Don't Make Me Beautiful by Elle Casey

Sep 10, 2013 Aestas Book Blog rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

First, here's my casting for Brian:

*** FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED ***

WOW!! I absolutely loved this book!!! 5 stars!

Don't Make Me Beautiful is a deeply touching, beautiful and inspiring story with a powerful message about the strength of survival and the healing power of love.

It's both heart breaking and heart warming with a strong heroine, a to-die-for hero, and a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. It touched my heart deeply and reminded me that there are still superheroe ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Kristin (KC) - Traveling Sister rated it liked it

Shelves: abuse, contemporary-romance, suspenseful

*3.5 Stars*

While I didn't end up falling in love with the delivery of this story, I respect its content and the brave messages it so strongly conveyed.

Don't Make Me Beautiful centers on one woman's escape of an extremely brutal and heartbreaking case of domestic abuse. The beginning presents fairly gruesome events that, although potentially difficult for some to witness, are detrimental in communicating an honest representation of the abuse.

Nicole is a woman who is trapped in a physically and ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Jacqueline's Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, 4-star-books

4.5 Stars

Don’t make me Beautiful is a mixture of Safe Haven and Slave. It’s a damsel in distress story line that will grip your heart from start to finish.

I loved Shine Not Burn, so I was very excited for Elle Casey’s newest book, Don’t Make Me Beautiful. Okay, so “Romantic Suspense” isn’t a genre I usually read, BUT it’s an Elle Casey book, so I had to read it. Don’t make me beautiful made me realize how much I do love those deep emotional, you-want-to-give-the-Heroine-a-hug story line.

...more

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Jul 04, 2016 Dilek VT rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointing, abuse, domestic-violence

That book hugely disappointed me. Domestic violence is an issue all of us should be sensitive about and when films are made or books are written about it, I appreciate the effort; that is why I read this book but it didn’t make sense at all.

Having grown up in a home where there was domestic violence, I have a pretty good idea what it feels like and many things in this book sounded so wrong to me.

Before telling you my problems about this book, let me describe the severe condition of the abused gi ...more

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Jun 05, 2014 Beverly rated it liked it

Let me start by saying this subject matter, domestic abuse, is very near and dear to my heart. I think it is very serious and my heart goes out to individuals in these situations.

Nicole is living with a monster. For the past three years she has endured endless abuse. The mental abuse has broken her down and made her weak and vulnerable. The physical abuse has made her look like a monster, to the point she scares children.

A lot of people who read this have issues with Nicole staying in an ab ...more

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Sep 26, 2013 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Don't make me beautiful is the story of Nicole. Nicole is trapped in an abusive relationship, her boyfriend has beaten and tortured her to the point where she no longer recognises herself in the mirror. She can no longer see a way out and has resigned herself to always being trapped, always being a prisoner. She has continuously been broken down and along the way she has lost so much more than just herself........

Until one day a little boy hits a ball and breaks her window, and this simp

Don't make me beautiful is the story of Nicole. Nicole is trapped in an abusive relationship, her boyfriend has beaten and tortured her to the point where she no longer recognises herself in the mirror. She can no longer see a way out and has resigned herself to always being trapped, always being a prisoner. She has continuously been broken down and along the way she has lost so much more than just herself........

Until one day a little boy hits a ball and breaks her window, and this simple act brings Brian into her life.

Now I don't want to give too much more of the story away but what Elle Casey gives the reader in this book isn't simply a story about domestic violence. It's not simply a book about the victim of abuse, it's so much more than that. Elle gives us a beautiful love story about new beginnings, moving forward, learning to trust again and believing that despite the many monsters in this world, there are still some knights in shining armour waiting to catch us when we fall.

This review took me a while to write, it was hard because I didn't know how I could do justice to a book that touches on such a difficult subject matter, yet isn't all doom and gloom and unbearably dark. It was hard because I didn't know how I could explain how very real the author makes the story feel, how her writing flows so effortlessly that she was able to bring Nicole's character to life.

