Pretty Scars

There is something about a hard-won second chance that speaks to me and I feel like with Pretty Scars, CD Reiss was speaking right to my soul. Gabriel was a truly remarkable and charismatic hero. He created beauty through his music, his words, and his deeds. And he was in utter awe of Carrie Drazen. He worshipped her, created compositions for her, he would die for her. It was impossible not to love sweet Gabe and I was thrilled with how much Carrie loved him too.

However…

In the Drazen family, Declan Drazen ruled his world with an iron fist. In my opinion, Carrie allowed herself to be a pawn. She was blind to what was happening in her own life, ignoring all warnings, all while striving for some form of independence. She frustrated me in so many ways. But I loved her heart. I loved how she loved Gabe. I loved how time, distance and death didn’t kill that love.

If you’re looking for a story to tug on your heart strings… this is it.
If stories about freedom and redemption and the beauty that can be found if you just look are ones you adore… read this.
And if you love love as much as I do… you’ll definitely want to add this story to your library.

Pretty Scars is an alternate version of Romeo and Juliette. College rich girl with a powerful family name falls for college boy who can do nothing to further the Drazen name.

Carrie’s father is a soulless SOB. He plays the people in his orbit like chess pieces. Your value is what you can do for him. His second oldest daughter, Carrie is the beauty of the family. That’s her value and he isn’t going to let her waste it on a violin player.

This book had me gritting my teeth for Carrie and Gabriel. Every manipulation against them, I hoped they’d beat and win. It had me angry, frustrated and completely invested in Carrie and Gabriel’s life. I needed to see how they overcome the manipulations in their lives.

I’m happy the way this all ended but a very small part of me is left unsatisfied. I know this author has other books with the Drazen family. While you don’t have to read the other books, this can stand on its own. I do wonder if that very small part that wasn’t satisfied, if that is something that is left for one of the other books. I’m going to find out.

Wow! This book. It’s like a chocolate truffle that you want to swirl around on your tongue as you savor each rich, dark, nuance.

It’s romantic, it’s suspenseful, and it is thrilling. Author C.D. Reiss beautifully tells the story of the elusive Drazen sibling, Carrie, in her latest novel, Pretty Scars.

The story is cleverly told in two time periods, the not so distant past of 1993 and the present, 1995. The story is broken up into two parts to allow both Carrie and Gabriel to tell their respective stories. There is some overlap, but once the critical fulcrum point is reached, their stories diverge dramatically. Through both their views, readers are forced to ask, “Is Declan Drazen a loving father or the devil incarnate?” Fans of the Submission series and the Drazen sibling spin-offs, already know the answer to that question!

I loved the reference to Hitchcock’s The Birds as well as the professor’s explanation of the movie being about a smart, beautiful woman upsetting the balance of nature as if a woman could only be smart or beautiful. However, it is really a nod to our heroine as the professor acknowledges that she is both smart and beautiful. It is, perhaps, a little foreshadowing of how Carrie’s choices will upset the balance of her prescribed path. Not only does The Birds get a mention, but also Romeo and Juliette, which seems to be the inspiration for the story premise.

Both Carrie and Gabriel are highly empathetic characters. The forbidden love and longing, the naïve acceptance of parents’ lies and prejudices, and the tragic struggles make it easy to become embroiled in their love story. Equally delicious are the subtle tie-ins to the author’s prior Drazen clan stories.

I greatly appreciated that the author did not incorporate the scandal du jour—college application bribes. This beautiful story did not need a sensational current event. Ms. Reiss, has instead, given her readers a dramatic tale of second-chance love.

#MustRead2019

Passionate and heartbreaking, Pretty Scars is more than just a gorgeous cover. The story within the pages is CD Reiss doing what she does best…delivering a mesmerizing tale of second chances. Carrie and Gabriel have been through more than most. Separated by tragedy and brought together again by chance, they have a rough road to navigate to find their way back to the future that should have been.

Their story is twisty, but easy to follow. It doesn’t end quite how I thought it would, but it’s the only ending that makes sense. Ms Reiss isn’t a cookie cutter romance kind of author, and I applaud that in book after book. 4.5 stars.

