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After Hours #5
A Heart to Keep
Reyes Walter is the man who engineers everyone’s happiness, and he’s never wanted anything else. He’s got a lucrative job as sovereign of the kink world and he delights in playing puppet master for everyone under his purview…which is everyone.
Allie Hart has got his hands full trying to find a job, and being there for his sister and her kids. Loyal to the bone, he’s not looking for anything to get in the way of his obligations.
When a chance encounter throws Allie into the wide swath of Rey’s concern, Rey’s resolved to play the hero as usual, and Allie’s determined to tell him where to stick it. The last thing Allie needs is some rich know-it-all treating him like a damsel in distress.
The attraction between them leads to more than a back alley tryst, but not anywhere close to for-keeps. Any lovers Rey’s had have been polished up and paired off with someone more suitable. After all, there’s always someone in need and Rey vowed a long time ago not to let anything or anyone come between him and his responsibilities. But Allie Hart may be the one gift he’s tempted to keep for himself.
Allie Hart has got his hands full trying to find a job, and being there for his sister and her kids. Loyal to the bone, he’s not looking for anything to get in the way of his obligations.
When a chance encounter throws Allie into the wide swath of Rey’s concern, Rey’s resolved to play the hero as usual, and Allie’s determined to tell him where to stick it. The last thing Allie needs is some rich know-it-all treating him like a damsel in distress.
The attraction between them leads to more than a back alley tryst, but not anywhere close to for-keeps. Any lovers Rey’s had have been polished up and paired off with someone more suitable. After all, there’s always someone in need and Rey vowed a long time ago not to let anything or anyone come between him and his responsibilities. But Allie Hart may be the one gift he’s tempted to keep for himself.
346 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2017
36 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Tamsen Parker
43 books389 followersTamsen Parker is a stay-at-home mom by day, erotic romance writer by naptime. She lives with her family outside of Boston, where she tweets too much, sleeps too little and is always in the middle of a book. Aside from good food, sweet rieslings and gin cocktails, she has a fondness for monograms and subway maps. She should really start drinking coffee.
You can sign up for her newsletter here to find out about her latest release, sales, or other goings on: http://bit.ly/1Bry07O
You can sign up for her newsletter here to find out about her latest release, sales, or other goings on: http://bit.ly/1Bry07O
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 26, 2017
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Type: Book 6 of 6 from The Compass series
POV: First Person - Male
Rating:
Reyes (Rey) Walter had a knack for making people happy. As a kink master, he was very receptive of others' needs and he used that skill to help his clients find compatible partners. However, he refused to let his own needs get in the way.
Allie Hart took his responsibilities seriously. With A family that needed him, he worked hard to make it work. Rey's presence in his life proved to be a much needed distraction. But as things progressed, they realized things might not be as simple as it seemed.
I've always been intrigued by Rey since he was first introduced in the series. I'm glad to finally get his story.
As a Dom, Rey was subtly commanding. I like how he cared for the important people in his life, often putting their needs before his own.
I like how Allie opened up to new experience even though he was not entirely convinced in the beginning. He was a proud man and I like how he challenged Rey from time to time.
For most of the book, I was thinking this book felt more of Allie's story than of Rey's. Rey was the Yoda of this series - an important character - but the essence of who he was only revealed towards the end. Also I'd love to see more elaborate resolution of their issues. With that said, I like both of them individually and as a couple.
The Cartographer is a story of two individuals opening up to a new experience. It would appeal to readers looking for M/M kinky romance.
Books in the series:
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Type: Book 6 of 6 from The Compass series
POV: First Person - Male
Rating:
Reyes (Rey) Walter had a knack for making people happy. As a kink master, he was very receptive of others' needs and he used that skill to help his clients find compatible partners. However, he refused to let his own needs get in the way.
Allie Hart took his responsibilities seriously. With A family that needed him, he worked hard to make it work. Rey's presence in his life proved to be a much needed distraction. But as things progressed, they realized things might not be as simple as it seemed.
I've always been intrigued by Rey since he was first introduced in the series. I'm glad to finally get his story.
I can’t even fathom the other side, but god bless masochists. I’d just be a monster without them. With them, though, I get to be a teacher, a mentor, a patient and thorough instructor.
As a Dom, Rey was subtly commanding. I like how he cared for the important people in his life, often putting their needs before his own.
It’s not easy for him to come to me like this, and I understand more now why. Because where he’s from, being gay was bad enough, but bottoming had to have been a thousand times worse.
I like how Allie opened up to new experience even though he was not entirely convinced in the beginning. He was a proud man and I like how he challenged Rey from time to time.
For most of the book, I was thinking this book felt more of Allie's story than of Rey's. Rey was the Yoda of this series - an important character - but the essence of who he was only revealed towards the end. Also I'd love to see more elaborate resolution of their issues. With that said, I like both of them individually and as a couple.
He can flirt and dance with whomever he likes, but I want to know the second I snap my fingers, he’d be at my feet and willing to give me anything I asked for.
The Cartographer is a story of two individuals opening up to a new experience. It would appeal to readers looking for M/M kinky romance.
Books in the series:
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
July 5, 2017
Oh Reyes. Fans of The Compass series have greatly been anticipating Rey getting his HEA. The kink life coach who has helped so many others find their way in life to their own HEA, now finally gets his chance, and it comes in a man named Allie Hart.
Rey is a hard person to describe. In control, intense when needed, open and warm at other times. He works in the kink scene – helping dominates find subs. Helping both D/s learn how to be good dominants and subs so everyone is fulfilled and safe. He sees people as puzzle pieces and loves to make everyone fit together. He has never found true love though. His current partner is named Matthew, who works as his assistant. They have been together romantically (Matthew is his sub) for quite a while. But Matthew has met someone and wants a shot with this person. He tells Rey they can’t have a physical relationship anymore, which Rey totally understands. Matthew stays on as his assistant and I pretty much adore him.
Rey finds himself alone, but not worried about it. At a bar one night, he can’t keep his eyes off the bartender, who is doing a horrible job making drinks. Rey hops behind the bar to help out, and learns that this man, Allie, is filling in for his sister. Allie works in construction but is currently out of a job and living in his truck. His sister lost her husband and his money has been going to her to help her out. When Rey realizes this, he offers Allie a bed in his house for the night. Allie does NOT want a free hand out, but a bed in a house rather than in his truck is appealing. Rey is very attracted to Allie and starts to see a spark that Allie could be a submissive. Rey starts to show him the joy of BDSM and Allie responds to it like a natural.
I liked this book but there is a “but” coming which I will get to in a minute. I adore Rey – we meet him in India and Cris’s books and his friendship with India is just the best. They truly are chosen family and I love their interactions. He is constantly on the move, going from one location to another to teach, and match-make and sometimes play himself. I don’t think he ever loses control. He is the kind of guy where the world can be falling down around him and he will very patiently do what he needs to do.
Allie is super cute and I liked him a lot. He is new to the kink scene and was willing to try a lot. His trust in Rey comes fast and their attraction is definitely there. It’s told only in Rey’s point of view, and while I love Rey’s POV, I also would have liked to get a glimpse inside Allie’s head. To hear what he was really thinking during some of these scenes. The sex in this one is e-r-o-t-i-c. Whew. And there is a lot of it.
Allie and Rey both lost their fathers, and they bond over that pain. They fall for each other, although Rey has a hard time truly believing his life style lends to a lifetime partner. It takes his friends to sit him down and put some sense into him for him to realize this.
My “but” from before is this: I adore Rey. Allie is a super good guy and sexy. BUT. Will Rey be bored in about five years? Allie is so….nice. And I get that Rey needs a sub as a lover. But at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder if Rey needed to be challenged a little more? Just a little? Do I see Rey an Allie completely content and happy in 15 years? I really don’t know. Not that I don’t believe in their relationship at the end of the book, but I’m not sure if I picture them together forever. And that’s actually okay for me.
If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it. Tamsen Parker writes very well done BDSM. She really puts a lot of detail into her scenes that I greatly appreciate.
And she writes such sexy characters.
Grade B
Rey is a hard person to describe. In control, intense when needed, open and warm at other times. He works in the kink scene – helping dominates find subs. Helping both D/s learn how to be good dominants and subs so everyone is fulfilled and safe. He sees people as puzzle pieces and loves to make everyone fit together. He has never found true love though. His current partner is named Matthew, who works as his assistant. They have been together romantically (Matthew is his sub) for quite a while. But Matthew has met someone and wants a shot with this person. He tells Rey they can’t have a physical relationship anymore, which Rey totally understands. Matthew stays on as his assistant and I pretty much adore him.
Rey finds himself alone, but not worried about it. At a bar one night, he can’t keep his eyes off the bartender, who is doing a horrible job making drinks. Rey hops behind the bar to help out, and learns that this man, Allie, is filling in for his sister. Allie works in construction but is currently out of a job and living in his truck. His sister lost her husband and his money has been going to her to help her out. When Rey realizes this, he offers Allie a bed in his house for the night. Allie does NOT want a free hand out, but a bed in a house rather than in his truck is appealing. Rey is very attracted to Allie and starts to see a spark that Allie could be a submissive. Rey starts to show him the joy of BDSM and Allie responds to it like a natural.
I liked this book but there is a “but” coming which I will get to in a minute. I adore Rey – we meet him in India and Cris’s books and his friendship with India is just the best. They truly are chosen family and I love their interactions. He is constantly on the move, going from one location to another to teach, and match-make and sometimes play himself. I don’t think he ever loses control. He is the kind of guy where the world can be falling down around him and he will very patiently do what he needs to do.
Allie is super cute and I liked him a lot. He is new to the kink scene and was willing to try a lot. His trust in Rey comes fast and their attraction is definitely there. It’s told only in Rey’s point of view, and while I love Rey’s POV, I also would have liked to get a glimpse inside Allie’s head. To hear what he was really thinking during some of these scenes. The sex in this one is e-r-o-t-i-c. Whew. And there is a lot of it.
Allie and Rey both lost their fathers, and they bond over that pain. They fall for each other, although Rey has a hard time truly believing his life style lends to a lifetime partner. It takes his friends to sit him down and put some sense into him for him to realize this.
My “but” from before is this: I adore Rey. Allie is a super good guy and sexy. BUT. Will Rey be bored in about five years? Allie is so….nice. And I get that Rey needs a sub as a lover. But at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder if Rey needed to be challenged a little more? Just a little? Do I see Rey an Allie completely content and happy in 15 years? I really don’t know. Not that I don’t believe in their relationship at the end of the book, but I’m not sure if I picture them together forever. And that’s actually okay for me.
If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it. Tamsen Parker writes very well done BDSM. She really puts a lot of detail into her scenes that I greatly appreciate.
And she writes such sexy characters.
Grade B
November 29, 2017
2.5 stars, rounded down.
I do not recommend this book for disabled readers. I would caution queer and/or trans readers to tread carefully, and perhaps to read this review to go in prepared.
