Welcome to the Shatterproof Bond series refresh from author Isobel Starling and A Novel Take PR! Don't miss today's sexy exclusive excerpt from series finale, Powder Burns, other excerpts from books #1-2 or the giveaway where two winners will win entire series e-sets!! Good luck!
The Shatterproof Bond Series:
Book 1: As You Wish
Book 2: Illuminate the Shadows
Book 3: Return to Zero
Book 4: Counterblow
Book 5: Powder Burns
Publisher: Decent Fellows Press
Release date: Already released in print, ebook, and audiobook
Length (Print & Ebook/Audio):
Book 1: As You Wish, 45k words | 4 hours audio
Book 2: Illuminate the Shadows 55k words | 5 hours audio
Book 3: Return to Zero 70k words | 7 hours audio
Book 4: Counterblow 48k words | 4.5 hours audio
Book 5: Powder Burns 103k words | 10 hours audio
Subgenre: M/M Romance Thriller
Warnings: Mild BDSM
Purchase now:
As You Wish: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012T8J92U
Illuminate the Shadows: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ELOXC
Return to Zero: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FHYJWTS
Counterblow: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072LP9Y9N
Powder Burns https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XP9PMR7
Book blurbs:
Book 1: As You Wish
WINNER OF THE 2018 AUDIOBOOK REVIEWER AWARD FOR ROMANCE
1 wedding, 2 best men, one hell of a love story!
Declan Ramsay was set to be the best man at his brother's wedding in Scotland, sharing best man duties with the bride's gay kid brother Sam. Sam was abroad finishing his studies so the best men communicated by email for more than a year and wouldn't meet for the first time until a few days before the wedding.
But on meeting Sam Aiken, Declan is surprised to see he isn't a kid at all, but a striking, athletic blond man with gorgeous green eyes and a wicked sense of humor. Declan is alarmed by the ferocious attraction he feels for Sam. And as the attraction is reciprocated, the events at Dunloch Castle change everything Declan has ever believed about himself.
But is Sam Aiken all he appears to be?
Also available in paperback and as an award-winning audiobook, narrated by Gary Furlong.
Book 2: Illuminate the Shadows
A Scotsman and an Englishman fall in love…
After the most amazing week of his life, at Dunloch Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, in Scotland. The charming, mysterious Samuel Aiken has turned Declan Ramsay’s life upside down. Declan has experienced a remarkable change. He has come to terms with the fact he is bisexual, and he has fallen head-over-heels in love with his boss’s son Sam.
However, falling for his boss’s son was never going to be an easy path to happiness, mainly because the boss in question is multi-millionaire property tycoon and former MI5 operative, Sir James Aiken.
Sir James is repulsed by his son’s homosexuality, and so discovering that his employee Declan Ramsay- the man he installed to run his luxury property rental empire- is in a relationship with Sam, does not go down well.
The lovers cannot hide from the looming presence of Sir James Aiken for long! Soon enough James makes his move, and Declan finds out what he will have to endure to stay with Sam, and what he will have to give to feel worthy of Sam's love.
Book 3: Return to Zero
Life takes a darker turn for Sam and Declan...
Pulled into a world of secrets and lies for the man he loves, Declan Ramsay’s life has changed immeasurably in the eight months since meeting and falling for his boss’s son, Sam Aiken. Declan's journey of personal discovery is about to take a darker turn, and for Sam, the world becomes more treacherous than he could ever have imagined.
Two agents are missing -- presumed dead, while on a reconnaissance mission at an outdoor adventure center in the Scottish Highlands. Sir James Aiken sends his son and Declan to follow the trail, and discover the fate of the agents.
As the mission offers his first chance to use the skills he learned on the MI6 training course in Morocco, Declan is keen to get started. However, Sir James sees to it that the seeds of doubt and discord have been sewn between the couple, as they begin their mission.
The journey to their Highland location, and the discoveries they make when they reach the G’wan Adventures center, prove that Sir James Aiken has been less than honest with his son. Events in the Highlands force Sam and Declan to face their greatest fears and understand what they both really want from life -- and from each other.
Book 4: Counterblow
True love comes at a cost...
After the devastating events in the Scottish Highlands, Sam and Declan have moved on to a new, deeper level in their romance. Their commitment to each other is unquestionable; however, there are plenty of questions that need answering about other aspects of their lives, and those who sought to end them.
