Thank you for providing a copy of Completely by Ruthie Knox. I initially took a break from it, intending to return later, as I couldn't get into it at the time. Unfortunately, I’ve since lost interest in revisiting it. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to exploring future titles that align more with my current reading preferences.

Completely is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and inspiring story about embracing life's adventures and finding love in unexpected places.

The start of this one is a shocker ( an avalanche on Mt. Everest) and the romance between a divorced Englishwoman and her rescuer, a Nepalese man from New York who helps out on the Everest climbing season by securing the Khumbu icefall ladders) seems unlikely but their connection, formed under stress and then given the chance to stretch and bloom solidifies and leads to their happy ending. Family relationships, intense sex, emotional unburdening and the author's skill at weaving it all into a powerful romance reminds me of how much I miss this author's writing.

COMPLETELY - Ruthie Knox

#3 in the New York romance trilogy

A LITTLE DIFFERENT - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - After avoiding a close-call avalanche on Mount Everest, Rosemary and Kal end up traveling together and finding out more about themselves while getting to know each other.

Writing - 4 stars - Knox has the ability to create characters from the inside out--finding their insecure centers and building lives around them. This makes them seem approachable, but we also see how they hide themselves from others.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Knox is an expert at building warm and caring characters who are unafraid to show their vulnerabilities. They are definitely not perfect, but they fit together and complement each other's personalities. In this case Rosemary is a woman who has been unhappy and now wants to break free from her ordinary life and do something extraordinary. However, when she does so, she discovers that wasn't what she needed at all. And Kal is a man who hasn't been able to live up to his high ideals, so he feels like a failure. But Rosemary makes him feel special and responsible.

Title - 4 stars - This follows the format of previous books in the series, and it's the perfect title (as it is explained later on in the story). Rosemary thinks that maybe love isn't enough--you must love completely.

Cover - 2.5 stars - The cover really doesn't capture the feeling of the characters or the story at all. It's soft and sweet when the feeling of the book is more tough and hard, I thought.

Overall - 4 stars - This book is more of a character study than an action-packed tale, although you would be excused from thinking so since it begins in the middle of a climb on Mount Everest. But it's the aftermath of an avalanche that brings Rosemary and Kal together, plus it makes them look into themselves to discover what they really want and need in order to find fulfillment.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

This book did not hold the same fascination as book one. It was a decent read, but both book two and book three lack the magic that captured my heart in Truly. I have such strong memories and reaction to book one that nothing, has yet been able to equal, including other books by the same author.

Though I have enjoyed all three of the New York trilogy, Completely felt the weakest. One of the major emotional conflicts for Rosemary was with her daughter, and unfortunately she was off-screen most of the novel, making it feel remote. I did like Kal's sort of mid-disillusionment crisis -- and his family dynamic was aces -- but I didn't necessarily buy the chemistry between him and Rosemary after the initial grief-fueled hookup. That whole sequence after the disaster on Everest is the sharpest, most incisive part of the novel. Their road trip to Wisconsin felt recycled -- I've seen at least three other road trips in Knox's novels -- but I do like seeing lovers have to manage their new connections in addition to those with family and friends as well. That's how love affairs tend to work in the real world, after all. So maybe not my favorite Knox romance, but still full of the charm, humor, and deep emotions I have come to expect from her writing. Lovely.

I really love Ruthie Knox's writing. Her stories transport into me into her world of romance and life's complications. This is part of a series, which I have really enjoyed starting with Truly (my favorite!).
Good story and writing-unique story on how our main characters meet mountain climbing. I really liked the tow main characters. I really got lost in the story/romance. I just love a good romance and Ruthie didn't disappoint, she's one of my favorite romance authors. I see this book has mixed reviews... for some readers it seems you either love or don't like Ruthie's writing. I happen to love most all of her stories.
*A very special thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Loveswept and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review*

Ruthie Knox writes some of my favorite adult romances and to say I was excited when I saw this one is absolutely an understatement. I loved the first two books in this series and if you are looking for contemporary romance that is well written and swoony, definitely check out Knox's books...this one included.

A really good contemporary writer. I really like that the subject matter is so different between each of her books. It's rare for one person to have so much variety.

3.5 stars. Started out really liking this one, but my enjoyment faded a little over time. The beginning was so compelling and while the rest of the story was interesting, the pacing seemed a little slower, or at least slower compared to the excitement at the start. I did appreciate the chance to revisit several of Knox's characters that we've gotten to know over several of her books.

I got both an ARC and preorder myself a copy of Completely. I was excited for it’s release. I did a happy dance getting approved for the ARC. I was excited! So why did it take me so long to read? In fact, it was a tweet from Nick which guilted me into picking this up (thank you, Nick, you help me make good choices). I will forever be ashamed I didn't read this sooner but I'm also glad I waited until I was totally in the mood for a romance read as this book was a perfect example of romance done right.

