Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

I Wish You Love: Alice's Story

Rate this book
She waited twelve years for the perfect moment. But the perfect moment never came. So she made one. Alice McBain has spent her life pleasing everyone but herself—her husband, her daughter, her friends, and especially her boss, Marilyn Morgan. But Marilyn isn’t just the mayor of Tuckaway Bay and Alice’s superior—she’s also the woman Alice has secretly loved for over a decade.

Now, with Marilyn preparing to run for a state Senate seat, she insists on keeping their relationship under wraps until after the election. Her constituents—and her husband—must never know.

But Alice is tired of hiding. After years of whispers and waiting, she wants more than secret glances and stolen moments. She wants the life they’ve dreamed of—out loud and in the open.

When Alice finally takes a stand, the carefully constructed façade of her life begins to crumble. The fallout touches everything—her marriage, her family, even Marilyn’s campaign. And the woman who’s always put others first must decide what love means when you finally choose yourself.

A poignant, powerful story of identity, sacrifice, and the courage to live—and love—authentically.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read

About the author

Madeleine Jaimes

9 books10 followers
Madeleine Jaimes is a contemporary women’s fiction author whose emotionally charged novels explore the real-life social issues affecting women today. Her stories reflect powerful themes like addiction and recovery, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ identity, and family struggles. Her characters remind us that healing is never linear—and that strength comes in many forms. She believes the most important stories we tell are the ones we whisper to ourselves.

Set against emotionally rich backdrops, Madeleine’s stories invite readers to pause, reflect, and feel seen. Her popular Tuckaway Bay series reflects her passion for writing layered characters and small-town stories where every woman’s journey matters.

Also writing romance as Maddie James.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
13 (76%)
4 stars
4 (23%)
3 stars
0 (0%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
1,642 reviews16 followers
August 26, 2025
Alice straddles two worlds: gay or straight. Which way will she go?
This book involves six former ECU college women who meet up annually for beach therapy in Tuckaway Bay, North Carolina: Lia, Maggie, Julia and Alice. Their stories have been told separately in previous books. This book is about Alice. Alice and her husband George have been living together but not together since Alice told him about the affair she was having with her female boss, Marilyn. Thing is Marilyn is running for State Senator and keeps putting Alice off. No, they cannot come out because it might damage Marilyn’s chances at winning. Through the course of this book, many revelations will occur. Some good and some not so good. Interesting ending for one of Ms. Jaimes’ books. Read it and see what you think…
With each book in this series, we get to see a bit of the lives of the women from the previous books, how they are faring in their new life; whether because of second chances, marriage ending, or other reasons these women are more resilient together than apart. If you like women centric stories with drama, angst with a new plot from this author, you really must read this book; heck, read this entire series! I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Booksprout. The next book will be about the missing twin sisters: Wren and Willow who are now in witness protection. Oooo…can’t wait!
Profile Image for Rebel.
2,654 reviews
September 1, 2025
Madeleine Jaimes has done it again—I Wish You Love had me laughing, crying, and cheering all at once. Alice McBain is one of those characters who quietly lives for everyone else… until she finally decides that she deserves her own happiness. Watching her take the leap toward Marilyn, the woman she’s loved in secret for over a decade, was everything I wanted and more.
The tension between love and responsibility, secrecy and authenticity, is handled beautifully. Alice’s journey is emotional, raw, and so relatable—I found myself rooting for her at every turn. And the way Jaimes explores family, friendship, and personal courage adds layers that made this story resonate long after I turned the last page.
This isn’t just a romance. It’s a story about finding your voice, demanding the life you’ve always wanted, and loving boldly, no matter the consequences. If you’ve been following Tuckaway Bay, you won’t want to miss Alice’s story. And if you haven’t, this standalone will still hit you right in the heart.
Profile Image for Lucinda Race.
Author 68 books662 followers
Read
October 10, 2025
I Wish You Love was a roller coaster of emotions.
Marilyn was heartless. Alice deserves to be loved and I wish her love.
I can't wait to read Wren and Willow's book next.
Read this Women's Fiction series you won't be disappointed.

