I never cared if I lived or died.

For eight years I lived as a mess of broken pieces that never could fit back together quite right.

Eight years of training. Of building an empire. Of fighting. Of just surviving. Of letting my heart beat for revenge.

Only revenge.

Eight years of not really living at all.

While I was living half a life, I didn’t realize all that was being built up around me.

A home. A family. A place to belong.

Ways to soothe my broken edges until I feel almost whole again.

Something to lose. Something to miss. Something to protect.

I don’t wanna die anymore. But I’ll never give up my revenge.

Good thing it’s not just me seeking vengeance anymore.

Lines are drawn. Moves are made.

New alliances are formed while old ones burn to the ground.

We are done holding back, even if it means the streets of St Graves are stained red.

If you haven’t read the other books in this series, STOP, go back and read them first. This book begins where Deadly Chaos ends, although the prologue takes us back to Scar’s past first. If you read Damaged and Deadly, which is Jade’s story, you will recognize some scenes in this book as they are told through different points of view.

Rachel’s been stabbed and shows up on Scar’s doorstep proclaiming Jade is her sister. Collapsing in Scar’s arms right after that declaration, Scar yells for Declan even as Jade passes out in the corner with Ian and Mikey helps her with Rachel. Alec shows up next angry and concerned, but Scar needs answers to what is going on. Not surprised Romano was behind it, or that Michael, William’s next in command was the one to attack Rachel.

While they are waiting for the next move, things get even bloodier as they root out the spies in their organization.

They also make a startling discovery when Jade is attacked by Ciar, Romano’s son. Jade was chipped and Ciar had been tracking her every move. This solidifies the need for Jade and Britt to learn the tunnels.

While they recap everything Noah surprises her with his talents on the computer.

This is just one of many favorite scenes.

I was grateful when Ian got Jade out of there, because I was not going to be able to keep it together for much longer. Even fighting with Kade and Luca did nothing to release any of my pent up frustration.

I force myself to take deep breaths and try to find some semblance of calm from the storm whirling inside of me. My anger doesn’t help anyone right now. Being able to keep my emotions under a tight leash is what has kept me so successful for so long. I can’t afford to start slipping now. Not when everything is getting so crazy.

I need my tightly wound control now more than ever. Even if it’s harder than ever to hold onto.

“Okay, let’s go over everything again,” I say to no one in particular. I feel like I’m missing something and I need to run through everything again from the top. We called a meeting as soon as we got Jade settled into Ian’s house. Everyone else is now sitting around our security room as we go over all of the implications of today.

Noah starts, “The chip that Ciar had on Jade was collecting and storing all of her GPS data. That means we have to assume he has all of the coordinates of everywhere she’s been since we rescued her.”

Mikey picks up. “We are clearing out all of the safety houses we have as we speak. Not only the ones that Jade has been to but all of the ones that are connected to the same identities of the ones she’s been to.”

“Which are?” I ask.

Noah looks at his computer before answering, “The rescue house you had her taken to was under the name Cassandra Brown. Jade’s place was under Marcus Whittier. We had thirteen other properties under those aliases that are being cleared out and put on the market as we speak. Other locations of interest were here, Brittany’s apartment, the gym, Steel Roses, and Mikey and Ronan’s place.”

“We moved Brittany into our place,” Ronan interjects.

“Right,” Noah continues. “Her apartment building was owned by the alias Sarah Vandenberg,” he says, giving me a pointed look. I raise my hands in innocence and shake my head. I may have provided the identity, but it was not my possessive ass that wanted to own where she lived.

He turns his attention to the two burly men across the room. Mikey remains a stoic wall but Ronan gives him a sheepish expression.

“Well, there were four other properties under Sarah, so also getting those cleared out. The gym, Steel Roses, and here are all owned under Luca’s legal name, so we don’t have to be worried about that. Same with Mikey and Ronan’s place. I’m working on a new security system to put in place though.”

“So three aliases burned and twenty properties total?”

“Correct,” Noah confirms.

I trade looks with Luca. “Not as bad as we first thought.”

