This thriller was amazing. I couldn’t put it down. The authors writing style was different, but I enjoyed it.

Any book with a beginning as gripping as this one is sure to be good one - and Ward kept my attention from that 911 until we discover exactly what happened at the very end.

A story that takes us through the entire relationship of a couple, Maddie and Ian, from how they met to their years together.

Disturbing and dark, this book will take any reader on a wild ride, you'll definitely be anxious to get to the end!

This thriller was a slow burn for me. It had plenty of twist and turns, they were just slow to get there.
Stay with it if that is your type of read it does have a good plot.

I really struggled to get through this one. I wasn't very interested in the story lines set in Eastern Europe and with so much detail and wordage put into these parts, the book really dragged. The book started off really interesting and grabbed you but then got lost and swayed away from the investigation on what happened that night in their Kansas home.

A gripping, suspenseful tale! Some parts felt a bit drawn out to me, but I was still invested because I wanted to know what happened at the end.

“The perfect marriage leads to the crime”

This book had a interesting plot and perfect dysfunctional characters. I’m slight bummed with the ending but overall it was good.

Thank you to the publisher for this arc in exchange for honest review.

I read one review that said that avid thriller readers may be underwhelmed and I think that's pretty spot on. It was just. too. slow. And the characters were all so terrible to each other.

Thank you Park Row Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Beautiful Bad is a captivating debut psychological thriller. Maddie and Ian meet in southeastern Europe, fall in love, and move to Kansas (her hometown) to raise their son, Charlie. After a mysterious accident while camping Maddie starts going to therapy where she gradually reveals what her life is really like. The "Day Of The Killing" begins with a 911 call bringing the police to the house. Who is the victim and who is responsible for the murder? One thing I did not enjoy was that the story moves backward in time. It gets rather confusing. However, the story is filled with extremely well-crafted characters. Many twists and turns with a shocking ending. I look forward to Annie Ward's next novel

First, let me thank netgalley and the publishers for approving my request for an early release of this book. All reviews of my netgalley books can be found on goodreads and youtube. Please be sure to check out the links attached.

A psychological thriller about murder and marriage seemed right up my ally, but overall this book was not for me. I’m not a big fan of the different perspectives and timelines as I tend to loose my interest. I felt like this book tried to do too much. I’d suggest looking for something else.

BEAUTIFUL BAD by Annie Ward was archived before I can give it a proper review. I will try again at a later date. .

I am super late to the party in reviewing this book. Somehow a number of books got "lost" in my kindle. Wow!! This book was amazing. Fantastic debut book. I could not put it down and the ending left me guessing! Thank you for the advanced copy.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This book has an alarming start and a crazy end. At times I thought it was sort of drawn out but I stuck with it and am so glad I did. I can’t wait to talk about this with my friends as I think we will all have differing opinions on this one.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward was a riveting read. I read it in 24 hours. Maddie and Ian are both working internationally and met at a party. Maddie is a traveling writer, and Ian is a bodyguard in war ravished countries. Two decades later Maddie and Ian are married and living a suburban life with their son, Charlie. After an accident during a family camping trip, Maddie is shaken and starts to see a psychologist. During her visits to the psychologist, she reveals more and more about her life and fears at home with Ian. Has Ian’s job damaged him so completely that his family fears him? Is he a danger to himself and others?

Beautiful Bad was an unexpected, amazing read. Told through multiple perspectives over two timelines, this book had a whopper of an ending. Well-written with morally gray characters and suspense that brings you to the edge of your seat but makes you sit there for a little bit, Beautiful Bad is a great read. Ward does an amazing job with the twist and turns…and then more twists.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from Netgalley/Publisher
There are two sides to every story… And every person.

Maddie and Ian’s love story began with a chance encounter at a party overseas, while she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian; her concerns for the safety of their young son; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.

From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime.

I tried several times, but I just couldn’t finish this one. It was just too much of a slow burn with too much back story to be a true “thriller” to me.

This read will keep you on your toes!!!

Maddie dreams of living abroad and seeing the world far away from her average family life in Kansas. The thought of the freedom working in Eastern Europe is absolutely intoxicating & her journey begins.. She then finds her best friend Joanna is just a border crossing away. There's a night out on the town, a lover, a frantic 911 call plus multiple time lines & points of views... a thriller with all the glory of leaving you breathless. I loved it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley Harlequin-Park Row and Annie Ward for an ARC to read and review

I admit that this is not an easy book to read, but stick with it!

All of the characters are so complex and have led complex lives. The novel jumps around between time periods and settings. I feel though that it works well with this novel, adding to the confusion about what is really going on.

The settings range from the Balkans, England, Iraq, and Manhattan before finally settling down in Kansas.

In Kansas, were we have what looks like an ordinary family - the wife and mother Maddie, husband and father Ian and their son Charlie. But things aren’t as they seem.

A psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down. I admit there were times I was confused, and a twist that I didn’t see coming at all!

I received an ARC copy.

This book is the kind of thrilling adrenaline rush that every suspense reader desires. Ian and Maddie fell in love while in Europe in maddening, attraction filled love affair. They moved back to Kansas where Maddie's family is to settle down and raise a family. Unfortunately, Ian's past continues to haunt him. This book feels predictable which is normally a turn off for me. However the ending was so so jarring that it made up for the perceived predictability. I would recommend.

Wow! The ending was quite a surprise!

Maddie and Ian met in Europe when they were both young, carefree and starting out on their working lives. They are strongly attracted to each other and maintain contact on and off over the years until they eventually get married and settle down in Kansas, near Maddie's parents. They have a little boy, Charlie, and life is good. Sort of. Ian has some serious issues with his drinking and PTSD from his various work assignments as a bodyguard in the Middle East and Africa.

I don't want to reveal anything else, but I will say that this book was wonderful and utterly absorbing. I strongly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Annie Ward, and the publisher Harlequin, for a free ARC which I thoroughly enjoyed, and which I am giving my honest opinion on.

Right from the beginning, this story draws the reader in and gives the sense that you know just what's going on. You have the obviously unlikeable person, and the charming person who falls for them. The story follows that comfortably familiar plot for so long, the reader gets a sense of security. The writing is so good, that's where the enjoyment is, but you already know what's going to happen in the end.



Only you don't. You have no idea, and the ending comes out of nowhere to stun your mind and leave you breathless.



I truly cannot speak highly enough of this author. Annie Ward has created characters with such depth and realness, I would not be at all surprised if I ran into them on the street. As the story progressed, I felt I would actually enjoy meeting some of these characters. They seem to be such interesting and intelligent people. I'd like to make their acquaintance!



But then more and more details would surface, and this feeling of unease grew stronger and stronger. What is going on here? I see the information that's coming forth, but it doesn't feel genuine, it doesn't seem complete. Clearly there's so much more going on beneath the surface, and, as they say, still waters run deep. Any kind of leviathan-like monster could be lurking here. As I raced to the ending of the book, all I knew for certain was that my sense of comfort from the beginning was all wrong. There is nothing comfortable or safe or predictable here.



Perfect for book clubs, for weekend reading, or for an intense one-day read. I highly recommend.