Claiming Mister Kemp

Absolutely amazingly well done, Emily Larkin has been a favorite of mine for a short minute, but this book has cemented her place in my lineup of automatic must read authors. Not necessarily because it was a great romance, even though it was, nor because I enjoyed the characters but because of the way she addressed and tackled a very hard plot of m/m in an era where they were raised to fear for their lives if it was ever discovered they'd even had a thought of sexual relations with another man. I felt sad for Tom and scared for Lucas. Claiming Mister Kemp is a true love story of best friends realizing that their friendship runs even deeper than they could have ever hoped for in an era where they could be hanged for it. Deep, solid read. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Claiming Mister Kemp, Baleful Godmother 4,  Emily Larkin

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  romance, LGBTQIA

Well, I’ve not read any of Emily’s stories, and this is the fourth in a series....but it reads as though each are stand alone though connected, and the description appealed to me ;-)
Historical M/M – for me the Queen, the 5* Gold Standard of this genre is K J Charles, I love her works. This stands up pretty well against that for me, and I really enjoyed the story. There are earlier books, which I’d like to read, and in fact book one is free so that’s on my kindle ;-)

I loved Tom, so clear about his love for Lucas even at a time when it mean death if it was discovered. Awful isn’t it how we treated anyone in love in a non conventional way back then – and in many places still do >:(  Tom has served his country loyally, risked his life for small reward and yet if he’s caught with a man he faced being hung.
Lucas, he's so scared to admit his feelings. Its clear to those close to him but he won’t even admit it to himself, and talking to Tom when he forces the issue he’s sticking to the conventional “unnatural” etc. As for anal sex – I have to look up the term they used, was new to me and I’ve forgotten it – there’s no way he’ll consider that. Back door Usher – that’s was it, perfect for the age in which the book is set.
That’s one of the things that makes historical books so real, when the characters speak as they would back then, use terms familiar to that age. When Tom is talking about paint colours I had to look some up, hazarded a guess as an artist myself but they were colours I’ve never heard of, superseded by more modern ones.
I love when an author takes the trouble to do relatively small things like that which have a big impact on how I feel about a novel. Its research many fail to give credit to and just don’t do but can make a massive difference to how real novels feel. Its something that KJ Charles does all the while, and what makes her books feel so special to me.

There were times I wanted to shake Lucas, thought him a coward he was bringing such distress to Tom in his refusal to act on what they both felt. Then I had to remind myself just what they were risking, and it puts his fears into context better.
Even today in the UK many people find it difficult to acknowledge their sexuality, and there are no criminal charges now, just bigots to face,but that’s still tough, especially when they’re sometimes within the family we love.

Holding up this would be/won’t be romance is a great cast of characters, snippets of real history, and events, and plots that fit the story perfectly. Its a fun read, one I thoroughly enjoyed..
 
Stars: Four and a half, just short of the magic five, maybe if I’d read all the former stories it would have hit that? Who knows?  

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

This is just a sweet love story. I read the first book in this engaging Regency-era, packed with magic series and was entranced. That's why I requested to review this book, even though I have not read very many such romances, except perhaps as secondary stories in other books. Tom loves Lucas, yet Lucas is afraid to love Tom back. And no wonder, in Regency England, a "molly" could be hanged for the crime of love. It was dangerous and potentially fatal. Yet these two fast friends break through and explore their attraction. Lucas, especially, stops giving in to fear and welcomes Tom for a HEA. The series, about three female cousins and their magical gifts from not-so-friendly godmothers is a real find. The books show a seamier side of Regency England without becoming unpleasant. This fourth and final book lacks a bit of the magic, and by that I truly mean magic, not that it is less enjoyable than the others. It shows again how limited choices could be in an age when to love someone of the same gender was a crime, when second sons had to fight or join the clergy and when people were trapped by expectations. That Tom and Lucas break through the rigidity of their times, and do so in a believable manner, is what makes this book compelling.

Lucas Kemp’s twin sister Julia died last year. He’s put aside his mourning clothes, but not his heartache. If Lucas ever needed a friend, it’s now, who should walk in his door but Lieutenant Thomas Matlock who finds Lucas drunk & crying on his birthday in a darkened room
Lucas and Tom are more than just best friends; they’ve been in love with each other for years but if they give into their feelings then their lives could be ruined or ended
Tom escaped death in Portugal & is not going to ignore the attraction between them. This time, he’s going to push the issue. He’s going to teach Lucas how to laugh again.
A short book slightly longer than a novella, which I read in two sessions. Tom no longer fights his feelings but Lu does, he does start to question his feelings & talking to Letty & Robert also makes him look into his beliefs, then an incident happens which brings things to a head. I’m not normally a lover of M/M books but this was well written & managed to portray the way homosexual relationships were viewed & dealt with in the nineteenth century. It was more than two men finding love it was about how a very lonely Lucas gradually began to live again after the death of his twin This book runs at the same time as ‘Trusting Miss Trentham’ & whilst could be a standalone I liked it that a different side to events in both books meshed. Another enjoyable read in the series & I look forward to the rest of the series

This isn't my normal reading type but it was well done. I've read other books in this series and had to read this one too. There are hot and steamy parts so if it is not for you I wouldn't read it. I liked how we saw this side of the story in certain parts from this point of view than in the prior book. Well written. Fourth in the series. Enjoyed seeing the characters from the other stories again. The strugle was real. Great read.

