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.

Loved this book, written by one of my favorite authors. This story is at the top of my “best reads” list. There is mystery, intrigue, tragic drama, romance and steam. It is a detour from the Brotherhood drama and I think a much needed relief. This book centers around firefighters, big city corruption and personal drama and loss. The bad guy was a surprise, which doesn’t happen often for me. There is the potential for a series here and I hope there will be more of this story in the future. Excellent. Looking forward to the next.

I just had the pleasure of reading the super intense, super sexy Consumed by J.R. Ward. This was a perfect weekend book, and I finished it this morning, skirting all of my typical obligations in order to discover the (VERY SATISFYING) ending.

Anne Ashburn is an incredibly fearless firefighter and all-around badass who puts her life on the line daily in the line of duty. She holds her own against the group of guys in her firefighting company, 499, and enjoys a good reputation among everyone. The daughter of a legendary fireman and the sister of the current fire chief, it seems Anne’s life couldn’t be more ideal…. Up until one fateful night, that is, when Anne’s life is permanently altered. Grappling with this life-changing night, a new dangerous career, and trying to avoid ALL the complications from Mr.-Hottest-Fire-Hero, Danny McGuire, Anne definitely has her work cut out for her. Not to mention there seems to be a killer arsonist on the loose…

I cannot tell you how intense this book was! J.R. Ward obviously did a ton of research on firefighters and their intense job because I felt like I was right with them when they went out on calls. The detail and vivid language was awesome and sucked me in from the first page. This book had it all- action, thrill, romance and then some. I loved the ending and did NOT see the twist coming at the end. I definitely couldn’t put this down and you won’t be able to either.

4 out of 5 Stars for Consumed by J.R. Ward, which will be released on my birthday, October 9th, 2018! Available for Pre-order on Amazon now.

I was so excited to be granted an arc of this book. I love all of JR Ward’s other books. I wanted to love this one just as much. It just fell flat for me. There were things that didn’t necessarily flow with the story, and the ending felt rushed.

This was my first JR Ward book, and I’m in LOVE.

Not only was the writing and humor on point, but the story was relatable. Ward writes about trauma and how it affects the body and mind in a way that grabs you by the throat and walks out the door with you in one hand while it rips out your heart in another. The firemen in this book are broken and feel so real that I expect to find them at my local firehouse.

Of course, the love scenes were hot, as well! Show up for the love scenes but stay for the magnificent writing.

This was one of the best books I have read in a while! When the Black Dagger Brotherhood books initially came out I read them all. This is even better. Real people you can relate to. Excellent mystery and suspense. Kept me guessing until the last chapter who was responsible. From the horrific ashes, the flame of love survives. Can't say enough positive things about this one!

Any Chicago Fire fans out there? If yes, you should read this book. If not still read the book. But I found myself picturing Taylor Kinney a la Kelly Severide as leading hottie Daniel “Dannyboy” Maguire. Pardon the bad fire puns but this book was hot. I was intrigued by the firefighter culture and felt the technical aspects were well researched. The character Anne Ashburn was very compelling and pretty badass. Ive heard this will be a series and look forward to see where it goes.

I'm a huge fan of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, so I couldn't wait to read this one! As always, J.R. Ward has presented us with complicated characters that the reader just needs to know more about. The beginning scene throws you forcibly into the story, in a very good way. And then you get to go through a wild journey with Anne and Danny as they work through their individual issues, and navigate each other. Another great thing about Ward's writing is the character development of all the side characters that you know will be main characters in the upcoming books of the series. I'm definitely looking forward to see where this series goes, and what J.R. Ward will throw at us next!

I'm going to give it a 5 because I honestly liked it a lot and loved most of it. We have a strong heroine, which is not uncommon with JR Ward, she doesn't do annoying weak heroines but some of them have actually annoyed me a bit, but not Anne, I really liked her. We also have a strong very macho hero (Danny) but at the same time a bit broken and reckless. Of course it is because of what he is forced to do to save our heroine and with good reason he is so broken. I would have been traumatized for the rest of my life as well. I really liked the story and the romance was awesome, the sex was very steamy and kinda perfect, didn't have to skim any of it. The mystery and suspense was also great, we end up learning that the villain was someone so totally unexpected and I actually felt a bit sad about what happened.
I can't wait to see who is next in this series, I'm thinking is Tom, or hoping I guess. I really liked his character. We do have quite a few interesting characters in the story so I am thinking we will see them all have a HEA, maybe?
I also have to say that even though this is not paranormal it does still have the same feel as her other books, the guys are all very strong and macho and kinda talk like the Brothers. Same writing style so even if there is nothing paranormal about it I'm sure many of the BDB fans will love this series.
Definitely recommend!

I love, love, love the BDB but until Consumed that was all I had read of her other series. I was not sure what to expect. JR surprised me for sure! I just could not put this book down! I sped through it in three days and that is not my norm at all!

This is the first in a new series so JR had to take some time world building and introducing all the characters. She wrote a strong, independent, female lead with serious real life problems. Anne Ashburn is someone who takes what life throws at her as just another thing to overcome. Her journey is intense, fueled by fire and will have you guessing until the end.

Danny McGuire is every woman’s hottest firefighter fantasy bad boy come to life but he’s got a secret and he must come to terms with his own regrets, ghosts and fires.

The cast of secondary characters were intriguing in their own right and you can see that some were introduced to help you get to know them better and will have their own book later in the series. The issues they are each dealing with can make you hurt but I can’t wait to see where she takes all of them. I am really looking forward to more from this series!

I think I may need to read the rest of her series now for sure!

Fast paced riveting story about fire fighters, families and corruption.
A true edge of my seat page turner.
Anne and Danny are very realistic.
Their story is neither sweet nor romantic. It's real and gritty. As the first book of a new series I'm already hooked.

In one terrible fire, Anne Ashburn's career is taken away. She doesn't follow orders and gets trapped when a fire overtakes her. Danny Maguire is forced to amputate her hand that is caught between two beams, with an axe. After months of rehabilitation, Anne is now an inspector for the fire department while Danny continues to fight fires with the 419 house in New Brunswick. But Anne is on the trail of a fire bug who is setting fires all over New Brunswick and may have been responsible for the fire in which she lost her hand. Nice little romance, but a pretty small plot. Nice characters that needed more development. This is the first in a new series from the author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Shocking - This was my first ever J.R. Ward book.
I absolutely fell in love with these characters. I'm not sure that I've ever read a more intense start of a book. Definitely got my attention. There were parts of the story that lagged (just a bit) for me, but the flow from each POV kept it going.
The story line was incredible, however, I felt like this was more serial than series as the story abruptly ended and a lot was left hanging.