Madly: A New York Novel

Allie is from Wisconsin, and a bit of an impulsive extrovert: with a huge problem. See, since she was little, her mother would disappear every so often without reason, and there was never any explanation. So, wild, determined and sixteen, she snooped and discovered a piece of a family secret – and has been operating under half-understood assumptions for the last number of years. Now with a recent episode as a runaway bride, she’s upped her snoop on her mother game, and has added tracking, tracing and now following her mother on her latest disappearance. To New York. A sudden need to have an accomplice and someone to hide behind brings her into Winston’s company. A divorced Brit working in his family’s US branch of the financial management company, he’s there desperately trying to be the father he thinks that his daughter, now in university needs. A bit of a control freak – he’s busy living up to an ideal that he thinks he should meet, one that is not realistic or particularly helpful when you think of personal interactions. And, unfortunately for him, that particular stick has been lodged in his butt for years. Oh this was fun- and completely and totally unexpected! Sometimes you think you have a clue as to what will be the outcome – but Allie was full of surprises, contradictions and just plain insouciant glee, causing a not insignificant merry chase for those around her. With secondary characters, several twist from the supposed heartbreak of her father due to her mother’s disappearance, her ex who never heard the word boundary, her sister and husband, her father, Winston’s PA and brother, his driver and the curious concept of the “mailman” this is a wonderful story that is sure to keep you reading through to the end, only to want another. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher viia NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

Allie Frederick is May Frederick's younger sister from Truly. She is supposed to be in Wisconsin organising her parents' wedding anniversary party but instead she has flown to New York to spy on her mother and another man. Throughout her childhood Allie's mother has taken off for days or weeks at a time, her father has always tried to gloss over her mother's absences but early on Allie learnt to hack her mother's computer and read her private papers. The kicker is that the man her mother is meeting is a well-known artist who goes under the pseudonym "Justice" and is Allie's biological father. Allie feels like the family screw-up, an entrepreneur extraordinaire she runs a business buying and selling bric a brac (although we soon find out that is just the tip of the iceberg). Since splitting from her ex Allie has indulged her eclectic fashion sense by wearing some of the vintage clothes she sells online. Allie is trying to spy on her mother and Justice in a half-empty bar when Winston Chamberlain walks in. Allie enlists Winston in her madcap scheme by asking for his assistance in hiding her from her mother's gaze. After a drunken afternoon and evening in the bar, drinking whisky and spying on Allie's mother, Winston offers Allie the use of his daughter's flat for a couple of nights while she is in New York. Winston is a very proper English lawyer, divorced with a daughter at college in New York, he has reached a kind of midlife crisis, he realises that he stifled his ex-wife's personality while they were married and spent his entire adult life doing what was expected, not even acknowledging that he didn't want to do those things (and neither did his ex). He has moved to New York to be with his daughter but she seems to avoid him as much as she can, he feels out-of-place, unwanted and irrelevant. Allie decides to try an experiment that her friend Elvira calls talking to the mailman, where you unload all your deepest darkest secrets and issues on a complete stranger (or mailman), in the belief that it helps prepare you for maybe having those difficult conversations with someone you love. Allie confesses that she broke off her engagement at the altar and yet her ex-fiance is a constant presence in her life. Winston confesses the issues with his marriage. Together they draw up a TO DO list of things they never did with their other halves or wish they had done. It starts innocuously enough with a 30 second hug but gets more risque. So we have a clash of opposites: Allie is an eccentric dresser, from Wisconsin, a small-town girl from a solid middle-class family. Winston is the sort of guy who wears a three-piece suit seven days a week, he's from a wealthy English family. And yet they find a connection. Ruthie Knox writes such different romances and such fascinating characters with plots that defy expectations. Winston is desperate to find some passion in his life the way his ex-wife and daughter have done, he feels like he is sleep-walking through life. Allie feels that she is responsible for fixing her family, dragging her mother back to Wisconsin in time for her wedding anniversary party to make her father happy. Gradually they both begin to change their lives and their outlooks, but what future can they have when Allie is going back to Wisconsin and Winston wants to go back to England? Well! I started this book and 7% in I was hating it. Allie seemed to be one of those "mad cap" heroines that Elle Casey writes (and I have now vowed not

