As You Wish

Shatterproof Bond, Book 1

By: Isobel Starling

Narrated by: Gary Furlong

Winner of the 2018 Audiobook Reviewer Award for Romance

One wedding, two best men, one hell of a love story!

Declan Ramsay's brother Oliver was marrying Annabelle Aiken at a fairytale castle on the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland. The bride and groom decided that Annabelle's gay younger brother would 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 realize 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?

©2015 Isobel Starling (P)2017 Isobel Starling

Sweet story with a surprising twist.

Narration – I have listened to one other book narrated by Gary Furlong before, and I remember liking his voice. In this book, I was really impressed by the accents he is able to produce for the characters. Scottish and British accents are mostly present in this book, but I know he can do others as well. I would not be able to tell what country he lives in or which is his real accent because he does them so well. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by him.

Story – When I started listening to this audiobook I thought that I was getting a cutesy romance between two men who meet at a wedding. To be fair it is partially that. Declan and Sam started a friendship through emails while helping to plan their sibling’ marriage to each other. When they meet for the very first time, they don’t know each other by looks and things kind of get off on the wrong foot. Declan’s bad day makes him less than kind to the shaggy-haired stranger. It is a lesson that you should treat people nicely because you never know if you will meet again or what the circumstances might be. Sam is easy going and doesn’t let the bad attitude get to him. The two men are as different as night and day. Declan is high strung and Sam is relaxed.

I have to say from the beginning I liked Sam better than Declan because he is just more likable. He is also smart, and adventurous. Declan does grow on me as he figures out his sexuality and learns to ease up, in the arms of Sam. Their romance is sweet as the two characters both love the movie, The Princess Bride. The title of the book hints at it, but the story is full of references to the movie as Declan and Sam talk to each other in movie quotes.I really fell in love with the two of them together. But once the wedding is over they have to go back to their old lives, and though both hope to see each other again, there is a major twist that takes the story to a whole new level. My interest was piqued. I went online after listening to immediately get the second audio, knowing I needed to see where the story will go from the end of this book. Needless to say, I definitely recommend this story, especially the audio version.

So much more than I expected!

This is the first MM book that I have listened to. The genre is a little outside my comfort zone, but the story was very good. I thought the narrator did an outstanding job with the accents and voices for his performance. One could hear the various characters. The book was quite good and is a standalone listen but the ending is open for continuation (not a cliffhanger ending). I loved the unexpected twists the author wrote into this book. I thought the settings for this book were neat and was able to visualize so much due to the author's great descriptions and wording. My review is not a synopsis of the book, but rather my opinion of it. I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily written this review. I will definitely look for more books by the author and narrator.

True Love

I love this book, it is a definite re-read for me and the narration is amazing! I don’t listen to a lot of audios, mainly I listen while traveling, but oh my, Gary is perfect for this story. Declan and Sam are one of my absolute favorite couples and since this book is based around one of my favorite movies, it’s a great way to spend a few hours!

As You Wish

What made the experience of listening to As You Wish the most enjoyable?

The combination of the story and narration. It's an entertaining, engaging and enjoyable story. The story pulled me in from the start and held my attention until the end. Even though it's a shorter book it didn't feel like it. The story flowed smoothly and the relationship between Sam and Declan didn't feel rushed.

What did you like best about this story?

Even though there is a little mystery and suspense woven into the mix it's also fun story with a couple of interesting twists. Everyone wants a Happy Ever After no matter who you are. What better place to fall in love than at a fairy-tale castle. The relationship between Declan and Sam is fun, sweet and humorous and definitely steamy at times. They also endure a little heartache and angst before they get their HEA.

First impressions are hard to get over sometimes. Even if you've "known" the person for quite some time through chats and emails. Your not really strangers, yet you are. It was fun how Declan and Sam met in person the first time.

Loved that the story doesn't end in a cliffhanger. It is left open for future books in the series but you are not left hanging where Declan and Sam are concerned. Now that the connection between Declan and Sam is established it will be interesting to see where the series goes from here. I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.

Which character – as performed by Gary Furlong – was your favorite?

All of them...Declan the most I would say. Gary furlong did a really good job with the narration. Nice voice easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Loved the slight English accent. It fit the story and characters perfectly. Really good character voices. You could always tell which character was speaking. He brought the characters, their emotions and story to life. Very enjoyable

Any additional comments?

I was provided this free review copy audiobook bat my request and voluntarily provided this review.

As You Wish

Love this story! excellent writing. The way the author works in lines from The Princess Bride makes the story funny and endearing. I can't wait for more!

This is the first time I've listened to Gary Furlong narrate. He is very good at what he does and how he got through reading this without laughing is beyond me. I look forward to hearing more from this talented narrator

I received this audible free and am thrilled to give my honest review

a little twist

this was a fun book to read, initially it seemed like a simple love story, but there is a surprising twist which , I admit, I didn't see coming. on to book 2!

funny and sweet

As You Wish is the first book in the Shatterproof Bond series by Isobel Starling. It is funny, sweet, sexy and fun. Declan and Sam have chemistry even if one of them takes a while to get the clue. The supporting characters were interesting too. Good start to a series and cant wait to read more.

NARRATED BY GARY FURLONG, the personalities pop and the story comes to life. Definitely amps up the experience of the book

Amazing narration!

This is such an amazing story when I read it. so yo have Gary Furlong narrating this one is just amazing. Declan and Sam are just amazing and Gary brings them to life. Just amazing.

Declan and Sam won their way into my heart

Ok I loved this couple. Declan and Sam won their way into my heart. this was a super stoy, and written well.
what happens when a straight man meets a drop dead hunk he has been Emailing back and forth for a year about their siblings wedding? Well at first things don't go well. Declan is straight, and loves a good romp with women, and Sam is a drop dead sexy gay man. the attraction starts to fly, and before you know it, they need each other in that special way.
Very good tasteful sex scenes, and a very well written story line.
this is a great start to a new series. I will add that this is book one. Thankfully this does not end in a cliff hanger, but Isobel, has completely opened up a great story line for the next book! Well done.

Gary Furlong did one hell of a job in this book! He had a very sexy voice, and read well.


I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

My Kind of Wedding

First of all, I love kilts and sexy men in kilts, so this book was right in line with my choice to read and/or listen to. Sweet story mixed with lots of sex. Right from the beginning you start trying to figure out how to get your two main charactors together. Sam and Declan are meant to be together. Secretive and spicey best describes them. Their coming together is hot and totally binding. I do have to say finding out Sam's father's background is surprising but kind of what I thought it would be. Overall it is a great book, narrator was good and fitting for the story. I would definately recommend it to others. The only thing I did not like about it was the ending. I normally prefer a stand alone book so this one not ending with a HEA, but continuing in another book is a bit disappointing. I don't like to wait. I was gifted this title in exchange for a fair review.