Note: I do not participate in keeping late reveals of marginalized identities to the reader "spoiler free". I do not put them under spoiler warnings, as I feel this kind of late surprise reveal is a framework that is deeply tied in to oppressive narratives, and I will not participate in it.
I have such complex and mixed feelings about this book. I'm a huge fan of this author and how she writes kink beautifully, and with such intensity and intimacy and attention to consent. This has so much of what I loved in other books of hers. And, it also had core problems that I had a really hard time with.
This is book 6 in a series, of which I only read 1 & 2. It works as a stand alone, though I do think it was enriched by meeting Rey in the first two books. It centers two queer men of color; a very experienced dominant sadist gay wealthy Dominican cis man of mixed heritage, and a bisexual homoromantic Black cis man novice submissive living in poverty.
Rey is a dominant sadist and the POV character, and that was the main reason I read it, particularly the sadist part. As a dominant sadist myself, I yearn for that representation, which is few and far between in BDSM romance. It felt like a full and complex and rather beautiful representation of sadism, to me. (I have one main objection to it, and one place where I wish it showed more development, both of which I will get to later.) The descriptions of enjoying giving pain, and the BDSM itself are lovely. Rey's sadism works in ways that mirror my own sometimes, and dramatically diverge in their internal experience at other times. They have a wholeness to them, and we get to witness his pleasure and desire, which I appreciated very much as this is especially rare in BDSM romance. We see him being afraid of himself some, and using control as a way to manage intense desires, and we see his relationship to his sadism heal some as the novel progresses. (Though I thought this needed more attention, which I discuss later.)
The place I wanted more development: Rey is not my favorite sort of top, I will admit, as he is very attached to never being vulnerable and especially never showing vulnerability to the bottom during play. This was a constant source of frustration for me as a dominant sadist reader. I really wish that there could have been more of an arc around this in the story, that we could see him grow in this regard and see that play out in his kink.
That said, we have a novel told from the point of view of a dominant sadist, that actually describes his internal experiences of sadism in detail throughout the book. A rare and valuable thing.
A thing that unfortunately, was largely spoiled for me by a narrative choice which I will discuss below.
There is a secret at the center of this novel, that drives much of the story and in particular Rey's actions. Rey has a disability that means he can't feel physical pain. This is presented as a secret in the novel that Rey tells very few people, and one that the reader does not know until 80% through the book, when Rey tells another character. I found this framing of disability as plot twist and secret source of all of Rey's actions to be intensely ableist and deeply hurtful to me as a disabled reader. There is no good narrative reason to keep this information from the reader in this story, the only thing it does is treat the disability as a plot device. Which it very clearly is. Many things are explained and justified by Rey's disability, including his sadism, his choice of embodying a rescuer role in most of his relationships, his relationship with his mother, his feeling that he does not get to ever have a partner or romantic love (which drives the entire romance arc).
Let me repeat that last one again, because it's central to the ableism that structures the core of the book and Rey's characterization: we have a disabled main character in a romance novel who has decided, because of his disability, that he can never have a partner or romantic love. This self concept gets challenged by people in his life, but never in a way that addresses how its about ableism and never by fellow disabled people. Which made the removal of this as the main obstacle in the romance arc really fall flat for me. Both because Allie says something so intensely ableist I am not sure its possible to get past it, but also because I didn't buy it on Rey's end, especially the speed of it. I just didn't believe he could unmire himself from that level of internalized oppression that quickly, and from that sort of intervention.
We also have one of the better depictions of a sadist POV that I've ever read...and then his sadism is attributed to his disability. (Supposedly he understands how to deliver pain and enjoys it because he studies how people react to it in minute detail as he has no experience with it himself and needs to fake it to pass as abled.) I'm a disabled sadist, and this framing of his sadism felt so hurtful to me as a reader. Especially in conjunction with the way he is afraid of his sadism and conceives of it as monstrous. The stereotype of the cold blooded sadist who is a monster and does not understand the pain he inflicts (one that's used to demonize kinky people, autistic people and mentally ill people), is evoked here, and not unpacked or challenged nearly enough, partly because of this incredibly late reveal. There is a small arc around it that I appreciated, as this is the societal stereotype of sadists and a very common self conception among us, but it was so weighed down by the ableism that it doesn't work effectively for me.
So now I'm going to get to how Rey's disability is "revealed". Him and his love interest are walking down the street holding hands and get threatened with gay bashing. Which raises my larger frustration with m/m romance as a genre and how it really feels like they are not written for queer readers. This trend of including queer bashing or queer hating violence and abuse is so incredibly common. What queer person wants a surprise queer bashing scene 80% in to the romance they are reading? And to include queer hating violence to solve a plot problem just hurts to read, because it treats it as an object and not as an experience of hatred and violence.
I have mixed feelings about the depiction of race and class in the story. There were several moments where the loaded nature of BDSM for black submissive men was raised. It worked well for me as a white kinky reader; I appreciated that being part of what Rey was being careful about as a top, though I did wish they talked about it instead of just showed him thinking about it and making assumptions. There is a moment where the particularities of danger from police for Black men came up in the story, and Rey acts to protect Allie from that danger. That felt real to me, and important to include. Rey is wealthy, comes from family wealth on his mother's side. Allie is poor, unemployed, and homeless for most of the story, with a history of living in poverty, being in gangs and getting free from them via the military. This is an incredibly intense and loaded disparity between them, and it didn't really feel like Rey got how intensely he had power in this situation, though he seemed to try and to do his best to respect Allie's autonomy. It still made me uncomfortable, especially as he was so given to orchestrating things behind Allie's back.
Late in the story (87%), a trans man character is introduced, and set up to be an obstacle to the romance. Trans characters set up merely as obstacles for the central romance between cis people makes me deeply uncomfortable, but this character is also introduced in a deeply cissexist way. When we first hear about him, we immediately learn about his medical transition and the decisions he has made about that. This is followed by the description "He binds and packs and has perfected the art of walking through the world as a man." Soon after this we witness Rey assessing whether someone would be ok with dating him because he is trans. He outs him as trans to this person and watches the person's reactions. It goes on to say that although Rey chooses not to reveal "what's under [the character's] clothes", as he thinks that crosses a line, he thinks this person would be ok with it, and likely be delighted about the potential of children without adoption. I read this section of the book in horror. This is not how you present a trans character respectfully. There is so much wrong and hurtful in those few pages that I felt nauseous by the end of them.
The thing is, I liked Allie, and really thought he was engaging and lovely. I adored the moment where he differentiated between his sexual attraction and his romantic attraction. I loved how he stood up for himself, claimed his desire, loved his family, was just beautiful in his submission. I wanted him to get treated much better than he was, and hoped Rey would get it together and do that. I wanted more for Rey, wanted intensely for him to get out of his own way, kept being frustrated that he wouldn't. I was rooting for them, though I wasn't sure Rey deserved him, and then this disability "reveal" exploded 80% in and the book completely fell apart for me, on the deepest level, structurally. I can remember enjoying it up til then, but the ableist core of the narrative ruined that for me. I wish that weren't true. I really wanted to love this book and treasure one of the few representations of a sadist POV in romance. I am sorry to say that I cannot do that.
Trigger warnings
I do not recommend this book for disabled readers. I would caution queer and/or trans readers to tread carefully, and perhaps to read this review to go in prepared.
Note: I do not participate in keeping late reveals of marginalized identities to the reader "spoiler free". I do not put them under spoiler warnings, as I feel this kind of late surprise reveal is a framework that is deeply tied in to oppressive narratives, and I will not participate in it.
I have such complex and mixed feelings about this book. I'm a huge fan of this author and how she writes kink beautifully, and with such intensity and intimacy and attention to consent. This has so much of what I loved in other books of hers. And, it also had core problems that I had a really hard time with.
This is book 6 in a series, of which I only read 1 & 2. It works as a stand alone, though I do think it was enriched by meeting Rey in the first two books. It centers two queer men of color; a very experienced dominant sadist gay wealthy Dominican cis man of mixed heritage, and a bisexual homoromantic Black cis man novice submissive living in poverty.
Rey is a dominant sadist and the POV character, and that was the main reason I read it, particularly the sadist part. As a dominant sadist myself, I yearn for that representation, which is few and far between in BDSM romance. It felt like a full and complex and rather beautiful representation of sadism, to me. (I have one main objection to it, and one place where I wish it showed more development, both of which I will get to later.) The descriptions of enjoying giving pain, and the BDSM itself are lovely. Rey's sadism works in ways that mirror my own sometimes, and dramatically diverge in their internal experience at other times. They have a wholeness to them, and we get to witness his pleasure and desire, which I appreciated very much as this is especially rare in BDSM romance. We see him being afraid of himself some, and using control as a way to manage intense desires, and we see his relationship to his sadism heal some as the novel progresses. (Though I thought this needed more attention, which I discuss later.)
The place I wanted more development: Rey is not my favorite sort of top, I will admit, as he is very attached to never being vulnerable and especially never showing vulnerability to the bottom during play. This was a constant source of frustration for me as a dominant sadist reader. I really wish that there could have been more of an arc around this in the story, that we could see him grow in this regard and see that play out in his kink.
That said, we have a novel told from the point of view of a dominant sadist, that actually describes his internal experiences of sadism in detail throughout the book. A rare and valuable thing.
A thing that unfortunately, was largely spoiled for me by a narrative choice which I will discuss below.
There is a secret at the center of this novel, that drives much of the story and in particular Rey's actions. Rey has a disability that means he can't feel physical pain. This is presented as a secret in the novel that Rey tells very few people, and one that the reader does not know until 80% through the book, when Rey tells another character. I found this framing of disability as plot twist and secret source of all of Rey's actions to be intensely ableist and deeply hurtful to me as a disabled reader. There is no good narrative reason to keep this information from the reader in this story, the only thing it does is treat the disability as a plot device. Which it very clearly is. Many things are explained and justified by Rey's disability, including his sadism, his choice of embodying a rescuer role in most of his relationships, his relationship with his mother, his feeling that he does not get to ever have a partner or romantic love (which drives the entire romance arc).
Let me repeat that last one again, because it's central to the ableism that structures the core of the book and Rey's characterization: we have a disabled main character in a romance novel who has decided, because of his disability, that he can never have a partner or romantic love. This self concept gets challenged by people in his life, but never in a way that addresses how its about ableism and never by fellow disabled people. Which made the removal of this as the main obstacle in the romance arc really fall flat for me. Both because Allie says something so intensely ableist I am not sure its possible to get past it, but also because I didn't buy it on Rey's end, especially the speed of it. I just didn't believe he could unmire himself from that level of internalized oppression that quickly, and from that sort of intervention.
We also have one of the better depictions of a sadist POV that I've ever read...and then his sadism is attributed to his disability. (Supposedly he understands how to deliver pain and enjoys it because he studies how people react to it in minute detail as he has no experience with it himself and needs to fake it to pass as abled.) I'm a disabled sadist, and this framing of his sadism felt so hurtful to me as a reader. Especially in conjunction with the way he is afraid of his sadism and conceives of it as monstrous. The stereotype of the cold blooded sadist who is a monster and does not understand the pain he inflicts (one that's used to demonize kinky people, autistic people and mentally ill people), is evoked here, and not unpacked or challenged nearly enough, partly because of this incredibly late reveal. There is a small arc around it that I appreciated, as this is the societal stereotype of sadists and a very common self conception among us, but it was so weighed down by the ableism that it doesn't work effectively for me.