So, so good :) I loved both Allie and Winston--they shouldn't have worked together at all, but OMG they so did somehow. I'm going to give the credit to Ruthie Knox's writing here--she really knows how to write characters who shouldn't at all be made for each other but totally are. I also really liked that their age difference was practically a non-issue for everyone involved; that was unexpected but also absolutely worked. Seriously, she's a romance wizard. The whole what-is-Allie-and-May's-mother-doing-in-NYC subplot was a little iffy--it worked to bring Allie and Winston together, but then took up a bit too much page time in parts of the book, finally ending up...just okay in the end. It was ultimately pretty feel-good, though a bit out there on the realism front. Allie and Winston are both siblings to previous Knox characters--Allie's May's sister from Truly and Winston's Nev's brother from About Last Night--and though it could be read on its own, I did find myself wishing I'd had a recent refresher, especially for Truly (mostly because of how much I loved, loved, loved May and Ben's story, but also because it seems like that book came out ages ago). Now--how about a book for Winston's daughter? :) Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A- I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is the first review I have ever written but I just love this book! Every character was so very real. Can;t say enough about this author.

A nice blending of characters from two of my favorite books by Ruthie Knox, and the intoduction of some intriguing new characters makes for interesting reading

Madley is the second book in the New York Trilogy and tells Allie and Winston's story as strangers that meet in a bar. Allie asks Winston to track her mother while she is meeting with a colleague. Before you know it, he and Allie are hooking up. As the week passes, they become more than friends and a relationship soon ensues. This book had a great opening scene but lost me as the story developed. The story became confusing and while I usually love books by Ruthie Knox, this wasn't my favorite.

I loved this story! Allie's impetuous decision to follow her mother to New York has real life consequences. Having previously left a groom at the altar, a man who continues to insinuate himself into her life back home to her dismay (he's a nice guy, everyone says so!), and now planning a wedding anniversary party for her parents that might not happen, she's in a bit of panic. Winston, drawn into her spy game, becomes a steadying influence for her. She ends up staying at the apartment he'd gotten for his daughter Bea (who insists on living at her college dorm). Two strangers, they have a surprisingly easy camaraderie that results in sharing some intimate secrets, and this leads to a list – yes, that kind of list (wink, wink). With no vested interest in the outcome of each others lives (at least at first), they can confide anything to each other without fear of reprisal or condemnation. I really enjoyed watching them open up to each other, both sexually and emotionally. While Winston and Allie are growing closer, there are significant happenings going on in their family relationships. Winston's struggles to be a worthy father to Bea, and a better brother to Nev (whose relationship to his partner Cath he almost destroyed) are noteworthy. He really wasn't that nice of a guy before, and only since his divorce and move to New York has he come to grips with the mistakes he's made. Allie is not at all a woman he would have ever considered dating before, but her refreshing candor and zest for life draw him in. Allie has her own challenges, her relationship with her sister May fraught with tension and resulting in several emotional scenes. Her confusion and worry over her mother's actions, and the knowledge that her father is not related to her biologically lead her to make several decisions that aren't necessarily the right ones, though it's only in her trying to fix everything and make everyone else happy that she realizes how miserable she is. The author has a wonderful way of drawing you into her characters and making you feel invested in the outcome of everyone's lives, not just the main couple. There are some surprising twists and turns in the second half of this delightful story, and some tears, laughter and joy when all's said and done. Everyone gets a happy ending, including Winston and Allie. Madly is a delightful romp exploring family and friendship and love in Ruthie Knox's unmatched style.

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 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.

