I love Ruthie Knox's books. In Madly, Allie is stalking her mother in a bar when a handsome stranger arrives. She persuades him to help her spy on her mother. Winston has been struggling lately after his divorce and finds himself drawn to Allie and her adventurous spirit. On a whim, they make a list of things that they want to do with each other while Allie is in town which ensures that they spend more time together really getting to know one another. This was such an enjoyable book to read. I could barely put it down.

This book fell a little short for me. I really liked the outline for the story and the initial meet was great but I just struggled to connect with the characters and the story. The romance element never really worked for me as I just didn't get the chemistry between the main characters and it just needed more depth. What I did like was the storyline that Allie and her sister had; I found that heartfelt and touching.

2.5 stars
I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher via Net Galley; there was no inducement or obligation.

I had been waiting for Madly for a long time, Ruthie Knox is one of my favorite romance authors and Truly had been a favorite and memorable read. Knox always brings a authenticity and a maturity to her stories that make the relationship and the passion truly impactful intense. In Madly I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two characters- the dreamer/go-getter in Allie, and the lonely and constrained nature of Winston. They brought out the best in each other; adventure, passion, whimsy, and acceptance being my favorite aspects of their relationship. I feel they the just cracked each other open and it was so real. I loved every word.

I really didn’t know what to think of Madly during the first few chapters. The whole premise of the book, Allie goes to New York to find her mother and ends up meeting a hot Brit, had been done before. But I liked the spin that the author gave to the storyline. Winston and Allie, after having bonding in a bar while spying on her mother and her mother’s “friend”, decide to make a naughty list. The list included everything from a simple 30 second hug to anal sex to mutual masturbation to stexting to mind-blowing, feelings involved sex. Just acting out the list would have made a great read for me. But the author decided to make Allie and Winston human and that is what sold the book for me.

I actually felt bad for Allie. She always felt that she was the outsider and when she found out that she was the result of an affair that her mother had, the bottom of her world dropped out. I can’t even imagine being told that. It must have been awful find that out and it must have been awful to keep it a secret from her sister, May. I can understand the anger she had towards her mother and I can understand why she went after her to drag her to her wedding anniversary. I can even understand why she was in disguise, spying on her mother. She was hurt and trying her best to get her family back together.

Let’s talk about Allie’s ex boyfriend, Matt. OMG, he was the biggest pain in the butt in the entire book. Honestly, I think Allie should have had the personal boundary talk way before she did. The guy was borderline stalker.

Winston, I really wasn’t too sure of at first. He came across as stiff and he really didn’t know what to think of Allie (which I didn’t either). But he really grew on me when he was Allie’s mailman and when he agreed to make that list with Allie. What really cinched it for me was his love for his daughter (who, I loved). He moved from London to New York City to make sure she had a parent nearby. Which was pretty awesome. I also liked how honest he was with Allie about his first marriage, his divorce and how he almost ruined his relationship with his brother.

The sex scenes between Winston and Allie were alright. Nothing spectacular and to be honest, I thought Allie talked, a lot. Not that I don’t mind a chatty character but when you are doing the nasty, shush!! LOL.

Like I said above, what really sold the book for me was that Winston and Allie were human. They didn’t have perfect bodies and they were very honest about not having feelings for each other. Well until they developed feelings, but that is a whole different story.

The storyline with her mother did take a very surprising turn. Actually, it was something that I didn’t see coming and looking back on it, made sense.

The end of the book was great and I liked that while Allie and Winston admitted their feelings towards each other, they didn’t jump to move in with each other. Actually, I think they were going to do a long distance relationship. We’ll have to see in the next book what happens!!

How many stars will I give Madly: 4

Why: I actually really enjoyed reading this book. It focused more on the getting to know each other part of the relationship than the sexual part. Which was perfect for me because sometimes I need to read a book like that. Where sex is there but not really mentioned and the hero/heroine get to know each other first before actually bumping uglies.

