Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. Since originally requesting, I have lost interest in read it.

I had a harder time with this continuation of the series than I did with the first book of the series, Riven. Where Caleb and Theo were flawed characters that had a huge challenge to attain their HEA, Matt and Rhys seemingly start out with their HEA and then have to reclaim it amidst baggage, trauma, and a slightly absentee partner.

Again being told the story rather than shown, we're only given Matt's point of view and let me warn you, it's not a happy one. We see moments of happiness but more often have to read negativity and doubt on so many pages. The jumping from past to present and back to past in no order that can be anticipated was jarring and frustrating as we tried to work through Matt's baggage. It's not my favorite format to read so I had a much harder time staying with the story as it unfolded.

Overall it was a good continuation but the writing, the uninspiring MC's, and the imbalance in a relationship we were supposed to believe was improving and deepening was too much for me to move from merely liking the story to loving it.

Two years this has been on my list! A shameful amount of time. Things just slip through the cracks and there’s nothing to be done about it, I suppose. Apologies

Can we say Roller-coaster!
It's not about two people getting together and everything stops with their Happy Ever After. It's about what happens afterwards and about how to fight for your relationship if problems are arising.
The main focus of this book was definitely the relationship between the two MCs and their character development was very well written. I laughed a ton and swooned even more.
It is a mm romance.

This was devastating and hauntingly beautiful. Just when I thought that I was in a reading rut and was never going to read another 5-star book again, I read this in practically all of one day and I AM. IN. LOVE. This story is ANGST but that’s right up my alley, so is it really a surprise how much I winded up loving this book?

Trigger warnings include depression, anxiety, feelings of abandonment, death of a friend and attending the funeral, mentions of child sexual abuse (not the main characters), mentions of abuse, and mentions of finding a kid who died by suicide.

This book deals with heavy topics, and is written in first-person, so do read with care and remember to take care of yourselves if the story gets to be too much.

The story is told entirely from Matt Argento’s perspective. He’s a guy who was raised in the foster care system and has now gotten a job doing something he loves and is very passionate about. His mother is Italian and his father Mexican American. When he meets Rhys Nyland, he thinks no one can be THIS smiley or lovely, but that’s the thing about Rhys. He’s just a genuine man, who also has the body of Thor and a mind for music like you wouldn’t believe.

This book is slightly different from books I usually read. For one, the story starts off when a very long prologue. And I’ve been very vocal about not loving prologues and skipping them altogether. BUT. Because this is a Roan Parrish book, I got sucked in and the prologue is one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever read. This is where we see Matt and Rhys meeting for the first time. And by the time the story starts with chapter one, they are married but they haven’t quite found their HEA.

We do find out throughout the book in quiet moments, all the pieces in-between the prologue and the first chapter of how their relationship grew and how they came to be married, and I really loved how everything got pieced together. It works so seamlessly in the text, that I’m just left in awe.

This book is the embodiment of the grumpy/sunshine trope. I dearly love how hard Rhys tried and he’s just such a good person who’s not used to the world being so awful that his imagination can’t even conjure up what that could be. He actually reminds me a lot of Christopher, a character from the author’s SMALL CHANGE book, and we all should know how much I love Christopher so it’s really no surprise how much I fell in love with Rhys here as well.

When you start the book, it’s clear that Matt has a lot on his mind, and his past is a heavy part of his soul that he carries with him always. It’s always lurking in the depths of his mind and even if he’s surrounding by sunshine Rhys, the shadows poke out when Rhys isn’t around. When Rhys finally gets the musical recognition he so very much deserves and gets to go on tour across the country while Matt stays home, the darkness comes out of Matt in full force and takes him into places he thought had been hidden away.

In some ways, I think this book is fitting for readers who loved MISFITS by Garrett Leigh. While there’s no polyam romance here, Matt and Rhys’s relationship reminds me of Tom and Cass and maybe this is what their relationship was like in their early days.

So. I read this book as an arc so I’m not sure if things were changed in the final copy of the book, but I will say a thing that bugged me is how often Noé was introduced in the text like we would forget him the next time we meet him and he had to be reintroduced with his first AND last name again and again. I just found that weird and unnecessary. Also. The part about deporting Matt’s mother as well was strange since I thought to myself, how often does the US deport someone back to Italy?? But that question is answered later in the text and satisfied my ??? on the subject.