Sam is trying his best to deal with the day to day frustrations of his injuries. He’s completely dependent on Declan for everything and hates the way the scales have tipped in their relationship. Although he’s officially on leave, Sam’s mind cannot stop replaying all that happened to him and questioning why, and who is behind it all.
Declan’s relief at having Sam home throws him into house-husband mode. He’s happy to take the reins and care for his partner, however, beneath the surface Declan cannot help but be drawn back to how he felt in the Highlands, and how they were betrayed by a man who was supposed to have their back. Declan had promised Sir James Aiken that he would pay if he hurt Sam, and now Declan has to decide how he can deliver his payback and put his and Sam’s world back on an even keel.
Book 5: Powder Burns
One book, Two Missions, and a memory-key full of secrets!
After a series of terrorist attacks on fracking sites owned by a Gas multinational named Drilsink, Sir James Aiken’s agency is bought in to find the radical Eco-terrorist group responsible. He sends Sam and Declan to work undercover at Imperial College where Intel suggests the group is recruiting. While Sam works behind the scenes, Declan takes on the identity of Geologist Dr. Tobias Hunter and soon makes an enemy of a fellow science geek- a man who Declan comes to despise more than Sir James Aiken!
When the operation moves from London to Munich and then Vienna, Sam, and Declan are thrown headlong into a spy scenario straight out of the thriller novels they love to read—but with a distinct and disturbing sexual twist! Sam meets an old friend and uncovers shocking information about James’ past.
With Erik Madsson still imprisoned inside the A.L.L. HQ, James comes to realize that he should have listened to his son. Keeping the enemy inside his own home is about to be the biggest mistake he has ever made.
Excerpt from As You Wish (Shatterproof Bond #1)
“Flight B-A-one-four-three-two to Edinburgh will be boarding from Gate A twenty-six.”
Sam Aiken paused and glanced up at the yellow airport signage directing that the walk to Gates A1-A26 would take ten minutes. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Sam’s flight to Edinburgh was also due to take off in ten bloody minutes. He shouldered his heavy rucksack and sprinted through Terminal Two at London’s Heathrow Airport, ducking and diving around fellow travelers.
It was partly Sam’s fault that he had been delayed. Initially, it was by choosing the wrong queue and getting stuck in the security check line for twenty minutes. And then, by attempting a conversation with a security guard and being given a thorough groping in response. If he hadn’t been so stressed, Sam might actually have enjoyed the attention.
Sam Aiken was over six feet tall and wore his sandy-blond hair to his shoulders. His boyish face, tanned by the Saudi Arabian desert winds, had sprouted a monstrous attempt at a beard. It looked ridiculous. It couldn’t even be called a beard, more scrub than forest! Sam had spent the past year in the Middle East, where the beard is the symbol of manhood and honor, so he’d grown it to try and fit in. It worked there, but back in the UK, it just made him look a bit grubby. Sam was dressed in knee-length khaki shorts and an over-washed, cranberry-red T-shirt. His appearance was that of your average backpacker, so why security had singled him out for the extra attention, Sam didn’t know. Maybe he should know better than to try and crack jokes with security officials, especially when they had his balls in their hands.
“Nice wand! Watch where you’re sticking that thing, I might like it!” Sam joked nervously in his soft British accent. The very well built, alpha security guard waving the metal detector wand over his body glared at him. Sam arched his brows and grinned, hoping to inspire an illicit smile from the man, but instead, the security guard pulled him aside and got his friend to observe as he gave Sam a thorough feel up. He wished he had kept his mouth shut. That thirty-minute delay left Sam on a knife-edge.
As he ran through the featureless, white airport corridors towards Gate A26, Sam wasn’t sure now whether he would make the flight. His mind raced with the snowball effect of that possible future event. All of his father’s well-made plans would be shot to shit, and he would be the reason— in the dog house and only back in the UK an hour.
Sam turned into a wide, open-plan lounge. Out of nowhere another traveler suddenly appeared, cutting across Sam’s path, dragging a black, wheeled suitcase. Sam couldn’t stop himself from tripping. He fell forwards and then halted in mid-air. The broad masculine hand of the traveler was gripping his bare forearm to prevent the fall. He pulled Sam to right himself. The two men glared at one another.