Will I reread: yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Madly has been a long time addition to my tbr, and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to have Allie’s story told. If you have read Truly, you’ll remember Allie as the flighty younger of May. It isn’t necessary to read Truly first, but I would recommend revisiting it for the enjoyment factor alone.

Along with Truly, About Last Night was another novel of Ruthie Knox I very much enjoyed. Why is that relevant you ask? Well, our male protagonist is none other than Winston Chamberlain, brother to Nev. As excited as I was to realise this, I worried it would be quite the challenge to change a previous opinion on two somewhat unlikeable characters.

The introduction to both story and characters soon quashed any hesitations I may have had. It’s an unconventional “meeting” to say the least. Allie is on a covert operation having followed her mother from Wisconsin to a New York bar. Her amateur skills of espionage require a diversion which involves the nearest person to her - who happens to be Winston.

Although Allie’s mission is never far from her mind, her diversion with Winston becomes a new focus. I wouldn’t like to describe Winston as stuffy, but it’s certainly a word that comes to mind. It’s adorable how much Allie helps to loosen him up. There is a guilt they both carry and the author did a great job in conjuring my empathy for them both.

Madly is romantically serendipitous, whilst being a fun quirky read. It was a pleasure to see the worlds collide and I look forward to the next novel in the series.

It has been a long-time since the first book in this series came out. After I dug up my review of Truly, I realized I hadn't imagined the long wait, I had in fact read Truly back in 2013 when Loveswept was experimenting with serialization on WattPad. Thankfully, I am extremely happy report that Madly was worth the wait.

Madly is the story of Allie Fredericks, May's impulsive little sister. It has been more than a year since she broke up with her long-time boyfriend on their wedding day and now she is in secretly in NYC not to visit May and Ben but to stalk her mother.

Allie is watching her mother Nancy, share drinks with stranger, a man she has disappeared to meet up with again and again throughout her long-marriage, this time only days before her 30th Anniversary party. Angry, confused and regretful Allie is not sure what to do, but she doesn't want her mother to spot her across the bar till she figures out what to do next. Enter, Winston.

"Listen, I know this is going to sound kind of crazy, but if you can just kind of bear with me, I think you'll eventually decide it's the good kind of crazy."

"There's a good kind of crazy?"

"If there's not, people have been lying to me all my life."

Winston Chamberlain is quite possibly the least likely person to ever get caught up in Allie's potentially tawdry, and certainly ridiculous drama. Winston is a buttoned-up British banker, whose marriage recently imploded under the weight of all the artificial expectations of what a proper marriage should be. (He is also Neville' s older brother, from It Happened One Night). His ex-wife is across the world climbing the mountains and his nearly-grown daughter is deftly ignoring his presence in NYC. But Winston does get caught up in it, especially when he realizes he knows just who the man Nancy is sharing drinks with is his client, his very rich and very secretive client.

Madly is oddly an extremely sexy romance about divorce. It is also a story about mothers, daughters and the big and little compromises women make when trying to balance their ambitions, marriages and families. Allie and Winston are both exactly who they seem to be and also more. While they superficially seem like an unlikely pairing they are actually at the same point in their lives, evaluating what went wrong, what they want and what comes next.

It was a delight to read Knox's thoughtful prose again and to enjoy Allie and Winston antics as their romance rockets from unexpected attraction to come to something truly special, something worth taking a chance on even if it seems a little mad to everyone else.



Loveswept (Random House Publishing Group) provided a ARC copy of Madly for review consideration via NetGalley.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I love Ruthie Knox! Her characters are so complex and fully formed that she makes reading her books a joy to read. Her command of the English language, her plot, and her ability to make this story feel so real is why she is one of my most favorite authors. This book has layers. I do not think this could be considered "light reading", but I held on to every word. Allie, Winston, Jean, May, Ben and Bea are all flawed, wonderful characters and I am having a book hangover right now. I wanted this story to go on and on! Thank you so much for such a wonderful book. I wondered why it took so long for her to write this one after having read Truly when it came out over a year ago, but this story needed to percolate with Ms. Knox for however long it took her. Allie would not have been the same character if her story had been rushed. In order to do justice to this book, I reread Truly right before starting this one so that I could feel immersed in this family. This is a total standalone and you do not have to read Truly first or at all. However, I think if you read this one, you will definitely want to read Truly too. I wish I had the ability to write like Ruthie Knox does so I could express to her how much I loved this. Thanks as always to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review. I honestly LOVED this story! This book is a solid 5 stars.

