Ruthie Knox is one of my favourite authors of contemporary romance. I have enjoyed most of her previous books but somehow I missed that she started a new series. I haven't read Truly yet but after I finished Madly which I absolutely loved, the first thing I did was to go on Amazon an get it :)

Madly is exactly the kind of contemporary romance I like to read - life-like complex characters, struggling with life and love, discovering themselves, making mistakes and growing up as people. And the romance part was just perfect - a bit whimsical, both characters acting simultaneously slow and fast, cautious and daring.

The heroine, Allie, is fabulous in my opinion and I feel there is a lack of heroines like her in romance. She is young and independent and smart and financially successful. She doesn't depend on no man and doesn't need a man in her life to support her, take care of her. She needs and finds a partner, someone who appreciates and loves her with all her contradictions and complexity - being smart and beautiful, young and rich, self-confident but also desperately trying to keep her family together, hungry for the love and approval of her loved ones, deeply involved (albeit, often misguidedly) with their lives.

Winston was an interesting character as well. He has just turned 40, divorced, re-evaluating his life. He appeared stuffy and distant, too set in his ways, deeply unhappy and lost. he was not prepared for Allie and all the possibilities she brought with her. And it took him some time to grasp it and take a chance on being happy, on falling in love, on being vulnerable and honest with himself and the peole in his life he cares about.

I liked how Allie and Winston challenged each other, how they opened up to one another. The game of the list of sexual dares that want to try was an interesting and effective way to bring them together in raw honesty. Their romance was a curious mix of daring and hesitation, of I-don't-need-this-in-my-life-right-now and This-is-so-exciting-and-new-and-perfect-for-me.

The story explored different family relationships, between sibling, between parents and children, withing the romantic couples themselves. in all their complexity and dysfunction. And I liked where the author went with all of them. Through them she built a compelling picture of the characters' lives - complex, interwoven, changing and evolving.

I have only one minor quibble with the story and this has to do with Allie's mum and her relationship with her dad and her artistic career. I was surprised with the development of this plotline and I am not sure how to take it. On the one hand she is presented as a strong woman, one that balanced having a family and a suitable way to express her creativity. She is someone who hasn't sacrificed her dreams but have found an alternative way to pursue them. On the other hand, I felt her behaviour was deceptive to her family, keeping a secret like that, leading a double life. This didn't sit very well with me. I'd say it is a matter of personal preference and not a weakness of the story itself. Other readers may not feel like that about it, so don't let this minor issue of mine stop you from taking a chance on this wonderfully complex romance.

Madly it's a beautiful and compelling modern day love story that fans of contemporary romance would greatly enjoy.

Allie Fredericks is from Manitowoc, Wisconson but has found herself in New York City. Allie is tired of her mom leaving for lengths of time and going to NYC and Allie needs to find out why. Allie has tracked her mom down to a bar and is hiding in the shadows watching her with another man....a man who just happens to be her birth father. Allie is suppose to be planning her parents 30th Wedding Anniversary party that is in a few days and she's afraid her mom is ruining everything.

Just as Allie is about to be spotted by her mom, she convinces a strange man in a suit and tie to be her cover. This man is Winston Chamberlain, a tall, good looking, slightly older man with a British accent. What Allie didn't expect was that sparks would fly! Allie explains what she is doing in NYC and Winston ends up helping her. At first I wasn't sure of these two as a couple. They are 13 years apart in age.....Allie is closer in age to Winston's daughter, Bea than she is to him....but I am glad I kept reading. By the end of this story I loved Winston and Allie together. They just got each other.

As Allie and Winston start spending more time together, they start opening up to each other about all aspects of their lives. These two are so different, yet so similar in many ways.

I really enjoyed the story line about Allie's mom and how so many people came together to help. I must admit that the ending really surprised me....wasn't expecting that! Overall this was a fun story that by the end I couldn't put down.

