At the beginning I didn't know what to expect in this one from J.R. Ward, it took me by surprise and I really enjoyed most of it!I was hooked in the beginning and the first half was fantastic.

The plot was interesting and the characters were well developed.They felt original and realistic.The story centers around the fire department of a small town near Boston.I liked this a lot, it reminds me a TV series I have seen in the past.

Overall, it was a great beginning to a new series and I'm looking forward for the next books.

DNF at 60% - no rating.
Unfortunately I could not bring myself to finish this one. And I tried... hard... for a couple of days. I didn't love the different POVs that were outside of the hero/heroine. It made the book feel all over the place. There were so many scenes with just large amounts of data dumping that I felt my eyes glaze over and I had to start skimming.
I wanted SO badly to feel any connection between Danny and Anne but I felt nothing. I didn't understand her relationship with her mother and brother and just overall, they were not likable characters.
I have loved previous JR Ward books but this one was not for me. I have seen good reviews for it so maybe this is just the case of it's not the book but me. :(
I do want to add that I did like the mystery aspect. I wish I could have pushed through to the end to find out the answers.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me at all. Right from the beginning when I started the prequels I felt already disoriented. I had no idea what these people were talking about and I felt instantly disconnected. There was no introduction and it felt chaotic.

The characters weren't likable, especially the heroine drove me nuts. And this transferred into the main story. She had two default settings: bitchy and cold. The hero kept looking at her totally googly eyed and I just didn't understand why - Anne gave Danny no reason at all to worship her like he did.

The story also fizzled out at some point. I did like the firefighting scenes but I was in it for the romance and this is where the story failed me. I had high hopes for Consumed, unfortunately it didn't deliver..

Ward is an outstanding writer! My first series from her and I'm instantly craving more. I want to emphasize the importance of reading the free prequels, the first two because the third is a preview. It goes into the relationship between Danny and Anne, with a little backstory on the crew. This book is a mix of many things, mystery, romance, suspense and family drama. Anne is a brave and powerful woman and Danny is the right man to support her. There were definitely moments of intense speed reading and few that required a Kleenex, Anne and her mom hit me personally. Not sure where the series goes from here because the book actually ends, but I'm hoping to get more of Tom or Jack. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an advanced copy through Netgalley, review was voluntary.

Before I start this review I would like t mention that there are 3 prequels you can read free from Amazon The Wedding From Hell Part 1, The Reception, Part 2, The Rehearsal Dinner, and Part 3 The Wedding from Hell! All 3 of these prequels are not too long but great excerpts that explain about the Fire House Family, and how they relate to each other. This will bring you up to speed to read about Annie and Danny, and what their relationship is to each other.

In Consumed we see that something bad happens to Annie, and she almost dies, as does Danny. Annie is in the hospital for a long time, but then she gets out. She can no longer be a firefighter, which breaks her heart so she gets a job as a crime scene investigator for the city. Danny after he get out goes back to firefighting.

During her investigations, Annie finds a few things that have not been brought to light and she find out someone is starting these fires, and after she follows the lead she realizes the culprit must be someone the fire community knows! Read on and find out what happens, and read this awesome new series by JR Ward, that I know that everyone will love!

This book has a lot going on between the characters, family and love. Great plot and great story as we have all come to rely on rom JR Ward. I gave this book 5 smoking hot stars!

SO i love J.R Ward already, just when i think her books cant possibly get any better, she delivers this one.. My very soul was pulled into the lives of these characters. This book had me crying my heart out on each page. You really get to see the other side of things of people who go out to protect us each day... im a mess from this book....I cant come back from this... book hangover here i come

Wow! This story grabbed me at the first and hung on all the way through. It has love, friendship, betrayal and I hope that I could be as brave as Anne. Anne thought her father was the bravest and best man ever, until his death and she found out a few things about him that knocked him off of his pedestal, along with her mother. She carried a lot of anger around with her. Danny has lost his twin brother and has been having a difficult time coping with his death. Then one night at a fire, everything is brought to a new level of hell. Danny loved Anne, but hasn't let her know and then one night at a fire, he is forced to do something that changes his life and Anne's. They are both changed in so many ways and it is a fight to come back. Will they fight together?

4 Stars!
Anne Ashburn grew up in a family of firemen, and it was only natural she'd want to follow in their footsteps. She's strong, independent, and fearless. She's worked hard in a male-dominated profession to be taken seriously. She's an adrenaline junkie whose luck runs out when a warehouse fire forever changes her life. Her career goes up in flames, and she's then forced to reinvent herself. She doesn't know what her purpose is anymore until she takes a new job for the city as an arson investigator. She's still consumed with her past, and her complicated family, but is trying to move forward. Soon she's handed a case and she begins working to find the cause of suspicious fires in town. This puts her on the path to chasing down a deadly killer as well as putting her life in danger.