3.5 stars. This was a pretty good book. This is Winston and Allie's story. Allie lives in Wisconsin. She thinks her mother has been having an on-going affair for years with a man in NYC because she visits there for weeks at a time. Allie feels bad for her father and doesn't want to see their marriage fall apart. When their 30th anniversary party is days away, Allie's mother takes off for the city again, so Allie follows her. She ends up in a bar, watching her mother with a man from across the bar, and hiding in the corner, when she meets Winston. She asks Winston to help hide her so her mother doesn't spot her across the room. They get to talking and she finds he is easy to talk to and a great listener. They just connect. Winston is divorced with an adult daughter, while Allie had a serious relationship with the "perfect guy" that she ended a few years before. Both of them had made mistakes in their past relationships and had missing out on some things they wanted from a partner. Together, Allie and Winston make a list of sexy things to do together that they had never done or wanted to try with each other. While Allie is in NYC following her mother, she and Winston spend the week together falling in love. There is some bumps in the road as they try to figure out how they can be in a relationship together and there is some family drama, but everything works out okay in the end so they can have their HEA.

At first, I wasn't sure about Winston. He came off as an old fuddy duddy and Allie as young and immature. I didn't feel their chemistry for awhile because Winston (40 years old) felt boring and old enough to be a father figure to her (at 26 years old). But after a while I got used to them together and I found they did bring out the best in each other. Allie made Winston feel young and hopeful for the future. Winston made Allie more responsible. He thought Allie was so interesting and he really adored her. Allie was quirky and fun. I thought they did make a good couple. Allie did some silly and immature things. She got scared a few times of what developing between her and Winston. Luckily, Winston made sure she knew his feelings and wouldn't let her run too far. I liked the side characters and I would definitely like to go back in this series and read their stories as well.

Overall though, I enjoyed watching Allie and Winston's relationship develop. They were sweet together!

Madly
Ruthie Knox

Only 2.5 Stars for me 😢
This started off as such a great story. But it kind of burned out halfway through. I continued reading and finished it hoping it would get better towards the end. But I was a little disappointed.
This one started off as a cute and funny read. Allie was in NYC spying on her mother in a bar. She used Winston to block herself from her mothers view. And met him by licking his teeth. Then they continued on by making a to do list of romantic and sexual experiences. They started to check off the list and got to know each other very well in a short amount of time.
The main character Allie drove me nuts during this book. She would act very outgoing and passionate person. But then pushed Winston away anytime they started to get close. She was so hot and cold during their sexual encounters.
Then the story got a bit stagnant. It turned into a sappy family drama that never ended. I was just ready to finish the book by that point.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Allie is a quirky girl ... no other way to put it! She dresses in vintage clothes that are off the wall, but apparently they work for her. She is a savvy businesswoman and become quite rich reselling vintage clothing and antiques. Winston has recently moved from England to oversee his daughter who has just started college. He is bored with living in New York and just plain bored with his life. That is until he meets Allie in a bar. Allie is spying on her mother, who Allie believes is having an affair with a famous artist for the past 30 years. Allie also believes that this artist is her biological father. In Allie's quest to keep her mother and father together, she enlists the help of several people. The storyline is a little far fetched and the wording made it seem the story was set in London and not New York ... but the characters were compelling and kept me turning the pages.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Remember May and Ben from Truly? Allie is May's sister and she is sort of like a real estate mogul back home in Wisconsin. On a mission to figure out where her mother disappears to for long periods of time she happens to run into Winston Chamberlain. Winston is a wealthy man from London with a glorious back story of his own. The two of them become the perfect people to tell all their secrets to and expect the same in return, the mailman. Allie is fantastical and whimsical and emotional while Winston craves to have that back since he became an older young man all those years ago. They compliment each other better than even May and Ben. I found myself wrapped up in Allie's ramblings and finding that I relate to Winston and his ex-wife. Knox wrote a masterpiece and I love that it reminds me of Humans of New York. Madly is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. I am thankful for the advanced copy from Netgalley, this review was written voluntarily.