Madly was so worth the wait, the second story in the New York series. Allie has gone to New York secretly to find her mother when she meets up with Winston at a bar. They are opposites but the sexual chemistry is hot. They soon devise the "list"that they need to complete. Many family secrets that soon will be discovered on both sides.

Complex broken characters that will keep you turning the pages along with the sizzling chemistry between Allie and Winston, that will have you rooting for them in the end.

I really enjoyed this book. This is so much more than just a romance. These characters are well developed and interesting. Winston and Allie have a great connection and I enjoyed their banter. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I teach an advanced literature seminar at my university called "Why Read Romance?" Knox is one of the authors I most frequently recommend to students, as she engages in issues of female independence with a complexity rarely seen in other contemporary romance novels. Having said that, this is one of my least favorite of her novels. The bond between the two central characters was developed primarily through a shared list of sexual activities they both longed for. In my opinion, the novel minimizes the real-world dangers of this kind of vulnerability. While I like Knox's willingness to explore risk-taking, I found this highly problematic to recommend to young women.

Two problems kept me from awarding more stars.

1. This was too long considering that the plot revolved almost entirely around familial relationships and very little actually happened. It could have been at least 50 pages shorter without losing a thing.

2. This story was littered with unlikable characters. Ben, abrasive. May, horribly unforgiving. Justice, a user. Clinger ex-fiance Matt. Even Bea wasn't nice to her dad most of the time. And in the real world? Chasity would be fired for the kind of attitude she gave Winston. She wouldn't be excused for "being American." It was not pleasant to read her sarcastic dialogue. The story was best when it focused on Winston and Allie because they were sweet, loving characters; even though they were flawed, at least I liked them.

Though there were some surprises, Madly was just okay. Not a bad rainy day read if you can get a good deal on it.

*ARC via netgalley*

I was generously given an ARC of this book. This is my first book from this author and I liked her style of writing. The hero was perfection personified... I could totally see him in my mind. He has a past he is not proud of ( I think there is another series by the author with Winston). But he is trying to make amends. Meanwhile he is living this half life in NY and he meets Allie who brings color and excitement to his life. He is just perfect in his interactions with everyone! I had a bit of a problem with the heroine because she was so scared with him yet so pushy with other aspects of her life. The chemistry between the 2 was hot! The secondary characters from the first novel of the series May and Ben were a bit annoying. And since I didn't read the first novel, I don't know if I even want to read it now. I hope they weren't characterized with such insecurity and anger as they were here. Although Ben's pep talk to Allie was hilarious and just perfect. The ending was rushed and abrupt. They didn't even talk to their mother even though she was the catalyst for the heroine coming to NY and starting this whole adventure. And I couldn't get behind the wacky fashion style of the heroine......it seemed a bit too costume...ish even for NY. The book is definitely worth reading although it is not the bleary eye stay up all night type of book.

4.5 stars

Madly by Ruthie Knox was a beautifully written, heartwarming read.
The characters, Allie and Winston were likable, entertaining and held my interest all throughout the book.
I loved how their relationship unfolded, these two were total opposites but together they fit perfectly.

Madly is the second book from the New York series, and I highly recommend it.

Can't express how good it feels to be reading Ruthie Knox's words again :)

*Purchase Links*
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Madly-York-Nov...
B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/madly...
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/madl...
kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/madl...

*Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.*

A continuation of the New York series. Madly takes place after Truly which was published in 2013. I went back and refreshed my mind on book one which i read when it came out. Madly is about May's sister ( from book 1) Allie. She was kind of a mess in book one and in this book she still kind of is in some ways. Her mother takes off for New York on the eve of her parents 30th wedding anniversary. She's done this off and on over the years but this time is the last time for Allie. They always just pretended she didn't disappear but Allie decides she's going to confront her mom. She heads to New York and while surveilling her mother she meets Winston. Winston and his daughter moved to New York from London, England. His daughter Bea to go to college and Winston to keep a eye on Bea. Winston and Allie form a bond. They help each other deal with what's going on in their lives. This is a complicated story in some ways. The book flowed nicely and quickly in some places and in some it kind of dragged and i was bored and sometimes confused. There characters are not simple. The are more than a little complicated to me. Allie is the this smart successful business women but her family doesn't seem to realize it. At the age of 26 she's got more money than anyone in the family and owns several properties and investments yet her family doesn't realize she's successful. Winston is 39, divorced with a 18 year old daughter. There's a age gap in there between Allie and Winston but they seem to mesh well for being opposites. Allie is more of free spirit to Winston being a bit of stick in the mud. There are several secondary characters from previous books that make reappearances in this book. I liked all the characters even the slightly annoying ones. I can't say that i would re-read this book but i did enjoy the main thread of it. Curious to see who the next book will be about. There's a t least one more coming in June of this year.

Madly was a book which I was extremely looking forward to reading after l’d devoured Truly. I also really wanted to get to know Allie and have her chance to finally shine. This I knew however would be a big undertaking with the great impression that Ben and May had left in Truly, and I guess you could say that this was one of the reasons I didn’t end up enjoying this book as much as I did Truly. I really did like Allie’s character and seeing the development of her relationship with Winston come about, there was passion and a second chance in love that both characters deserved. But their relationship didn’t leave me with the same make my heart feeling that Ben and May left me with. This was definitely proven whenever Ben and May made an appearance in Madly. I guess you could say sometimes it’s just difficult to enjoy a relationship as much, when the bar has already been set so high previously. This minor factor aside, I enjoyed reading about the reason that bought Allie to New York in the first place and although it wasn’t under the best circumstances, I adored the group of friends that she was able to find to rally around her when she needed it the most. Despite having some issues, Madly was still a refreshing read, Knox was once again able to create a story that I found myself completely caught up with and one that I really didn’t want to let go off. Her writing was once again poignant and flawless. I’m utterly grateful that I decided to give this series a go, as it’s definitely been something that I’ve been in the mood for!

Madly by Ruthie Knox has fun quirky characters on a journey of discovery. In that way it is like the first book in the series, Truly. It has the often misunderstood sister, Allie, as the main character. Steady Winston is her opposite in just about every way but surprising they fit together.

The smooth flowing plot is totally unbelievable, but who cares, it is such a delightful read. From there unusual meeting which leads to plans and complications. There is parental issues at the heart of the story and not just the obvious one with Allie’s mother. So I found it to be a family drama story with hot romance all tied up together. Quite the unique read, just as quirky as Allie.

I’ve been childishly whining ever since I saw that Winston Chamberlain was the hero of Madly, about how it made me nervous because I couldn’t stand him. He appeared in another of Knox’s books, About Last Night, and he was cruel to his brother, selfish, and so, so uppity. It didn’t help that I positively hated the ending of that book, too, though that had nothing to do with Winston. (You don’t need to read that book first, and frankly it’s probably better if you don’t so you don’t end up with preconceived notions like I did.) Allie also wasn’t entirely my favorite when she appeared in her sister’s book, Truly. I mention all this because if you hadn’t already heard my whining, you should know about my prior feelings; they are part of understanding what I liked and didn’t like about Madly.

Madly takes place four years after the events of About Last Night. Winston has since gotten divorced and moved from London to New York City to be near his college-age daughter and to work in the NYC location of his aristocratic family’s bank. It’s also been a little under a year since the events of Truly, when Allie Fredericks dumped her fiance on their wedding day. Allie has impulsively come from her home in Manitowoc, WI to New York following her mom, who she suspects is having a long term affair with a New York artist. When she bumps into Winston in a bar, he starts helping her track down her mom.

