Consumed by J.R. Ward

Firefighters, Book 1

Synopsis: 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.

Review: I had not read a JR Ward novel yet, but how could I miss this new book? I’ve heard so much about it and I even have some novels from her paranormal romance series at home that I’ll have to try someday. But now, the author presents us a new contemporary romance series and I confess that I was curious to discover it. In addition to that, she stages firefighters, so how to resist that?

Danny and Anne are working together and there may well be a little more between them. Yet, their lives will change during a terrible fire where Anne finds herself stuck in rubble. They have little choice left, Danny can let her friend die, or cut her hand to save her. This is ultimately what he does but the consequences of this are complicated. It was terrible to see Anne trying to deal with this lack, to see her forced to give up a job she loved more than anything, but also to see that Danny can not overcome what he did, that he can not help but feel guilty.

I had a great time with the story. Danny and Anne are two complex characters. We easily realize that they want the same thing but that life easily gets in their way. In addition to this, Anne is also in the middle of an investigation that places her as a preferred target and she will have to make every effort to understand what is happening!

It is easy to connect to the characters, they are touching and must overcome their past. The investigation, the way the characters manage their problems, their interactions, everything was really interesting and I’m curious to read more!