Because my love affair with contemporary romance started with About Last Night, a novel linked to this one, I had a special place in my heart for Madly even before I started reading it. While it features my favorite romantic trope - opposites falling in love - it's also a story of redemption and self-discovery. Thoughtful, moving, charming and delightful, you’ll swoon over this wonderful love story. Madly is the second book in the New York series, and features characters from two previous books by Ms. Knox: About Last Night (him), and Truly (her). I recommend reading them both for context, but you can still enjoy Madly as a standalone.

Allie Fredericks is convinced her mother is having an affair. For as long as she can remember, her mom has disappeared from the family home for days at a time only to reappear acting as if she’d never left. The family never discusses where her mom goes or who she’s with, but Allie is convinced she’s meeting a man. Fed up with the mystery and with her mother missing again, she hacks into her mom's credit card account and uses it to track her down to New York City.

As the story opens, Allie is hidden in a dark corner of a bar, watching her mother flirt with a man Allie doesn’t know. She’s worrying about how to convince her mom to leave when she spots a well-dressed, handsome stranger enter the bar. In the midst of ogling him, she belatedly notices her mom turning her way. Allie asks the handsome stranger to hide her from view, but when her mom walks in their direction, she impulsively asks him to kiss her instead. Much to her surprise, the handsome stranger doesn’t miss a beat and with an amused expression, he leans in for a kiss.

Winston Chamberlain was trying to get out of the rain when he ducked into a bar and found himself kissing a complete stranger. He doesn’t regret it, but he’s curious about his attractive new friend. After fetching them both drinks, he listens as Allie tells him a bit about herself, admitting she’s spying on the woman at the bar. Allie’s vague about why she’s spying, so Winston keeps a secret of his own. He knows the man at the bar with her mom. He’s the artist, Justice, famed for both his massive, surprise art installations and his anonymity; Winston is his financial manager.

Though Winston is attracted to his much younger new friend, he’s suspicious (maybe she’s trying to corner Justice?), so he offers to help her with the intention of doing some spying of his own. One drink leads to another, and the two find themselves getting to know and like one another. When Allie’s mom and her date leave, neither Winston or Allie notices right away. Plans in tatters, alone in Manhattan without a place to stay, Allie’s ready to call it a night and find a hotel. But Winston isn’t as ready to say goodbye, and invites her to stay in the empty furnished flat he rents for his daughter. She agrees and Winston escorts her up.

I expected a big kissing/sex scene to follow once they were alone in the apartment, but Ms. Knox surprised me. Instead of acting on the attraction they clearly feel, Allie and Winston keep talking and revealing their innermost secrets. After Allie confesses why she was really spying on her mom, Winston volunteers his own sad history. Discovering they’ve both been less than honest in their past failed relationships (and having no one to blame but themselves) and vowing to be different, they end up writing a top ten list of things to try - things they've never admitted they wanted or needed, before Allie returns home to Wisconsin. Ms. Knox only shares snapshots of the list, but the back-and-forth and their internal PoVs as they add items is delightfully awkward and fascinating. Every item has special meaning and I loved listening to Allie and Winston rationalize how and why she/he included it. The list isn't quite what I expected, but it's sexy in its own way. Allie and Winston are intimate (sort of!) before parting ways, but a word of warning - it’s a torturous wait for them to finally consummate their ‘fling’ (they have lots of other things to try first!).

