After reading the short books leading up to Consumed I was so excited to get my hands on this book! This is my first time reading a book by this author and I don’t know why I waited so long. This was the perfect start to a new series!

Anne is the daughter of a fallen firefighter and sister to Fire Chief. She is strong and fearless and loves her job.

Danny is a firefighter and has been trying to catch Anne’s eye. She is not looking to get involved with anyone. You can feel the strong attraction between these two they fight so hard to deny.

This book had so many things happen that I did not see coming. I really liked all the characters and story line. JR Ward pulled me in from page one and held me captive until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

"Consumed" is a fast-paced start to a new series featuring Anne Ashburn, a firefighter injured on the job and forced into a new profession as a fire investigator. Anne is dealing with her disability and her new "boring" job, and at first she is understandably unhappy. She grows into the job as the intellectual challenge of "solving" a fire takes hold. Figuring out what happened and why is a mystery puzzle for each fire.

My cousin is a firefighter to turned to fire investigation after he retired from active duty. He loved it and his stories of his work are fascinating.

I dearly hope that Ms Ward focuses this series on real fire investigation work, not on love and romance, and that the series stretches out into the future.

Shel: This is the first J.R. Ward novel I've read, which I know is probably scandalous or crazy in this day and age but truth be told the sheer number of books in her most popular series was intimidating and when Consumed came along and I could start at the beginning of something new, I decided to jump at the opportunity. I'm glad I did because now I know what I've been missing. Court: That's where I've been...except I bought the whole Black Dagger Brotherhood series once when it was on sale. I had heard how amazing her writing was, but I was nervous that it would be all of the hype and then I would no longer be blissfully ignorant with like 12 books that I bought...

Anyways, I am blown away by how amazing J.R. Ward is...she can write a book, y'all.

Shel: Consumed is a mix of drama and thriller and romance--there's a lot going on, in a good way. Ward spends a good part of the novel really laying the groundwork for what I think is going to be a several book series. A few of the main characters are really fully developed (Anne and Danny) and many characters are built up enough that it's evident that they'll be in line for a book or have a large part to play in coming books. Court: I thought so too. We get multiple point of views, and it really is fleshed out in a way that this is a family that I feel we now know. I cannot wait for what comes next, because along with the characters we had a lot of action with the details of the work of a firefighter and it was exhilarating action from the very beginning.

Shel: I enjoyed the suspense of it and was genuinely surprised at who the "deadly killer" was, though I must admit I feel like there has to be more information coming, right? That part felt a bit rushed and like there are several bits of information that HAVE TO BE coming in the upcoming books--I just hope we aren't strung along for a long time only to be told something wildly mundane...or outlandish, I like these characters and want the answers to fit the narrative. Court: That dangling thread was there for you too, huh? Yes. There is some need to know information that of course I wanted right now! Alas, we didn't get it. Since we now know Ann Ashburn intimately though, we know she isn't one to let things go...so we know she'll always be working to figure it all out in her new job as a arson investigator. (I really liked this aspect of the story as well).

Shel: Even with my slight dissatisfaction at having to wait until the next one comes out, I was wholly satisfied with the way Anne and Danny's part of the story got resolved and am looking forward to where this series goes next. Court: Me too. I could not put this book down, honestly, and I highly recommend it!

J. R. Ward dives into the world of firefighters and arson investigators. I was interested to see how this was written because I've only read the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I can't wait to see where she continues this new series.

This is highly emotional read. I very much enjoyed this title. I felt like the mystery was secondary to the characters emotional development

Disappointing. I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood and had high hopes for this book. I spent a lot of it wondering if it was the same author. There are sparks of the writing I enjoy, and then periods where I skipped pages waiting to see some development. Overall it wasn't bad but I probably won't read it again. A mediocre offering from a good author.

This is the first J.R. Ward novel I've read, which I know is probably scandalous or crazy in this day and age but truth be told the sheer number of books in her most popular series was intimidating and when Consumed came along and I could start at the beginning of something new, I decided to jump at the opportunity. I'm glad I did because now I know what I've been missing.



Consumed is a mix of drama and thriller and romance--there's a lot going on, in a good way. Ward spends a good part of the novel really laying the groundwork for what I think is going to be a several book series. A few of the main characters are really fully developed (Anne and Danny) and many characters are built up enough that it's evident that they'll be in line for a book or have a large part to play in coming books.



