Shattered Veil

Astoria Royals Standalone, Book 2

De: Deborah Garland

Narrado por: Desiree Ketchum, JF Harding

It started with a little white lie and ended with me being owned by a black-hearted mafia boss. And now... my baby daddy. Of all people to tease to live out a fantasy. I fell into bed with a hacker for the Irish mob: Balor O'Rourke. Who also happens to be my new lethally gorgeous boss with nerdy dark glasses, penetrating green eyes, and a body made for sin. He doesn't do relationships and I'm getting over an abusive ex. With that understanding, we shatter the rules, unleashing his unbridled desires and my carnal urges. But the enemy Balor is chasing turns out to be my father, and I have to choose sides. When my baby news wakes up a passion for marriage and fatherhood Balor didn't know he could feel, a brutal possessiveness takes hold. I may not have a choice now. He says I'm his. Forever.

Shattered Veil is a standalone Mafia Romance with mature themes, a possessive hacker, and a DV survivor. The story includes explicit content. It is recommended for mature listeners only. No cheating. HEA guaranteed.

©2023 Deborah Garland (P)2025 Deborah Garland

Deliciously Dirty Irish Mafia

Shattered Veil had me cracking up at the beginning at Ella's thoughts and then BAM, we get a dirty talking Balor like right off the bat and that mouth... Their initial chemistry was crazy hot and I was all in on their story. A few hiccups along the way, but whey they see each other again, their chemistry continues to be explosive. The mouth on that man was sexy AF, but I also really loved Ella who was just as sassy and dirty mouthed. Outside of their crazy hot passion though, a beautiful story and a very sweet romance evolved.

This book definitely had a lot of the mafia vibes you would expect which brought a bit of danger and intrigue to the story and kept me entertained and engaged throughout trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I loved how protective Balor was of Ella and how he vowed to make sure her abusive ex was dealt with. There were several things I never saw coming, but that ended up making this story so much better than expected.

The voice narration with JF Harding and Desiree Ketchum was excellent. Both narrators did a stellar job and I loved the Irish accent that really brought to life the Irish Mafia angle of the story. Their voice inflections were perfect and really added to the listening experience.

It'sAlways the Quite Ones!!

JF Harding is absolute perfection as Balor! He nailed the hot AF cyber Alpha of the O'Rourke's!! Nothing hits better than a well done Irish brogue 🥵🥵

Desiree Ketchum narrates Ella flawlessly. She captures her strength and fierceness phenomenally.

The drama that D.Garland writes into her stories will keep you on the edge of your seat! These men will stop at nothing for their family and the women the love. I was hooked on Balor & Ella's story when I first read it, but hearing it next level!!

I had no idea that I NEEEDED Balor's story this badly!

D. Garland writes the best Alpha MCs and some of the strongest FMCs that I've ever read. i have been completely consumed with the world these series have created in Astoria. You can totally read this as a standalone, but trust me your gonna wanna get to know ALL of Astoria's Royals.

Now... For Shattered Veil...

Someone call 911 ... Balor & Ella are 🔥🔥🔥

With a pånty-drenching dirty mouth, Balor is topshelf Alpha Male material. Ella is the definition of strength, independence & sass.

These two have undeniable chemistry from the start. Right out the gate, phenomenal spice, that just keeps getting better throughout the story. Navigating their inevitable relationship through the suspensionful twists and turns of their story, Balor & Ella make it out the other side with their well deserved HEA.

It will never cease to amaze me, how well written D. Garland's books are. The balance of steamy dirty scenes and plots with drama, suspense & fantastically crafted characters that have real growth and development is unmatched! You're hooked in the first chapter, on the edge of your seat devouring each page while not so secretly clenching your thighs.

5/5 ⭐
5/5 🌶️
10/5 Thrills

The plane ride sets the mood

I love this book. I listen to it straight through twice back to back, but it ends with a cliffhanger. It says it’s a standalone but clearly there is a story of the sister and trace coming and it’s not available to listen to. That’s the only thing that takes this book down by a half of a point

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just so happen to buy this series. I initially started with book 1 but it wasn't a duet narration so I stopped it and started on book 2. This was a really good book. Well written, excellent narration by both narrators, which is rare for them both to be great. On to the next book. Keep them coming.

My Favorite O’Rourke

Balor might just be my favorite O’Rourke. He seems gruff and grumpy, but one night with a stranger and he’s changing.
Balor is enamored with Ella, and finding out she is actually who he thought she was might make things tricky, but it doesn’t slow down his growing obsession.
Ella is trying to find herself after being in a toxic relationship, her wild night was a step to healing, and that was just the beginning.
The chemistry between Balor & Ella is amazing, I absolutely adore how loving and supportive Balor is, I love that he makes sure Ella knows she is always safe with him. This was full of passion, spice, suspense, secrets, twists and absolute utter betrayal.

