Consumed by J.R. Ward – Dual Review
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Description:
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.
Sandy’s Review:
CONSUMED is the first full-length instalment in J. R. Ward’s contemporary, adult FIREFIGHTERS romantic, suspense series. CONSUMED is the continuing storyfocusing on firefighters Anne Ashburn, and Danny Maguire of the NBFD 499. I recommend reading the FREE prequel novellas The Rehearsal and The Dinner for backstory and cohesion.
Told from several third person perspectives including Anne and Danny CONSUMED follows the acrimonious relationship between firefighters and partners Anne Ashburn, and Danny Maguire of the New Brunswick Fire Department (NBFD) 499. Following an warehouse fire wherein both Anne and Danny were wounded, the story line picks up ten months later as Anne embarks on her new career as a certified fire inspector, a career change that has left her bitter and insecure. No longer working alongside her fellow firefighters from the 499, Anne struggles to find a place without the camaraderie and companionship of the men who had always had her back including the man who had stolen her heart. A tightknit group of friends, the firefighters of the 499 are more like family than the blood family back home.
Danny Maguire battles PTSD and remorse in the aftermath of a warehouse fire that went horribly wrong. Never ones to follow orders both Danny and Anne found themselves in a dangerous situation, a situation that was about to affect the rest of their lives and careers. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship and relationship between Danny and Anne, and the fall-out as an arsonist hits too close home, and accusations of another nature threaten the already tepid relationship between our story line couple.
JR Ward pulls the reader into a story of family, friendship, betrayal and power. Anne Ashburn comes from a family who have loved and lost in the line of duty but not is all as it appears to be as the perfect façade begins to crumble as secrets are revealed. Danny Maguire struggles to make sense of where everything went wrong but release does not come easy as the guilt of what happened weighs heavily and long.
All of the firefighters previously introduced in the prequel novellas are present and accounted. Anne’s brother Chief Thomas Ashburn struggles with his tentative hold over a collapsing department, a department he fears no longer respects the position he holds. Danny’s best friend Robert ‘Moose’ Miller is always ready with a helpful hand but it is his new bride Deandra that threatens Moose’s stability, and those of the people working the 499.
CONSUMED follows the breakdown of leadership, the loss of control, the drama and fall-out of a department threatened by an unseen power that is determined to win at all costs. The premise is suspenseful, detailed and dramatic: the characters are flawed, wounded and broken; the romance struggles in the face of pride, betrayal and demons from the past. CONSUMED sets the stage for a potential power match between law enforcement, business and the political elite-a powerful and volatile combination of chaos and command.
Copy supplied by publisher through Netgalley
Barb’s Review: Consumed by J.R. Ward is the 1st book in her new Firefighters series. I looked forward to reading this new series by Ward, and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed the book.
Anne Ashburn, our heroine, is the only female member of the Fire Dept station 499. She is accepted by all the guys at the station, and her brother is chief; in fact her whole family were mostly firefighters. Anne has a crush on Danny McGuire, one of the firefighters, but his reputation with woman precedes him. She does her best to avoid him, but they did have a one night stand that both find difficult to forget. We learned at the end of the two short prequel novellas, that Danny saves Anne on the scene of a fire, but she lost her hand in the process.
Consumed starts about 10 months later, with Anne having recovered, and trying to get used to prosthetic, as well as apply for a job as an arson investigator. She misses the action she loved at the station, but she no longer can work there, and is forced to accept this new position. As in anything, Anne jumps in to take a case of a recent fire, and begins to tie in other fires that might be related.
Danny, who had his own injuries, pushes himself back on the job, and is determined to get Anne’s trust and win her over. In a short time, their chemistry is so hot, there is no way for either of them to keep their hands off each other. Each have their own issues, involving family, heartache, but their feelings for each other continue to escalate.
Anne’s investigation leads her to a high profile person, who is determined to get her off the case. Danny will try to help Anne with the investigation to find the arsonist; his is concerned for her safety, as now she has become a target from those trying to stop her. What follows is an exciting, pulse pounding, intense, gripping story, amazingly written by Ward.
As we race to the climax, there are some surprises that I did not see coming, which did throw me for a loop. I loved Danny and Anne together, and Ward has created a wonderful group of secondary characters in this series, showing the comradery and loyalty of the crew. I loved loved Anne’s stray dog, Soot that she adopted. I also thought that Ward did such a fantastic job showing us the life of firemen, and what they go through. Though the story has a satisfying ending, there are some open issues that will continue into the next book.
Consumed was a fantastic fast paced, exciting and action packed story; a wonderful theme, great couple and secondary characters, and very well written by J.R. Ward. You need to start this series now.
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