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A review by bee_thebibliophile
Risk the Fall by Riley Hart
3.0
3.5 stars - This is definitely a more angst-filled Riley Hart story than many of her others. Riven and Parrish’s story is full of revelations, family drama, setups and more.
Riven McKenna took the fall for his best friend Rex years ago and went to jail for what everyone thought he did but now that he’s out, he’s back in his hometown - uninterested in making friends and only focused on protecting his grandma. He’s determined to keep his head down, make some money and move out of tow to start over. Riven may have taken the fall for Rex for something he didn’t do, but he still feels guilty for all the things he did do all those years ago. This is his redemption story - he’s broken and hurting but protective and caring underneath his gruff exterior.
Parrish Hunt has been trying to get out of his family’s shady business for years, steering clear of them whenever he can. He’s Rex’s younger brother and grew up trying to keep up with the two of them while also trying to hide his crush on Riven. Since he’s out of the family business, he works construction and uses what little he has left to take care of his brother’s kids and girlfriend, wanting to give them a better life. Riven joins his construction team and turns his whole life upside down.
These two go on a journey together - from enemies to friends to lovers over a short span of time (maybe too short?). Once Parrish learns the truth about Riven and what he did, he wants nothing more than to be his friend and help him out. They work together and then end up spending time together outside of work, dating and doing things that Riven missed out on all these years. Both of them are protective of each other and those they love but have also been touch-starved, making their connection intense from the very beginning. I felt like I wanted more time for their relationship to mature and for them to learn about each other, not just jumping into the physical so quickly?
Maybe it’s just me, but all the build up with things with Parrish’s family just felt rushed. Things wrapped up really quickly here and I wanted more. The Hunts went down for everything and Riven and Parrish got to live out their dreams but I felt like some of the angst at the beginning of the story got lost somewhere along the way. This read kept me interested and invested, but still left me wanting more from it overall.
Riven McKenna took the fall for his best friend Rex years ago and went to jail for what everyone thought he did but now that he’s out, he’s back in his hometown - uninterested in making friends and only focused on protecting his grandma. He’s determined to keep his head down, make some money and move out of tow to start over. Riven may have taken the fall for Rex for something he didn’t do, but he still feels guilty for all the things he did do all those years ago. This is his redemption story - he’s broken and hurting but protective and caring underneath his gruff exterior.
Parrish Hunt has been trying to get out of his family’s shady business for years, steering clear of them whenever he can. He’s Rex’s younger brother and grew up trying to keep up with the two of them while also trying to hide his crush on Riven. Since he’s out of the family business, he works construction and uses what little he has left to take care of his brother’s kids and girlfriend, wanting to give them a better life. Riven joins his construction team and turns his whole life upside down.
These two go on a journey together - from enemies to friends to lovers over a short span of time (maybe too short?). Once Parrish learns the truth about Riven and what he did, he wants nothing more than to be his friend and help him out. They work together and then end up spending time together outside of work, dating and doing things that Riven missed out on all these years. Both of them are protective of each other and those they love but have also been touch-starved, making their connection intense from the very beginning. I felt like I wanted more time for their relationship to mature and for them to learn about each other, not just jumping into the physical so quickly?
Maybe it’s just me, but all the build up with things with Parrish’s family just felt rushed. Things wrapped up really quickly here and I wanted more. The Hunts went down for everything and Riven and Parrish got to live out their dreams but I felt like some of the angst at the beginning of the story got lost somewhere along the way. This read kept me interested and invested, but still left me wanting more from it overall.