Did You Ever Love Me?: Abused by the ones who were supposed to keep her safe

by Toni Maguire

“It’s what daddies do with their little girls,” he explains, “every little girl does it. But it’s a secret, and you must not talk about it.”

Cassie was too young to remember when her father started abusing her. With no one to turn to in a house where her father ruled with an iron fist and her mother only saw her as a rival for her husband’s affection, she married a man she didn’t love in order to escape. When she eventually confessed her secret, her husband abandoned her and the children. They were soon taken into care as Cassie fell to drinking. Now would begin the biggest challenge of her winning her children back and working to eclipse the pain of her childhood.

This is the heartbreaking true story of a little girl that just wanted to be loved.

Genres: Memoir, Abuse

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2018

About the author

“Don’t tell Mummy”, my memoir of my own childhood abuse, became a UK best seller in 2007. Writing about my experiences was hard emotionally, but in retrospect it has helped me deal with my past and realize that there is no shame in being the victim. It is never the child’s fault, whatever the abuser makes them believe at the time. How can it be? I then wrote a sequel, “When Daddy Comes Home”, which deals with the mental trauma of having a father jailed for incest, return to a home where my mother welcomed him back as if nothing had happened and turned her back on me.

My success with my two autobiographies encouraged others who had kept their childhood secrets hidden to approach me and five books depicting their stories followed: Helpless, Nobody Came, Don’t You Love Your Daddy? Can’t Anyone Help Me? All very different, but with one thing in common; the victims all thought they were somehow to blame.

I hope that my books have helped expose and lift the social taboos of acknowledging physical and emotional abuse together mental illness. Whereas children are victims, adults need to be survivors. I not only used my own name in my books, but placed my photograph there as well, making my point that no shame should be attached to having been a victim.

To date I have published over 1.5 million books worldwide. In October last year France published Madeline’s story, “They Stole my Innocence,” which will be available in the UK in August. Before I wrote it, I had started writing my first novel; a mixture of fact and fiction which happily I have now finished, titled “Pretty Maids all in a Row” Set against the capricious, unequal and often cruel landscape of London’s Victorian era, it is the story of Agnes a fisherman’s daughter and Emily a heiress. One travels to London in search for her sister, the other is kidnapped, simply because she is was so beautiful. Both girls are taken to Mary Jefferies, the notorious brothel keeper whose clients were some of the most powerful men in England. Her sponsor was King Leopold, the cousin of Queen Victoria. Against this background the passionate men and women known as the Reformers were striving to get the age of consent. This is a major departure in the style of my writing and I think my previous fan-base and totally new readers of my work will find it enthralling.

Reviews

[Erica⭐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tells a sad real life story of the sexual abuse of Cassie by her father and who also mentally abused her brothers who had special needs . An evil sick man. It does sadden me that there was no one to help her really and the mother neglected her in more ways than one. But Cassie comes threw all of it .

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this break my heart. To know that there are real monsters out there who do things like this and think that it’s okay. I’m always honored and amazed at the courage of those who step out and tell their stories in a world fills with those who blame the victims.

[Michelle Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very hard to read but was fantastically written. I felt so emotional from the first page and fought hard against the tears that threatened throughout this story. Absolutely heart wrenching.

[Veda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t explain it ..just heartbreaking 💔

[Kelly Ferrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sad story of what a little girl endured at the hands of a nasty man, her father!
What is perceived as a innocent show of love turns into years of torment by not just her father but her mother who knew the truth but never helped to stop it!
No child should have to go through this and still live with that every day!

[Kim Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un sujet si difficile, si touchant, mais si bien expliqué et raconté. Nous sommes transportés dans son histoire à travers ses rencontres avec sa psychologue, comme si nous étions dans la pièce. Coup de ❤️.

[Andreap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart breaking story.

[Kelly Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sad story with a good ending.

[Lisa Brueton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly heartbreaking. Some of the content is hard to read as knowing was true events my gosh what an inspirational lady

[Linzi Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

wanted a bit more indepth about how she recovered but still a good read xx

[Amanda Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to read very powerful book heartbreaking to think a child has no one to help them sad, I felt every bit of her helplessness

[Paw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story of a girl's childhood abuse, sexually, mentally, and physically abused by her own father.
5 for your bravery for sharing your story🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