BOOK REVIEW ⎜Consumed By J.R. Ward

MY RATING

“Consumed” carries a lot of baggage. There isn’t one moment trauma free, it creates and supports interesting characters, flawed and genuine people, and authentic connections.

Book Infos

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 . . .

Author : JR Ward
Title : Consumed
Series : Firefighters #1

Number of pages : 416
Publisher : Gallery Books
Release Date :  October, 2nd 2018
Genre : Contemporary

My Review

I’ve spent the past two days grasping at any opportunities I could find to get back to THIS book.
The writing, the opening scene and pawns at play had me riveted from page one until the very end. “Consumed” was a real page turner!

Anne Ashburn certainly is the epitome of a strong heroine. Fearless, confident and smart, I must admit part of me wished to see her ask for help a couple of times.

I’ve spent my weekend completely immersed in the story and feeling like walking in Anne Ashburn‘s shoes. The feeling of following firefighters and arson investigators felt authentic to me.

JR Ward is undeniably an amazing story teller and I really enjoyed the my time guessing and re-assessing my theories regarding Anne‘s investigation. It was truly gripping.
I was as much invested in solving the mystery as I was to see her and Danny the hot firefighter reunited, the pull between them was so strong it was my lifeline throughout the book.

Be that as it may, in the end, the focus on the couple lacked a little for this romance reader and I finished “Consumed”feeling a little… frustrated… 🤷🏻‍♀️

Not that their relationship wasn’t intense but with so many unrequited and denied feelings between them, I wish the author could have taken a litte more time to explore them as a couple.

“Consumed” carries a lot of bagage. There isn’t one moment trauma free, it creates and supports interesting characters, flawed and genuine people, and authentic connections but part of me was still hoping for a hushed and sealed from the ugly— bubble for the couple. That’s on me though.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the book, and I’m already looking forward reading about the other potential couples, but as a romance reader I think I needed more of Anne and Danny… HAPPY.

This chapter closes with questions unanswered but I guess it was purposedly left hanging for the upcoming books in the series which makes sense.
I can’t wait to read more about the whole fire crew, Tom, Emilio and Vic.

(3 prequel novellas are being released fro FREE before “Consumed” go live next october. You can grab the first novella for FREE on Amazon —click—)

The Angry Reader's Review

This review is brought to you by Camille, a.k.a “The Angry Reader“.
I love her reviews and we seem to share a common taste for awesome books and blunt reviews. Check out her blog at The Angry Reader  where the motto is “Painfully Honest Book Reviews“!

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.

Saviors were one thing. Friends? That was a choice…

Author Bio & Links

J.R. Ward is the author of over twenty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. There are more than 15 million copies of Ward’s novels in print worldwide and they have been published in 25 different countries around the world.

After graduating from law school, Ward  began working in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in the south with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot.

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