My Life in Shambles: A Standalone Romance

My Life in Shambles is a one night stand which turns into a fake engagement and a roadtrip to the hero’s small Irish hometown the following day! This book does deal with heavier themes of a dying parent, cancer, mental health, chronic illness, grief, and loss.Valerie lives in Philadelphia and everything is going wrong for her: her fiancé breaks off their engagement, she loses her apartment, and then loses her job all within days. While home for the holidays, her sisters give her a hard time—telling her she is holding herself back in life, she’s too afraid of what others think, and just isn’t up for adventures. They tell her she should join them on their upcoming trip to Ireland and she decides to go for it! Her New Years resolution is to say yes to more, starting with the trip. On their first night in Ireland, the sisters end up at a bar for New Year’s Eve and she immediately takes notice of the the hero across the room. She realizes everyone seems to know him but she doesn’t and with a little push from her sisters, she approaches to ask if she can buy him a drink. Padraig first says no but then later can’t take his eyes off of her and offers to buy her a drink instead.Padraig is Ireland’s top rugby player who just had bad news delivered to him earlier in the day—he finds out his father, who has prostate cancer, is not doing well and he needs to go home to his little hometown of Shambles to see him before it’s too late. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his father and has his own health concerns as well. He knows he doesn’t want to spend the night alone and after spending time with Valerie at the bar, a restaurant, and then ending at a club kissing on NYE, he ends up inviting her back to his place where they share a passionate night together. After spending the night together, the next morning neither of them wants it to be over and he has a wild idea for her to join him on his trip to Shambles and pretend to be his fiancée to appease his ailing father.I really enjoyed the emotions in this story. There is definitely a heavy tone throughout the book. Padraig is not only trying to come to terms over the soon-to-be loss of his father but he was also recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of MS at just 29 and deals with all aspects of that news. Valerie has never felt like she fit in anywhere and finally starts to feel like she belongs for the first time in her life while in Shambles with Padraig. Valerie was in an accident when she was younger and has scars covering her legs. I loved their roadtrip down the Irish coast to Shambles while they get down all the details for their fake engagement. His family owns a bed and breakfast and I liked the times with his Nan and “The Major” who also lives there.

I really enjoyed this book with all the good and not so great things. I really enjoyed all the characters.

First, that beautiful cover! Can we take a minute to appreciate it?....From the cover to the words in between, Karina Halle took me on an emotional journey full of laughs, family, love, regret and flaws and made me a part of it. I was ready to say yes to a trip to Ireland and meet a rugby player of my own. Add in some crazy dysfunctional family members and I'm all in!"Playing it safe gets you nowhere and being afraid won't save you."This is a contemporary romance and by all means, that's exactly what we got. But it's so much more. It's a story that starts in Philadelphia and then takes us to Ireland for a whirlwind trip that leaves us full of love, hope, hurt and pain. From the instant connection of two lonely broken souls to saying yes to new adventures, this book had me. It had me feeling it all. I could feel the hope and the love bleeding through the pages. You could feel the wants and the needs of Valerie and Paidrig. Their chemistry was undeniable and I could just taste it. It seemed so real. But that wasn't it. There was a connection that went further than the physical. It was for one another and for their families. We got to see a love grow not only between these two, but also to see the characters grow by repairing a love they thought was broken. And they were able to do this together with each other's support. Growing together and building something together even in the midst of pain."Everything will change. It takes a moment to change someone....."I really admire the writing of Karina Halle and the way she can transport us somewhere and make us feel a part of the story so fiercely. And to include supporting characters that you invest your feelings in almost as much of the main characters. I loved Paidrig's family at the Inn no matter how dysfunctional they were. And Valerie's sisters? They made me want to have sisters like that that would support me through anything and push me out of my comfort zone. But most of all, it's the way I read about the flaws of the characters and see the beauty in them. That's what keeps me coming back to these books. The beauty in the flaws and being able to find the love in them.I can tell you about the book or I can tell you to read the book and experience all the emotions. Take the journey that isn't easy, but is fun, sexy, humorous, emotional, painful and beautiful. You won't regret the love you'll find all over this story. It's an experience. Be prepared to dive in and devour some Irish goodness!"You're the pulse of my heart..A tonic to my soul."4++ brilliant stars

This book has a bit of everything. Is sexy, emotional, heartbreaking, funny at times. It's a roller coaster of emotions, but that is what make it worth it.If you going to read it and you are an easy crying person, just make sure you have a big box of tissues next to you, cuz from chapter 16 to the very end you gonna need them.

