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Quick Info
Raze

• Title: Raze
• Author: Roan Parrish
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept
• Release Date: 2.7.2019
• Series: Riven, but works as standalone
  book 3
• Genre: Contemporary, Romance
• Content Warning: addiction, drugs
• Rating: 5/5 Stars

Blurb
Raze

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.

The Queer’s Review

I’ve already reread Raze and not just because I’ve managed to lose my review notes.

After reading it for the second time I finally went ahead and bought as well as read the series’s first novel, Riven, so I can safely assure you, you don’t need to know what has happened in the other books to get sucked into Huey and Felix’ story. You probably will want to read about all the others after Haze though.

I don’t know how but somehow Roan Parrish manages to write a bittersweet love story with just the right amount of heaviness to show how Huey struggles with his addiction and the aftermath without said heaviness closing its fist around your throat.

And then there is so much fluff and lightheartedness that you forget about your worries for a moment and grin without a care on public transport. And it doesn’t even feel forced and for sure not disrespectful. Huey is definitely my favourite, that big teddy bear, but Felix managed to wriggle his way into my heart as well. Kinda wanna stuff them both with soup and take them away from the world. I’m still on the fence regarding is sister though. If you wanna know why, you need to read Raze yourself. I mean, you kinda need to read it either way, but still.

I also love how natural the need for consent is and how the dynamic between them plays out. Seriously. That dynamic. And also the awkwardness. I just really love how awkward and insecure those guys are with each other. In a way it reminds me of the beginning of dating my girlfriend.

Bookish Thoughts

Just writing the review makes me wanna pick it up again and reread it now. But I really wanna read the second book as well.

Disclaimer

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exhcange for an honest review. Thank you.