CD Reiss’ latest, Pretty Scars is not only an absolutely breathtaking standalone, it is the story of Carrie Drazen, the second, and prettiest, of the Drazen daughters. But her beauty is a vulnerability – a commodity in Declan Drazen’s sundrenched, sinister LA, and a burden. She calls the unearned privileges it creates “Pretty Girl Syndrome”. But this isn’t CD Reiss’ version of “Mean Girls do LA”. It’s a story of a first, forbidden, forever love told through the eyes of a delicately wrought heroine standing on the brink of a life she’ll never have. It’s senior year of college and Carrie has done her family’s bidding, thinking that will earn her the right to pursue her dreams of graduate school. Until the day she crosses paths with Gabriel Marlowe, a violinist from the music school, busking on campus. He’s wild and sweet and beautiful and sees her true, soul deep beauty. He has the perfect bit of fairy tale prince while remaining this beautiful, dominant, thoroughly sexy, modern hero. His music enchants her and their connection is electric and permanent. Love that survives death permanent.

Her story slips between before and after – the tension of the time shifts magnifying Carrie’s struggles to find her way out of a loveless marriage of her father’s making as she becomes more and more obsessed with a mysterious cellist, Adam Brate. Will finding him pull her back to sanity or send her over the brink? Ms. Reiss’ prose is at its most beguiling in Pretty Scars. Gabriel’s music infuses her words, making them reverberate in your soul. This is a story that will haunt me in my dreams. Star crossed lovers. Tragedy. Venice. How could it not?

This story is the most captivating and cinematic Ms. Reiss has ever gifted us with. It read like a movie in my head – one with a big budget and a great director. Every bit of Drazen grit has a luster of stardust. It was sooo romantic and satisfying. Classic Drazen with a side of Phantom of the Opera and a Merchant-Ivory glaze. It was DELICIOUS and perfect .

I give it a shower of stars across a winter sky.

#TopReadof2019

CD Reiss truly knows how to tell a story and her writing truly shines when she is telling us the story of another Drazen family member. Pretty Scars, which is such an apropos title for Carrie and Gabriel’s story, tells the story of how these two beautiful young people loved, lost, and found so hard to find their love again despite all of the forces that tried to keep them separated. My heart broke for Carrie and Gabriel and all of the challenges that they went through, because others decided that they had the right to determine who Carrie should love. And yes, as you guess it…Declan Drazen strikes again. It is beyond amazing to me that Declan does not realize that his children are part him, and therefore, they will find their way to what and to whom they want in the end.

Pretty Scars truly was an emotionally gripping story about a love that endures the tests of time. It was beautifully told by CD Reiss. I anxiously await the next Drazen story. I will never get enough of this family.

Carrie Drazen lived her life the way her wealthy and powerful parents have dictated. On the outside she is stunning, but most don’t look past the beauty and status. When Carrie decides she wants to pursue a certain path, circumstances continue to manipulate the situation.

“Men had called me beautiful and perfect more times than I could count, but this compliment – that I saw clearly and judged well – made me blush.”

Gabriel Marlowe is a talented violinist attending university on a music scholarship. Focused on his future, Gabriel works hard but becomes distracted by a redhead with a voice that calls to him.

“Her beauty lifted the soul to heaven, but her voice fixed it to the earth.”

Narrated between past and present, the plotline serves to show a beautiful budding romance juxtaposed with multiple levels of deceit, sacrifice and hope. Once lines are crossed, it all changes for Carrie and Gabriel, and the question remains as to what lengths each will take toward finding the truth.

“I’d been rejected like a warped bow. Unusable. Substandard. A mistake to be forgotten.”

Since the beginning of the Drazen world, Carrie has always been on the periphery, so it was good to finally get her story. Together, Gabriel and Carrie compliment each other, as he relearns that beauty is on the inside. Of course, the addition of Margie and Declan tremendously enrich this plot for me as they raise the stakes. Think everyone needs Margie as an older sister. Lol!

The infusion of music and passion is a key element throughout the story and it allows for lyricism and prose associated with CD Reiss. Though there were certain predictable elements, the layered twists and drama associated with the Drazens make up for it.

Pretty Scars is a second chance romance that will entice and appeal to romantics at heart.

Note: When are we going to get Declan’s book?

Carrie Drazen’s long-hoped-for emotionally evoking story is now with us. Reiss’ effortlessly read prose once again left me awe-inspired in this page-turner of a read which can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. Yes, even if you haven’t had the opportunity to read previous books in this family saga; no worries, picking up the thread from the very beginning isn’t a requisite. The female protagonist’s narrative draws the reader into her life at the drop of a hat. Her utter desperation surrounded me and when her oh-so-subtle rebellious streak broke loose, she earned my respect.

