This book is a mess that needs a heavy handed editor. It drags on endlessly. The chapter headings are times, but it is almost impossible to figure out the timeline. I think the female detective is supposed to be an important character, but she is so poorly developed and comes too late in the story. She adds very little. I guess this was supposed to be one of the "big twist" books, but it just did not work. When a character has to spend pages at the end describing what really happened, the book is a failure--"show, don't tell"! I would not recommend this to any one, but I am sure it will be requested at my library.

Excellent thriller! Full if travel, adventure, love story and scary all at once. Love the back and forth in time in book, although I usually hate it. It's so well done!

Beautiful Bad starts out with a murder...all you are told is that someone has been killed. You don’t know who or why this person was killed. There are three main characters (Jo, Maddie and Ian) that Annie Ward writes in their POVs. She also jumped back and forth between past and present. Through out the book I didn’t get a hunch on who I thought it was and why. Totally had CLUE theories but everyone in this book have secrets and are so flawed. I like how Annie wrote this book, it’s like a slow burn and everything slowly unravels and when it does wow I was shocked

This book has left me with an uneasy feeling. Not sure if that was the author’s intent, but if it was, well done. The storyline was okay, but for a thriller, the story moves pretty slow until the reveals in the final chapters.

I read the arc, which does need some editing. Hopefully those issues will be corrected in the finished copy. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for this review.

I received a free e-copy of Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book sucks you in from the very beginning. Someone has been murdered. You don't know who and you don't know why.

There are three main characters in this book. There is Maddie, Maddie's best friend Jo, and Ian, Maddie's love. Ian, was serving in the British Army and Maddie was a journalist who was visiting her best friend, Jo. When Maddie met Ian, it was love at first sight. Although, they both had their own lives and lived in different places, they were always in love and had very close connection to one another.

Decades later, Ian reconnects with Maddie. They finally get married and Maddie becomes pregnant. Maddie falls on a camping trip with her family and is left with a terribly scarred face. Maddie ends up going to therapy in hopes of uncovering the truth behind her terrible fall. She is determined to find the truth as she can't remember anything. During her therapy sessions, Maddie beings to open up about her husband’s PTSD. Maddie is concerned for the safety of her child as she begins to really discover the truth about her husband's past and even her best friend.

The premise of this book was attractive: a specific type of victim that would seem like the last people to be murdered. The main detective is a woman who is between men- her ex, now badly hurt, her partner who she has ambivalent feelings toward.
As she tries to connect the dots about the murders and some earlier crimes, she must navigate between the two men and their issues.

This book is more about this love thing than the mystery. Its pretty clear that this was written by a woman, I simply don't believe men talk the way these two do. And while at first blush, it would be great if more men spoke this way, it got tiresome pretty quickly.

The story ends up a little too superficially for me. The explanation for why the crimes were committed seems a bit manufactured.
I was a little disappointed

Where to begin.: Domestic Violence, PTSD, and an Escape Plan
Written as a psychological thriller

This book starts with a killing or the implied killing.. "The day of the killing". I was drawn in right away., wanting more, how why who. But for me, the build up to the end took a bit too long leaving me confused and bored at times, thinking back to what happened in those 1st 10 pages, did I miss it.

Primary characters are Maddie, the wife, Jo the friend (ex lover), Ian the husband, Diane the police, and other miscellaneous indviduals that float in and out, The story is primarily told from Maddie's perspective with a few snippets from Ian.. I wanted to connect with Maddieon a deeper level as character, but I fell short.

Once the pieces came together it was predictable but slightly unfinished for me with other elements unanswered or unexplained.

I did not love this book nor dislike this book, I think for me the build up was too long yet I wanted so much more
3 🌟

Thank you for this ARC!

As wonderful as the description sounded, unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. While the international aspects were wonderful, I didn't really get the "point" of the plot and really didn't care for the back and forth storytelling.

3.5-4stars. I can’t make up my mind how to rate this book. The books itself is exactly like its title, Beautiful Bad! It starts with a mystery, all you know is that someone is dead, you don’t know who and you most certainly don’t know why. The book goes back and forth in time and places between 3 characters - Jo, Maddie and Ian. Not one of them is simple and straightforward. They are all twisted and flawed. The book in itself is not an easy read. With all the characters, narrations and the flashbacks it needs attention and focus, which is not that difficult given how well it is written. It’s not possible to guess or figure out the truth, there are multiple twists and the ending is the most surprising. This is a dark twisty tale that can truly suck you in. The description of the various locations are detailed and enticing too. Great job by the author. If you are patient and not expecting a beach read you will enjoy this book. But if you want an easy read then this book is not it.

Such a confusing and poorly edited book. I had to work way too hard to figure things out. The story jumps from character to character with no discernible transition and jumps from time period to another in a seemingly random way. Some of the worst plotting I’ve read in a while but for gods sake.....at least hire an editor, proof reader or something. This is 2018. The quality of writing should be better. And yes....I worked as an editor for 37 years so I notice these things but a 12 year old would have spotted the errors. I would have a very hard time recommending this to anyone.