I enjoyed the suspense of it and was genuinely surprised at who the "deadly killer" was, though I must admit I feel like there has to be more information coming, right? That part felt a bit rushed and like there are several bits of information that HAVE TO BE coming in the upcoming books--I just hope we aren't strung along for a long time only to be told something wildly mundane...or outlandish, I like these characters and want the answers to fit the narrative.



Even with my slight dissatisfaction at having to wait until the next one comes out, I was wholly satisfied with the way Anne and Danny's part of the story got resolved and am looking forward to where this series goes next.

This was a truly amazing story. Not only a story of finding the bad guy, but also of overcoming personal fears and getting back into the saddle.

Anne suffered a devastating injury on the job. She was left with her life, but left without the career she loved the most. Having to move on to something new, she is still around those she loves more than anything. The only problem is that she feels like she no longer belongs.

When a warehouse catches fire things feel eerily similar to the night of her accident. This causes Anne to dig deeper into not only this fire, but previous fires in the same area. Something that makes someone very uncomfortable.

An intriguing story of love, loss and doing what it takes to catch the bad guy.

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.

Consumed is the first book in the Firefighters Series. A stunning blend of action, romance, and family drama, J.R. Ward has crafted an unforgettable story that immerses you in a world where life and death are on the line. Anne Ashburn is a spunky firefighter who loves her job fiercely. Her father was a firefighter and her brother is the chief. Danny McGuire is on her team and holds a special place in her heart. When tragedy strikes, their lives are changed forever. Can the passion and tenderness they once felt for each other be enough to carry them through the heartbreak of life and loss?

Told in multiple POV, Consumed has a complex plot with intense dramatic elements throughout. The trials these characters face are unthinkable and the dynamics between Danny and Anne are intensely beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. The emotions are raw and the family dynamics continue to plague them both as Anne is desperate to rise above the difficult circumstances in her life. With serious subject matter interlaced with some serious smoking hot passion, Consumed had me on the edge of my seat the entire read.

Overall, I highly recommend Consumed to anyone who enjoys a dramatic romance with passion and action. JR WARD is a master storyteller and I am dying for the next book in the series.

Anne has always lived in her father and brother's shadows. She is a perfectionist and is one of the best firefighters in her profession enrn though she is a bit impulsive. It is this impulsiveness that gets her in a sticky situation that might kill her. Her team mate and one time lover comes to the rescue, but the choice he has to make destroys both of them. A year later, Anne isn't a firefighter any longer, and Danny is not in her life. She starts a job as a fire inspector and just when she thinks she is getting her life back in track, all the ghosts of her past consumed her. She may have uncovered a very deadly game being played by politicians that are causing people to get hurt or die. Great read.

"Go!" she yelled inside her mask. "Leave me!" Danny leaned over and grabbed her arm again... No way he leaving the woman he loved.

Consumed begins very fast! I didn't realize there were prequels until I was done with the book. Even without reading those, I picked right up with the story with no problem.

I loved the fast pace of the story, the world building that was going on and the chemistry between Anne and Danny. Many twists and turns in this story, I was hooked from beginning to end. I have a bit of a book hangover because I didn't want for it to end. This is my first JR Ward book. I absolutely LOVED this book and can not wait for more from this series!

Will be available at https://www.alphaheroes.net/2018/11/consumed-by-jr-ward-review.html after 11/19/2018

The Short Answer:
Consumed brings in the best of the Black Dagger Boys in a contemporary, non-paranormal context. Danny reads a little bit like a less-damaged Butch, and the boys in the firehouse are deftly set up for the next JR Ward Dude Group. The characters are diverse and down-to-earth; more blue-collar and less blue-blood; struggling with the real-life baggage that tends to get in the way of a healthy relationship. The suspense plot keeps it from being too angsty and Ward's hallmark storytelling is on point.

<blurb is quoted here>

The Longer Answer
Ward doesn't pull any punches in this book. Bad stuff happens to her characters, and miracles don't save them. There's a brutal edge to the plotting that feels true to the style she has developed with her various paranormal books. (I confess I did not finish Bourbon trilogy, so there may be echoes there as well, but I can't comment.)