Allie is a bit of a surprise as the story progresses. In Truly, we knew her as the impulsive sister who jilted a fiancé at the altar, and that definitely colored my perception of her when Madly began. In truth, she’s an enormously intelligent and driven woman who’s been underestimated and misunderstood most of her life. I liked her - and the way in which Ms. Knox continues to reveal layers and interesting bits and pieces about her as the story progresses – very much. I also loved Winston. British, significantly older, but not necessarily wiser, Winston blames himself for the failure of his first marriage, his inability to form new relationships or undertake new adventures, and he worries about whether he’s a good father to his college-age daughter. His vulnerability is refreshing, as is his gentle, tender and patient regard for Allie (except when he’s lusting after her). These two are opposites in so many ways - she’s loud, he’s quiet; she dresses in daring outfits, he favors conservative suits; she’s emotional, he’s reserved… but they fit just right together. They also have tremendous chemistry. I loved Winston’s PoV best, though my favorite line comes from Allie’s:

...and there was Winston - she zoomed her eyes over him, but not fast enough to keep from noticing that his socks were some kind of thin purple silk trouser sock situation, because he was the sexiest man in the universe.

The top ten list and Allie’s temporary residency in Winston’s extra apartment provide the excuse for them to continue to spend time together. Despite knowing Allie plans to return to Wisconsin and that she views their affair as a fling, Winston falls hard. Allie does too - though she fights it (for reasons you’ll have to discover on your own). The affair is physically and emotionally fulfilling, and contrary to their original intent, it moves way beyond a fling for both of them not long after they write their lists.

Though the evolution of Allie and Winton’s relationship is the main focus of Madly, there are a lot of other intriguing plot lines. Secondary characters - Winston’s daughter and estranged brother, Allie’s sister and her husband, also play significant roles in the story (I have my own guess about who might be featured in book three). Still, though the other characters and storylines are compelling, my favorite parts are when Allie and Winston were together. His calm persona and dry sense of humor are a nice counterpoint to Allie’s youthful exuberance.

The premise of Madly - two complete strangers meeting and falling for each other while spying on another couple at a bar, and then devising a top ten romantic/sexual ‘to do’ list that keeps them in each other’s orbit - seems ridiculous. It is. But Ms. Knox makes it work. The chemistry between Allie and Winston is delicious, there’s enough steam for dirty minds like mine, and the opposites attract trope is put to great and good use. Add in some terrific secondary characters, a bit of a mystery (where’s Allie’s mom?), and you get a book I’m madly in love with and highly recommend.

by AAR's Em Whittmann

Madly is the follow up to two of Ruthie Knox’s best contemporary romances, not that all of her books aren’t utterly marvelous.

But this second book in her New York series pairs the sister of the heroine in the first book, Truly, with the brother of the hero from her award-winning About Last Night. And this surprising couple may look oh-so-wrong on paper but they are oh-so-right in this book.

Allie Fredericks comes to New York on a whim. And not a very good whim, at that. She finds herself at Pulvermacher’s, the Green Bay Packers-themed bar in New York City, watching her mother seem to flirt with a stranger. A stranger that Allie knows is her, well, let’s call him bio-dad. He’s not the man who raised her, but he’s definitely her sperm donor.

It looks like Allie’s mom has bailed on her father just days before their 30th wedding anniversary to have a fling, or something, with her on again, off again New York lover. And somehow Allie believes that this problem is hers to fix. Now that she knows she’s the proverbial cuckoo in her family’s Wisconsin nest, she can’t stop herself from thinking that everything that appears wrong with her family is all her fault, and all her responsibility to fix.

Winston Chamberlain is in Pulvermacher’s to meet his investment client, Justin Olejniczak, better known to the art world as the mysterious performance artist Justice. (Think Chilhuly but handsomer and with cloth). The very straight-laced Winston finds himself at loose ends when he walks in to discover his client talking very seriously with a woman at the bar.

And that’s when Allie ropes Winston into helping her spy on her mother. And all the straight-laces that have been tying Winston’s life into very uncomfortable knots all start coming loose. At once.

