Consumed
Firefighters series #1
JR Ward

Story 5:
The first book in J.R. Ward’s newest mini-series is a non-stop thrill ride featuring some amazing adrenalin junkies and staring a couple whose attraction is as combustible as the emotional baggage they carry. First books in a series have a lot to do, they must introduce readers/listeners to all the players, places and plotlines and this master storyteller does a glowing job ¬–¬ nailing it from the first breath-stealing chapter until that coveted ah-ha moment and tying it up just enough while also leaving fans salivating for the next installment. Fans of the Warden’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series will recognize the streetwise dialogue and larger than life characters only this time she gives us first responders instead of Vampires. The premise is exhilarating, the characters are amazing, her star-crossed couple are marquis worthy headliners and her handling of some really dicey situations Rock!
Fans of contemporary romantic suspense and all lovers of one heck of a good story will have this heading to number one on all the bestseller lists in no time.
Brava!
NARRATION 5:
The multitalented stable of narrators for this story, including Jim Frangione who narrates The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, all totally rock, nailing emotions, inflections, and some brilliant New England accents and treating listeners to the story’s full monty.
SUMMARY:
Ten months after the fire that took her hand, her firefighting career and almost took her life Anne Ashburn is looking for a new start and a reason to get up every morning. She may have found it as an arson investigator. On her first job she found a stray that adopted her, and she may have found a connection to “her” fire and several others that occurred in the same part of town. Now if she could just focus on investigating and not on her former nemesis, present sexual distraction, all around bad news, and unfortunately the man she loves, she’d be hunky-dory.
Bad boy, firefighter Danny McGuire has all his losses tattooed on his person and is so glad that he didn’t have to add Anne’s name after the fire that almost killed them both because he’s living with too much survivor’s guilt as it is and he would never have gotten over losing the only woman he’s ever loved. He can’t resist her and even though he knows she deserves better than a broken down man he’s determined to give her whatever she wants as long as it means being in her life including protecting her when her new job puts her in danger.

Consumed by J.R. Ward was addicting from page one. We meet Anne and Danny with their fire crew when a call takes them to an abandoned warehouse fire. It is clear, in the first few pages, that Anne and Danny have a connection that goes beyond platonic colleagues. A bad choice on Anne's part puts her life in danger. Danny, rushing to her aide when ordered not to, is forced into extreme action to save her life, nearly losing his own. The several chapters between the beginning incident and Anne and Danny reuniting were fast-paced and incredibly addicting. I couldn't get through it fast enough.

Ten months after the accident, Anne begins work as a fire inspector. The loss she suffered due to the fire left her in a very dark place. She can no longer work at the firehouse, and she, to her irritation, continues to think about Danny. Meanwhile, Danny spirals out of control. Too much alcohol, too many one night stands, too many bad choices when battling fires; all this eventually drives a crew mate to contact Anne, with the hope she can help Danny become more stable. I was desperate for Anne and Danny to have their time together. Anne was fighting a losing battle with her feelings for Danny, and Danny needed a break from his anxiety. They needed each other to start emotionally healing from their accident.

Anne and Danny both fear admitting their feelings for each other, but for very different reasons. Anne wants to keep Danny from entering her life again. She has convinced herself the romantic feelings she has will fade but, the attraction is still prominent. A past trauma has left Anne distrusting of their emotional bond. She does not make things easy for Danny, and she is slow to open up to him. Danny knows Anne will run as soon as love is mentioned. He takes what she will give him, which amounts to a quick physical interlude. Nothing is new in this scenario, but I had become quite attached to the characters at this point. I sympathized with Danny and his desire to be with Anne.

Clues to a series of warehouse arson, that include the one she last fought in, lead Anne to a business tycoon who is untouchable. Something sketchy is happening, but Anne finds it difficult to prove. Anne pursues a lead, and after discovering its legitimacy, someone begins to terrorize her. Danny learns she is in danger and offers to watch over her. Anne brings down some defenses and agrees to let him stay. The intimacy Anne and Danny share, during this time, brings them closer to a sustainable relationship.

A woman from Danny's past soon comes between the couple. I found Anne's quick judgment of Danny predictable, not necessarily in a bad way, but her lack of trust in him did cause some frustration. I understand her lack of faith due to her past, and I know she did not have the benefit of hearing Danny's thoughts, but her decision to immediately see the worst did not sit well with me.