One of the threads that I really enjoyed is that as a firefighter, Anne is the only woman in her precinct, and as much as she wants to be treated as one of the guys, she gets a certain "little sister" treatment. While her work is respected and she isn't coddled, it's more about her place in the social constellation of her team. I thought Ward did a great job of threading that needle. Anne's status changes after the "risky decision" mentioned in the blurb, and the way she adjusts is one of my favorite things about the book.

Danny... well, Danny. Readers who are allergic to the physically uber-alpha should know by now to give anything by J. R. Ward a pass, and Danny is no exception. He's physically tough, ridiculously stubborn, carries a bunch of family baggage, and loves with his whole heart or not at all. And by "not at all," I mean "turns it into a stream of self-loathing." Usually I feel like Ward's books are all about the hero with the heroines hovering in "accessory" territory, but it's reversed in Consumed. Danny is a worthy foil and gets a decent hero's arc, but Anne is for sure the star.

I've noticed a definite trend in Ward's book about characters seeking therapy for their issues and I think that's a great thing. Love cannot conquer all, and the rise of the angsty hero also created this trope where the expectation of the Happily Ever After kind of included some magical love-heals-all-wounds subtext. I'm glad to see explicit inroads on that subtext. Love doesn't mean finding the perfect person, and love can be healing for sure, but finding a partner does not equate to fixing a person, and that's a message that deserves repeating.

I think this author is incapable of writing a book without multiple arcs, and in my opinion, it's very well done in this book, though there is plenty of disagreement across the reviews on that point. There's a mystery, a complicated romance, family baggage galore, an ensemble cast being introduced, and they all get a decently tidy wrap-up in this book. I look forward to getting to know the rest of the cast and their stories.

REVIEW: CONSUMED


REVIEW: ConsumedConsumed by J.R. Ward
Series: Firefighters #1
October 2, 2018
Format: ARC
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series comes a brand-new novel about arson investigator, Anne Ashburn, who is consumed by her troubled past, her family’s scorched legacy, and her current case: chasing a deadly killer.

Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed...

By her bitter family legacy, by her scorched career as a firefighter, by her obsession with department bad-boy Danny McGuire, and by a new case that pits her against a fiery killer.

Strong-willed Anne was fearless and loved the thrill of fighting fires, pushing herself to be the best. But when one risky decision at a warehouse fire changes her life forever, Anne must reinvent not only her job, but her whole self.

Shattered and demoralized, Anne finds her new career as an arson investigator a pale substitute for the adrenaline-fueled life she left behind. She doesn't believe she will ever feel that same all-consuming passion for her job again--until she encounters a string of suspicious fires setting her beloved city ablaze.

Danny McGuire is a premiere fireman, best in the county, but in the midst of a personal meltdown. Danny is taking risks like never before and seems to have a death wish until he teams up with Anne to find the fire starter. But Danny may be more than a distraction, and as Anne narrows in on her target, the arsonist begins to target her.

From the creator of the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood, get ready for a new band of brothers. And a firestorm.

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.



REVIEW

Talk about a story with suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat and won’t let you put the book down… and little bit romance to go along with it.
I could not put this book down until I was done! Not only do we get a romance story about heroine Anne and hero, Danny but there is a suspenseful storyline that is just as captivating! It’ll keep you turning to the pages because you have to know who, what, when, where ,why and how!

Now, I did not know beforehand that there were prequels to this novel, therefore I did not read them before diving in. So if you do the same, that’s ok, you’ll still get the full impact of Consumed without having read The Wedding from Hell prequels. However, I do strongly encourage you to pick them up because you’ll have a little more insight to some of the other characters and their stories.

I really do have to say that the suspenseful storyline was just as captivating as the romantic storyline. But the romantic storyline was pretty much a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspenseful ride as well. Could Danny and Anne move beyond their past and finally be together? Would one of them finally admit their feelings to the other?

Consumed starts off with the tragic event that takes Anne away from the 499 crew and Danny feels reasonability for that. My heart was literally on a rollercoaster with these two characters as they broke my heart, gave me hope, ripped that hope out of my cheat and put my heart back together multiple times.

If you love a good suspenseful storyline with some good plot twists then you will not be able to put this book down once you start!

