Riven Knight (Clifton Forge) Paperback – January 21, 2020

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+I have to admit something. I’ve waited to write this review. It isn’t because I didn’t love Riven Knight by Devney Perry. In fact, the opposite is very true. Riven Knight is everything I love about Perry’s storytelling. There is something I can always trust about it. For one, even when there has to be a suspension of disbelief, her ability to make her characters and plotline believable is standard to her books. Secondly, and this is where I struggle to explain and why I’ve waited to write this review, there is something distinct about Perry’s writing voice. There is a humanity behind it. It’s very hard to describe, but she uses her prose to craft characters that invest me in their lives. Every book. Every single book that Perry has put to paper has grabbed a little bit of my soul, so much so that when she announces a book, it finds its way onto my GoodReads TBR immediately. Once the pre-order is available, it is a definitive one-click. Perry humanizes places in the romance world. Her voice is that distinct, and it sets her apart.When she announced her Tin Gypsies series, there was a part of me that became a little discouraged. I think it’s normal as a reader to determine genres and tropes of which we don’t particularly find an interest. Yes, I acknowledge that that particular mindset is reductive. It isn’t fair to the writers who toil over their book babies to think they can’t do more in a particular genre or trope. I digress. Anyways, after her announcement, I added the books with a little bit of trepidation because I am not a huge fan of MC books. I’ve read a handful, and they typically don’t engage me because I don’t see myself in them. And, for me, that is important. However, that being said, this is Devney Perry, and I trust her storytelling, so I fell into Gypsy King, the first book of the series. Dash and Bryce’s story captured me. It would be short-sighted to simply call it an MC series because Perry also created a romantic suspense with this series. This, coupled with Dash and Bryce’s hate-to-lovers story, was engrossing. However, it didn’t touch my soul in the way that her other books have, and I was a little nervous for Riven Knight. Again, as I’ve shown above, Devney Perry weaves gold into stories, and I greedily grab for that gold. I didn’t want to grow cold for her books, so I was a bit reticent for her newest book. However, I needn’t worry because she created an emotional masterpiece with this one.For one, Perry is a genius a la Skye Warren and Meghan March who so adeptly craft universes for their romantic characters. I hit almost midway into this book and began jumping up and down because I finally recognized Isaiah. It is no secret that I am horrible with characters. I remember story better than I remember character names. I can tell how a book made me feel, but I probably won’t remember the heroine’s name after some time. When I realized that Perry connected this series to another of her past series (we know this series ties loosely with The Clover Chapel from The Jamison Valley series), I jumped around my house in excitement. Key to an incredible book: it brings out emotions in you. And Perry’s nod to her other series illustrates her prowess in seeing beyond a book to a world. Writers such as that imprint themselves on you. They leave a lasting impact. Perry is that such a writer.Secondly, Perry’s pacing of the story both drives us forward and slows the reader down building the tension and anticipation of Isaiah and Genevieve’s story. As I was reading Riven Knight, I noted how Draven’s plot-line builds this anticipation towards some end. It has this way of intertwining with Isaiah and Genevieve’s story that this book feels rife with tension. You can’t help but find yourself engrossed in their coupling. And it’s this that causes a reader to binge-read a book such as Riven Knight. I know I couldn’t put it down, and Perry’s crafting of the push and pull between these characters kept me attended to the pages of her story. There are no stutters or stops in this book; it is one seamless read of expectation and anticipation.Additionally, the message of redemption and forgiveness adds gravity to Riven Knight. This comes layered from various plot lines. This isn’t just about Isaiah accepting responsibility for his past and moving beyond it. This is also about Genevieve forging forward with Draven and finding her place in his heart. Then, there is the resolution of the suspense of this story in a way that causes ripples of forgiveness felt until the end of the story. Perry’s title for this book suggests the opposite. Riven means to “split or tear apart violently.” Instead, her book offers us healing along the seams of the splits of this story. While that seam can never be perfect, leaving a scar in its place, this story reminds us that we can move forward, we can find peace, and this is the power of Riven Knight: the profundity of its message.Finally, Isaiah and Genevieve’s evolving relationship requires an act of patience. This is not a criticism. It illustrates Perry’s care in developing their love at their own pace. It would have been easy to rush them into a love relationship. However, these two carry personal demons that must be rectified and healed before they can fully love each other. Perry carefully builds their friendship first as a way to provide themselves support. In the midst of this evolution, there are times when their journey comes to a halt, requiring the reader to wait. When they move forward again, it is usually with longer strides than before. Again, this showcases Perry’s pacing superpower. Hidden in this skill is her talent for capturing her readers and keeping them fixed to her page. I’d like to imagine many of her readers are like me, and they find themselves binge-reading her book because her characters and their stories compel them to keep reading until the very end. In the case of Riven Knight, Isaiah and Genevieve’s story is a gripping exploration of love and its means of redeeming one’s sins. On their journey, their personal growth allows them to cultivate their growth together. This is the beauty of Perry’s story.Riven Knight is classic Devney Perry in the context of her character development and storytelling. Her genius is set on display as she ties in this book to her expansive universe, and her story-telling here is impeccable in its emotional reach. I simply could not put Isaiah and Genevieve’s story down, and the emotions it unleashed in its wake are typical of any of her books. It doesn’t matter if she writes about nurses or bar owners or Native Americans or former MC members or cops. Within each of their stories, there is an imprint that is all Devney Perry.