Following a hunch, Anne pursues her terrorist and nearly loses her life. Danny happens upon the scene and again, keeps Anne safe. I did not see the ending coming, which was a welcome surprise. The lovers, of course, have their resolutions, but the antagonist came out of nowhere.

It is clear this book is the start of a series. Short prequel stories are available that I did not read, but it may be worth checking out to get a feel for the characters. I enjoyed Consumed by J.R. Ward and will be checking out the proceeding novels when they are released. I received this book from Gallery Books, through NetGalley, for my honest opinion. I encourage all readers to draw their own conclusions.

For this series, the author has released a prequel divided into three parts.
We are introduced to Anne Ashburn.
She was born to be a firefighter, just like her father. And everything went well until a fire makes her life forever changed - and in the process, she is demoralized.

Time passes and Anne tries to reinvent herself by working as an investigator.
There begins to be a wave of criminal fires and soon Anne gets closer and closer to the guilty...

Danny McGuire worked with Anne when she was a firefighter.
There was a strong attraction between them, but Danny was famous for being womanizer. Despite the torrid night of love between them, Anne did not let the relationship continue because she was focused on her career.

Well, it turns out she has neither career, nor Danny.

As Anne tried to piece together her life, Danny became more and more famous in his work.
He and Anne meet again, and with the case of criminal fires, the couple has a chance to get closer and closer.

A criminal could put everything to waste in their lives...

Once again the author of the famous BDB series brings us a romance with a lot of mystery story (as happened with Bourbon's).
Unfortunately in this I did not feel connection with the character, and I was pissed off with the episode in which only she loses everything in the episode of the fire.

3,5 stars

J.R. Ward is top of her game for a reason. Consumed took over my word as I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to see what was happening next.

I’m a fan of firefighters. I grew up around them. I respect them. When I heard J.R. Ward was writing a firefighter series, I figured it was about time I tried out her books. I was hooked from the beginning. Right from the first chapter she drew you in with drama, suspense, and a bit of emotions as they battled a fire in a large warehouse. The story only grows from there to incorporate so many aspects of the firefighter world and public service.

Ward had characters that I constantly compared to people in my life. They were so relatable and you also wanted to be their friends. I wished I could dive into Ward’s firefighter world and live forever. Anne was strong, stubborn, and independent. Danny was the hero, even when he wasn’t wanted that way, and his own worst enemy. All the supporting characters were what built this story up around the intense central story line.

Obviously no novice to the writing world with her dozens upon dozens of best selling novels, Ward has a unique writing style that is all her own. It leaves you coming back for more and wishing the world would go away so you could read just one more page. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from the firefighter series by J.R. Ward and checking out some of her other series immediately.

If you love action, a bit of tough romance, and constant suspense then Consumed is definitely for you! Pick up your copy now. You won’t regret it!

I was not sure how I would feel about this new offering from JR Ward, after I was so decidedly underwhelmed by her Bourbon Kings series. But unlike that, I think this is designed to be a romance rather than women’s fiction. Overall, I liked it. Ward has a unique writing style that reminded me of her Black Dagger Brotherhood of books, even though the content was very different.

This is a contemporary romance among fire fighters, so it is very high octane. (No pun intended.) It came out of the gate, swinging, with the hero and heroine responding to a fire call. Ann and Danny serve on the same crew and as the story begins, are on the heels of their first tumble into bed. They are crazy about each other, but any relationship between them is sure to be filled with land mines. We don’t really have enough time to explore what may be between them before tragedy strikes. The fire nearly takes Ann’s life, and the only way Danny can save her is to cut off her hand.

Kind of tough to get over.

None of that stuff was in the blurb. This book was sold as an arson investigator working a case that puts her back into the orbit of the man she has a history with. I never expected to see that history on the page first. And I was glad I did, because it was powerful and invested me thoroughly in their journey.

Indeed, Ann does go on to become an investigator and we follow her as she digs to determine who is behind a string of warehouse fires. It gives the story a mystery, as well as the threat of danger when the bad guy targets Ann. Danny, meantime, is reeling from having Ann back and his life. He’s also got some emotional hurdles to get over from the things he’s seen and endured on the job. There is plenty of angst and drama as these two circle each other and work through their old feelings. I really enjoyed all of that.