First off, while I was concerned about how Knox would redeem Winston, I’m happy to say I was satisfied. We don’t see Winston’s transformation in Madly, but Winston has indeed undergone a transformation since his low point in About Last Night when he tried to blackmail his brother Nev and tear down Nev’s love interest, Cath. We also learn that Winston’s marriage had been a mess at the time, and he tried to force his life, and his ex-wife, into some predefined shape he thought was the “right one” for a man of his position. When that all fell apart, he realized how wrong it was, both for himself and everyone around him. You get the sense that he’s spent the last years trying his best to simply be kind to everyone around him. He’s mostly patched things up with Nev and Cath, though there’s still some residual tension, and he’s trying to be a good dad to his daughter, Bea, without smothering her or forcing her into a box like he did with her mother. However, in trying so hard to make up for the past and give everyone space, he’s kind of forgotten what he wants or needs. He isn’t unhappy exactly, but at the start of the book he spends the bulk of his time watching Netflix and waiting for Bea to occasionally give him a few minutes of her time. Rinse, Repeat. When Allie storms into his life, it brings a lightness and fun that he obviously forgot he was capable of. I kind of can’t believe I’m saying this but...I actually liked seeing Winston come back to life a bit!

Family, with all the messy, complex, and overwhelming emotions that implies, is a huge theme in so many of Knox’s books, this one included. The Chamberlain’s family drama mostly happened in About Last Night and the intervening years, so this book focuses on the Fredericks. The family is kind of imploding around Allie, and she’s fighting to figure out what to do about it. There was a point in the book where I actually wanted to put it down because it was a little too much. Maybe it's because of some people I know who are going through their own hard family dramas that things felt a little too real, but I think most of us have had hurtful family secrets or loved ones who profoundly disappointed us. It was almost too painful to read about what might happen. (As a parent, the interactions between Winston and Bea were also sweet but a little hard to read. He loves her so much but is afraid to hold on too tightly, but he can see her growing up and pulling away anyway...ugh, who is chopping onions in here?) I pushed on, though, and was rewarded with a thoroughly happy ending. It was perhaps unrealistically happy, but I can’t complain because wouldn’t we all like our own messy family problems to end so happily?

While Winston was redeemed, though, I never thoroughly warmed to Allie. She felt a bit inconsistent, first of all. She’s supposed to be so flighty and impulsive, but other than flying to New York on a whim I didn’t really see that. She mostly just felt...opinionated, which is fine but not the same thing. She says she wants to take care of everyone and feels like it’s on her to hold things together, but she kept running away when things got hard. She was not particularly kind to Winston (and geez, no one is more surprised than me that I’m saying that, haha) when all he did was love and support her from the start. In general, she acts pretty self absorbed and a little immature throughout the book, and it got on my nerves by the end. This is some of what bothered me about her in Madly, too, and I was disappointed to see that unlike Winston, she hadn’t changed much between books. Moreover, I wasn’t quite sure whether she had really had a transformation by the end of this book either. Sure, some of her family issues were resolved, but had Allie herself changed? When I thought about that question at the end of the book all I could come up with was...probably? I think so? I believed she was good with Winston, but in my mind she wasn’t ready for the implied HEA, not quite yet at least.

This was a complicated book full of big themes and big emotions, and I admire that Knox never shies away from tackling complicated human beings. Plus, it is full of funny, lovely dialog, and it's very sexy. (And boy I could write paragraphs about the awesome and complex sex scenes in this book because I have so many thoughts. There's a "list", sex toys, lots of sex that's not just PinV, orgasm isn't always the goal...such good stuff, but go read and judge for yourself!) It made me think, and it was a great read.

Grade: 4 out of 5

What I’m Talking About:

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book. I loved, loved, loved About Last Night. While it’s not directly attached to the New York Trilogy, main character Winston Chamberlain is the brother of About Last Night’s Nev Chamberlain. Winston’s love interest Allie Fredericks is the sister of May Fredericks, from Truly, the first book in this trilogy.

Madly is an odd little read. It can be a stand-alone, but is complimented by About Last Night and Truly. Don’t get me wrong, I read it beginning to end in a day because it was compelling. It just didn’t fall neatly into a typical category. It’s definitely a romance, but unlike other offerings by Knox that I’ve read, it could almost be called “women’s fiction” as the characters work through significant emotional baggage. I like Knox too much to stick her with that label though.

