Held Close to My Heart
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Since their mid-teens, Luke has been deeply in love with his childhood friend and neighbour Jem, who spends most of the year at the decadent court of King Charles II in London. In the intervening years at home on Twelvetrees Farm in Oxfordshire, Luke has been occupied by helping his disabled father run their small estate, taking on the burden of work to support his family. Meanwhile, Jem has enjoyed all the worldly pleasures available to him at court. When they are both twenty-one, Jem returns to Westlecot Manor to spend the summer, and Luke’s feelings for him reach boiling point. Luke can no longer cling to the belief he is important to Jem. He is overwhelmed by jealousy at the prospect of Jem's dalliances with any visitors to the manor house, while aware Jem is bewildered by his outbursts of disapproval. Will Luke allow his jealousy to get the better of him? Might he dare to speak his deepest feelings? Or would that destroy their lifelong bond forever?
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I haven't read a lot of romances taking place during King Charles II's reign so I was interested in seeing how important the era is to the story. Things were slightly more liberal because of the party atmosphere after Cromwell's rule and Jem, the son of a rich landowner, takes full advantage. However, Luke is his childhood friend who has held a torch for Jem since they were young and this story is mostly about his longing for a more exclusive relationship with his friend. Luke is much more conservative and has saved himself for Jem alone, something Jem seems completely unaware of and less interested in.
We do get glimpses into historical roles of the two men - one a minor member of the court and a bit of a toff and the other is a hardworking farmer's son with a more common life. The romance is a bit too quick and it doesn't seem like something that will last, despite Jem's promises to Luke.
The story is very short so there's only so much Thomas could give but I would like to see more development and background to really get into the characters and plot.