It was hard because it's a book that gives the reader a very raw insight into the life of a woman who has been beaten and broken both physically and emotionally, over and over again. Yet the author wrote it in a way that turned a heartbreaking story into a story of hope, a story about learning to trust again and moving on after some heartbreaking goodbyes.

It was a story, the author tells us, which was inspired by true events, about a woman who decides to make a stand, to trust in others and let herself be saved and despite some reviewers feeling it wasn't always a believable story, that surely no victim of abuse would react the way Nicole did.....well for me I never questioned it's believability, for me it was very real, because I was one of the lucky ones, and like Nicole, I was saved by my very own, real life, 'Brian', for whom everyday I am truly thankful.

...more

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Sep 18, 2013 K rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-boyfriend, friends-to-lovers, love-the-hero, 5-stars, dark, messed-up-heroine, made-me-cry, new-adult, heart-wrenching, mild-steam

✮✮✮✮✮ 5 Beautifully Damaged Stars ✮✮✮✮✮

"She stares out the window as the late afternoon sun tries to make it's way through the window. Those gauzy curtains would make it almost impossible for her to see what’s going on inside her house, if she were ever standing on the lawn or the sidewalk looking in. But that never happens. She never leaves the house. Not even at night. Well, once she did. But then never again. The aftermath was not worth the brief taste of freedom."

Don't Make Me Be ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Kainat 《HUFFLEPUFF & PROUD》 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Just watched Me Before You, now i can't stop picturing MC as Emilia Clarke! <3

Interesting title? Check.
Mysterious cover? Check.
On top of that this author's note!

"A really long time ago, I read an article in a newspaper or a magazine (I haven’t been able to locate the original) about a woman who was so badly beaten over a long period of time, she couldn’t leave her house. I thought about that woman a lot over the years and about what her thoughts might have been, her fears, her reality … and t ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 SamJ ★Needs a HEA★ rated it it was ok

Shelves: theme-saved-by-hero, theme-abusive-ex, theme-horrible-ex, reviewed, heroine-injured-damaged-wounded-ill, 2-star-reads, heroine-traumatic-tortured-sad-past, book-challenge-2014, genre-contemporary-romance, theme-insta-lust-or-love

★Book Basics★

Genre : - Contemporary Romance
Series : - Stand Alone
Love triangle? - (view spoiler)
Cheating? - (view spoiler)
HEA? - (view spoiler)
Would I read more by this author? - Maybe
Rating - 2

★Review★

At first this started off well, even though I am not a fan of present tense.

The switching of the chapters from Brian's life to Nicole's life was done very well. Offering some relief while serving to highlight the ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-books, captive, emotional-roller-coaster, made-me-cry, all-time-favorite, adult, contemporary, the-awww-factor, beauty-beast

*****5 Heart~~breaking~~ warming Stars*****

There are so many words I can think to describe this masterpiece but so few to describe the whole story in a nutshell.

I cried, laughed, swooned, hated, sighed, etc......

This book touches every emotion while reading and so few authors have this ability to really make the reader FEEL

Nicole is a young woman trapped in a relationship with a monster. A monster who has beaten her so bad that her face is distorted and has left her looking like a monster. It's beau ...more

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May 04, 2014 Raquel rated it did not like it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, did-not-finish, skimmed-a-lot, standalone, new-adult, instalovish, lots-of-eyerolling

DNF at around the 60% mark.

Have read other Elle Casey's books and have enjoyed them. But this one fell a bit flat. Really liked the idea of the story and the story started out ok, but as it went on some of the characters actions, mainly the main male character Brian's felt a bit too unrealistic . I really liked the compassion he showed but a lot his actions were just too much/too convenient for under the circumstances. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of insta-love and that was the vibe I got in t ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Jo rated it liked it

Shelves: gr2016, 3-stars

For the last three years, Nicole has been violently abused by her boyfriend. She used to be a very beautiful girl, but after years of abuse her face has been so disfigured that she can’t leave the house. The mental and physical abuse has made it impossible for her to leave, and even if she could have found the courage to try again, her boyfriend locks her in their home when he’s not there so that there’s no way out.

