This was the first book of J.R. Ward that I have read. I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like reading a book written in third person, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I LOVE reading a book with a strong heroine. I love seeing a hero declare their feelings for the heroine and she is the one that sets the tone for the relationship. Consume is a riveting story that follows a group of firefighters and their chief. Through the embers, a connection between Anne and Danny burns fiercely.

Anne Ashburn gets herself in a situation where Danny McGuire has to make a decision that will change both of their lives. When Danny bears the consequences of his actions, be becomes consumed by guilt. Anne's life takes a turn she never expected and while on her journey, she learns how to deal with the reality that has feelings for Danny. As much as she tries to deny them, they are front and center. Danny pushes because if he doesn't, Anne will continue to fight her feelings.

Funny how two siblings can live in the same house and see things totally different. For years Anne harbored ill feelings toward her mother and her brother never understood why. When Anne is finally honest with him, her brother begins to see things in a new light.

I look forward to reading more books in this series.

was a gripping thriller that took you to every aspect of trying to figure out what was really going on and what was going to happen next! This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to see what else is released from this author!

A legacy that made her want to stand ahead of the rest and push every act to the next level. Anne has always wanted to follow her families legacy of being a firefighter. That changed with one tragic accident where her judgement cost her the job she lived and breathed. Accepting a new job an investigator she tries to unravel a series of fires that seem oddly familiar. Having her ex-partner by her side may give her the information and perspective and narrow in on who is committing these crimes. Will she solve the trail before it is too late? Great story and extremely descriptive as you are thrown into the lives of fighting fires.

J.R. Ward is a must purchase in my library, and this one will get multiple copies. A departure from her supernatural series, this one stands alone as a great thriller/romance. The audience for this one will be wide, and I have talked many into reading it already!

This was not my favorite, romance in third person hardly ever works. I liked the concept, but could not get into the minds of the characters.

Whilst we did enjoy this book, sadly it didn't wow us as we had hoped. We did love the prequels however this story was rather slow and didn't keep our interest to a large degree. This story had all the elements we normally love, however this time it wasn't a complete win for us, which was a huge shame because we are BIG fans of this author. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

J.R Ward drew me in and kept me captive from beginning to end of Consumed. To say that I did not see that ending coming would be an understatement. I was enthralled with Anne and Danny and did not want the story to end … I just wanted to keep on reading about them and the men at Engine Company 17.
You would have gotten an idea of what kind of a woman Anne Ashburn is if you read The Wedding from Hell novella's. She's strong-willed, determined and every inch a firefighter. As this story starts and you see how brave and stubborn she is, you can understand why a man like Dannyboy could be so protective and passionate about her. But, Danny has his own demons that he's fighting and just added another one with Anne.
One of Danny's biggest mistakes was Deandra and that too is coming back to haunt everyone at the Engine Company. But, it's going to take Anne and Danny working together to catch the arsonist and bring the firehouse back together. It's time for Sister to come back into the fold, to accept that she is still one of them and to settle down their Dannyboy.
I was absolutely amazed with Consumed. I've had the pleasure of reading BDB and was thrilled that she was branching out. For her to have gone into a Firefighters series and to have gone into it with a story that was filled with suspense and classic J.R Ward finesse, was just astounding. Consumed is the beginning and I cannot wait to see where else she is going to take us.

JR Ward does an amazing job with the setting, the characters, and the mystery. This time is no different. In addition to whodunit, the romance, action and suspense in Consumed made this one I had a hard time putting down, and when I did, it stayed with me until I picked it up again. It was HOT.

WOO-HOO!! J.R Ward's new series is awesome! I really look forward to the next books in this series! Love that I have a new series to collect!

I received this outstanding book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Now I love this author. I have tried to read everything she writes. Yes this is nothing like Black Dagger because it doesn't involve vampires. Please before you read this you definitely should read the novellas before this one. The novellas help you with the past history of the main characters.

Anne is a former firefighter who lost her job due to an injury. She has always have had sexual tension with her former co worker Danny. I don't want to give much details away. If you loved Black dagger you will definitely love this serious. At times I felt sad for them or happy for them. I'm left in the ending wanting more of Danny and Anne.

