The Ugly Duckling: A Novel

I was looking for something different from the normal fare I read. That's when I accidentally fell into this book, simply because I was intrigued by the description I read on Bookbub. Unfortunately I was under the mistaken impression this would be a suspenseful, revenge tale with a feminine twist. The framework was there, but the bulk of the story revolved around the cliched and predictable romance between the victimized heroine and the bad boy, but honorable anti-hero who takes her under his wing and gives her the skills to exact her vengeance. Yada-yada-yada. If you think I am being harsh, I just want to say this book contains 409 pages and only the last 40 pages contain the revenge plot and execution. You can probably guess what the other 369 pages were about. I gave it two stars only because I read the whole thing.

Iris Johansen is a romance author who actually puts a plot and developed characters into her stories. This book is about Nell, a mousy, plain, timid woman who marries a sophisticated and wealthy man. A hit man kills her husband and their daughter, and Nell is severely battered and almost killed trying to defend her daughter. The facial injuries are so severe that plastic surgeons have to piece her together, and she recovers, now with the face of an angel. And she gradually finds out that the killer is still after her, and she can either start a new anonymous safe life, or go after the killer to find out why her family was targeted, and to get revenge.

The book was pretty suspenseful and exciting, even the supporting characters were developed. There were lots of twists and surprises. The only negatives were that the ending was kind of abrupt, and the main character Nell wasn't actually all that likable...she was a little too passive and whiny. However, it was very readable, held my attention, and was pretty exciting.

This is a story that shows a woman's transformation from an unattractive, submissive wife into an assertive and lovely woman who knows what she wants and is willing to pay the price to get it.

Nell Calder isn't born beautiful, a fact that her unfeeling mother informs her of. How she was able to grow normally in a home with an unloving mother was a tribute to an inner strength that she didn't know she had.

She married well, but at a party in a European city, her husband, Richard, a banker, and her precious four-year-old daughter, Jill, were murdered. Nell fell from a balcony during the struggle with the killer and was so badly injured that she needed plastic surgery.

After the reconstructive surgery, Nell's appearance changed to that of a lovely woman but inside, she was a shell. When she learned that her family had been murdered, she became depressed.

Nicholas Tanek was at the party and felt somewhat responsible for the killings. He tells Nell that the man responsible is Philippe Gardeaux, and that the killings were carried out by Gardeaux's man, Paul Maritz. Gardeaux is a criminal attempting to gain prestige and position with the Columbian drug lords.

After learning who the man was who ordered her family murdered, Nell has a new reason to live, revenge.

The author does nicely in describing Nell's development into a woman possessed with the desire for revenge. We also see Nicholas bring out a softer side of Nell, as an artist. However, she keeps this in the background as she is undergoing physical strengthening and learing offensive skills to use against the killer.

Nicholas is a criminal of sorts and a rival of Gardeaux but he doesn't deal in drugs. He brings Nell to his ranch to train and admits that he is an adversary of Gardeaux and will continue to pursue him for Nell but she insists that she wants to be a part of the revenge, with his help.

This is a fast moving novel with a number of interesting characters. At one point, Nell signs up for training in a para-military facility in Florida. She meets a young man named Paul Drake who is a childlike person mentally and was sent to this camp by his father to toughen him up. Nell's relationship with Paul, in the form of a big sister, is a pleasant sub-plot.

I enjoyed the novel and the plot development. The author provided a surprise toward the end that was well done but perfectly logical.

An enjoyable and fun read.

THE UGLY DUCKLING was the second thriller by Iris Johansen that I read. After reading AND THEN YOU DIE, I immediately picked up this book and began reading.

THE UGLY DUCKLING was captivating from the beginning and nothing like the fairy tale for which it is named. The story of Nell Calder, an average looking woman who was told how ugly she was all of her life and came to believe it, is thrown into the middle of murder and mayhem. What she didn't realize was that she was at the center of that nastiness. She miraculously survives an assassination attempt, while everyone else at a party is murdered, including her daughter. She comes through, but is so badly injured she requires a completely new face, compliments of the world's top plastic surgeon. All of the recovery is arranged by Nicholas Tanek her self-imposed guardian angel, or is he?

