What do you think?
Rate this book
The Keeper
Cobbler's apprentice Thomas Williams is on his way out for the night when he's stuffed into a carriage and whisked away from the staid life he's always known. Stolen away from his Quaker master, Thomas is sold into the household of Leon Chambellan, a Frenchman also known as the Keeper.
Caught up in the latent sensuality of the keeper's home, Thomas finds his resistance slowly crumbling, and he submits to Chambellan's charm. Pursued by his new master, jealously hated by this rival, Alex, Thomas must learn survive in a world completely alien to anything he has known before. A world of beauty, brutality, rivalry and intrigue that threatens to destroy him before he can win his rightful place at Chambellan's side.
Caught up in the latent sensuality of the keeper's home, Thomas finds his resistance slowly crumbling, and he submits to Chambellan's charm. Pursued by his new master, jealously hated by this rival, Alex, Thomas must learn survive in a world completely alien to anything he has known before. A world of beauty, brutality, rivalry and intrigue that threatens to destroy him before he can win his rightful place at Chambellan's side.
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2008
40 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 11, 2010
First the cover: Bafflingly it is not at all representative of what I found inside, as the book tells me it’s based in 1772, so the appearance of medieval helmet, chain mail and a broadsword on the cover was peculiar. Publishers will need to learn that it’s not only the words that need to be accurate!
This is an erotic novel, so if long sexual scenes with strong BDSM themes aren’t really what you are after, then it’s not the book for you. We are thrown into the action almost immediately as – not knowing Bilbo’s warning about being careful about stepping outside your front door, Thomas is swiftly kidnapped by a press-gang. However, unlike Benjamin York, a real-life cobbler’s apprentice of the same era, who was pressed and sent to the Colonial war, Thomas is lucky that he’s pretty for he’s taken as a sex-slave to Chambellan: kidnapper, white slaver and Monsieur of a bawdy house for homosexual men.
There he encounters all manner of pleasure and pain, is strangely drawn to Chambellan “The Keeper,” repulsed by Alex, one of the “groomers” and meets the alluring Lucien.
What struck me almost immediately was Thomas’ surprising passivity. I, as a reader, had to assume that the reason that this nineteen year old man, (who had been working as a tanner and cobbler for ten years, and would be pretty damn strong), didn’t attempt to escape or overpower his captor when he was alone with him, was that he was a Quaker. This is actually the case, but we aren’t told of his reasons for his passivity until page 52. He even thanks the man for his hospitality of his kidnap.
I didn’t like the rapes either. Thomas says no, but he’s raped anyway, and as is often the case in fiction, he enjoys it whilst finding himself repulsive for doing so.
I know that I was supposed to find Chambellan darkly attractive but I couldn’t. Apart from raping Thomas (and supposedly every boy who he has ever enslaved) and being a white-slaver, when Thomas asks him to send him home, he says that he’ll release him back to the press-gang if Thomas wants it. That’s a nasty thing to say, and then he stomps off when Thomas complains he’s been raped and says that he “won’t do it again.” What’s more disturbing is that Thomas then longs for him to come back.
Chambellan actually says “You know there are only young men in my household and none of them is compelled against his will.” Which made me go WHAT!? I rather think that imprisonment and sexual coercion upon young men who say “no” counts as “against his will,” Chambellan.
I did like that this was on the cusp of slavery being abolished in England, and that also the very real danger of running a “macaroni club” is mentioned, these issues should never be completely forgotten in gay historical fiction. I liked the prose too, mainly – it was the other issues that stopped me enjoying the book.
Sadly, there’s also the usual problem with Torquere’s editing. I don’t like to keep mentioning this in Torquere’s reviews but they do themselves no favours. As they are already infamous for bad editing, you would think that they would work doubly hard to ensure that stories are as without error as they can be, but it seems not. This story is less than 100 pages long, so there’s no excuse for things like “he had long brown hair that was tied back in a cue“ and “he lay on the bed, his eyes closed, abandoned,” to name but two
I actually felt bitterly sorry for Thomas, and wanted him to escape from his plight – and from the much worse one that he falls into later, too. I wanted him to get safely home – not to Chambellan, but to his apprenticeship because frankly he deserved neither the frying pan, nor the fire.
Whilst the writing is pretty good, and there’s no doubt that Ms Kasar is a good story teller I’m afraid I didn’t find this erotic or romantic – it’s eroticised Stockholm Syndrome and that’s not any more arousing to me than eroticised rape, but your mileage may vary.