Part one which takes up nearly two-thirds of the book is Carrie’s to tell. While reading the first few chapters, the dates flipping back and forth from present to past confused me a tad and I found myself highlighting certain titles. Resolved in no time at all and fortunately having no impeding interruptions, I didn’t stop reading until I’d finished the entire book.

‘Wholeness cannot love brokenness. Beauty can only love beauty. A weak lamb loves weakly.’

Bright, beautiful and unpretentious, Carrie has career aspirations she’d like to fulfil. She’s the second oldest of four siblings and her father has big plans for his pretty daughter’s future. Here lies the problem; her wishes aren’t on par with his. Should I have been shocked when mother dearest had a little chit-chat with Carrie? Well, yes! Her advice left me feeling extremely frustrated, so I thanked the heavens when Carrie shared her doubts regarding what was expected of her with Margie, her older sister. Wow, I couldn’t have hoped for more from this kickass woman. Margie’s always been the troubleshooter, the one who calms turbulent waters and you’ll see how she steps in without being overpowering. And let’s face it, if you’ve read her story, you’ll get my drift.

‘Margie always knew how to get me to tell her things I wouldn’t tell anyone else.’

Carrie crossed paths with a musician who for me, was an enigma from the word go. My ooh my…Reiss really knocked this guy’s traits out of the park. His talent, the feelings his music instils is simply magical. Seeing as one is led to believe he’s the best of the best in his instrumental classical music field, all I wanted to do was discover why the entire feel of the story changed in an instant…and not for the better, either.

‘The air vibrated with music, trembling in his hands, under his control. The notes blossomed into grandeur with such precision they sneaked up on me, elevating my heart from tight expectation into the release of a promise kept.’

It felt as if an unimaginable force had literally obliterated his very being. Neither Carrie nor the reader knows what the heck happened since we’re left in a dark place. Even being led to believe in circumstantial tragedies, that nagging something just doesn’t ring true sensation didn’t leave me alone and made me try to decipher all angles like us thriller lovers do. Reiss is an expert in throwing her readers off course; she convinces, she makes us fall into a trap of supposed truths when we’re not even close.

‘No matter the instrument or what part of the world you’re in, they’re linked by a chord. That’s us.’

The last third of the book. Goodness, I’m quite a fast reader but here…well, it was a case of slow down or you’re going to miss out on something crucial! You may have noticed there’s no mention of the hero’s name in my review but I will say this, his attributes outweigh his failings and the title couldn’t be more fitting. Also, no word has been said about another important player because spoilers aren’t cool, are they?

‘Calling her beautiful illustrated the inadequacy of language. She was a melody. A perfect symphony. The final crescendo in a masterpiece written by a genius.

The plot couldn’t have been more intriguing or angst-ridden. Nonetheless, I’d have liked not to have sussed out who went out of their way to stop what was eventually to be on the cards a little later than I did. My reading enjoyment wasn’t hindered in the slightest though. As a diehard fan of suspense, lapping up every word, every conniving and dastardly movement and every heartfelt moment was a joy in itself. And man, does Reiss write steaminess with a capital S or what! Pretty Scars is a superb addition to the trials, tribulations and triumphs in the Drazen family world. Bravo!

This was my first C.D. Reiss’s book, and won’t be my last. This is a beautiful Romeo and Juliette retelling tale. Carrie and Gabriel’s second chance to love story is beautifully written, captivating, heartbreaking and heartwarming afterward. The story has it all: beautiful characters, great storyline, mystery, drama, danger, and villains. I loved Carrie and Gabriel, and hated Carrie’s father, and Peter. I am looking forward for more stories written by this author. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

It feels like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for Carrie Drazen’s book, and I couldn’t be happier with this story! I don’t think I will EVER get enough of the Drazens!

Pretty Scars left it’s mark on me. I loved Carrie and Gabriel’s story. Emotional, all-consuming, beautiful, devastating and real, I couldn’t stop once I started. I. WAS. OBLITERATED. My heart did all the things. It smashed, crashed, burned and mended. GOD, seriously I CAN’T EVER get enough of CD Reiss’ stories!

WORTH. THE. WAIT!