galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jefener's review against another edition
4.0
***SPOILERS***
I've gone back and forth with this book. I read it thinking it was going to be a generic, run of the mill, millionaire semi douche who gets a heart of gold after falling in love. This...was not really that simple of a story. On the one hand...Im not big on BDSM so when the book was really heavy on those elements I didnt enjoy it as much. That being said...for it having a topic I was not expecting and was not that into...I got super invested in Rey and Allie's relationship.
I do appreciate all the time and effort the author put into the book for people who are not super familiar with BDSM. Them taking the time to be like, its not just about dominance, its not about punishment, its about balancing the line between pain and pleasure and being emotionally connected with your partner to balance that line.
Rey did come off having a superiority complex and I didnt quite understand the entire "I owe my entire life to helping people no matter what, where, when or who and I should give myself no time to help myself because I HAVE to be devoted to others" concept that was introduced. I thought about it a couple of times and still felt like I didnt understand why he was THAT invested in it. Something to do with his dad and the lack of pain combined?...I think?...I honestly still dont know. lol
Also the ending was pretty rushed. Which im happy and sad for. The climax was at the very end of the book so I didnt have to be anxious about what was going to happen to their relationship longer than a few pages. But it also felt like they finally made this major declaration, they were both hurt, Allie ESPECIALLY, and it was like Rey explaining himself and asking for forgiveness and Allie is like...hmm...sure. and then the end. It could have been drawn out a bit longer in my opinion. You spent all this time even going over Allie's sister's house burning down and what are they going to do with the kids, and them finding a new place (of which point I was like omg ANOTHER thing is happening??) but all of that seemed just about as long, if not longer, than the climax between Allie and Rey. And I understand its a pivotal moment because this is the first time Allie kinda accepts all of Rey's help rather than tell him to fuck off but still...balance bro.
But other than that, congrats on 4 stars. I think it was a pretty darn good book with substance and even made me enjoy a topic I usually dont like too much :)
I've gone back and forth with this book. I read it thinking it was going to be a generic, run of the mill, millionaire semi douche who gets a heart of gold after falling in love. This...was not really that simple of a story. On the one hand...Im not big on BDSM so when the book was really heavy on those elements I didnt enjoy it as much. That being said...for it having a topic I was not expecting and was not that into...I got super invested in Rey and Allie's relationship.
I do appreciate all the time and effort the author put into the book for people who are not super familiar with BDSM. Them taking the time to be like, its not just about dominance, its not about punishment, its about balancing the line between pain and pleasure and being emotionally connected with your partner to balance that line.
Rey did come off having a superiority complex and I didnt quite understand the entire "I owe my entire life to helping people no matter what, where, when or who and I should give myself no time to help myself because I HAVE to be devoted to others" concept that was introduced. I thought about it a couple of times and still felt like I didnt understand why he was THAT invested in it. Something to do with his dad and the lack of pain combined?...I think?...I honestly still dont know. lol
Also the ending was pretty rushed. Which im happy and sad for. The climax was at the very end of the book so I didnt have to be anxious about what was going to happen to their relationship longer than a few pages. But it also felt like they finally made this major declaration, they were both hurt, Allie ESPECIALLY, and it was like Rey explaining himself and asking for forgiveness and Allie is like...hmm...sure. and then the end. It could have been drawn out a bit longer in my opinion. You spent all this time even going over Allie's sister's house burning down and what are they going to do with the kids, and them finding a new place (of which point I was like omg ANOTHER thing is happening??) but all of that seemed just about as long, if not longer, than the climax between Allie and Rey. And I understand its a pivotal moment because this is the first time Allie kinda accepts all of Rey's help rather than tell him to fuck off but still...balance bro.
But other than that, congrats on 4 stars. I think it was a pretty darn good book with substance and even made me enjoy a topic I usually dont like too much :)
briarsreviews's review against another edition
5.0
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.
emlickliter's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes being a rare personality type is fun, but there are a shortage of well written ones out there. Rey is a really well written INTJ that has the full spectrum of chaos that usually follows. Since he spends so much time being a fairy godfather, I've been waiting to see if he would get his own HEA. I was very pleased! But now I'm going to have to track down more Tamsen Parker!
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