The last thing I expected when I started reading Raze, the third book in the Riven series was the tears and the total emotional upheaval I felt when reading this. I expected Steam....and there was plenty of it believe me. I expected quirky and yes I found that too. What I didn't expect was that Huey, the man of so very few words would hold me so completely enthralled waiting for his words of wisdom, not only when talking about recovery (which we saw alot of in Riven, the first book), but when talking about life. He may not have said much, but everything he said was imbued with such passion and fear. Felix held me in his own thrall when he talked about HIS feelings. The dedication says it all. We all just want to be a person....not only to ourselves, but to others. We don't want to be an obligation, a stop gap or one that can easily be dismissed when it seems convenient. The tears were worth every moment.

“Letting go enough to love could bring with it the dangerous kind of abandon.”

I have come to terms that Roan Parrish and I are just not meant to mix. This is going to be short and to the point, as really there isn’t much to unfold here.

Huey and Felix Rainez are the two main characters in this story. Felix is a beautiful tiny man with long hair and a knack for music. Huey is the owner of a bar who never plans on falling on love and is happily content with himself. When these two meet, it’s all cute and fluffy and to be honest for a minute there I didn’t think they were going to be the main couple. And to be honest not a lot happens in this plot besides some stuff involving a band, some bad mental health issues, and two men falling in love.

Now I have not read the first three installments in this series but it does say this can be read as a standalone and that is 100% true. There were only a few times that I was genuinely confused but that is all on me because I didn’t read the first three.

I do think this is a cute story though, with some good humor, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop in some spots, but what truly fell flat for me was that nothing seemed to happen. I felt like I was constantly zoning out and just waiting for the next time they were going to get hot and heavy.

I think a lot of people will heavily enjoy this it just truly wasn’t for me. I do want to give her books one more try though and hopefully, I will find one to completely love!

*Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Raze
By: Roan Parrish

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

When nice guys get to be happy!!

Well let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, hot, Intense, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Sometimes you are so busy taking care of everyone around you that you don’t take care of yourself. So when your staring happily ever after in the face do you jump all the way in or run scared?

Authors 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. 

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

Roan Parrish did a wonderful job with Raze. Felix and Huey both have problems being in relationships. Felix is helping out home and feels like he should be there for his mother and other siblings. Huey is a mentor for recovering alcoholics and always have to be there whenever some calls or need him to be with them.
Raze is sweet, very emotional, with two men who want to be in a relationship but don't know how to commit emotionally.

Raze was an absolute delight! I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalley. Every book in this series has its own unique strength and I think what I loved most about Raze was it's quiet beauty. Huey and Felix are phenomenal characters and I love what they bring out in one another. The topic of addiction is handled so well and I f'ing loved the different aspects that were explored. There was such a tender beauty in watching Huey really discover who he is. Letting go of the chains that have bound him for so long was breathtaking and a little like watching someone take their first steps. Felix had such growth, too, in the way he finally started living for himself and taking what he wanted. I loved his interaction with Sue at the museum and just his love of museums period. Their interactions and need for one another was pure and simple and so lovely. Getting to check in with Theo and Caleb and Matty and Rhys was just the best. I love how they all have become this family of choice. Roan writes with a lyrical quality that just sinks into your skin and takes root and it is music to my ears.
Do yourself a favor and grab this when it comes out!

I expected this book to be amazing and guess what? IT WAS! If you've ever read a Roan Parrish book you know that you should get ready for your heart strings to be played like fiddle. I really enjoyed this book the main characters stories were told so well 10/10 would recommend

I liked this story
The book has characters with personalities that I was not used to reading, so it was super refreshing in a sense.
I loved the personality of Huey, well I liked how it was growing in the book and changing. I liked reading characters super different from those that always exist, they were full of problems and insecurities and somehow managed to help each other and get ahead.

The part that I like the most is when they talk about learning to fight with someone you love, I feel that I get a lot and I think about it.

I recommend it super, like any other book by the author.

ALERT SPOILER - the kitty part was so so cute, that steal my heart forever - END OF SPOILER.

Another great book from Roan Parrish for lovers of angsty romance!

Huey is so focused on maintaining his sobriety that he keeps most of his personal relationships on a superficial level. It’s not that he doesn’t care about others—he’s an excellent sponsor for other addicts—but Huey fears the vulnerability of caring too deeply. He chooses to cling to those things that make him feel safe, and if that means he’s alone, so be it.

Then Huey meets Felix, who is in some ways his exact opposite. As the oldest child of a single mother, Felix’s focus has been directed outward on caring for his family. He has always put his needs last, to the point that he really has never considered what would make him happy on a personal level. Then his sister gets the chance of the lifetime—the opportunity to be the lead singer for the band Riven. When she starts focusing on her career and assuming the role of caring for their family, Felix feels lost.

