Pretty Ugly

Petit Morts #6

by Jordan Castillo Price

Just because Dominic Mann personally lacks beauty doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate it. His keen eye has made him one of the most celebrated and sought-after photographers in Nashville.The grand re-opening of the Cypress Mansion is an event for Nashville’s truly elite, and Dominic is the official photographer of the evening. Not that he’d need that excuse to introduce himself to up-and-coming singer Johnny Palomino and grab a few shots…but it doesn’t hurt.Dominic hopes to take his flirtation with Johnny to the next level at the Cypress Mansion tea, where they’ve arranged to meet. But what greets Dominic in the mirror the next morning is such a shock, he’s almost late for the party.No one at Cypress Mansion is acting like they notice anything different. Or do they?

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Short Stories, Supernatural

53 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2010

About the author

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Any disembodied noises, she’s decided, will be blamed on the ice maker.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations.

Reviews

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars!

Well ... this has been pretty strange! So far, I really enjoyed most of the short stories in this series, but I have been disappointed by this one! This is very like to be a traditional it isn't you, it's me case - I didn't get the whole Pretty Ugly concept and I felt no connection to the characters. I will however continue the series as I enjoyed most of the shorts so far and I guess that not every single book of a series can be a hit.

[Fey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dominic is a celebrity photographer, he's pretty good at his job, and renowned for it. But he feels that he's not much of a looker himself, and seems to be a depressed from photographing goodlooking men, and feeling a bit jaded by the whole dating thing.

He does however manage to hook up with new young singer Johnny Palomino (cheesy stage name much?), and he's hoping for more. But is Johnny just using him as a stepladder to fame? He certainly seems to know just how to play it.

Then the next morning, Dominic looks in the mirror and something has changed. Or is it just a matter of perception? I think that's open to question. But I do know this; Blame Chance. As usual.

I really loved the twists in this book, and even tho the characters weren't quite to my usual tastes, and we did get off to a jumpy start (Jordan teased me by mentioning a passing security guard and NOT making him the love interest, that's mean, I'm sensitive about this).. But it does seem to be one of my higher rated Petit morts so far!

Jordan C P is a writer that I always enjoy. No matter the theme, or the situation, There's a certain something in her writing style, (don't ask me what or how it's done), that makes the r-rated parts dirty (in a good way). And yes I know, it's a sex scene, it's supposed to be 'naughty'. but I've read many m/m novels by now, and I'm not as shy as I was. But theres always a certain part where I have to peek around the room and make sure no one is watching.. If you know what I mean.. well you know.. the other author I can think of that has this effect is J.L. Langley. I'm not professional enough to define this subtle effect, but I know it's there!

See my other reviews of the Petit Morts series:
← #5 Spanish Fly Guy | #7 Sort of Stranger than Fiction →

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story confuses me. Maybe it's the writing or maybe I just don't get the idea. All I know is that there is this photographer, Dominic, who feels he lacks of beauty but he appreaciates one -- and he seems to always prefer beauty for his men.

Until he meets Chance (the oh, so wonderfully hot chocolatier, the owner of Sweets to the Sweet") who practically tells him that he is shallow for doing so. And then the next day, Dominic looks hot himself??

It just give me the "eh?" reaction when I finish. Not to mention, I don't feel the romance because the other guy practically show up, in the middle of this short story ... and the ending seems vague.

[Elisa Rolle]

All the authors in the Petit Morts series have their distinctively style, and that of Jordan Castillo Price is to be biting (and yes, considering we are talking of sweets, the pun is very much intended). She has a little horror touch, nothing overwhelming, more or less like an aftertaste, something that is lingering on the palate after you finish to read one of her novella.

Here we have Dominic, forty something interior design photographer, that, mostly due to his work, is used to judge everyone from their looks. It’s not that he is particularly searching for beauty in a partner, but it’s sure that he judges people from their looks and if they are not beautiful, then they are not important, and for that reason, he more or less doesn’t give a second chance or a shot to a long-term relationship. Problem is that Dominic himself is not handsome, actually he thinks he is ugly, and every possible relationship is always tainted from that from the very beginning: since Dominic is ugly, no one can be really interested in him, probably they are with him for a chance of mingle with the very important persons Dominic works for.

Chance, the magic chocolatier that is the common link in all these novella, will give a gift to Dominic, more or less a different perspective, a concept of beauty that is different from the cold interior design style Dominic is used to. Beauty is in the eyes of who is looking, and so if Dominic knows how to look, he will find it everywhere. But he has to be carefully, because beauty is an elusive thing, and if he gets distracted, he can lose that magical deeper sight.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935540238/?...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good short paranormal m/m story about a photographer who describes himself as "plug ugly". He's shooting an event when he encounters the elusive chocolatier Chance, who gives him a very special chocolate...

[Emmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this one, but it was initially confusing as it sort of led you down a different love interest path. The ending was nice and you feel like there was a connection made, even for such a short story & time frame.

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never got into this story. I was waiting for something interesting to happen and it never really did.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I love this! I love how is not so much about the romance, but about how we let social constructs to tint our perceptions of beauty. How we allow our perception of how the rest of the world sees us dictate our self-perception, and how we act because of that.

I truly, truly loved it.

[PettyProse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: This was another delight from Jordan Castillo Price in the series. For me, it had less of the tension and shock effect of others of her shorts, but the treat in this one was the feeling of emotional reveal, of both characters and storyline.
Review for Brief Encounters Reviews: http://briefencountersreviews.com/201...

The strapline for JCP Books is “Beautiful, Mysterious, Bizarre’, and Pretty Ugly pretty much met all those for me! The gradual introduction of Dominic and the fascinating cast at the Cypress Mansion meant it was a while before I realised why he was there, let alone how he looked, by which time I’d already invested happily in him. The story takes him from his position of famous photographer to the stars of entertainment and society, to a man brought to task for his complacent acceptance of life, assuming too much about himself and how he’s viewed by others. The results astonish and delight both him and the reader.

The theme was, as I often find in this series, a modern morality tale. Initially Dominic’s viewpoint came across as if viewed through his camera. Then gradually, he was drawn out to connect at a more visceral, vulnerable level with people at first hand. JCP’s characters are never emotionally black or white, not totally likeable or hateful, just fascinatingly real and a very rewarding read.

The style was trademark JCP – lush prose, an obvious love and careful use of vocabulary and grammar, evocative scene-setting. For me, it’s portraiture in words. The sense of place was vivid, the atmosphere, the scenery – even the Southern cadence of the characters’ dialogue. I felt the heat and humidity in Nashville, a seductive sensuality and disorientation that created the perfect backdrop for the changes in Dominic. The dialogue is crisp and witty, the characters well defined. The prose can be spare, occasionally I had to go back and re-read some sentences to catch the nuances.

Secondary characters were sharply drawn – I loved the charmingly ascerbic Mimi, the chancer Johnny and the shrewd, more mature Butch – yet the focus remained satisfyingly on Dominic. I really enjoyed Chance’s role in this story, blending his (in)famous chocolate with sensuality and glamour. His interaction with Dominic makes the photographer re-evaluate success and beauty, both real and in his work. It seems Chance prompts Dominic to reconsider when to brood and when to move on. It’s a shock to us when Dominic can’t find pictures of himself, as if he exists on the periphery of the world he photographs, kept outside by his opinions of his own worth. His connection with Butch is a stark and exciting contrast for him.

The ending was masterful and delightful: not a shock, but a clever, poignant twist, reinforcing my sympathy for Dominic and what he’d experienced. It stresses the nature of beauty as a package rather than an ideal, an emotional impact rather than a two-dimensional picture. The story was full of sensuality, wit and sexiness, with an enchanting theme and I rate it A.

by pettyprose…my opinion alone.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a romance, but a well-written story all the same

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- Price is a great writer, able to portray the physical and emotional essence of a scene with just a few paragraphs. The depiction of Nashville and its inhabitants struck me as simultaneously flattering and truthful, and the descriptions of photography are detailed. The story is obviously either based on personal experience or well-researched.
- Despite the story’s short length, Price manages to create an engaging character who seems realistic. I love that Dominic isn’t the typical m/m character: he’s middle-aged, a charming combination of romantic and cynical, and self-described as “plug ugly.”
- There’s subtle humor throughout, mostly centering on Dominic’s self-mockery, like this: “If Dominic’s clout was meaningless, then what did he have to fall back on--his scintillating conversation? That’d be the day.”
- This author has a knack for writing sex scenes that don’t scrimp on details but never come off as too flowery or sappy.

CONS:
- Several interesting characters are introduced in the first half of the story, and it wasn’t obvious to me which one would turn out to be the romantic interest. In a longer story, I would have enjoyed that; the problem here is that very shortly after he meets Mr. Right Now, the story is over.
- The ending puzzled me a bit. I wasn’t unhappy with it, but it didn’t leave me with warm fuzzies either.
- There were a few instances when it seemed to me as though the point of view was jumping from Dominic’s head into another character’s. I know some stories employ third-person omniscient POV--and maybe that’s what Price was going for here--but the majority of the story is told from Dominic’s perspective. So when the POV switched, it threw me.

