Review: Off the Map

If you want a romance that’s well written, has depth, and also feels like you’re being wrapped in a warm hug, Trish Doller’s your gal. I’ve read her last three books and have absolutely adored them. ADORED. So much so that I read both The Suite Spot and Off the Map in one sitting. Off the Map is Doller’s latest, having been published in March, and it is a most perfect book to pick up if you need some proximity romance with a healthy dose of armchair travel.

Here’s the book’s description:

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.
Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.
Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

I like the Doller’s romance novels aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Don’t get me wrong, I will need some of that in my romances but she recognizes that life really isn’t all that sunny all the time. Her heroines (and usually heroes too) are dealing with a lot. In Carla’s case, she doesn’t have a steady career (she instead chooses to travel and cobbles work together when needed to pay for it) and her father has dementia. He can no longer travel so she’s doing it for the both of them but she’s also running away from her problems and real life. It’s because she’s running away that her current lifestyle is not sustainable and she has to do a lot of soul searching (without it being as airy fairy as that may sound) before she can come to terms with her life and what her next step needs to be. There is an absolutely heartbreaking moment in this book but the teeny silver lining is it allows Carla to make decisions solely for her while also, perhaps ironically, to create a potential future with Eamon.

This book is technically part of the Beck sisters series which started with Float Plan (review here) and carried on with The Suite Spot (review here). You don’t have to read those two before this one but I recommend it only because they’re both so amazing. I really enjoyed getting to see Anna and Keane again and seeing how their romance has carried on since Float Plan ended.

A bonus of this book is the armchair travel element as Carla and Eamon travel through Ireland on their way to Anna and Keane’s wedding. It was really fun being able to experience a part of the world I’ve never been to. I felt like I was right there with them as they were accidentally off-roading into a farmer’s field. (That is not something I need to experience whenever I do get to Ireland - just putting that out there.)

I loved both Carla and Eamon so I loved their romance. They were so good for each other and were able to balance each other as well. Eamon needed more adventure and spontaneity and Carla needed just a bit more of a plan and had to stop running from her problems. There were some steamy scenes and lots of really sweet ones, too. Theirs was a romance you couldn’t help but cheer for.

I loved Off the Map and am so glad I started reading Trish Doller’s books a few years ago. Her books are perfect for those who are looking for romances that are more than just a Happily Ever After. I highly recommend them!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Christmas Party

You can always find a new holiday novel by Karen Swan on bookshelves come late fall. Personally, I always like them all, but I find some are better than others. This year she’s written The Christmas Party, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters and story she created.

Here’s the synopsis:

When Declan Lorne, the last remaining knight in Ireland, dies suddenly, an ancient title passes with him. But his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest, Ottie and Pip, inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise – and dismay – it is the errant baby of the family, Willow, who gets the castle.
Why her? Something unknown – something terrible - made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return. So when Willow quickly announces she is selling up, her revenge seems sweet and the once-close sisters are pushed to breaking point: in desperation, Pip risks everything to secure her own future, and Ottie makes a decision that will ruin lives. It’s each woman for herself.
Before moving in, Connor Shaye, the prospective new owner, negotiates throwing a lavish party at the castle just days before Christmas – his hello, their goodbye. But as their secrets begin to catch up with them, Ottie, Willow and Pip are forced to ask themselves which is harder: stepping into the future, or letting go of the past?

The setting of this novel was a big part of why I liked this book, I think. I’ve never been to Ireland (it’s on the bucket list) but, in my mind, it’s a magical kind of place that’s perfect for a holiday story. Add in the fact that the story took place in a "grand" castle (in reality the estate is falling into major disrepair), surrounded by a beautiful landscape and I was in heaven.

The last few novels Swan has written have had a historical part to it with the story being told from a couple of perspectives. The Christmas Party is completely set in the present and I’m pretty happy about that. I was able to stay fully in the story and narrative and was completely swept away.

While there’s only one time period, Swan keeps it from being too one-note by having three narrators – the three Lorne sisters. The perspective is third person so it's not super jarring and it lends itself well to a story where the sisters are so interconnected but also figuring out their own lives. I know I shouldn't pick favourites but, for some reason, Willow's story really resonated with me and I was excited when the story would shift to focus on her.

I knew there had to have been a huge reason for Willow to have left home and Swan alludes to it throughout the novel. I was almost annoyed because I really just wanted to know WHY. But when it's all revealed at the end? It's so explosive and I for sure did not see it coming, even with some of the hints thrown in throughout the novel.

Like most of Swan’s holiday books (and holiday books in general), Christmas is only sort of part of the story. I did absolutely love that there was a Christmas morning scene because it was such a sweet and emotional part of the story and a great way to tie up some of the loose narrative threads. That said, the party referenced in the title doesn't come into play until well into the book (at least halfway, I believe) so don't expect to hear about it too soon into the story.

For those who love holiday novels, Karen Swan has delivered a story that is a festive page-turner. The Christmas Party has a little bit of everything and is definitely a book you should have on hand for the upcoming holiday season!

*A copy of this novel was provided by Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: My Life in Shambles

Karina Halle is one of the best at writing heart-wrenching, sexy, enthralling stories. Her latest, My Life in Shambles, is no exception. I devoured it in a day because I couldn't put it down.

Here's the synopsis:

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, and I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can more than attest to that.
They also say life 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 fiancée 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.