JF Harding does an incredible job narrating, his Irish accent absolutely fantastic. Desiree Ketchum did a wonderful job narrating as well.

Brilliant Story & Narration🎧Enthralling & Intense!

I have so much love for Deborah Garland’s “Astoria Royals” series and the amazing world she created, a mafia world filled with interesting characters and storylines. Each book in the series stands on its own, so you can enjoy them in any order, and once you have enjoyed one, you will want the others because they are all fantastic. “Shattered Veil” is Balor’s and Ella’s story and wow, what a story it is, grabbing my attention from the very start, the moment they met, holding it captive straight to the end. Both meet by chance on a flight back to the states, and a layover that turns into a steamy encounter. We learn plenty in that time, how Balor only does escorts with no repeats and he thinks Ella is one, so Ella went along with it, fulfilling a fantasy. She never had the chance to tell him otherwise because he was gone before she woke up, but that would not be the last to see each other. Her father is starting a new job and secured a job for her at the same company, a personal assistant to the boss, a boss who turns out to be Balor. Balor is the O’Rourke’s tech guru, and he hires her father, Snow, because of who he is and what he can do, and it did not Balor long to see that Ella had no clue about her father’s skills. It was great to watch Balor and Ella’s relationship morph into something so much more, something neither saw coming nor even wanted. Ella was still getting over an abusive relationship and thought she’d never see him again, except narcissistic abusers don’t go away that easily. Garland weaved an intricate web, plotting a multilayered story with plenty of drama, angst, twists and turns, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. It was great to see characters from earlier books and bringing in their own unique skills and charm. Deborah Garland, thank you for another amazing story and the wild, emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧   Desiree Ketchum and JF Harding were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life and did a fantastic job voicing them, accents included, and delivering a perfect portrayal of each. Harding nails it as Balor, grasping every aspect of his personality, and his versatility as a voice artist truly shines in this book, swapping out accents. Ketchum was just as amazing in Ella’s role, showcasing all aspects of her personalty as well. Both were fantastic performing the roles of the side/secondary characters, too. Their pacing and tone were just right for the story and they captured all the character’s emotions, making you feel every single one. They are entertaining storytellers and their captivating performance takes this already amazing story to another level.

Shattered Veil by Deborah Garland

I just finished listening to Shattered Veil by Deborah Garland, narrated in duet by Desiree Ketchum and JF Harding. I DID NOT BREATHE the last hour of this book. The plot twists are masterfully executed, building suspense until the very last second. I didn’t see those coming. At. All.
Deborah keeps the tension razor-sharp, making every new revelation hit like a gut punch.
From the moment Balor and Ella meet on a plane, sparks fly—this is not a slow burn. Their instant connection leads to a spicy in-flight encounter, setting the stage for a whirlwind romance. Balor, an Irish mafia boss, is as dangerous as he is protective, especially when he learns about Ella’s abusive ex, a cop who refuses to let her go.
Balor hires Ella’s hacker father for his company, with the condition that Ella is brought on as well. Now working as Balor’s assistant, the lines between professional and personal blur, and their feelings soon intensify.
The combination of dark romance, action, and raw emotion makes this audiobook impossible to pause.
Narrators Desiree Ketchum and JF Harding are phenomenal as Ella and Balor. Produced in duet style narration, both voice actors captured the emotions Deborah wrote flawlessly. Their chemistry makes the tension, passion, and emotions in the story feel even more intense.
I love this Irish mafia world that Deborah has created with her Astoria Royals series. Shattered Veil is the second book in the interconnected standalone series, can be read by itself, but I highly recommend starting with book one as it is where we enter the Astoria world and meet the core characters.

Loved Every Moment!

This duet narration was fantastic OMG the way this story starts off! The flirting, the banter, top tier! Throughout this story had me so very in my feels! The spice, the swoon, the close family, and healing, I loved it all! I can’t wait to continue on in this series!

Easy Listen

This was my first book by Deborah Garland and now I’m hooked! I did the audio of this book and finished it in a day. The narrators were perfect and the story was so good that I found myself getting lost in it. There were twists and turns that I did not see coming but gave depth to the story. I loved Ella and Balor. I loved that there was no third act breakup, that they were just so sure of each other, and once they stopped fighting the feelings they meshed so perfectly and communicated pretty well. I also loved that this was a duet narration as they have become my absolute favorite! I cannot wait to read the next book, I’ll definitely be getting the audio books for this series.

Wonderful

This is one of my favorite audibles. Absolutely perfect. Spice was spicyn. It was sooooo good!