I admit, I think I waited because I had some doubts. I loved the idea of the book and everything I’d hears about it but remembering what I knew of Rosemary from the last book I wasn't overly enamoured with her and wasn't sure I'd enjoy a book focused on her and her journey. Turns out I'm an idiot because I loved it. She was a powerful woman who had spent far too long as wallpaper. She finally had her freedom after divorcing Winston and choosing to climb Everest was part of her being her. When it doesn’t even remotely go as planned and she and her team are evacuated off of Everrest she ends up growing closer with Kal, an ice doctor on Everest (I didn’t know what that was either, I got a full mountain climbing education with this one). The romance which develops between the pair is brilliant, their chemistry is crazy, but I loved that they grew as friends as well. Like seriously, they were adorable and I loved them.

The thing is, this is a romance. It has an utterly brilliant romance between Rosemary and the slightly younger Kal (yay for an age difference romance which doesn't feature an older man) but it's way more about Rosemary finding herself and who she is it's her journey to who she is and also Kal's journey to regain his focus. Along the way the two just happen to fall in love and I love them for it. Rosemary was very lost, that was obvious from the first page. She is on a quest to find herself, which I think any woman is who is coming out of a long term relationship and has had children and is now trying to figure out who she was before marriage and being a mother. I think a lot of people will relate to Rosemary. I loved her realisations as she learnt what she actually wanted from life. And Kal! He used to be a sweet idealist thinking he could save the world, it sucked that he had to learn it isn’t as simple as having strong ideals but also work, and failure and a whole heap of picking yourself back up and trying something different. I really loved him figuring out his purpose once more, and the fact that he time with Rosemary helped him do that. The pair helped push one another forward and that’s what should happen in any good relationship.

This was a brilliant romance. I expect no less from Knox and I totally enjoyed every page. Kal and Rosemary are fantastic, the romance is brilliant, and this is a romance with an awesome story which links so well with the rest of the series which I hadn’t totally expected!

I've read the entire New York series as well as most of Ruthie's other books and I was really looking forward to reading Rosemary's story. Unfortunately, I felt like this book was more on the women's fiction side of the house, rather than a romance. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't what I was expecting, so I ended up not being as engaged by it. Rosemary has been a peripheral character in About Last Night (as Winston's wife) and then in Madly (as Winston's ex-wife/Beatrice's mother). I was intrigued by the glimpses of her that were previously shown and hoped she would get a chance to shine. What I liked about the book was how Rosemary was actively trying to figure out what she really wanted out of life rather than just passively sitting back and letting things happen to her as she had through most of her marriage. In that sense, she was a strong, determined character. I also loved the writing. As usual, Ruthie has a lovely way of narrating a story, getting you inside her characters heads, and presenting each character as a whole person with both good and bad qualities.

My problem was that Rosemary's romance with Kai, the "ice doctor", a half-Nepalese climbing expert that she meets as she's trying to climb Mt. Everest seems to be given short shrift in the book. It's like it was shoehorned in just because this was being sold as a romance. They first get together after a deadly avalanche on the mountain. Both are in shock, and their encounter seemed almost like it existed outside of reality. From this beginning, they start a romance that happens over the space of several days, and I just felt that it was too quick and did not have a strong foundation due to both of their mental states at the time. Although I liked both of them individually, I didn't feel any real connection between them as a couple. I also found myself putting the book down and not necessarily being drawn to pick it back up again. I'm not sure if the pacing was off or what the problem was. All in all, not one of my favorites of Ruthie's books, but I'm sure I'll give her next one a try.

Completely
New York #3
Ruthie Knox
4.5 STARS ✨

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. The beginning and middle were great but the ending seemed drawn out.
I loved learning about the Sherpas and mountain climbing even though it's fiction I felt the stories were real.
The family histories and dramas really made this book a winner. Learning about what Kal's mother went through and the things she accomplished were amazing.
This book was so much more than just a romance. It's about finding yourself and the travels you go through to get there.
I enjoyed this book the most out of the 3 books in this series.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start off by saying I loved the other books in this series but when it came to book 3 in the New York series, I found it was so unlike the others, I couldn’t get into the story. Ruthie Knox went another way with Rosemary and Kal’s story. It seemed to start off with a promising hint of awesomeness but the story slowly started to lose that hint of flavor. I couldn’t connect with the female lead Rosemary and even the male lead Kal had me scratching my head at times. I wasn’t sure what to do. There were flashes of brilliance when Rosemary meets up with her daughter and her ex husband, and then when she calls her ex mother in law but then the story seemed to drag. Even the ending seemed to come out of left field. Maybe its me but I think there was TOO MUCH going on which dragged the story down.. the avalanche in the beginning of the story, the main characters chasing their dreams and familial relationships and how they have come apart which makes them try to mend them. I like the message of fight for your dreams but I wish there would have been one major issue in the story and kind of settling on that instead of all the multiple things happening . I think it would have made this a story I would have been able to get into. I still will read Ruthie Knox and look forward to what she writes next.
My Rating: 3.5 stars *****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Completely is the final book in Ruthie Knox's New York trilogy, and though reading the other two first will definitely give you a fuller picture of who everyone in the "very big, very weird family of Wisconsin people" (Kal's description--it's pretty darn apt) is and what the heck they're alluding to throughout the story, you could get away with just reading Rosemary and Kal's book. You'll be cheating yourself, though--because those weird people are a heck of a lot of fun to hang out with. Just sayin'.