It turns out that they both need someone with whom they can be their authentic selves. Winston used to be as devil-may-care as Allie seems to be, or as his brother Neville (see About Last Night for the glorious deets) now is. But Winston shoehorned himself into all the responsibilities he thought he was supposed to take on, and somewhere along the way built a career but lost his wife and his daughter. The marriage is long over, but the daughter is here in New York, and he still has a chance to salvage that relationship.

Allie, on the other hand, seems footloose and fancy free. She seems like a creative spirit who dresses in vintage clothes and never quite takes responsibility for much of anything. But her real self is not merely responsible, but actually an extremely savvy and successful businesswoman. A woman that no one seems to see behind the out-there outfits.

They are absolutely perfect for each other. And they are the absolutely perfect people to help each other find the way out of their respective conundrums. If only Allie doesn’t crash and burn all of her relationships with her family on the way to that happy ending.

Escape Rating A: This was the perfect book for me on a weekend where I was laid up with both a cold and a bruised leg. I was feeling out of sorts in so many possible directions, and Ruthie took me away to her New York for a whirlwind tour.

Like so many of the author’s previous stories, this is a romance between two people who simply shouldn’t work together, but absolutely do. It just takes them a while to recognize it.

Winston seriously needs a “do-over” in his life. He has become so good at being serious and responsible, that he’s lost track of the person he really is. His obligations and his career have become a straight-jacket that never fit, it’s just that nearing 40, he’s finally come to recognize that it isn’t working for him. At the same time, all those years he spent being the perfect everything are a part of who he is. He needs to find a blend if he’s to keep his relationship with his now adult daughter.

This is a case where the age difference between the hero and heroine works well. Allie is in her mid-20s, but she also isn’t typical. Her artistic and free-spirited manner and clothing make her seem as if she is young and irresponsible, but that’s only on the surface, much as Winston’s ultra-responsibility is. She is also a very savvy, responsible and successful businesswoman. She needs someone who appreciates both sides of who she really is. But because she is a conflict-avoider, people often see her as less, particularly her douchebag ex-fiancee.

About Last Night by Ruthie KnoxThe lesson that the pain is the same whether you talk about it or not is one that we all need to learn.

I also loved the resolution of Allie’s family issues. Nothing, of course, is exactly as it seems. But it seems the way it does to Allie because there are so many secrets, and no one is dealing with them. Like many children, even as adults we think that we are responsible for the problems between our parents, even when we’re not. Perhaps especially when we’re not. The way that this particular aspect of the plot resolved was a big part of the winning formula of this story.

Although Madly uses characters from both About Last Night and Truly, I don’t think it is absolutely necessary to read either or both of those antecedents to enjoy Madly. However, they are both absolutely fantastic contemporary romances, and definitely worth reading. Or re-reading.

Excuse me, I’m off to read About Last Night for the third (or maybe fifth) time.

Allie is spying on her mother and failing miserably at it, so when a man tall enough to block her from view walks into the bar she has no choice but to accost him for help. Winston has been stood up by his daughter and since he's been trying to live a life outside of his comfort zone he decided to stay for a drink. However, he didn't think this meant spying on people when a unique and lovely woman decided he should make a great disguise. So Allie and Winston meet in very close quarters, strike up an honest conversation with each other, ends up liking each other, makes a list of intimate things to do with each other, ends up knowing each other's family secrets and in then falling in love with one another at the most inappropriate time. Now what?

Ruthie Knox is one of my all time favorite author and whenever she has a new release, I'd be jumping up and down like a bunny rabbit on steroids. So when Madly was slated for release in March 2017 I was both excited and of course impatient why it would take so long. The first book Truly, of which at the time I read it, wasn't looking like it was going to be a series but was serialized in Wattpad (that was agonizing). I loved it sooo much that it remained one of my favorites among Ms. Knox's works . Three years later I was gifted with an arc of the long awaited Madly and I burst into joy! Not only because it was one of my most anticipated releases, but also because it has now done a crossover with About Last Night, the other favorite. Madly has now become epic in my eyes! Combine it with New York as a setting, two protagonists who were literally plot points in previous books, witty and humorous dialogues, very intimate and sexy love scenes and a great story line with a happy ever after ala real life.