Received an ARC for my fair review for netgalley. This book was totally far fetched. I think Allie was a flake, but to me what saved it was Winston, in my eyes anyway. It was good to read about past characters, but probably will not continue this series.

Another wonderful, sweet romance… This is the second book in the New York series that can be read as a stand-alone though having read the first book will enhance this reading. Allie Fredericks is on a mission, her mother disappears periodically for what her father calls the space she needs but this time Allie followed her from Wisconsin to New York City determined to learn what her mother does during those times away. Allie has a rather vivid imagination that runs rampant with conclusions that may or may not be true, though unsure she wants to know the truth she’s at a point in her life that she needs to find it. Spying is not as easy as it seems in the movies and she’s soon faced with a dilemma, how to continue to spy on someone in a bar where in a moment she could be seen so she latches onto a lone patron and asks for his help. Winston Chamberlain has just come in from the rain to a Wisconsin themed bar he’s patronized before having been stood up by his daughter and needing a drink when a young woman calls him over. What she asks of him is quite absurd yet he considers it, in his current frame of mind it might just be the most interesting part of his day. He’s from London, a divorced father remaining close to his daughter now in college at NYU. It’s good to step away from his own family dramas and into someone else’s for a spell and the woman is uniquely different from those he has known and in a most refreshing way. Two souls at transitional points in their lives make an unexpected connection and share a journey of discovery as they solve a family mystery and help each other realize what they really want and need out of life. When they met there was an intense chemistry between them that each wanted to explore yet they are opposites which makes for interesting dynamics and great dialogue, she’s the confused carefree spirit and he’s the out of his depth reserved Englishman. This is a story of relationships and not just between a man and a woman but also between siblings, parents and children. We have no choice who are family is, that’s why those relationships are the most complicated and tend to cut when they go awry yet they also mean the most for it’s our support system. This author shows us human behavior that is most real, raw and honest emotions and reactions that are relatable to the reader with complex characters that are endearingly quirky but most of all they are so human, flaws included. This was a wonderful follow up to Truly which this reader loved, stories like this are the voice this author does best. That this series is set in New York City, a place so familiar was a bonus for this resident of the state; the vivid descriptions bring the city clearly to mind. An advanced reading copy was obtained from the publisher via NetGalley.

A wonderful romance with such a lovely twist into a Happily Ever After for every kind of love: sister love, brother love, father-adult child love, romantic love. Ruthie Knox is one of my favorite writers. Her characters are complex and engaging with quirks, flaws, and beauty of the soul. The plots have all these little details which are grand. Here we get New York City, a dip into the art world, and business. Mainly, we get the heartache of divorce and family with the hope of change and love. I loved Truely (I am going to read it again) and I love this story of the sister. Our heroine is a (well I won’t tell you her age cause that is a fun part of the story) impulsive and clever woman who comes to New York on a mission. The hero is older, British and and open to her adventure. He lets the light in. He is the older not so nice brother from another wonderful Knox romance About Last Night.(which I will be rereading too). There is a wonderful mystery in this book and so achey family dynamics. The psychological aspects of the story are superb but you will stay for the love between Winston and Allie…the acceptance….the passion. It is hot and it is real. It is great and will leave you happy. I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it.

Madly by Ruthie Knox Pub Date 14 Mar 2017 I Recommend This Book Ruthie Knox has a way of writing like no one else. You find out what make her characters click where the story is so well played out, you feel you're part of it. Allie Fredericks has just flown from Wisconsin to New York City to find her mother. She's trying to act very covertly and not be discovered by her Mom and the man she's sitting with. Attracting the attention of a man that just walked into the bar, she tries to get him to help her. Hours later, after drinking lots of whiskey, they've made a list of things they want to do together. Come to find out, Winston does know the man Allie's Mom is with. He's the elusive and famous artist known as Justice, who is also one of his clients. Winston has only been in the US for a few months, following his 19 year old daughter, who is studying art at NYU. Since his marriage imploded back in England, he needs to make a new start, something he has no idea how to do. Allie is a breath of fresh air to his rigid life. As they get to know each other, Winston realizes he wants more of Allie, even though he knows eventually she will return to Wisconsin once her family drama plays out. Even thou there is a 13 year difference between them, Winston is hoping that it won't matter to Allie. This is a love story about second chances and grabbing them and never letting go.

