Welcome back to coverage of our third Year of the Lads book, Playing to Win, starring those wild-eyed enemies-to-lovers Colin MacDuff and (Lord) Andrew Sunderland.
Quick aside: There’s an official Playing to Win soundtrack!
Warning: Soundtrack may cause dancing, crying, and dreams of revolution.
And now the main feature:
Playing to Win takes place amid the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, an issue that polarized society across Scotland and beyond. Colin was a passionate supporter for the pro-independence Yes movement; while Lord Andrew, whose aristocratic family could lose money and prestige in an independent Scotland, campaigned for No by way of snarky tweets.
The two lads are from opposite worlds and perspectives to begin with, and this issue brings an extra dollop of (delicious) conflict to their relationship. 🔥
“Talking of explanations, what’s the story behind your tattoos?”
Colin stopped chewing, and a shutter seemed to fall over his eyes. Then he set down his sandwich and stretched his left arm across the table. “This is a unicorn.”
“I can see that.” Andrew examined the black-line, almost tribal-esque design, which included only the beast’s head, neck, and chest. Its mouth was open, and its flying mane resembled flames. “It’s rather angry-looking. Is it meant to represent a rebellious Scotland?” The United Kingdom coat of arms famously featured the lion of England wearing a crown, whilst the unicorn, symbolizing Scotland, was in chains.
“Very good. Especially cos this unicorn’s chain is broken.”
Andrew reached out and traced the links, which continued up and over Colin’s forearm, into the forest of fine, dark hair. “But those chains serve a purpose. Unicorns are savage beasts. Without their shackles, who knows what havoc they could wreak?”
“I guess we’ll see about that next month, won’t we?” Colin asked with a wink. It was the first time he’d referred to the Scottish independence referendum, even obliquely. Andrew tensed. Normally he relished political arguments, but today, with this man, he wanted to forget the world.
Later in the story, they hold a strip-debate of the independence referendum, with some unexpected results. 🔥😈
Andrew dreads referendum day, knowing that no matter the outcome, someone he loves will be destroyed. Sure enough, when the vote tallies start to be announced the night of 18 September, Colin’s heart shatters. Independence was more than a political issue for him. He’d pinned his every hope for the future on it, and for the first time in his life, he had felt something like hope, had believed a “skint lad fae the Drum” like him could make a difference. On the soundtrack, Passenger sings what Colin feels:
God knows I failed,
but he knows that I’ve tried.
I long for something that’s safe and warm
But all I have is all that is gone.
I’m as helpless and as hopeless
as a feather on the Clyde.
If you want to know more about what it was like to be there, I found an interesting link in my notes about that day, night, and immediate aftermath. This blog post was written by a young woman from New Zealand who was studying in Scotland at the time. Since she was a resident, she was able to vote and campaign in the referendum.
These days, emotionally crushing political results are common, when it feels like the whole world is at stake on every election or referendum. I had many readers tell me that the Playing to Win scenes on indyref night—as each constituency result was another kick in Colin’s gut—brought back memories of 2016, a year when the UK and the US shocked, well, everyone, including themselves.
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To be entered into this week’s giveaway and the monthly giveaway, leave a comment on this post. What’s your favorite fictional example of two people who start on opposite sides and become friends/allies/lovers?
We’re currently rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (actually watching more than rewatching, since we originally saw only the first 4 seasons and forgot most of what we did see). I love a good cop/criminal friendship, so I relished the relationship arc of stick-in-the-mud security chief Odo and contraband smuggler Quark. Complete moral opposites, they are already enemies when the show begins. But having such a formidable foe makes each character better at what they do, and that grudging respect eventually turns into a friendship they will neither admit nor abandon, no matter the risk to their lives.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
- Comments from all weekly posts will be automatically entered to win the monthly prize.
- THIS WEEK’S PRIZE: a free ebook of mine, winner’s choice. Open through Sunday, 26 October.
- THIS MONTH’S PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Playing to Win paperback. Open through Sunday, 2 November.
- Pool of entrants will consist of comments on this post, the blog version, and replies to my newsletter.
- One entry per person per weekly drawing.
- International entries welcome.
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“He is the one thing in this world you cannot afford.”
Colin MacDuff has nothing. Growing up in a Glasgow slum, he learned never to trust, never to cry—and never EVER to be at the mercy of anyone, especially rich men. So how did he end up half-naked at a rave with Scotland’s hottest young aristocrat?
Lord Andrew Sunderland has everything. From ancestral castle to posh prep school, he’s spent his life wrapping others around his wee finger. With a social circle full of celebrities and politicians, nothing can stop Andrew’s rise to the top. Nothing, that is, save his desire for a dirt-poor, wolf-eyed footballer whose scars and tattoos tell unbearable tales.
Colin and Andrew come from different worlds, believe in different worlds, want different worlds. Yet every time they touch, all worlds fall away.
Set amid the fiery Scottish-independence struggle, this searing gay romance tells the story of two men who must lose everything to win each other’s hearts.
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Playing to Win can be read as a stand-alone and has happily ever after with no cliffhanger.