Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: The Path

AUTHOR: Ariel Tachna

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 254 pages

BLURB:

All his life Benicio Quispe has dreamed of being a guide on the Inca Trail. He gets his chance when the top travel agency in Cusco, Peru hires him. Alberto Salazar, his assigned mentor, fits Benicio’s idea of a perfect guide, but he’s also everything Benicio never dared to dream of in a boyfriend.

Alberto learned a long time ago to be discreet about his sexuality. It’s a necessary sacrifice to keep the respect of the guides and porters whose help is critical in a successful hike. So he pushes aside his attraction to his new junior guide and goes on as usual. But when a group of old friends arrives to hike the trail again, they convince him a relationship with Benicio is worth pursuing. His newfound resolve is enough to get them on a first date, but no amount of courage can change the attitudes of their family and friends. The risks on the trail are easy compared to finding a path through the challenges keeping them apart.

REVIEW:

I love this! An education about an area and topic I know nothing about, as well as a fantastic romance story. How cool! I suspected this was coming, my husband and I sat beside Ariel at an event at GRL last year and she talked about her trip to Peru. I assumed there would be a book to follow, and here it is. I know nothing about Peru, other than Machu Picchu is there, that is really high in elevation, and that I am too out of shape to EVER go there. I’ve seen it on TV on travel shows, but that’s it. Well, I guess I know a bit more, Llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs, Andes mountains, and chicha. But that’s it! So I saw this book was up for review, I love Ariel Tachna’s writing, I heard about her trip, and wanted to read about a place I’ll never see, so it seemed perfect for me. And it was. A perfect story in a perfect setting.

Benicio is from a small village in the mountains of Peru, but he doesn’t have any interest in being a farmer like his father and brother. Or in marrying and raising babies… His dream is to guide tours on the Inca Trail. He finally gets a chance at his goal, when he is offered a job with one of the premiere tour companies. Miguel, the owner, pairs Benicio with an experienced guide for training. In comes Alberto, the experienced guide. Alberto is not as excited to be training yet another new guide as he could be, and almost, but not quite has a bit of an attitude with Benicio. But hiding under that attitude is attraction. So there is our set up, two gay men, as tour guides on the Inca Trail. Neither knows the other is gay, both are nervous the other will find out and freak out, and they work together. Peru is not particularly gay friendly especially in the small towns.

Let’s talk about the plot: it’s a romance novel, they meet, there is attraction, desire, sex and a happy ending. It’s great, exactly what I wanted, and expect from Ariel. But what I didn’t expect was the whole Inca Trail backdrop. It was fantastic. The trail acts as another character in a way, causing drama, stress, action, and a common bond to bring these two together. The details Ariel imparts about the trail, the names of the stops, ruins, campsites, settlements, etc. are impressive. It’s obvious to me just by reading this book that she loved her time there, and knows the area. This is beyond researching a location to throw in a book. Her passion comes through in every word and detail. The extra characters in this book add so much more to the story. The tourists they guide along the trail add lightness and humor at times, drama at other times. There is a group including two committed gay men that give Alberto and Benicio the push they need to move forward. The perfect role models for them. Alberto’s friends, Miguel their boss, the little old lady that runs the chicaria (Hope I spelled that right!) they visit frequently, the porters on the hikes, all just bring it together. The first tour they go on was very detailed and I loved that. Then the next ones were not as detailed and that worked very well. Until the last one, where everything goes to shit. By that point I was familiar with the route and routine and I got stressed for them all! It was great.

Alberto and Benicio are well developed characters, we know their background and issues, and what they are dealing with in their lives. Their physical relationship is slow and just perfect. This is not insta-love or insta-sex. The attraction is there immediately but they don’t act on it for some time. It was appropriate for them and worked very well. Once they get physical, it was beautiful and passionate. I loved watching them grow as individuals, well really Benicio is the one who grows, and then as a couple, and as coworkers. I just loved them!

So it’s a great book! The romance part of it is wonderful, I enjoyed that side of it very much. But the Inca Trail steals the show. There is no way in hell I could ever do it, but I want to! I want to see where Alberto and Benicio walk, I want to share their passion for the location. It made for a very unique setting and background for this perfect story. I’ve read just about everything Ariel has published, one of her series was my introduction to gay romance, and will always have a special place in my heart. But I think I can say this is now my favorite Ariel Tachna book!

I’ve read a bunch of really good books lately, I may get in trouble for giving yet another five stars to this one (Sorry Danielle!) but I have to! I loved it and highly recommend this book, just purely for the Inca Trail adventure.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner

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