by
- Where There's Smoke
- Deep Fury
- Spilled Passion
- Aidan Undercover: The Box Set
Introduction to the set
With the Queen due for her annual visit to Balmoral Castle, Constable Aidan Williamson has been transformed overnight into an undercover detective for Police Scotland. He’s managed to emerge from his first case (Where There’s Smoke) with only a bullet wound and a few other scars no one can see. He’s also become deeply attracted to Kenneth Logan, an enigmatic hermit who chooses a stone tent and hard floor over a comfy flat with a soft bed.
His second case (Deep Fury) takes him once more to a property owned by Her Majesty—but this time another monarch takes top billing. A very old secret hidden by Queen Victoria has become a cause for murder. At her famous Widow’s House on a lake in the Highlands…and in his own private life with a hot Scot named Logan…there’s a smoldering deep fury at work, and Aidan’s determined to get to the bottom of it.
In Spilled Passion, a hidden crime has been uncovered in the same place the royal party is set to visit soon. Aidan, rookie dick, is struggling to confront his demons—and his angels too. Who’s the killer? A pillar of the local church…a couple of horny adolescents…a protective kinsman of the dead man’s wife…or the sweet widow herself? This time around, the edges are blurred more than ever in a mystery and a buried secret that spill all the way into serious romance.
- 3 To Be Read lists
Publisher: New Dawn Press
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 5
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Bodyguard/Guardian Angel, Criminals & Outlaws, Most Mindblowing Sex Ever
Word Count: 88084
Setting: Scottish Highlands
Languages Available: English
This is a box set, so I'll excerpt a passage from the first novella, Where There's Smoke. The rookie detective Aidan has met an enigmatic stranger named Logan who lives alone, literally at the foot of a mountain:
The trip downhill took less than an hour. Taking chances on the steep switchbacks, relying on his inborn sense of balance and whatever athletic ability he had, Aidan rode fast, letting his mind play back those two hours at the base camp.
How had he let Logan take him—and shake him, and break him—so easily? He hadn’t been with a man since Justin. And even when he and his ex were together during their forgettable final year, the fucking was so humdrum he couldn’t remember the last time. Didn’t even want to remember.
READ MOREHe thought for sure he’d let the sex drive callus over. Less than ten minutes on the high moor with Logan had proved him wrong. The drive was stronger than ever. He must have been channeling his libido into his work. What Gowan called his “stick of dynamite”—the one so firmly planted in his ass hole—had rocketed him straight up, on an impossible journey to the demon’s damn cock. And he’d savored every moment. Not the pain, but the sensual easing of it…
Bloody hell. How can I do my job, when a police suspect is holding my dick in his grizzly bear paws?
By the time he reached the car park, it was almost three in the afternoon, with five daylight hours remaining. He still hadn’t found a way to shut out Logan. The hurt in his eyes, the sureness of his touch, the gentle tease in his words—and a fuck load more.
Aidan was still driven by his need to find justice for Andras. But now… He hoisted the bike onto the roof rack and tied it down, acting mechanically while his mind dug its talons into a memory.
A granite outcropping called Logan had stood with tears on his face, mourning the loss of a man he never knew. How much more did he love his own brother? And what depth of passion would he reveal to a lover?
He wanted to, he needed to, know the answer.
COLLAPSE
"Karla" on Amazon wrote:(for the first novella, Where There's Smoke): 5 stars
New Hero
“More than down and dirty…” A review by Bo.
One thing you can count on when you open a book by Erin O'Quinn is that her main character is set up perfectly for your sympathetic reaction to his life, as well as providing an immediate impression that he has the moxie to become a hero.
In Aidan Williamson she has handed us not only a hunk-on-the-cover but a young man with a quick mind and sharp but usually discreet mouth. That combination helps us through a fast-moving adventure through the hills and mountains and valleys in search of clues as to how a young, experienced, bagger (backpacking hiker) met a mysterious and probably illegal demise in a bothy (something like a hut with bare amenities).
