I am a fan of J.R. Ward’s, Black Dagger Brotherhood, and Bourbon Kings series, and so was pleased to learn that she was writing a new series about firefighters. The first book, in the series is titled, “Consumed”.
Anne Ashburn, a firefighter in a family of firefighters, must redefine herself after she suffers a life changing injury, while fighting a fire. Danny McGuire, a fellow firefighter, suffers from PTSD, after a series of events, which culminate in his desperate attempt to save Anne’s life, in that fire.
Anne and Danny have always been crazy about each other, but life has always seemed to get in the way. When Anne gets a job as an arson investigator, she learns that things are not always as they seem. The arsonist that she is investigating begins to target her, and Danny is not about to lose her, again.
The author takes the time to give us a bit of history on the main protagonists, and also gives enough information on the other firefighters, to make me look forward to their stories.
This was a good read. I have always loved Ward’s female characters, and this book was no exception. Anne is a strong woman who does not wait to be rescued by a knight on a white horse. All of her characters are three-dimensional. They are strong, but certainly flawed. While not as intense as other books written by Ward, it kept my attention. There was some loose ends left at the end of the book, however, I am confident that they will be tied up in future books, in the series.
I would recommend this book and Ward remains firmly on my “automatic read” list.
Judith Zerulik
Publisher - Simon and Schuster
Date of Publication - October 9,2018