Scar Tissue

by A.S. Lorenzen, Vanessa Barbas (Editor)

Thea never thought the future once filled with white picket fences, flower baskets lining a wraparound porch, and the giggles of a growing family would be ripped away from her so suddenly. First came the stillbirth of her daughter. Then the betrayal of the husband who was supposed to help her survive it. Left with nothing but grief and nowhere else to turn, Thea leaves her old life behind and heads home with her best friend, Dylan—never expecting to end up under the same roof as Nathan Adams.

Her brother's best friend.
Her childhood crush.
Her greatest what if.

And yet another man who left her in pieces.

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2026

About the author

A.S. Lorenzen operates under a pen name and was born in 1998 in the beautiful mountain state of Colorado, where she still resides with her husband, son, and their two dogs. She currently works as a paramedic full time but enjoys reading and writing when she is off duty. She prefers fantasy but is also a stickler for romance. The Hand of the Forbidden is her first published literary work.

Reviews

[Candice Nantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series and I loved this one! Make sure you read the TWs first, so that you are aware of sensitive topics.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a long, but completely understandable, wait for the conclusion to this duet, and it was absolutely worth it.

This was a deeply satisfying ending to Nathan and Thea’s story. It’s heavy, emotional, and takes us back into the world of trafficking with more twists, danger, and heartbreak than I was prepared for.

Thea has survived so much. From the loss of her first child, to a cheating ex-husband, to carrying the grief of her brother’s death, she has been forced to rebuild herself over and over again. Watching her face even more trauma while still choosing to help others made her acts of selflessness seem almost foolish. But how could she have stood by?

Nathan and Thea’s relationship is built on shared history, lingering pain, and years of pining, making every step toward healing feel rewarding. I also loved seeing more of Dylan and Fletcher. Seeing the progress of Dylan’s healing after book 1 was very much needed. Her story was brutal in its own way.

Some of the lines in this book will stay with me long after finishing:

“Do you ever wonder if some people just aren’t meant to be happy?”

”…my grief was so heavy that I could tell how uncomfortable it made other people.”

“Because if I wasn’t chosen to be a wife to a husband who loved her and if I wasn’t chosen to be a mother, what was I worthy of? I bent until I broke, then called it resilience.”

Those words hit hard.

Overall, this was an emotional conclusion about grief, resilience, healing, and choosing love after unimaginable loss.

[Mariette De kock · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Review *

Scar Tissue by A.S. Lorenzen

📚Book 2 in the Tethered Darkness Duet

💀 Second chance
💀 Forced Proximity
💀 Friends to Strangers to Lovers
💀 Slow Burn
💀 Brother’s Best Friends

This book follows Thea as she is struggling to keep herself together, first a stillbirth and then her Husband's betrayal. She goes back home with Dylan, her best friend, but end up living with Nathan . Nathan is a surgeon but works part time for the FBI to take down sex trafficking rings. the last person he expected to see again or live in the same house, is Thea.

I enjoyed reading Nathan’s story after being introduced to him in the first book. We get to see his life story and what happened in him past. We also met Thea in the first book. this story starts off where the previous book's epilogue ended.

This story is hard to read but it was written so well. There is suspense, romance, mystery and family. It was a quick read and the story concluded at the end of the book. I loved that Fletcher and Dylan was included in the book as well and that we met a new character Clair.

I am looking forward to reading more of the author’s work.

Thank you Lunette PR and A.S. Lorenzen for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Theresse (Tess) Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

----ARC REVIEW----

I read book 1 to this duet FOREVER ago and was really looking forward to Thea’s story, but holy crap it was heavier than I expected. If you’re going to read it, definitely check TWs because I know some of the topics covered will hit some people hard.

Anyway, I really liked the overall story but I wish we got more of Nathan and Thea’s background beyond the acknowledgment of past feelings and the accident. Seeing Dylan and Fletcher again was nice, too! I almost wish I had gone back and reread at least the end of book 1 because it took my brain a bit to connect the dots on what happened. I also thought there were some loose ends that could’ve been tied a bit neater, like the storyline with Lucas (it felt like he was going to make a reappearance based on the way he was talking to her) or the explanation of the business at the end (I think I got it but it was just very vague and could’ve been a little more flushed out).

However I really liked how the storyline with Claire wrapped up! Like it was really cute. 🫶🏼

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (Rounded up)
🔥🔥.5

[Haeli S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way I devoured this book. It’s both dark and beautiful. The loss and love in this book is truly something and I felt every bit of pain and change the main characters were going through. The growth and healing in this book is admirable and I’m so glad that I read it!

This is book two in an interconnected standalone and as much as reading the first book, Peripheral Vision, gave more context to this one it is not necessary to read as you learn some things from the first book in the beginning and along the way!

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this as an early reader!