Due South by Tamsen Parker (The Compass #5)
Released: December 12, 2016
Erotic Contemporary
Self Published
Reviewed by Mandi
Favorite Quote: No, seriously. This is my life. Hyperventilating in my office because my boss almost caught me getting blown by her secretary in her bathroom. After running down a hallway naked except for clothes I’d been wearing over twenty-four hours clutched against my junk.
Office affairs, man. They aren’t for the weak.
While the books in this series are stand alones, they have all held a common theme – BDSM. And some have had very intense BDSM with damaged characters looking to be healed. I’ve enjoyed them for the most part. When I started Due South, I was very surprised that this book holds a completely different tone. Lucy and Evans are both very shy, awkward and very into each other. They are co-workers who both work for a woman named India. Those that have read this series are very familiar with her. She is a demanding boss – fair, but not for the faint of heart. When she asks Lucy and Evans to work over Christmas, they are both a little disappointed to not have a Christmas break.
Chanoch Evans, (people just call him Evans because they can’t pronounce his first name) has been crushing big time on Lucy for a long time, but he is so shy, he has never approached her. Plus, being co-workers makes it awkward to date. But when Evans and Lucy accidentally see India and her husband doing something quite naughty in her office, lust overcomes Evans and he makes a move on Lucy. They have hot office sex – and then realize they should do it again. Evans has a brother suffering from PTSD and financial guilt from his mother – so he feels like he is not in the best place in his life to offer anything stable to Lucy, but once he gets a taste of her, he can’t let her go.
Tamsen Parker blends super awkward characters with super erotic scenes so well in this one. They aren’t sure what to do with themselves once they discover they like having sex. They don’t know how to proceed or how to interact. It’s so very sweet.
“What if you…weren’t you?”
He starts, but then it seems as though the sun comes up and shines on his face. “You mean like pretend?”
“Yeah. Pretend. Like we could still be Lucy and Evans, but braver.”
“Bolder.”
My breath speeds up, and I bite my lip. “Yeah. Sexier.”
Evans discovers a bossy side when he gets Lucy naked – and it gives him confidence and made me smile.
So I shove aside all my awkwardness and insecurities to let a few words out, words I hope will help me drag that guy out to play. I clear my throat, hoping to take the awkwardness with it. “Yes Lucy. I’d like to have sex with you again. I’d like to have sexy with you right now, in fact. So save your files, neaten your desk, and I’ll meet you in the copy room in ten minutes.”
I turn back to head down the hall to my office. I never thought I’d get to open the box of condoms I keep in my desk. But I did get to. And not only did I get to use one condom, I’m going to use another one shortly. Evans, you’re the man.
You are Evans!
Lucy has risen from plain secretary to India to being someone India relies on heavily – but Lucy still doesn’t get much praise or support from her parents. Evans steps up and becomes someone who helps her feel confidence and more sure of herself. It’s a really great relationship.
I’m going to end with a quote that Tori ended with in her review because I love it and it sums them up perfectly:
“I get the feeling Lucy and I are the same in some ways. Like we’re both nervous and shy and it’s hard to find a place in the world where that’s okay. But I feel as though it would be okay with each other.”
Grade: B+
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