Wow! Consumed by JR Ward starts off with intense action that Anne Asburn pays a steep price for. The mystery is intense and builds very slowly as the sparks between Anne and Danny fly. Anne has built her identity on being a firefighter and one hard night at work takes that dream away from her. As she begins to rebuild her life, Danny is also struggling with guilt and not truly living his own life. Irresistibly drawn together, they definitely have chemistry...putting their minds to work on the mystery shows a good depth.

I admit I was not as crazy about the characters as I thought I would be. I like that they are flawed but Anne's reckless behavior is downright scary and not someone I would want to partner with to fight fires. I admit her rash disregard for the rules does come with a consequence that is extreme... but it also is a character trait that would make firefighters cringe. I found it a turn off. That being said,... I did continue reading and I like the maturity and growth that comes with her experiences. Her new boss is a hoot, darn I really like him. There are many characters that draw you into the story...into the mystery that needs to be solved. It is worth spending the time reading as it gets much better!

Well written, great romantic scenes and chemistry, flawed main characters that can grow on you, intriguing mystery, and amazing supporting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Galley, Threshold, and Pocket Books for an advanced readers copy. As always, my opinions are my own.

Welcome to your next series addiction. A riveting and gritty read. Ward continues to surprise with yet another fresh helping of alpha and not just the male variety. This fall warm up next to the fire with a combustible read from an author who knows how to ignite the reader!

This was a fun, light summer read that centers around firefighters, arson, murder and of course romance! This was a bit predictable, with characters that were un-evenly developed, and an ending that felt forced. That said, the book introduced other characters that I would like to read about (and expect to see in titles further in the series). Recommend for light summer romance reading.

OMG!! I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down! JR Ward is an incredible writer! She creates characters and stories that are interesting, with elements of humor, suspense, attention to detail in her storytelling that makes you feel like you are there.
What a great book!

Fairly new to J. R. Ward’s work, I was excited to read her new book. Consumed is the story of Danny and Anna who know they are not good for each other, yet can’t stay away. When a devastating fire, causes Anna to change her life, she knows she will be a survivor, with or without her family. Danny carries gilt from that fateful day and no one can be sure he live without his Anne. When an arsonist starts threatening Anne, Danny knows he has to save her because he can’t lose her again.
I am anxiously waiting for the others characters to have their turn with their own stories.

I have to admit this is the first JR Ward book I've ever read. And I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I don't know if the writing style is 'normal' or if this is an anomaly...

What I liked...the premise of the story. the action. the unapologetic treatment of the characters situations...

What I didn't like...the overly descriptive style, the lack of dialogue, the way the ending felt forced...

I was pretty meh about the characters - didn't love them or hate them. Nothing leaves me itching for the next book in the series, but I m curious about what might develop so I'll probably give book 2 a try.

firefighters, family-dynamics, detective, PTSD, romance, contemporary, suspense, action, bravery -----

Anne learns that she can get caught by a new passion/calling and that fire is simply a fact, but true evil is a human monster. Told as only someone who has been around driven firefighters and detectives can, this book is truly representative of Ward's genius with plot, characters, emotions, and imagery. Don't miss this one, but be prepared for situations that would make USMC blanch. See publisher's blurb for hints without spoilers.
Disclaimer: I have worked in a major city ER, floor duty, rehab, and jails. Oh, and I love this author's books.
I requested and received an ARC from Simon and Schuster Publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!

I've enjoyed Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books, so I (rightly) assumed I'd enjoy anything else she's written. This novel follows a group of firefighters. As she did in the Brotherhood books, Ward did an excellent job of creating characters you care for and feel invested in. Consumed has lots of action and intrigue, and the sex was steamy. I'm looking forward to other books she'll write in this series!

I just finished reading this book and I am a little unsure how I felt about the book. I should start by saying that the book really did grab me and hold my interest, and was hard for me to put down at times.

There was a twist to the end of the book that I really liked, I just wish it had gotten a little more involved in the twist, it almost felt like it was included just because a piece needed to be tied up. I also think some parts kind of felt like they were almost left hanging a bit for me.

The main character had a complicated relationship with her brother that I think I would have liked to have been explored a little more. And there is a part in the book that I keep turning over in my head that doesn’t make sense to me why it was in there. When her brother went to one of the guy’s apartments to talk to him, he mentioned wearing a mask, but it was never brought up again and I just don’t know why it was there.

Overall I really enjoyed the book, there are just some parts I felt were under developed or I wasn’t quite sure why they were in the book.