So now I'm going to get to how Rey's disability is "revealed". Him and his love interest are walking down the street holding hands and get threatened with gay bashing. Which raises my larger frustration with m/m romance as a genre and how it really feels like they are not written for queer readers. This trend of including queer bashing or queer hating violence and abuse is so incredibly common. What queer person wants a surprise queer bashing scene 80% in to the romance they are reading? And to include queer hating violence to solve a plot problem just hurts to read, because it treats it as an object and not as an experience of hatred and violence.
I have mixed feelings about the depiction of race and class in the story. There were several moments where the loaded nature of BDSM for black submissive men was raised. It worked well for me as a white kinky reader; I appreciated that being part of what Rey was being careful about as a top, though I did wish they talked about it instead of just showed him thinking about it and making assumptions. There is a moment where the particularities of danger from police for Black men came up in the story, and Rey acts to protect Allie from that danger. That felt real to me, and important to include. Rey is wealthy, comes from family wealth on his mother's side. Allie is poor, unemployed, and homeless for most of the story, with a history of living in poverty, being in gangs and getting free from them via the military. This is an incredibly intense and loaded disparity between them, and it didn't really feel like Rey got how intensely he had power in this situation, though he seemed to try and to do his best to respect Allie's autonomy. It still made me uncomfortable, especially as he was so given to orchestrating things behind Allie's back.
Late in the story (87%), a trans man character is introduced, and set up to be an obstacle to the romance. Trans characters set up merely as obstacles for the central romance between cis people makes me deeply uncomfortable, but this character is also introduced in a deeply cissexist way. When we first hear about him, we immediately learn about his medical transition and the decisions he has made about that. This is followed by the description "He binds and packs and has perfected the art of walking through the world as a man." Soon after this we witness Rey assessing whether someone would be ok with dating him because he is trans. He outs him as trans to this person and watches the person's reactions. It goes on to say that although Rey chooses not to reveal "what's under [the character's] clothes", as he thinks that crosses a line, he thinks this person would be ok with it, and likely be delighted about the potential of children without adoption. I read this section of the book in horror. This is not how you present a trans character respectfully. There is so much wrong and hurtful in those few pages that I felt nauseous by the end of them.
The thing is, I liked Allie, and really thought he was engaging and lovely. I adored the moment where he differentiated between his sexual attraction and his romantic attraction. I loved how he stood up for himself, claimed his desire, loved his family, was just beautiful in his submission. I wanted him to get treated much better than he was, and hoped Rey would get it together and do that. I wanted more for Rey, wanted intensely for him to get out of his own way, kept being frustrated that he wouldn't. I was rooting for them, though I wasn't sure Rey deserved him, and then this disability "reveal" exploded 80% in and the book completely fell apart for me, on the deepest level, structurally. I can remember enjoying it up til then, but the ableist core of the narrative ruined that for me. I wish that weren't true. I really wanted to love this book and treasure one of the few representations of a sadist POV in romance. I am sorry to say that I cannot do that.
Trigger warnings
May 20, 2020
If you're looking for heat this summer don't bother going outside, Tamsen Parker's The Cartographer brings all the heat and so much more!
This book infuriates me. Why, you might ask? Because it's the last (Yes! The last!!) book in the compass series. It's such a wonderful arching storyline over these six books and it's all done! The fantastic part that doesn't infuriate me, is how beautiful this story was tied together.
I really appreciated this book being in Reyes's point of view. Watching our other characters grow with Reyes in the background was wonderful, but having him tie this story together and finished it made it so much better. I wouldn't have wanted any different!!
This book is a sexy ride - M/M, hard R if you catch my drift - with Allie being our protagonists love interest. He is an interesting character - definitely not Cris or India. I really enjoyed his character, but I would have seen him being more stubborn than he actually was. It was a nice change not having him stubborn, but if there's anything "wrong" with this story, that would be my only negative point.
In this book you will find lots of kink and sexy times, but you will also finds lots of heart wrenching back story. What's nice about these novels is it's not just an erotic read without any thought behind it. Tamsen has been getting better and better with her writing abilities with each book she writes. Not only has she increased the sexiness of these books, the characters, back stories and plots have grown with her. It's so wonderful watching her grow with each book and seeing the characters grow along with her.
You could definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would definitely suggest reading the rest of the books. This book won't cause any confusion to those who don't know India/Cris - you might not understand a few references here and there. But, it doesn't take away from the story in any way. Also, readers who haven't gone through the first five books might find they don't connect to Reyes as much as they should. He's a very lovable character, so reading the other books will make you appreciate him so much more than what's just introduced in this story.
Tamsen's writing style is very easy to read - she doesn't use difficult language, but doesn't make it so simple either. Her sentences and words flow smoothly and don't seem choppy like some BDSM novels I have read in the past.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think this is a great addition to any kinky readers library and is a must read!! If you want some sexiness in your life, pick up some Tamsen Parker books. She's becoming such a fantastic author and is growing so much, it's almost foolish to not pick up her books if you want some super sexy romance in your life!!
Five out of five stars.
This book infuriates me. Why, you might ask? Because it's the last (Yes! The last!!) book in the compass series. It's such a wonderful arching storyline over these six books and it's all done! The fantastic part that doesn't infuriate me, is how beautiful this story was tied together.
I really appreciated this book being in Reyes's point of view. Watching our other characters grow with Reyes in the background was wonderful, but having him tie this story together and finished it made it so much better. I wouldn't have wanted any different!!
This book is a sexy ride - M/M, hard R if you catch my drift - with Allie being our protagonists love interest. He is an interesting character - definitely not Cris or India. I really enjoyed his character, but I would have seen him being more stubborn than he actually was. It was a nice change not having him stubborn, but if there's anything "wrong" with this story, that would be my only negative point.
In this book you will find lots of kink and sexy times, but you will also finds lots of heart wrenching back story. What's nice about these novels is it's not just an erotic read without any thought behind it. Tamsen has been getting better and better with her writing abilities with each book she writes. Not only has she increased the sexiness of these books, the characters, back stories and plots have grown with her. It's so wonderful watching her grow with each book and seeing the characters grow along with her.
You could definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would definitely suggest reading the rest of the books. This book won't cause any confusion to those who don't know India/Cris - you might not understand a few references here and there. But, it doesn't take away from the story in any way. Also, readers who haven't gone through the first five books might find they don't connect to Reyes as much as they should. He's a very lovable character, so reading the other books will make you appreciate him so much more than what's just introduced in this story.
Tamsen's writing style is very easy to read - she doesn't use difficult language, but doesn't make it so simple either. Her sentences and words flow smoothly and don't seem choppy like some BDSM novels I have read in the past.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think this is a great addition to any kinky readers library and is a must read!! If you want some sexiness in your life, pick up some Tamsen Parker books. She's becoming such a fantastic author and is growing so much, it's almost foolish to not pick up her books if you want some super sexy romance in your life!!
Five out of five stars.
February 18, 2020
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Cooper North, was incredible. The book was just ok. I really didn’t care much for the main character, Rey, he was so egotistical. I did like Allie and the bdsm was pretty hot.
June 23, 2017
If you're looking for heat this summer don't bother going outside, Tamsen Parker's The Cartographer brings all the heat and so much more!
This book infuriates me. Why, you might ask? Because it's the last (Yes! The last!!) book in the compass series. It's such a wonderful arching storyline over these six books and it's all done! The fantastic part that doesn't infuriate me, is how beautiful this story was tied together.
I really appreciated this book being in Reyes's point of view. Watching our other characters grow with Reyes in the background was wonderful, but having him tie this story together and finished it made it so much better. I wouldn't have wanted any different!!
This book is a sexy ride - M/M, hard R if you catch my drift - with Allie being our protagonists love interest. He is an interesting character - definitely not Cris or India. I really enjoyed his character, but I would have seen him being more stubborn than he actually was. It was a nice change not having him stubborn, but if there's anything "wrong" with this story, that would be my only negative point.
In this book you will find lots of kink and sexy times, but you will also finds lots of heart wrenching back story. What's nice about these novels is it's not just an erotic read without any thought behind it. Tamsen has been getting better and better with her writing abilities with each book she writes. Not only has she increased the sexiness of these books, the characters, back stories and plots have grown with her. It's so wonderful watching her grow with each book and seeing the characters grow along with her.
You could definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would definitely suggest reading the rest of the books. This book won't cause any confusion to those who don't know India/Cris - you might not understand a few references here and there. But, it doesn't take away from the story in any way. Also, readers who haven't gone through the first five books might find they don't connect to Reyes as much as they should. He's a very lovable character, so reading the other books will make you appreciate him so much more than what's just introduced in this story.
Tamsen's writing style is very easy to read - she doesn't use difficult language, but doesn't make it so simple either. Her sentences and words flow smoothly and don't seem choppy like some BDSM novels I have read in the past.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think this is a great addition to any kinky readers library and is a must read!! If you want some sexiness in your life, pick up some Tamsen Parker books. She's becoming such a fantastic author and is growing so much, it's almost foolish to not pick up her books if you want some super sexy romance in your life!!
Five out of five stars.
This book infuriates me. Why, you might ask? Because it's the last (Yes! The last!!) book in the compass series. It's such a wonderful arching storyline over these six books and it's all done! The fantastic part that doesn't infuriate me, is how beautiful this story was tied together.
I really appreciated this book being in Reyes's point of view. Watching our other characters grow with Reyes in the background was wonderful, but having him tie this story together and finished it made it so much better. I wouldn't have wanted any different!!
This book is a sexy ride - M/M, hard R if you catch my drift - with Allie being our protagonists love interest. He is an interesting character - definitely not Cris or India. I really enjoyed his character, but I would have seen him being more stubborn than he actually was. It was a nice change not having him stubborn, but if there's anything "wrong" with this story, that would be my only negative point.
In this book you will find lots of kink and sexy times, but you will also finds lots of heart wrenching back story. What's nice about these novels is it's not just an erotic read without any thought behind it. Tamsen has been getting better and better with her writing abilities with each book she writes. Not only has she increased the sexiness of these books, the characters, back stories and plots have grown with her. It's so wonderful watching her grow with each book and seeing the characters grow along with her.
You could definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would definitely suggest reading the rest of the books. This book won't cause any confusion to those who don't know India/Cris - you might not understand a few references here and there. But, it doesn't take away from the story in any way. Also, readers who haven't gone through the first five books might find they don't connect to Reyes as much as they should. He's a very lovable character, so reading the other books will make you appreciate him so much more than what's just introduced in this story.