Danny McGuire is a firefighter at the 499 firehouse in New Brunswick where he's known as a rule breaker, but also one of the best. He's felt lost since a fire altered his life. He's been on a path of self destruction, and is hurting. He feels like he's damaged and living in a constant state of darkness. He doesn't really care about anything anymore except the one woman he can't have, Anne. He misses working together, and seeing her, so when they team up together over her current case he's thrilled to be close to her again. The connection and chemistry between them is still just as strong, and they can't fight their attraction as passion once again ignites.

Consumed is the first book in J.R. Ward's amazing new series about firefighters. It's sexy, exciting, and full of mystery, intrigue and suspense. I really hope we get a book for Tom & Catherine next. I recommend reading the free prequel novellas prior to Consumed to see how the story begins. They introduce you to the characters, and really set the scene.

Review: This is the first book in the new "Firefighters" series by J.R. Ward. It focuses on a group of firefighters (of course) and an arson investigator, and unlike the Black Dagger Brotherhood, has no supernatural elements. I thought it was an exciting read - it starts off with a lot of action, which pretty much continues throughout. The main character Anne is great - she is strong in mind and body, although she still has her insecurities. Although there is plenty of romance, there is also an interesting mystery, as Anne investigates a series of suspicious fires. I really enjoyed it, and I'm sure I'll continue with the series, once she writes some more :)

Holy crap. This book was NOT for me. From the beginning to the end, it was just not. I loved The Bourbon Kings series. It was far outside the purview of the BDB. I thought that this new series would be much of the same. Especially after I skimmed (I don’t like spoilers) some of the reviews on GoodReads. I was hopeful. Too hopeful. Bad on me.

I didn’t like Anne Ashburn from the beginning. Not from page one. You could tell she was the type of person that didn’t like following rules, orders, or anything in between. Which usually wouldn’t be a problem one way or the other. The problem in this book is that she’s a firefighter. A firefighter for the love of…ugh. Firefighters have to follow orders or they get dead. If they don’t get themselves dead, they’ll get someone else dead. It’s blatantly obvious that Anne goes against authority when she tells her partner they need to separate during a warehouse fire. After being explicitly told not to split up.

That decision ends up costing her. Big time. It almost costs her her own life and the life of the man she loves. Who rushes into save her after being ordered not to go in after her. Yep, folks. There’s two of them. And they’ve found each other.

Danny McGuire loves Anne and he won’t leave her in the warehouse to burn. What happens between the time he goes in after her and the time he brings her out is something that is seared into his brain. Ten months later he can barely look at himself in the mirror. He takes up drinking, smoking, and sleeping with any woman that will have him. Then one night he gets in a fight at a local bar and his best friend calls in the big guns. Anne.

Anne thought she was done with Danny. Except she’s never done with Danny. The two are literally made for each other. You couldn’t find two more damaged people than the two of them. I understood Danny’s demons. I truly did. He lost his twin brother in a fire, he lost a good friend in a fire, he lost his parents. He has a lot of loss in his life. Anne? I seriously don’t know what her issue was. She had serious hangups from her childhood and she hated her mother, but she let that affect every aspect of her life. It was ludicrous.

A couple of the interesting parts should be mentioned. The mystery was fairly mysterious. So was Anne’s brother Tom. Talk about siblings. They both rather redeemed themselves in the end (when it came to each other and their mother), so that was all right. It was Danny that changed by leaps and bounds though. It was quite the thing to read.

One thing I could not get over, hence my low grade, is that Anne wasn’t just stupid, she was TSTL. Yup. Too Stupid To Live. While investigating the warehouse fires, she figures out who did it. Instead of calling her SWAT friend or her brother or even Danny, what does she do? You guessed it…she goes after the guy herself. Why? Because she’s no mere woman. She doesn’t need a stinking man. Then, she’s so sure she’s right that she decides that she’s going to compromise evidence because she has to prove something to herself. That’s what ultimately threw me over the edge. I can deal with many things. TSTL heroines are not one of them.

I do hate to admit that I might read Tom’s book. I think I hate myself for that.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Firefighter’s stories are rare for me but Consumed hooked me. I loved Danny and Anne, I love how JR Ward brings these characters to life. The romance is there but love the mystery and twists it has. The multiple POV was very well written. I was able to keep up with the timeline and the plot is just great. Can’t wait to read more stories from the crew.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I was a little skeptical when I seen that JR Ward was starting a contemporary series she is known for her amazing paranormal series. I was glad I was wrong. This book packed emotion, fun loving characters that was easy to relate too and a great story line. I can not wait till the next one.

This story kept me engrossed from the first word.
I really enjoyed the build up and in depth story.
Everything JR Ward writes seems to be gold.
The prequal stories are on Amazon and I highly recommend reading them first.
Can't wait for more from this world.

What an intense read! Wow! Ms. Ward knows how to pull you into a story and showcase all the characters in this book and she will have you invested until the very end.