J. R. Ward knows how to keep the pages turning. I enjoy her writing. Sadly, I failed to fall in love with the characters in this book, and that's kind of the point of a romance novel. The firefighters were more interesting than I expected, but after the action at the beginning of the book, things seemed quite unexciting until the end. Despite all that, I kept reading. It's good, but there's room for improvement. I will read more in the series as they come out.

I really loved how our heroine lost her arm as a firefighter. (Although I had to squeamishly skim the part describing Danny cutting her arm off.) You rarely read a book with a main character who has lost a limb. Anne was a fighter and I loved that about her. I also fell in love with Soot! The "culprit" did surprise me and I didn't see that coming. I felt so bad for Danny with all the emotional trauma he had gone through in his life. I am glad he was able to seek a therapist on his own terms to deal with all that trauma.

When I saw that J.R. Ward was coming with a new series I was so excited to read this book! I’m a big fan of “The Black Dagger Brotherhood” series and I love seeing authors switch it up. I do have to say when I first started this book I wasn’t in the mood to read it and put it to the side. I came back a few weeks later and DEVOURED this book in a few hours! I love the plot, I loved how the characters felt real and had issues you could relate to. This book was raw, gritty and honest. I really liked Anne who was tough as nails and no nonsense but at times she was too stubborn for her own good. Danny was such a tortured hero and I just wanted to reach into the book and hug him. I loved the explosive chemistry between Danny and Anne. The plot was intriguing and held my interest. I also liked the secondary characters as well and I can’t wait to see where the series heads!

A true scorcher!

I hadn't read any romances that didn't include some form of paranormal/urban fantasy in ages, and I had forgotten how powerful they can be without that touch of un-reality. Ann & Danny are a powerful and engaging couple. Both alphas in their own right which causes many struggles for them.

I read the 2 prequels just before reading the book which I felt made reading the book that much better.

Consumed is the exciting first installment in J.R. Ward’s new Firefighters series. Anne Ashburn is a New Brunswick, Mass., firefighter. Firefighting is in her blood: Her father was a firefighter, and her brother, Tom, is fire chief. Anne is a member of a close crew that includes Daniel Maguire, and, ahem, sparks have been flying between the two of them for a while. After fighting their attraction, they have shared one night of burning passion but know it was a relationship that would be forbidden as long as they worked together.
A terrible blaze one night at an old warehouse alters Anne's life forever and haunts Danny with guilt. Afterward, Anne must drop her lifelong dream of firefighting and forge a new path as a fire investigator.
During an investigation, Anne begins to suspect an arsonist is responsible for several warehouse fires, including the one in which she was hurt. She finds herself in danger as she gets closer to the truth. Meanwhile, Danny is drawn into a downward spiral and starts taking dangerous risks on the job. Anne confronts him about it, and they realize their passion is still as incendiary as ever.
Ward is best known for her long-running Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire series. This sizzling new series also features a band of deeply flawed heroes loved by strong heroines. Who knew that firefighters have lives of such drama and passion?

The opening chapters were great, but I'm not sure I would call home about it.
Let's start with the good: who doesn't love a firefighter romance? I mean, there's hot and then there is HOT.
Immediately, I was given stakes. There were fires and lives on the line. Decisions that would alter a life forever. Amazing characters and the kind of tension I could shatter my little heart with, It was like I was walking a tightrope --and I was hooked. This was GREAT.

But then about 50% through the book, I realized I had no clue where the story was going. There was definitely a lag for me, a slump where the plot seemed to just hover and not really move forward. The whole premise promised in the blurb of Anne hunting down a killer kinda stalls. I found myself actively looking for action, but unable to find really any movement forward. By the end, much of the plot came together. However, it was too rushed. I truly feel this could have had better pacing to it and a better Act 2 to support the story.

That aside, the book is great for anyone who doesn't mind the hiccups and lags. But for me, I'm not sure I would read this again, which is sad because I do like some of Ward's other books.

Anne Ashburn loves her job, she feels like its her family legacy to be a firefighter and to die like one until a warehouse fire changes everything. Anne is strong willed and fearless, she loves her job and is constantly pushing herself to be the best one she can be. After life changing events in her last fire she not only thinks she looses the man she loves but her career and is forced to reinvent herself.

