Title: Raze
Series: Riven: Book Three
Author: Roan Parrish
Publisher: Loveswept/Random House
Length: 284 Pages
Category: Contemporary Romance
At a Glance: Roan Parrish is such a talent, and this series is absolutely some of her best work. There were a ton of little touches that made this such a good read.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Sometimes the walls we build to save ourselves have to come tumbling down.
For the last ten years, Huey has built his life around his sobriety. If that means he doesn’t give a damn about finding love or companionship for himself, well, it’s probably better that way. After all, the last thing he wants is to hurt anyone else. Until Felix Rainey walks into his bar, fresh-faced, unbearably sweet–and, for some reason Huey can’t fathom, interested in him.
As the eldest of five kids, Felix Rainey spent his childhood cooking dinner, checking homework, and working after-school jobs. Now in his twenties, he’s still scrambling to make ends meet and wondering what the hell he’s doing with his life. When he meets Huey, he’s intimidated . . . and enamored. Huey’s strong and confident, he owns his own business–hell, he’s friends with rock stars. What could he ever see in Felix?
As Huey and Felix get closer, the spark catches and soon they can’t get enough of each other. But Huey’s worked hard to avoid intimacy, and Felix threatens his carefully constructed defenses. Huey realizes he needs to change if he wants to truly put his past behind him–and build a future with Felix.
Review: Roan Parrish is such a talent, you guys, and this series is absolutely some of her best work. Here’s a secret, though…I have yet to read Riven, the title book in the series. *gasp* It’s ok, though. Everybody stay loose. I promise I’m going to get to it ASAP. Because as much as Rend made me want to go back and read Theo and Caleb’s story, Raze, the latest addition to the series, made me want to read it even more. Theo and Caleb once again have fantastic and important cameos in Raze, as do Rhys and Matt. In fact, I don’t think Parrish could have told Huey and Felix’s story without the help of the rest of the gang. It’s great when the supporting cast is such an integral part of the book; I love seeing authors weave all the lives together. BUT the MCs are still the stars, so let’s get back to Huey and Felix…
Huey was my favorite. I loved Felix too, of course, but I ADORED Huey. I felt such strong emotions for him throughout the story. I wanted to hug him, and cheer for him, and for him to finally see that he was worthy of having an amazing life. That the lonely existence he had resigned himself to wasn’t his only option. Up to this point, his entire life has consisted of strictly adhering to his routine: running the bar, going to the gym, grocery shopping, being there 24/7 for his sponsees, and repeat. He hasn’t had a relationship for seven years. Seven. Years. So, the instant attraction that he feels for Felix is like a gut punch, and when Huey begins to crave Felix’s touch and his company, it’s terrifying.
Felix doesn’t have much more recent experience with relationships than Huey does. His time is spent at work, or with his sister and best friend, Sofia, or with his family. At one point in the book, Felix suggests to Huey that he may have a bit of a martyr complex, and while Felix doesn’t take care of everyone around him to be a martyr, necessarily, he has spent most of his life putting everyone else first. He started helping his mom take care of the house and his younger siblings at a young age, and genuinely loves helping provide for his family—but, it didn’t allow for much time to think about what he wanted for his own future. Felix is a complete and total love, but his neediness and tendency to whine was a bit OTT at times. I realize he was written that way on purpose, and that he owned the behavior on page a couple of times…but, it was hard to get past in a few scenes. That being said, I loved his spirit and what a beautiful, genuine person he was. And, I was so sad when his relationship with Sofia began changing. Parrish did an excellent job with building their relationship. Felix’s sadness about Sofia all of a sudden being absent from his life was so palpable and heart-breaking.
As much as I love the guys individually, however, they were perhaps even better together. 😊 Either one of them could level the other with something as simple as a hug, and their dynamic in bed was beyond intense. I loved how they owned up to their mistakes and gave each other the space to grow. They were supportive of each other’s dreams, and protective of each other’s hearts. I loved how Huey was outraged on Felix’s behalf about Sof’s behavior and was ready to go to bat for him. And, I loved how even when Felix was being a brat, Huey knew his heart was in the right place.
There were a ton of little touches that made this such a good read. And, going back to having not read Riven, it’s actually a testament to how well the books stand alone that I could feel such a strong connection to both the second and third books without ever having read the first. So, if you were planning to hold off on Raze because you haven’t read the other books, I say don’t! You can honestly read them in any order—just make sure you read them.
You can buy Raze here:
[zilla_button url=”http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/598375/” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Loveswept/Random House [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://books2read.com/Raze” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon & Other Vendors [/zilla_button]