He nods in agreement. “Could have been worse.”

Ryder rears back in surprise. “Shit, woman. Just how many other identities and properties do you have for that to be no big deal?”

I laugh but don’t give him an answer. The truth is, I’m not entirely sure anymore. Not between the ones we’ve all amassed. Luca has been creating them for as long as I have. Kade almost as long, and it turns out even Declan has a fair few hidey holes. Who would have thought Mr. Posh would have such dark secrets after all?

“Okay, so those are taken care of. Security is being upped everywhere else. Jade is settled in. What’s next?”

Declan asks, “What about the integrity of the other identities?”

Noah nods. “I’m running some analysis there.” He points to a computer that has numbers and letters flashing across the screen. “It will pick up any odd activity, discrepancies, or anything that indicates a breach.”

I get up and over closer to the screen, watching the code fly by and taking in just what the program is doing.

“How the fuck did you do this?” I’ve never seen a program like this. Nothing even close to it. I’ve tweaked my fair share of programs to suit my needs, but I’ve never been able to get one to do what this one is doing. Picking up odd activity in someone’s GPS movements or financial activity? Easy. This? Nothing is easy about it.

“I created the program to collect things like google searches, or pulling up government records, anything like that. If anyone were to even type in one of the addresses into their maps, I would get a notification.”

My mouth drops open as I stare at Noah. “Who the fuck are you?”

Kade cackles behind me. “Keep talking, Noah. She’s about to orgasm on the spot.” I hear a thud followed by Joe cursing him out.

Ronan also laughs. “I think you broke her brain.”

I ignore all of them as I stare at my shy, sweet, secret badass Noah. His cheeks flush. “I’ve been working on it for the last couple of months,” he explains. “It’s still a work in progress, but it has any and every detail connected to us. Identities, businesses, addresses, cars, etc. Everything. The second part of the program I’m still working on will be able to sort through the normal searches, like people looking up your social media, Scar, or the address for Steel Roses or the tattoo shop. It’ll still collect IP addresses and such and be able to connect if one person is looking into multiple aspects of us.”

I’m shocked into silence. My mind is running through the configurations of code I see running across the screen. I’m more impressed than I can put into words with what I’m seeing.

“You really did break her,” Holden jokes.

I open my mouth as I look at Noah. “I…” I don’t even know what to say after that. “What the fuck?” I whisper to myself. I knew this had to be possible, but I had never even come close to collecting the vast amount of data he is as quickly and efficiently as this program is. “Just how fucking smart are you?” I demand.

Noah finally laughs and some of the color fades from his cheeks. His hand drops from where he was rubbing the back of his neck. A cool confidence comes over him that I hardly ever see on him. My eyes widen as I recognize this version of him.

“Apparently smarter than you,” he teases. A chorus of oh’s sound out around the room followed by laughter. Joe shakes his head at all of their antics. My eyes narrow at Noah. “Oh, really?”

He shrugs nonchalantly, like he isn’t lighting every competitive bone in my body on fire with his attitude. “Come on, baby girl. You can’t be the best at everything. This is what I went to school for after all. I’ve spent years studying every aspect of technology and coding. Not just how to hack into places I shouldn’t be.”

I roll my eyes. He isn’t wrong, and based on this… Well shit. I hate to admit it, but he is better than me. It would have taken me years to get this up to where he has managed to get it in only a few months.

“Okay then, Handsome. I’ll give you this win since you impressed me.” This time it’s a surprised chorus of oh’s that sound out from the peanut gallery. “But I’m running your training tomorrow,” I finish with a smirk.

He grimaces as he curses and Ryder pats him on the back in encouragement. Kade has a wicked smirk on his face, so I know something is coming even before he opens that big mouth of his.

“Come on, Ladybug. Don’t be a sore loser.”

I give him my best unamused look. He knows damn well I can admit when someone is better than me. “You,” I point at him, “were not recently kidnapped. That means I can and will shoot you for pissing me off.”

