Book Spotlight: Illuminate the Shadows by Isobel Starling
(Shatterproof Bond #2)
by Isobel Starling
Date Released: May 9, 2016
About Illuminate the Shadows
The thrilling sequel to As You Wish
A Scotsman and an Englishman fall in love…
After the most amazing week of Declan Ramsay's life, at Dunloch Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, in Scotland. The charming, mysterious Samuel Aiken has turned Declan'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.
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Read my four-starred review of Illuminate the Shadows.
Add Illuminate the Shadows on Goodreads.
Purchase Links
Amazon | ARe | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords
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An Excerpt from Illuminate the Shadows
Sam and Declan have invited their siblings to dinner at their home, and during the meal they decide to share their relationship status. Declan’s brother, Oliver, does not take the news that his brother is bisexual, at all well.
Declan strolled out of the living room, a look of determination on his face. He wanted to punch his brother in the mouth for what he’d said, and had to breathe deeply to harness his bubbling anger. Sure enough, when he turned to the top of the stairs, Oliver sat half-way down, looking a little queasy. Declan parked his arse on the top step and looked down at his baby brother.
“Ye’ve only been sharing fer a few weeks… he’s a fast worker, that one,” Oliver said with a sarcastic sneer.
“DON’T,” Declan said roughly, barely keeping the anger in check. He was so very disappointed with his brother. “What the fuck is yer problem? What does it matter who I love? What I get up te in the privacy of my own home, with my body is, frankly, none a yer damn business.” He paused to take a couple of calming breaths and simmered with frustration at the look of disinterest on his brother’s face.
“This is important te me. Sam and I are a couple, and we wanted to share our happiness with you and Belle, just as you shared yours wi’ us.” Declan glared at Ollie who now wouldn’t even look him in the eye. The silence was palpable, and the more Declan looked at his brother, the more he began to pity him. After several minutes Oliver couldn’t hold his pinched, scowling expression any more.
“It wasnea supposed te be like this,” He burst out suddenly, sounding like a whiny brat. “You were supposed te meet a nice lassie, and we’d have son’s and take them te football, and hiking an’ fishing. Normal stuff, ye know.”
Declan winced at the outburst. Normal stuff… bollox te that!
“Oliver, that’s not me. That was never me. And as fer meetin’ a lassie, I’ve tried, a lot. I tried for so many years te be like the other lads, but I hated the man I became. I was goin’ through the motions, and it made me so fuckin’ unhappy.” Declan ran his hands over his bearded face and into his hair. Oliver was silent and taciturn. Declan decided to try another strategy.
“When you wake up in the morning wi’ Belle sleeping beside ye. How’d ye feel?”
Oliver’s glance darted to meet Declan’s. “Why?”
“Just say, fer fucks sake.” God, my brother is stubborn bollox.
“I guess I feel… peaceful, contented, I suppose. She looks beautiful, like a fairy princess, or sum’ thin’,” He admitted candidly.
“And you know ye love her, fer certain?”
“Aye, from the moment I laid eyes on her at that Aikens corporate party.”
“Well, since when do straight people have first dibs on happiness? Eh?” Declan challenged. “I’m attracted te women, and I’m attracted te men, but I have never woken up beside anyone feelin’ anything, but discomfort, like I was in the… wrong place. I felt sick, I felt like a liar. Every. Time. And it ate away at me. It’s no’ fair te me, and it’s no’ fair te the women I was foolin,’” Declan took a breath to organize his thoughts.
“But Sam… Sam is different. Jesus, if I could only put into words how he makes me feel.” Declan felt the tears crowd his eyes. Talking about his feelings had always been difficult. He’d been the stereotypical emotional cripple before Sam, but this time words flowed unbidden.
“I know who I am when I’m wi’ him. When I wake up in his arms, I’m so at peace I don’t wantae get out of bed. He makes me laugh until I cry. He always cares for me, no matter that I’m a maudlin, moody control freak. I look at him, and fer the first time in my life, I’m home.” Declan paused to catch a breath “If you truly think our love is wrong… well… tough shite. This is my life, and he is who I choose to live it wi’. If ye cannae be happy fer us, I just feel sorry fer ye.” The words felt clumsy and poorly constructed, but he needed to say them, and he hoped his brother would hear and accept them.
Sam and Annabelle stood in the open doorway, listening to their partners talk. Belle’s hand was absently rubbing her brother’s back for comfort as Declan explained how he felt for Sam. “I’m so happy for you,” she said. “I can’t believe we’ve hooked brothers.” She drew Sam into a hug and when they parted Declan was standing at the door.