This book is a great thriller with a little romance thrown in for balance. Johansen has once again written a winner and does it with her unique style. Her novels are more exciting, and have more twists and turns, than a roller coaster ride. Just when you think you've figured it all out, she throws a monkey wrench into the works, and you're back to square one.

I have a term for a book that is impossible to put down: "a stoplight book". That's what I call a book that you have lying on the front seat of your car, and you read a few sentences or a paragraph while waiting for the stoplight to turn green. Now some of you may think that's pathetic, but you know it's a great story when the book calls your name while you're at a red light on your way to work or running errands! THE UGLY DUCKLING is definitely "a stoplight book".

One of the things I admire about Johansen's writing style, is the fact that you never really know who the bad guy is until the end. You may have an idea but her characters are never clearly evil or good, but a mixture of both. Maybe that's why her books seem to mimic real life (it could be real life) and draw you in from the first page.

This book should definitely be placed at the top of your reading list. You're gonna love it!!

The back cover of "The Ugly Duckling" asks: "If fate suddenly made you more beautiful than you ever dreamed possible, would it be the beginning of a fairy tale, or your worst nightmare...?" However, that rhetorical question does not even come close to scratching the surface on this thriller by Iris Johansen because by the time Nell Calder is transformed into a beautiful swan she is already living a horrible nightmare. As a little girl it was pounded into Nell's head by her mother than she was never going to be the swan, always the ugly duckling. As an adult Nell is married to a handsome executive and has a four-year old daughter, but the doubts are always there. Then there is an attack on a party at which her husband and child are killed and Nell is horribly scarred. Yes, she emerges as a stunning beauty, but inside is that creature of doubt, transformed not so much by the amazing surgery but by the brutality of events.
If this is a fairy tale then Johansen is clearly writing a very grim fairy tale. Because Nell was not just an innocent bystander, she was a target of the attack and the killer is still after her. As much as Nell would like to know why this is still happening to her, the more primal part of her sees the opportunity not just to fight back but to claim revenge for her loved ones and finally get back at those nagging voices her mother put inside her brain. With her new face, Nell has effectively disappeared from the killer's radar. But then she figures out that the only way to catch the killer is to let him think he has caught her.
Surely this book is in development somewhere off in Tinsel Town with actresses fighting over the role and trying to figure out how they will make themselves look like the "before" Nell. I like a story of revenge as much as the next person and this one delivers just desserts to all of the characters. "The Ugly Duckling" is not great fiction, but it is a first class, fast moving thriller where the psychological dimensions of survival are given as much play as the physical. Of course, if you stop and think about it, most fairy tales have their nightmarish aspects, so maybe that back cover blurb was not off as much as we might have thought.

This was unique. The heroine of the story has some serious psychological, mother-inflicted damage before the circumstances of her transformation ever arrive. She goes through what I can only imagine is the worst horror inflicted on someone, the loss of a child coupled with the loss of her spouse. Because of scars received during the attack on her family, she's transformed physically into a stunning woman. But her mind is conflicted by the internal vision she has of herself. So she goes on a violent spree bent on revenge. Uh, what?

Although most people can understand the desire for revenge (especially in our heroine's case), I find the main character unbelievable. Am I really supposed to buy this timid, bent-low-from-an-overbearing-mother character suddenly becoming Lara Croft the Avenging Angel? Now if she went on a rampage because it had all been far too much for her delicate psyche and she snapped, then I could see it.

So, why four stars? Because overall, it's an enjoyable, butt-kicking, fist-pumping, tear-jerking read. So you totally get hooked on the main character even if she's unbelievable.

