Rend

3.5 stars. I give Roan Parrish credit for writing a book about the real work that happens after two people get married, especially when they have said “I Do” after only knowing each other for a short time. I also give her points for eschewing the typical romance novel arc: couple falls in love, bad stuff happens, couple breaks up, and then reunites for the happy ending. Having worked in the child welfare field, I absolutely appreciate her highlighting the challenges faced by the youth who age out of the foster care system. All this good stuff, but I can't quite give Rend an unqualified recommendation. It felt like the plot was a little thin, and was padded with NUMEROUS sex scenes that didn't necessarily do anything to move the story along. It was satisfying to see Matt and Rhys achieve a deeper understanding about themselves and each other, but banging each other silly didn't seem to be the key to reaching that point. Also, the character development was a little too one-sided; Matt had to do all of the heavy lifting, while Rhys' slightly unnatural possessive streak was shrugged off as an endearing trait. Very happy to see Theo and Caleb from [b:Riven 36135552 Riven (Riven, #1) Roan Parrish https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1504270186s/36135552.jpg 57734745], and it was especially cute to see Matt and Theo strike up an awkward but sincere friendship. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.