He throws his head back and cackles, absolutely undeterred by my threat. I wouldn’t kill him. I am quite fond of my giant dope. There are plenty of places I could hit that he’d survive. Little flesh wound.
Samantha Bee. Vicious Chaos (Kindle Locations 1212-1273). A World of Chaos Series.

As predicted the streets of St. Graves get bloodier. The alliance between Rachel and Scar becomes closer.

Specific targets taken out, with lots of kindle melting scenes in between. A new character introduced, Alec’s twin brother Nicholis. More of Dare the bartender/dancer, I love this girl!

Plenty of back and forth, twists and turns, ups and downs, laughter and OMG the tears.

I can’t wait for the next book. I need so much more!!!

5 Contented Purrs for Samantha!

Born and raised in California, Samantha Bee lives for coffee, cheesecake, and chaos. She seems to attract psychos and can be needy and dramatic. However, those things get channeled to her muse in order to create dark and sexy worlds.

Neglected. Abused. Forgotten. Thrown away.

The endless cycle of pain and abandonment that I’ve been living in. Somehow, I never let it break me.

Until I met him.

His games, his lies, his punishments.
They twisted and molded me to fit his desires. He was breaking me down. Leaving this world of misery behind no longer sounded so bad.
I had only ever known pain anyways.

Until I was saved.

Now, I have a new life. New friends. Maybe even a new family. I found a purpose and people who are willing to help me fight back for the first time ever.

But everything comes at a price. War is on the horizon and I’m caught right in the middle of it. This time, I have something I’ve never had before, people I want to help protect.

I can’t deny my damage. I’ll never be the same again. So this time, I’ll turn my scars into ammunition. This time, I’ll tear down the very ones who hurt me.

They call it war. I call it revenge.
Because this time?
I’m going to be the one that’s deadly.

Note:
Damaged & Deadly is A World of Chaos standalone. It is a full-length dark romance that can be read on its own.

Now you don’t have to read the Steel Roses Series, but I think you will get more out of this one if you have.

The prologue of this book takes us back to when Scar rescues Jade, Rowan and Ryder.
This is Jade’s story, well a good part of it, as it’s still intertwined with the other books. Jade has been training with Scar to not be vulnerable anymore. While the physical work has been challenging, it’s really the psychological part that’s even more of a challenge to overcome. Then there’s also the bomb that Rachel dropped at the end of Deadly Chaos, she’s Jade’s sister. Scar is doing what she does, trying to establish the truth of that statement.

Ian and Holden are the two men she’s been most comfortable with from the beginning. Ian gives her space but also protects her from others being too close when he sees she needs that. I really love him for that.

It’s also Jade’s birthday near the beginning of this book and I took great joy in reading as she baked a cake, she does however expect to celebrate alone. Then Ian shows up at her door.

This is a favorite scene.

I shake my head and feel some pieces of my hair fall out of the messy bun on top of my head and into my face. Ian’s hands twitch, but they don’t move towards me at all. Instead, he rubs the back of his neck and smiles. “Sorry, Britt was supposed to be here too, but she got stuck at work. Scar invited us all over tonight.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised Scar didn’t text me. She’s usually really good about not surprising me with things. “Britt’s coming?” He nods and I move back to invite him in, I can’t go out like this. “So not work?” Britt only recently became aware of what world we all live in. Her boyfriends, Mikey and Ronan also work for Scar. Britt mostly stays out of the business side of things though. 

He chuckles as he walks through the door and looks around. He’s never been inside the house before. “Not work, the kids wanted a sleepover and I think Scar was bored.”

I laugh, I should have expected that. “They need to get the girl back in the club. She has too much energy to be stuck in hiding.” I show him into the kitchen, thankful I left any words off the cake. I hadn’t told anyone it was my birthday. I don’t really know why I kept it to myself, but I guess I just didn’t want to make anyone feel like they had to do anything for me.

“Oo, a cake?” he asks as he walks over to it and examines it. “That must be what smells so good in here.”