Tamsen's writing style is very easy to read - she doesn't use difficult language, but doesn't make it so simple either. Her sentences and words flow smoothly and don't seem choppy like some BDSM novels I have read in the past.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think this is a great addition to any kinky readers library and is a must read!! If you want some sexiness in your life, pick up some Tamsen Parker books. She's becoming such a fantastic author and is growing so much, it's almost foolish to not pick up her books if you want some super sexy romance in your life!!
Five out of five stars.
June 30, 2017
3.5 Reyes Walter, the "life coach" or "fixer" of people looking for help coming to terms with their BDSM preferences, and for partners whose own kinks align with theirs, has bullied, manipulated, supported, and nurtured several different kinky couples as they made their way from sex to long-term romance in the previous books in the Compass series. This one is the story of HIS romance, told in his first person voice.
After a tough out-of-town weekend, Rey isn't quite ready to go home to his work assistant/occasional BDSM play partner/lover, Matthew, and so he hits a bar, hoping for a quick stress-relieving hook-up. But instead he meets an attractive but obviously unskilled bartender, Allie Hart, ex-military, African-American, working class and, Rey senses, probable submissive. Competent Rey kicks in, jumping the bar to help Allie, then leaves him a generous tip. He doesn't think he'll return, but when Rey's assistantMatthew announces that one of his other lovers wants to make their relationship exclusive, Rey is left without a home-based sexual outlet. And finds himself drifting back to the bar...
Not my favorite of the series, in large part because our first person narrator does a lot of telling and not as much showing (except in the sex scenes, of course!). We get a fairly good sense of Allie, although I would have liked to have seen/learned more about his life before meeting Rey. We are TOLD why Rey, who is biracial but from a highly financially privileged family, is so damned convinced he must be a superhero and not give himself any time to want anything for himself. But I had a hard time believing in it (or, perhaps, investing emotionally in it), largely because we never get to SEE scenes from his past that would SHOW us why he holds so tight to such a ridiculous belief.
Funny to read this one so soon after reading Amber Belldene's NOT OVER YET, which features a female Episcopal minister who also feels that she cannot give any time from her devotion to her job (helping her parishioners) to allow romance into her life... The "angel" and the "devil," both with the same emotional hang-up...
After a tough out-of-town weekend, Rey isn't quite ready to go home to his work assistant/occasional BDSM play partner/lover, Matthew, and so he hits a bar, hoping for a quick stress-relieving hook-up. But instead he meets an attractive but obviously unskilled bartender, Allie Hart, ex-military, African-American, working class and, Rey senses, probable submissive. Competent Rey kicks in, jumping the bar to help Allie, then leaves him a generous tip. He doesn't think he'll return, but when Rey's assistantMatthew announces that one of his other lovers wants to make their relationship exclusive, Rey is left without a home-based sexual outlet. And finds himself drifting back to the bar...
Not my favorite of the series, in large part because our first person narrator does a lot of telling and not as much showing (except in the sex scenes, of course!). We get a fairly good sense of Allie, although I would have liked to have seen/learned more about his life before meeting Rey. We are TOLD why Rey, who is biracial but from a highly financially privileged family, is so damned convinced he must be a superhero and not give himself any time to want anything for himself. But I had a hard time believing in it (or, perhaps, investing emotionally in it), largely because we never get to SEE scenes from his past that would SHOW us why he holds so tight to such a ridiculous belief.
Funny to read this one so soon after reading Amber Belldene's NOT OVER YET, which features a female Episcopal minister who also feels that she cannot give any time from her devotion to her job (helping her parishioners) to allow romance into her life... The "angel" and the "devil," both with the same emotional hang-up...
February 22, 2019
First things first
I read quite a bit of BDSM and I appreciate authors that write it well. I'm excited to add Tamsen Parker on my go-to list for intelligent, sexy BDSM
Strengths: Good character development, well written M/M, sexy BDSM. This author shows an intelligence and sensitivity regarding culture, lifestyle, race, sexual identity, etc. and I add a star for that alone. That there were no sloppy, lazy use of stereotypes was deeply appreciated by this reader
Weaknesses: Sometimes a little repetitive. I didn't feel the supposed intense connection between the main characters. Ending was rushed. Which was a little absurd considering how loooong and detailed the rest of the story was.
Overall: Worth reading if you're in the mood. I'm currently loving the author more than her couples.
I read quite a bit of BDSM and I appreciate authors that write it well. I'm excited to add Tamsen Parker on my go-to list for intelligent, sexy BDSM
Strengths: Good character development, well written M/M, sexy BDSM. This author shows an intelligence and sensitivity regarding culture, lifestyle, race, sexual identity, etc. and I add a star for that alone. That there were no sloppy, lazy use of stereotypes was deeply appreciated by this reader
Weaknesses: Sometimes a little repetitive. I didn't feel the supposed intense connection between the main characters. Ending was rushed. Which was a little absurd considering how loooong and detailed the rest of the story was.
Overall: Worth reading if you're in the mood. I'm currently loving the author more than her couples.
July 20, 2017
Originally posted at Heroes and Heartbreakers-https://www.heroesandheartbreakers.co...
Helping people is the best, most important thing I can do. It’s what I’ve chosen to be faithful to instead of whom.
Reyes (Rey) Llewelyn Walter calls himself a life coach. A purveyor of happiness. A kinky white knight. As the master of BDSM (no pun intended), Rey loves to dive in and work his magic on those he feels could benefit from his tutelage. Which, in his opinion, is everyone. He loves to create happily ever afters or happy for now(s), but refuses to even consider the same for himself. That is until a stop for a nightcap at a local watering hole introduces him to a gorgeous young man who screams masochist to Rey’s sadist.
Just you wait. You have no idea what else I’m going to ask you for.
Aloysius (Allie) Emmett Hart II is a man with a mission. With the face of an angel and a body made for sinning, Allie is fresh out of the military and trying to find a job and a place to live while helping take care of his widowed sister and her kids. Strong, independent, and under a mountain of obligations, Allie isn’t looking for a boyfriend—or a savior.
“I’m not letting you sleep in your car, Hart.”
“It’s not really up to you, now is it?”
While Allie’s distress at the bar was what triggered Rey’s heroic needs, Allie’s curiosity and stubbornness keep Rey hooked. Soon their stolen moments turn into so much more as Rey’s unconsciously saddles up his white horse and slips on his professor cap as he begins to rearrange Allie’s life. Rey’s usual MO is to catch, fix, and release because he feels his obligations outweighs his needs but this time Rey isn’t too sure he can let Allie go. And unless Rey can be one hundred percent honest with himself and with Allie, he may lose him anyway.
“Men like him are in demand. If you’d like to hold on to him, you may want to make that clear sooner rather than later.”
The sixth book of Tamsen Parker’s Compass series gives readers what they have been waiting on since their first introduction to Reyes Walter—his story from his point of view. Fans of this series have watched as Rey has manipulated the people around him with the skill and precision of a master chess player. We have gotten to know him through the rose colored lenses of those he has helped with his ability to take in a person's measure and exploit it for theirs and his benefit before he matches them with someone who will love and appreciate what he has created. He is like a benevolent dictator who resides high above all us mere mortals, though we soon come to learn that Rey is as fallible as the rest of us.
“Do you know what it’s like to have people you love tell you you're not human...and believe it?”
Meeting Allie is the shot in the arm or butt (heh) that Rey needs. For too long he has refused to consider himself in the love equations he writes, keeping everyone for getting too close, because of baggage from his past. Allie unintentionally busts through all of Reyes' walls and barriers. For the first time in a long time, Rey begins to lose hold of that famed control of his as Allie drives him to madness in his need to subdue, conquer, and make Allie his.
For the first time in a long time, I felt the tingle of possessiveness.
Mine.
I love romances that balance the angst and heartbreak of a relationship with humor. It offers, in my opinion, readers hope and respites from the more serious and sometimes fist shaking moments. Seeing Rey's personal growth is the highlight of this story. His entire attitude has always come across faintly narcissistic and condescending which isn't all that unusual considering his lifestyle and background, but Rey soon finds it doesn’t sit all that well with Allie.
“Would you like me to leave of stay?”
“Go.”
“You should know some Dominants won’t take no for an answer, so you should be prepared.”
“Some Dominants can go fuck themselves.”
Oh, Allie. He is truly a joy to watch blossom. Funny, brave, and stubborn, he certainly has Rey’s running around in circles. Having spent his teenage years as a gang banger until a smart judge offers him the choice of jail or the military, Allie’s views of his sexuality and desires are viewed through prejudice. Men—“real” men—aren't supposed to want other men. Rey opens Allie’s eyes up to the world of BDSM and sexual gratification—showing him that nothing he wants, desires, asks, or even begs for, is off limits.
This is what I love: the give and take. The attention to detail paying off in spades of reaction. I want to provoke him, make him give up more to me. More soft cries, more clenching of his hands around the chains holding him fast, more of him needing me for both comfort and pain.
I want to be his whole world.
Sexually speaking, Parker always excels at sending her lovers on deliciously erotic voyages that both tantalize and titillate while stretching boundaries and she doesn’t disappoint here. The chemistry between Rey and Allie is like being lashed with a fiery whip-hot, intense, and at times painful. But we love the pain and gleefully ask for more, please. Rey has a hard time letting go of his own misconceptions and prejudices, and it takes some advice from old friends to help him see the error of his ways.
“You’re the one who always puts people to rights, but you can’t seem to do it for yourself. You’re fucking this up pretty good.”
Nothing is off limits and Parker makes sure to continuously and firmly vocalize that sex and consent ALWAYS should go hand in hand. Even those for whom lack of consent is the kink, there should still be a form of consent given before hand.
We go over his safewords….I remind him that it's his responsibility, to be honest with me.
While the romance is the main theme of the book, there are multiple subplots that expand the book’s scope. Parker touches on the lives of other couples from the series, giving us updates into their lives. The Cartographer is a satisfying and incredibly sexy ending for this series and I will definitely miss spending time in this world and with its eclectic and outrageous characters.
Helping people is the best, most important thing I can do. It’s what I’ve chosen to be faithful to instead of whom.
Reyes (Rey) Llewelyn Walter calls himself a life coach. A purveyor of happiness. A kinky white knight. As the master of BDSM (no pun intended), Rey loves to dive in and work his magic on those he feels could benefit from his tutelage. Which, in his opinion, is everyone. He loves to create happily ever afters or happy for now(s), but refuses to even consider the same for himself. That is until a stop for a nightcap at a local watering hole introduces him to a gorgeous young man who screams masochist to Rey’s sadist.
Just you wait. You have no idea what else I’m going to ask you for.
Aloysius (Allie) Emmett Hart II is a man with a mission. With the face of an angel and a body made for sinning, Allie is fresh out of the military and trying to find a job and a place to live while helping take care of his widowed sister and her kids. Strong, independent, and under a mountain of obligations, Allie isn’t looking for a boyfriend—or a savior.
“I’m not letting you sleep in your car, Hart.”
“It’s not really up to you, now is it?”