I do wish we had more female characters in the book? It wasn’t really noticeable until you realized that all the women in Matt’s past treated him horribly, and the one girl from his past who did seem to care about him somehow winded up dying tragically young. Her story was just so sad and I wish we could have seen her in the text as a friend to Matt in his present-day and, well, not die. The only other women in Matt’s life is his boss and Rhys’s mother.

I don’t remember much from RIVEN since, just from the subject matter and overall angst, was a LOT to read back-to-back with this book. But Theo and Caleb are pretty big players in this book since their lives and Matt and Rhys’s are so intertwined from being good friends with one another. I don’t think it’s necessary to read these books in order but just get the tissue box ready for both their stories because it can be a lot.

Biggest and really only disappointment I have is that this series is only available in digital ebook and audio with no physical copies available for purchase at all. I know the company is digital only but wouldn’t I just kill to have a paperback of this book to read and have on my shelf. I NEED IT.

I’m excited to finally have gotten to read this book and dare I say this is probably now my favorite of all of the author’s books? I can’t wait to read Raze and hopefully see Theo,
Caleb, Matt, and Rhys all show up in that book as well!!

***Thanks to the publisher for approving me for this ARC on NetGalley.***

I was really looking forward to this book. Theo and Caleb really hooked me in the first book and I had to know more about Rhys, Caleb’s best friend, and his husband Matt.
Matt has had a life of abandonment. But not the rich life of wild abandonment however. Matt has experienced the pain of being abandoned by those that he trusted and loved. First by his father and then by his worthless excuse of a mother. Finally he was abandoned by his best friend Grin, but he was responsible for that mess, or so he believed. So, when he met Rhys at a bar he had no expectations but was he wrong because Rhys recognized something special in the younger man. But can a young man who has always been abandoned learn to trust and lean of the person who could be his “happily ever after”?
I am going to start out that this story is very, very different than Theo and Caleb’s. Yes, both Theo and Matt had been abandoned by their mom’s. But, even though Theo had been stuck with his grandparents and they sucked at the loving and supportive part, at least he lived in a home where he was safe and cared for. Matt just got dumped on someone who wasn’t even a blood relative. But I did like that the author drew Matt and Theo together as friends. They were both young and had faced being left. Caleb and Rhys had been best friends, and at one point, lovers, for years. Having the ability to talk with someone who understood those dynamics was essential. They had each other to bounce those wayward thoughts with.
The biggest difference was how dark the struggles were that Matt lived with daily. Caleb’s addiction was visible in a way. But Matt’s struggles with depression and abandonment were easier to hide. Matt’s struggle to trust was even harder but, until he finally shared his true past, Rhys had no idea it was so deeply rooted and it was killing their chance at a lasting relationship.
The part that threw me was all the ghost talk and hooves clomping. I guess that the author wanted a bit of paranormal in this book but I had just figured it was more of Matt’s weirdness. It went on too much and didn’t really work for me.
I will warn you, this book is pretty dark and deals with what happens to a lot of our foster care kids. I did love that Matt worked for a nonprofit working with kids when they age out. The fact that these places are out their for these struggling kids is paramount to them having any kind of support and success when the system drops them. But most of this book is very depressing and difficult to read. Matt’s struggles can overwhelm you and they are a large portion of the book so please be prepared for that.
I’m glad that I got to read about Matt and Rhys but Theo and Caleb still hold my heart. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Matt Argento and Rhys Nyland are a married couple. They met and filled a need the other had–Rhys loved to save a man, and Matt needed saving. Rhys is a musician and singer, and the book starts about 1.5 years into the marriage, so it’s not about how they fall in love. No, it’s about staying in the moment, and trusting that love is real–and that you deserve it. Why? Because Matt is a foster system product who has abandonment issues.

Matt loves Rhys, but Matt struggles with depression. He has a long history of being left behind, and the idea of Rhys going on tour is fanning the flames of his anxiety. Rhys, for his part, is a super lover, and a huge caretaker–but he can’t fix Matt. Only time, patience and Matt’s own willingness to believe that he is worthy of Rhys’s boundless affection can solve this conundrum. Be ready with the tissue, y’all.

I loved the deep and brooding moments as much as I loved the intensity of their lovemaking. Matt can’t be whole until he opens his heart and mind to the possibility that Rhys loves all his brokenness. And, Rhys is just amazing at loving Matt. Like, nobody could do it better. The pacing is a little slow in the beginning where the reader is following Matt through his sometimes exhaustingly mundane narration, but the second half is a big emotional lift, and I felt really connected through the climax. And speaking of climax, there’s a LOT of sexytimes in this book.

