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/

This book kept my interest throughout and the ending really surprised me. I would recommend it to friends.

There were some heavy topics in this book. You're pulled in right from the start and I would highly recommend this book for fans of mysteries and psychological thrillers.

The book is about a couple that are in distress. They have a son, the wife has worked overseas and the husband is military and had previously been stationed overseas and is suffering from PTSD.

It starts off with a 911 call and you know there has been a murder. The book takes you to before the murder occurs an leads you up to what happened. You're able to see how everything comes together.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the best books I have ever read. And I've read hundreds!

This is the story of a young woman who falls in love with a bodyguard in terrorist countries. They meet, part, and years later meet again, however, they have both undergone changes, not necessarily for the better. Explosive, shocking, and like nothing you have ever read before, You will be holding your breath right up until the shocking ending, you won't have seen it coming and it will leave you reeling!

Ten stars to this author for incredible writing and a story like nothing you have ever read before Mesmerizing!

Wow; just wow! This is a domestic thriller unlike any I've ever read; a true standout in a crowded genre. Told over many years, we get to know Maddie, an adventurous and impulsive woman running from an average midwestern life. She ends up in a far-flung eastern European country with a friend from high school a few hours away in a neighboring country. They met interesting people from around the world, and Maddie falls in love with one. What follows is an epic love story that literally traverses the world over a decade - and what a treat; experiencing parts of the world rarely written about in popular literature.

But not every love story is made of functional, healthy love. Some love is dependent, entitled, obsessive, misguided...even dangerous.

And then, into this troubled love story, a child is born. What next?

I worried at first that this tale would be disjointed, because it jumps back and forth through three time periods and sometimes even two points of view. However, it truly flows flawlessly.

While I did guess at part of the ending, I was surprised by a lot. And the last "chapter" of the book left me truly awestruck and horrified, though also strangely satisfied. Never have a I wanted justice to be served so badly, and never have I wanted just one more chapter in a book. I was satisfied, heartbroken, and horrified at the ending - a collection of emotions I've never experienced simultaneously!

5/5 stars; I can't recommend highly enough. What a literary treat. I would absolutely jump at the chance to read another book by this talented author.

Oooooh, I liked this one quite a bit!

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil it, but this one was deliciously twisty, and while I figured out a little bit of the how, I was caught off guard with the why.

I will definitely be looking for more from this author!

This book had me in tears. It is a book with a romance but far from a book about romance. It was the life of Maddie and Ian. The life of Maddie and Charlie. It was a heartbreaking look at the affects of war, of love, or loss and of determination. This was an incredible story and one that I will have to re-read.

I found this book to be interesting and was super curious about how things would play out for the characters. The book starts out in one direction but ends in a completely different one- was enjoyable to read and quite engaging up until the very end!

While I love psychological thrillers, this particular one wasn't one of my favorites of this year. Although it was good, it just wasn't great! I have to say I was mostly surprised by the ending being written the way it was. I feel like the author needed a bit more suspense and details in the middle of the story. The beginning and the end were well thought out, and I am anxious to see what else this author has written so I can see what other writing styles and conflicts/plots they have come up with.

I was super excited to read this book after the description compared it to The Woman in the Window. While I didn’t find it quite as explosive as The Woman in the Window it was still an interesting thriller! The story goes back and forth along three different time lines, when Maddie and Ian first meet, weeks leading up to the crime, and the day of the killing.

Maddie has suffered a few traumatic head injuries, once when she was little, and the other while camping with Ian. Ian isn’t well either, due to his military background he suffers from pretty severe PTSD. I wouldn’t call their relationship a healthy one, even from the beginning, but the attraction between them was incredibly strong. Their mental health may have been the very thing that drew them together and also the catalyst for the nearly perfect crime.

Wow! I did not see the ending coming, I wasn’t sure who committed the crime until I finished the book. I am still not sure what to make of the ending! If you like twisted thrillers, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one!

Thank you so much to Harlequin, NetGalley and the author, Annie Ward for this advanced copy for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.

This book was good but I didn't LOVE it. Interesting start pulled me with an emergency 911 call so something bad had happened. Then we flash back to different times during the narrator, Maddie's life, and her marriage to Ian. I liked the writing and the story for the most part maybe a little hard to follow with the time jumps. I just really did not identify with or like any of the main characters. they were just unlikable and their actions throughout the story were implausible to me. I did not have any idea how the book was going to end so that was good too, and, although left the story somewhat unresolved, it made the book better for me. Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!!

Tried to get into this novel, but it was too disjointed for me. Couldn't hold my interest. Too coldly written

I absolutely loved this book. It is twisted and weird and so good. There’s murder and mystery and love and friendship and I know this book isn’t going to be for everyone because it is a pretty ffed up story, but it’s so good s d dark and twisty. I think it’s one of my favorite hooks this year.