While Allie’s distress at the bar was what triggered Rey’s heroic needs, Allie’s curiosity and stubbornness keep Rey hooked. Soon their stolen moments turn into so much more as Rey’s unconsciously saddles up his white horse and slips on his professor cap as he begins to rearrange Allie’s life. Rey’s usual MO is to catch, fix, and release because he feels his obligations outweighs his needs but this time Rey isn’t too sure he can let Allie go. And unless Rey can be one hundred percent honest with himself and with Allie, he may lose him anyway.
“Men like him are in demand. If you’d like to hold on to him, you may want to make that clear sooner rather than later.”
The sixth book of Tamsen Parker’s Compass series gives readers what they have been waiting on since their first introduction to Reyes Walter—his story from his point of view. Fans of this series have watched as Rey has manipulated the people around him with the skill and precision of a master chess player. We have gotten to know him through the rose colored lenses of those he has helped with his ability to take in a person's measure and exploit it for theirs and his benefit before he matches them with someone who will love and appreciate what he has created. He is like a benevolent dictator who resides high above all us mere mortals, though we soon come to learn that Rey is as fallible as the rest of us.
“Do you know what it’s like to have people you love tell you you're not human...and believe it?”
Meeting Allie is the shot in the arm or butt (heh) that Rey needs. For too long he has refused to consider himself in the love equations he writes, keeping everyone for getting too close, because of baggage from his past. Allie unintentionally busts through all of Reyes' walls and barriers. For the first time in a long time, Rey begins to lose hold of that famed control of his as Allie drives him to madness in his need to subdue, conquer, and make Allie his.
For the first time in a long time, I felt the tingle of possessiveness.
Mine.
I love romances that balance the angst and heartbreak of a relationship with humor. It offers, in my opinion, readers hope and respites from the more serious and sometimes fist shaking moments. Seeing Rey's personal growth is the highlight of this story. His entire attitude has always come across faintly narcissistic and condescending which isn't all that unusual considering his lifestyle and background, but Rey soon finds it doesn’t sit all that well with Allie.
“Would you like me to leave of stay?”
“Go.”
“You should know some Dominants won’t take no for an answer, so you should be prepared.”
“Some Dominants can go fuck themselves.”
Oh, Allie. He is truly a joy to watch blossom. Funny, brave, and stubborn, he certainly has Rey’s running around in circles. Having spent his teenage years as a gang banger until a smart judge offers him the choice of jail or the military, Allie’s views of his sexuality and desires are viewed through prejudice. Men—“real” men—aren't supposed to want other men. Rey opens Allie’s eyes up to the world of BDSM and sexual gratification—showing him that nothing he wants, desires, asks, or even begs for, is off limits.
This is what I love: the give and take. The attention to detail paying off in spades of reaction. I want to provoke him, make him give up more to me. More soft cries, more clenching of his hands around the chains holding him fast, more of him needing me for both comfort and pain.
I want to be his whole world.
Sexually speaking, Parker always excels at sending her lovers on deliciously erotic voyages that both tantalize and titillate while stretching boundaries and she doesn’t disappoint here. The chemistry between Rey and Allie is like being lashed with a fiery whip-hot, intense, and at times painful. But we love the pain and gleefully ask for more, please. Rey has a hard time letting go of his own misconceptions and prejudices, and it takes some advice from old friends to help him see the error of his ways.
“You’re the one who always puts people to rights, but you can’t seem to do it for yourself. You’re fucking this up pretty good.”
Nothing is off limits and Parker makes sure to continuously and firmly vocalize that sex and consent ALWAYS should go hand in hand. Even those for whom lack of consent is the kink, there should still be a form of consent given before hand.
We go over his safewords….I remind him that it's his responsibility, to be honest with me.
While the romance is the main theme of the book, there are multiple subplots that expand the book’s scope. Parker touches on the lives of other couples from the series, giving us updates into their lives. The Cartographer is a satisfying and incredibly sexy ending for this series and I will definitely miss spending time in this world and with its eclectic and outrageous characters.
July 1, 2017
Fans of this series have been waiting for Rey's story -- after all, he's the guy who always knows how to "fix" things for other people. Oh, and a kink-master, too. That's his specialty.
By chance, Rey meets Allie Hart and they hit it off right away. Allie isn't looking for favors or handouts, and that messes with Rey's head. The reader gets a very intimate look into Rey and how he feels -- the book is entirely in his first person point of view. Sometimes it was a little much and made me cringe a bit. There was a lot about this book that I didn't expect, and that made it an interesting reading experience.
There's lots of heat between Rey and Allie, and there are some nice moments in between the hot stuff in the dungeon and kink parties. But this really is Rey's story, and his struggle to really look at his own needs instead of just looking at others. I love that he gets some help from characters in previous books in the series.
I can't say this is my favorite book in the series, mostly because I just didn't connect with Rey. I did love the San Francisco / Oakland setting, and there was a nice cast of secondary characters. I'd love to know more about Matthew and Allie was very likable. And can I say that cover is outstanding...I just want to get lost in it.
So overall, a mixed experience for me on The Cartographer. It's one of those books that got under my skin though, and that makes me eager for the next title from this author.
An ARC was provided for review.
By chance, Rey meets Allie Hart and they hit it off right away. Allie isn't looking for favors or handouts, and that messes with Rey's head. The reader gets a very intimate look into Rey and how he feels -- the book is entirely in his first person point of view. Sometimes it was a little much and made me cringe a bit. There was a lot about this book that I didn't expect, and that made it an interesting reading experience.
There's lots of heat between Rey and Allie, and there are some nice moments in between the hot stuff in the dungeon and kink parties. But this really is Rey's story, and his struggle to really look at his own needs instead of just looking at others. I love that he gets some help from characters in previous books in the series.
I can't say this is my favorite book in the series, mostly because I just didn't connect with Rey. I did love the San Francisco / Oakland setting, and there was a nice cast of secondary characters. I'd love to know more about Matthew and Allie was very likable. And can I say that cover is outstanding...I just want to get lost in it.
So overall, a mixed experience for me on The Cartographer. It's one of those books that got under my skin though, and that makes me eager for the next title from this author.
An ARC was provided for review.
December 11, 2017
I wondered whether I was going to enjoy Rey’s story. He’s a key character in all the previous stories, but comes across as god-like. It’s hard to imagine him having a true love. Plus the previous stories mention Matthew, with whom Rey is in a relationship. Thus I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Rey and Allie’s love story, how much I was rooting for them to find their HEA. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Bought from kobo
Bought from kobo
July 9, 2017
TL;DR: START FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS SERIES FOR A WALLOP OF A FINISH
***
THE STORY:
I have found that even when a series of romance novels tends to be a collection of "standalones", reading previous books is an asset to the enjoyment of all followups. The books build on each other, creating a universe of world-building in a small section of the world, introducing people, places, and a sensibility that carries through to the rest of the books.
So while The Cartographer is a fantastic book, with a solid arc for both characters, a rich world, and sexy smut, there's something missing for someone that begins reading a series from the final book. However, this book is simply fantastic, and I will be going back to read the previous 5.
This book is about Rey, who I gather is sort of the linchpin to the group of people that comprise the series. He appears to be the one person that brings them all together, and so there's a history to the relationships that precede this book. I was able to follow it, no problem, but I can't help but think it would have been more meaningful and poignant if I'd had all of that backstory to go with it. Rey is the type of person who feels that he needs to help others, to the detriment of his own happiness. So he fights against his relationship with Allie Hart until he can't. It's hard to describe the plot in a way that gives justice to the highs and lows. Rey grooms Allie into the perfect submissive, intending to push him to move on to someone else once their relationship has run its course. But that doesn't work out as planned.
This book is character driven. There is a deep dark secret, but it's well-plotted. I'm unsure if Rey's secret is revealed in earlier novels, but there was enough of a thread to go on to make the reveal not seem cheesy or overplayed.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS:
Using both first person and present tense is a feat, but Tamsen Parker hits it out of the park. Home run. Kudos. Accolades. People, this is good writing. I can definitely see it not being for everyone, and it kind of pushed me out of my comfort zone a lot. First, it's male/male, which I don't typically read. It's also very heavily BSDM, as Rey is a sadist. There's a lot of heavy kink, which can be offputting to some readers. But the prose is magnificent.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
There was a lot going on in this book, and I have to reiterate again that I think it would have been likely more of an impact if I'd followed the journey of all the characters from book one, which I highly recommend to anyone else considering this book. If the other books are even a fraction as well written as this, then I think it will be a treat to all.
***
BOOK WAS GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
***
THE STORY:
I have found that even when a series of romance novels tends to be a collection of "standalones", reading previous books is an asset to the enjoyment of all followups. The books build on each other, creating a universe of world-building in a small section of the world, introducing people, places, and a sensibility that carries through to the rest of the books.
So while The Cartographer is a fantastic book, with a solid arc for both characters, a rich world, and sexy smut, there's something missing for someone that begins reading a series from the final book. However, this book is simply fantastic, and I will be going back to read the previous 5.
This book is about Rey, who I gather is sort of the linchpin to the group of people that comprise the series. He appears to be the one person that brings them all together, and so there's a history to the relationships that precede this book. I was able to follow it, no problem, but I can't help but think it would have been more meaningful and poignant if I'd had all of that backstory to go with it. Rey is the type of person who feels that he needs to help others, to the detriment of his own happiness. So he fights against his relationship with Allie Hart until he can't. It's hard to describe the plot in a way that gives justice to the highs and lows. Rey grooms Allie into the perfect submissive, intending to push him to move on to someone else once their relationship has run its course. But that doesn't work out as planned.
This book is character driven. There is a deep dark secret, but it's well-plotted. I'm unsure if Rey's secret is revealed in earlier novels, but there was enough of a thread to go on to make the reveal not seem cheesy or overplayed.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS:
Using both first person and present tense is a feat, but Tamsen Parker hits it out of the park. Home run. Kudos. Accolades. People, this is good writing. I can definitely see it not being for everyone, and it kind of pushed me out of my comfort zone a lot. First, it's male/male, which I don't typically read. It's also very heavily BSDM, as Rey is a sadist. There's a lot of heavy kink, which can be offputting to some readers. But the prose is magnificent.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
There was a lot going on in this book, and I have to reiterate again that I think it would have been likely more of an impact if I'd followed the journey of all the characters from book one, which I highly recommend to anyone else considering this book. If the other books are even a fraction as well written as this, then I think it will be a treat to all.
***
BOOK WAS GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
June 29, 2017
From a POV of someone that has not read any of the other books, this is a stand alone in that I didn't have trouble following along or figuring out who people were. They obviously have backstories, but when the characters from past books show up, it seems more as a nostalgic bone for faithful series readers since the interactions and allusions to the past issues did not make me want to go read those books. But I could see how faithful readers would be comforted by the information gleaned about the current lives.
