Anne Ashburn has spent her entire life proving she is equal to the men around her and avoiding her mother’s efforts to feminize Anne. She just wants to be one of the best firefighters on the crew, but she also tends to go her own way. Danny McGuire is one of the best firefighters, but his temper gets him in trouble. Danny has lost his parents, his twin brother, and some friends, and each death has left him more wounded. The two of them are close friends who really seem to understand each other.

When there is a fire in a deserted warehouse, Anne and Emilio go inside to look for any homeless who need to evacuate the building while the others fight the fire. The rule is for them to stay together, but Anne insists on going her own way saying they could cover the area more quickly. When the ceiling collapses, trapping Anne, Danny goes crazy and ignores orders as he tries to rescue her.

Things go badly and that is the setup for the rest of the book. Each feels guilty and angry and they go separate ways. Danny stays with the fire department and starts taking more risks as if he is courting death. Anne becomes an arson investigator but misses the adrenaline rush of her previous job.

It took a while for me to warm up to Anne because she seemed to have such a chip on her shoulder. I really liked Danny and felt sorry for him, he just seemed so wounded. But everything came together by the end of the book and now there are other characters set up for their own story.

Net Galley provided in exchange for an honest review

O.M.G !!!! What a book!!!! Wow that was the best book I've read this year!!! So many twists and turns!! And who was with the bad guys?!!! Never guessed that?!! I love trying to figure out who it is but I did not see that coming!!!This is Danny and Anne book both are firefighters, and I'm talking right in the first chapter!!! All heck breaks loose!!! I can't believe what poor dannyboy has to do?!!! Ugh! But this book has everything!!! So much action! Devastating loss!! Some steamy hot moments! And so much more!! I did see that it's really expensive but it's definitely worth the read! I hope and pray that ms.ward is making this a series?!! Some of these men sound so freaking hot!! Lol thank you sooooo much NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for sharing this book with me! It was a fabulous read!!

Full review to be published online in October.

CONSUMED is the first book in J R Ward’s new “Firefighters” series, which continues the author’s foray out of UF, and into Contemporary fiction. As always with this author, there is a large cast of characters introduced to the reader. The two main characters here are both adrenaline junkies who skirt the line on the job to the point of almost having death wishes. For years they had been flirting with each other but had only one night of passion.

Playing fast and loose with the rules at a warehouse fire has dire consequences for both. Almost a year later after Anne's world is forever changed from that day, she has just started a new career as a arson investigator. Danny McGuire who was one of the best fighter fighters the 499 after that day started down a reckless self destruct path over his guilt of that fateful day.

CONSUMED is a good read, but not great. It is however, intriguing enough that I will give the next book a try.

can I say that I absolutley enjoyed this new series from JR Ward. she is responsible for getting me back in to reading with BDB and I was excited to read Consumed and I was not disappointed. I loved the interaction between all of the characters and the chemistry between Danny and Anne had together. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line as well and I can't wait for the next book in this series.

CONSUMED by J R Ward as always JR Ward has another winner. Anne was brought up by a strong father and an old-fashioned stay at home mother. But Anne was not the type of person to be put in a mold. She looked up to her father and brother and wanted to be just like them. A firefighter. She made it and met Dannyboy. It was fire and flames between them. Until..... Anne was trapped in a warehouse fire and lost her hand. After Danny freed Anne he got trapped. Oh so much to this story. A synopsis just can’t describe it. It is a must read.

I received an arc from Netgalley. Wow I don’t even know where to start with this book. I could not put it down. Right from the start you are pulled in to the story. Anne and Danny start out with somewhat of a past but what the future holds for them is in question.

Tradgedy strikes in more ways than one (I don’t want to give too many details away) that forces both Anne and Danny out of commission in the fire field. Once both are healed and back in some compacity arson soon becomes a major problem .

Betrayel strikes and Anne fears for her life. Danny finds the betrayal of a friend inconceivable and the ending devastating for both. They must lean on each other and persevere. Soot is an added bonus and saves the day as well.

Great read and I love this author and will continue to read her stories.

I was blown away by this story of 2 firefighters and how their relationship evolves through traumatic events. As a woman Anne has had to fight to be taken seriously as a firefighter. Danny is one of the best but one decision changes him forever. I was riveted by the events and without giving too much of the plot away impressed with the detail about overcoming a traumatic injury. Outstanding.

****ARC received for an honest review****

I had no idea what to think going into this book. BDB is one of my first romance loves, and Ward has such a unique writing style there.

Here it was similar in some ways but mostly subdued. Again we had a strong female character and a brotherhood...of first responders. There was a darkness - particularly in Anne and Danny - that was unsettling. This book is full of self-destructive people. Although they have good reason.

Anne and Danny are firepersons with a connection they’re exploring and sort of denying. Then there’s a crazy bad fire and something happens between Danny and Anne. I wasn’t ready for it - suffice it to say this book is gory. And then Danny and Anne have a ton of guilt and blame and anger. Their fledgling relationship is crushed. They’re each in a bad place.

And the story progresses with Danny and Anne crawling out of their respective holes and toward one another. There’s a lot of set up for the series. You meet a ton of alpha males and their crushing problems. Suicide. Drugs. Destroyed families. This series isn’t light-hearted. Nor is it horribly dark. Ward balances it well - characters with a compelling problem that simultaneously repels and attracts the reader.

I didn’t love Anne. While I’m all for a strong heroine I do like a little more sugar than old girl had in her. It was important to her that she be seen as one of the guys - not my favorite in a romance heroine. But I didn’t dislike her either. I never thought she was stupid or aggravating. My only wish for her was that she be a little kinder to herself and Danny.

Overall I’m glad I read this. It has a different feel. Somewhere between overly-dramatic Reads with self-created problems and fluff is a land of books I don’t find that often. This had a normal slightly-intense vibe. A little less than a compelling read.

<b>”Saviors were one thing. Friends? That was a choice...”</b>

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What a great kickoff to a new series. It takes us into the world of firefighters, EMTs, Arson Investigators with some sides of SWAT.

The two main protagonist, when the book starts off, are both die hard adrenaline junkies who skirt the line on almost having death wishes. For years they had been flirting with each other but had only one night of passion recently. Their playing loose with the rules at a warehouse fire has dire consequences for both. Almost a year later after Anne's world is forever changed from that day she has just started a new career as a arson investigator. Danny McGuire who was one of the best fighter fighters the 499 after that day started down a reckless self destruct path over his guilt of that fateful day.

Anne used her recovery time to find the courage to accept the things she could not change and the courage to change the things she could (yes I just quoted from the serenity prayer). She decides to go into her new job with the same tenacity (and a little recklessness) she had as a firefighter looking into a string a warehouse fires. In addition to starting the new job she and Danny also reconnect igniting their old attraction. But Danny's self destructive ways, Anne's insecurities, and threats against her life due to her investigation into the warehouse fires all threaten to fragile bond they are trying to reestablish.

We are introduced to a very large cast a characters who I'm hoping will be getting their own book. Anne's brother Fire Chief Tom Ashburn being one for sure.