Danny McGuire is in the midst of a personal meltdown after having to do something he never thought he would have to do in order to save the woman he loves. He has started drinking himself into stupors, smoking, starting fights, etc as part of his tailspin. When Anne starts narrowing in on the arsonist and gets threats, Danny is there to protect her and save her life again.

I was not expecting Consumed to draw me in like it did. I am a huge fan of the BlackDagger Brotherhood and see JR Ward as their writer but Consumed changed my mind. I really enjoyed this book and was drawn in from the first chapter. Great read!

I don't know why I'm shocked when I read books by this author, but I always am. I have to remember to expect the unexpected. J.R. Ward is an exceptional storyteller. This book another hit for me.

As the title states Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed in more ways than one.

She is a woman intent on proving she can cut it as a firefighter and be just as strong as the guys. she is stubborn and independent. She has had a crush on the bad boy firefighter, Danny McGuire.

This story will put them against many obstacles and it only proves that will can be stronger when meshed together.

As Anne loses one career, she finds another one that in the beginning does not hold up to her days as a firefighter, but she soon gets into the job and she does it well. She acquires a dog along the way that helps her to heal.

Shocking till the end!

5 stars.

Consumed is the first book in the exciting new contemporary series featuring firefighters from J.R. Ward. I honestly can say it was a roller coaster ride from start to finish and I enjoyed the ride immensely.

Anne Ashburn and Danny McGuire are both such strong characters. They each are so strong in their own right, I worried there would be no give and take when it came to them, but they also each had their weaknesses, that helped to balance them out. Ward threw a major curveball into both character's lives in the beginning of this book and I found myself being unable to put down the book so I could find out where she would take us on this wild ride.

There was plenty of chemistry between Anne and Danny, and while I really enjoyed the romance between them, I was totally and completely pulled in by the mystery of the serial arsonist. I had in my mind who was behind part of it, and was totally blown away when I found out I was so off base. I love when a writer keeps me guessing and Ward did an amazing job with keeping the reader guessing in Consumed.

I feel like Consumed was just the set up for a new series of books from J.R. Ward and have to say I'd be pretty excited to get another series of books from Ward. I adore her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which is a paranormal/urban fantasy series. I have enjoyed her contemporary books in the past and am excited to see where she takes all the characters from Consumed in future books.


Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Anne followed in her family's footsteps and became a firefighter, stepping up her game to keep up with the boys. When she makes a mistake during what seems like a routine fire, she ends up costing herself her career- and almost the life of the one man she secretly loves. Danny would do anything for Anne, even if that means running blindly against orders into a burning building to save her at the risk of his life. When the night of the fire ends up costing both of them, how do you move on?

Oh my geez, the feels! Sure this book has some fire fighter action, danger and medical emergencies as well as an underlying mystery- but the star of Consumed (for me at least) is the relationship dynamic between Danny and Anne. The sizzle and the angst had me all wrapped up in the book, not wanting to put it down until I reached the end. I felt like at times the fire investigation was a hindrance to get to the charged moments between Anne and Danny that I craved. I was emotionally connected to both characters, flaws and mistakes and all, and I wanted nothing more but for them to have a happily ever after. Consumed is not a happy easy read but one that I am ever so glad I got to experience.

The fact that Anne against her will adopted Soot was my absolute favorite part of the book. She did not even realize that she was missing out on personal connections and interaction until a furry body needed her. Danny was a hot mess for sure, but the fact that he knew his own feelings and would admit them endeared him to me. Anne on the other hand felt so cold and distant, unable to see what was in front of her, made me want to shake her! Watching the two interact had me on the edge of my seat, for realsies and I was so anxious to see how everything would play out.

Side note here- Consumed brought up how mentally damaged firefighters can become over time from the stressors of the job, and if even a fraction of the stuff in this book is true, it really hurts my heart. To think the people who risk their own well being to save others with the emotional turmoil showcased in here is pretty awful. I really like that Ward shows the importance of seeking mental help when needed, that it can help heal to talk and it is never a weakness to realize you have a problem and need assistance.

I really hope that there is another firefighter HEA book to come from Ward because I 100% need more of this. Make sure you are ready to binge when you pick up consumed because that is what will happen.