Pretty Scars

Drazen Family

De: CD Reiss

Narrado por: Emma Wilder, Teddy Hamilton

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 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.

This book is a standalone.

©2019 CD Reiss (P)2024 Flip City Media

4.5 petty scarred stars

What an intense and emotional story that was. I was wary to start this book since everyone was referring to the Drazens when it released and I still haven't read any of these books, but I decided to just jump and go from there. And I'm so glad I did. This was such a beautiful story, so angsty and heartfelt. The whole narration going from past to present was so well done. I love such stories that reveal the truth slowly, layer by layer and keep you guessing, keep you on the edge. This had some pretty emotional parts, some action-packed and nail-biting moments and definitely kept my interest from start to finish. And add to that the exceptional performance by Emma Wilder and Teddy Hamilton. They absolutely nailed these characters to perfection. It was really gut-wrenching to listen to some parts. They were so well-acted and heightened the experience for me. There were some unexpected twists and turns and some expected ones, but the intrigue was present the whole time and the story flowed nicely between past and present.

Carrie was a courageous woman who has lost track of her life goals for a while and had settled trying to please her family but she quickly found the right path back again. And Gabriel...well, he was just dreamy and whatever I'm going to say about him will not give him justice. I was in awe with his strength and the fierce way he loved. Definitely top BBF material.

If you are in the mood for some drama, second chance romance with a touch of suspense, then this would be a perfect choice. And make sure to pick the audio version because it was amazing.

The book was made as a stand-alone and everything referring to Carrie's family was explained. So you are good to go even if haven't read any of the other stories. I haven't and I didn't struggle with anything in this plot. The story flowed nicely and swallowed me from page 1. Beautiful story and exceptional audio performance.

What beautiful music

CD REISS! What a moving story with an amazing highs & Lows worth listening too :):Thanks

BRAVO!! A huge standing ovation!

WOW!! Just WOW!!!! Outstanding in every way, flawless in its writing, pace, tone and performance. This story is engaging, beautifully performed by narrators that elevate the story and make the words come alive. I loved the themes of music, that way the Drazen Family influence and drama are shown off to give us a better idea of all the secrets and I just loved Carrie and Gabriel. I always dive in blind to all of CD Reiss's work and this story was such a surprise because, even at it's most significant points on the story, the words and the tone were enthralling, captivating and dynamic. There is not a second where the action slows down, there is not a moment in which the characters have high stakes and you are completely and utterly fixated on what is going on. CD Reiss always writes compelling situations and this story is no exception. I certainly believe she gets better and better with her writing and her stories. Kudos again to Emma Wilder, with that smooth voice like deep dark chocolate that begs to be listened to and Teddy Hamilton who seriously can do no wrong. Deserving of all the stars!!!

Outstanding

I have no words to describe this, but I'll try. The plot is subtle as a whisper and powerful as a thunderstorm. The whole story unfolds like a summer rose, with each petal coming together to form a beautiful flower that both mesmerizes and entrances. I listened to it twice to make sure I didn't miss anything and was surprised to discover how rich this book really is. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Another amazing Drazen Story!!!!

CD Reiss delivers another thought provoking Drazen story! This is Carrie’s story and it has laughs, drama and love! She weaves such an amazing tail for Carrie! Not going to put any spoilers in this review and too much detail would be a spoiler. It can be a standalone novel but I recommend reading the other Drazen novels prior to this one!

The narration of this book was spot on! I throughly enjoyed having the Emma and Teddy narrate. This is dual narration but POV narration.

Great job everyone!!

Heartbreaking, Beautiful Perfection

Why did I wait so long? Maybe I knew this story could bring me to tears and fill me with hope, doubt, joy, pain, love, and loss. The Drazen Family is incredibly intriguing. CD Reiss is a brilliant wordsmith with a devotion to audio and casting performers with the talent to break us into tiny little pieces and make us believe in love 💞

Outstanding author and narrators

Well written book, that I actually got lost in. Pulled into the story and emotionally experienced the character’s lives. HEA that is a stand-alone. My favorite type of book. Enjoy!

Beautiful, Amazing book

As always CD Reiss books are all fabulous. Enjoyed this one just as much as all the others.

Dark, Sad, Triumphant

This story.... I definitely need to listen again.

In college, Carrie and Gabe meet.... they love. Then alllllllll sorts of stuff goes down. I will not spoil it. But there's a lot of "feels" There's times it really gripped my heart. It takes great writing and great narrators to make you truly feel like that.

STUNNING STORYTELLING.. & IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN

What an absolutely compelling, multilayered and unique listen this was.. every single word had meaning, depth and emotional significance as this well-paced love story takes the listener through a drama-filled journey of beautiful sweet highs and tragic bitter lows of a young love doomed to end in tears. Again and again Ms Reiss delivers stories that grip me, thrill me and emotionally wreck me.. and I applaud her brilliance as an author.. I’m in awe of her imaginative mind.. and I love her ability to bring out so so many feels.

I was blown-away at the way she constructed this beautiful Romeo and Juliet/gritty Beauty and the Beast themed plot and turned it into an epic story of redemption, forgiveness, acceptance, sacrifice and second-chances. Her beautifully written lyrical passages touched my soul, tore my heart out and worked it’s magic to heal my broken heart. The chemistry was intense as College students Carrie and Gabriel first meet and instantly connect.. the beautiful rich girl and the handsome gifted violinist who think they can keep it simple.. she was the melody to his symphony. But they were innocent pawns in a rich man’s world.. his to manoeuvre, sacrifice, destroy or save.

Worth a credit? Yes. The construction of its past/present chapters was, IMO, flawless.. it’s a twisty tragic tale with a HEA ending, it’s a beautiful love story, it’s a rags to riches romance, it’s a hard-hitting rip your heart out novel that packs quite a punch. It’s dark.. it’s light, it’s paragraphs hold passion, promises, purity and deep love. It’s a blockbuster of a listen because the narration was so absolutely perfect.. part 1 was Carrie’s PoV and part 2 was Gabriel’s shorter PoV.