Mind officially consumed when I read this book!
It is everything.
Dark, mysterious and totally made me question what I just read that I read it all over again because I did not want the story to end.

As big of a Black Dagger Brotherhood fan as I am, I think it will always be difficult for me to read JR Ward for anything outside of the BDB world. I'm just *used* to her storytelling in that way. So thought I was excited to jump into Consumed and get a Contemporary look from the author (and firefighters!), it just didn't entirely work for me. And unlike BDB, this book was long and FELT long. A little disappointed after the investment of time and effort.

Consumed by JR Ward is an angsty contemporary romance with lots of dark themes and a hint of romantic suspense. I really liked the heroine, but the hero never clicked with me, and I felt like there was too much going on with the plot at times.

Anne Ashburn is a New Brunswick firefighter who loves her job and carries a torch for her coworker, Danny McGuire. Anne and Danny had a mind-blowing one night stand that they both refuse to talk about although it’s clear they have feelings for each other. During a fire Anne is trapped and Danny nearly dies saving her. Anne loses her hand in the fire…

Click for spoilers
…thus ending her career as a fire fighter.

Anne gets a job as an arson investigator, but she misses her found family at the firehouse where she worked. Danny, still traumatized from the fire that nearly killed them both, pulls away from Anne.

This is where I struggled with the book the most. Danny and Anne both share the same trauma. They both have physical and psychological scars. While Anne is working to move forward in her life, Danny is stuck in the same place, letting survivor’s guilt keep him in a toxic rut of binge drinking, meaningless sex, and acting out at work. That means that Anne is stuck doing most, if not all, of the emotional labor.

After the first few chapters, I thought that I was hooked. Unfortunately, the rest of the book did not live up to it's opening.

This is a different JR Ward book, but on par with the rest of her work. Another win. She really does have a way with words and writing unique characters.

I loved the blurb of this book and was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, it archived before I could read it.

A great story depicting the rough patches of two individuals that thrive on adrenaline highs. Very well written.

Surprisingly, this was my first JR Ward novel and I was so excited to sit down and dig into a realistic, mystery novel--you know, one without crazy circumstances, hard to believe plot twists, and exaggerated characters. I was so pleased with the realistic and multi-dimensional characters, and the plot points that led to their full lives--and not just the main plot of the story.

The only reason I give this four, instead of five stars, is it was a bit slow at times. It took me awhile to get into it, because I don't think we were introduced to the main plot for awhile. However, once it was starting to unravel, I quickly finished and enjoyed doing so.

It was a struggle to connect with the characters — they both felt so unlikable. I do like some of the secondary characters and am excited to find out if they’ll get their own stories.

I've spent the past two days grasping at any opportunities I could find to get back to THIS book.
The writing, the opening scene and pawns at play had me riveted from page one until the very end. "Consumed" was a real page turner!

Anne Ashburn certainly is the epitome of a strong heroine. Fearless, confident and smart, I must admit part of me wished to see her ask for help a couple of times.
I've spent my weekend completely immersed in the story and feeling like walking in Anne Ashburn's shoes. The feeling of following firefighters and arson investigators felt authentic to me.


JR Ward is undeniably an amazing story teller and I really enjoyed the my time guessing and re-assessing my theories regarding Anne's investigation. It was truly gripping.
I was as much invested in solving the mystery as I was to see her and Danny the hot firefighter reunited, the pull between them was so strong it was like a lifeline throughout the book.

Be that as it may, in the end, the focus on the couple lacked a little for this romance reader and I finished "Consumed" feeling a little... frustrated... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Not that their relationship wasn't intense but with so many unrequited and denied feelings between them, I wish the author could have taken a litte more time to explore them as a couple.

"Consumed" carries a lot of baggage. There isn't one moment trauma free, it creates and supports interesting characters, flawed and genuine people, and authentic connections but part of me was still hoping for a hushed and sealed from the ugly— bubble for the couple. That's on me though.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, and I'm already looking forward reading about the other potential couples, but as a romance reader I think I needed more of Anne and Danny... HAPPY.

This chapter closes with questions unanswered but I guess it was purposedly left hanging for the upcoming books in the series which makes sense.
I can't wait to read more about the whole fire crew, Tom, Emilio and Vic.

This is a hard review to write. First of all, I love JR Ward and all her books but this book I couldn't get into. I kept waiting for it to build into this phenomenal story and it just kind of fell flat for me. I don't know why and I can't pinpoint exactly what it was but it was monumental for me. It just didn't work.

I couldn't wait to read this only because I love J.R. Ward and how she writes her boys. Although there is no paranormal to this story it was still pretty good. I wasn't a big fan of the main character. I honestly don't know why I didn't like her that much I just didn't.
In the end, it was good and I want to read the next one. I guess the only reason it wasn't a 5 for me is because I was expecting more of the banter like what we get from the brothers and there was some but nothing like the brothers. I know I may just be partial and don't know why I would think that would be here because it isn't the brothers, and I knew that going in. But I was hoping for it.