I smile, proud of what I accomplished. “I just finished it. I’ve been trying to learn how to bake and cook more.” I can’t keep the note of pride out of my voice. I like my little cake, flaws and all. Confusion fills his eyes before understanding dawns on him. It’s easy to forget that I came back into society still with only the skills I had at fourteen. His eyes soften but not with pity and sympathy, more like empathy. Like he knows my pain. 

“I’ve never been much of a cook,” he admits, shaking his head. “If it wasn’t for Charlene, the boys and I would probably live on take out.” He looks back at me and smiles. “At least this explains…” He trails off as he motions to his face. I reach up and brush my own cheeks and find flour. I quickly brush it off as a blush spreads across my cheeks. How embarrassing. 

Ian laughs. “Don’t be embarrassed, it’s cute.” I see him stiffen as soon as the words come out of his mouth, my blush only intensifies. “Sorry,” he says as he rubs the back of his neck again. It’s something I’ve seen Noah do a lot when he feels like Scar is about to rip him a new one. He leans farther into the counter, giving me more space than he was already giving me. “Britt and Holden were going to come with me, but she’s still at work.”

I giggle. “You already told me that.”

He sighs, “I guess I did. Holden and I debated about if it would be better for one of us or for both of us to come get you, but we thought you might feel a little better if it was just one of us. I hope it isn’t too much for you.”

I smile. “The fact you guys care so much makes me feel better.” I’m surprised by how easily the words slip out of my mouth. I’ve spent over half a year with these guys and while I still have a long way to go, it’s true. They don’t make me uncomfortable anymore. I hadn’t even stopped to think about it just being the two of us when I invited him inside. My smile grows bigger as I realize this is a new hurdle I’ve overcome. “I didn’t even notice,” I whisper, and I know Ian heard me and understands exactly when I’m alluding to.

His own smile breaks out across his face. “Your confidence has really grown.”

“I think sometimes it’s just me overthinking, like if I don’t think so hard about it then it doesn’t bother me.” I hadn’t noticed before, but I only start to panic when I focus too much on how many people there are or how close they are to me. There have been plenty of times I’ve been alone with one of the guys or where someone has been in my personal space that I haven’t freaked out. Halloween comes to mind when Ian and Holden both stood right next to me while we talked with Britt and Mikey but it never felt overwhelming.

“Hey, that’s amazing you’re starting to notice stuff like that. It’s only going to help you grow more.”

We stand there staring at each for a moment, I don’t know who has the bigger smile on their face. Before I finally realize he came here for a reason. “Right, I should just,” I hesitate, “umm, I’ll go and,” I stutter, “change?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement cause I’m still confused by why she didn’t mention coming over when I was with her earlier. 

“Okay.” He grins, staring at my messy bun again. “I’ll just wait here. But can we take the cake?”

I nod as I exit the room. I’m quick to throw on a pair of burgundy leggings and an oversized gray sweater and some boots. I don’t really wear a lot of makeup, mostly because I’m not sure how to use it. So I wash the rest of the flour from my face before dabbing on some tinted moisturizer and some mascara. I should really ask Scar how she does her makeup, it always looks so perfect.

I pull my hair out of the bun and braid it to the side. I stare at it in the mirror as I twist the strands into place, a bitter feeling of resentment welling up in me the longer it takes for me to get to the end. I used to dream of having my hair this long, now it feels like just another sign of my captivity. I shake the thoughts away and walk back out to meet Ian. He has the cake wrapped up and ready to take over to Luca’s. It makes me happy that he’s so excited to eat it. 

I follow him out and lock the door behind us. “The boys already there?” I ask him as I climb into his truck. Ian has two twin boys, Kairen and Callum and they are both as cute as can be. Mischievous as all hell too. 

“They’ve been there since training. Lord knows what they’ve gotten into this time.” I can’t help but laugh. They get up to a lot of trouble and drag their best friends Trevor, Holden’s son, and Rowan, Scar’s daughter into it with them. At least that’s what we always thought. I have a feeling more and more often nowadays, it’s Rowan’s ideas that are getting them in trouble, but Kai takes the fall for her, no matter how much trouble he gets into. I haven’t told Ian or Scar my suspicions yet. I’m fond of the little firecracker and want to see how it plays out.

