Finally a good book that I actually wanted to read and finish!! Beautiful Bad is a little long but it keeps flowing and I read it in one sitting.. It has has psychological drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. Well written book!!

I absolutely loved this story. It thrilled me even though I can’t comprehend every action by the main character. I read this book in a day and a half. I couldn’t put it down.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #Harlequin for the ARC

I anticipate highly mixed reviews on this book and recommend it for book clubs everywhere. The subtleties that Ward has left behind for the readers is genius. It will have you contemplating facets of the story days after you’ve put the book down. I still don’t know if I love or hate the characters and who, if any of them, I should feel bad for. It has taken me days after finishing the book to realize that the irony of the story is that Ward has not really given us the whole story. She has left so much open for interpretation and it is spectacular. I love books that challenge an explanation and force us to think beyond what is simply laid out in the words before us.

Ian and Maddie meet overseas in war-torn Eastern Europe just as it is on the brink of civil war and just prior to the fall-out of 9/11. The setting is enigmatic and their meeting is simply by chance. Ian, who grew up with little schooling and proceeded to the English military, now works as a bodyguard to high profile officials. Maddie, a well-studied, multilingual American, works as a travel journalist. The time they spend together in the Balkans is brief. But the feelings they developed while they are there are genuine and hard to ignore. The book takes us through the story of their lives and also that of Maddie’s best friend, Jo. We are led through the journey of Maddie and Ian finding their way back to one another after spending years apart. But as the story toggles from present day to past, we get glimpses of the dark and somewhat crazy side of all of these characters and when the day of the murder happens, it will have you questioning absolutely everything.

Any author can lay out a plot with your typical protagonist/antagonist scenario but it takes someone truly gifted to keep the reader from identifying either of them. Ward keeps us guessing who’s who and gives us a thought-provoking story about love, lies, and betrayal…with a little side of crazy thrown in....5 stars!

This book left me with a hmmm feeling. I'm a bit unsure on how to rate it. For me it was a TMI kind of thing. I felt it had to much filler and some things could be left out and it might have been a bit better. Some of the flashbacks seemed unnecessary and I had to go back a few times to see who's POV it was because it sometimes got blurred and twisted. I'm gonna wait for the audio book to come out and hopefully provide a more accurate review.

I devoured this book in a day. The characters are very well developed. I felt like I knew them, like I was living the story. As a mom, I related to her struggles and her anxiety. I loved how the author gave us multiple point of views of what was happening, as well as a bouncing timeline, so the reader can have the back story, as well as anticipate what's currently happening. There were some really good twists that I didn't see coming. Very suspenseful. Loved it!

An unsettling and thought provoking read, I can see many people flipping the pages of this one quickly.

** Full review to come in March **

I really enjoyed this read! I thought it had great character development and kept me interested the whole time! Will be recommending to customers!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book.
I was intrigued when I read the description.....I was hooked right away! I had no idea where this story was leading, and I absolutely did not see the ending coming to a head the way it did.
I was not familiar with Annie Ward before but I can’t wait to get my hands on her next book.

I started out loving this book. I found the Eastern European setting fascinating and the war zones brutal but interesting. The chapters moved back and forth flawlessly between the past and present, between various locations overseas and New York and Kansas. There were twists I hadn't expected. My problem was that I found all the main characters (Maddie, Ian and Jo) unpleasant, and as more was revealed I came to dislike them more and more. I believe I must need one character with whom I can empathize or sympathize. Domestic psychological thrillers are popular today and their plots run together in my mind. This was a different and original story and memorable. The ending lacked closure with the case unresolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.