Raze is basically a romance between two men whose issues complement each other. Ever the caretaker, Felix encourages Huey to open up to him and to the possibility of change. In return, Huey supports Felix as he tries to figure out how to put himself first. Of course, change doesn’t come easily, and they stumble at times. Felix can be very insecure and needy, and stoic Huey has trouble recognizing when Felix requires him to be more open. So, there’s lots of room for angst as their love grows.

Fans of the series should be happy with this final book. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next! She has yet to disappoint me.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I preferred it to the second book in the series and felt like it read a lot easier. Full review to come.

I am a big, big fan of Roan Parrish. Her books are just so well written. That being said, this is my least favorite of them all. But take that with a grain of salt. Which is your least favorite color of M&M? Exactly.

Huey has been around since book 1, Riven. He's gruff and grouchy, but he has a heart of gold. Getting more of his back story helped us understand him more and why he is the way he is.

Enter Felix, the guy who DOESN'T want to be a rock star. But what he needs is someone to take care of him. He's acted like the head of household for his siblings for far too many years.

So Felix and Huey begin to navigate a relationship together. But kind of for the wrong reasons. I mean, they were totally into each other, but Huey entered the relationship as a duty and Felix entered it when he was lonely.

So it took a long time for each of them to realize that they do really care for each other and they needed to let go of their hangs ups. Most of that was on Huey, but Felix really did have some issues as well. Those absolutely could have been addressed more thoroughly.

Usually the prose in her books is almost lyrical to me. I just sink right in. This one wasn't quite that way for me. Now, it totally could have been the mood I was in when I read it. Because I was definitely a bit stabby.

I wanted more. I wanted Huey to be grouchier before he melted into the teddy bear underneath. I wanted him to be more protective of Felix. More bossy. I get why he wasn't- he was almost treating Felix like one of his sponsees. Which was part of the issue with their relationship. And we circle back. So you see, it could totally just be me.

Don't think for one second I didn't like this book. I did. Quite a bit. I just didn't totally fall in love with it like I usually do. But I am absolutely going to go back for a re-read when I am less stabby. It almost pains me to not love this book as much as I was expecting. So let's totally chalk it up to me and my bad attitude, shall we?

This just in... I'm in love with Roan Parrish writing!

Raze is the third book in the Riven Series. I absolotely loved Riven and Rend and I have to tell you that Raze Most certainly did NOT disappoint. Huey, Caleb's sponsor from Riven is one of our MC. He's stoic and, as a recovering addict, he's more concerned about his sponsees than his own life. Felix is just the best, seriously.
Theo is my favorite character from the series but Felix is a really close second. I related to his journey so much. His need to provide to his family and I his, sometimes, lack of ambition really hit home for me. (view spoiler)

Dane (Huey's actual name) and Felix's relationship was adorable. Dane's arc was so well written that you felt all his struggles with him. The transformation from Huey to Dane (as I like to call it) was beautiful.

I seriously cannot recommend this book (and series) enough! It's excellent!

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

*ARC received for an honest review*

I haven’t read this author before. So I stepped off the cliff into the midst of a series - starting with a book that should have pushed my buttons.

I get impatient reading about people with emotional impediments to their own happiness as book heroes. When someone doesn’t like themselves it’s difficult to read about them falling in love - distancing themselves from the other MC, making bad decisions, needing counseling or other kinds of help. Frequently these characters are such a mess that’s it’s impossible to see how or why anyone would fall in love with them.

Huey is an addict in recovery - using strict scheduling and unbendable routine to create a “safe” space for himself in the world. Felix has spent years caring for others - and becomes terrified at the opportunity to care for himself. Should have been irritating bc these two were realistic legit messes. Both of them vomited a lot of stuff onto the other.

But I loved this book. Huey and Felix were sweet without being nauseating. Real without being smothering. I enjoyed their struggles because I knew they were growing. And they remained respectful of one another even when things weren’t going well.

I’m going to go back and check out the rest of this series. This mixture of emotionally-difficult combined with sweetness is irresistible.

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I haven't read books 1 and 2, but since you can read them separately...........
I didn't like this book. Reading this was like reading really bad gay porn. Oh wait. There WAS really bad gay porn in this book. The plot was interesting - if the writing of the plot had been executed in a different way, it probably would have been a lot better. I liked all the LGBT characters, though.

I loved this entry in this series of books from Roan Parrish. Huey/Dane and Felix are extremely different physical and personality types from each other, despite the fact that both are long-term caretakers. Huey is an addiction sponsor and Felix has provided long-term emotional and financial support for his family. But despite being very different, these two just seem to fit, even though there are plenty of bumps along the way. I will be looking forward to whatever comes next from this author.