This is a long book. Lots of kink and pain play which is sexy and fun. As any good book has to have it also has lots of character development and that is sorta where things go a little sideways. You have to read this book carefully to catch on that Rey has physical issues. You get a bone thrown here and there to keep you moving along to the inevitable answer and it's a satisfying answer to the god complex Rey has. I think the author was very familiar with Rey but really didn't get to know Allie enough before some of the critical scenes. She ruins a lot of the character of Allie with the action he is "forced" to take that is 100% OOC during the street fight and then follows it up with the epilogue that is so unfulfilling it's ridiculous. Not to mention, again, with the character building, the choice Allie makes at the end for himself makes no sense. There would be no reason for him to go in the direction indicated when he has so many other rule laden options. He really hasn't given the reader any real sense that it was his true purpose in life anyway. It was an option forced on him to begin with. It is the completely wrong choice for someone so dedicated to his family with other options to take now. It doesn't help that we get no POV from Allie. His motivation for all of the relationship is ours to interpret. We miss a lot of critical information that we put in hours of reading effort to get from the last scene of the book to the beginning of the epilogue. It's very, very unsatisfying.
The writing is good enough to make this a four star read, but the author is also good enough that these issues should have been ironed out. 3.5 stars.
This is a long book. Lots of kink and pain play which is sexy and fun. As any good book has to have it also has lots of character development and that is sorta where things go a little sideways. You have to read this book carefully to catch on that Rey has physical issues. You get a bone thrown here and there to keep you moving along to the inevitable answer and it's a satisfying answer to the god complex Rey has. I think the author was very familiar with Rey but really didn't get to know Allie enough before some of the critical scenes. She ruins a lot of the character of Allie with the action he is "forced" to take that is 100% OOC during the street fight and then follows it up with the epilogue that is so unfulfilling it's ridiculous. Not to mention, again, with the character building, the choice Allie makes at the end for himself makes no sense. There would be no reason for him to go in the direction indicated when he has so many other rule laden options. He really hasn't given the reader any real sense that it was his true purpose in life anyway. It was an option forced on him to begin with. It is the completely wrong choice for someone so dedicated to his family with other options to take now. It doesn't help that we get no POV from Allie. His motivation for all of the relationship is ours to interpret. We miss a lot of critical information that we put in hours of reading effort to get from the last scene of the book to the beginning of the epilogue. It's very, very unsatisfying.
The writing is good enough to make this a four star read, but the author is also good enough that these issues should have been ironed out. 3.5 stars.
January 20, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up. I haven't read the rest of the series, and I'm not likely to. Not because I didn't enjoy this, but I'd be reading only to get more of Rey, and it's too many books for that.
I adored Rey, and while I never quite felt like I completely got enough to really know Allie, I did like him a lot. This started out amazing, I couldn't wait to read more, and then somewhere around the halfway point ... It just sort of became okay. I didn't feel compelled to keep reading, and when I did read it I was frustrated. Rey was really bugging me, I'm not big on the "I have to let them go" storyline, and this definitely follows that path. It did pick up a lot in the last ten to fifteen percent, and the ending was nice, although it didn't make me super happy because of what Allie ends up doing, but that's possibly just a personal thing.
All in all, it's good, but not great, and, as much as I do love Rey, I doubt I'd re-read this.
I adored Rey, and while I never quite felt like I completely got enough to really know Allie, I did like him a lot. This started out amazing, I couldn't wait to read more, and then somewhere around the halfway point ... It just sort of became okay. I didn't feel compelled to keep reading, and when I did read it I was frustrated. Rey was really bugging me, I'm not big on the "I have to let them go" storyline, and this definitely follows that path. It did pick up a lot in the last ten to fifteen percent, and the ending was nice, although it didn't make me super happy because of what Allie ends up doing, but that's possibly just a personal thing.
All in all, it's good, but not great, and, as much as I do love Rey, I doubt I'd re-read this.
January 12, 2018
I really liked this one. I gotta get it out there that BDSM books are not my jam, but somehow I end up always reading and liking them. Go figure.
I liked this one a lot. Rey is something else. Impossible to deal with but impossible not to love him. The only thing that bothered me was that Rey is latino, I think? And that wasn’t clear till half the book. Let me be clear about it: what bothered me was that it kinda made it feel like this was a secret. And why the fuck would it be a secret?! I didn’t get it. Plus, IMO the cover of the book is kinda whitewashed. Not digging that either.
Aside from that, the book is hot, the couple has a good chemistry and it can be read as a stand-alone because I didn’t read the others and understood this one pretty well.
I liked this one a lot. Rey is something else. Impossible to deal with but impossible not to love him. The only thing that bothered me was that Rey is latino, I think? And that wasn’t clear till half the book. Let me be clear about it: what bothered me was that it kinda made it feel like this was a secret. And why the fuck would it be a secret?! I didn’t get it. Plus, IMO the cover of the book is kinda whitewashed. Not digging that either.
Aside from that, the book is hot, the couple has a good chemistry and it can be read as a stand-alone because I didn’t read the others and understood this one pretty well.
June 19, 2017
Super kinky. Good dose of emotion. Interesting world and supporting characters. I really enjoyed this one. My first time reading Parker but it won't be my last. I enjoy her writing style, plus she does kink very, very well, and I appreciate that so much (especially after more than a few fiery duds that treat BDSM like throwaway plot fodder).
If you wish to look at some quotes/thoughts I highlighted, please check out my Twitter feed
If you wish to look at some quotes/thoughts I highlighted, please check out my Twitter feed
July 4, 2017
Love the cover. Love the main character, Reyes Walter ( can you say scrumptious?). Did not love the story as much; also, the book- at 440 pages- was needlessly long and repetitive.
And oh, the sex scenes were clinical with zero sizzle. Overall, 2.5 stars
September 18, 2017
Loved this! I totally adored Rey. Well-written D/s story with age difference couple and one of them new to kink.
I want to read a story about Julian so badly. Please!!!
I want to read a story about Julian so badly. Please!!!
June 26, 2017
The Cartographer, Tamsen Parker, (The Compass series Book 6),
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance, erotica
I've loved this series, some books more than others. I wasn't hooked with the first book, not totally, and looking back I can see that I just didn't understand the story, didn't understand or empathise with India. Now we're at the end and I know so much more of the characters I could go back and my review would be very different.
This is Rey's story ( Rey or Reyes you'll be thinking - well, both are correct but for me Reyes is Reyes Farrow, Charley Davidson's Big Bad...so this is Rey!) He's intrigued me right from the start, the man behind the scenes, moving all the pieces around, sorting problems, finding partners, matching people perfectly. He's such a true gentleman, so well mannered, (Cheetos with chopsticks) moral, kind, and he hates to see people abused.
He's made it his life's work to go where he's needed, to make peoples lives better on an individual level. He's firm but fair, always consistent, always thinking of the other persons welfare. (Baby's First Safeword...that made me laugh and summed up Rey to a T).
He's the star of the series for me, the person who's most intrigued me right from the start, and the one who's story I Really wanted. And what a cracker it was, definitely my favourite book.
This book is complete in itself, and for m/m readers they might be tempted to just jump in and read this without the others.
You can do that, you will follow the story, but you won't get that satisfaction of really seeing how Rey deserved his own person to love, how the reserved, quiet, confident person was hiding a secret, and won't get the feeling of sheer joy, utter bliss when he realises he too can have what he's done so long for others.
Tamsen's writing is so fluid, her stories so complex and full of details that create a feeling of reality, that it would be a shame to miss the early ones. She writes erotica, but its not wall-to-wall sexfest, but erotica of the more sensual type, where its not just d icks in a rse or p ussy, (gah, I hate that word, so twee, but there really isn't a decent substitute), but a drawn out process, taking the reader on a seductive journey, a careful build-up to the climax.....
So if that's the kind of read you like, compared to the spoon fed, in-your-face sex novels you'll love these.
So, Rey meets Allie, tending a bar disastrously, covering for his sister that night.
Allie is so genuine, so kind hearted. He adores his sister and her two kids, and left the military where he was really happy, so he could help her when his best friend, her husband, was killed in action. Its just them, no other family and life is always a balancing act.
Allie puts them first in everything, but he's got pride and won't accept Rey's help. That frustrates Rey, he's got the money, why won't they let him help, they really need it, but he also understands pride - he's got enough of that himself.
As well as Rey and Allie, we meet Matthew, who's been in previous books but I've never been quite sure of the role he plays in Rey's life, Kendra, Allie's sister, her two kids and also Rey's mother. She's a fabulous woman, I'd love to be her as I age.
We get updates too on characters from the previous books, which was fun to read.
The story is wonderful, how Rey falls for Allie and vice versa, two totally opposite people on the face of it, but who are instantly attracted. Allie's very proud, Military man but comapred to Rey, a real innocent, and he doesn't realise he's a Sub. Rey is a master at this and can see it from the tiny gestures he makes though. We get a true insight into just how patient, how strong and safe Rey makes people feel, how he doesn't dominate by force but by trust, and he thinks and teaches that this is the only way. He's truly is an inspiring man.
Of course he trains people and finds them life partners, he doesn't keep anyone, and that's the plan with Allie. A little arrogant of him that he doesn't actually tell Allie this I thought, although he does say he doesn't do permanent relationships.
Plans have a way of going awry though, and its clear to everyone except Rey that he's in love with Allie, that Allie loves him. Rey doesn't allow himself that though, and the reasons why are heartbreaking. I so felt for him, felt for Allie too, he was blindsided by events.
I do love this fall apart sad bit in a romance and maybe my only crit of this book was that though I could feel the sadness on both sides, it didn't really seem to come over strongly enough. I needed to feel Rey was really down, desperate, heartbroken and he was, but he was also carrying on his life, though finding it hard. Somehow I just like characters to really hit the bottom and Rey only felt halfway down to me.
Its a tiny issue though compared the enjoyment I got from reading this fantastic story, and I know I want to go back and go through all the books again. I'm sure I'll get so much more, understanding the characters better, seeing the little clues I missed first time round.
Stars: Five, a fabulous finish to the series, wraps things up, and brings us full circle, but I'm so sad at losing these characters. Still, there's always re-reading!
ARC supplied for review purposes by author
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance, erotica
I've loved this series, some books more than others. I wasn't hooked with the first book, not totally, and looking back I can see that I just didn't understand the story, didn't understand or empathise with India. Now we're at the end and I know so much more of the characters I could go back and my review would be very different.
This is Rey's story ( Rey or Reyes you'll be thinking - well, both are correct but for me Reyes is Reyes Farrow, Charley Davidson's Big Bad...so this is Rey!) He's intrigued me right from the start, the man behind the scenes, moving all the pieces around, sorting problems, finding partners, matching people perfectly. He's such a true gentleman, so well mannered, (Cheetos with chopsticks) moral, kind, and he hates to see people abused.
He's made it his life's work to go where he's needed, to make peoples lives better on an individual level. He's firm but fair, always consistent, always thinking of the other persons welfare. (Baby's First Safeword...that made me laugh and summed up Rey to a T).
He's the star of the series for me, the person who's most intrigued me right from the start, and the one who's story I Really wanted. And what a cracker it was, definitely my favourite book.
This book is complete in itself, and for m/m readers they might be tempted to just jump in and read this without the others.
