The Right TimeRating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Nate is definitely good at working. He’s a successful real estate developer and work takes up all of his time. When a new project has him temporarily relocating to Santa Monica, he is good with the change of pace. Especially when that change includes a view of Alex, his sexy neighbor. Nate is surprised by his reaction to Alex. He is not good with relationships in general and it has been a long 15 years since he has let himself be interested in a man.

Alex retired from playing professional soccer and is now a personal trainer and businessman. He aims to get the most out of life and is always up for a new experience. His close friends know that he is gay, but it’s his Latino family that lives with a don’t ask don’t tell policy, and Alex has yet to publicly come out. Alex and Nate develop a strong friendship, but it’s sexually charged at every turn. Alex has to reconcile both sides of his life while Nate admits he is the worst communicator and he has years of demons to face down. If the two men can open themselves to each other, they may find they met at just the right time.

The Right Time is the third book in Lane Hayes’ Right and Wrong series. While it is Alex and Nate’s story, characters from the other books do appear and for the most continuity it would be helpful to have read at least the second book, as there is the most cross over from that story (especially since even indirectly, Brandon can still steal a scene).

The book is told from Nate’s point of view, but Alex was my favorite character here. He’s fun, sexy, enjoys everything about life, and really helped to carry the book. I would have loved some more from his point of view to further round out the story. Nate is a workaholic. He is divorced and his marriage was more of a business arrangement than a love story. He had a relationship with a man in college and carries the weight of the consequences and fall out of that time in his life. He reads as bland and doesn’t get excited about anything until he meets Alex.  Alex tried to come out once, but many factors kept him partially in the closet. His family remains important to him and disappointing his father is a dark cloud over his head.

The men develop a friendship, a sexual arrangement, and then those feelings get in the way. All Nate can think about is Alex either when they are together or apart. Alex overwhelms him in the best of ways. Alex tells Nate he enjoys being in a relationship, but simultaneously tells Nate that he will show him around and be his wingman while taking him to a dance club. Without Alex’s take on things, his motivation was not always clear to me.

The intimate moments had an intense feeling with a touch of exploration as Nate rediscovers the touch and taste of a man. Alex offers the perfect lightness to Nate’s serious demeanor, but there is a lot more to Alex than his one-liners. I liked the guys together as Alex pushes Nate to ask for what he wants and to live life for himself.

But Nate has baggage, lots of it. When he tells Alex some of what he has been carrying around for 15 years, Alex pretty much tells him to it’s time to get over it. There is another more recent incident that Nate has been carrying around that gets teased out throughout the entire book. It did go on a bit long for me and the ending was then given over to it. Their conflict then became somewhat one-sided as Alex turned on Nate a bit quickly given all of the circumstances.

Overall, I enjoyed these guys. There was romance and a sexy soccer player mixed in with real life issues. The entire series is enjoyable and I look forward to what will come next.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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