Review: Consumed by J. R. Ward


Before I get to my review of Consumed I need to review the two novella's that went before it. This will be a slightly longer post. 


The Rehearsal Dinner
The Wedding From Hell/Firefighters #1, #0.25
J. R. Ward
July 17, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 48
Format Read: eBook
Source: Self purchased (Free on Amazon)



Are you ready for The Wedding From Hell?

Dear Reader,

It's a classic recipe for disaster: Take one bridesmaid who thinks pink is the root of all evil. Mix with a best man who's hotter than a four-alarm fire. Add in their explosive sexual attraction, a nightmare bridezilla, two catfights, and an emergency call, and you have the wedding from hell! Come get to know Anne and Danny, the hero and heroine of Consumed, and see their relationship go from friends with innuendo to holy-&*#-did-that-just-happen?! Is this the start of something good for them? Or just an erotic one-night stand that rocks them both but is never to be repeated? Only their hearts know the answer to that, much as their minds might disagree.

Happy Reading,
J.R. Ward

My thoughts
I kinda felt like I was dropped into the story. Was a little lost in the beginning, it did get better as it went on. You do get a feel for the characters so that's a plus. And some of it is funny. I just think it suffers from the small page count. 

The Reception
The Wedding From Hell/Firefighters #2, #0.5
J. R. Ward
8/7/2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 39
Format Read: eBook
Source: self purchased (Free on Amazon)


The Wedding From Hell, Part 2: The Reception: As the wedding from hell continues, Anne and Danny find themselves walking the delicate balance between professional distance and explosive attraction. Will the desire they feel last through the night and change their lives? Or are they doomed to part after one night of passion?

My thoughts
Like the prior book it was just okay. It moves the story along slightly and you do get a bit more about the characters but to be honest this one and the prior one could have been one story. 


Consumed
Firefighters #1
J. R. Ward
October 2nd 2018
Gallery Books
Genre: Contemporary/Romantic Suspense 
Pages: 416
Format Read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley


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.

I wasn't totally sure how I felt about Ward starting a new series. I enjoy her brothers but wasn't a huge fan of her Bourbon King series, so I was on the fence here. But since for the most part I do enjoy her I thought to myself  'why not try this new one' remember it's not bad to talk to yourself as long as you answer. 

So I gave this new series a chance. 

Right away I could feel the brothers in the story. Now don't get me wrong I love those guy but kinda wished I did have as much of them in the story. Of course this did come from the same author who wrote the brothers so I sort of understand that. 

Since I decided it was what it was I started to just read the story for what it was. That did help me a lot. In the beginning I was sure how I felt but as the book went on I got into it more and more. One great thing about Ward is that no matter how many pages a book is you can fly right though hers. 

And that just what I did. I really love Danny. He's a great character and one I liked reading about. Can't say the same about Anne. She flipped flopped a lot. Made it hard to always be on her side. Just when you are she does something I think is wrong. 

Another great thing that Ward does with her characters is make them very flawed, human. I really understand the stupid things they do. For me the story is fuller that way. There are tons of twists to the story that you want to know more about and she leaves you hanging on what's happening with the main thread of the story, I have a feeling that this bad guy is going to continue for the most part throughout the series. 

Even with a few of my issues this was a great start to this new series and I'm looking forward to what's next. I really want more of Anne's brother. Love him. To be honest you don't need to read the novella's to read this story but they are worth it. They are free after all. 


The Rehearsal Dinner (Free)

The Reception (Free)

Consumed






Comments

  1. Anne doesn't deserve Danny. She was horrible to him at the end. I do agree that Ward is a master at writing flawed characters and that I too loved Anne's brother

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    Replies
    1. I think Anne is living out anger from her childhood that she's kept to herself. It's made her one unhappy person.

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