Until a little boy hits his baseball through her window, and a Knight comes to h

...more

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Sep 16, 2013 .Lili. rated it it was amazing

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I'm kind of late to the party on this one... so I won't rehash what the story is about. What I'd like to focus on instead is the fact that this was a beautiful story about strength, hope, and perseverance. Nicole, suffered through years of domestic abuse. This man, has made her prisoner in mind, body, and spirit.

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Upon chance she meets her guardian angel and from there she meets people who are truly there for her and make her a part of. They make her feel somehing she's been scared to feel: hope.

I ...more

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Sep 19, 2013 ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books rated it it was amazing

A monster living in the dark

At the age of twenty two Nicole doesn't even look human anymore..A monster, consigned to a life of fear and solitude..This story was inspired by true events..And that's when it became real for me..Gut wrenching, heart breaking raw story of domestic violence, times I had to stop reading and read something light because it just broke my heart..Imagine the solitude, day in day out, not going outside because of the way you looked..

Thinking you deserved this life dishe ...more

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Sep 24, 2013 [~Ami~]♥Sexy Dexy♥ marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: reviewed

DNF at 45%

I'm gonna have to call it a day when John just walked in again and gave me the creeps. *shivers*

Brian finds his neighbour, Nicole almost been left for dead in her own home. She has been the victim of severe physical and mental abused by her partner, leaving her face distorted.

A few things didn't work for me. The main problem being I just couldn't connect with the main characters. I felt like they lacked chemistry and there was sort of an insta love thing going on. I thought Brian was ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Sade rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book had a nice premise and the first couple of chapters were actually promising but the whole plot went down hill so fast, it left my head spinning.

I cannot stress this enough, authors need to stop romanticising serious issues in books.

When authors write about Rape, Kidnapping, Domestic Violence, Pedophilia et al and label perpetrators of these acts "Anti-Heroes" it stresses me out, when they paint it in a romantic way, it really really does my head in.

Real Life is messy and frankly if yo

This book had a nice premise and the first couple of chapters were actually promising but the whole plot went down hill so fast, it left my head spinning.

I cannot stress this enough, authors need to stop romanticising serious issues in books.

When authors write about Rape, Kidnapping, Domestic Violence, Pedophilia et al and label perpetrators of these acts "Anti-Heroes" it stresses me out, when they paint it in a romantic way, it really really does my head in.

Real Life is messy and frankly if you're going to bring the ugly that is part of life into books, you owe it to your readers and yourself to tackle that issue with respect. If it's too much then just write normal romance books where the biggest complication is probably lack of communication.
How, i mean HOW can you write what i can only classify as total B.S on domestic violence? People die from this, people's lives are practically destroyed from this. and i think it's very appaling that this author decided to write a book about this very gritty issue but never really addresses domestic violence head on. So you expect me, the reader to believe that a woman who has been abused for 3 BLOODY years to the point that her face has been disfigured (this brings me to how unrealistic the book cover is but i'll talk about that later),who hasn't spoken to any human being apart from her abuser for those three years agrees to go and live with a MAN who from the descriptions has an almost similar build to her abuser??? You expect me to believe that the hospital let her go without any referrals to theraphy? you expect me to believe that all through the book she didn't completely lose her shit once?? Not once did she lose her shit living in a strange man's house? are fucking kidding me?
How is it even acceptable to tell someone that has gone through such gruesome abuse less than a week ago according to the timeline of the book to stop feeling sorry for herself? Brian goes to Nicole in this scene:

"Stop. Now you're just feeling sorry for yourself...you're not going to mop around here all day and night, feeling sorry for yourself. This house is a pity party free zone".

How is that okay?

Then lets talk about the cover. I've come to the conclusion that whatever authors say in their book, they are the shallowest people ever. You'll read a book where the MC is supposedly disfigured and ugly but instead the book cover has a cover model that looks like he could walk the New York fashion show. Nicole is described as horribly deformed and her eyes are the only thing that has remained beautiful from her previous life, which, granted, is what can be seen from the cover. But can you really picture a horribly disfigured character from the cover? Because i sure as heck can't. Shouldn't something have shown? On the cover she just does look sad, yes, but otherwise perfect.