When I picked up Consumed, all I really knew was that it was written by JR Ward. And honestly that's all that mattered. Especially after loving her Bourbon Kings trilogy.

And as I suspected, Consumed was a superbly written story that was captivating as well as emotionally wrecking, and it was filled with charismatic characters that left me wanting more. 

I was shocked the way the author opened the book. I admire her for not holding any punches. She actually left me sitting with my mouth hanging wide open not believing what I was reading. And that opening scene wasn't the only one that gave me a sense that this series will touch non charted territory. Throughout the book, there were quite a few scenes and sub plots that left me reeling. The straight forward approach to topics that are often avoided was refreshing and fascinating. The story felt honest, raw, and authentic. And the emotional traction that I got from those pages felt REAL. 

I must honestly admit that it took me quite a while to get into the book.

The story is told from multiple POVs, and at the beginning I was plainly overwhelmed by them. But at the end they all made sense and added to the rich and overall deeply layered plot.

Speaking of plot, the mystery on it's own was superbly crafted. The author kept me guessing, and the last twist came out of the blue and side swept me with a big wallop. It was very well done!!! 

The feeling that these fire crews were one big family was palpable. It was easy to imagine it. Their camaraderie, loyalty, love and fierce allegiance to each other is what made it so hard to for me to say goodbye at the end of the book. I wanted the story to go on. I had so many more questions, and I really hope I'll see certain characters again. 

Consumed didn't feel like the author's Bourbon Kings, which I adored and devoured. But at the end of the book the author had me hooked. It might have taken me longer to get invested, and connected to the story and characters, but the only thing that matters is that I'm looking forward to the next book. As I said I wasn't done with this crew, and I hope the author isn't either.

I liked the description of this book, a female firefighter who has to completely rebuild her life after an on the job injury, with some mystery and a love story added in. However, I didn't like the characters, except for the rescue pit bull, Soot. Because I didn't like the characters, I didn't have much sympathy for their problems, and it was like reading a Jerry Springer soap opera at the firehouse.

Amazing book. It has left me with a huge book hangover that it even entered my Dreams.
Anne & Danny are a great couple. Both have so much pain in their pasts that they have a hard time coming together. There is so much drama, love, laughs and tears in this book. I can’t wait to read the next one in this series.

First to be honest I started this book and thought, here we go again, tough as nails female firefighter that is head strong and pushes every one away until she accepts her male counterpart, been there done that.
I kept reading, and then an actual story beyond the previous thoughts started happening. It has a mystery, somethings I could see happening in advance, but it it's a good solid story. I enjoyed her as an arson investigator, and liked her boss a lot. The family connections, blood as well as friends that become family, are interesting and we get to see growth in all of them. I have questions still, but I think those will be an overall story arc if this becomes a series. I'm hoping there will be a few firefighters that don't have deep seated problems, just regular guys/gals interspersed here and there to balance the stories out.
Overall I would recommend this book, it was a good read and kept me turning the pages.

A good tightly paced firehouse thriller with romance and intrigue. This looks like it's going to be a great series judging from this first installment.

I’ve been reading J.R. Ward’s books for years, including the Black Dagger series that she’s most well known for, so Consumed was a nice alternative to her normal supernatural series. The book focuses on Anne, a former firefighter who’s coming to grips with herself and her new job as an arson investigator after she is no longer able to do the job she loved. While Ward also tells parts of the story from the point of view of Anne’s significant other and brother, I like the fact that she keeps this book focused to a single storyline, which Black Dagger books have deviated from in recent years. I also enjoyed feeling like I was watching the characters grow as people over the course of the book. Finally, Ward creates an interesting twist that provides closure to this particular story but leaves an overarching conflict for subsequent novels.

Consumed is the first book in a new series by J.R. Ward and that's exactly what it feels like. This story is definitely the set-up for what is to come. I read the first 3 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by this author with much enjoyment. Thus far this series does not live up to the BDB story for me, but that's not to say that I didn't like it. I'm not thrilled with Anne as the female protagonist and think that some of her actions are implausible in the real world and that kind of stuff bothers me to no end. Just a middle of the road read for me but I have no doubt that die hard fans of Ward will be thrilled with this new series.


