A review by booksabrewin
Shattered Chaos by Samantha Bee

5.0

Scar does not give a single shit about what people think about her. She does what she wants and answers to nobody. She sleeps with multiple men and doesn't make that a secret. She has no emotional attachment to any of them so if they decide they don't like her being with others and leave, she won't even miss them. There has only been one constant in her life since the day it was turned upside down and that is Luca, her boss. She dances at his club and has had people flock to her shows to watch her. But when she goes to the club one night antsy to find someone to take home she runs into a familiar face. Kade. Who was her other best friend when she was a kid right along with Luca. While she expected him to be angry with her for disappearing on him, he is just anxious to finally have the girl he's longed for all these years in his bed. She is more than happy to oblige.

But there is more to Scar than meets the eye. She is also a cold-blooded killer who hunts down and destroys sex trafficking rings in search of the men who shattered her at a young age. The victims she rescued are given medical attention, therapy, jobs, money to start over or to return to their families, and a new lease on life. Scar is determined to reach the kingpin of the ring she is hunting but she won't be able to do that without her best friends, Luca and Kade, and her team.

Along the way Scar connects a bit more thoroughly with one of her random bedmates, Noah, and even finds a kinship with a man she rescues, Ryder. Between them, Luca, and Kade she has her hands full as far as men to drool after. But what if these men felt too strongly for her and would risk her fury over her mission?

Scar is an amazing main character. I love her so much. She is badass and sassy without boiling over either of those to become bitchy. She is light-hearted and carefree, or so she would appear. There was depth to her that one would only realize if they looked a little closer. I loved how each of the guys complimented her in different ways and touched on a part of her. For example:

Luca is her closest friend. She trusts him with anything. She formed her organization and team with him. She loves him and wants to be with him as does he but they keep each other at arm's length to avoid complications. He is her strength when she feels like falling apart.

Kade is another of her close friends from childhood. He is the light-hearted man who will go with the flow and navigate through all of her walls but make it feel as if it's not as scary as she would have imagined. He is also just as bloodthirsty as she is. She can let her inner-psycho out and he will meet her with his own. He is her peace where she doesn't have to second guess her emotions or issues.

Noah is similar to Kade in his go-with-the-flow attitude. He doesn't pressure her or make her feel as if she owes him anything. He is happy to take whatever she gives him and not ask for more. He is the patient lover that she needs so she doesn't freak out over her growing emotions and do something stupid. He is her calm rock when she is caught in a storm of feelings.

Ryder is essentially the male counterpart of Scar. He has been through things that are very similar to Scar by way of losing his sister and feeling as if it was his fault that she was killed when his rescue mission was botched. Scar also feels as if she played a part in her twin sisters' death. Ryder is her mirror image which helps her to practice some introspection but not dig too deep so that she gets spooked by her emotions.

I loved this book and gave a lot of thought to how it was mapped out by the author. I do believe it was perfection and a great start to my 2023 reading list.