What I enjoyed a little less was the time spent in Ann’s brother Tom‘s point of view. He is the fire chief and interacts with both the hero and heroine. There’s also a minor thread about the mayor trying to get his support and I guess that is fodder for a future book. I didn’t really care.

What I cared for least of all was Ann’s unnecessary, unkind treatment of her mother. She is a great character in every other way, but I swear, every time she talked to or about her mom, I was ready to push her off a cliff. And when the reasoning for it all was finally revealed, it was so incredibly weak that it almost ruined the character for me. I understand that no one wants a Merry Sue, but in her treatment of her mother, Ann was a hateful witch and deserved a kick in the ‘nads.

Those small gripes aside, it was a good book. I will continue with the series and I am curious who will be featured next. Aaron’s brother maybe? I am more excited about the possibilities of Dani’s old roommates. I’ll keep you posted.

Rating: B

This book is a well-written, true tour-de-force. The main character, Anne, is just as tough as nails as you would expect a female firefighter from a suburb of Boston to be. The dialogue is funny, witty, and sexy. There were some loose ends that I would have liked cleaned up at the end of the novel, but overall I was "consumed" by the story and could not put it down.

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.

Review:

An interesting start to this new series by JR Ward.

I think she does a great job with her non-supernatural stories, but they are still my favorite and her writing seems so effortless in them. Maybe it is because it is a new series and trying to build a new group of characters and such, but it took me a little while to get into the book. Don't get me wrong, I liked it and it did start out with a tense and exciting event. There is lots of mystery as Anne tries to figure out who is behind a string of arsons. Anne and Danny are good for each other and are a couple that you can root for.

I will be waiting to see what the next book in the series brings, because I have no clue from the book.

4Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher*

This book has a lot of the elements I usually go gaga for. It has a competent but prickly & stubborn heroine, a compelling but flawed hero, and a cast of interesting secondary characters. Unfortunately, it failed to capture my attention. I wish I had DNF'd it. But this was a JR Ward book! I kept reading, hoping that it will turn around but it didn't happen. And so here we are.

So why did I struggle with this? I can give you three reasons why.

The slow-moving plot. And when I say slow, I meant SLOOOOWW. The romance element, I'll go into much depth in number 2, I'm talking here the overall plot. If you guys don't know yet, there are two prequel novellas that were released for free prior this book. It's not much but it pretty much sets up the events in this book and it gives readers an idea of why Danny and Anne's relationship is the way it is in this book. So I assumed that since much of their past were already set up that this book would pick up the threads of their story and run with it. Uhhh, that's not exactly what happened because instead of running with it, this book walked... okay, that's not exactly right, it's more like crawled. In circles. Twice. To get to the point. And what is the point? I'm still not quite sure really because even the resolution was meh. By the time, Anne and Danny got their act together, I was over it. I didn't really care anymore. Which brings us to my second point.
The romance was lackluster. The romance aspect of this book was something I was looking forward to since reading the prequels. The first two novellas did a good job setting up Anne and Danny's relationship from the get go. Unfortunately, the romance in Consumed did not live up to its promise. Listen, I love me some slow burn romances as much as the next reader, but how can it be a slow burn when there's no heat between these two. Whatever chemistry they had, they left it in the prequels. I love internal and external conflicts in romance but with every conflict thrown in, there has to be some progress in the relationship. My problem with Consumed is that I never felt like the relationship between Anne and Danny progressed throughout the book. Just when you think there's positive development in the relationship, it goes back to zero again either because of their stubbornness, pride, miscommunication or misunderstanding. It's exhausting.
And last but not the least, Consumed had too many POVs I didn't really care for. Sometimes, multiple POVs can serve the story well. JR Ward certainly has done it successfully in the past. But it failed here mainly because those POVs didn't really move the plot or show us anything about Anne or Danny, the two characters I do care about. The other POVs felt like fillers. It added pages to the book but not necessarily the story. By the time, the plot got going and our characters got their act together, I just lost interest.
Consumed had a lot of great elements going for it but it was bogged down by the slow pacing, the lackluster romance and the multiple POVs that I didn't really care for.

I’ve always found J.R. Ward’s books to be compulsively readable, so it’s no surprise that I was eager to dive into her new Firefighters series. Consumed sets the stage for what looks to be an interesting series of flawed heroes and heroines on the front lines of danger. It’s also a story I have a difficult time putting a rating on.