And while you're at it, read About Last Night , too, just for the heck of it. Nev and Cath will wander in at some point here as well.

Completely grabbed me from the beginning--who was Rosemary again, and why was she climbing Mount Everest? (It seemed like Madly had come out ages ago--I could have used a quick Cliff Notes refresher...) and Kal at first seemed like a most unlikely partner for her. But surviving a disaster can make you look at things differently, and though at times Kal and Rosemary were practically kicking and screaming in their attempt not to look at things differently than they thought they wanted to, Ms. Knox did an amazing job of bringing them back together in the end, both finally pointing in their own right directions, going forward together.

Though at times I was a bit frustrated with their obtuseness, and OMG their black moment fight was absolutely awful, those touches are what made this story seem all the more real. I'm sad to see this series end, but maybe a Beatrice of a few years in the future could pop up in another series? Fingers crossed...

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A favorite romantic trope is a road-trip relationship. Completely is no ordinary road-trip: Englishwoman Rosemary Chamberlin is “something of a celebrity mountain-climber.” A deadly avalanche destroys her hopes of summiting: in the midst of the turmoil, her guide, New Yorker Kal Beckett, rains down questions on her. He’s her guide, but she thinks of him as “Doctor Doom.”

His arm tightened, drew her close, pushed the wool of his knit cap into her forehead, hard. She felt his breath against her face. “You’re okay.”

She wasn’t.

“Everything’s okay.”

It wasn’t.

“It will be.”

Kal’s certainty is hard-won. He’s part of an illustrious climbing family—his famous mountain-climber mother has a scandalous past—and he’s philosophical about climbers in general. He’s had a lot of time to think.

He fetched a lot of cups of tea. Pitched a lot of tents. Carried newspapers, started fires, watched climbers, and figured out that exactly two kinds of people showed up to scale the tallest mountain in the world: the megalomaniacs, who were obsessed with their own power, and the walking wounded, who wanted the mountain to heal them.

Kal was neither. He’d never climbed to the summit of Everest. He’d never wanted to.

A helicopter takes them off the mountain; during the trip to Lukla, Rosemary clings to Kal’s “coat like his body was the rock she’d wrecked her ship against.” Still, perhaps, in his role as omniscient guide, seeking to erase the blankness he’d seen in Rosemary’s face on the helicopter, Kal brings a meal and a bottle of wine to her hotel room. He raps and raps on the door until at last Rosemary opens it.

Holy shit, she was stark naked. She was—

Kal ripped his gaze off her body and brought it to her eyes. She blinked. He shifted the wine bottle to his left hand and snapped his fingers. She blinked again. Looked down at herself. “Oh.”

Jesus. The princess had left the building.

At Kal’s suggestion, she shuts the door and gets herself organized and then lets Kal and their dinner back in: “They ate like animals” shoving dumplings down their throats, while spilling broth and getting grease all over their lips. The wine goes down like water. There’s not much evidence of the princess with her elaborate Base Camp beauty routines this evening.

She cradled the giant bowl of broth in both hands, brought it to her lips, and sucked down the brine. As human as him.

Completely fuckable.

Consumed with survivor-guilt, heartbroken by the death of so many of her companions, Rosemary falls into Kal’s arms, driven by a need to celebrate life in the midst of tragedy. It’s all over after Rosemary touches his shoulder—it’s a “kind of a blur.”

At some point later, in the bed, Kal tried to put together how they’d got there, if he’d made the first move or she had. All he could access was a sensation like antlers crashing together, a kind of fumbling airborne mess of passionate violence against buttons and zippers, his mouth on hers, her teeth biting at his lip, the heat in her hands, the taste of wine in her mouth.

It was insane.