It's mn one click preorder every book.
382 reviews
September 5, 2025
I have enjoyed this series, but I must say this was my least favorite. Alice was always the one that always had the answers for everyone else in their group of friends, but when faced with her own life, she has been keeping secrets, which we did learn about in some of the other stories. She has been manipulated by her boss which she's been having an affair for many years and is also another woman. They can't come clean because Marilyn is running for the Senate. Alice and her husband are also trying to make the right choices and how to make them work for their daughter as well. Her college friends are definitely there for Alice now that she has some big decisions to make. It's a very different kind of book for sure.
3,000 reviews44 followers
October 2, 2025
It’s finally time for Alice McBain’s complicated story to be told. Her life was blown apart somewhat by the events of the Christmas storm, when some of her and her friends kids got together, and her secret was revealed. She has been involved with another woman, Marilyn, the Mayor of Tuckaway Bay, and is also her boss. Marilyn is running a campaign to become a state senator and has asked Alice to wait until the campaign and election was over, before she divorces her husband, George. Neither of their husbands know about their affair and it has been going on for over twelve years. As well as working as Marilyn’s assistant in the mayor’s office, she has also been helping run her election campaign, and matters have been getting stressful. Alice has asked George for a divorce, something he doesn’t want and her daughter Ella is off to college, so she was hoping to spend time with Ella before she left at the end of the summer. Living in a small town, news of her impending divorce has already spread. Alice is tired of waiting for things to ever settle down and her life with Marilyn to actually begin, instead of only having stolen moments together. She wants the life she has been dreaming of for years, but it soon implodes as a vicious political rival plays dirty.

Just as she pushes for a new life, everything crumbles as she loses her job and her work on the campaign suddenly becomes her new life. But nothing is as simple as that, as blackmail pushes her and Marilyn’s decisions and next steps. When matters get even worse for Alice and her emotional state makes her take an unexpected step, which will backfire in the future. Her week away to meet up with her old college friends, Maggie, Lia and Julia, a standing beach week the women have continued since they went to college and beyond, is threatened by Marilyn and that doesn’t go down well. Alice refuses to give up her week away with her friends and the façade of her relationship with Marilyn implodes. She gets away to the beach, but the fallout from her secret relationship with Marilyn, soon follows her to the beach. Blackmail material is released to the press and her family life is sent into chaos beyond her control. Both Alice’s and Marilyn’s long held secrets are out in the open and the hope of Marilyn’s rivals were to force her to quit her campaign! Alice had to make her own decisions about her life and her relationship with her family, as she struggles to make sense of what she wants to do now everything has been thrown out into the open. She had always been the mother hen and the one that did everything else for others first, instead of looking out for herself. Finally choosing to put herself first, brings with it lots of heartache and deep thinking about she wants for her future, and just what exactly she thinks of as love and who she wants to love! It will bring a few surprises as well, with matters possibly not being settled as one might expect. And an unexpected visit from the other two former college friends, who have been missing in action for the last two summer beach week experiences. I can’t wait for their story coming at long last, but also loved how Alice finally realised she might have to put herself first for once, if she was ever to have a life she deserved.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
1,499 reviews13 followers
August 28, 2025
She waited twelve years for the perfect moment. But the perfect moment never came. So she made one. Alice McBain has spent her life pleasing everyone but herself—her husband, her daughter, her friends, and especially her boss, Marilyn Morgan. But Marilyn isn’t just the mayor of Tuckaway Bay and Alice’s superior—she’s also the woman Alice has secretly loved for over a decade.

Now, with Marilyn preparing to run for a state Senate seat, she insists on keeping their relationship under wraps until after the election. Her constituents—and her husband—must never know.

But Alice is tired of hiding. After years of whispers and waiting, she wants more than secret glances and stolen moments. She wants the life they’ve dreamed of—out loud and in the open.