You can do that, you will follow the story, but you won't get that satisfaction of really seeing how Rey deserved his own person to love, how the reserved, quiet, confident person was hiding a secret, and won't get the feeling of sheer joy, utter bliss when he realises he too can have what he's done so long for others.
Tamsen's writing is so fluid, her stories so complex and full of details that create a feeling of reality, that it would be a shame to miss the early ones. She writes erotica, but its not wall-to-wall sexfest, but erotica of the more sensual type, where its not just d icks in a rse or p ussy, (gah, I hate that word, so twee, but there really isn't a decent substitute), but a drawn out process, taking the reader on a seductive journey, a careful build-up to the climax.....
So if that's the kind of read you like, compared to the spoon fed, in-your-face sex novels you'll love these.
So, Rey meets Allie, tending a bar disastrously, covering for his sister that night.
Allie is so genuine, so kind hearted. He adores his sister and her two kids, and left the military where he was really happy, so he could help her when his best friend, her husband, was killed in action. Its just them, no other family and life is always a balancing act.
Allie puts them first in everything, but he's got pride and won't accept Rey's help. That frustrates Rey, he's got the money, why won't they let him help, they really need it, but he also understands pride - he's got enough of that himself.
As well as Rey and Allie, we meet Matthew, who's been in previous books but I've never been quite sure of the role he plays in Rey's life, Kendra, Allie's sister, her two kids and also Rey's mother. She's a fabulous woman, I'd love to be her as I age.
We get updates too on characters from the previous books, which was fun to read.
The story is wonderful, how Rey falls for Allie and vice versa, two totally opposite people on the face of it, but who are instantly attracted. Allie's very proud, Military man but comapred to Rey, a real innocent, and he doesn't realise he's a Sub. Rey is a master at this and can see it from the tiny gestures he makes though. We get a true insight into just how patient, how strong and safe Rey makes people feel, how he doesn't dominate by force but by trust, and he thinks and teaches that this is the only way. He's truly is an inspiring man.
Of course he trains people and finds them life partners, he doesn't keep anyone, and that's the plan with Allie. A little arrogant of him that he doesn't actually tell Allie this I thought, although he does say he doesn't do permanent relationships.
Plans have a way of going awry though, and its clear to everyone except Rey that he's in love with Allie, that Allie loves him. Rey doesn't allow himself that though, and the reasons why are heartbreaking. I so felt for him, felt for Allie too, he was blindsided by events.
I do love this fall apart sad bit in a romance and maybe my only crit of this book was that though I could feel the sadness on both sides, it didn't really seem to come over strongly enough. I needed to feel Rey was really down, desperate, heartbroken and he was, but he was also carrying on his life, though finding it hard. Somehow I just like characters to really hit the bottom and Rey only felt halfway down to me.
Its a tiny issue though compared the enjoyment I got from reading this fantastic story, and I know I want to go back and go through all the books again. I'm sure I'll get so much more, understanding the characters better, seeing the little clues I missed first time round.
Stars: Five, a fabulous finish to the series, wraps things up, and brings us full circle, but I'm so sad at losing these characters. Still, there's always re-reading!
ARC supplied for review purposes by author
July 19, 2017
Perfection.
You cannot possibly realize how long I’ve been waiting for this book. Unconsciously, since the time I read Personal Geography. At that time, I didn’t even know there was going to be a Rey story. Consciously, since December 2015. That’s when I met Tamsen Parker and we had a great few hours of dining, talking and walking around NYC.
I’m going to reread all six books in the Compass series, but not before I write my review of The Cartographer (cleverly titled book, might I add).
I’m still in denial over the fact that the series is complete. But what a way to end it. Yowza!
Rey is a character that’s involved in each and every story throughout the first five novels in the series. He’s India’s best friend and “trainer”, he’s the one most responsible for her ending up with Crispin, and he’s the most selfless character in the kink world I think I’ve ever read.
In TC we get glimpses of his childhood by way of explaining some of his considerations and decision making process in his line of work and in his personal life.
From this point on I might spoil a little, so read further at your own risk.
I didn’t realize before TC that Matthew isn’t his full time partner. I didn’t realize he’s so set in his way, but from the most pure reasoning ever. And I’ve never realized how emotionally limited Rey is, and how amazing it will be to see his “downfall.”
Rey meeting Allie is probably one of the best scenes of a chance meeting and immediate connection I’ve read. By saving Allie from his own horrendous bartending skills, Rey buys himself a ticket to explore more with him. By taking care of him so amazingly as he does, Rey falls deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole he’s consciously trying to avoid, while subconsciously is already at the bottom.
When Rey parted with Allie by handing him off, I have to say I was disappointed with him while feeling so much sadness for him. I was frustrated and annoyed and compassionate and felt the need to shake him so hard and get him to realize how cruel and dumb that was. But then, it’s not like I didn’t know it was coming, and it was necessary for the story progression. But still…
When every one of the couples (all but one, I believe) stage an intervention, while I was sure won’t do any good, I only loved them more. It was a wonderful way to get to love on them a little more.
I think Tamsen Parker is par with the most talented BDSM writers out there. Her unique way of simplifying the psychological and theoretical aspects of kink, of the reasonings leading her characters in doing what they do. Her making it all completely reasonable, even to those not experienced (or even personally interested) in this lifestyle, while writing a romantic story, conveying emotions, laughter, sadness, frustration and insane lust through her words – it’s what puts her on my “read everything she writes, including grocery lists” shelf.
Don’t read The Cartographer if you haven’t read the previous books. I’m sure you can read it and most will make sense to you, but it won’t be remotely the same as falling in love with the characters and with Rey before picking it up.
You cannot possibly realize how long I’ve been waiting for this book. Unconsciously, since the time I read Personal Geography. At that time, I didn’t even know there was going to be a Rey story. Consciously, since December 2015. That’s when I met Tamsen Parker and we had a great few hours of dining, talking and walking around NYC.
I’m going to reread all six books in the Compass series, but not before I write my review of The Cartographer (cleverly titled book, might I add).
I’m still in denial over the fact that the series is complete. But what a way to end it. Yowza!
Rey is a character that’s involved in each and every story throughout the first five novels in the series. He’s India’s best friend and “trainer”, he’s the one most responsible for her ending up with Crispin, and he’s the most selfless character in the kink world I think I’ve ever read.
In TC we get glimpses of his childhood by way of explaining some of his considerations and decision making process in his line of work and in his personal life.
From this point on I might spoil a little, so read further at your own risk.
I didn’t realize before TC that Matthew isn’t his full time partner. I didn’t realize he’s so set in his way, but from the most pure reasoning ever. And I’ve never realized how emotionally limited Rey is, and how amazing it will be to see his “downfall.”
Rey meeting Allie is probably one of the best scenes of a chance meeting and immediate connection I’ve read. By saving Allie from his own horrendous bartending skills, Rey buys himself a ticket to explore more with him. By taking care of him so amazingly as he does, Rey falls deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole he’s consciously trying to avoid, while subconsciously is already at the bottom.
When Rey parted with Allie by handing him off, I have to say I was disappointed with him while feeling so much sadness for him. I was frustrated and annoyed and compassionate and felt the need to shake him so hard and get him to realize how cruel and dumb that was. But then, it’s not like I didn’t know it was coming, and it was necessary for the story progression. But still…
When every one of the couples (all but one, I believe) stage an intervention, while I was sure won’t do any good, I only loved them more. It was a wonderful way to get to love on them a little more.
I think Tamsen Parker is par with the most talented BDSM writers out there. Her unique way of simplifying the psychological and theoretical aspects of kink, of the reasonings leading her characters in doing what they do. Her making it all completely reasonable, even to those not experienced (or even personally interested) in this lifestyle, while writing a romantic story, conveying emotions, laughter, sadness, frustration and insane lust through her words – it’s what puts her on my “read everything she writes, including grocery lists” shelf.
Don’t read The Cartographer if you haven’t read the previous books. I’m sure you can read it and most will make sense to you, but it won’t be remotely the same as falling in love with the characters and with Rey before picking it up.
January 14, 2018
If I were rating this as an emotional reaction to the love story and kink alone, five stars all the way. Rey gets his HEA (finally) at the end of a series I deeply love (if you ignore the novella about Hunter, which I do, because it's just a bad idea from start to finish). The four other books are all brilliant.
This does a lot of things right, representation-wise, and needs to be applauded for that, as well. The two leads are both queer MoC, and Allie specifically is an big, outwardly masculine black man who spends the story coming to terms with his submissive side. It's so blatantly against typecasting (where big black men are always scary!) that I loved it.
But there were representation issues that, while they didn't touch on my experiences directly, did make me uncomfortable. Ableism, in that Rey's disability is treated as a plot twist--though I picked up on the foreshadowing and figured it out early, the reveal is shallow both emotionally and in terms of handling disability with respect. I get that Rey's parents didn't know how to handle it, and that left him with some issues, but those issues aren't explored much before they evaporate as an obstacle to Rey's happiness.
And I'm honestly not sure how to feel about Julian, the trans character. Am I glad a trans man was included as a real possibility for a love interest without Allie treating him any differently than a cis man? Yes. Do I like the way Rey spoke about Julian internally? No--because Rey did make a distinction, and one I didn't feel like it was his to make, when he speculated that Allie might like to be with someone he could have a family with, without intervention. It seemed...callus? Cavalier? It's not entirely clear to me if Julian's trans-ness was public knowledge or not, and while Rey outing him to us as the readers is merely narrative, I was really uncomfortable with his tone, because whatever did or didn't come of Allie's dalliance with Julian while he was separated from Rey, Rey didn't have any business making decisions based on Julian's reproductive status. Which he would know, of course, because Rey knows everything about everyone, so that doesn't actually give me any clue about whether or not Julian is "out" as trans or not.
I tried to look at that as a failing of Rey's arrogance, and it fits--I mean, he is trying to set up his lover with other man as a break-up gift, basically--but it still irks me beyond that. I'm not sure I can explain it any better, but this felt like it fell short of good representation.
This does a lot of things right, representation-wise, and needs to be applauded for that, as well. The two leads are both queer MoC, and Allie specifically is an big, outwardly masculine black man who spends the story coming to terms with his submissive side. It's so blatantly against typecasting (where big black men are always scary!) that I loved it.
But there were representation issues that, while they didn't touch on my experiences directly, did make me uncomfortable. Ableism, in that Rey's disability is treated as a plot twist--though I picked up on the foreshadowing and figured it out early, the reveal is shallow both emotionally and in terms of handling disability with respect. I get that Rey's parents didn't know how to handle it, and that left him with some issues, but those issues aren't explored much before they evaporate as an obstacle to Rey's happiness.
