JR Ward begins a new series with Consumed. A story about firefighter Anne Ashburn the only woman at the New Brunswick 499 station who suffers a life-altering injury when responding to a warehouse fire. An injury that ends her firefighting career, but puts her on the path as an arson investigator. When Anne starts putting together pieces of the puzzle in regards to a string of warehouse fires over the last couple of years, she brings unwanted attention upon herself. Attention that will cause someone with big connections to try to silence Anne for good.
Danny McGuire was involved in the same warehouse fire as Anne and while he got out a little less scathed, his emotional state is spiraling. He blames himself for what happened to Anne, and he mourns the loss of what could have been between them as they had started tentatively exploring a relationship.
When Anne and Danny reconnect on the road to healing, they don't want to give up what's between them, but with everything that's happened, can they have a relationship? Danny thinks so, he's not giving up on Anne, and he's definitely not going anywhere once he finds out someone has set their sights on silencing Anne.
I was pretty surprised by Consumed. I sped through it and devoted about a day and half to being able to think of nothing else but reading / finishing this book. So in that regard I guess you could say I liked Consumed, and I did, but part of me is still wrapping my head around my thoughts for this book.
Fresh off of finishing Ward's The Bourbon Kings series, it was difficult not to compare and contrast them. In all respects, Ward has, of course, written something completely different than the aforementioned series. Where that one seemed sprawling and steeped in a kind of dynastic legacy charm, Consumed kind of goes in the opposite direction. There's still plenty of family drama as Anne begins to come to terms with her relationships (or lack thereof) with her mother and older brother, and the legacy left behind from her hero-worshiped father who died in the line of duty (he was also a firefighter). I found Consumed presented the problems and, usually, answered the questions pretty quickly. I felt like this first book dealt more with Anne and Danny on a precipice of sorts. They can either continue down the paths of self-destruction they've set for themselves, or they can begin to heal, try to put the past behind them, or if not behind them at least taking the feeling of guilt and / or blame out of the equation.
The secondary storyline with Anne's investigation, while interesting, pretty much pales in comparison to seeing Anne and Danny make their way back to each other. For me, Anne was, at first, not an easy character to like. I immediately admired her strength (for what she went through, no doubt requires it), but she seemed gruff and almost unapologetic in how she views people. I loved watching her development through this first book, and by the end I had changed my opinion. I loved that she let her defenses down and learned that sometimes it's ok to be vulnerable, especially as it comes to her interactions with Danny, that it's not a show of weakness.
Danny was the a guy who could be counted on for a good time, and he's had plenty of women who can attest to this. I loved seeing the almost reverence he has for Anne. Ward perfectly captured in a very limited scope the idea of a relationship that blossomed out of friendship. Anne is different for Danny than every other woman he's been with. It was sweet, it was heartbreaking, but I loved seeing him crawl out of the darkness he slides down after the fire, but still struggle everyday with the things he sees / does as part of his job. It's a job that takes a toll, not only physically but emotionally as well.
As stated above, I was surprised at how quickly we got some of the resolutions, not unhappy about it, but definitely surprised. I was glad that we didn't have to wait until the end of the series or until the next book to figure some things out, but that also leaves me wondering where JR Ward plans to take the series next. I'd love to have more Anne and Danny, but I feel like there were so many secondary characters just begging to get their own time front and center that it would be nice to see, but the investigation is linked so intrinsically to Anne, and it far from completely resolved by the end, that I don't know how the next book would pick up if Anne wasn't a focal character. I guess we'll see.
For those who don't know, JR Ward released two short prequel stories The Rehearsal Dinner and The Reception which sort of tie into Consumed and give a little background. I don't want to say they're necessary to read (I read the first one before Consumed and the second one after I finished Consumed) but I did find some of the context of previously mentioned happenings a little easier to understand once I had read the prequels. But bonus: they're free reads! And as far as I can tell will remain that way.
I think fans of JR Ward will definitely find a lot to like about Consumed. If you're new to her books, I think this series is as good as any place to start (unless you prefer paranormal romance).
Danny McGuire was involved in the same warehouse fire as Anne and while he got out a little less scathed, his emotional state is spiraling. He blames himself for what happened to Anne, and he mourns the loss of what could have been between them as they had started tentatively exploring a relationship.
When Anne and Danny reconnect on the road to healing, they don't want to give up what's between them, but with everything that's happened, can they have a relationship? Danny thinks so, he's not giving up on Anne, and he's definitely not going anywhere once he finds out someone has set their sights on silencing Anne.
I was pretty surprised by Consumed. I sped through it and devoted about a day and half to being able to think of nothing else but reading / finishing this book. So in that regard I guess you could say I liked Consumed, and I did, but part of me is still wrapping my head around my thoughts for this book.
Fresh off of finishing Ward's The Bourbon Kings series, it was difficult not to compare and contrast them. In all respects, Ward has, of course, written something completely different than the aforementioned series. Where that one seemed sprawling and steeped in a kind of dynastic legacy charm, Consumed kind of goes in the opposite direction. There's still plenty of family drama as Anne begins to come to terms with her relationships (or lack thereof) with her mother and older brother, and the legacy left behind from her hero-worshiped father who died in the line of duty (he was also a firefighter). I found Consumed presented the problems and, usually, answered the questions pretty quickly. I felt like this first book dealt more with Anne and Danny on a precipice of sorts. They can either continue down the paths of self-destruction they've set for themselves, or they can begin to heal, try to put the past behind them, or if not behind them at least taking the feeling of guilt and / or blame out of the equation.
The secondary storyline with Anne's investigation, while interesting, pretty much pales in comparison to seeing Anne and Danny make their way back to each other. For me, Anne was, at first, not an easy character to like. I immediately admired her strength (for what she went through, no doubt requires it), but she seemed gruff and almost unapologetic in how she views people. I loved watching her development through this first book, and by the end I had changed my opinion. I loved that she let her defenses down and learned that sometimes it's ok to be vulnerable, especially as it comes to her interactions with Danny, that it's not a show of weakness.
Danny was the a guy who could be counted on for a good time, and he's had plenty of women who can attest to this. I loved seeing the almost reverence he has for Anne. Ward perfectly captured in a very limited scope the idea of a relationship that blossomed out of friendship. Anne is different for Danny than every other woman he's been with. It was sweet, it was heartbreaking, but I loved seeing him crawl out of the darkness he slides down after the fire, but still struggle everyday with the things he sees / does as part of his job. It's a job that takes a toll, not only physically but emotionally as well.
As stated above, I was surprised at how quickly we got some of the resolutions, not unhappy about it, but definitely surprised. I was glad that we didn't have to wait until the end of the series or until the next book to figure some things out, but that also leaves me wondering where JR Ward plans to take the series next. I'd love to have more Anne and Danny, but I feel like there were so many secondary characters just begging to get their own time front and center that it would be nice to see, but the investigation is linked so intrinsically to Anne, and it far from completely resolved by the end, that I don't know how the next book would pick up if Anne wasn't a focal character. I guess we'll see.
For those who don't know, JR Ward released two short prequel stories The Rehearsal Dinner and The Reception which sort of tie into Consumed and give a little background. I don't want to say they're necessary to read (I read the first one before Consumed and the second one after I finished Consumed) but I did find some of the context of previously mentioned happenings a little easier to understand once I had read the prequels. But bonus: they're free reads! And as far as I can tell will remain that way.
I think fans of JR Ward will definitely find a lot to like about Consumed. If you're new to her books, I think this series is as good as any place to start (unless you prefer paranormal romance).