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, … 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.
Roan Parrish’s pitch-perfect Riven novels can be read together or separately:
RIVEN • REND • RAZE
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It looks like Raze is shaping up to be a love it or leave it book, but I for one loved this slow burn, May-December romance. For those familiar with the Riven series, this is Huey’s story in all its messy, sharp-edged glory. For those who haven’t read the previous two books, don’t be scared to dive right in with Raze because, though there is character overlap, it’s a whole new couple and can be enjoyed as a standalone. Raze definitely packed a punch, but it isn’t delivered as a quick fire barrage of hits. Instead, this book slowly unveils the truths both heroes try to hide while they shore up all those around them by giving whole chunks of themselves.
Although the magic of a slow build can sometimes be killed by a frustratingly languorous pace, that didn’t happen for me with Raze. I immediately liked Huey and Felix and found them to be characters I was desperate to know more about. While it took time to do that, the delivery of little tidbits along the way kept my attention and prevented me from feeling like I was turning in circles. Add to that the way this author can bring emotions to the surface, making them palpable for the reader, and I was completely hooked. In fact, I found it exceedingly hard to step away from this book. I loved watching Felix and Huey realize their own value and grow over the course of the book as individuals and a couple, and found many of their struggles relatable on in way or the other. This is definitely one of those hard-fought happy endings, but the resolution left me happy and warmed. If you like a good, emotional romance and are in for the slow build, I’d not hesitate to recommend Raze.
*eARC received via Netgalley.*
Huey and Felix have such a sweet and emotional story! The things they want in a relationship are all the mushy gushy love stuffs- the cuddles and tender moments. They have great physical chemistry as well, but that’s not what I’ll remember most about this couple.
I’ve loved this series. Huey is a hulking man of many words, who is misunderstood and struggling with more than anyone realizes. Felix is a man who is floundering, without direction, and in the midst of figuring it all out. They both have tremendous personal growth along with the blossoming of the relationship. Also, we get to see how our other favorite couples are doing. All in all, Raze made me melt and swoon.