“Jesus! Watch what you’re doing with that thing!” Sam exclaimed, furious.
“You watch where you’re going, eejit!” the stranger retorted in a posh Edinburgh brogue.
The Scotsman rushed off, dragging his suitcase, and Sam continued to run on to the correct gate, fretting internally about what idiot’s people can be.
When Sam arrived minutes later, he saw a throng of passengers milling around, and on glancing at the info board, he read there was a delay of ten minutes. Sam breathed a deep sigh of relief. He unhooked his rucksack and found a wall to slide down. He searched in the front pocket of his pack, drew out his phone, and made a call.
“Hi, this is Samuel Aiken. I have a one-thirty p.m. pick up from Edinburgh Airport. Well, my flight is delayed by ten minutes. I just wanted to let you know. Great, see you then.”
Sam ended the call and glanced down at his left forearm. He saw the outline of red grip marks. He absently rubbed the imprints left by the Scotsman with the wheeled black case, unable to deny that being touched so roughly had made warmth flood into his gut.
Excerpt from Return to Zero (Shatterproof Bond #2):
“SAM! Are ye home?” Declan hollered as he opened the front door. “Sam?”
“In here.” Sam’s distant voice filtered from the spare bedroom. Declan was in a buoyant mood, at last, after weeks of waiting, he’d received a call from his boss. He sauntered confidently towards the bedroom and knocked once before walking in.
“Why d’ye no’ pick up? I’ve called ye, like, six times already! James wants us in fer a meet —” Declan stopped, and in the way, only Sam Aiken could do, the breath was stolen from his lungs.
Declan’s yoga mat was laid out in the center of the large bedroom floor, and upon it, a shamelessly nude Sam Aiken was facing the tall antique mirror that rested against the wall. He was on his belly, his back bowed, and his palms pushing against the floor as his shoulders rose in the midst of the cobra pose.
Declan slumped to sit silently on the king-size bed and watch. He stared, bug-eyed and slack-jawed at all of that flawless pale skin, wrapped around an athletic, slim frame. Declan adored how pliant and supple Sam was. He reveled in the sight of corded muscles moving beneath the taut surface of the younger man’s skin, like the workings of a well-honed machine.
Ignoring his voyeur, Sam pushed himself up from the cobra pose, so he sat back on his calves. He closed his eyes and focused on his breath, and then, when he was ready, placed his palms flat on the mat, level with his knees. Then, putting all of his weight on his hands, Sam drew his legs out to either side of his body, doing the splits, balancing solely on his hands.
Declan’s bearded jaw dropped open, and his heart skipped a beat at the impressive sight. The mirror allowed Declan to observe Sam from many angles, and the view was exquisite. He knew there was a reason he was home early, but, whatever the hell it was, it could wait.
Sam aligned his legs and bought them up above his head, so he was in a handstand position, and there he stayed for a minute, his breath shallow and barely audible. There was not one tremble in any of Sam’s muscles. It was awe-inspiring. Sam was the very picture of oneness—strength, control, balance, and agility. The lines of Sam’s form were sinuous and erotic, and there was no stopping the hot, hot hunger that made Declan’s whole being shudder with need.
Sam’s spine arched back and with incredible discipline, his body bowed slowly, until the soles of his feet were placed firmly on the yoga mat, and Sam was in the crab position. He was trying so desperately to focus on his own breath and to remain centered, but Declan was breathing heavily through his nose, like a stag readying for the rut, and even though Sam could not actually see him, Declan’s presence always came with the prickle of otherworldly electricity. It really was like they were magnetized.
The sound of heavy breathing was doing things to Sam’s body that he just could not control. His heart beat faster, beads of sweat littered his brow and formed on his chest, and his pale cock reddened, filled and rose majestically, providing an extra spectacle for his handsome observer. Sam arched his spine to its capacity and inched to his toes and fingertips. He stayed like that, his muscles clenched tight and his cock standing straight as a flagpole awaiting its flag. After a minute, he slowly unclenched his muscles and allowed his body to ease its way gently back to the mat. Each movement still effortlessly controlled.