This book completely fails to deliver. It's like the author goes don't think about domestic violence too much, here's two people falling in insta love, think about that instead.
...more

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Aug 19, 2016 bibliophile (Romance Addict) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: abuse, 4-stars-books, adult, beauty-and-the-beast, dark, boss_worker, kidnapping

This book is worth 4.25 stars.

This is NOT a bad rating because I immensely enjoyed reading this novel. Nicole is a woman who has been abused for years. She has been prisoned and mistreated for a long time that she has given up on freedom.

This novel is good because:
♦ Reversed beauty and the beast.
♦ The abuse aspect is different because at the start of the book, Nicole is still experiencing it. It's kind of different from other books where the hero/ine has experienced it in the past but are sti ...more

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Sep 09, 2013 Marti Honeycutt rated it it was amazing

I will start out by saying that hands down this is the best book I've ever read.....and I have read so many.....this one just blew my fav's out of the water. Here's why:

This book is not about one night stands.....whoring around.....dirty thoughts upon knowing each other 5 seconds.....characters drowning theirselves in meaningless sex and meaningless relationships yadayada.....this book just feels so real. A lot of times I finish my books and I feel like dang I just spent hours of my time on that I will start out by saying that hands down this is the best book I've ever read.....and I have read so many.....this one just blew my fav's out of the water. Here's why:

This book is not about one night stands.....whoring around.....dirty thoughts upon knowing each other 5 seconds.....characters drowning theirselves in meaningless sex and meaningless relationships yadayada.....this book just feels so real. A lot of times I finish my books and I feel like dang I just spent hours of my time on that crap? Not with this book! I am proud to have read it! Now don't get me wrong i still love most or all of my romance books....but I am a very picky person when it comes to my romance books I want things to go a certain way lol yeah I know don't we all.....this book just went my way considering the circumstances of this story.....not only was I routing for the characters in this book but for the first time in reading a book I was very aware of the author I just kept thinking in my head from time to time.....you go girl! You wrote it right! There are all these books out there.....big time titles and stories that we all love....and when I got done reading this book I was like Elle Casey just surpasses them at least she does with this book....I am wanting to be her little reader cheerleader....I hope this book gets huge everyone should read it....those of us that read the likes of Sylvain Reynard.....Colleen Hoover....Abbi Gilnes.....S.C. Stephens....Jamie McGuire just to name a few.....we all sit around waiting for their new releases patiently....well Elle Casey just went on my top list of Authors to look for with their next story :) So anyway on to my review :)

Heroine: Oh where to start its so difficult....I guess I'll start by saying she is as broken as one could possibly get and still be breathing. We don't get a lot of information about her background ( growing up....family etc.) but that's okay we get all the information we need to understand why she is in the situation she is in....which is absolutely horrible....a real life nightmare that probably happens so often we wouldn't be able to sleep at night if we knew how much of a reality this story truly is.....my heart just broke for her....I don't do a lot of crying over a story but this one well I shed a lot of tears for this young lady....I won't say to much about her physical or mental condition it's not really something I can put into words....it's something you need to read and feel. This Heroine actually makes me think of a Phoenix rising from the ashes and persevering.....especially with the help of our Hero :)

Hero: Just when I think I've read a book and I go oh my best book boyfriend ever nobody will beat him....un huh....here in this book lies the best book boyfriend ever or to date anyways.....probably till Elle writes another book lol....
Our hero is the bomb! He is not a whore or a reformed whore lol god I love him! He is a Father.....a Ex-Husband/ Best Friend....He is a real Man! None of that I was hurt and now I'm gonna destroy myself lol Seriously he is so wonderful....He actually is an Angel....but he is not so great you think in your head nah I can't latch onto to him because he is just to wonderful....it's not like that! He is just a human being caring about another human being and looking deep inside to in our case the heroines soul.....her inner beauty.....her true self.....and wether or not people out there like him really exist it's such a good feeling to hope that maybe just maybe there is.....makes you wanna believe....

