In Carrie Drazen’s diamond-studded world, beauty is everything: a blessing, a commodity, and a curse. Her beauty got her past the velvet ropes and into high society, but it ripped her away from the man she loved and chained her to an unbearable life.Then, in a single night, a song played by a mysterious and secretive musician carries her back to a past ripe with possibilities, when love could … could open any door.
Who is this anonymous performer?
How can a man she’s never met tell such a precise story of a boy she loved?She needs to know. But sometimes masks exist for a reason, and this unveiling could scar them both.
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This book is a standalone.
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CD Reiss est une auteur que j’ai découverte dans des sagas érotiques mais avec Pretty Scars nous retrouvons sa plume dans une romance où le suspense, le thriller et la sensualité s’entremêlent. Nous allons avoir des flashbacks entre 1993 et 1995 afin de découvrir comment la destinée de Carrie Brazen a pris un tournant inattendu .
Carrie est issue d’une très grande famille composée de 7 enfants . Son père Declan règne sur cette famille d’une main de maître et elle ne peut croire ce que lui dit sa sœur Margie . Elle a pu faire des études mais elle risque de se rendre compte qu’elle n’est au final que ce joli visage et uniquement cela. Bien qu’elle s’épanouisse dans ses études , on se demande si elle pourra vraiment choisir son destin car Mr Brazen a des projets bien précis pour elle . Elle n’a pas vraiment la liberté d’agir qu’elle pensait avoir et on en vient donc à se demander si elle pourra sortir du carcan familial aussi facilement qu’elle le souhaite .
Quand on la retrouve deux ans plus tard, on sent que les événements ont pris une certaine tournure . Est elle épanouie ? Ceci est une vaste question dont la réponse va être difficile à déterminer mais pourtant si simple à apporter . C’est une femme mariée et dès les premières présentations, j’ai eu du mal avec Peter Thorne. On sent qu’il cache quelque chose de terrible et que son couple n’est pas aussi épanoui qu’il aimerait qu’il soit . Il a la main mise sur la vie de notre héroïne et on verra à quel point tout cela est malsain en les découvrant au quotidien . Heureusement Carrie pourra compter sur sa sœur Margie pour être à son écoute , pour lui faire confiance et surtout pour tirer un trait définitif sur les fantômes su passé .
Gabriel Marlowe est un jeune homme que nous découvrons en 1993 quand tout semble possible alors que tout a déjà été décidé. Il connaît la famille Brazen et ce sont de tristes circonstances qui lient les deux familles . A t-il pour autant de la rancœur envers Carrie ? Pas le moins du monde et c’est la musique qui les lie dès le début . Il est formidablement doué et il pourrait vivre de son art . Quant à faire partie de la vie de Carrie, cela semble être une mission impossible car ils viennent de deux mondes aux antipodes l’un de l’autre . Il n’a pas d’argent et pourtant il saura trouver une place de choix dans la vie de notre héroïne . J’ai aimé la complexité de ce personnage car on va aller de surprise en surprise le concernant. Peut on lui faire entièrement confiance ?
Bref , même si au départ j’ai eu un peu de mal avec la mise en place de l’intrigue, j’ai passé un très bon moment de lecture avec le nouveau roman de CD Reiss. Le titre prend tout son sens une fois la lecture achevée . On va se prêter au jeu de cette intrigue qui nous fera douter , qui saura nous toucher et susciter en nous de vives émotions .
Scars are beautiful. 5 stars
Gabriel & Carrie have an immediate connection, and I felt it from the beginning. CD Reiss just knows how to pull me in from the beginning. Then she casually dropped twists that made me gasp, and I didn’t want to stop reading. The juxtaposition between a chapter that has taken place in the past then a chapter that is taking place in the present are beautifully heartbreaking, but I am not going to give away any more than that. I have only read some of the Drazen books by CD Reiss, & even though Carrie is a Drazen this book is a stand-alone. This book crazy, beautiful, brilliant, and you should read it! I received a copy of this ebook from Social Butterfly PR for my honest review.
