Ratings aside, I truly liked Raze, and as I've come to expect from Parrish, the writing is great with those terrific lines that jump out at you. Raze gives us a May/December romance, which is one of my favorite tropes, and we get those wonderfully flawed characters that Roan Parrish does so well. That said, I just couldn't help but feel like something was missing in this one. Maybe it's because the author has set the bar so high with this series, but I didn't feel like Huey and Felix's story sucked me in the way the first two in the series did. Part of that could be my feelings about Huey for a lot of this one. I waffled back and forth with him from the beginning. He would do something so completely sweet one minute, and check out of the relationship the next. I get the reasons why, but Felix is just so darn lovable that I couldn't help but want to shake the stuffing out of Huey at times - no matter his size. I also feel like he's a little too closed off, so much so that I had a hard time getting to know Huey. Whatever the reasons for my feelings about this third book in the series, I would still recommend it. The whole series is full of fantastic writing and wonderful characters with real problems. The romances bring out all the feels and while they are angsty, it's angst that we can understand and empathize with.

I wanted to like this more than I actually did.  The author may live in Philly, but they are clearly a transplant, or just the most out of tune Philadelphian ever.  But that's not really all that important to the plot/story.  It was just little things that bugged me because it's my home town and I wanted this book to be great.  It's written in.....wait for it.... First. Person.  Sigh.  

The protagonists were good.  Daniel was a little jaded and paranoid, but once the story delves into his home life and experience with romance, it kind of makes perfect sense.  And Rex was a big teddy bear; definitely fits the cliche too good to be true.  There were some fun characters and some really annoying characters and I wanted to murder all of Daniel's family--they were the absolute worst. 

Daniel, a gay man from Philly, takes a position as a professor at a college in Michigan.  He met Rex after his interview after hitting a dog with his car and trying to walk the injured animal to help while he was injured himself.  The run into Rex who immediately helps them.  After caring for the dog and making her as comfortable as possible until she could be taken to a vet in the morning, Rex tries to care for Daniel who doesn't realize that he's pretty banged up from the accident.  They have an instant connection and kiss, but nothing much happens beyond that.  The duo don't see one another again until Daniel has accepted the position and has been working in Michigan for a while.  Rex had kept the dog, and that kind of endeared him even more to Daniel.  There is some miscommunication, lack of communication, and general stupidity that's kind of aggravating, but not so much that I wanted to rage quit the book.  There was a lot of fluff and romance and sweetness.  And angst.

This was just okay.  I liked it, but did not love it.  I don't know that I will check out the rest of the series, as I read that the next book focuses on one of Daniel's jerk brothers.  Don't really want to see a redemption arc for any of them, especially Collin.

Called an audible, which is hilarious even if the pun was unintended.  My pride tbr has been disappointing to say the least so I pulled this out of my Audible library so I can read while getting my laundry and journaling done.

My biggest complaint so far, NO ONE from Philly calls the city 'Philadelphia'.   We just don't.  Even if we're telling someone not from Philly where we're from it's just, "I'm from Philly."

Theo Decker might be the lead singer of Riven, but he hates being a rock star. The paparazzi, the endless tours, being recognized everywhere he goes—it all makes him squirm. The only thing he doesn’t hate is the music. Feeling an audience’s energy as they lose themselves in Riven’s music is a rush unlike anything else . . . until he meets Caleb Blake Whitman. Caleb is rough and damaged, yet his fingers on his guitar are pure poetry. And his hands on Theo? They’re all he can think about. But Caleb’s no groupie—and one night with him won’t be enough.
 
Just when Caleb is accepting his new life as a loner, Theo Decker slinks into it and turns his world upside-down. Theo’s sexy and brilliant and addictively vulnerable, and all Caleb wants is another hit. And another. That’s how he knows Theo’s trouble. Caleb can’t even handle performing these days. How the hell is he going to survive an affair with a tabloid superstar? But after Caleb sees the man behind the rock star, he begins to wonder if Theo might be his chance at a future he thought he’d lost forever.

Holy Moly! Roan Parrish doesn't just tug at the heartstrings, she gives them a good, solid yank and twists until it hurts. Rend is emotional, raw, and at times, absolutely heartbreaking. The writing style combined with the character development make it impossible to not become invested in this couple, which makes the emotional aspect that much more of a roller coaster ride. The good news is the author also gives us a light at the end of that dark tunnel by way of hope, love, friendship, and family. The romance is a bit different than what we usually see. Matt and Rhys are into the second year of their marriage at the start of the book, so while we don't get that new relationship angst, there's still a whole lot of getting to know each other. Especially for Matt, who has grown up in a world where everyone leaves. His feelings of abandonment and the surety that everyone is going to disappoint him are well-founded, but that doesn't make his feelings of being unlovable any easier to read. Combine that with Rhys' determination to be Matt's protector only to find out that he doesn't always see the signs of a problem, and we have plenty of angst for this couple. In spite of that angst, or maybe because of it, there are some truly beautiful moments between Matt and Rhys as they figure out what each needs from the relationship. We also get to catch up a bit with Theo and Caleb from the first book in the series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but it's always nice to revisit past favorites. To sum it up, if you're a crier, expect tears - both the happy kind and the not so happy. But it's also a wonderful story of finding that special someone who can help lead you through the maze of this difficult life. All in all, a great addition to the series.