When Alice finally takes a stand, the carefully constructed façade of her life begins to crumble. The fallout touches everything—her marriage, her family, even Marilyn’s campaign. And the woman who’s always put others first must decide what love means when you finally choose yourself.


This mature emotional women's fiction is page-turning with exceptional world-building that is in Tuckaway Bay, with magnificent sunrises and sunsets that are majestically painted in vibrant hues across the sky, and characters that are resilient, captivating, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with the quiet strength of women's friendships, and complicated bonds between mothers, friends, and daughters, a poignant, powerful story of identity, sacrifice, and the courage to live and love authentically. Their journey is enthralling with emotionally gut-wrenching drama, that is engulfed by heartfelt emotions/emotional depth that will leave readers needing Kleenex/Puffs to wipe away the tears that are threatening to pour down their cheeks, action, adventure, self-discovery, starting over, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with the love I wish you love in Alice's story that will transport readers into a world of love and loss that has emotions running high and unforgettable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Happily Ever After Romance.
887 reviews26 followers
August 26, 2025
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance

I Wish You Love is the fifth title in the Tuckaway Bay series, and finally gives us Alice’s story, one filled with love, heartbreak, and discovery of who Alice truly is when she seeks out love for herself, of herself for the first time in so many years.

Through the years, and the earlier stories in this series, we’ve seen Alice as the steady rock, the woman who holds so many of their friends together, who will put others’ happiness before her own… and will have a secret love affair with another woman for over fourteen years. She’s risked so much for Marilyn, her marriage is a lie for appearances, and the relationship with her daughter is now uncomfortable. And still, Marilyn holds off on announcing to the world that they are together and in love because of her political ambitions that now face close scrutiny as she fights for a Senate seat. Alice’s world is about to finally crumble around her, but perhaps she’ll finally find what she’s looking for… herself.

I have to say this, I did not like Marilyn at all. She’s manipulative, abrasive, out for herself, and uses people like Alice and then tosses them aside when they’re no longer convenient. Yes, that’s harsh, but Alice is too good for Marilyn; she deserves so much more from the person she loves. There will be political maneuverings, betrayal of the worst kind, family upset, friends who will always have her back, and finally truths that can no longer be ignored before Alice can find the happiness she seeks for herself and no one else.

I loved I Wish You Love by Madeleine Jaimes. It’s well-written, emotional, full of sisterhood, deep friendships, and connections that last a lifetime. If that’s your type of women’s fiction, then you’ll simply love Alice’s story.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Profile Image for N.N. Heaven.
Author 6 books2,133 followers
October 9, 2025
Alice has a secret, a secret not even her best friends know about. She’s been having a secret affair for years with Marilyn, the mayor of Tuckaway Bay. Their relationship has to stay private for various reasons. But Alice is tired of living with this secret. She wants to be out in the open, but Marilyn keeps pushing it off. When their secret comes to light, everything falls apart. Alice wonders if the happiness she’s been promised is nothing but a lie. After several years of taking care of others, will Alice have the courage to put herself first?

I Wish You Love: Alice’s Story is a heartbreaking story of being true to yourself, loving in secret, and finding the courage to break away from toxic relationships. From the start, the descriptive narration is immersive and pulls you into the story. This is women’s fiction at its best, full of realistic life events and emotional scars. There were so many times I cried for Alice and the other characters. I Wish You Love: Alice’s Story is an unforgettable read.

If you’ve read other books in this series, you’re familiar with Alice and her mother hen approach. She takes care of everyone except herself. In this tale, you get to experience the emotional turmoil she faces on a daily basis. By the time you reach the end, you will feel every emotion possible.

Madeleine Jaimes has penned another exquisite women’s fiction novel. The writing is emotional and true to life. Readers who enjoy Susan Wiggs will love I Wish You Love: Alice’s Story.

My Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Nancy

This review first appeared: https://substack.com/@nnlightsbookhea...
1,497 reviews7 followers
August 27, 2025
I love this series. The individual storylines are as good as the individual characters. Alice has been totally immersed in herself and now her secrets are exposed in the most open ways possible. After 14 years of being in a relationship with Marilyn, the local mayor, their secret is potentially ripe for public scandal. Marilyn has ruthlessly pursued her career to the detriment of everyone. Alice has been her doormat secret affair and is now becoming impatient. The effect on their husbands, Alice's daughter and family life is about to collapse. Alice has always been the peacemaker, the voice of reason and portrayed as selfless. Now it seems she is about to find out how she really feels, exactly what she wants and needs. To face her demons and to be herself is not easy, considering the destruction she has unintentionally created whirling around her. The calm before the storm..told from then and now POV, providing background to it all.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
247 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2025
I enjoyed reading this book with all the tension and trying to decide whether she was gay or bisexual or maybe something else but I am not one for the overuse of the F-word, especially knowing its meaning. Less strong language would have made it flow much better in places. Tackling the subject of being a public figure and what it might do to reveal your other than married to each other relationships is something that needs to be done currently and this book did a great job of that. Will be waiting to see where each person involved goes from here.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2,873 reviews11 followers
August 27, 2025
Alice McBain and Marilyn Morgan have been in a secret romantic and physical relationship for several years. This relationship is complicated by the family (husband and children) of each woman. Additionally, Marilyn’s Senate campaign compounds the situation with emphatic pressures.

The tensions in this story are moderately intense. The plot is somewhat complex due to the number of active characters involved. Nonetheless, it’s entertaining and enjoyable.

Entertaining. Romantic. Steamy. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.
Profile Image for Connie .
298 reviews4 followers
August 31, 2025
Book 5 in the Tuckaway Bay series is Alice’s story. Alice is a very complicated character and Ms Jaime’s does an excellent job of writing all her various parts as she tries to find her own place in life. She has spent her life pleasing and caring for everyone else and now she is ready for Alice’s time. What that looks like she’s not sure yet but she’s ready to find out.
10.8k reviews125 followers
September 8, 2025
This is the fifth book I've read written by Madeleine James; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the fifth book in the Tuckaway Bay Series; it can be read as a stand-alone book but would be much better if read in order. The series is about six friends that return to Tuckaway Bay every August.
Profile Image for D..
1,802 reviews
September 9, 2025
Alice gets her story. I was looking forward to reading her story. She has so much to reveal to everyone and instead of having joy and excitement, everything went badly. I loved how her friends rallied around and supported her. This was a great story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Barbara Harrison.
3,404 reviews86 followers
October 4, 2025
Have a tissue handy on the day you allow for this contemporary adult volatile mix of love and politics in small-town Tuckaway Bay, North Carolina, where closeted bisexual Marilyn Morgan is running for state senator, with best friends, families, FF, LGBTQ+, triangles, twins, and a few laughs.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for BookwormSally.
157 reviews
January 15, 2026
This series has been outstanding and it's nice to be able to find out a bit more about Alice's back story in this instalment. You definitely need to read this series in order, despite the back stories coming after the current story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
46 reviews
September 10, 2025
This book was great. A beautiful addition to the Tuckaway Bay Series. If you haven't read the first 4, I suggest you read those too. Such a heart wrenching, beautifully told story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Maddie James.
Author 147 books468 followers
Read
August 26, 2025
Hi Readers!

Update 8/25/2025. I Wish You Love has released! I'm so excited to share Alice's story with the world. I hope you enjoy the book, and most of all, I Wish You Love!

****

Update! I'm 100% finished writing I Wish You Love! Stay tuned for an on-time release on August 26, and a few teasers before that!

****
I'm about 85% finished writing Alice's story -- I Wish You Love -- book 5 in my Tuckaway Bay women's fiction series. I'm so excited for you to read this book. Alice has always been the mother hen of the group, making sure everyone is happy. But who is making Alice happy?

On the outside, her life looks perfect. Very few people know, though, that she's struggling.

Have you read the other books in the series? If not, check out Beach Therapy first!

Love,
Madeleine
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.