Disclosure: I won a copy of this book. Opinions shared are mine.

You never know what goes on behind closed doors.  B.A. Paris taught us that!  So, why was I so shocked by Annie Ward’s Beautiful Bad?

At first, this seemed like a very predictable kind of domestic thriller.  It started strong, but then slingshotted back to the past.  Actually, by the middle of the book, I was so distracted that I forgot about the opening events.  Much of the story backtracks through the main character Maddie’s European travels.  It dragged on during those pages, and could have been pared down by about 20% without losing steam.

As the story switches back to present day, the suspense started to build.  I didn’t want to stop reading, which is hard when the chapters are short because “just one more chapter” is usually my self-regulator.  The constant on-again-off-again of the Maddie/Ian relationship had me rolling my eyes.

So, I’m aware that it sounds like I didn’t like the book.  I really did!   In fact, I waited a couple of days to post my review just so that my musings would have time to stop swirling in my mind.  In essence, the book really was good.  It surprised me in a way that I don’t usually experience with this genre.  The rocky romance made for a decent drama while the murder mystery had me questioning everyone in the story.  The day after reading this, I passed it on to my friends at work.  Can’t wait to hear what my friends think of it.

Thanks to BookishFirst for sending me a copy!