My Life in Shambles: A Standalone Romance

by Karina Halle

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...including losing your heart.

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.

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.

WARNING: this book will pull at your heartstrings. It is recommended to have a box of tissues ready, and maybe some wine. But don't worry, you're in good hands. Also contains sex and foul language, sensitive readers be advised.

• ISBN10: 1093665769
• ISBN13: 9781093665765
• Publish Date: 12 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Independently Published
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 348
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookperson]

wow
what a roller-coaster of emotions
absolutely loved it

[Sam@WLABB]

There was no way this wasn't going to be an emotionally ride, but Halle also made it fun and, of course, sexy. There was a fauxmance, a quaint small town, a grumpy hero, and a heroine I could not help but root for. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and that ending!!! I mean, I felt like Halle owed something like that to me, after the tears, but it was even better than I expected it to be.

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[Linda]

My Life in Shambles was a sweet enough romance, but it also felt a little formulaic at times. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly. Valerie was a little broken-hearted when she decided to go to Ireland with her sisters, and she met Padraig the first night she was there. And while it wasn't love at first sight, it didn't take very long. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind love / lust at first sight, but there were just so many complications.
I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and then it did. Maybe that's part of why it felt a bit like following a scheme to me?
The writing was good, though, and Halle really knows how to flesh out her characters, that's for sure!