The characters are completely mismatched by age and temperament—but they work. Winston is British and old enough to have a college-aged daughter, goes through as much self-discovery as Allie does. Allie is in her mid-twenties, an insecure mid-westerner, who’s as impulsive as Winston is restrained. That these two hook up and help each other through significant personal crises, is as unlikely as their continued relationship. But they do.

I adored Winston. He was Rupert Penry-Jones in every Hallmark and period BBC movie you’ve ever seen. Allie is likable because she always means well and is more perceptive than she thinks. Many parts of the book are introspective and Allie comes off as a bit of an old soul when she reassures Winston about his age, “You know you’re just whatever age you are, right? It doesn’t mean anything except that it’s taken you this many years to be the you who you are right now.” Think about it for a while. I liked the thought. Allie’s father was also an unexpected gem.

A lot of the book dealt with the idea of being authentic with yourself and others. Knox was inspired by an essay by Glendon Doyle Melton which you can READ HERE. It would never work as a movie, I think the self-examination that made it work in print wouldn’t translate to the screen, but I loved the movie in my head.

True to form, Knox comes up with a big ending. It wasn’t as surprising as some of her previous novels since we had a lot of information leading up to the big moment, but it was no less a production and as a fan of her work, I looked forward to getting there as I read. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long for the third book, Completely, which is scheduled to come out in June.

My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot

I DNF this book, then I changed my mind and read it anyway. It took so long for the book to grab my attention but I kept reading it. Finally, when it starts to get better, it ends. Personally, I wouldn't recommend reading this, but again, that's just my opinion.

Allie Fredericks and Winston Chamberlain.
Can two people be so different and need the same hope?

Allie is a responsible girl who doesn't make hasty decisions until the day she decides to find out if it's true that her mother betrays her father. So she goes from Wisconsin to NY in search of truth.

In the same place where his sister, May, met Ben (book #1), Allie meets Winston.

Winston is a single father, older than her, who went to NY to accompany his daughter's entrance to the university.
He loves Allie.
Together, they go after the truth that Allie seeks, but along the way, the two eventually find out what they lacked and how to change what they didn't like any more.

A contemporary novel with a dash of comedy, which brings about searches, encounters, discoveries and truths not always pleasant.

4 stars

Reviewed by Kini

Allie Fredericks isn’t supposed to be in Manhattan, hiding in the darkest corner of a hip bar, spying on her own mother—who’s flirting with a man who’s definitely not Allie’s father. Allie’s supposed to be in Wisconsin, planning her parents’ milestone anniversary party. Then Winston Chamberlain walks through the door, with his tailored suit, British accent, and gorgeous eyes, and Allie’s strange mission goes truly sideways.

Winston doesn’t do messy. But after a pretty stranger ropes him into her ridiculous family drama with a fake kiss that gets a little too real, he finds out that messy can be fun. Maybe even a little addicting. And as the night grows longer, Allie and Winston make a list of other wild things they could do together—and what seems like a mismatch leads to a genuine connection. But can their relationship survive as their real lives implode just outside the bedroom door?

This is second in a series, the previous book was Truly and featured a different couple. But this book is also related to one of her earlier books, About Last Night. You don’t have to read either or both of those stories first, but I definitely recommend them and will help you have a better understanding of Allie and Winston’s story.

Allie and Winston have an interesting meet-cute when she is semi stalker her mother in a bar in NYC. It’s kind of weird, but it worked. Allie is not from NYC and after conversation in the bar, Winston offers his apartment to her. Allie recently walked away from a long term relationship and broke up with her fiance right before they were to be married. She is now struggling to find herself and how she fits in the world as a single person.

Winston is a bit older and divorced and moved to NYC when his daughter wanted to move there for school. He is struggling to find out who he is as a parent and a man. Allie and Winston were a good fit together as they discover things about themselves. Winston is older than Allie and this trope worked really well in this story.

The sexual tension and sex in this book is scorching hot. As part of their discovery of their individual selves, they come up with a list of things they want to do, not all things are sexual, but most were. And as they go through the list, wooh boy, it gets hot! The quote I picked is fairly filthy and I am going to wrap it in a spoiler tag to keep things interesting

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I have really missed Knox’s voice. She writes regular characters going through regular problems and along the way they find love. The only thing I didn’t like about this story was I felt there was a little too much emphasis put on the mother’s story and I wasn’t as invested in that. With the main story being Allie and Winston and my enjoyment of that, I can overlook the time spent on the mom. Knox’s site says there will be a third story in this series, but I don’t know who it will feature, but I am still very interested.

Grade: B+

Madly is the second installment in Ruthie Knox's New York trilogy series (can be read as a standalone) but this is the first of her books that I have read. I just got done reading a letter to her readers explaining why it took so long for her to write Madly and can I just say that I'm so glad that she did (and no, you don't need to apologize)! Seriously, it's THAT GOOD! I read a lot of books, A LOT! I love contemporary romance but I feel like most run along the same lines and are predictable. And you know what? That's OK! I love easy reads with happily ever afters. But at the same time I can't tell you how excited I get when one throws me off balance, especially after the first line in the book! "A man walked into the bar." I know it doesn't seem like anything special, but I just knew after that line that this book would be different and refreshing. Well, I was right!

A man walked into the bar and that man was Winston Chamberlain, sexy as sin, divorced Brit now living stateside while his daughter goes to school in New York City. Allie Fredericks spots Winston in said bar and asks him to hide her from a woman and a man that she's spying on. The woman is Allie's mother who has fled her home in Wisconsin days before her thirtieth wedding anniversary and the man is NOT Allie's father. What starts out as an innocent spy game turns into much more than either Allie or Winston could have imagined from a chance meeting at a bar.

This is a beautiful story about the enormous scope of love. Falling in love, letting go of love, discovering there never was love, reigniting love, and being reassured that love was always there. Allie and Winston couldn't be more different from each other but that's what makes their relationship so interesting to read. Nothing about them is typical and I don't think either one of them expected that one night in the bar to turn into what it did. But that list, thank god for that list! Because it's a hot list. And I'm so glad we didn't get to see everything on the list as Allie and Winston wrote it. The anticipation of what was written on it next was killer and kept me wanting more.

What I also loved about this story were the secondary characters and the way they added complexity to the story. Though the bulk of the book focuses on Winston and Allie's developing relationship, there is so much more depth to this story because of the other relationships: Winston and Bea, Winston and Nev, Allie and May, Allie and her mom, Allie and her dad. It's through these relationships that we get to know and understand Allie and Winston better. Why they are the way they are, what makes them tick, and why they should be together!

There is so much discovery in this story. I loved the whole concept of the "mailman", a person you can truly be yourself with and tell anything to because they don't know you. Allie and Winston become each others mailman, not knowing that they would become much more. This forces them to discover things about themselves and each other and creates a solid foundation for their relationship. This forced honesty helps them to ultimately move towards each other and gives them more than either thought possible. This is such an authentic and real story. It's so believable and brings hope to those searching for love. You really do never know when the next person you meet at the bar (coffee shop, gym, post office, whatever!) might be the most interesting thing to happen in all your life! So go and read this book because it will make you think, it will make you feel, and it will give you hope!

This was not one of my favorite Ruthie Knox books. I couldn't relate to Allie at all. Most of the book she got on my nerves. She came across to me as being a teenager not a young woman in her 20's who was insecure and jumped to the wrong conclusions. I didn't get the whole story with the mom running off to keep a secret about being this famous painter. That part of the story was off the wall. But what I adored about this book was Winston! I loved how he worked at his relationship with his daughter. He was so honest that it made him a little quirky.


I asked and received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.