Helen: for the first time ever I am going to include an Ex....let me tell you why....she was great almost as great as the main characters....but more importantly not just because she was a pretty cool Ex...she is just testament to how great our hero is.....read and you'll see why ;)
Agnes: heck for kicks and giggles I am gonna throw in the neighbor too....she is a neighbor I would be blessed to have.....her part in the book was small but meaningful.

So...there is a little breakdown of our characters....

I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book.....I am a forever fan of Elle Casey.....

I also wanna throw a little shout out to another book by this author Shine not Burn......which is equally as great! And also if the author reads this: just wanna mention Ian again :) want his story so bad!!!! Lol just had to throw that in there :)

Happy Reading! ...more

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Sep 12, 2013 Kirsty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2015, favourites-2015

5 stars just aren't enough. And neither are my words. Nothing can give this book the amount of credit it deserves.

"I'm no superhero."
"Tell that to the girl you're rescuing."

Don't Make Me Beautiful broke my heart. I've had this book on my 'to-read' pile for a long time but have never really felt that in to the idea of reading it. For no reason at all other than there's always another book to read.. Well, I am so glad I finally decided to give it a go. It was ~~beautiful~~.

Nicole is living 5 stars just aren't enough. And neither are my words. Nothing can give this book the amount of credit it deserves.

"I'm no superhero."
"Tell that to the girl you're rescuing."

Don't Make Me Beautiful broke my heart. I've had this book on my 'to-read' pile for a long time but have never really felt that in to the idea of reading it. For no reason at all other than there's always another book to read.. Well, I am so glad I finally decided to give it a go. It was ~~beautiful~~.

Nicole is living through a nightmare of a life. Her partner beats her to a bloody pulp on a regular basis and she hasn't left her home in over three years. Her face is disfigured and she thinks of herself as nothing more than a monster. I admit I had a really hard time a) picturing Nicole and b) stomaching some of the stuff that she has had to live through. It was truly painful to imagine. And what's worse is we all know this goes on in the world, but when you read about it in such detail, it just brings it all home. It really is beyond worsd.

"Scars are your body's way of healing, making that damaged part stronger than it ever was before the pain."

Her saviour comes in the form of Brian, a recently divorced single dad of one. He was perfection. Absolute perfection. He quite literally rescues Nicole, in all the ways that matter. And slowly but surely he helps to rebuild her life, giving her back the confidence she has lost along the way. All the while, falling in love with her. Their love story was one of the sweetest, most honest that I have ever read. Most people would think, Nicole herself included, how can he see past 'a monster'? Well, he does and I can totally see why. This book teaches you one hell of a lesson. Don't ever judge a person by their looks, not until you know their story and get to know the real person, the one inside. I think we could all take some advice from this book.

"You just keep on crying until all the sadness is gone, and I'll just keep wiping the tears away until you don't need me to anymore."

The writing in this book, as you can imagine, was flawless. I can't imagine what a difficult subject it is to write about, but Elle Casey did it beautifully. I can't say enough positive things about this book. All I can say though is, if you get the chance, give this book a go. You certainly won't regret it. ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 ♥Sharon♥ rated it really liked it

Don’t make me beautiful is a heart wrenching story about a young woman who has suffered unspeakable physical and mental abuse at the hands of someone she thought loved her.

Nicole’s story was painful to read. I can’t imagine surviving what she went through. Once beautiful, her face is now distorted because of so many beatings where the broken bones, cuts and bruises were left to heal on their own. My heart more than broke for her. It shattered into a million pieces. But as I turned the pages and Don’t make me beautiful is a heart wrenching story about a young woman who has suffered unspeakable physical and mental abuse at the hands of someone she thought loved her.

Nicole’s story was painful to read. I can’t imagine surviving what she went through. Once beautiful, her face is now distorted because of so many beatings where the broken bones, cuts and bruises were left to heal on their own. My heart more than broke for her. It shattered into a million pieces. But as I turned the pages and finished each chapter, my heart was slowly put back together.

