Yes - you want to be sure you get a solid connection (it should turn completely clear) but then it’s as strong as if it was a solid piece
Yes - the danger is accidentally smooshing it when you take it out of the oven (ask me how I know 
) but the acrylic gets soft enough for bending at between 275-300 degrees F (I set it to 300 and usually pull it out before it gets there but I was only making curves). There’s also a great technique where (if you deal with electrics) you can make a heated wire and bend the acrylic around it leaving the rest of it not at all heated!
DIY table based acrylic bender (and there are others if you search for “bend acrylic”)