2001 Dolors

Nell Calder: The Ugly Duckling. Nothing was special about her. Her own mother said she was an ugly duckling and would never be a swan. Nell's life revolved around Jill, her daughter. This life fell apart in one night. The night of the hit. A Knife-man named Maritz was hired to murder her at a party. She was in her room when he attacked her and she ended up falling of the balcony into rocks (they were on an island) her face was smashed and Maritz killed Jill too. So a plastic surgeon gave her a new face and Nell only has one goal. She must kill Maritz. But along the way she has other questions to answer. Who is Gardeaux? Why does he want her dead? How can she get revenge against someone who ENJOYS killing people when she doesn't even know the basics o fighting? Simple. Nicholas Tanek. The man she met at the fateful party, the man who brought her to the plastic surgeon, who gave her purpose when she wanted to die. Still, going after the drug dealer Gardeaux and his many weapon specialists like Maritz won't be easy.

This book was great though a bit more adultish than I would like. the uncureable sickness was cool and how Tanek cleverly brought down Gardeaux. He died from what was supposed to kill his victims. ( )

The best Johansen's book I read so far!!

Even if some general traits of this book are quite common among other books of the same genre and, most of all, other books of the same author, I think in this case the storyline and the characters were developped with more care and attention to the details and it really paid off! All the secrets machinations and intrigues that linked one character with the others made this book even more enjoyable and intriguing. ( )

Nell Calder is a plain looking, mousy wife of a successful international businessman. All she really cares about is her daughter but she tries to be the trophy wife. Then her daughter and husband are killed by terrorists and she is horribly maimed. A brilliant plastic surgeon gives her a traffic stopping new face and she uses it for revenge. I'd never heard of this author before - found the book on a table at a charity sale. It was a really good story - different but good. Then I did some research and discovered that Johnsen is a prolific romance novelist. I'm such a book snob that I'm sure glad I did the research after reading the book or I would have 'snobbed' myself out of a good read! ( )

Recommended by a student, my students and I loved it, but my reading group was not impressed. I still recommend it, and most reviews are positive.

If fate suddenly made you more beautiful that you ever dreamed possible, would it be the beginning of a fairy tale, or your worst nightmare?

The brutal attack should have killed anybody, but Nell Calder did more than survive. She emerged a woman transformed, with an exquisite beauty found only in fairy tales. Nell Calder deserved a happy ending. Instead, her descent into terror has just begun.

Her attacker is still on the hunt, determined to finish what he's started. And Nell, protected by a new face, is just as determined to fight back and take her revenge. But to catch her prey, she will have to expose herself—even if it makes her a killer's prime target. ( )