Wow!! This is a true psychological grilled st its best.
This book starts of with a killing... bam!!!!
Now the rest of the book goes back and forth from the killing to what has lead you as the reader upto this point. Most of it is between therapist and patient.
It was pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was a tad slow at some parts but all in all a good book.
I did not see the ending coming at all.

I just finished Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward and I was completely addicted. I love stories like this, Psycological Thrillers must be difficult to write but this one was amazing. I would get so wrapped up in the story from the past and then it would change to the current time and throw me off balance, in a good way. I really enjoyed hearing of Maddie and Jo's ambitious past and all the places they visited and good times they had. It was so hard to figure out who the bad guy really was throughout. I never thought for one minute that Ian was the villain in all this but still there was always the illusion of doubt.. I do however feel that the police investigation at the end seemed lacking but that is why the story worked, it was so focused and seemed so real. I will be looking for more from Anne Ward. Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing story.

This book opens with a frantic 911 call.,
You know someone is dead, but you don't know who died or how they died.
This book flips back and forth between a few characters and timelines, from the early 2000's to the present day.
Slowly counting down to the day of the killing.

This book was gripping. I read it in less than 24hours.
Most mystery/thriller books start the same way, with a mystery that only gets solved at the end. But for some reason, maybe because this mystery was SO vague, I could not stop reading till I knew what was happening.

I think this would be a great book club book, because not only is it a fast and easy read, not only does it have a great mystery to solve, but it also touches on some pretty dark subjects that would make for some great discussions.

A decent thriller, but could use some editing of the back story and tightening of the plot and characters. The progression of the Maddie character didn’t ring true or realistic to me. Twist was interesting, but not entirely believable.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to be a part of the ARC team.
This story first starts with a domestic violence call and complete chaos ensues. Diane the officer on duty responds, then we meet Nick the dispatcher. Nick has to keep reminding himself not to sing "Brown eyed girl" whenever he speaks to Diane on the radio. We are to assume that he likes her and maybe they are part of the story. Yet Nick is never mentioned again and Diane has a brief appearance soon.
There is so many things wrong with the initial scene of crime that would have even the most uneducated investigator cringe. Book clubs around the world are having a field day discussing and debating just the first two chapters!
I was constantly trying to keep my attention focused on the main characters of Ian, Maddie, and Joannie admist the continuous references of the Eastern countries and their friends who lived there.
I would actually skip over quite a bit when they were over there in the eastern countries. I was lost as to who was who and who they were hanging out with. Where were they and why?
I was extremely disappointed with the psychiatrist, I feel her storyline could have been handled differently.
However, I was shocked at the ending!!! I was not expecting that!!!

Wow - what a psychological thriller!! My head is still spinning from it!! The book starts out with a 911 call and a female officer arrives in the scene and proceeds without backup. She looks inside and sees blood, definitely not a good sign. Then the book reverts back to happier times with two women, best friends, Jo and Maddie, both on the other side of the world trying to make a live for themselves. Jo is trying to help refugees, women and children in Macedonia and
Maddie is writing, teaching and traveling. Maddie visits Jo across the border as much as she can. During one of these visits Maddie meets, Ian, the love of her life. Ian is working as a bodyguard for the British Ambassador. The two seem to be attracted to each other, but the job always gets in the way. She and Jo start to constantly fight, and the arguments always center around Ian. There is a job that comes up and Ian decides that it is a great opportunity, so he leaves before Maddie can join him. Needless to say, Maddie is furious. They do not see each other for many years. When they do reconnect, Maddie and Ian feel that they want to be together. They get married, have a son, Charlie, and on a camping trip, Maddie falls down an embankment. The injuries to her face scar her tremendously, and she has to cover her face with her hair to cover up the hideousness. Ian is suffering from alcoholism and PTSD, which puts a strain on their marriage. Maddie starts seeing a therapist without Ian knowing about it. Maddie feels like she is broken and there is something that she needs to find out about her accident. She can’t seem to remember what happened. What are the secrets that these three are keeping? Whose blood is it that the officer sees? What has happened for this scene to take place? So much intrigue and mystery throughout this book. I was glued to the pages. The plot was superbly absolutely genius. And the character development was such that you could almost feel the emotions from each character. There were a few things that I didn’t care for; I was having trouble with the reverting back to dates in the history of the book, and I didn’t care for the final line in the book. I’m not exactly sure what the author was trying to say. It kind of left me clueless at the end. It seemed to throw me off and confused me a little. Other than that, you just have to read this book!!