by
A disgraced Scot... a misplaced Quaker
(The Renegade and the Runaway 1)
Gregory MacGregor is a Highlander, a moody, angry outlaw who has reasons for calling himself Grier Black. The British crown has taken his clan name, his tartan, his dagger, and his very honor. His mission in life is one of lawless rebellion.
Iain Stewart is Grier’s uncle, a man who has lost both his brother and his beloved wife. He lives apart from his family in the tall dark city of Edinburgh, where he follows his wits and instincts to help the survival of his clan
On the eve of a revolution, David Campbell, son of a Colonial American printer, falls afoul of occupying Redcoats. He runs straight into the hands of a ship’s captain and a lecherous opportunist. Weeks later, he finds himself in a place of peril far from home, surrounded by strangers who despise all Campbells.
…And all hell breaks loose before heaven can intervene.
Unkilted is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tale with a few twists and wynds along the way. A sequel titled Unbroken is in progress
- 2 To Be Read lists
- 1 Read list
Publisher: New Dawn Press
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 3 Age: 36-45
Tropes: Coming of Age, Criminals & Outlaws, Enemies to Lovers, First Time
Word Count: 62681
Setting: Scotlnd and Colonial America
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
>>>Chapter Eight<<<
Interlude
David was in turn mystified, charmed, saddened, and choked with desperate desire. Long he lay in the pallet, tossing on the hard bed redolent of unseen mountains, cupping himself, wondering at the way his small world had become a universe of possibilities.
I want him to desire me…in a different way from Archer…the way I have sometimes dreamed. In the way of David and Jonathan…the same way I want him.
Once, with his far away associate Alan, he had thrilled to the light touch of another man. That was an infinity ago, in a time and place forever lost, and it had lasted mere moments. This new excitement would not leave his flesh, or his fantasies.
READ MOREHe is to be my trainer, hardly my lover. He comes to this place to find women. He lives and thinks at cross-purposes to my own beliefs. Be careful, David.
But he could not expunge from his mind the thought of touching and kissing Grier Black. Yes, a black fox. He thought about the words he had read in Shakespeare…Lean and hungry.
Finally, testicles swollen, throbbing with the pain of holding back, he stroked himself until his hands were wet with spilled longing, and then he slept.
~o~
Grier could not sleep. He had unrolled his saddle blanket near Corbie, where his stallion stood in a half-doze. The large animal would lie down later, when deep sleep pulled him to the fragrant new grass.
He lay on his back gazing at the same stars and the same moon he and David had seen half an hour ago. Then, the sky had shimmered with the kind of light he had rarely seen. It had been a canopy of unknown and unknowable mystery, in a singular moment of peace.
He tried to forget the image of the flaxen-haired young man bent like a crescent moon over a reflecting pool…his comely buttocks flexing in mute acceptance of his own renegade eyes…
Stop, Gregory MacGregor. The lad is an innocent in a world of corrupt men.
Never, in all the years he had desired other men, never before had he made love with his tone of voice and the inflections of his speech, with the silent language of his body. He was too restless, too much in a hurry to find the next moor and drink from the burn that lay just over the next hill. He was always trying to escape…something. Some wayward phantom that had never revealed itself.
Och, he had never showed himself so openly…not until tonight. Now, turning one more onto his stomach, he cursed himself—again—for his obvious show of lust to a boy who had already suffered the worst of vile humanity.
Let it go. Let sleep come…
COLLAPSERoger Grosklaus on Amazon wrote:“The romance was *chef's kiss* exquisite. The buildup was beautifully slow-burn and reached a very satisfying ending. This book made a nerve-wrackingly excellent use of dramatic irony that perpetually had me at the edge of my seat.
“The side characters were also well-written and memorable (Duncan and Thomas are my faves), and the non-romance plot was just as captivating as the romance.
“And as for the prose... I'm floored. The writing is so incredibly immersive, when I was reading I felt like I could look up from the screen and find myself in a roadside inn in the middle of Scotland.
“Favorite thing? Too many to choose. The setting, the seamless blend of history and fiction, the perfectly paced romance, the storyline…, the sex, the antagonists, the side-characters, and I could go on and on.
“This was a beautiful read, and I physically cannot sit still until the next book is out.”
"Bo" on Amazon wrote:5.0 out of 5 stars
Scotch whiskey and belly flops
January 13, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified PurchaseIn the age of ‘Outlander’, one’s familiarity with the magic of standing stones and the dimmed plaids of Highland kilts creates expectations in the telling of similar tales. Fortunately, Erin O’Quinn gives us vision through reeky Scotland into the hearts of 18th century men of lusty inclination. An adventurous tale engaging the mind and heart in search of a happy ending or rosy prediction. This reader is impatient for the sequel's revelations.
Bryan T. Clark (Bry&Bri) on Amazon wrote:Worth Every Page
Erin O'Quinn has this uncanny talent for bringing to life any era in which she chooses to set her stories. She does this by deeply researching the environs and mores of the period, and creating memorable characters who will leap off the page at first sentence and then settle down to make you feel at home.
Here she tackles a period of time in Scotland that is probably unfamiliar to the majority of readers--me included--and hurls us back, gently, into the mid 1770s. It's a period where the indigenous Highlanders were still under suppression by the conquering English following a series of horrifying wars…
Our MCs are 26-year-old Gregory MacGregor, now known as Grier Black, and his uncle Iain Stewart; and the latter's four robust--and unmarried--sons ranging in age from 18 through 20 something...
We are then transported across the ocean to Philadelphia where we are introduced to the Quakers, 18-year-old David Campbell and his father, Adam, a prominent printer. These two groups are both under constant threat by the occupiers in red coats, and before we know it, they are joined through what seems to be happenstance but may, indeed, be so much more.
To get through a solid mystery in which the MacGregors and Campbells are deeply, but unknowingly, intertwined, Ms. O'Quinn takes us on a journey through the Highlands and Edinburgh that fleshes out both personalities and motivations. There's a slew of both laid on our plate (or trencher), including a slow burning attraction between Grier and David which will absolutely captivate, and then completely consume, your attention. Woof!
How this all makes sense is totally due to the exceptional handle Ms. O'Quinn has on the English language. This lady can spin a tale that has numerous eyebrow raising moments without causing you to stop for a minute to wonder, "Uh, duh?" The way this plot unfolds is as totally improbable and completely shocking in an historical sense--but it makes so much sense because she carries it off with a wink and a nod.
Just when it seems there are not enough pages to bring this tale to anything other than an abrupt and amorphic ending, she sticks a finger in your chest and tells you that there's a sequel coming up. My oh my, you will be standing in line to get that one. But you'll be standing behind me! Bravo once more to a gifted spinner of tales.
If you're a fan of the series Outlander, you will love this novel. If there is ever a character that you will absolutely adore, it's David Campbell.
Sweet and innocent, David's life is suddenly at the mercy of a Scotsman that goes by the name of Grier Black. Grier is a strong alpha male, a renegade outlaw who just wants to be a highlander. He was never looking to take care of anyone other than himself. David and Grier forge a slow burning relationship that neither could have ever foreseen in their destiny. Filled with strong emotions and stumbling blocks, they both eventually find their center of gravity which leads them to their emotional truths.
I've read several of Erin O'Quinn's novels and this is some of her best work. The amount of research and knowledge that had to have gone into such great writing is unimaginable. Her ability to masterfully write dialogue in a Scottish dialect spoken in the 1770's, demonstrates just how talented she is. Hands down, UNKILTED is a five-star book.