“Can I have a go?” he asked with a wry smirk on his face. Sam gripped the front of Declan’s shirt and pulled him into an embrace. The downstairs door slammed.
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About the Shatterproof Bond series
About As You Wish (book 0.5) - Date Released: October 5, 2015
One wedding, two best men. One hell of a love story!
Declan Ramsay's brother Oliver was marrying Annabelle Aiken at a fairy tale Castle on the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland. The bride and groom decided, so that he didn’t feel left out, Annabelle's gay younger brother Sam Should share the best man duties with Declan.
Declan had never met the kid who was to be his joint best man.
Sam Aiken was abroad, working as an interpreter and finishing his studies. He wouldn’t meet Declan until a few days before the wedding, so the best men communicated and planned their speech by email for more than a year.
But on meeting Sam Aiken, Declan is surprised to realise the kid isn't a kid at all, but a tall, blond and athletic young man. Declan is sure he's straight, so he's 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 Samuel Aiken all that he appears to be?
About As You Wish (book 0.5) - Date Released: October 5, 2015
Declan Ramsay's brother Oliver was marrying Annabelle Aiken at a fairy tale Castle on the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland. The bride and groom decided, so that he didn’t feel left out, Annabelle's gay younger brother Sam Should share the best man duties with Declan.
Declan had never met the kid who was to be his joint best man.
Sam Aiken was abroad, working as an interpreter and finishing his studies. He wouldn’t meet Declan until a few days before the wedding, so the best men communicated and planned their speech by email for more than a year.
But on meeting Sam Aiken, Declan is surprised to realise the kid isn't a kid at all, but a tall, blond and athletic young man. Declan is sure he's straight, so he's 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 Samuel Aiken all that he appears to be?
Read my four-starred review of As You Wish.
Add As You Wish on Goodreads.
Download Links
ARe | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords
Purchase Link
Amazon
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The thrilling sequel to Illuminate the Shadows
Inspiration strikes at the strangest of times.
Purchase Link
Amazon
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About Return to Zero (book two) - Release Date: June 6, 2016
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 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 centre 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 centre, 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.
Add Return to Zero on Goodreads.
Pre-Order Links
About Isobel Starling
Inspiration strikes at the strangest of times.
Born in Germany, Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional career making art. She relocated to the UK and, faced with the dreaded artist’s creative
block, Isobel started to write and found she loved it more than making art.
Isobel’s first novel Schonling was a best seller in the GLBT-Bisexual genre on the All Romance ebooks site. She has just completed her sixth book, and signed French translation rights for novella As You Wish.
She adores the M/M genre and enjoys writing about wounded souls and the complexities of personal relationships. Despite not having found proof yet, Isobel believes in love at first sight and endeavours to give her men a thrilling journey and a satisfying ending!
Connect with Isobel
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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A Guest Post by Isobel Starling
An Englishman and a Scotsman go into a bar…
I’d like to introduce you to my favourite men of the moment. These men have given me any sleepless nights, and inflamed my RSI in my fingers as I rapidly type out their stories, but it’s worth the sleeplessness and sore hands. I am just crazy about Scotsman Declan Ramsay and Englishman Sam Aiken.
Sam and Declan met and fell in love at their siblings wedding, at a Scottish castle. Declan’s life before Dunloch Castle had been in free fall. Professionally, the thirty-two year-old Scotsman was ahead of the game. He worked for Aiken Luxury Lettings, (A.L.L) where he managed Sir James Aiken’s property portfolio, and enjoyed the perks that schmoozing with the rich and famous offered. However, Declan’s private life was a mess. He was a serial dater, commitment phobic, and had never been in a relationship for more than three months.
Sam Aiken, James’s twenty-three year-old son, had been in the Middle-East studying Linguistics, and interpreting for his father’s foreign property deals. Declan’s only contact with Sam before the wedding was through email. However, on meeting the blond, slender, and devilishly mischievous Sam Aiken, Declan could not deny his compulsive attraction. Swiftly Sam Aiken became everything Declan never knew he wanted. His best friend, lover, and sidekick.
I have written two more Shatterproof Bond novels for my boys in the past five months, and the story is a rollercoaster of mystery, adventure and romance. Illuminate the Shadows follows on directly from the end of As You Wish and was released on 9th May. And hot on its heels, a month later on 6th June, the next book, Return to Zero, comes out.
And if you want to find out what happens when the Englishman and Scotsman go into the bar, you’ll have to pick up the books!
©Isobel Starling 2016
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