Geraldine Dawson was raised to be perfect.
In a home where appearances, wealth, and power ruled, obedience meant safety—and silence was demanded. Her father’s authority was quiet, manipulative, and absolute. Love was conditional, and defiance came at a cost.
Meeting Lucas King—a fierce boxer who refuses to live by anyone’s rules—begins to unravel the carefully controlled life Geraldine has survived within. Power feels threatened. Perfection cracks. Threats are issued. Ultimatums follow, and the price of freedom becomes dangerously high.
As pressure tightens, anger explodes. Safety fractures. Violence and retaliation follow. Fear and desperation weigh the same—but only one can win.
What happens when silence is no longer safe?
If you’re going to burn, burn for something real.
"Breaking Perfect is a raw, emotional journey that pulls you deep into the messy, beautiful chaos of healing and self-discovery. Elyse Heartwell doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff—grief, trauma, and the fragility of trust—and that honesty is what makes this story resonate."
—Goodreads
Elyse Heartwell takes everyday survival and turns it into stories that aren't afraid to bleed. Her writing is sharp, emotional, and unapologetically real-crafted for readers who crave the kind of fiction that leaves a mark.Her books explore survival, silence, and the kind of resilience no one claps for-only lives through.She's based in South Africa, where she runs EH Creative Studio and builds stories like bonfires, believing that healing isn't pretty-it's powerful.Breaking Perfect is her debut novel, written for anyone who's ever felt like too much and not enough at the same time.