Lockset (University Square #2) by Brenda Murphy
- Publisher: NineStar Press, October 12th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Ebook (eARC)
- Page Count: 232 pages
- My Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Content warnings: death of parent, infidelity (side characters), homophobia, arson, drug addiction, violence, blood
This is book two of Murphy’s new series University Square, and while there are a few recurring characters, it can absolutely be read as a standalone. But book one On the Square (review) has a wonderful storyline with a Blasian butch (focusing on her Chinese roots) that is worth a read.
Eun (은) Park (42, lesbian), an attorney in Chicago, is estranged from her family because of her sexuality. When her father calls in hopes of reconnection, Eun gives in and agrees to visit. However things don’t go as planned, and Eun soon finds herself back home, fatherless, and meets a sweet butch Morgan Wright (42), who is taking care of Eun’s father’s dog Rudy, at the worst possible timing for dating. The chemistry between Eun and Morgan is undeniable, but Eun has a life back in Chicago and Morgan’s locksmith shop is in this small town. The pair has to decide if their encounter is merely for sex, or something more.
“It’s like these grief rocks fall out of the sky randomly.”
Eun
I picked up this book because the author is Murphy. She never disappoints in writing wonderful characters of color, and I love her for that. While reading her books, I never need to question whether or not the portrayal is going to be authentic—it always is. It is not often to see past experiences of a person of color to actually affect their lives in wlw fiction, but Murphy skillfully incorporates them into the stories. I am happy to say I will continue to read Murphy’s works and forever recommend them to others.
Eun is Korean, and there are some small things within the story that make her so relatable: she detests her other name Eunice and gives baristas her last name instead when ordering. While told in both Eun’s and Morgan’s third-person points of view, we get to experience more of Eun’s thoughts either because of the nature of her character, or a deliberate choice of the author I could not tell.
I really enjoy Murphy’s writing and I love the incorporation of some of Eun’s jump thoughts. There were several beautiful sentences of expositions as well as lighter words that made me chuckle. However, the main language between the characters is not words but sex. Sex is their shared passion as well as coping mechanisms. Eun and Morgan try very hard to communicate with each other, but oftentimes, one party shuts down and refuses further discussions. There were numerous instances of them kiss and make up in all the sexy ways possible. What started as a cute romance quickly turns into light erotica with a shade of mystery suspense, though not as much as I initially thought we were going to get.
The room faded, and Morgan’s world became Eun’s mouth on her lips and her fingers between her legs.
Overall, Eun and Morgan are respectful to each other. Maybe Eun treats Morgan a little worse than the other way around, but that is when the stress of facing the death of her father as well as her bigoted uncle comes in. I love the contrast between Eun, a law graduate with a homophobic family, and Morgan, a high-school graduate with an incredibly queer family. They connected through not only their bodies but also their love of reading. Since infidelity of side characters is important to the story, I think it leads to Morgan and Eun being more open to each other. I also appreciate that Eun is struggling with what she really wants in life. Having advanced education and a job everybody wants somehow makes it more difficult to see clearly of one’s life and decisions, and Murphy did a great job of portraying Eun’s confusion and sense of loss.
When her father had rejected her, too, [Eun] wondered if she was too much, too much for anyone to love, because if your own parents didn’t, or couldn’t love you, who could?
I did have a little issue with a few dialogues, but most of them flowed better than the last book, where Dale and Mai were essentially not communicating. Also, for some reason, there are two Judys and two Sallys (one in On the Square) in this story and it was a bit odd to read. But I am guessing one of the Judys will star in future books, maybe pairing up with Morgan’s sister Mel. And Mai’s sister Yvonne seems to be seeing the same person as in the last book. I hope these secondary characters will be mains in the sequels.
All in all, Lockset was an enjoyable read with a great Korean American lead, mild erotica, and very light mystery. I will undoubtedly read the rest of the University Square series. [4 Oct 2020]
I received an e-ARC from NineStar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