I was provided a free copy via Netgalley, but the review was not solicited.
I really liked the story. The hesitancy on Lucas's part and Tom's patience rang true, there was no insta-acceptance of their desire/love for each other. The little touch of magic was nice (I haven't read any of Emily Larkin's other books, so I sense that there is a backstory there :) ). Overall, I really enjoyed how the relationship deepened. I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical romances.
I will definitely check out her other books.

I like m/m romance ,and this one is a very well written.
a story about coming back to life,living your life,how you
want it.taking a risk at love,friendship,society`s rules and
laws.
the story is a bit short ,but the characters are well developed.
4 stars.well deserved.

I thought this was ok, not great but not bad either. It’s a 4th book in a series that I haven’t read and it stood alone, but felt more like book 3.5 than 4. Both men are side characters from the previous book and there are several characters that I could tell were cameos even without reading the other books. It just didn’t feel particularly fleshed out, even if the writing was very pretty.

I was also uncomfortable with how the relationship started. I understood Tom’s seize the day attitude, but I really thought he was too aggressive, pushing Lucas even when he was actively saying no. I did appreciate the presence of bisexuals and the fact that sex didn’t have to be penetrative to be satisfying and loving. So often ‘romances’ culminate with penetrative sex, as if it’s the only real kind of sex and somehow marks a relationship out as real.

From what I understand of the other books in the series, they are fantasy. But there is no evidence of magic here. It’s a fairly straight forward historical romance. I did get tired of Lucas’ constant fretting. I understood it, but from the reading perspective, it got old. Lastly, I thought given all that emotional turmoil, Lucas seemed to get over it awful quickly, once the time came.

Great story, I enjoyed the characters. I wish there was more depth, it was just not a complete connection. The description of Toms drawings made me wish this was a book with pictures. I felt that the relationship flowed well with the time period I just wish there was more.

Publisher's Description:

A forbidden love…

Lucas Kemp’s twin sister died last year. He’s put aside his mourning clothes, but not his heartache. If Lucas ever needed a friend, it’s now—and who should walk in his door but Lieutenant Thomas Matlock…

Lucas and Tom are more than just best friends; they’ve been in love with each other for years. In love with each other—and pretending not to know it.

But this time, Tom’s not going to ignore the attraction between them. This time, he’s going to push the issue.

He’s going to teach Lucas how to laugh again—and he’s going to take Lucas as his lover…

My Thoughts:

This is a wonderfully written story of forbidden love. The time period is one that could have meant the certain death of the main characters had the wrong people discovered their relationship.
These men had loved each other since they were teenagers but had never expressed their feelings to one another. Probably the only reason their relationship progressed was the death of Lucas's twin sister Julia which brought his vulnerability to light leaving Tom wanting to comfort him in his grief.
Emily Larkin has taken a very delicate subject and made it work in this story. I wanted to cry when I thought Lucas and Tom wouldn't end up with each other.
This story is situated in times when people not only objected to but severely punished those who dared to love someone of their own gender. It is still in our times sometimes frowned upon.
I gave this book 4.25 of 5 stars for storyline and character development and 3.5 of 5 flames for sensuality. It is a sweetly written take on this sensitive subject and was well done.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title to read. This in no way affected my opinion and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

I enjoyed this a lot.

Claiming Mister Kemp is the first book I've ever read by Emily Larkin. She states that she doesn't usually write M/M stories; so, if this is her first I think she did a great job with it

I've read quite a few historical M/M or M/M/F books by authors KJ Charles and Samantha Kane. This one isn't quite on the same level for me but it is very, very good. Ms. Larkin uses at least one phrase that I've never heard before: "back door usher." Now it doesn't take much imagination to know what that means since this is an M/M story but the phrase was new to me.

This is a touching story about Tom, who knows what he wants and goes after it, and his friend Lucas who's afraid to take a chance at happiness with Tom. Their story is a tender one and I very much enjoyed reading how Lucas was finally able to come to terms with what he wanted. The support of his family and staff was wonderful and instrumental in his coming to terms with the love he felt for Tom.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

I really loved this sweet. historical M/M story. It's a first for me having not read any of the genre before. I will definitely be looking out for more of this author's work. Thank you.