This is an erotic novel, so if long sexual scenes with strong BDSM themes aren’t really what you are after, then it’s not the book for you. We are thrown into the action almost immediately as – not knowing Bilbo’s warning about being careful about stepping outside your front door, Thomas is swiftly kidnapped by a press-gang. However, unlike Benjamin York, a real-life cobbler’s apprentice of the same era, who was pressed and sent to the Colonial war, Thomas is lucky that he’s pretty for he’s taken as a sex-slave to Chambellan: kidnapper, white slaver and Monsieur of a bawdy house for homosexual men.
There he encounters all manner of pleasure and pain, is strangely drawn to Chambellan “The Keeper,” repulsed by Alex, one of the “groomers” and meets the alluring Lucien.
What struck me almost immediately was Thomas’ surprising passivity. I, as a reader, had to assume that the reason that this nineteen year old man, (who had been working as a tanner and cobbler for ten years, and would be pretty damn strong), didn’t attempt to escape or overpower his captor when he was alone with him, was that he was a Quaker. This is actually the case, but we aren’t told of his reasons for his passivity until page 52. He even thanks the man for his hospitality of his kidnap.
I didn’t like the rapes either. Thomas says no, but he’s raped anyway, and as is often the case in fiction, he enjoys it whilst finding himself repulsive for doing so.
I know that I was supposed to find Chambellan darkly attractive but I couldn’t. Apart from raping Thomas (and supposedly every boy who he has ever enslaved) and being a white-slaver, when Thomas asks him to send him home, he says that he’ll release him back to the press-gang if Thomas wants it. That’s a nasty thing to say, and then he stomps off when Thomas complains he’s been raped and says that he “won’t do it again.” What’s more disturbing is that Thomas then longs for him to come back.
Chambellan actually says “You know there are only young men in my household and none of them is compelled against his will.” Which made me go WHAT!? I rather think that imprisonment and sexual coercion upon young men who say “no” counts as “against his will,” Chambellan.
I did like that this was on the cusp of slavery being abolished in England, and that also the very real danger of running a “macaroni club” is mentioned, these issues should never be completely forgotten in gay historical fiction. I liked the prose too, mainly – it was the other issues that stopped me enjoying the book.
Sadly, there’s also the usual problem with Torquere’s editing. I don’t like to keep mentioning this in Torquere’s reviews but they do themselves no favours. As they are already infamous for bad editing, you would think that they would work doubly hard to ensure that stories are as without error as they can be, but it seems not. This story is less than 100 pages long, so there’s no excuse for things like “he had long brown hair that was tied back in a cue“ and “he lay on the bed, his eyes closed, abandoned,” to name but two
I actually felt bitterly sorry for Thomas, and wanted him to escape from his plight – and from the much worse one that he falls into later, too. I wanted him to get safely home – not to Chambellan, but to his apprenticeship because frankly he deserved neither the frying pan, nor the fire.
Whilst the writing is pretty good, and there’s no doubt that Ms Kasar is a good story teller I’m afraid I didn’t find this erotic or romantic – it’s eroticised Stockholm Syndrome and that’s not any more arousing to me than eroticised rape, but your mileage may vary.
Read
May 7, 2009There is a main tag that I use to classify a very special type of romance, the Breeches Ripper romance. Usually an historical (but not always), I consider a breeches ripper a novel in which the main characters are dressed in those frilly garments. This may could explain the "breeches" part of the tag (a woman in bodice, a man in breeches...) but the ripper ones? A true breeches ripper should have also a minimum (or great) component of "forceful" love/sex, one of the hero should give up to the sensual mastery of the other ones, but giving up he should enjoy the act.
The Keeper is a truly Breeches ripper! Thomas is a cobbler apprentice in the late eighteen century London. During one of his few free morning he is kidnapped and sold to a strange man, a frenchman who lives in a secluded manor far from the city. The man is called the Keeper and Thomas soon discovers that he provides London gentlemen with pretty boys to use as they please. But before putting them on display, the Keeper, Leon, trains the boys to the art of pleasure.
Leon is intrigued by this particularly pretty boy. Usually who arrive to him are poor young men from the poorest side of the city, and innocence is something they lose many time before. Instead Thomas is still naive, completely unaware of the worldly pleasures. But even if he is enchanted by the boy, Leon will not save him from his destiny. But maybe, once in a time, the Master will become the slave...
As often in a truly breeches ripper, the most weak hero (in body if not in will) has to suffer a lot, to the hand of the other hero but not only. So poor Thomas will not get over his adventure unarmed... Thomas is not an invincible hero, who always finds a way out of his trouble; Thomas is that type of hero who needs a stronger partner to lead him; he was taught to despise the things he now has to do, but he not dares to risk his life to avoid his fate, in this case the fate is not worst than death. So, even if in his submissive way, he makes a choice, maybe one that he even knows to have done. And then I always find quite unbearable those bodice ripper heroines who never stay put and always arise trouble!