When it comes to 2nd chance romance books, I’m pretty particular about the whole trope. It takes a lot for me to fall in love with two characters who need to fall in love again. This story was gritty and full of suspense and angst. C.D. Reiss is a master storyteller, there is never a time I haven’t enjoyed one of her books. Even with the “Romeo & Juliet” feel that this book had, there was just something that missed the mark for me. I enjoyed the story but there are a few things I need in a romance book to fully enjoy it. While there was romance in this book – it wasn’t romantic. I never swooned, I never fell in love with the characters, I never wanted to cheer for them to “get together”. I need these things in, and this one just didn’t have it, no matter how much I liked the storyline.
I am a Drazen family-aholic! I cannot get enough of this family. Pretty Scars is Carrie Drazen’s second chance love story. This family is takes manipulation to a whole new level.
“You stand for everything I should run away from. But you do something to me. You make me want to possess you completely and I’m sorry, but that’s what it is. You’re mine. I won’t take anything less than that.”
Carrie Drazen finds her Romeo, Gabriel Marlowe, until one fateful night when he was ripped away. Several years and one unbearable marriage later, Carrie hears a song that brings back her past. She’s willing to put her safety on the line chasing a ghost.
Pretty Scars brings back the intensity of the Drazen clan. Declan Drazen continues his ruthless reign over his family. This story is an emotional whirl wind. I enjoyed how the duel POVs were divided. The author’s timing was impeccable when switching the POVs. It completed the story. 5 Stars
Haunting, seductive and full of passion I was captivated by this story from beginning to end.
Carrie and Gabriel’s story is an alternative modern day version of Romeo and Juliette.
Unlike other romances, this complex story is one of love, hope, and second chances. Theirs was an intricate, gritty story that was absolutely beautifully written.
Told in past and present, their story flowed easily, and the characters were well developed and relatable.
I had not read the other Drazen books, and I was able to enjoy this story as a standalone.
However, I couldn’t help but feel I felt I missed something.
I will warn you. Before you open the cover of Pretty Scars by CD Reiss, be sure you are ready to experience a pondering story. You will wonder how people can be so wrong, and ruthless. Pretty Scars will make you wonder if there are any good people in the world. It presents a sometimes tainted vision of wealth and an even sadder opinion of our jaded society of beauty versus the beast.
But it will also have you appreciating those that battle for right, that battle for sanity, that battle for love.
Gabriel and Carrie would make a most beautiful couple today anywhere they chose to live. Knowing their struggles to get to where they are will have you proud for them. Feeling their passion towards each other will have you smiling one minute and in tears the next. Appreciating their victories will have you cheering.
CD Reiss left no rounded corners…all edges sharp and pointed. This is a love story with parts that should not have made this a love story. It is a battle for self recognition as well as self understanding. It is a story of challenges both from others and from within oneself. It is a battle of resolve with a HEA that you might not see coming. It is amazing to the heart and to the mind.
Even the story ending acknowledgements are great, as CD covers all bases left unsaid. Not sure if you can tell, but I loved this book. Well worth more than the 5-stars I am limited. Great Job!
Carrie Drazen!! I have been dying for her story for years now, little tidbits of her mysterious life dangled in front of us while reading the other Drazen sibling’s books. Carrie’s story is Romeo and Juliet, version 3.0 done LA style.
Beautiful girl meets a young, talented musician and the sparks fly immediately. But he doesn’t fit the mold for the type of man her overly controlling father will make sure she ends up with. Image is everything in the Drazen family. Declan Drazen makes sure of it. No matter what is happening behind the scenes, he will make sure the world knows the Drazen family is an unbreakable, unstoppable force to be feared. And if one of the Drazen children doesn’t agree with that, well….that’s just too bad.
C.D. is a master storyteller, and readers who have been waiting with baited breath for Carrie’s story will be swept away by the lyrical prose that is intricately woven through the fabric of this book. Told in present and past chapters, we learn exactly who Carrie is and how she feels about the status her father has placed upon her in the family. Often touted the “most beautiful” of the Drazen girls, Carrie is well aware of exactly what her looks can do for her. On the flip side of that, she also feels the huge constraints she’s made to live within and the burden of familial obligation in further strengthening the Drazen brand.
Carrie and Gabriel together were magic. Their love was so all encompassing. They were like the most beautiful notes in a piece of music.
“There are notes that go together. Play them alone and they’re fine, but play them together and it makes music. No matter the instrument or what part of the world you’re in, they’re linked by a chord. That’s us. We were waiting for the moment the world put us together. I can’t unhear us now.”