At the beginning of the book the chapters are split between learning of Nicole’s torment and meeting Brian and Liam who turn out to be the ones to finally get her out of the hell that she has been living in. It was a hell that she wished she could have escaped but not only did she have insurmountable fear; she was harboring an exorbitant amount of heartache.

When Brian first sees Nicole it is without question that he was going to care for her and help her heal somehow. It isn’t easy for him to make this decision because he has his young son Liam to think about. But with the support of his ex-wife Helen he finds away.

Brian is an incredible person. He has the ability to look beyond a person’s physical appearance. He believes that beauty starts within a person’s heart and soul. Because of Brian’s actions and words Nicole learns to accept the love that he and the others are giving her. She begins to heal and becomes a stronger person.

Their journey is not easy. There is heartache and comfort. There is suffering and happiness. There is rejection and acceptance. There is weakness and healing.

Ellen Casey did an incredible job at writing this story. There were a few twists and turns in this book that had me on edge too. While I found it hard to put down, there were a few times that I had no choice. There were parts of this story that had me sobbing and truly feeling the heartache that everyone was going through. This story will have your emotions all over the place.

My only negative point would be to say that there was a lot going on at that end of the book and while it did all come together it just felt a bit rushed.
...more

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Nov 15, 2015 *TANYA* rated it it was amazing

Wow!! I couldn't put this book down!!! Yup, it was intense!! I can't wait to read more of the authors other books.

“You are your own keeper, Nicole. I’m just your protector. I can’t let you go back to him. He’ll kill you next time, you know that, don’t you?"

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Sep 16, 2013 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Wow!!! A completely unique storyline.. Sad, gut wrenching, sweet, hopeful....I loved it.

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Sep 04, 2013 Alpha Possessive Heroes rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, swoon-worthy-hero, emotional-so-much-angst-book, weak-no-backbone-heroine, scarred-heroine, doormat-weak-heroine, abused-tortured-raped, romantic-suspense, dark-intense, intense-too-much

Wow, this was emotional, disturbing and beautiful! I started reading this around 12 am, told myself I'm just going to read a few pages to make me feel sleepy but damn.. I couldn't take my eyes off my kindle!

I've never been abused, but reading this book I was consumed with different emotions. To be honest at one point I felt that I was her.

Brian.. oh sweet Brian. I usually go for possessive, jerk hero but in this story our hero Brian is quite the opposite. He's nice, sweet, honest and understandi ...more

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Apr 25, 2019 Chan rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm struggling with what to say about this book.

I see that it's labeled as dark, but I would disagree. I think disturbing is a better adjective.

Elle Casey addressed a serious issue with this novel, but IMO, it wasn't done well. I don't want to be rude, but this is one of those reads that I could have lived the rest of my life without reading. I don't expect a formulaic storyline or an HEA, but a sensitive issue like this needs to be handled...IDK...I just didn't care for it.

I'm not rating lower ...more

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Sep 15, 2013 Renee rated it liked it

**A Romance Suspense Novel**

I liked the writing and it had a unique story line. However, I felt it was a little unrealistic - I did not feel it was accurate description of the way someone who had been so brutally abused would have reacted and responded to a new relationship. Overall an OK read.
...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Imy♥♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: new-adult, october-2013, recommended, 5-awesome-stars, favourites, on-my-kindle, loved-the-ending, made-me-cry, abuse

Don't Make Me Beautiful truly is one of those great stand alone novels. I laughed. I loved. I cried and got angry. This book took me by complete surprise!

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At twenty-two, Nicole no longer resembles the beautiful young girl she once was three years ago. Her face has been savagely disfigured after years of abuse, So she hides from the world and tries to survive living, with him. Hopeful that one day death will set her free from the beast.