KarinaHale did it again. I didn't think it could get better than her Nordic series, or Before I Ever Met You, which were my favorite Hale's books, but this one.... This one stole their place.I can't talk much about this book without giving spoilers, and I believe you'll enjoy it more if you go into it without knowing much, so I'll just say it is beautifully written, with a deeply poetic prose at times, highly emotional parts, and a happy ending. It has family and heartbreak and illness and love and redemption. It's a full cycle. Plus all the Irishness of it, which is so adorable.You can't go wrong with this book. I read it in one sitting.

One of the most emotional and beautiful stories I've read so far 💛 Karina Halle has a special way to tell you a story, and what she's done with Padraig and Valerie is incredible! It became one of my favorite books!

When I saw that Karina Halle had a new release I was so excited and couldn’t 1-click fast enough!My Life in Shambles was so so beautiful.Exquisite writing that captivated me from start to finish. Amazing and complex characters that melted my heart and had me rooting for them both ❤️Valerie has lost so much, her home, her fiancée, her job, everything that shaped her current life. So when her sisters (who I loved, by the way) invite her to join them on their trip to Ireland, she agrees. She decides to take some time to re-evaluate what’s important to her and to say yes to new adventures.It’s here that she meets Padraig.Padraig is a huge rugby star in Ireland, but what draws Valerie to him isn’t his fame or money, it’s the recognition of another soul being lost, feeling broken and the wish for someone to share their pain with.Both Padraig and Valerie have suffered immeasurably in their lives. They have overcome such pain and loss. My admiration for them both grew with every page!I loved Valerie so much for being there for Padraig and giving him the love he has been desperately searching for since losing his mother, since his father shut down and cast him aside in his own grief.Valerie agrees to go home with him to Shambles and pretend to be his fiancée to give his dying father some peace on his death bed. To know that he will not be alone, that he has someone to love.But it didn’t take long for their words and their feelings to become real ❤️Sadly Padraig is facing a new ‘enemy’ that he cannot hide from and I have to say that this part of the story almost broke me. To see him face what he did, the possibility of what’s to come? It broke my heart. I cannot imagine living with that kind of fear. His courage blew me away.Karina Halle has written something truly magical here. It’s real and it hurts. It’s heart-warming and beautiful. I laughed out loud with his Nan at the B&B and with Valerie and her sisters. I cried like a baby. I closed my kindle at the end of this book with the biggest smile on my face and so much love in my heart!❤️💙“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.”***“Valerie?” he whispers into the darkness. “Yeah?”“I…” I hear him wetting his lips. “I’m scared.” I feel a pinch in my heart. “It’s okay to be scared.”“I don’t want to go through this alone,” he whispers as he kisses the top of my head.’***“Valerie,” I whisper to her. “Tell me you love me. Tell me you love me and I’ll tell ye I love you more.”

Loved it. A big fan of all Karina’s books. This is definitely one of my favourites. Not your usual love story, yes, someone on the rebound, wanting an adventure, nothing new. However, Valerie was wonderful and going off to Ireland with her sisters finding a gorgeous, tattooed rugby player( how could you not want that) having an amazingly hot New Year’s Eve with said rugby player, who happens to be a great person too. What happens after, well. Lies, even though well meaning lead to upset and heartbreak. The way Karina writes puts you right there with the characters and you feel everything. The love that evolves is written wonderfully. Tissues and a glass of wine are a must.A lovely twist on a way to meet the love of your life.Also, loved all the side characters, nan, Major, Angie, Sandra even mom redeemed herself, eventually. Can see other books with these people, please!