Blog Tour: Review of Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Author: Annie Ward

Publisher: Park Row (Harlequin)

Date of publication: March 2019

A devoted wife, a loving husband and a chilling murder that no one saw coming.

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.

Maddie and Ian’s love story began with a chance encounter at a party overseas; he was serving in the British army and 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’s PTSD; 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 was really looking forward to Beautiful Bad.  I have been really in need of a good thriller.  The premise was interesting.  A 911 call brings police to ta house where blood is all over the kitchen and one person is dead.  As the story unfolds, we learn about Maddie and Ian's life together.

The opening scene hooked me in and I was excited.  However, that feeling didn't last long.  To put it bluntly, the book was boring, unfocused and too long.  I wasn't a fan of the timeline jumps because a majority of the scenes in them added nothing to the overall story.  There was a lot of information about the characters that I didn't need.   I did stuck it out to a predictable ending. I mean, there was one  minor surprise. But for the overall story of what really happened, I wasn't shocked.  The best parts of the book were the present day scenes with the police.  The book has gotten a lot of great reviews, so I would try it out for yourself.  I just wanted more.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Annie Ward

Annie Ward has a BA in English literature from UCLA and an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. Her first short screenplay, Strange Habit, starred Adam Scott and won awards at the Aspen and Sundance Film Festivals. She lives in Kansas with her two sons and British husband, whom she met in the Balkans. She was recently awarded a Fulbright scholarship and An Escape to Create artist’s residency.

Connect with Annie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Excerpt Tour:

Monday, February 18th: The Lit Bitch

Tuesday, February 19th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Wednesday, February 20th: From the TBR Pile

Thursday, February 21st: Helen’s Book Blog

Monday, February 25th: Books and Spoons

Tuesday, February 26th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Wednesday, February 27th: Jessicamap Reviews

Thursday, February 28th: Thoughts on This ‘n That

Friday, March 1st: Book Reviews and More by Kathy

Tuesday, March 5th: Lori’s Reading Corner

TBD: Friday, February 22nd: She Reads With Cats

Instagram Tour:

Monday, March 4th: @whatmeganreads

Tuesday, March 5th: @jennblogsbooks

Wednesday, March 6th: @bookstackedblonde

Thursday, March 7th: @bookclubwithbite

Thursday, March 7th: @dropandgivemenerdy

Friday, March 8th: @girlsinbooks

Saturday, March 9th: @createexploreread

Sunday, March 10th: @cristiinareads

Monday, March 11th: @bookishwinterwitch

Review Tour:

Monday, March 4th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Tuesday, March 5th: Helen’s Book Blog

Wednesday, March 6th: Novel Gossip and @novelgossip

Thursday, March 7th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, March 8th: Books & Bindings

Monday, March 11th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Tuesday, March 12th: Tar Heel Reader

Wednesday, March 13th: Where the Reader Grows and @wherethereadergrows

Thursday, March 14th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Monday, March 18th: The Baking Bookworm

Tuesday, March 19th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy

Wednesday, March 20th: She Reads with Cats and @shereadswithcats

Thursday, March 21st: The Pages In-Between and @thepagesinbetween

Friday, March 22nd: Audio Killed the Bookmark

Monday, March 25th: @bookishconnoisseur

Tuesday, March 26th: Write Read Life

Wednesday, March 27th: @tbretc

Thursday, March 28th: Jessicamap Reviews and @jessicamap

Monday, April 1st: @love_my_dane_dolly_

Tuesday, April 2nd: Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, April 3rd: Girl Who Reads

Friday, April 5th: Thoughts on This ‘n That