Insanity is not exactly a normal start to a relationship. Everything’s ass-backward. Like Edmund and Mary in Balogh’s The Notorious Rake, Rosemary and Kal’s personal relationship unfolds at a heightened pace, full of fervor. The story of what happens afterward is equally compelling—Kal is robbed and Rosemary steps in and pays for him to get back to the States, to the New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights. She actually goes with him—and what happens once Kal meets her family and she meets his, will keep readers racing through the pages. It’s a road trip romance to remember with an unforgettable couple.

Reviewed by Kini
I have been reading Ruthie Knox since her debut way back when and I really love her voice.. They tend to be a little heavy, but not too angsty and always pretty sexy. This book was no different. This is the third and I think final book in the New York series. They are all interconnected, but could be read as stand-alones. I recommend reading the previous ones to really understand the connections between the characters.

The premise on this is interesting, Rosemary and Kal meet and hook-up after both were on Mount Everest and had to give up their adventure because of an avalanche. Kal is kind and caring and makes sure Rosemary is okay after coming down off the mountain. They end up seeking comfort in each other with sexy times. I was a little disappointed because that first sexy time was fade to black. I was worried the whole book would be fade to black, but that is not the case. I say that, but even at the time, it made sense that it wasn’t on the page.

Rosemary Chamberlin is the ex-wife of Winston Chamberlin. Rosemary is really struggling with who she is. She is divorced and talks about how when she was in her marriage, she felt like “wallpaper”. When her daughter was 17, Rosemary left her family and began going on travel adventures. She is now a part of a group of women who are attempting to summit seven of the biggest mountains. After the incident, Rosemary is shook. She thought this was her new destiny to travel and climb, but now she doesn’t know.

Kal is Sherpa and known as an “ice doctor” in the climbing community, he assists groups as they climb up Mt. Everest. He’s kind of grumpy. He’s kind of caught up in his own sadness and shit and I kind of loved him. He’s a bit younger than Rosemary and he struggles with his feelings for her and how someone like her could love him.

When they get back state side, they have to navigate through the real world and how and if they can translate chemistry and physical attraction into a real relationship. The conflict felt authentic and was emotional while they worked through their nonsense.

There is a subplot of how women frequently get overshadowed by the men in their lives and their accomplishments. I didn’t feel like it was heavy handed, but some readers may not enjoy it. Rosemary’s daughter was annoying and I really wanted Rosemary to stand up to her a little more, but I also understand why that didn’t happen.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t quite as good as the previous books, but I felt like it was a solid read. Good characters with a love story I could believe in and hope the best for. We do get a glimpse at characters from the previous books, so that was fun too.


Grade: C+

A good book but I don't know if I'm the audience for it.

Rosemary Chamberlain is an aspiring celebrity mountain climber who wants to climb Everest and write about it. Rosemary is trying to use Everest as a jumping off point to begin a new life of adventuring and storytelling. Unfortunately while beginning her final ascent to the top, there is a landslide and all the people below are killed. This is a understandably traumatic event and while recovering Rosemary bonds with the "ice doctor" on the trip Kal Beckett. Kal has complicated feelings about Everest. He come from a long line of sherpas and see Everest as both the backbone of Nepalese tourism and as monster that takes and kills the people around him.

Rosemary and Kal's life collides on that mountain and they travel back to New York to try to make sense of what is left behind. In doing so, they introduce each other to their families (some of whom were introduced in earlier novels) and fall in love with each other while also acknowledging the difficulties of their differences.

The book was really interesting and obviously well thought out. It introduces problems of cultural tourism and touches on cross-cultural romance in a really light way. But I just couldn't connect to the heroines particular problem of feeling listless and dissatisfied with her life of privilege and I really didn't like the way that she expected to use other's stories, particularly people that she just met, to "fix" herself. I am glad I read the book, as I said, it was really well written, but I don't think I'll be revisiting it.

Reviews left on Amazon and BN.com as SJC Reviews

After a few weeks of mediocre romances, I was so happy to read the first few pages of COMPLETELY. I knew by the end of the first chapter that I would come to know the main characters as if they were real people. I don’t know how some other authors can describe what a character is wearing and it seems all irrelevant and extraneous, and then Ruthie Knox describes someone’s clothing in a way that paints a picture in my mind and makes me know the character better. Whatever that particular facet of writing talent is, I’m grateful. I really was about to go on a romance hiatus until COMPLETELY came my way.

So besides the draw of a good romance, COMPLETELY enamored me with complex family dynamics, the intricacies of mountain climbing, and the turmoil of people trying to decide if they’re suppose to continue on their current path or not. Most of the book was about mountain climbing. I learned a ton. But between the lines I also learned that the best figurative mountains to climb are the ones that are the most difficult.

COMPLETELY has some steamy scenes and a whole lot of fun dates in New York City. It was a bit of a departure from the fluff romances I usually read, and I need to remember to go back and read Knox’s New York books #1&2.