The set up between young Aidan and his Police Scotland superiors is exceptionally well handled and Aidan's overly eager plunge into the mystery--and his quick reaction to potential embarrassment--give us a gut warming insight into this tall lanky fellow.
How Aidan comes to put pieces together is very cleverly handled as is his encounter with what might be called a park ranger by name of Kenneth Logan--a big bear cub of a man whose cloistered life begins to crumble when he encounters this snarky, but determined, undercover agent.
Ms. O'Quinn might do very well by expanding this series in the future, but even if she doesn't, this is a perky, delicious, adventurous read that is more than down and dirty--it's delightful.
"Bo" on Goodreads wrote:(for the first novella, Where There's Smoke:)
5.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery with a promise of romance
Verified Purchase
Glad to see more of Aidan after meeting him in the Nevada Highlander series. I definitely want to know more of his back story and read more of him and his "mountain man"! Erin's writing is beautiful and very visual. She makes it easy to see the places in Scotland she describes. Can't wait for book 2!
"Kindle Customer" on Amazon wrote:(for the second novella, Deep Fury): 5 stars
Luscious Romp
In my experience it is very rare that a book opens and closes with scorching love scene between two characters and then manages to take you on a completely unrelated mystery tour that is a most appropriate filling for those two scenes--sort of like a hot corned beef sandwich with mustard on both sides.
And there are very few authors who can carry off that feat, among whom is Erin O'Quinn. This expert on all things Scottish takes us on another giddy and luscious romp through the highlands with cover man and newly appointed Police Scotland Detective Aidan Williamson who is surreptitiously aided by his bear of a boyfriend Logan, caretaker of a critically historic section of the country where the bothy (stone hut) rules.
O'Quinn has a gift for creating totally unique men in size, shape, and beauty, and in Aidan and Logan--who are about the same size except for their breadths--we have a pair that is adorable, clever and funny as well as serious when necessary. Aided by Aidan's cop partner Mike, a rowdy straight Irishman who keeps everyone honest every step of the way, the plot is a hoot which you can figure out once Aidan morphs into a disguise or two.
But what holds this one together is not only O'Quinn's distinctive and glorious way with words but also the depth of feeling and consciousness she brings to the concept of love--not only between Aidan and Logan but also the characters they are determined to accuse of a crime that just could not possibly have happened without love present.
Totally awaiting the next adventure confident that it will be another luscious sandwich.
"Bo" on Goodreads wrote:(for the second novella, Deep Fury) 5 stars
WOW was absolutely wonderful! Definitely a must read, this Author will keep you positively entertained, secrets revealed, drama, a mystery solved and more to add to from the first book a beautiful love story! So many thanks, Honey Bee.
"JM" on Amazon wrote:(for the third novella, Spilled Passion): 5 stars
Perfect Conclusion for a Perfect Man
How can you not fall in love with that man on the cover, the tall, rangy Scottish policeman Aidan Williamson--well obviously a mountain bear of a man named Kenneth Logan has, and this finale to a dashingly different series starts off letting us know just how much. And how much Aidan loves him back. Too bad they don't confess that until sometime later, but what the heck, we have a plot to lay.
And the plot is almost as cute as this coupling. There's another death in the land of the bothies (stone caves in the Highlands) and Aidan is pressed into service to find out who committed the dastardly deed. That the evidence all leads to a group of seemingly hapless bagpipers who regularly camp at the site of the death scene might raise an eyebrow or two.
But author Erin O'Quinn is known for raising your eyebrows, and in the end raising your interest, pique and satisfaction. Which is as good a reason I know to grab this one now. But get the first two in the series if you haven't read them and fall in love with that man on the cover. Woof!
(for Where There's Smoke): 5 stars
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful novella!!! Aidan is a great character!!
Verified Purchase
Erin O'Quinn has done it again!! A wonderful novella with great characters and a good mystery. The ride is so fast and furious with great visuals and wonderful Scottish men and accents. This is a wonderful ride that you don't want to miss!
The box set saves 46% over the price of buying the three novellas. The collection really does hang together like a tight novel. Enjoy!