Wow! What an incredible book! This author is so talented! The characters were so beautifully sculpted, almost like artwork with words. There personalities remained consistent (as in the author did an amazing job with character development, allowing the reader to read as each person’s personality was revealed like the layers of an onion slowly being peeled back.
The switching of points of view as well as times (past and present) were extremely well done.
I will be on the lookout for this author’s next masterpiece! I am completely sold!

This book was fabulous. I had a difficult time putting the book down, and kept wanting more. The description of the book is right, great psychological thriller. I'm shocked and sad about parts, but it stayed interesting.

3.5 stars!

For the first half of this book I was a little lost. The book chapters are divided into alternate timelines and character point of views. I think it takes me awhile to get familiar with the different voices so having the alternate timelines was a bit confusing.

By the second half of the book I really got into the characters and what was going on. And by the last 25% I could not stop reading! Similar to reading Gone Girl or Girl On the Train it feels like once you get to the end, so many things happen!!

Once I finished I wasn’t sure how I felt. It was almost as if too many things happened! Phew!

Overall it was a fun and gripping read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

I don’t enough have enough words to describe this book!! It was exceptional! It was so twisted, and full of suspense!! It kept me on the edge of my seat! I would definitely recommend it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Another poorly written and poorly edited book. I don't know what is going on in the book industry nowadays, but it seems that only one book in 10 deserves to be published. Maybe someone has a good idea, good plot line, but if they don't know how to write, they need to revamp the whole book (if their writing skills are up to it) and/or the editor has to take book in hand (so to speak) and thoroughly revise it. Most of the time these books are not worth my time to read them.

And, I don't mid a fast paced mystery if it is written well and I do not expect every book to be a wonderful literary creation, a la Alice Hoffman or Paula McClain, but I do expect minimum writing skills .

This story nearly made me as crazy as the characters., my head was spinning. I enjoyed the travel and scenery parts, but it jumps forward and back, not only that, it jumps time sequences even in present day, six weeks before, two weeks before, etc. We know from the beginning that there is a murder “who is the victim ?” is truly the only real question. The ending is inconclusive. I found this story disturbing on many levels with no real ending.

Well I devoured this physcoligical thriller in one sitting.
I barely read the blurb and though yes I need this.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but that ending........

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it virtually nonstop from beginning to end. This book has that extra something that grabs the readers attention and doesn't let go until the end. Unfortunately, when I got to the end I was just a little bit disappointed, but more on that later.

Maddie (Brandt) Wilson is portrayed by a narrative that jumps around to three points of view: Past young Maddie in the Balkans, near past Maddie in Kansas with her son Thomas, and the present in which a murder has been committed, seemingly her own. The narrative device works well; we get some fascinating background of Maddie in the Balkans as a travel writer and teacher who often visits her friend Joann in Macedonia. The time is around 9/11/01 so the Balkans are only a semi-safe place to be. Here she meets the love of her life, Ian Wilson, who is a military contractor and over the course of the book we learn he is a burnout with PTSD. In the near past, Maddie has been horribly injured, and we are not sure but suspect that Ian was the culprit. Most of the book follows Ian and Maddie's relationship until the climax where there is a murder.

I loved reading this book but when I got to the end, I realized that the author had manipulated me. We only get to see the part of the story that the author reveals to us, and the story up to the climax led me to a particular view of the characters and their world; after the climax, the author presents Maddie, Ian and Joann in a vastly different light. There was no way to know this was going to happen. I felt manipulated by this; portraying the world one way and then completely changing the world after the climax. I felt cheap and used.

I was happy I read this book, but disappointed in the manipulation by the author. Nevertheless, it is a great book and well worth reading. Recommended. 4/5 stars. Read this and other reviews of upcoming books at bookgeist.blogspot.com.

Where do I even begin?!? I have frequently stated that authors in the UK do a better job with psychological thrillers than authors in the US. Well Annie Ward just showed me that US authors can BRING IT.
I had to remind myself numerous times that this book was FICTION, because it felt very much like a memoir at times. Okay...On to my "review"
What I loved: The story.
What I liked: The story.
What I hated: The story.
Seriously, massive love/hate with this book (in the best way possible). I can't say I particularly "liked" any of the characters, but they drew me in to the story. I'm not sure what it says about me, but Ian was the character that I liked the best.
If I had to describe this book in one word it would me: Unreliable. No..maybe...twisty. No, maybe...bat-crap-crazy. YES. Bat-crap-crazy. With a side of: Unputdownable.
actual stars: 4.75

Extremely well plotted psychological thriller. The three main characters - Maddie, her best friend Jo, and the love of her life Ian - are all expertly developed and engage the reader right from the start. The reader becomes the voyeur of their exciting and daring lives in some of the most unsafe countries in the world. Even when Maddie returns to the States, she chooses to live a darker personal life, preferring places where “the ragged people go”. Both Ian and Jo have other people in their lives, but the complex intensity of their individual relationships with Maddie - and the triad they form - dictates their fates. Only one of them is both irrevocably damaged and sociopathically dangerous, but which one? Excellent foreshadowing, but only for the most discerning fan of the genre!