What an overwhelmingly beautiful addition to a favorite series of mine.

The overall tone to this series just should not work for me but it more than does. I have loved each book so far and this one was no exception.

I am not a fan of addiction in my stories but Roan Parrish has a way of making me forget my reasons and fall all in. Like she was able to do with Riven, where we first met Huey, this hooked me and did not let me go. I started and finished in one day. I couldn’t put it down.

I don’t know if I want to say they keep getting better because I probably couldn’t pick a favorite of the three, but they for sure consistently keep up the goodness, no, greatness.

So addiction. I just don’t like drugs in my books. It’s a thing for me. It’s not romantic and I read for an escape so I normally steer clear. There was no way I was going to be able to steer clear of Huey’s book so I just dug in. This exceeded my expectations and gave me a completely different perspective on addiction.

Ok, so to me, addiction in any form always has felt like a part of my identity. This applies to even good addiction. Like, if I stopped reading as much as I do who would I be? I’m addicted to reading and some may say it is bad, not me. That is good addiction. I was a smoker for longer than I like to think about and when I started seriously thinking about quitting I didn’t know how to identify myself without the cigarettes. So, what I’m trying to say is that in order for me to give it up I had to separate myself from it completely. So, I can’t imagine being a Sponsor. I can’t imagine fighting to give something up, fighting a constant battle with myself but facing it every day for someone else. It being in my face would just be too much. I’d want it erased and not always a reminder so I don’t know how Huey did it. I don’t know how he did it. He was constantly surrounded by what held him, what hurt him, in one way or another. Both of his jobs. How strong of a person does it take to be able to do that? Not me for sure.

But, as we learn, sometimes walls turn into sponges and fine isn’t always an option.

Felix. Jesus, this boy. I loved his need. I loved that he felt he could finally show his need. I loved that he had someone in his life that helped him see. Overall I just really loved him. He was selfless for so long I loved when he broke and was nothing but selfish. Bad timing? Maybe. Real. Definitely. I loved his words and his honestly.

Gah. I loved this. Two strong but needy, successful but flawed, found and lost boys. “I’m not fine” are such a powerful group of three little words.

Roan Parrish has again weaved a tale of two seemingly broken boys, going through the motions but not living their lives and united them and gave them life. It is heartbreaking, heartwarming and overall so fucking beautiful, I loved it.

4.5⭐
This is my first book by Roan Parrish and I have to say I really enjoyed it. As the writing style was great, the story well paced and it was very character driven, and I really liked how opposite and different these two characters were. As Huey was quite closed off, self contained, alone and regimented. Where as Felix was younger, a little needy, maybe, unsure and very family orientated. Being the eldest of five and in many ways the father figure and provider to his siblings. And it was actually these differences and how the two became connected and developed a relationship that really drew me in. Plus, the balance of angst, heat, and emotion was for me spot on. Which is why I would happily recommend Raze to others and I'll certainly be checking out more books by this author in the future.

Parrish continues to write deeply moving, beautifully crafted romances centered not around melodramatic misunderstandings, but the everyday differences between actual human beings who are struggling with their own hefty baggage as they try to love not just each other, but also themselves. Bar-owner and former drug addict Huey, who readers of earlier books in the series will remember as Caleb's straight-talking sobriety sponsor, has spent the years since kicking his habit working to quietly take care of others. He's got a routine down that keeps him in control (grocery shopping/gym/bartend/listen to podcast); he's always on call for any sponsee who's feeling unsteady; and he's got all his emotions locked down tight. Until a much younger guy at the bar on karaoke night opens his mouth and Huey finds himself looking, and listening, and looking again.

Felix, like Huey, is a caretaker; the eldest of five, he's spent all his life looking after his younger siblings, putting them and their needs before anything else. But now that his sister and roommate is on the verge of realizing her dreams to join a rock band, and his younger siblings are all well on their way to adulthood, Felix is feeling panicked. What is a caretaker to do when there's no one left to care for?

What's so fascinating here is that despite both having caretaker personalities, Huey and Felix couldn't be more different. Huey (whose actual name is Dane Hughes, something he confides in no one but Felix) is a big, burly guy, shaved head, tough, quiet, self-contained, prone to one-word answers to anyone daring enough to ask him a question. He's effective as an NA sponsor because, as Caleb says, "you didn't let your sponsees' feelings touch you. I'm not saying you don't have feelings. Just because you don't show them doesn't mean I think you don't have them. But you were a wall, man. All the slimy, grimy, twisty shit we vomited up in front of you just slide to the ground and slithered away. It worked so well because it meant I never had to feel guilty for burdening you, because it didn't stick to you." But now that he's met Felix, Dane's starting to feel a lot. And that's not just amazing; it's terrifying.