We met these characters briefly in RIVEN, the first book in this series, but honestly, we know NOTHING about them other than they are married, and Rhys was once Caleb’s boyfriend. I loved getting to see this couple interact with Theo and Caleb and how their friendships only grew stronger. It’s a way darker book than RIVEN, but it’s also so rewarding to see this established couple work on their relationship, and build a love that is strong and real, well beyond the early love infatuation that first brought them together.

Great chemistry and finding the person you need the most at exactly the right time. Great continuation of the series.

Rend was an emotional story of life after the "happily ever after." It was well written and, even though I mostly enjoy the build up toward a romance, it's interesting to read about a married couple trying to make their relationship work.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a marriage in trouble or a marriage struggling to find it's feet story and this was beautifully told. I think that Roan is masterful at handling emotional stories, and this was so well done. The depression and emotion that was present in this was so beautiful.

I got this book based on the description, which totally captivated me. However, I could never get into the book. I tried reading it and wasn't able to make it past the 30% mark. There wasn't one thing that I could say that didn't captivate me. My best guess is the pace of the book or the voice of the characters didn't speak to me. That doesn't make this a bad book, it just wasn't the book for me. I was sad to admit it but I finally had to call it quits.

Officially, I did not finish the book and only gave it one star for that purpose. I hope to try this author again in the future.

i really liked the idea of exploring an established relationship. and i liked the whole story of how they met, but uh.. the rest was not for me.

i think this was described as like, a modern gothic? i've never read a gothic book before, but im guessing they're full of endless tears and confusingly random ominous symbols? at least that's what i got from reading this?

Thank you for letting me read it! I enjoyed this title and have since purchased more books by Roan Parrish.

I've really enjoyed Parrish's work in the past and this was no exception, the way they write their characters is enchanting and so easy to read. Review on my blog to come soon.

Unlike Charli, I haven’t read Riven yet, so I didn’t have any idea what I was getting into. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this beautiful romance.

I’m not going to lie. This book is sad. The first half of this book was dark, and dreary and the overwhelming feeling of Matt’s emotions was heavy. You could feel every emotion and doubt that Matt had. There was power in Roan Parrish’s writing, that made me experience every single bit of anxiety, worry, and struggle along the way. Despite all of these immense feelings, I couldn’t put this story down. I wanted to know what was going to happen, and if Matt would begin to heal, and overcome his doubt. It was a truly beautiful journey.

My favorite part of the book was Rhys. He was like a breath of fresh air, and I loved how he loved Matt. He is a beautiful character, and brought this story full circle. Honestly Rhys is one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time. Kudos to Roan Parrish for creating such a beautiful, loving, and refreshing character!

After finishing Rend, I’m excited to go back and read Riven. I know from reviews the two books have a different feel, but I want to experience more of Parrish’s writing and spend more time with all these fantastic characters.

When Matt Argento finds Rhys Nyland in a bar, he never expects that the evening will end with them merely sitting in a diner, talking. That first non-date turns into something special, and a year later, Matt is still amazed by Rhys's unconditional love. But despite loads and loads of romances that claim otherwise, an amazing love doesn't solve all problems, and when Rhys goes on tour for his new album, Matt realizes how much he's depended on Rhys's love to paper over issues from the past that Matt has never resolved. This book is titled Rend for a reason—that's what your heart is going to be put through as Matt struggles to keep himself together. But stay strong—your tears will turn happy toward the end. - Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review

This is such an amazing and emotional book. It’s one of my favourite books ever and my favourite by Roan Parrish. Full review to come soon.

Good sequel to the first book, we get to see what comes after the Happily Ever After, when you settle into being married and the work and commitment it takes to make a marriage successful.

Rend was a well written and emotional follow up to the first novel in the series. I think Roan Parrish did an excellent job showing the hardship that comes with marriage and creating a love story between two men whom you truly root for. The book is also edited well, which is always a big sell for me. I look forward to reading any further books in the series.

I really wanted to love this story, I really wanted to fall for the characters and I really truly wanted this to be a fresh new M/M read for myself.

Matt and Rhys are the main characters, but they didn’t for me feel like they have any chemistry, their interactions felt stilted and not very realistic to me. It just didn’t work for me.