My Life in Shambles

This is by far the longest I have gone between book reviews. I had this whole week off from work, prime reading time, and I didn't read at all. I'm not sure what happened there. Definitely a missed opportunity for me! But I'm back in the swing of things, and I have some good stuff coming up. I am getting ready to start an ARC of the new Staci Hart book, and then I also have another buddy read coming up with my book bestie! I also added several more books to my Kindle, and let's not talk about the books I have sitting on my shelf that need to be read! So there should be lots of good things coming up! 

"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 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 fiance for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind. It sounded simple enough. It was anything but. Now 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."

"It takes a moment to change someone. Sometimes it just takes a kiss."

At the beginning of the book Valerie is feeling pretty low. It feels like everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong, and she isn't sure how much more she can take from life. On top of all that she's back at home, and back to listening to her mom constantly put her down. She finally decides that enough is enough and says yes to her sister's to go on a trip to Ireland. I liked Valerie alot. After you learn a little about her past, and get a glimpse into how her mother treats her, you really have a ton of respect for her. Life has thrown so much at her, but she remains strong, and she constantly tries to find the good. She was like a breath of fresh air. 

Padraig is a Rugby player that is currently not playing due to a concussion during a game, he also just found out from his nana that his dad has really taken a turn for the worse health wise, so he needs to make a trip back to his hometown. He and his dad have a rocky relationship, but he wants to make amends before something happens. He also got some news from the doctor about his own health that has him pretty down. Padraig is brooding, and quiet, but he is strong. Life has dealt him an unfair card, and why it gets him down, he learns how to live, and he grows, and I truly believe that had everything to do with Valerie. 

"But why is insecurity considered a weakness? It's just being human. We all have things to feel insecure about. No shame in it. We work on it, we get better. It's all part of the experience, right? Doesn't our true strength lie in the fact that we know our flaws, that we're self-aware, that we want to improve?

These two don't realize how much they can benefit from each other until they take the leap. Their chemistry is off the charts, and they both have been through so much pain in life, but the two of them together is something special. When they really start opening up to each other you can see how they will be perfect together. Neither one are used to having someone to lean on, but given the opportunity, they both thrive. 

"There is a part of me that's deeper than my heart and my soul where she resided, a part missing that I'll never get back. It's the infinite space that a mother takes up that becomes a black hole when she's gone. After time, it stops spreading, it stops eating the stars within you, but it's still there. Just this black, hungry pit that makes you ache to your bones with loss."

The other characters in this story were really key in making this work as a whole. Valerie's sisters were amazing, they were loyal to her, they stood up for her, and they were hilarious. Padraig's dad was a shell of a man, so consumed with loss that he didn't even care that he was pushing his own son out of his life. His nan was an amazing woman, fierce and strong. And we won't discuss Gail, when you meet her, you'll know. What a hag. lol

"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."

I loved their love story. So many curve balls were thrown at them. There were so many reasons for them to give up, but they didn't. They fell in love, and it was messy, but it was beautiful. This story has so much sadness, but the beauty of their love holds it together. It was so touching, and you couldn't help but root for them.

"Mo chuisle mo chroi. It's Gaelic. It means, my pulse of my heart."

"Valerie," I whisper to her. "Tell me you love me. Tell me you love me and I'll tell ye I love you more."

Overall, I'm giving this one 4.5 STARS. This was a beautiful, touching, sad story. A story about two people that had everything going against them, but still fought for their love. It was told beautifully, and the characters were amazing. I will definitely seek out more from this author. Oh, and that cover though. So beautiful. 

"Life is brilliant. And then it's awful. Sometimes trivial or boring or mundane. You just have to push through all that bad stuff until it's brilliant again. Always hold out for brilliant."