The back cover of "The Ugly Duckling" asks: "If fate suddenly made you more beautiful than you ever dreamed possible, would it be the beginning of a fairy tale, or your worst nightmare...?" However, that rhetorical question does not even come close to scratching the surface on this thriller by Iris Johansen because by the time Nell Calder is transformed into a beautiful swan she is already living a horrible nightmare. As a little girl it was pounded into Nell's head by her mother than she was never going to be the swan, always the ugly duckling. As an adult Nell is married to a handsome executive and has a four-year old daughter, but the doubts are always there. Then there is an attack on a party at which her husband and child are killed and Nell is horribly scarred. Yes, she emerges as a stunning beauty, but inside is that creature of doubt, transformed not so much by the amazing surgery but by the brutality of events.
If this is a fairy tale then Johansen is clearly writing a very grim fairy tale. Because Nell was not just an innocent bystander, she was a target of the attack and the killer is still after her. As much as Nell would like to know why this is still happening to her, the more primal part of her sees the opportunity not just to fight back but to claim revenge for her loved ones and finally get back at those nagging voices her mother put inside her brain. With her new face, Nell has effectively disappeared from the killer's radar. But then she figures out that the only way to catch the killer is to let him think he has caught her.
Surely this book is in development somewhere off in Tinsel Town with actresses fighting over the role and trying to figure out how they will make themselves look like the "before" Nell. I like a story of revenge as much as the next person and this one delivers just desserts to all of the characters. "The Ugly Duckling" is not great fiction, but it is a first class, fast moving thriller where the psychological dimensions of survival are given as much play as the physical. Of course, if you stop and think about it, most fairy tales have their nightmarish aspects, so maybe that back cover blurb was not off as much as we might have thought.

Nell Calder is plain and plump with a pretty daughter and a handsome financier husband. For some unknown reason she's the target of a drug cartel and during the attempt on her life at a party on a Greek island she's disfigured and her husband and daughter are killed. Nicholas Tanek, enemy of her attackers, flies her to safety and has her transformed from the Ugly Duckling to the Beautiful Swan via plastic surgery. However beauty alone isn't enough of a reason for Nell to go on living, but Nick gives her another, Revenge.

This book marks Iris Johansen's shift from romance writer to a writer of romantic thrillers and it's worth the read. I give it five stars.

I recently discovered IJ and I have been reading everthing that she has written, I like her style. I loved this book because this was no size 2 model type woman, she was real, a little plump and dealing with many insecurities. He saw something in her anyway that he loved. IJ makes her men strong but yet vulerable to her strong but loving women, and it is refreshing to have men who wear their hearts on their sleeves sometimes. Alex from Reap the Wind is a perfect example(my all time fav). Nick and Nell are a good couple and this is a great read! Pick it up and try Reap the Wind and the continuation Final Target too, you will not regret it!

I recently discovered IJ and I have been reading everthing that she has written, I like her style. I loved this book because this was no size 2 model type woman, she was real, a little plump and dealing with many insecurities. He saw something in her anyway that he loved. IJ makes her men strong but yet vulerable to her strong but loving women, and it is refreshing to have men who wear their hearts on their sleeves sometimes. Alex from Reap the Wind is a perfect example(my all time fav). Nick and Nell are a good couple and this is a great read! Pick it up and try Reap the Wind and the continuation Final Target too, you will not regret it!

Nell Calder's life was forever changed the night she and her family were attacked by a madman. Plain looking and overweight, nobody really noticed Nell and she blended into the background, but no more. After an attack left her family dead and face broken and unrecognizable, a world renowned plastic surgeon takes on the challenge of transforming the ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. And she is pissed. Her attacker is determined to finish what he started, but he doesn't know what Nell looks like. Hell-bent on taking him down, Nell trains hard and transforms from a shy weakling into a trained assassin. She won't stop until her attacker is dead.