I truly rejoiced with every chapter of Carrie and Gabriel together, they just made the most beautiful music. There were plenty of chapters that made me want to strangle a certain family Patriarch. I swear, with every Drazen book that comes out, I find a new level of hatred for Declan Drazen. Dude just makes my blood boil.
This is an intensely emotional book. For those who have read the other Drazen books, you will pick up on little tidbits here and there that coincide with events in the other books. If you are starting with this book, you will no doubt want to go back and devour the other books so you can properly meet the side characters from this book in their own stories.
I am a greedy reader, so I hope we will see more and more of Carrie’s life in future Drazen books!
C.D. Reiss is an amazing storyteller, and I am happy to get another Drazen family story.
Pretty Scars will make you have a range of emotions- tortured, hopeful, captivated- she has a way of writing what you least expect and then you still come out ok. I enjoyed this story, written in past and present, of star crossed lovers and how family circumstances can make life and love so difficult. The writing is so amazing it immerses you in the story and makes you see and feel everything.
That cover <3
This story was breathtaking I loved how it went from past to present giving us the full story and oh boy it was emotional as Carrie’s life is still dictated by her over bearing father and I was so sad for her you got to keep up that Drazen appearances. Her and Gabriel are beautiful and I loved how he portrayed his music just for her their forbidden love and filled with so much pain that will break your heart but also surprises along the way. Beautifully written and draws you right back into this world full force and I loved it.
I’ve never read about the Drazens before, , but after reading this story I’m going to read all the others. Gabriel and Carrie were the epitome of true love. The heartaches and pain they had to endure to be together is as beautiful just as it’s emotional. There was a background story that caught me by surprise but that didn’t stop them from being together no matter how many people were against it. Of course there was a terrible heartache and oh my the things poor Carrie had to go thru was just wow. Thank god for her sister Margie. And Gabriel wasn’t giving up without a fight or dirtying his hands especially when he found out about the event and incident separating them. Their epilogue was beautiful for them and it was a long road but they made it and did it their way.
Wow, wow, wow! This story was a true masterpiece! The Drazen world is an utterly compelling place to be. This story was beautiful, heartbreaking and just amazing! C.D. Reiss is a genius at her job!
Pretty Scars is…surprising and not what I expected. I feel like I say that with every CD Reiss book? Maybe, but it’s true. Also, this cover is epic and I can’t stop staring.
Carrie’s story isn’t what I’ve imagined all this time, and I’ve pondered over her a few times. I love her so much, she’s so beautiful inside and out. Her path and Gabriel’s is sad, and twisted. It’s unfair. It makes me hate daddy Drazen more. Daddy Drazen is the most messed up, devious, interesting and awful character. But anyways. So many pages in this story moved me. I won’t tell you what they are, and I hope you don’t get any spoilers in your reviews. I’m guessing, if you’re reading this, you know most of the family by now. If not, OMG go read them all! You can read this first and be okay, but I’m sure you will be hooked and need more.
I love the end, I was nervous whether we would get a happy ending, things seemed so bleak. But I also love the beginning, and the style it was all written.
Pretty Scars is one of my favorite romantic suspense reads of all time! This story is absolutely SPECTACULAR and a perfect example of why I am a diehard fan of this author.
CD Reiss you are a Goddess! Your words are magic! So beautifully composed to express every purposefully timed and expertly executed detail in this magnificent story. I am blown away.
Carrie and Gabriel’s journey was turbulent and packed with the unexpected. Unexpected twists. Unexpected array of emotions. Feelings that had me smiling with hope, frustrated with anger, panting with lust or crying while having my heart ripped out. Such a beautifully complex web of young forbidden love, phenomenal characters, tragic loss, disastrous deceit, greed, fear, contempt. Everything I’ve come to expect from a Drazen story.
Every single sentence of this amazing book is eloquent. This author chooses her words so carefully and her writing is so incredibly intelligent. Truly – every sentence is absolute perfection. I feel like a huge dork for saying this but I freakin’ love that I have to highlight words to look up the meaning. There a hundreds of thousands of easy to read titles out there. Give me a smart, well planned, emotion evoking, twisty, complicated story that keeps my mind whirling and my heart thundering! Yes, definitely more of this!