This naked yoga routine was on the list of the most erotic things that Declan had ever seen in his life. And now that Sam was on his back, his eyes closed, with arms stretched above his head. Declan decided that this was his opportunity to pounce.
Exclusive Excerpt from Powder Burns by Isobel Starling
Declan walked back down the alley onto Gerrard Street. He continued on through to the Wardour Street end of Soho and ducked down another alley that he knew was not covered by CCTV. This alleyway hid a residential entrance door. Declan looked at his palm in which he held a small plastic bag with a key inside. He removed it and then let himself into the building.
Declan swiftly closed the door behind himself, pocketed the key and groped for the light switch. Flicking it on he saw he’d stepped straight into the small kitchen of a decrepit rundown studio flat before the light flickered ominously and bulb popped.
“Shite!” Declan hissed as he was thrown into absolute darkness. From the quick look he’d gotten of his surroundings Declan knew that there was one other room and a doorway that probably led to a bathroom. The warm stagnant air in the flat had absorbed the scents of spices and cooking oil from the restaurant next door.
Declan sensed Sam’s presence a second before he felt the warm slender body slam against his chest in the dark.
“Westley—” Declan exclaimed in a pained whisper. But before he could say another word Sam’s mouth was on his, kissing him hotly with ravenous urgency. The coiling pressures of need and longing that twisted painfully inside Declan for the arduous weeks he and Sam were parted were finally released.
Sam jumped up and wrapped his legs around Declan’s hips. Declan’s staggered taking Sam’s weight. His hands moved, as if magnetized, to cradle Sam’s firm bottom. Sam was a raging forest fire in Declan’s arms and Declan knew no other way forward than to give himself to be consumed by the flames.
His arms full, Declan stumbled forward in the blackened room, bumping into furniture—the rush of lust guiding them to seek a solid surface to fuck against—fast. A small side table was knocked over and the jarring sound of smashing ceramic made them pause for a breath and emit childish laughter, like a pair of teens partaking in an illicit tryst. Declan’s leg found a soft edge, and Sam toppled backward pulling Declan with him. Luckily, he landed on a couch.
From the squeak of the cushions and the lack of support in the springs Declan knew it was a cheap old faux leather settee they were grappling and groping on, but he didn’t care. Sam was in his arms and they were both horny as hell.
Declan paused, his face buried at the nape of Sam’s neck while he caught a breath. Sam smelled like home, like his favorite meal, like all of Declan’s best birthdays. Sam was a treasured gift and Declan was desperate to unwrap him.
“Are you okay?” Sam cupped Declan’s freshly shaven cheeks and held his head up. The few places where skin met skin tingled with electricity. Sam’s cock pulsed, trapped in his jeans beneath his bear of a husband. He flicked his hips up to encourage Declan to move and get the party started.
“Hey, are you okay?” Sam asked again.
“Aye, aye, I’m good!” Declan snickered into Sam’s neck, the vibrations, and hot breaths sending a shiver down Sam’s spine.
Declan eased his hips up a little, giving his hands the space to move swiftly to unzip Sam’s fly, and then his own while Sam’s playful fingers found their way beneath Declan’s jeans to knead the globes of his tight Scottish arse. Rediscovering one another, they kissed, bit, and tasted. Urgent breaths and passionate moans from the lovers severed the silence in the dilapidated studio flat.
©Isobel Starling 2020
About the Author:
Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional career as a visual artist in Ireland. She now writes full time and loves writing Thrillers, Comedy, Historical, and Fantasy. In nearly six years she has written twenty books, released fourteen audiobooks, and has translations of most titles in French, German, and Italian. The Shatterproof Bond series is a #1 bestseller in Germany.
"As You Wish" (Shatterproof Bond#1) narrated by Gary Furlong won the Audiobook Reviewer Award for Romance 2018. It is the first M/M Romance audiobook to win a mainstream audiobook award.
Connect with Isobel:
Website: https://www.decentfellowspress.com
Newsletter: https://isobelstarling.wix.com/books
Instagram: @isobel_starling
Twitter: @isobel_starling and @decentfellows
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/isobel_starling
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Isobel-Starling/e/B00U1MKE5I
Giveaway:
To celebrate the refresh of the Shatterproof Bond Series, Isobel Starling is giving away 2 complete e-sets of the series! Open internationally, must be 18 years old to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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