Let’s start with Anne Ashburn and Danny McGuire, our main couple. They’re smart but reckless, brave but deeply flawed. Danny is spiraling throughout most of this book (until he’s not) and I did like the level of realism Ms. Ward shows regarding the toll being a firefighter takes on a person. Anne isn’t exactly a likeable heroine, but – though it may sound strange – that’s one of the things I liked best about this book. Heroines like Anne are few and far between compared to their male counterparts and it was actually refreshing to see a heroine who is wounded, angry, and sometimes scared. Anne came into her own over the course of Consumed in an organic way and it was easy to become invested in her story. As for the romance, I highly recommend reading the two “Wedding from Hell” prequel novellas (“The Rehearsal Dinner” and “The Reception”) before starting this book. It’s no spoiler to say that Anne and Danny start out the book in love, but obstacles (some realistic, others that felt manufactured) keep the romance spinning its wheels for a lot of the story until the adrenaline rush of the finish.

Danny and Anne’s aren’t the only points of view in Consumed. There’s also that of Tom, the New Brunswick fire chief and Anne’s brother, and Vic Rizzo, a fellow firefighter from a different station. It’s not uncommon for Ms. Ward to have multiple points of view in her books and Tom’s scenes had the benefit of fleshing out the world and the Ashburn family, adding interest to the story, and generally making sure that I will stay on the edge of my seat, waiting for his book. As for Vic, he is probably the most likeable character in this book (aside from Anne’s awesome boss and Soot the dog), but his scenes don’t add much and I’m assuming they were included because he’ll be central to future books.

After an explosive beginning, Consumed slows down a bit, hitting its stride about three-quarters of the way through. A mystery stemming from Anne’s first case as an arson investigator builds over the course of the story. I enjoyed the danger and suspense and by the end I couldn’t put the book down, only to feel a bit disappointed that things were left hanging. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in future books, but the way things ended made this book feel a bit unfinished. Because this is the first book in the series, there’s a lot of world building and introductions. I was intrigued by the messy, hanging-by-a-thread firefighters even though they definitely aren’t your typical swoon-worthy protagonists. Most of them are presented as damaged with unhealthy coping mechanisms and a bizarre disdain for anyone even slightly younger than them (the last of which I only included because it felt shoehorned in repeatedly). They also tend to all talk alike, which makes sense on the one hand but on the other I feel like something is missing without defined voices. And it’d be remiss of me not to mention the scenes with the firefighters in action. It is clear Ms. Ward did her research and it shows really well, adding realism to the story.

Consumed is intriguing and flawed, just like its hero and heroine. On its own, I had some issues with the book but I think as the series goes on I will like it better as part of the whole. As it stands, Ms. Ward’s singular writing style pulled me in and I will definitely be back for more.

I don't understand how this book is being marketed as a romance. There is no romantic story arc featuring Anne and Danny. I did not feel any chemistry between these two characters. I also didn't appreciate the deplorable behavior being dismissed because it was done by the "good guys". As a fan of Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I was hoping to find a new crew to root for but they are not these men. I will not be continuing with this series.

Anne Ashburn seems to be a very angry female fire fighter who is attracted to Danny Maguire, another angry fire fighter. Together they have a very volatile relationship that comes to a head during a dangerous fire when Danny must save Anne in a very shocking way. Six months later they are still angry, but Danny is now feeling guilty and Anne tries to reorder her life by becoming a fire arsonist. They come together again to investigate a serial arsonist, where their anger towards each other and life in general gets tiresome. But when they overcome their anger, it feels too easy, too pat. I didn't figure out the serial arsonist, though, so that mystery was skillfully drawn.

Mildly spoiler-y review.

Consumed is the best title for this book, as it utterly consumed me and made me join the Bad Choices Book Club when I stayed up to the wee hours finishing it in one sitting.

The first chapters hit the ground running hard, as main character Anne Ashburn loses more than just her chance at being one of the best fire-fighters on her team when she is caught in a burning warehouse fire minutes.

Danny Maguire, Anne's teammate and also the man she just spent a wildly wicked night with is the one who gets here out. Both he and Anne have terrible health repercussions from this rescue, both physical and mental, and they both cannot fathom seeing each other again.