Omg…if you love books with high angst levels, painful pasts, sketchy futures and a second chance romance that will have your heart in your throat; then this is your next book. Pretty Scars is the book that goes from past to present repeatedly to give us the full story and every word of it was necessary and completely worth it.
Carrie Drazen can have everything that she could ever want…except the one person that speaks to her soul. Being part of the Drazen family has never been easy for Carrie but never as hard as it was when her dreams were crushed and the life she was left with, left her in a world of pain.
Gabriel is the sweetest, most selfless person and the way he loves Carrie is simply magical! His life has been the complete opposite of hers but he has fought his way back from the darkness and loves nothing more than to bask in her light.
What happens when those around you will do anything to keep them apart? It becomes a matter of fate! This book is a must read and one that you need to get started on sooner rather than later!
Writing Style Rating:
UGH, flashbacks! I was not a fan of this. The book is split into two parts. Part one is the heroines POV and part two is the hero. That didn’t bother me, but the chapters jump between 1993 and 1995, I hated this.
Storyline Rating:
I truly loved the story between Gabriel and Carrie. It was a beautiful and heartbreaking second chance romance. Two souls torn apart before they could ever really get started.
Hero:
Gabriel is a kind and sweet soul. He is instantly smitten with the beautiful Carrie.
Heroine :
Carrie is strong yet quiet. Though she is rich and seen by others as a princess that is not at all how she see’s herself. She is humble in her beauty.
Chemistry between h/H:
The innocence of how Gabriel and Carrie’s relationship starts there isn’t an overwhelming sexual chemistry but more a pull of two people meant to be together. Lots of feels.
Smut Factor:
It’s hard for me with books that have an abuse trigger to give a true smut factor. I never want it to seem like I am giving a sexy rating to the abuse scenes. With that in mind, the scenes between Gabriel and Carrie are hot and heavy.
Overall Thoughts:
I enjoyed the story CD Reiss gave us in Pretty Scars, but because of my dislike for flashbacks it wasn’t all I thought it could be. I would have preferred if she would have made part one all the 1993 chapters and then part two flash forward to 1995. With that being said Gabriel and Carrie’s story wouldn’t be denied and pushed past my irritation with the flashbacks.
Like flowers have their distinct smells and musicians have their trademark style, stories by CD Reiss have their own signature writing. Pretty Scars is the same. The story and characters would leave an imprint on your mind. And that is one of the most important reasons you should pick this up.
Pretty Scars is a beautiful addition to the Drazen Universe. For loyal fans like me who have been following the journey of this wealthy, powerful and twisted family for years, this story was necessity and demand. Carrie Drazen didn’t play much role in previous books but the reason is explained here. In true CD Reiss style, she delivers a heartbreaking story wrapped in music, betrayal and ache.
Carrie met Gabriel when she was in college. Met is a small word to describe the collision of two loving and passionate lives. But Drazen name carries certain boundaries, expectations and risks. So years later, Carrie is bound to a ruthless and cruel banker in an unhappy and torturing marriage. Far away from the talented musician she loves more than her existence. He is no more in her life. And then the cello tunes of a new upcoming mystery artist turns her life upside down. The chase begins, the closets with skeletons are opened ,lives are endangered. And CD Reiss creates an orderly chaos with the angst, passion, emotions and mystery. The second part of the narrative seemed a bit repetitive to me and it slowed down the pace a bit. And Gabriel is not my favourite man by her. He is different but that’s not a bad thing. May be I was a bit shaken to find a mellowed version of men I have come to expect from her. He is swoonworthy, dreamy and has some magical charm. But I wanted to see a bit more oomph in him. Carrie surprised me in a better way. She is stronger than everyone thinks. She is persistent, loyal and compassionate to the point of mortyrdom. Now this story has some of the best negative characters CD Reiss has ever written. They are downright awful and viciously hurtful. I hate them with everything!
The simple and honest reason to me recommending this book is the sorcery of words by CD Reiss. She has this unparalleled and sensational power to yield her pen like a sword that cut through my bones and plunge right into my poor heart. And I will read her words again and again just to experience that heartbreaking, soulnumbing, all consuming feeling.
Received ARC for Honest Review