“What movie are they all obsessed with right now?” I swear these kids go through phases. Or again, maybe it’s just Roe and the boys follow right along. I don’t even think she realizes they do it. It’s adorable as all hell. 

Ian groans, “Roe discovered Peppa Pig.”

I arch a brow. “Do I even want to know?”

He laughs but there’s a thread of bitterness in it that makes me have to hold back my own laughter, “It’s a British animated show with a stupid, spoiled, bratty, piece of bacon as the star. It’s fucking awful so of course the kids are obsessed.”

“British?” I giggle at the venom in his voice as he trashes the children’s show. I mean really, how bad could it be?

He nods. “All the kids are going to have slight accents by the time this phase is over. They’re fucking obsessed.”

We laugh and joke the rest of the ride there and more pride surges up in me that I never once freaked out. I was able to relax and joke with Ian without any doubts or fears. We park in Luca’s drive and he grabs the cake from the backseat before leading me to the door. He opens the door and lets me walk in first before closing the door behind us.

He’s only a step behind me when I see everyone standing around in the living room, when they catch sight of me, they turn towards me and all shout, “Happy Birthday!”

My mouth drops open. “How?” I start to ask but can’t finish the question as a blush rises to my cheeks. I’m overwhelmed with an unknown emotion and just need a moment to process what it is. I turn around and bury my face in Ian’s chest without thinking about it. I’m surprised tears fill my eyes, but I just don’t understand why.
Bee, Samantha. Damaged & Deadly: A World of Chaos Standalone (Kindle Locations 418-475). Kindle Edition.

Now the party for Jade also becomes a turning point of sorts in her friendship with Ian. He’s falling for her, but that doesn’t become apparent to him until he helps prevent Ciar from taking her away again.

Jade grows so much in this book and let me tell you the scenes are sizzling and sensuous. There’s a lot of emotion pouring out of this book from many different angles.

Ian and Jade make such a great couple, but really Holden needs to be there too. She has such strong feelings for both of them.

I am waiting impatiently for Vicious Chaos the third Steel Roses book. I hope to see more of Jade’s relationships there.

5 Contented Purrs for Samantha!

Born and raised in California, Samantha Bee lives for coffee, cheesecake, and chaos. She seems to attract psychos and can be needy and dramatic. However, those things get channeled to her muse in order to create dark and sexy worlds.

I’ve spent the last eight years focused on one thing, and one thing only. Revenge.
I’ve kept people at a distance. Didn’t let anyone under my skin.
I had my rules and they worked well.
Until they didn’t.
Four men worked their way in without me even noticing.

I thought I was shattered.
Broken beyond repair.
I thought there was nothing left to break.
I thought I could do this on my own.
I was wrong.
Four men showed me just how much further I had to fall.

I can’t abandon all that I’ve fought for.
I can’t give up my revenge.
I can’t let the sins against me go unpunished.
I couldn’t choose them.
Four men showed me just how ruined I was.

A vital missing piece of who I am.
A heartless coward, running scared.
A violent storm that vanished as quickly as she crashed into my life.
A ray of hope that was snatched away.
A pretty broken little thing.
One woman who ties the rest of us together.

I’m not the only thing shattered anymore. Everything is.
And this time, I don’t know how to fit the pieces back together.

Note:
Deadly Chaos is the second book in the contemporary new adult series, Steel Roses. If you have not read Shattered Chaos, please put this one down and go pick that one up. This story will not make sense without having read the first one. It is a reverse harem, meaning the female protagonist has three or more love interests and will not be forced to choose.

Trigger Warnings:
This book contains content that may be triggering for some, including violence, assault, sexual abuse, mentions of the abuse of children and/or minors, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts and tendencies.

Before you start, if you haven’t read the first book in this series, STOP, go back and read it first. I also recommend you read the note and warnings in the blurb for the book.

In recent months I’ve found myself reading these dark reverse harem series and really enjoying them.