The book jumps to nine-months after, and we find Anne starting her new gig as an arson investigator, a far cry from her past life. She has a new boss to deal with, and a new pet that she finds during her first investigation. She's also living with her new reality of having a prosthetic hand, something she's accepted as part of her.

Danny himself is struggling with the psychological fallout from his brush with death and being the one responsible for freeing Anne from the fire by cutting off her hand. He's still working on the ladder, but he's drinking too much and spiraling.

When some of their mutual friends and an arson case bring Anne and Danny back into proximity, the old fire between them ignites anew, but can either of them forgive, forget, and fight for a future together?

So incredibly addicting and hot, PLUS well-researched and totally immersive world building. I loved that Anne was strong, comfortable in her body including when she loses her hand, and isn't willing to compromise her sense of duty. She's not made to be likeable, but is perfectly Anne. I also loved Ward's handling of Danny's mental health issues. Danny isn't healed from sexy times with Anne and he does see a therapist (huzzah!). Representation matters, and this was good to see.

While still very white, JR Ward's new series is one you won't want to miss.

Wow wow wow is all I can say. The first few chapters of this book just absolutely blew me away. I was not seeing that coming.

This story CONSUMED my life. I was not letting anything or anyone come between me and this book.

Danny and Anne were the story but honestly - every character in this book brought a little something ot the story.  The brotherhood of these firefighters was honest and loving and even sometimes funny. I can imagine the lives they have led, what they have seen which makes their friendship more like a family.

This is my FIRST JR Ward book and I have been hounded by friends to read the BDB series and it's only TBR so when I saw the 2 novellas were available as prequels to the story - I jumped right in and they were HOT! So before jumping into Consumed get free novellas The Wedding from Hell, Part 1: The Rehearsal Dinner  and The Wedding from Hell, Part 2: The Reception  I felt the heat, desire, the sadness, the fight, the grit, the angst, the action, and mystery while reading. JR Ward is a descriptive writer, I often found myself having a hard time breathing just like that characters did.  Fighting to survive and deal with the day-to-day.

This author is the queen of paranormal but I loved this book. It was different then what I’m use to from her but that didn’t make it any less amazing I can’t wait to see where she will go with this series. I really loved Anne. She was a strong lead. The suspense aspect kept me on my toes and I couldn’t read it fast enough.

Consumed

***received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book has it all, mystery, action, romance and intrigue. J. R. Ward weaves a story that will take you a journey with two people who know what they want to be firefighters and nothing else, but have seen the tragic side of life. She is a master at telling stories and this one will pull you in from the beginning.
Two lost souls will have to not only battle their personal demons but also battle the person who is behind all of the recent fires. But if they open themselves up just a little, together they can help one another out and find a new beginning.

This was such an emotional and suspenseful book!!! Danny and Anne were both such interesting characters. Anne spoke to me on so many levels. She was bold and strong and so ballsy! Danny lives every day without any regard for tomorrow. Together they were such a dynamic and sexy couple!

It only took a few pages for me to be hooked. I was a wreck. I don’t know how J.R. was able to give such vivid details in such dramatic scenes but it felt like I was watching a movie, holding my breath and hoping everything would be ok.

This was an excellent start to this new series by Ms. Ward! There are several other firefighters whose stories have yet to be told and I can’t wait to read all of them!
ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the Bourbon King series and was anxiously awaiting this first book in the Firefighter series. Sadly, I was disappointed. I found it boring and lackluster. I don't think I will read any others in this series.

Good story. This is the introduction to a new series about firefighters. The romance part was okay, I was really more interested in the solving of the crimes. I liked reading about Anne's process in investigating arson cases. The author also did a good job of writing characters who need to face trauma and how they adapt (or don't) to that aspect of their lives. The soap opera aspects of the story weren't so interesting for me, but the action and the mystery were really good.

Hold your seat, you are in for a wild ride. A page turner from the first Chapter, the author delves into the character of fire fighters, their thrill seeking personalities, heroes who risk their lives to keep others safe, while extremely underpaid. The psychological tolls on themselves and their families. Deftly describing the equipment used, how they use it and the daily challenges they face, not only against accidentally started fired, but also those created by arson.

