Karina Halle is one of my favourite authors, and she blew me away with this read! Val was a sweet girl and Padraig was a broken soul, but together they were perfect. My heart soared, shattered and grew with love for this couple and the whole story.
Title: My Life in Shambles
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Life in Shambles is an emotional and sexy new standalone contemporary romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Nordic King and The Pact.
When Valerie Stephens made the resolution to say yes to new adventures, she never thought she’d end up in the tiny town of Shambles, fake engaged to one of Ireland’s top rugby players. But there’s a first time for everything.
They say bad things happen in threes.
After my boyfriend broke off our engagement, I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can definitely attest to that.
They also say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures.
So when my two sisters invited me to ring in the new year in Ireland, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. I was going to let “saying yes” be my new resolution.
Little did I know I’d spend New Year’s Eve having a hot and dirty one-night stand with Padraig McCarthy, one hell of a sexy Irishman. I also didn’t know that the brooding and intense sex god was one of Ireland’s top rugby players.
A rugby player with a proposition for me:
Come with him to his tiny hometown of Shambles and pretend to be his fiancé for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind.
It sounded simple enough.
It was anything but.
Not when a town gets up in your business, not when the media hunts you down, not when your past comes back in the picture, not when there are real hearts and feelings at stake.
Not when there are secrets that could break you.
They say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures.
This is my life in Shambles.
When Valerie Stephens made the resolution to say yes to new adventures, she never thought she’d end up in the tiny town of Shambles, fake engaged to one of Ireland’s top rugby players. But there’s a first time for everything.
They say bad things happen in threes.
After my boyfriend broke off our engagement, I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can definitely attest to that.
They also say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures.
So when my two sisters invited me to ring in the new year in Ireland, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. I was going to let “saying yes” be my new resolution.
Little did I know I’d spend New Year’s Eve having a hot and dirty one-night stand with Padraig McCarthy, one hell of a sexy Irishman. I also didn’t know that the brooding and intense sex god was one of Ireland’s top rugby players.
A rugby player with a proposition for me:
Come with him to his tiny hometown of Shambles and pretend to be his fiancé for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind.
It sounded simple enough.
It was anything but.
Not when a town gets up in your business, not when the media hunts you down, not when your past comes back in the picture, not when there are real hearts and feelings at stake.
Not when there are secrets that could break you.
They say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures.
This is my life in Shambles.
What can I say other than Karina Halle is FABULOUS! I've read a whole range of her books and every time she enchants me! She did it to me once again with Val and Padraig... I fell for the characters, got caught up in their world and I never wanted the story to end!
Val was thrown a double blow in the beginning, and decided to get away to Ireland with her sisters. She was the careful/sheltered child and she decided to say 'YES' to new things. Which is how she was encouraged by her sisters to approach the sad but intriguing Padraig, who was quick to turn her away. But he soon realised his mistake, and it turned into a whirlwind night of fun, food, laughter and more!
Val really was a sweet girl, but she did have self esteem issues, which I understood more as the story unfolded. I loved watching her grow and express herself around Padraig, and being the beautiful woman she was supposed to be. Padraig was a kind but tormented man, harbouring so much anguish from his childhood. He was also facing new personal challenges in the present that would change the direction of his life. I enjoyed seeing Val and Padraig's relationship grow from a fun and tender one night stand, to falling hard for one another, despite the secrets they both held close to their hearts.
My Life in Shambles was a beautiful and moving read. It touched my heart seeing how both Val and Padraig had had such a hard time during their childhood. Even though they had only known each other a short time, Val was ready to step up when Padraig needed her most. Karina Halle introduced some tough issues and it was sad to see them both struggle with it, but sometimes you have to adjust to the hand you've been dealt, and find happiness despite of it. I know this book will be in my heart for a long time to come!
Padraig was so darn sweet! I loved that he treated Val so well, and made her feel beautiful all of the time! These teasers made me melt!
He leans in and kisses me on the mouth, then the corner of my lips, then my nose, then my forehead. “You are fierce, Valerie Stephens. A wild bird that could fly away but chooses to stay with me, and I am forever grateful for that. Believe me, I am.”Okay. I might be melting just a little inside.Or maybe a lot.No one has ever said anything like that to me before.No one has ever looked at me that way before.I might just turn into a puddle right here, one that won’t freeze over.He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles, and I melt some more.
Kindle Page 158“... My feelings for you aren’t fake. They are very, terribly real. You are the pulse of my heart, darlin’, and my heart won’t beat without you.” I take in a deep breath, that soaring feeling intensifying as I gaze into her eyes. I smile. “I’m so in love with ye, it hurts me.”Kindle Page 230
Karina Halle is a former travel writer & music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author of The Swedish Prince, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Bad at Love & over 45 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her adopted pup Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Other reviews featuring Karina Halle
Nothing Personal
The Swedish Prince
The Wild Heir
Smut
The Debt
Nothing Personal
The Swedish Prince
The Wild Heir
Smut
The Debt
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