Brian's a single father to his six year old son, Liam. Both wi ...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Vickie*** rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amazing-heroines, loved, dual-pov, you-make-my-heart-hurt, abuse

there's not enough stars/5

Lately I have been really judgmental towards new books, and I was worried that I would criticize this book as well. THANK GOD THAT WAS NOT THE CASE

This is the first book ever where I cried more than once. It's such an emotional read. I am so glad that I came across this book!!

little beginning summary:
Nicole is currently living with her abusive boyfriend. Not really one of those cliche book abusive bf, because not only was Nicole scarred on the inside, but on the outs ...more

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Sep 14, 2013 Ⓑookish Ⓞne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: luv-it

You know how sometimes you just have that urge to find a read that will wrap itself around your heart and tug it? Well, I found this book, ‘Don’t Make Me Beautiful’ and as cliché as it may sound, it was, an instant connection.

I was up early Saturday morning eager to start reading. Having a late night out the night before, my mind was not truly ready for what I was about to encounter. The story is told in alternate point of views, between the H - Brian and the h - Nicole.

Okay, here goes….. I was You know how sometimes you just have that urge to find a read that will wrap itself around your heart and tug it? Well, I found this book, ‘Don’t Make Me Beautiful’ and as cliché as it may sound, it was, an instant connection.

I was up early Saturday morning eager to start reading. Having a late night out the night before, my mind was not truly ready for what I was about to encounter. The story is told in alternate point of views, between the H - Brian and the h - Nicole.

Okay, here goes….. I was in tears the first half of this book!!! At one time I was trying to figure out if it was close to that time of the month and I was probably just “hormonal”. Sob! sob! sob! Once I came to the part where the author is describing in vivid detail Nicole’s physical appearance from years of physical abuse, that image is what I saw, as I read through. I was in Nicole’s ‘state of mind’ feeling helpless, hopeless and living in hell! I desperately wished I could reach into my Kindle and be her friend, hold her hand, comfort her and save her from the monster she was living with. The abuse she endured tormented me as well. I had to take a breather from time to time; between my heart tightening and my uncontrollable sobbing! I was a total mess!

Oh Brian! With a “ruggedly handsome face, soft blue eyes and a muscular frame”. He may not be the usual, alpha male, billionaire, bad boy, CEO or rock star that we all swoon about. But, it was his kindness, compassion, patience and understanding that was attractive, admirable and awe-inspiring. Deep within was a genuine person who looked beyond Nicole’s imperfections, determined to protect her, guide and help her through the toughest of times.

Even the secondary characters like Liam, Brian's son. His ex-wife Helen or Agnes the neighbor are all worthy of mention. Their characters and personalities were integral to the storyline.

Pain, anguish, misery, heartache were true emotions that I had felt. Sadness knowing Nicole’s story of physical, psychological and emotional abuse is not far from the truth for some women out here in the real world.

I know that Don’t Make Me Beautiful will linger in my mind and tug at my heart a little longer. Elle Casey has done a terrific job in this well written story. Most of all she has brought awareness to an issue some may not be aware is prevalent all around.

I gave this read 4.5 stars because of a few (very few) typos that threw me off a few times while reading. This is a standalone book. No cliffhanger and a HEA!

Favorite Book Quote: "You're a girl that fell in love with the wrong guy. You're face doesn't matter, it's your heart that is important. And if you can love a guy like that, then I know it has to be twice the size of a normal one" ~Brian

™From My Playlist: Coldplay – Fix You
...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Ihcene rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, romance, dark-themes, new-adult

I was intrigued by this book, first the cover then the blurb!
The story is about Nicole an abused woman who's been beaten within every inch of her body that she's no longer recognizable.. She's later rescued by her neighbor and the story goes from there!
I felt myself cry more than once while reading this book, it was so intense and it completely broke my heart, there was hope, faith and love and it deserve a happy ending.

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Sep 16, 2013 Jill rated it liked it

This book didn't waste time getting right into it. I liked how it described Nicole's "relationship" with John perfectly without being to graphic. I felt so sorry for her and I instantly wanted to see her get her HEA.

Brian and his son Liam were her angels. They saved her from "the monster". But some of the things Brian did I thought were kind of....rushed??? (view spoiler) ...more

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