I read this book as a stand alone, but was able to cipher out all the important info from the previous books. The main characters are two of the firefighter from the 499th in New Brunswick, Massachusetts. Anne Ashburn is the daughter of the previous fire chief, who was killed in the line of duty and the sister of the current one. All she ever wanted was to be one of the guys and for her father to be proud of her- until after his funeral when she learned he was not the man she thought he was. Growing up, her brother Joe was always pushing her aside becasue she was a girl and her mother was a wimpy (in her eyes) housewife, so she is estranged from her family. As a probie at the 499, she had an instant connection with large, handsome Irish, Danny McGuire. Danny's mother had committed suicide when he was 12, his twin brother died on the job 3 years ago and his fellow fire fighter Sol, a year ago.

While battling a warehouse fire, Anne ignored protocol and ends up with her hand trapped in debris and surrounded by fire. Danny, also ignoring orders, goes in to safe her. The only way he can do so is cut off the lower part of her arm- at her insistence- and carry her to safety. He hands her off, but then gets stuck himself and ends up piled under debris. He survives, but loses miscellaneous body parts.

Both survive, battle life threatening injuries and PTSD, but guilt keeps them from turning to each other for support. Danny returns to the station house and leans on alcohol and cigarettes to get by. Anne can not return to being a firefighter, so gets certified as a a arson investigator. When Anne's investigations lead to threats against herself and her mother, Danny steps in to protect the woman he loves, but is too much of a coward to tell her. These two are meant for each other.

I received a free, advanced copy of this book from the Publisher. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Where to start, where to start? There are so many working parts to this story!!!

Okay, let’s start here, with me admitting that I didn’t immediately fall in love with this book. There were prequals before reading this book: The Rehearsal Dinner and The Wedding from Hell where you get your introduction to Anne, Danny and Moose. I read the prequals and while I gained a lot of background info, I’m not sure they really need to be read to follow Consumed.

I think the biggest problem I had….I didn’t like either
of the main characters, Anne and Danny. I eventually like Danny but Anne….yeah that took me a really long time. I honestly didn’t really get sucked in until about 45% in but once it sucked me in it got me completely.
I may not have cared for Anne and Danny but what I really liked about this book, was EVERYONE has some type of issue; straight up soap-opera vibe, which seems to be the pattern with Ward’s books. While I compared that Bourbon to Dynasty/Knots Landing I think Consumed would be along the lines of Chicago Fire (although I’ve never seen an episode).

Anne and Danny are incredibly attracted to one another and while Danny makes no bones about expressing his feelings to Anne, Anne is determined to keep him at arm’s length. Unfortunately for Anne, one dip in the Danny pool keeps her coming back for more. I think what made me not warm to Anne was her determination to prove herself. While I understood the need because she’s basically in a male dominated field and she has to prove she can hold her own…she just kind of took it too far for me. Anne and Danny both have demons that they need to address but don’t. Danny is still recovering from his less than stellar childhood and the loss of his twin brother. One snap decision by Anne changes things drastically for her and Danny and sends them both spiraling. Forced to leave the job she loved as a firefighter she’s now an investigator. Anne struggles with her new career and like she does everything else in life she’s consumed with getting it right. She digs in deep to some suspicious fires and what she uncovers could prove deadly for her. On top of all of that Anne is dealing with the fact that her dead hero fire fighter father isn’t the hero everyone seems to think he is and she pretty much loathes her mother and it’s not until she and her mother have a real heart to heart that my heart actually starts to thaw towards Anne.

Aside from Anne and Danny, there’s a whole host of characters for you to enjoy. In all honesty I was more intrigued by the supporting characters than I was with Anne and Danny. Like I mentioned before…there are so many moving parts that I’m not sure how exactly to give any background; but there are some characters that I’m really interested in knowing better, like Anne’s brother Tom. Tom’s is just as hard as his sister and he’s very much attracted to the current Mayor, Catherine Mahoney. He and Anne seem to be on the same page when it comes to who they are attracted to. Much like how Anne is to Danny. He doesn’t want to want her but boy does he want her. I hope I get to find out if he gets her. Then there’s Emilio Chavez, something about him jumped out at me as soon as he was introduced and I have to say, my heart broke for him; definitely hoping to read more about him.

There’s still so much that goes on in this story but I could be here all day mapping it out for you. Although this started off as a very slow and difficult read for me, it ended up sucking me and making me want more.