At the end of Shattered Chaos Scar left. More than that she removed any way for the guys to find her. As this book opens Scar is following her own agenda, revenge. She’s also releasing information on those she has terminated allowing the world to see the evil they had been. Unfortunately, she’s now hitting a low, one she’s having trouble climbing out of.

She’s still there when she meets Declan, a doctor who seriously gets her and wants to be her friend. He’s the one that helps her up and out of her loneliness, guilt, and despair.

This is just one of many favorite scenes.

“How long have you been here?” I ask him but he’s still studying me. I can hear how different my voice sounds, I don’t even know how to describe it though. Just wrong. Not strong and sure like I normally am. Faded, like hearing it through a bad connection.

“A few minutes.” He gets up, my eyes follow him as he walks into the kitchen. “You didn’t show up and weren’t answering your phone. I thought you might still be asleep.” He comes back with a bottle of water and a blanket. He hands me the water before draping the blanket over me and tucking it in on the sides. I watch him and feel my brows go up in question.

“What are you doing?”

He laughs. “Being your friend.” He settles back in next to me before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys, he starts to pull one off and I recognize it as my own. “I wasn’t intending to use this, but I started to get worried when you didn’t answer.” He starts to hand the key back to me, but I shake my head.

“You can just keep it,” I say. He looks at me surprised but I shrug or try to. I’m not sure how it actually comes out. I gave him the key early this morning when he had to leave for work. It’s not the first time he’s had to leave straight from here to go to work. The nightmares aren’t quite as bad when he stays the night. Sometimes it’s strange how fast we fell into our own little routine. Sometimes I don’t feel like I deserve the comfort and relief I feel when he’s by my side. But if Declan wants to be my friend, teach me how to accept comfort and open up, I think it’s okay for me to be selfish and want him to soothe my demons. Is that what friendship is?

I’m still working it all out, much to his amusement. I struggle to be totally honest when I’m feeling anything. I have a hard time naming all the emotions coursing through my bloodstream. I don’t know how to put into words everything that happened with the guys and just how badly I fucked up. Declan is patient though. He stays silent as I work through everything running through my mind and can figure out how to put it into words. He offers comfort without expectation and doesn’t push me.

Mostly I tell him stories about the guys. He knows I miss them, he asks some questions but always just accepts whatever I’m willing to tell him. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Noah. I think it might be why I fell into such an easy acceptance of our friendship, even if I’m not as open as he wants me to be. He slowly drags truth after truth out of me. Splinters my resolve and breaks through my walls as the pain and hurt is too overwhelming for me to contain by myself.

Every time I feel like I’m starting to drown, he is there, ready and willing to pull me back up to the surface and help me float. He’s harder than Noah though. Where Noah was shy, Declan is reserved, more like Luca in that regard. He has a quiet confidence that carries through a room without him ever speaking a word. But he soothes me in a way similar to how Noah did. Not quite the same, Noah made me feel a calm, a sense of peace, a comfort. Declan comforts me, but he helps me take back the control of the rampant emotions slowly destroying me from the inside out.

I give him a small smile. “We both know, you’re probably going to end up sleeping over again.” He smiles back at me, and I can see the twinkle in his eye that means he thinks I’m making progress in this friendship. I shrug again but this time the gesture feels a bit more natural. I think the pills might be slowly fading out of my system. “Easier for you to have a key than me having to get up and lock up after you.”

“Aww, you’re finally getting this friendship thing,” he teases me.

I laugh. “I don’t know how many friends actually have keys to each other’s places.”

It’s his turn to shrug as he chuckles. “Nah, you’re right. But best friends? They always get spare keys.”

I laugh as I hit him in the chest. He can be such a confident shit. I eye him up and down. “Are you hungry?” We were supposed to meet for lunch after all. He spreads himself out over the couch, making himself comfortable.

“I already ordered pizza,” he answers after he finally settles in next to me. I groan in appreciation as I realize just how fucking starving I am. He puts on a movie and I drift off as he gently strokes my hair in a gesture I now associate with him.