Overall comments: I enjoyed this while I was reading it, but it doesn’t tell the story of a forever romance, so I doubt I’ll read it again. Still, this felt like a more original storyline to me than most coming out of this genre these days. The premise is one I’ve seen a few times before, but Price puts an amusing spin on it.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY raw notes, may contain spoilers but probably nothing major.

He can't be too ugly if he gets one night stands easily. Even famous photographers aren't movie stars to get anyone they wanted.

I'm not overly fond of chocolate myself. I don't dislike it in small doses but I could easily live without it and something like triple chocolate cake makes me gag.

I'm not understanding the point of this at all. I mean it feels like there's a moral of some kind but it's not following any path that makes sense to me. He says he's ugly but gets laid. It sounds like maybe he wants more and can't get it? That feels backwards. Don't people only want one night stands with hot people? So called ugly people need to work for it. But apparently his fame helps.

The Chance calls him shallow. Then the next day points out that Dominic said looks didn't matter. Now he's gorgeous supposedly but taking an older (referred to as late-prime so not that old) and not as pretty but still good looking guy to bed. The guy is a huge fan. So what's different? He now feels confident enough to ask a guy to stay? But the guy admits he noticed him the day before as well. Now Johnny is pissed off at him for breaking their date and he believes that's only because he's gorgeous. But Johnny made the date with him the day before.

Okay I get the ending and it sort of makes the story make more sense, but I still think it's screwy how it was presented. I like the idea though and love the ending.

3.75

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dominic Mann is a socialite photographer who is quite worried about beauty… Or about his own lack of it. So when he goes to a grand opening at Cypress Mansion it is handsome Johnny Palomino the man who catches his eye. But the next morning Dominic finds something has changed, when a gorgeous man looks back at him from his bathroom mirror. Is he suddenly different? Or has his image of himself changed? Maybe it is all a matter of perception, that’s why Dominic does not find Johnny attractive any more, and it is solid and reliable Butch Arlen the one he wants…
Pretty Ugly is an intriguing story, which deals with our concept of beauty, how we perceive ourselves and the people around us, and how that can condition our behaviour. Dominic sees himself as an ugly man, and that’s why he is convinced he is going to be alone all his life. He confines himself to one-night stands with handsome but shallow men like Johnny. When his image of himself changes he finds someone he would love to keep, Butch. But to get over his complexes and make it work, he’s got to actively change his view of himself, as he changes the word fat into fate in the foggy mirror at the bathroom: An apparently easy feat which nevertheless requires strength and a strong will.
In short, a very intriguing short story with an unexpected twist. Very entertaining.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
 
This was a vast improvement over the previous book, Spanish Fly Guy. I'm still a little creeped out by Chance. He's doing something to those chocolates and it's uncomfortable to think about. Here though he decided to give Dominic a little Shallow Hal treatment, with a twist. Dominic thinks he's ugly, so Chance made him beautiful for a day, to encourage him to look beyond what's on the outside. Which is a strange way to go about doing that, but hey, it worked. I also liked that the first guy we meet - another pushy alpha type, and a model to boot - is clearly not going to be The One, for which I was grateful. Still, we spend too much time with that douche bag, which means we don't meet The One until more than halfway through. Then we barely have two pages of him before the instasex/instalove starts up. I think I have to give all these guys some slack on the insta-ing (though not the author as these could've been written different - see Josh Lanyon's books in this series), because Chance is clearly doing something to them (ick!). Still, I'm just never going to give a crap about an instasex scene, especially when I can't even be sure that these guys are there completely of their own will and consent. 

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 Stars

You know, I've had a conversation with someone who said their wife was the most beautiful woman in the world and since she wasn't there for me to independently verify this as such, I just chalked it up to the old adage "love is blind" (and otherwise similarly humored this old guy).

But what if it's that's not it at all? What if what you see when you look at that special someone is not how the rest of the world sees them? What if those things everyone else finds fault with (beauty, weight, etc.) just don't even matter because they don't register as being less than desirable?

Well, that's pretty much what JCP has given us for our MCs...but not without a little struggle and confusion and self-doubt and emotional pain from the POV character. Which, I dunno, even though we know what's going on, still makes it seem more real.

Such a good short story.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to start the year of right by reading the second installment of the Petit Mort series. In book six we follow Dominic Mann a photographic that can see the beauty in his work but in himself he just sees the ugly. In turn his relationships seem to go poorly as well. When he meets our favorite Chocolatier, Chance, at a party he's photographing, he is challenged to consider if he really sees what's inside and is not taken by shiny outsides as well. Then he wakes up the next morning and he isn't sure what's going on.