Madly will definitely make you laugh, make you cry, make you love it because of its real life take on intimacy, on love and family and make you realize there are no villains in life just people trying to live the life that they are meant to have.

Madly can be read as a standalone but to better appreciate Winston and Allie's character previous to their own story, I recommend reading About Last Night and Truly prior to embarking on what turned out to be a really fantastic and wonderful story.

This book was so much fun I actually got lost in it and forgot to cook dinner. Allie has gone to New York looking for her mother who has left home and she has found her in a bar but she is not a good spy. In walks Winston Chamberlain and right into Allie's clutches and all the fun starts. These two are as different as night and day but they are also so much alike in their hearts. Fractured families and lists and all the fun of New York combine to make this a wonderful story. I didn't read the first in the series and didn't feel lost a bit but I will not miss the next one.

**Received an ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

2.5 Stars
Didn't really care for this one. I didn't love Allie, but I really didn't like how everyone else treated her. I disliked May especially, and Ben. Her whole family was a train wreck. The whole situation was rediculous.

Ms. Knox's Truly was one of the first books I read in my post-50 Shades euphoria. I stumbled upon it on Wattpad and devoured it and then proceeded to gobble up everything in Ms. Knox's backlist. So, as you can imagine, I was beyond excited to learn that there was a sequel.

Unfortunately, it seems to have lost its luster for me. I struggled to connect to this story. I skimmed a fair portion of the first third of the book - waiting for my heart to feel the swoony, sparky charm that I remembered from Truly. I never got there. Don't get me wrong - there were some laugh out loud moments. But I found that I didn't particularly care for either Allie or Winston individually, which made it much harder for me to invest in them as a couple. I was terribly frustrated by their inability to communicate (particularly Allie's - Winston's struggles were at least a little more earnest and amusing). There's also a lot of telling (inside the characters heads) and not much showing which made it feel like this book moved at an incredibly slow pace.

In the end I felt disappointed - and I'm not sure if it's because I built this book up so much in my head (seriously - I was so excited for a new Ruthie Knox book!) or if it's because this book was just different in style from Ms. Knox's earlier work and the change didn't work for me. Either way, I had to allow myself to walk away from the story at the 40% mark - this one just didn't work for me, but I'm hoping for much more from Ms. Knox in the future!

***ARC provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***

1.5 Stars

This book was a cute idea that really didn't work very well for me.

Allie and Winston were an awkward couple, and I was never really convinced that there was a connection between them. The initial meeting in the bar could have really set the scene for a lot of great chemistry, but it fizzled for me...and it never really picked up with anything that made me believe that the 2 of them were attracted to one another, much less going to be able to make any sort of successful relationship work.

The pacing of the book was off for me as well, as I thought the book moved too slowly in some areas and too quickly in others, so I was never really able to feel engaged in the story or with the characters.

This was my first book by this author, so I am not able to say if she is one I like or not as not every book is for everyone. I will give this author another chance, even though I am not able to recommend the book.

***This and other reviews featured on our blog “Booked All Night” http://bookedallnightblog.com/ and here: https://www.facebook.com/BookedAllNight/***

Ruthie Fox’s Madly is a charming and entertaining book with an interesting and original story. It kept me guessing and smiling until the end. Winston is a buttoned-up, divorced Brit who runs into the zany, free-spirited Allie at a bar in New York. She’s taken an unexpected trip to the city from Wisconsin to spy on her mother, whom she believes is cheating on her father. She and Winston end up hitting it off, and her hasty trip takes her life in directions she never anticipated.

Both Allie and Winston bring something to the table, and they are opposites who truly compliment each other in their own unique ways. They make a hilarious and sexy bedroom to-do list that was very fun to watch them complete; they had great chemistry. I loved how Winston interacted with his college-aged daughter and how his character developed. There is a cast of great secondary characters that add depth to the story. Madly is an unexpected treat. - Janet Reads Books