In contrast, slight, short, pretty Felix is a sweet, burbling word-stream, unable to hide any of his thoughts or feelings. He's far from stoic, and is prone to the occasional pity party and hissy fit. And he's all about touching—a hug, a hand on a leg, a quick kiss, an earth-shattering fuck. And he asks questions, so many questions, when Dane is the one used to doing the asking, not the answering...

There's some disagreements and misunderstandings as Dane and Felix's relationship unfolds, which stem not from plot contrivance but from the characters' own insecurities and fears of being unworthy, a theme that Parrish has explored in the previous books in this series. Yet approaching this theme from the point of view of the caretakers, rather than the ones who seem most in need of care, gives that theme a freshness and relevancy that makes it well worth revisiting. Because sometimes caretakers care too much, and have to learn to take a step back and think about how best to care for themselves.

I have very much been enjoying this series, and I thought Raze was an excellent addition and a chance to get to know one of the more enigmatic characters in this world, Huey. Parrish has a knack for tackling intense emotional and psychological issues and tying multiple books in a series together, and this was no exception. The relationship between Huey and Felix had depth, feeling, and a believable progression as two struggling individuals find their way through the darkness and to each other. Huey, especially, was an intense read as we delve into his struggle with addiction and control, but the ending was really satisfying and lovely. My only caveat is I found the editing subpar, with typos, repetition, and less tightness than I would expect from a professionally published novel. This seems to be an issue that Parrish's last couple of books have struggled with, and that I hope the publisher strives to correct.

I got an ARC of this book.

I have read the first two books in this series and LOVED them. I was beyond excited when I saw there was going to be a third book, especially when I found out it was supposed to be Huey. Huey has been this mysterious rock in the background. He has been there for his friends and he has been strong enough to battle addiction in a bar. I needed to know more.

I was let down by the book. I don't enjoy stories about addiction or drug addicts. I don't get the appeal. Maybe that is because I grew up in a town that has such a bad heroin problem that I learned in school what to do about needles when I was in kindergarten. I had to chase my dog down to get a crack pipe out of her mouth once. Drugs hold no interest to me at all. The other stories in the series focused more on current pain and things outside of addiction. Addiction was just one facet. In this one, that is really all there is to it. Huey's story is he is an addict period. He has been sober for years, but his life revolves around how he needs to stay sober. It became repetitive and less than enjoyable pretty quickly.

There wasn't a whole lot I like about Felix either. He read as so much younger than his age. It was weird how the dynamic worked. Felix was young, emotional, and needy. Huey/Dane (I am still mad that his name is really Dane Hughes) was strong, silent, and dependable. Then when you get into the idea that Huey/Dane likes to be bossed around during sex, it started to actually prove worth reading the sex scenes. Though, yet again, condoms were nonexistent. The communication was literally "you haven't had sex in seven years, bareback me". Not once did either of them say they didn't have something like herpes (you know one of the STI/STDs that can't be cured yet). So off they went into super risky sex only knowing each other for a total of a few hours.

I didn't hate this book, but I just needed characters I could enjoy. I love Parrish's writing and her world. This was just not the book for me in that world. The book could be a stand alone, but there would be some dynamic missing between the leads of the last two books and how they played into this story. There was less outside characters than in book two, but I would still suggest reading the first two books first to really get what is happening fully.

I did really like how Parrish made it clear that working in a bagel shop wasn't the end of the world. She made it clear that being poor wasn't something to be ashamed of. There was a lot of talk of class and what that actually means. There were some wonderfully touching moments about this and about emotional intimacy that really drove the story for me. I humbly request the next book be about Sue. Sue might just be the best side character I have seen in a romance in year.

Prepare to re-read Raze again because it’s that good!

Dane (Huey) Hughes has a extremely regimented life because he did everything as marking off the next step after he attended Narcotics Anonymous and became sober but when he meets Felix Rainey when he sang at a karaoke night at the bar he owns, things start to change. Felix ends up asking Huey out but Huey hasn’t dated or anything for many years because he puts most of his energy into the people he is sponsor for NA. Felix hadn’t dated much so he wasn’t sure about Huey but the attraction was there. Huey and Felix had to breakup for a bit so they could figure out what they wanted but that took some time which Roan Parish has done so well.

The entire Riven series is so well written that it will give the reader a book hangover because all the stories make me go back and re-read the parts that stay with me after I finish.

My favorite quote in the book is “Just because people have opinions doesn’t mean their opinions matter” and more people need to remember that.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.