It took me a really long time to get through this book, but that was partly my fault. I saw "J.R. Ward" and just went nuts. I thought it was going to be similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood books; I new it wasn't part of the series, but I was thinking this could have been something similar. However, once I started reading it, I realized it was definitely nothing like the BDB books.

Instead, this book is about a female fire fighter who, through events I will not name, is injured and can no longer fight fires. Her fire fighting was pretty much her identity, so now, she is forced to find a new identity for herself that does not involve pulling people from burning buildings. What it does include, though, is a man. A handsome, tattooed Irishman, in fact.

It's J.R. Ward, so there is a lot of sex, a lot of sexy mean, etc. I didn't love it, but that is because I don't like romance novels UNLESS they are paranormal or science fiction-like. However, it did have a good story, and as romance novels go, it wasn't terrible. If you are a romance novel kind of person, this is definitely worth checking out.

One of the most spine-tingling openings I have ever read. Firefighters. Incredible danger. Near loss of life and limb. Utter tragedy that turned out to be one of the best love stories that I have read in a while.

Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed. By her job as a firefighter and by her carnal thoughts of fellow firefighter Danny Maguire. He knows it too. The two share an all-consuming night together. Just one night. However, as fellow firefighters, they spend even more time together, but this is about to come to a tragic end. I know that there are three prequels to this story, so the history between Anne, Danny and the rest of the unit is well-defined. However, I have not had the opportunity to read those books. They are The Rehearsal Dinner, The Reception and The Wedding from Hell. Despite missing those books, I was still very much brought into the drama between these two volatile individuals.

Three weeks after a team member’s wedding, which turned out to be the one and only night the two spent together, Anne and Danny are fighting a brutal fire. The entire team is incredibly busy battling the flames. Anne sustains a life-changing injury as a result of being stuck that changes her life and career forever. Those tragic events have truly changed Danny as well. He has become extremely reckless, on the job, and in life. As it is, Danny is in love with Anne. Not only does he no longer see her on the job, he is also unable to see her at all. She has completely walked away.

Anne has good reason. She has to rebuild her life. Distractions will only get in the way, even if she has to suffer a broken heart. Anne begins to train as a fire inspector. Although her job doesn’t entail jumping into burning buildings, it can be just as dangerous.

Circumstances pull Anne and Danny back into each other’s lives. It is increasingly evident that their passionate desire for one another cannot be denied any longer. Anne and Danny find that they cannot fight the feelings they have been trying to avoid. Meanwhile, Anne begins to piece together situations involving several fires. What ensues is an incredibly sensitive romantic suspense that was extremely difficult to put down.

This book has a lot to offer, wonderful characters, an amazing dog an intrigue. The readers get to see a couple that has struggled to deal with adversity come together and find wonderful happiness. We also get to see the beginning of another series that holds much promise by J.R. Ward. This author has written numerous series, including the long-running Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

First of all, I’m so glad this is listed as Book 1 because I hope that means we will get to read some of the other firefighters’ stories in the rest of the series. The combination of the mystery and investigation involved in Anne’s new job and the relationship between Anne and Danny is well-balanced.

This was my first J.R. Ward book and while I was excited to learn more about firefighting this storyline was very predictable. Fans of her writing will most likely find this enjoyable and I plan to read some of her earlier works, just not sure I’ll read any more in this series.

Consumed was a decent book. I wouldn't say it's BDB (Black Dagger Brotherhood) quality, but it's good. Different. Intriguing in its own way. Started out strong, but then it kind of fizzled out before it picked back up with a solid finish. I enjoyed the characters and the little bit of suspense, though I saw the “villain” coming. Danny and Anne were fun, enough chemistry and tension to keep me coming back, even with the overly slow build and pacing. Consumed was low on the angst and drama, which is always a plus for me, lately.

I would suggest reading the two novellas beforehand. I’m pretty sure those helped me enjoy this a bit more than I normally would have. I don’t think I’d have been as invested or my rating as high without them.

I think Ward’s new series has potential, and I look forward to the next one. With that said, if I am being absolutely honest (in my opinion), this isn’t worth the $13 Kindle price. Good start to the series but not spectacular.

I have read so many books by J.R. War - I usually gobble up the story and see how I can get my hands on the next. That’s why I was disappointed in this new series; I couldn’t relate to either of these characters. Their interactions didn’t feel authentic and I actually didn’t finish this book – which is a first for anything written by this author!