What maybe I found quite strange is that at 19 years old Thomas is still so innocent...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ROAI8M/?...
The Keeper is a truly Breeches ripper! Thomas is a cobbler apprentice in the late eighteen century London. During one of his few free morning he is kidnapped and sold to a strange man, a frenchman who lives in a secluded manor far from the city. The man is called the Keeper and Thomas soon discovers that he provides London gentlemen with pretty boys to use as they please. But before putting them on display, the Keeper, Leon, trains the boys to the art of pleasure.
Leon is intrigued by this particularly pretty boy. Usually who arrive to him are poor young men from the poorest side of the city, and innocence is something they lose many time before. Instead Thomas is still naive, completely unaware of the worldly pleasures. But even if he is enchanted by the boy, Leon will not save him from his destiny. But maybe, once in a time, the Master will become the slave...
As often in a truly breeches ripper, the most weak hero (in body if not in will) has to suffer a lot, to the hand of the other hero but not only. So poor Thomas will not get over his adventure unarmed... Thomas is not an invincible hero, who always finds a way out of his trouble; Thomas is that type of hero who needs a stronger partner to lead him; he was taught to despise the things he now has to do, but he not dares to risk his life to avoid his fate, in this case the fate is not worst than death. So, even if in his submissive way, he makes a choice, maybe one that he even knows to have done. And then I always find quite unbearable those bodice ripper heroines who never stay put and always arise trouble!
What maybe I found quite strange is that at 19 years old Thomas is still so innocent...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ROAI8M/?...
Read
February 14, 2010I wrote this book
February 6, 2012
Writing 4 stars. Will have to try other works by this author.
I don't get the characters. The master has a whore house, buys kidnapped men so they can entertain his clients. But apparently forcing yourself on somebody is wrong. Interesting morals. I'd get that if not for the argument with Thomas who truthfully pointed out that he isn't willing here, he is for amusement of men who can pay for it. The master points out that he was willing in his master's bed (which is true), but it doesn't change the facts above. Thomas wants to go home, he is there against his will. After the "fight" master promised he won't be summoned for entertainment (some stupid principal to prove him wrong when he is 100% right), so why train him? Why keep him? What reasonable, lets be crude, pimp would do that? To prove Thomas wrong he should let him go.
Our master is also a very bad at his job. You buy some kidnapped virgin boy and just order him around and treat him like some experienced submissive who is used to kneeling, obeying and so on. No training whatsoever before our poor boy needs to act as perfect submissive.
Thomas reactions to being bought are ridiculous. At first he even thinks of the master as savor (it was mentioned in his talk with his kidnappers "as usual") when it is clear he dealt with them before and know that he is unwilling there. After getting through his thick skull that master is no savor he still is very good boy, never disagrees, tries to escape or to understand or anything. He ust obeys and does whatever he is told to do. Very little developing of a person in such a situation. It just felt fake.
I don't get the characters. The master has a whore house, buys kidnapped men so they can entertain his clients. But apparently forcing yourself on somebody is wrong. Interesting morals. I'd get that if not for the argument with Thomas who truthfully pointed out that he isn't willing here, he is for amusement of men who can pay for it. The master points out that he was willing in his master's bed (which is true), but it doesn't change the facts above. Thomas wants to go home, he is there against his will. After the "fight" master promised he won't be summoned for entertainment (some stupid principal to prove him wrong when he is 100% right), so why train him? Why keep him? What reasonable, lets be crude, pimp would do that? To prove Thomas wrong he should let him go.
Our master is also a very bad at his job. You buy some kidnapped virgin boy and just order him around and treat him like some experienced submissive who is used to kneeling, obeying and so on. No training whatsoever before our poor boy needs to act as perfect submissive.
Thomas reactions to being bought are ridiculous. At first he even thinks of the master as savor (it was mentioned in his talk with his kidnappers "as usual") when it is clear he dealt with them before and know that he is unwilling there. After getting through his thick skull that master is no savor he still is very good boy, never disagrees, tries to escape or to understand or anything. He ust obeys and does whatever he is told to do. Very little developing of a person in such a situation. It just felt fake.
June 13, 2009
I really enjoyed this story. I'd love to see it rewritten as a novel. Kalita Kasar has a wonderful writing style. Smooth and eloquent - I adore her work.
never-never-never
October 31, 2011Stockholm Syndrome.
September 22, 2012
A pretty good story which has potential to be much better which the author is planning on doing. Once the rewrite is republished I'm sure it will rock!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews