Riven is the first story I read by Roan Parrish. I actually read it several months ago but never reviewed it here on the blog. After reading Rend, I decided to post a review for both books.

Riven:
It was very moving and had me in tears by the end. Two tortured guys who need each other but it takes time for Caleb to comes to terms with that.

Caleb is a recovering addict who had a promising music career but his addictions created major problems for him. Once he gets sober, he stays away from that lifestyle because he doesn’t want to be drawn back into it.

Theo hears Caleb singing one night while he is walking home and he is drawn to him. They begin a relationship but run into problems when Theo tries to convince him to give music another chance. Caleb doesn’t want to be drawn back into all of the things that go along with the life of a musician; he’s afraid for his sobriety.

Caleb and Theo have a rough road to their HEA. Theo isn’t really happy playing in the band Riven; he wants to make music with Caleb. Caleb has to overcome his fears so that he can get back to his music and be with the man he loves.

Rend:
Rend is the second book in the Riven series but it is also a standalone. Characters from book one, Riven, appear but you won’t be lost if you haven’t read it. Rend was such a heartbreaking, emotional read but in a good way.

Matt had a difficult childhood which left him emotionally scarred. Even though he and Rhys have been married for a year or so he just can’t believe that it will last – everyone he ever loved left him and he expects that Rhys will, too. Rhys always wanted a close, loving relationship like his parents have and he loves Matt more than he can say – if only he can get Matt to believe that it will last.

It was so hard to read Matt’s feelings and internal conversations when he was struggling to not fall apart. As long as Rhys is around, he’s pretty much OK but after Rhys leaves to go on tour all of his old doubts and fears come rushing back and he pretty much has an emotional breakdown – he just doesn’t tell anyone how bad things are.

When Rhys finds out that Matt has been keeping things from him, he gets so angry that he has to leave for a while. This is what Matt always knew would happen, no matter how much Rhys had told him he would never leave.

Writing a book review is sometimes really difficult because when a book makes me feel things so much, I just don’t have the right words to express how it made me feel. Rend had my eyes leaking more throughout the story than most I’ve read lately. It may be crazy but this is a sure sign that I loved it. The story was so compelling I couldn’t put it down once I started it. Lucky for me it was a crappy day weather wise when I read it and other planned activities were cancelled so I was able to devote my entire day to reading without a bit of guilt!

The first two books in this series have been fantastic reads for me so I am very pleased to learn that there will be at least one more book to come.

Reviews for Roan Parrish

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

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