And I'm honestly not sure how to feel about Julian, the trans character. Am I glad a trans man was included as a real possibility for a love interest without Allie treating him any differently than a cis man? Yes. Do I like the way Rey spoke about Julian internally? No--because Rey did make a distinction, and one I didn't feel like it was his to make, when he speculated that Allie might like to be with someone he could have a family with, without intervention. It seemed...callus? Cavalier? It's not entirely clear to me if Julian's trans-ness was public knowledge or not, and while Rey outing him to us as the readers is merely narrative, I was really uncomfortable with his tone, because whatever did or didn't come of Allie's dalliance with Julian while he was separated from Rey, Rey didn't have any business making decisions based on Julian's reproductive status. Which he would know, of course, because Rey knows everything about everyone, so that doesn't actually give me any clue about whether or not Julian is "out" as trans or not.
I tried to look at that as a failing of Rey's arrogance, and it fits--I mean, he is trying to set up his lover with other man as a break-up gift, basically--but it still irks me beyond that. I'm not sure I can explain it any better, but this felt like it fell short of good representation.
September 12, 2017
There are very few series that I have read from beginning to end. The "hmmm, I'll read this" moment of the first book in the series is usually as far as I get. However, the Compass Series had me like a greedy whore of the words and stories of Tamsen Parker. Every single person that I wanted to know more about, Parker had their story coming next. There was always Rey Walter in the mix of each. And why wouldn't the last book of the series be all about this man that helped to bring so many people together.
Rey is always someone else's cartographer. He creates a map of their very needs. Why it took him so long to write his own is all told in this book. It takes a very sexy, strong, and oh so willing soul that is Allie Hart to be Rey's ink.
Their story isn't easy, but it's as hard as Allie's rippling pectorals. There is no quick way to Rey's hart...I mean heart. Allie works for it. Parker creates this chemistry between the two of them that lights every chapter on fire. Be warned, it's the absolute hottest of the entire Compass Series. You won't be able to get enough of this Rey/Allie combo.
I'm very sad to see this series end, but Parker gives it a send off that none of us will ever forget. "I’m tired of being up on this lonely mountain top, and I think I might know someone who believes he’s worthy."
Rey is always someone else's cartographer. He creates a map of their very needs. Why it took him so long to write his own is all told in this book. It takes a very sexy, strong, and oh so willing soul that is Allie Hart to be Rey's ink.
Their story isn't easy, but it's as hard as Allie's rippling pectorals. There is no quick way to Rey's hart...I mean heart. Allie works for it. Parker creates this chemistry between the two of them that lights every chapter on fire. Be warned, it's the absolute hottest of the entire Compass Series. You won't be able to get enough of this Rey/Allie combo.
I'm very sad to see this series end, but Parker gives it a send off that none of us will ever forget. "I’m tired of being up on this lonely mountain top, and I think I might know someone who believes he’s worthy."
May 9, 2017
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily wrote an honest review.
I am stuck between giving this a rating of 3 stars or 4 stars, but once I got much deeper into the story, I was able to understand why. I am not sure if that was the authors intention when writing this but that is how I interpreted it, and I have to say is the reason I decided on the 4 star rating. I very much enjoyed the storyline and the writing was fine. There were just times that I was not able to feel a connection with Rey. I felt it greatly with Allie and I adored his character. I was able to visualize Rey as well as Allie but I felt that Rey's character was a bit closed off, but thankfully I rarely, if ever, give up on a book and DNF it, because the way I interpreted the storyline, all of my questions were answered once I got further into the book. I think the storyline flowed fine and I was more confused at times but never was I bored or did I feel like the story was dragging. This is my first book by this author and I have only read a handful of M/M romance but I did enjoy the book and most definitely will be reading more of this genre and more from Ms. Parker!
I am stuck between giving this a rating of 3 stars or 4 stars, but once I got much deeper into the story, I was able to understand why. I am not sure if that was the authors intention when writing this but that is how I interpreted it, and I have to say is the reason I decided on the 4 star rating. I very much enjoyed the storyline and the writing was fine. There were just times that I was not able to feel a connection with Rey. I felt it greatly with Allie and I adored his character. I was able to visualize Rey as well as Allie but I felt that Rey's character was a bit closed off, but thankfully I rarely, if ever, give up on a book and DNF it, because the way I interpreted the storyline, all of my questions were answered once I got further into the book. I think the storyline flowed fine and I was more confused at times but never was I bored or did I feel like the story was dragging. This is my first book by this author and I have only read a handful of M/M romance but I did enjoy the book and most definitely will be reading more of this genre and more from Ms. Parker!
December 16, 2017
At last, the story of Rey: the benevolent, the mystery, the man...
This was a fitting conclusion to the Compass series focused on the cornerstone of this community Parker has created. Watching him mold a man for his side, who ultimately molded him into a new kind of dominate was moving and true to form.
The scenes in this book are blazing hot with a few sweetly familiar moves and, at times, a fun playful mocking style. Parker does a remarkable job building the lust and tension, such that I could nearly feel and taste the thick damp air of the scene, smell the electricity and sex.
Playing with concepts of intimacy, Parker has laced these characters together artfully. Balancing different experiences in the world of race, class, military, family, police- she picks up on the clear differences in the current culture of the US and shows how these draw the characters together. Wee played.
Finally, I know this SUPPOSED to be the last one, but really??? I wait3d all this time for Julian to appear! Where’s his book?? ☺️ Come on now!
This was a fitting conclusion to the Compass series focused on the cornerstone of this community Parker has created. Watching him mold a man for his side, who ultimately molded him into a new kind of dominate was moving and true to form.
The scenes in this book are blazing hot with a few sweetly familiar moves and, at times, a fun playful mocking style. Parker does a remarkable job building the lust and tension, such that I could nearly feel and taste the thick damp air of the scene, smell the electricity and sex.
Playing with concepts of intimacy, Parker has laced these characters together artfully. Balancing different experiences in the world of race, class, military, family, police- she picks up on the clear differences in the current culture of the US and shows how these draw the characters together. Wee played.
Finally, I know this SUPPOSED to be the last one, but really??? I wait3d all this time for Julian to appear! Where’s his book?? ☺️ Come on now!
September 5, 2018
In “the cartographer,” readers meet Reyes Walter who serves as matchmaker in previous Tamsen Parker books. The novel opens with Reyes going to a bar after a long night of working with a client. As Reyes orders a drink, he is aroused by the attractive bartender behind the bar then horrified by his terrible drink making skills. After Reyes sees that the bartender named Allie needs help to stave off a thirsty waiting crowd, he jumps behind the counter and helps him makes drinks.
Over time, Reyes and Allie begin a tenuous relationship based on Reyes sex, torment and eventually love. As Reyes finds himself falling in love with Allie, he is frightened by these feelings since he
feels he is not worthy of such pleasures. Allie is devoted to his sister Kendra and while he embraces his identity as a gay black man, he has yet to
embrace his darker desires to be tortured and teased.Throughout the course of this novel, we see Reyes transforming from a distant puppet master to a loving partner. This is a satisfying final book in “the compass” series.
Over time, Reyes and Allie begin a tenuous relationship based on Reyes sex, torment and eventually love. As Reyes finds himself falling in love with Allie, he is frightened by these feelings since he
feels he is not worthy of such pleasures. Allie is devoted to his sister Kendra and while he embraces his identity as a gay black man, he has yet to
embrace his darker desires to be tortured and teased.Throughout the course of this novel, we see Reyes transforming from a distant puppet master to a loving partner. This is a satisfying final book in “the compass” series.
May 25, 2017
I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book
I absolutely loved this book! I must admit that I did not know what to expect because Rey is such an important part of the series but I quickly realized that I had nothing to worry about. I loved Allie and Rey together. Allie was a great counterpart for Rey because he was so strong but somehow vulnerable all at the same time.
Overall this book was great. I loved a lot of moments in this book but my favorite has to be when Rey realizes that sometimes the things that you give away can't easily be won back. I am sad that this is the last book in the series, I hope they have a Christmas novella or something...really anything so I can read more about every couple. Great job Tamsen Parker!
I absolutely loved this book! I must admit that I did not know what to expect because Rey is such an important part of the series but I quickly realized that I had nothing to worry about. I loved Allie and Rey together. Allie was a great counterpart for Rey because he was so strong but somehow vulnerable all at the same time.
Overall this book was great. I loved a lot of moments in this book but my favorite has to be when Rey realizes that sometimes the things that you give away can't easily be won back. I am sad that this is the last book in the series, I hope they have a Christmas novella or something...really anything so I can read more about every couple. Great job Tamsen Parker!
July 8, 2017
A very loose 3 stars.
Problems I had: fell in to the telling instead of showing trap. The main characters phyce was not fully developed and I didn't really like him. The more I think about this long ass book that I had hoped for but fell more so flat the more I read. The intervention plot thing was awful to read. Not tensions full followed by release but so boring I actually just skim read.
The sexy times were flat to read.
I felt like the author defied some conventions and typicalities , we have biracial characters & the larger man being the sub. But she then let the book fall into tones of tropes, urgh I'm so disinterested now in writing this because I wasted 3 hours of my life on bad plot... (this is where I give up on writing a review)
Problems I had: fell in to the telling instead of showing trap. The main characters phyce was not fully developed and I didn't really like him. The more I think about this long ass book that I had hoped for but fell more so flat the more I read. The intervention plot thing was awful to read. Not tensions full followed by release but so boring I actually just skim read.
The sexy times were flat to read.
I felt like the author defied some conventions and typicalities , we have biracial characters & the larger man being the sub. But she then let the book fall into tones of tropes, urgh I'm so disinterested now in writing this because I wasted 3 hours of my life on bad plot... (this is where I give up on writing a review)
November 18, 2019
BIG SUBS I LOVE
Ok so I love this story. I loooooooove big subs automatically means a three star from me. I know I know bias but what can I say. I had two problems with the story. One I really wish we got to see Harts perspective from time to time. Although I must say it was interesting to get the side of the dominant. Typically if it’s only from one perspective it’s the subs. My second issue was the non sexual scenes. The author did not fully explore them.
Also I have convinced myself that Allie will be just fine in the military. Allie will retire from the military in a few years and take up the job at the security firm because he will acknowledge that being safe and still following orders is pleasing to both him and his dom
Ok so I love this story. I loooooooove big subs automatically means a three star from me. I know I know bias but what can I say. I had two problems with the story. One I really wish we got to see Harts perspective from time to time. Although I must say it was interesting to get the side of the dominant. Typically if it’s only from one perspective it’s the subs. My second issue was the non sexual scenes. The author did not fully explore them.
Also I have convinced myself that Allie will be just fine in the military. Allie will retire from the military in a few years and take up the job at the security firm because he will acknowledge that being safe and still following orders is pleasing to both him and his dom
June 26, 2017
Great ending to this fabulous series. I have loved Rey from the beginning, he was so enigmatic until this read when we finally get to learn more about him. The story is fast paced with lots of drama and emotion. The chemistry between Rey and Allie is steamy. I was so happy to see his friends supporting him and pushing him to let go of some of that control and go after the life he wanted. Lots of drama and plenty of steam. I loved it!
May 7, 2017
It just didn't resonate with me the way her books usually do. Maybe I was too stuck on my perception of Rey, but I didn't really understand why he was so in love with Allie or how it all really truly made sense for them.
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