I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Consumed is the first in a new series and introduces lots of multi-dimensional characters in a brotherhood of firefighters and former roommates in various similar jobs. Danny and Anna both struggle with their pasts, both the personal and the professional (they are firefighters and have seen a lot of bad stuff.) The story starts off with a dynamic tragedy that lets the reader feel as though they are physically present as it is happening. The tragedy really sets the plot for the rest of the book and the relationship between the two main characters. Anna is a strong female lead, not easily intimidated and eventually finds a way to make the best of a terrible situation that starts her on a new career path that is not so safe or lacking in adventure as it first seems. Both Danny and Anna have lots of guilt and anger to overcome, as do many of the other characters. I thought this was a good love story and introduction to the potential stories of the other characters. I found a few things a bit difficult to follow. First, there is a lot of fire lingo that I didn’t really understand and it pulled me out of the story somewhat. Secondly, there are a number of long and complex sentences that seemed cumbersome to me and disrupted the flow. Lastly, the final conflict between Danny and Anna before they finally are together for good was a bit unbelievable to me. Anna was very quick to believe one of her fellow firefighters before she would even give Danny a chance to explain. Based on what she knew about that individual’s wife, I found it difficult to believe she would have so quickly jumped to the conclusion that she did. Otherwise, I found this a great book and start of a new series and would read more about this group of “brothers”.

Thank you to Net Galley & Gallery Books for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’m so happy I decided to give this one a try. Part of the reason I decided to give this one a try is because a friend joined the local FD a couple years ago and I see the differences that job has made in him, good and bad. So I was interested to see how the characters were portrayed. Personally, I thought they were great. There’s a wide range of mental health, abusive (substance), aggressive, angry men in this story and I’m hoping we get to learn more about the others in future books.

This one focuses on Anne and Danny – both from firemen families who have dealt with loss and both handle their shit in negative ways.

Anne is a girl who hates the word girl and fights everything about being a girl. She’s tough, intelligent, brave and angry. I’ll say that I got annoyed with her “don’t call me girl” comments pretty quickly. You’re a girl, you don’t have to wear a dress but you also don’t need to snap at everyone who calls you a girl. Be you sweetie. But anyway, she’s a bad ass and when life changes for her, she has to learn to adjust how she sees herself, as well as who she is. I think she does great at this and her the new family member she adopts early in the story is just adorable. I do wish she wasn’t so mean. She carries a lot of anger around and takes it out on EVERYONE. It’s kind of amazing she has any friends at times.

Danny is the hotshot fire fighter with a death wish, who sleeps around and drinks until he gets into a fight. During a particularly bad call he does something that shakes him to his core. We get to see how he picks himself back up. I like Danny but I have a huge soft spot for bad boys who love with their whole being. Is Danny perfect? God no. No one in this world (fictional or not) is. AND I do love a wonderfully written flawed character and that’s how I saw Danny. I also liked Tom, Anne big brother a lot too. They are both strong male characters with a lot of internal drama that they are trying to deal with without letting everyone around them know just how screwed up they are. Healthy? No, but it makes for an interesting read. And both of them make very interesting discoveries about themselves throughout the book.

While Danny and Anne try to push each other away, Anne more than Danny – there are mysterious fires happening and Anne, who is still trying to figure out exactly who she is, thinks she knows who is behind them. Throughout the story there is this dark shadow that hangs over these characters and it makes for an interesting read. The romance is hot and sweet. This book opens up a lot of possibilities for future stories about these first responders and the people who love them or just want a super hot ride. I will for sure keep an eye out for more on them.

I received an ARC of this book, from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author and certainly won’t be the last! Whether you are looking for romance, action, real life drama or a novel centered around first responders, it is all here! There isn’t a dull point in the book at any time. No matter what the situation or which character it is focusing on, it keeps moving and makes you want to keep reading, or at least searching for that chapter break in case you must put it down to participate in your own real life. LOL.

The author gets your personally invested in each character without over describing. There is a slang word used here and there to remind you of what the accent would be like, if you were truly in the NE setting. The author has also definitely done some serious homework on the realities of living as a full time first responder. The heartaches, the adrenaline, the political drama if you are the head of a public works entity, the truth of underpayment for these jobs and inequality that can come with deciding which entity receives the most funding. The author’s inclusion of all of the above aspects lets the average person into the lives of people in these professions.

The main reason that I didn’t rate the book 5 stars was the use in several places if the slang or lingo used in these professions. I come from a background of family involved in medical, fire and law enforcement. A family full of first responders and volunteers, so I knew what most terms meant. The average reader however may not understand some terminology and won’t likely find the answer if just looking in a common dictionary. The use of the wording was accurate, however, without explanation to someone who haven’t been around these environments, it may become frustrating if the reader were the type to want to know what every word means, but possibly unable to easily find the answer.

That being said, I LOVED the book and am excited to read more by this author!

The characters in this book were fantastic, totally believable, flawed but people you were rooting for anyway. Looking forward to more in the series.