Allie and Winston meet unexpectedly when she is in Manhattan, at a bar, spying on her mother. Allie wants Winston to play along with her on her quest to spy on her mother without her mother knowing she is there. Allie and Winston hit it off and she decides he can be her "mailman" (a person she can unload all of her feelings and true self onto without any repercussions). Both of them get caught up in making a list of things to do together and so begins their journey. Allie was whimsical, flighty, eccentric and wanted to be loved for who she was and not what people wanted her to be. I had no issue with that. I had an issue, however, with her not giving the people in her life the same courtesy. She flees to New York to try and stop her mother from what she thinks is abandoning her marriage and bring her back home so her family can be the "same". For a 26-year-old it got tiring to see her immaturity on so many levels in this book. She doesn't stand up for herself with her ex-fiance' until she is told by Winston that he needs boundaries to be set and she is responsible for setting them (how she didn't figure this out on her own was mind-boggling). She has numerous business interests and is successful in most of her ventures, yet can't get her feelings possibly hurt by her family members by letting them know the truth and how she feels. Her walking on eggshells with May was ridiculous and both of them acted like adolescents and not adults. Her father should have set the record straight well before Allie turned 26 and her mother was just disappointing to me all around. Allie struggled to acknowledge her feelings for Winston and he got knocked around quite a bit in this book. Was not a fan of her selfishness towards him and it knocked down my ability to like her. Winston had his own series of issues and, although he was making strides in his life to do better and to be more like his old self, he was still pigeon-holed at points. His daughter, Bea, treated him like an after-thought and I wanted him to stand up for himself a little more with her. I liked how he was able to show patience with Allie but their connection never really struck with me. It got washed out with the author's continued theme of "self-discovery" and being able to be true to yourself to the point that I was over it at the end. I got it early on in the book and felt it was overkill the number of times she felt it was necessary to hit me over the head with it again. There was a decent plot and I did like how the ending wrapped up, but the book tried too hard for me to keep pushing the "mailman" theme. I was grateful to receive an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

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**

Madly by Ruthie Knox is Book 2 of the New York Series. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Madly was one entertaining read. With a totally outlandish plot, you will quickly find that it doesn’t matter with what Ms. Knox brings to the table: charming characters, sizzling chemistry, and a great pace that really keeps the story moving. Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

I feel like I've been waiting for this book for forever! Happily Ruthie Knox did not disappoint. This second book of her New York series is the story of Allie. The runaway bride sister we first met in Truly. She's secretly in New York looking for her mother. Never did she expect to meet someone like Winston Chamberlain and never would she have though he could distract her from the thing that had brought her to the city. Can she accomplish her original mission and keep the guy?? I'm a huge Ruthie Knox fan. Her stories are always fresh and unique and her characters are always complex and real. Both of these are true in this story. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This is a delightful book that captured my attention from the very beginning when Allie, an unlikely spy, enlists Winston, a total stranger, to help her observe a woman at a bar. Almost immediately, the sparks of attraction ignite between Allie and Winston. They are most definitely opposites, but are drawn together in a way neither is quite sure of. As the romance develops between the two, Allie's family drama, and the true purpose of her trip to New York City, heats up. Allie has tracked her missing mother and is determined to find her. Based on her research, she is convinced her mom is having a long term affair with a mysterious artist based in NYC. While I was enjoying the romance, the family drama snuck in on me and had me totally engrossed before I even realized it had happened. I was so hooked that I stayed up late into the night so see what happened. This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. I've added her to my must read authors' list. Fans of the genre will love this book.