This is my first book by Iris Johansen and I really enjoyed the storyline. It was fast paced without leaving out important details and I was fully engaged all the way up to the end. The book had a well developed plot, I never felt like it was rushed or thrown together. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller and I plan to read more books by this author.

I have always enjoyed Ms Johansson’s books. I decided to reread some that I haven’t read in a long time and I’m glad I did. Suspense all through from beginning to the end. Glorious book by an awesome writer.

Great book! The story had twists and turns that I never saw coming. Nell Calder is a woman to be with a mission. Beware a woman who looses a child. This is an easy read because the characters are well developed and you want to know more about them.

Another great page-turner from Iris Johansen! Plain, timid, and overweight protagonist whips it into shape before setting off on her quest for revenge/closure. Thankfully, the improvement to her outward appearance (courtesy of kind and noble plastic surgeon) is eclipsed by the inner beauty/strength Nell finds. Interesting and suspenseful plot with a cast of heroic characters carrying their own dark secrets. You will cheer on the strong females and their cunning pals as they give the bad guys their comeuppance. Recommended.

I enjoyed this book. I loved how Nell transformed from a mousy doormat of a housewife into a strong woman. She and Nicholas Tanek are well-developed characters and I loved how their romance slowly developed. I liked how that while Tanek honestly admitted he was attracted to Nell's new appearance, he'd still love her even if she looked like her old self. However, I think maybe the story puts too much emphasis on the female protagonist's physical appearance. I think the story would have been better if Nell had transformed without plastic surgery.The whole miraculous plastic surgery thing belongs on a soap opera, not a well-written, mature piece of fiction. It's was too farfetched for me. Also, if Nell transformed from a frumpy wallflower into an attractive, strong-willed woman without cosmetic surgery, it would reveal a certain truth---our physical appearance depends a lot on how we feel about ourselves. Maybe the real reason the "before" Nell was homely was because her mentally abusive mother kept telling her she was "an ugly little mouse" over and over again. I loved the plot twist concerning her husband. That one surprised me. The only other reservation I have about this book is that Nell becomes a kind of vigillante with the help of Tanek. The whole "take the law into your own hands" message doesn't sit well with this reader. Yet I still recommend this book and I want to read more books by this author.

I liked the premise and characters of Johansen's Firestorm (Eve Duncan) better, but she took more time with relationship and character development in this one, which was good. Just felt more of a connection WITH the characters in Firestorm (Eve Duncan), but more of a connection BETWEEN the characters with this one. However, it was pretty confusing and complex at parts, and the ending was just too abrupt. I actually think I liked Firestorm (Eve Duncan) better, so try that one first.

This book was absolutely amazing! I couldn't not put it down! Iris draws you into the plot and the characters... they were so well written. Every time I thought I figured it out, a twist would happen. I have recommended this book to many of my friends!

Ironically, I picked up this book for the most superficial of reasons: The blue lettering on the white background was a beautiful combination. It sounded interesting and I was in the mood for a mystery. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't wait to finish the book so I could discover what would happen to Nell, yet I was very sad when I finished the book. I was left wanting more.

I think this novel is a definate five star rating. I thought it was well written and kept me intrigued from beginning to end.

The novel had a sad and tragic beginning, A child was murdered and tragically taken away from her parents. It went from a happy marriage to lies and deception.I knew this book was going to be good from the beginning. It has secrets that come out through out the book and is a constant page turner.

It has all the needed characters for a great thriller, from the damsel in distress, the boy with no real family, and the handsome, mysterious Tanek, as well as many other good characters. With the help of Nell and other people they find and seek revenge on the people that murdered Nells' daughter.

I thought this was an excellent novel and would reccommend it to everyone.

Iris Johansen is becomming one of my favorite authors. I didn't want to put it down! It is a book I wanted to read again right after I finished it. The characters were such strong people in the book. This book really keeps you on the edge of your seat. I am normally a fan of historical romance, but this book is now my favorite book. Nell Calder is an incredible character with such stength and bravery. Being a mother myself, losing a child would be the worst, and Iris Johansen depicts Nell's feelings of loss well. I like the description of Nocholas Tanek being compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, then finding out more about him and his ranch. Nell's husband got what he deserved for how he treated Nell. This book has a little bit of everything. Even touching on corruption in the DEA. Iris Johansen is an amazing author. The details she puts into her books is outstanding!

