Mini reviews: Truly and Madly by Ruthie Knox

Truly (New York #1) by Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: August 5th 2014. 
My rating: 4.5 stars. 

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin? Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.

Truly was a book with one of the most atypical situations, but was a book which really ended up working for me. May finds herself with no money, no ID and so no way to get back home, she’s also just broken up with her boyfriend of four years, so has no place to go either. She ends up in a bar and hopes that some nice person will take pity on her dire situation, instead she ends up with a grouchy guy called Ben and he doesn’t come across as people person at all and has the shortest fuse ever. But like May I found myself drawn to his character, Ben had been through a lot and really wanted a change and maybe May was it, if only he would let himself try. I adored the time May and Ben spent together getting to know one another, like I mentioned both had rough pasts and so I just wanted both to finally find their happiness. It was definitely great seeing how they both bought the best out in each other, you’d think they were complete opposites with how May just let everyone walk over her and dictate her life and Ben losing his temper all the time so quickly. But you could say May and Ben were just the perfect fit for one another, the development of their relationship was mesmerising to watch and their scenes spent together off the charts *fans self*. I also liked how Knox made their relationship so believable, the way Ben was quick to help May out anyway possible when he didn’t even know her did come across as strange to me at first. But the evolvement of their relationship quickly helped me forget the initial doubts that I had and the obstacles that came along the way made me root for them even more. Truly was a book which completely took me by surprise, I enjoyed devouring the sexy as hell scenes and the witty and hilarious characters that Knox created. I for one can’t wait to dive into the rest of this series.

Madly (New York #2) by Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: March 14th 2017. 
My rating: 3.5 stars. 

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?

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!