredible amount of personal growth through the book. All the characters from the previous books make an appearance and even if you’re like me and haven’t read those yet, you’ll never find yourself lost.


You have told me a million times that i saved you, but I disagree. With one simple, ‘Hi, I’m Leo James,’ you rescued me. You shattered the force field and magically began repairing parts of me I didn’t even know were broken.

The romance between Sarah and Leo was steamy and swoonworthy. If Leo doesn’t make your heart all pitter patter I don’t know what will. The story wasn’t quick paced or action packed, but it was emotional and realistic. They each make their share of mistakes, but I never found myself getting frustrated with them because they fit the story and their history. I appreciate that the author never diminished the characters’ issues. Sarah may have worked through her issues with Brett, but it’s never perfect, and I liked that. I wouldn’t have believed it if it had after all they’ve been through.

The epilogue was perfection! It was so great getting that extended peek into all the previous characters, including Leo and Sarah years down the line.

I’m definitely a big fan of this author and highly anticipate what she’ll have in store for her readers next.


Wrecked and Ruined
wrecked and ruinedChanging Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #1)

Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #2)
Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #3)
Aly Martinez
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in Chicago, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side. 

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

Enter to win a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card or a Signed Paperback set!

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