This book was good. Kept me guessing a LOT and also had lots of twists and turns. It seemed rather long, but I'm not sure what exactly I would change to make it shorter!

Things that make me scared: When Charlie cries. Hospitals and lakes. When Ian drinks vodka in the basement. ISIS. When Ian gets angry... That something is really, really wrong with me.

Traveling the world reporting on wars and living that life on the edge, making friends and losing them. Finding love and having it put on hold. Losing your best friend and not knowing why. Having a severe accident while camping with her family has left Maddie afraid. 

Even after she and her love Ian marry and have a child, she is still seeing a therapist and laying open her life. Or so her therapist believes.

This was one of those twisty back and forth books. Beginning with The Day of the Killing and going back and forth from 6 weeks before that fate full 911 call that left me totally confused! In a good way.

The ending was scary and open and I absolutely loved every Bad minute of it!

March 19th 2019 by Park Row/Netgalley

I had a hard time sticking with this book for the first 1/3 0f it or so. I felt like it skipped around and got confusing at times. I did like it enough to keep reading to see what happens/happened. I have to say I couldn't put it down by the time I got to the end. It was really a HUGE surprise twist of an ending which I can't decide if that's a good thing or bad. It made me realize I was liking/hating the wrong characters and left me with lots of feelings about that ending and therefore the whole story. I wish the ending was a little more believable but it was a great twist. Overall it was worth reading. #NetGalley #BeautifulBad #AnnieWard #Thriller #Fiction #BookReview

This is a riveting psychological thriller about a couple from the time they met at a party and ending at a shocking discovery at their perfect home. As we read and get into the story, we get to know three main characters: Maddie and her friend, Jo, and the man they met at a party, Ian. After an accident and through writing therapy, Maddie discovers more about herself and Ian's PTSD. We're led to think that certain individuals means to do harm but a surprised, shocking discovery leaves us floored by the twist.

I was engrossed from start to finish and really fascinated by several of the characters. I thought the author developed the story really well and did a great job of us not guessing these people true personalities. I was really drawn in and left reeling by the end.

Normally, this book would not have been something I'd choose but I am glad that I read it. I don't think anyone will be disappointed!

This was an ARC from NetGalley

I read a lot of psychological thrillers, so I tend to go into these with high expectations. I enjoyed this one, just wasn't wowed by it.

I think fundamentally I wasn't buying the relationship between Maddie and Ian. They have hardly any interaction when they first meet overseas. Then he makes some light overtures, rudely abandons her and then leaves for a decade and we're supposed to expect that Maddie just sits and pines for him all that time--that he is her big love. The ending of the book does finally clarify what drew her to Ian, but as I was reading it, I just found the whole dynamic hard to swallow.

I think authors of psychological thrillers have a difficult task of needing to keep enough key details hidden so they can achieve the task of being "twisty" and having big reveals late in the book while still giving the reader enough straightforward plot early on to keep them invested in continuing to read. I think the problem with this particular book is (for me) that balance felt off. There was too much hidden information, so characters' motivations didn't always make logical sense (like we know from his letters that Ian truly seemed to love Maddie, but he never sent them so why is she so in love with him back?)

I guess the big reveal here is we're being asked at the end of the book to believe one of these characters is not who they seem--that what they've presented the whole book is a bit of a ruse. But that would have been easier for me to buy if that person seemed like a fully formed person up to that point.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good book with an unexpected ending.

"Maddie and Ian's romance began with an encounter at a party overseas, Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, they are living the perfect suburban life. But one day the sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate when a frantic 911 call summons the Police to the scene of a shocking crime".

This story is told from multiples POV as well from different time laps, fluctuating from "the day of the call" (Now), "weeks before the killing" and events in the past (when Maddie and Ian's relationship begin). For me, the story that I enjoyed the most was Maddie's.

The story is well written and although the book may be seen at first more like a romantic drama than a psychological thriller let me tell you It will surprise you! it is filled with tension and it has a couple of unexpected twists that will keep you reading until the end.

Ward manages to keep you guessing over and over again. It is a story about love, lies, and betrayal. worth reading it.
Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley who provided me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. #BeautifulBad #NetGalley

A novel that travels through different countries and back and forth through time? You know I'm going to love it?

This book tells the tale of Maddie and Ian's romance, from how it from began to how it ended with a 911 calls and a horrifying crime scene. With an unreliable main narrator, Maddie, you have to wonder exactly what happened the day of the killing and who is really to blame.