Halle's contemporary novels all have a similar feel - lots of intense emotions, interesting characters, great settings - but none of them are ever close to feeling the same. I don't know how she does it because she writes a lot of books and you'd think they'd start to get repetitive. Not with Halle. That's one of the things I love about her books - they may have a trope you've read time and time again but she always manages to twist things just enough to keep the story feeling fresh.

This book is really heavy. There are illnesses (yes, plural) and childhood traumas (also plural) and the emotions that come from falling head over heels in love with someone after only a few short weeks. One of the things I liked about this book was jow it challenges our typical view of a Happily Ever After. I had to check myself a few times because of the...prejudice, I guess, I (and tons of other people) have. It's uncomfortable, to be sure, but I'm happy Halle and her novel challenged my views. (OK, I know that's super vague but I can't give anything away!)

The characters were so multi-layered, just like real people, and the reader can't help but fall in love with Padraig and Val as their feelings for each other grew. Val seemed older than her mid-twenties age but I imagine that has a lot to do with the issues she dealt with growing up. Padraig has just as many issues stemming from his childhood and teen years that shaped him. They were both able to face those traumas and have some healing and closure by the end of the book. An aside: I wanted to throttle Val's mother. I could not believe some of the cruel things she was saying to her own daughter and how misguided she was. She thought she was saying it out of love but she was so out of touch with her daughter's feelings that she couldn't see how much pain she was causing. So frustrating!

Like all of Halle's books, this one is super swoony. You'll get so caught up in the love and lust that is practically leaping off the pages. So good.

All in all, My Life in Shambles is another winner from Karina Halle. It's a must if you love real stories that have all the highs and lows life has to offer.

Buy a Copy
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Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited

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Meet Karina
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina
Facebook * Amazon * Instagram * Reader Group * Website * Newsletter

*An eARC of this novel was provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR, in exchange for a review for the purposes of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

New Release: My Life in Shambles

Karina Halle is one of my favourite contemporary writers and it's been awhile since she's blessed us with a new book but this week My Life in Shambles was released. I'll have my full review next week but know this: I read it in one day!

Here's the synopsis:

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, and I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can more than attest to that.
They also say life 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.

Sounds intense, right? But that's typical for Halle's books and part of why I, and so many others, love them. Plus the fact that it's set in Ireland is just a fun bonus!

Amazon US * Amazon Worldwide * Amazon Canada
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Add to Goodreads

Meet Karina
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina
Facebook * Amazon * Instagram * Reader Group * Website * Newsletter

Vacation Reads Challenge: The Perfect Man

Welcome to another Vacation Reads Challenge post! This time I will be taking you on a Caribbean cruise with a stop in Ireland and Spain with the novel The Perfect Man by Shelia O'Flanagan.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

From a bestselling author comes a captivating novel about family ties, romance and leaving the past behind Two very different sisters, Mia (still in love with Alejo, the married father of her daughter) and Britt (the ice maiden author of a romantic bestseller), join a luxury honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean where Britt is the guest lecturer. Also on board are recently widowed Leo, still reeling from the discovery of his wife's betrayal just before her death, and Steve, a ship's officer who's soon looking for more than a holiday romance with Mia. Can Steve replace Alejo and is there any chance that Britt and Leo can see that they really should get together? When the characters head for home -- Mia to Spain, the others to Dublin -- it seems that all romantic options are off. But love has a way of triumphing in Sheila O'Flanagan's novels, even if it takes till the very last page...

I've read another of O'Flanagan's novels before (Bad Behaviour) and liked it so I was looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint! It was such a fun read. It's a fairly long book and the great thing about it is that the story doesn't get dull or stuck. There was always movement with the plot and development with the characters. It was an enjoyable read all around.

What I found quite interesting about the characters Mia and Britt was that they were sisters yet weren't all that close. They had a deeper and more intimate relationship than two friends would have because they grew up together. This trip gave them the chance to learn about each other all over again. They were comfortable with being themselves around each other but there were deeper personality traits that the other did not understand. For example, Mia is still in love with Alejo which Britt finds baffling. As for Britt, she is a bestselling author but hates the life that comes with it. Mia can see that Britt is fantastic with the publicity even if Britt can't see it herself. They learn from each other and I really enjoyed that.

Like any great chick lit novel, the romance in The Perfect Man was present but wasn't in your face. You could figure out from the beginning which man should be with each sister but O'Flanagan does a great job of putting little twists and turns in the story and characters' personalities that make you wonder if you really did figure it out. The area of romantic relationships was one of the areas that I had issue with...both Mia and Britt tended to be quite hard on themselves when it came to relationships and I wanted to shake them both because they had so many great qualities! Luckily, they both came to their senses and realized that any man would be lucky to have them.

The reason I chose this as a read for the vacation challenge is because my own sister and I have been toying with the idea of going on a cruise ourselves. She's trying to decide if she wants to work on a cruise ship but wants to actually GO on a cruise before committing herself to working on one. Of course, we'd love to go somewhere hot like the sisters in The Perfect Man did (we live in Canada...we need to escape the winter!) but I'd really like to avoid a "structured" cruise. I want to be able to do what I want, when I want, where I want - not sit down to some stuffy dinner :)

Overall, I had fun reading this book. It was easy to put myself on the cruise and feel the roller coaster of emotions the characters go through. I would definitely recommend it to chick lit lovers!  I'll also be checking out more of Shelia O'Flanagan's novels in the future.

Happy Reading :)