Oh my goodness this book had me captivated from the first page - so much so I basically finished it in one sitting.It was such a good continuation of the first book, keeping the mystery and tension moving throughout. I was antsy for answers the entire time and there were several moments that had my heart beating and goosebumps raised!I loved Isaiah and V more than I thought I would - I kind of was anticipating them to be a bit one dimensional after their mentions in book 1. But Devney did such a great job of fleshing them out while keeping the plot moving!I’m all in on these characters and this series, and can’t wait to see what mysteries the next books bring now that the main case(s) so far have been solved(??).Seriously, I feel like Devney does thriller romance like no other!

Wow, just wow. Genevieve and Isaiah’s story was beautifully broken. Isaiah never thought he was good enough to be loved and he definitely didn’t deserve Genevieve. Genevieve’s world was taken away from her and she didn’t know what to do with her life..but she knew she wanted justice and to help the man that saved her life.Isaiah’s story was so heartbreaking. He had found, what he thought, was the love of his life and then in a flash, it was taken away from him. To see him go through this traumatic event and then to think of himself as unloveable just tore me up. He didn’t even realize that he was a hero for saving Genevieve and that she grew to love him, even with all of his flaws. I loved how it all hit him that it was ok to be happy and that he had been forgiven, in a way.Genevieve learned what family was. Even with all of the hard times Dash put her thru, she never let up. She even grew to love her dad and treasure their time together.This book had so many emotions and angst. I loved the ride the author took us on, even when she shattered my heart. It was probably one of the most loving and devastating way a father could show his love for his sons and his daughter.

..This book. Omg. It picks up shortly after the events of Steel King and it has me in my feels still. I finished the book a week ago and I still cry thinking about this book. I almost DNFed this series because some of the events - IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW - but I’m glad I didn’t.I wasn’t expecting this book to have me in such a chokehold. Even though I struggled to believe Genevieve fell in love with Isaiah, I do believe she cared for him greatly and loved seeing them get a HEA. I really enjoyed watching Isaiah open himself up to Genevieve and how these two became a team. And I really loved the intimate moments between these two.Some events happened in this book that will forever leave a scar on me emotionally but I will never stop telling people to read this book and this series.

This volume two is my favorite even if the fourth is just behind by very little.What can I say about this wonderful novel?From the first pages, I was in it and I didn't want to stop reading. I needed to know more and understand what had happened to Genevieve's mother.I really liked her relationship with Isaiah, despite everything that happened to her, she can count on him. Unfortunately, the latter is invaded by his demons and he had a hard time moving forward.The story picks up where the last book left off. We're trying to find out who killed Genevieve's mother and why.Despite the revelations of the last volume, we can see that Genevieve had a hard time accepting them, which makes her authentic.His relationship with Dash is complicated and he does not hide his feelings towards her. He does not like her. I liked the fact that she repeats to him that she did not ask to be born, nor to live all that.This novel broke my heart several times, but it is also filled with beautiful things.I had an idea about who the killer was, a little before the last revelations and I was right. The identity of the killer is well written so that we do not automatically suspect it. I didn't have his reasons that pushed him to act.The author really has a beautiful pen that plunges us directly into the story.

Loved the plot, it was amazing. The romance was also *chef's kiss* and the found family amazing. This was so beautiful

It’s taken me a few days to be able to write this, as this book captured my heart so strongly, I wasn’t ready for it to be over.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing Devney Perry can’t write.This story is the one one I wanted most, as soon as I finished Tragic, I needed Isaiah’s story, if anyone needs a HEA it’s him, though his road to love isn’t smooth, it’s like being on the back of the bike he’s fixed up, bumpy, hard to hold on to at times and twists and turns in the road you won’t see coming.I am in awe at Devney’s talent, I was gripped to every page, even when I had tears streaming down my face, I knew the end result would be worth all the pain and sadness, and I wasn’t wrong. Riven Knight is an exciting, unexpected, beautifully heartbreaking story, about two people thrown together in unusual circumstances finding love amongst their impossibly devastating surroundings.We met Isaiah in Tragic, the brother of Kaine and the reason for Kaine’s heartbreak. I don’t want to give anything away as I believe everyone needs to experience Tragic for themselves. However, I can say, even after gaining Kaine’s forgiveness, Isaiah can’t forgive himself, he lives a solitary life, working hard and then going home to a small studio flat above the garage he works at. Never socialising or making friends, he is existing rather than living. No one can get through the walls around Isaiah’s heart, until he lands himself a wife he didn’t want and doesn’t love, but needs all the same.Genevieve Daylee’s life has been turned upside down in a short space of time, after finding out her mother was brutally murdered, Genevieve heads to Clifton Forge to visit her grave, only to be kidnapped and held by a masked man set on revenge, landing herself in the middle of a war between two rival biker groups, at which, the head of one sits her Father, whom she’s never known or met. Sadly, the tragedies don’t stop there and after fleeing from the kidnapper, she ends up in another nightmare situation, but is thankfully saved by Isaiah, a total stranger, and the couple now share a secret no one can know. To protect each other, they decide to get married 1 week after they first laid eyes on one another, but this is just the beginning of the story for this pair.At times my heart truly felt like it was braking, the emotions Devney is able to evoke with her words is phenomenal, there is so much in this book, I can’t stress any more, how much I believe everyone should read this.

I loved loved loved Isaiah and Genevieve's story. With forced proximity due to a marriage of convenience/safety - these two have to learn to trust one another, to become friends before they can either consider falling in love. They both have demons to face but when they do so together, it is all the more beautiful. We get a sad but satisfying conclusion to the major romantic suspense plot point that started in the first book and I cannot wait to read more about these characters - I adore this world!