This book was a slow read for me. I didn't necessarily devour it, however by the end I had to know exactly what happened. Although the ending may be unsatisfying to some, I kind of liked it. I also really enjoyed Maddie as a narrator because I kept wondering if she was telling me the entire truth, and when I finally made it to the end of was all sorts of shocked and a little disgusted too. I have to say, I love a novel that can make me FEEL something.

If you like a good twist and a narrator that'll keep you guessing, this book may just be for you.

This book was interesting enough that it kept me reading, but overall it fell flat to me. None of the characters were very likable, the "twist" was just meh, and the ending wasn't great.

Had some really good parts, but there's too much jumping around! AND there is too much given to the past with Jo and Ian! If the past could be cut down a lot, it would be much more enjoyable to read!

I really really enjoyed this! I was always on the edge of my seat and while I normally am not interested in books involving the military this was super compelling.

WOW! I liked this one a lot. Beautiful Bad is a great psychological thriller and much more. It is beautifully written, with fascinating and well developed characters. It is filled with unexpected twists and turns. It has a little of everything, it’s a love story, a murder mystery, a psychological thriller, with a terrific ending. This book grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go from beginning to end. I highly recommend it. I will be reading more of this author. I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The prologue was so interesting but then the next two-thirds of the book were a chore. After that the story picked up and was really well done. Quite a twist of an ending!

I fell in love with the main character in the first few pages. I remember thinking to myself: "Maddie, I love your sense of humor." Unfortunately, that side of Maddie was never seen again. The remaining pages were filled with an over-abundance of flashbacks which could have been greatly edited and still allow for the reader to get the gist of the story/characters. Maddie became a boring namby-pamby until the ending when we find out she was a bit unhinged. For me, the story was told in fits and starts, and never really grabbed hold of me.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was amazing. Read very quickly but I did not want it to end. Can’t wait to see what Annie Ward comes up with next

A chance encounter in a foreign land brings together Ian, a war beaten British soldier, and Maddie, an American ex pat travel writer living in Bulgaria. Their intense yearning for each other finally culminates in marriage, a baby and a seemingly idyllic life in small-town Kansas. Things start to unravel when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, physically and emotionally, and Ian’s volatile temper and PTSD driven excessive drinking escalate. Beautiful Bad is thrilling voyage from Bulgaria to Macedonia to Manhattan. These damaged characters will grab you with their stories and the ending will take your breath away.

I couldn't finish the electronic copy of Beautiful Girl by Annie Ward I received to review because I completely lost interest ! I was disappointed in this book and I had such high hopes for it.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Beautiful Bad reminds me of many thrillers I have read but Ward manages to infuse familiar territory with some new twists. Maddie is a solo adventurer and writer who travels to dangerous parts of the world. As she sees it, her destiny is to travel, write, and live a life free of entanglements. That all changes when she meets Ian - a soldier, bodyguard, and mercenary. Ian exudes danger and Maddie is instantly smitten. Her best friend, Jo, another thrill-seeker, discourages the relationship between Maddie and Ian and her dismay causes a rift between the two women. Maddie and Ian's attraction is mutual but years pass before they actually consummate their relationship.

Part of what Maddie sees in Ian is the way he lives on the edge, going from one danger zone to another. What Maddie doesn't realize, however, is that Ian views Maddie as a lifeline that must be protected at all costs. There are clear signs of Ian's mental anguish. When they marry and have a child, Charlie, there is just more for Ian to protect.

The plot line includes frequent flashbacks that allow readers to get glimpses of the early stages of the relationship and the gradual fraying of reality. Much of this might sound familiar but the ending is an unexpected stunner.
#NetGalley #BeautifulBad

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The plot was good, but the book just dragged so badly. I felt there were whole sections that could have been cut (such as some of the "day of the killing" scenes). A lot of what was repeated could have been nixed as well, or at least condensed. After a while, it became a tedious read. By the end, I honestly didn't really care about the why of the killing. I just wanted the book to be over with. Perhaps if the pace was picked up a bit, and there were a lot of edits to the timeline and characterization, then this book would be stronger.

I couldn't finish the electronic copy of Beautiful Girl by Annie Ward I received to review because I completely lost interest within the first dozen pages and so, unfortunately, I won't be reviewing the book.

Thank you.
Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/