I liked this story. It was clever and took a look at how people judge everyone else no matter what they really believe. Almost like a Shallow Hal, except done in a far more elegant way. I do wish there was one more scene with our couple.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the first set of "Petit Morts", so I'm not surprised to be enjoying this next one. The little bits we have with Chance, the chocolatier, only open him up a little to inquiring minds, but he seems to be rather grouchy about something. I know we'll get his full story sooner or later.

The unusual events of this story center around magic (?) that is both a little disturbing and heartwarming. I really didn't catch onto what might be happening till very close to the end, then I had to go back and re-read the beginning and it all clicked.

Sorry if this is obtuse; it's a short story and I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say that JCP does it again. (And by "it" I mean "does a great job")

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise behind this series is pretty cute. Chance is some sort of magical man/being and he has a chocolate confectionery called Sweets for the Sweet and seems to be some sort of mystical matchmaker.

Dominic Mann is a photographer that is attracted to beauty. When he meets our friendly chocolatier at an event, Chance challenges him to look beyond appearances, to the deeper beauty within. When Dominic wakes up, he discovers an interesting surprise.

This was a pretty good story, but I have to admit, I was a bit confused by the storyline. I had to re-read it to try to figure out what was going on. I'm also not sure if the magic is going to wear off and what will happen if it does.

[Remington Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me genuinely uncertain and a bit befuddled. It's been my experience that JCP rarely disappoints, but I found this petit morts addition frankly odd. I thought I had a good idea of what was happening in the beginning: Shallow photographer Dominic always beds stars to make up for his lack of looks, until the mysterious Chance rolls along and changes things. But then the story careened into strange territory. The love interest didn't appear until midway through, and then his character was a bit vague and unexplained. I felt as though I didn't really read an ending, or if I did it was rushed and open.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been an ugly duck all my life, so I could really relate to poor Dominic, and I was also very fascinated by the way he realized Butch was literally more than he seemed. I like this serious because, as the chocolatier and puppet master that links all the story, the elusive Chance, it's a series about taking and giving a chance, a second chance very often. All the stories are like tableaus that come alive when we open the book. It might be frustrating, because you can never get enough of the story, but I wouldn't spoil good chocolate because I want to gorge on it instead of only tasting it.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange story, but I liked reading about Dominic’s insecurities (since I’ve got plenty of my own). Although the story concluded on a sweet note (chocolate pun intended), I wanted more concrete details about what had happened to Dominic, and I wanted him to be able to confront Chance one more time. This was the first I've read in this series, though, so I'm guessing we never actually get concrete details about how the chocolate changes things. Oh, well.

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has an atmosphere that reminded me of Julio Cortázar's stories: it makes you squirm, it's uncomfortable, but you just can't stop reading and admiring the imagination. This is a story about self-image, perceptions and beauty, but, of course, things aren't that simple. And, that is exactly the point. I like this more "sinister" Chance too.

[Megan]

Never warmed up to Dominic or felt that he was fleshed-out in any meaningful or surprising ways, and I'm uninterested by photography, so unfortunately, a lot of the details weren't engaging to me. The romance was sweet and the story gained momentum after the two finally met, but it took a while to get there.

[~~~Heather S.~~~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chance is up to his meddling again, making poor Dominic feel like he's lost his mind all while teaching him a valuable lesson about outward appearances.

I just wish we saw more of the shower scene, I felt a bit shortchanged!!

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this story had a lot of potential that it didn't live up to. Chance the chocolatier appears, but the whole concept of proving beauty isn't everything by making Dominic beautiful, really went no where in the end. The end seemed abrupt, as well.

[Plainbrownwrapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an awful lot to say about this one. A "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" sort of story. It was a bit extra appealing to me, since it is set in my home town of Nashville, but it didn't really have much Nashville-ness to it aside from a few mentions of the city's flooding a few years ago.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just okay for me. My one real complaint is that there are a lot of characters introduced in the beginning and you don't really get a feel for who the love interest is going to be. In a short story I like to know what's going on right away.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot—atmospheric and creepy, and and Chance, the recurring chocolatier in this series, is a little less jovial, a little more insidious in this one. I dig it.

It's a little uneven, though. The pace seemed slow and sweet in the beginning, but then the ending went by in a blink.

[Cole Riann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story in the PM series, this one with a stellar dialogue scene between our MC and Chance.

[Emilie]

Edited this.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars