Review: As You Wish by Isobel Starling (Shatterproof Bond #1)

As You Wish is the prequel novella in the Shatterproof Bond series from author Isobel Starling and was originally part of the popular Love Is an Open Road event spearheaded by the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. This book probably has what I'd consider one of the most startling, out-of-nowhere plot twists I've come across in recent memory. Naturally, I won't say what the twist is or when it shows up, but let's just say that I was merrily reading the book and then BAM! There it was and it took me a full minute of eye blinking before I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor. That alone earns this fun prequel bonus points.

When twenty-three-year-old interpreter Samuel Aiken and thirty-two-year-old property manager Declan Ramsay are both named best man at the wedding of Sam's older sister Annabelle and Declan's younger brother Oliver, the two coordinate via email, what with Sam being out of the country for a work assignment. They form a friendship via email correspondence, but when they finally meet face to face, Declan has no idea that the young man he was rude to at the airport and on the plane is the same guy he shared a closeness with for months. Now, though, straight Dec wants a different closeness with gay Sam.

Sam is already wondering what Declan is going to look like in his kilt, but attraction aside, Sam wants to know the real Declan and see how the man he got to know through email and the one he bumped into at the airport could be one and the same. But if Sam wants the real Declan, he can't exactly offer up the same thing. You see, Sam is keeping a secret from the guy he's falling for at his sister's wedding and it's a secret that could end up costing him more than a broken heart. When Declan learns the truth, will the feeling of betrayal from the only person who's made him feel and believe in fate overshadow his feeling of true love?

This wasn't the quick read that I was expecting, but that's due to me being used to novellas being less than a hundred pages. Length not withstanding, the story itself was a pretty good gay-for-you romance and being a longtime fan of The Princess Bride, I couldn't help but smile whenever Sam and Declan quoted lines from the film. They interacted quite a bit after the initial awkwardness in the days they were all together on Loch Ness, so it didn't feel too much like insta-love. That ending was what made this novella a true standout though, and the follow-up novel became an instant must-read. As You Wish gets four stars. ♥

Date Read: 12 May 2016

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