Anne Ashburn is a female firefighter. She works in a world where it's usually dominated by men, but that doesn't stop her. She's also has a crush on her one-time hook and fellow firefighter, Danny McGuire. Danny is known as the rule breaker when it comes to his job. He is willing to risk everything when it comes to saving lives and also saving Anne. But on one fiery night on the job, it changed both of their lives forever!

Anne is recovering from an accident and starting a new life and new career as an arson investigator. And Danny is recovering from his injury and guilt. But they both come together and figure out who is behind the trouble in their city. And it's not easy when these two comfort their feelings for each other.

Consumed is an thrilling story about the men and women who are courageous enough to fight the fire and save lives. The mystery and twists of this story had me on the edge. A fantastic read and looking forward to more.

I was absolutely hooked! From the very beginning this book Consumed me to the point that I did not want to put this book down. I dreamed of this book when I finally went to bed, it came alive to me.
Danny and Anne together in a dramatic way from the very beginning. Prior to the start of the book there was one night between them, with Danny wanting more. However there was an accident at a fire involving both of them. A tragedy that leaves them both seeing life in a different way, One takes life by the horns, one drowns in alcohol. Can they both overcome all of the mess that has happened and continues to happen and be together? Ann changes jobs, arson investigator. Less dangerous maybe? NOT!
There are twist and events that left me speechless. I did not see that coming! A jaw dropping moment. No spoilers.....

J. R. Ward is an automatic buy for me, and she has hit it out of the park again with Consumed, Book 1 of the new Firefighters series.  The 3 part prequel novellas (free) help to set the background for the characters and give us a look at the relationship of the two main characters but are not necessary to follow the book.  I do highly recommend reading them first because I did find myself wondering a few times about situations that seemed to have some history I was unaware of.  As usual the plot is tightly woven and flows well with her spectacular writing style. The characters are well developed and relatable.  The technical aspects of being a firefighter and EMT were spot on. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Ok, I have always been hooked on J.R Ward's writing and this just continues that! Danny and Anne go through something major together in the very beginning, NOTHING to do with sex, that really shakes up everything. Their jobs are so important and so dangerous that anything can happen and it almost rips them apart before they even get to really be together. Danny and Anne had some history ahead of time, and he was the only one who didn't see her as some kind of "sister" but you cant help but root for them to make it through everything. I got a smirk out of how stubborn Anne is, she doesnt let anyone else direct her, much less her Fire Chief brother, or anyone else for that matter. She is driven by wanting to be like her father was, an amazing Fireman, but she is really so much more than that. And you'll really see what makes her so strong and amazing! She is anything but a damsel in distress.

JR Ward introduced me to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, and till now I still re read the earlier ones periodically. They are that superb. This is like a complete departure from vampires etc, it is no less captivating.

The story started with a bang. The first pages had me clutching my chest. I was scared. Then after the dusts settled, and Anne, is now a desk jockey, you’ll think the danger is over, but nope, that will be too tame for our girl. Then Danny boy was looking on and trying to stay away from Anne, and stay sane. Well, we see how well that worked for him. I guess, we never thought of the danger firemen face every day? This is an eye opener.

We also have Tom, Anne’s brother POV. I guess we will hear his story soon.
In summary, this book, like its title, consumed and commanded my attention and emotions like never before. I was totally engrossed in it. Then I met Soot, and my heart ached for him, and then I was elated when Anne adopted him. Annnnd you won’t believe who the bad guy accomplice was. Telling you. Freaking scary and awesome at the same time.. I know am not making sense now, wait till you read this book.

An entertaining, suspenseful look into the world of firefighters and arson investigators. The romance seemed a little too good to be true. The author also glossed over a major trauma that never really seemed to impact the main character, also a little too good to be true. Overall, an entertaining read.

To be honest, I am a bit bummed.

Okay...more than a bit.

It wasn't that I didn't like this...And this is by far one of the more difficult reviews I have ever written.

I mean, I LOVED Ms Ward's Bourbon Kings series (yeah, I know I'm in the minority with that) so I was expecting this contemporary novel to be a bit similar in flavor/tone.

Maybe it was me...but it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong. There are some HUGE pluses to this book. There are places where the novel shines with the humor and character interactions...yet there are places where it(meaning EVERYTHING) is lacking .

You both get and know the idea going in that this is a series, but I wished for some better set up at the end rather than the lack of being cut off- more like a dropped the ball/forgot about it type of way.

In fact this novel was more like a watered down version of Ms Ward and in places felt like two different people wrote it.

There are some way over the top moments and not in a good way. Also, towards the end the way Anne treats Danny is inexcusable and deplorable and the resolution of this frankly, sucked.

Overall Consumes was just okay.

Am I a sucker(still) for Ms Ward's books? YUP

Will I read the next one in this series? YUP (well, probably...lol)