I wake up to the smell of cheesy goodness and can’t stop the groan from escaping my lips. Declan chuckles and places a plate on my lap as soon as I move myself into a sitting position. We are quiet as I devour my pizza. I eat three slices, barely stopping for a breath. Between the small nap and the food now sitting in my belly, I feel more like myself and the last of the fog has cleared from my brain. I’ll have to remember to be more careful about what I take from now on. Being that out of it could be life threatening for me, especially with no one here to watch my back.

I drink more water as I assess Declan. “You know,” I start and wait for him to meet my eyes before continuing, “I’m pretty sure friendship is supposed to go both ways.” There’s a lot more that I haven’t told him, but I’ve given him more than I’ve ever given anyone else in such a short period of time. I know quite a bit about his background, but he actually hasn’t told me about it.

“What do you mean?” he asks, but I can see that he knows exactly what I’m asking by the look in his eyes.

I narrow my eyes at him. “You always preach about how I need to let the words out, but what about you? You never talk about yourself except to bitch about your coworkers.”

He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “Okay, pretty girl. I guess you have a point.” He gets up and cleans up our plates and wipes down the counters before putting the leftover pizza away. It’s something I’ve noticed about him in the last few weeks. He can’t stand clutter or messes. He never leaves dishes in the sink, constantly tidies up when he’s here. I think it’s all subconscious too. I don’t think he actually knows he does it.

He comes back to the couch and settles my feet in his lap as he kicks up his feet on the coffee table and throws the blanket back over us. I wiggle as I settle in and he starts rubbing my feet as he begins to talk. I relax as his deep voice soothes me and I finally get to know more about him.

“I moved to St Graves immediately after I finished up my residency. I grew up in Belridge Heights.” My eyebrows draw up as I recognize the name. It’s a city nestled up in the hills not all that far from St Graves. Far enough to maintain distance but close enough to drive back whenever you needed. It’s one of the wealthiest and most affluent cities in the country. “I had no desire to return there once I had escaped. So, I settled here.”

I know there must be a story about why he doesn’t want to return home, but he never pushes me and I’m not one to pry anyways. Who says we have to share every facet of our pasts to be close? A city like Belridge Heights is steeped in secrets. Where there is money and power, there is corruption. I’m relieved to know he was able to get away, even if the marks of the elite are still clear in his presence.

“Since moving here, I haven’t fully gotten close to anyone.” He hits me with that little look of his and I smirk.

“So, it was really just you desperate for a best friend, not me.”

He chuckles but stops rubbing my feet to tickle them instead. I squeal out my protests as I try to rocket away from him. He has my foot in a firm grip that doesn’t allow me to escape. After making me laugh so hard, I’m actually wheezing. He finally has mercy as he releases my foot and admits, “I told you that I wanted a friend too that first night.”

I smile at the memory and sit up so I can lean against his shoulder. “You did,” I sigh and hesitate before pushing myself out of my comfort zone. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Declan,” I whisper. I feel him nod before he kisses the top of my head.
Bee, Samantha. Deadly Chaos (Steel Roses Book 2) (Kindle Locations 311-365). Kindle Edition.

In the meantime, the guys aren’t doing well at all, they can’t find her, have no leads and it’s driving them crazy. That’s when Noah shows up looking for her. He’s surprised at the state he finds them in, but also feels a camaraderie with them. It’s with his help they start tracking her yet find no location.

Declan becomes an anchor for Scar, even as her guides her towards reconciling with the guys.

When it gets to the point Scar is about ready, something happens with Kade at the bar she and Declan hang at. This is a turning point.

I really can’t say more, you have to read this book to understand all the emotions that flood through the pages.

There’s laughter, tears, revelations and a whole lot of sizzle in this book.

The emotional turmoil of the characters somehow offsets the craziness of our times for me. I’m already doing a re-read of Damaged & Deadly in preparation for the release of Vicious Chaos.

5 Contented Purrs for Samantha!

Born and raised in California, Samantha Bee lives for coffee, cheesecake, and chaos. She seems to attract psychos and can be needy and dramatic. However, those things get channeled to her muse in order to create dark and sexy worlds.