I was shocked when I started reading the reviews for this book. I honestly thought maybe there was a different book with the same name. This book is like all of Iris Johansen's novels (the couple I have managed to finish anyways. I keep thinking they'll get better but they don't.) The plot sounds deceptively intriguing, but fails to live up to the back cover. Strong willed girl endangers the life of herself and everyone around her to get revenge, and the rich powerful attractive stranger (almost always a murderer or criminal, but no one seems to let that bother them) steps in to help her and they fall in love within minutes. All this is conveyed through pure dialog. And poorly written, sometimes painful dialog at that. It's like reading a bad soap opera script. It's not a romance novel, it's not a suspense novel, it's not a well-written novel. So if you're looking for any of those, keep looking.

This book was great. Although the plot reminded me of other stories the author does a great job adding a few twists and surprises. The writing is excellent from start to finish, you are never left hanging or disappointed. I usually do not enjoy books of these types (I am a big Fantasy genre fan) but after simply reading the Prolouge I was hooked.
I recommend this book to anyone who is literate. I am trying to think of one bad element to the story but it is all solid. The story may be an old tale but the way Iris Johansen writes will keep you on your toes. Go get it now!

Truley grand loved every page . beauty is on the inside. there was courage real love a real trooper never giving up and everyone got what they deserve only part that was unfair was the daughter but life isnt fair and things like this happen and worse.

I haven't heard of this author before reading this book. But one day, in the book store, I saw "The Ugly Duckling", the cover is very attracting, so I read a bit about the book, and I was hooked. I bought it and I couldn't put it down, I spent all my time that night to finish it. This book is amazing, the way Ms. Johansen describe the characters, so powerful, so real, the appearance of the characters, the details about the environment, the feelings of the characters. When you are reading the book, you can actually see the image running over your head. The way she developed the suspense, it really makes you hooked and just keep reading. This book has suspense, romance, everything. And I just keep recommending this book to all of my friends. Trust me, read this book, and you won't be disappointed.

I have enjoyed every novel I have read written by Iris Johansen. This story is one of her best. What if you were suddenly beautiful beyond your dreams? What if you finally found true love? What if your past relentlessly strove to catch up with you? What if that past will kill you if it catches you?

Once you suspend your disbelief, the story's an OK thriller - not good, not bad, but OK when you have some time to kill.

However, the premise itself is pretty unbelievable. The idea is that Nell's been treated like dirt for years because she's ugly, and wants to avenge the murder of her biological daughter Jill.

Wait a minute.

If Nell was ugly then nobody would have wanted sex with her and there would be no Jill in the first place (Johansen makes it pretty clear that the kid was conceived during lovemaking with a guy who liked Nell, not during rape by a guy who hated Nell). So this "ugly duckling" wasn't even ugly in the first place, maybe plain but society still treats that a lot better than ugliness.

Nice story. At first I had a difficult time getting wrapped up in the story. The characters were difficult to pinpoint until the story fleshed out a bit. By the end of the novel, I felt it was an enjoyable read. I liked the love story and the chase, but overall it was an okay weekend read.

Sadly, the more likeable characters of this novel are not the main characters. Oh, the main characters are not horrible, but they're boring in comparison to their friends. I picked this up recognizing Iris Johanson as a romance writer and this isn't really a romance. I was very disappointed that the hero NEVER tells the heroine that he loves her. That he slept with another woman after developing feelings for her didn't help either. The majority of the time Nell was thoroughly unpleasant to be around. The author killed off two characters after letting the reader form an attachment to them. I recommend checking this one out from the library before committing to a purchase.