:)

A book that started out as fire unfortunately fizzled towards the middle.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything in Between: What I love about JR Ward's books are her amazing characters. I love the complexity of her tortured heroes and in most cases the heroes' heroines are their equals in every way. In this book, Danny is a typical Ward hero. He's tall, massively built, good looking, and brooding (with good reason.) Anne is very much Danny's equal and in many ways she's just as tortured as he is, which adds a layer of complexity not usually found in romances. Many romance books that feature a tortured hero has a total opposite in their love interest to balance the drama of the story. In Consumed, because both characters are tortured, the book could have gotten bogged down with seriousness but Ward inserts some lighthearted moments as well which helped balance the book, Anne's rescue dog for example. I love when author's add dogs to their stories.

So, I love me a good romantic suspense and this one did have some suspense but honestly it wasn't until the end when I truly felt anxious for Danny and Anne. I like being on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what will happen, and the longer I'm there the better, but I never really had those feelings during this book. It might have be more my issue than Ward's because I never really warmed up to Anne. Her reasons for not being with Danny were mere excuses, one right after another. Her first being they were both firefighters in the same firehouse and dating would be near impossible as she was struggling to be considered just one of the guys. After the opener of the book, which I thought was stupendous by the way, we can see that particular excuse could no longer be used. Anne just found another....and another.

The romance lacked for me as well because there was not a significant amount of actual romance on the page. If you read the prequels (which is something I would recommend as a need to rather than a suggestion of maybe) then you know Anne and Danny had a quickie, one night stand...or rather one hour stand as there was no cuddling or sleeping or whatever after it was over. Slam Bam Anne is gone. See ya Danny Boy. And all Danny can think is how much he adores Anne. Not only did she do it once but she did it twice and Danny let her just hoping she'd come around and want him as much as he wanted her. Anne was just a cold character I never connected to but then when it comes to JR Ward's book, it's all about the hero for me. Thank goodness I was able to connect with Danny.

In a Nutshell: Not a terrible book but honestly not one of her better ones. I'll continue with the series though because...well....it's Ward.

I was totally consumed with this story. There were some places where it was a total snooze fest, but when it was good, it was good. Would definitely read more from this author.

This is the first book I've ever read by J.R. Ward, and now I want more! The plot was "consuming" and I was completely enthralled. I definitely recommend this book as a must read.

Consumed... this is a VERY fitting title for this book. If you love suspense, mystery and a fast pace be ready.

I really enjoyed Anne's fearlessness and head strong stature and attitude. She will stop for nothing when she has her mind set. One warehouse fire will change it all for her. What she has known as her normal will no longer exist. She has to find herself again and fight for what really matters. Anne finds herself shattered with a lost identity of herself. The best part is she never gives up. As she becomes an arson investigator she starts getting more questions then answers that will lead back to her and put her in danger.

Insert Danny and one have an even better story with heat and chemistry. Danny has known since day one his heart belonged to Anne. Through their ups and downs and unforeseen events their bond will be tested. As the plot thickens in the investigation so do the desires.

This book is a MUST read! J.R. Ward did NOT disappoint. I cannot wait to continue on!

Such a change from her Paranormal/Urban fantasy series!! But the realness of this storyline was the best! No cozy HEA here! They worked for it and I LOVED it!! Can't wait for more stories of these firefighters!!

I want to say that I loved this book but that is so far from the truth of the matter, I can’t even lie about it.

Anne Ashburn is a wreck of a woman. From page one of the book she has a chip on her shoulder about the size of Montana. She is a woman in a man’s world and she’s out to prove that she’s just as good as the others. She very well may have been, until she decided that ignoring the rules about staying in pairs and striking out on her own, in the middle of a burning building, was a good idea. Not only does her best friend almost die by trying to save her, but she loses a limb. Yeah, great idea, Anne. *facepalm*

So now Anne can’t be the firefighter she lived to be because she’s minus an arm. Now she’s investigating arson and hates it. She has a shitty work ethic and does whatever she damn well pleases most of the time. When she starts investigating fires that deal with warehouses, like the one she was in, she starts to discover that things aren’t as they should be. She teams up with Danny, eventually, but does she depend on him when she figures out whodunit? Of course not – she’s too much of a woman to depend on a man! Ugh. She actually goes to a remote location by herself and what happens actually proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what an idiot this woman was. Seriously, she is what Ward thought was a good heroine? Puhleease. I hope no young adult reads this and thinks Anne is someone to emulate.

Do I recommend this book? Uh, no. I did give it an extra ½ star because I read to the end, but that was more like me not being able to take my eyes off a train wreck. Just sayin’.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5

I loved every bit of bit. This is J.R. Ward's work, it is automatically a brilliant piece of art. Enough said.

What a fabulous start to an all-new series! What I loved so much about this book was the heroine. Anne was beyond admirable. I loved how she was passionate about her career and even excelled in such a male-dominated profession. Her confidence, her courage, and her strength was phenomenal.

What was terrific too was the writing. JR Ward couldn't have described Anne and Danny emotional turmoil; any better, When Anne was struggling, I felt I was struggling alongside with her. I too horrible for Anne's counterpart Danny. You could definitely feel his guilt, his longing, and his love resonate all throughout the pages.

I had my doubts whether these two would figure it out but JR Ward convinced me that they could rise above the ashes and become one. Loved this and can not wait to read more of this series.