From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series comes a brand-new novel about arson investigator, Ann Ashburn, who is consumed by her troubled past, her family's scorched legacy, and her current case: chasing a deadly killer.
SYNOPSIS
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.
From the creator of the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood, get ready for a new band of brothers. And a firestorm . . .
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REVIEW
Consumed by J.R. WardMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Title: Consumed
Series: Firefighters #1
Author: J.R. Ward
Release date: October 2, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
As a fan of J.R. Ward's BDB paranormal/fantasy series, I was excited to see something new in the works by her. It's been a long time since I read one of her books, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get hooked again. I wanted to love this one so much, but I'm sad to say that this read was (mostly) a miss for me. At some points, I was tempted to just stop reading altogether because I felt a complete lack of connection to the characters and the storyline.
Short story: The author failed to make me care about Anne and Danny the way I should. Separately, and as a couple.
Long story:
I downloaded the two prequels and had them on my kindle, but my impression was that these were just bonus content, and not necessary to fully enjoy the full length, Consumed. Honestly, I didn't care about seeing the characters attend a wedding from Hell where they have a one-night stand. I just wanted to get to the main event. I figured that all of the important character development and history would be included in this one, and with the other two being 48 pages and 39 pages respectively, I didn't anticipate that I was missing much. Then I started reading. I got to 40% and I felt absolutely no emotion for these characters. They were coming off the pages so flat, I began to have second thoughts about not reading the prequels. I figured I must be missing some important development there, so I dutifully went back and read them. Still nothing.
After reading all three parts, I'm at a loss as to why the story was divided like this. It was a confusing way to cut the plot up, causing the flow to be ill-fitting and choppy. In addition, there was no benefit of drawing me in or making me feel any excitement for them together. One minute they were staring lustfully at each other and ignoring their feelings, the next he was very abruptly coming to the conclusion that he loved her.
When had attraction and sizzle turned into something bigger for him? Then again, what did the timing matter, when a destination had been reached?
I didn't witness any foundation at all for him to feel that way. Timing does matter to me, I want to see that connection build, strengthen, and lock together. Not just be told that it happens. Yes, they had similar personalities, and were a great team at work. Outside of that, she showed him no encouragement to have a personal relationship. Her two main emotions were angry and cold, and I didn't even have a solid reason as to why until much too far in. Even the traumatic accident she went through which resulted in her being disabled didn't elicit much of a reaction from her.
Realistically, anyone would have a huge adjustment emotionally and physically, but any process she went through was briefly told to us rather than experienced. She ignores uncomfortable feelings whenever possible by pretending they're not there. Then it's hammered home how tough she is, and how she doesn't need to lean on anyone, let alone be vulnerable. Not only did her family life condition her to be that way, but it's the way firefighters cope with the trauma they regularly experience.
She felt nothing—and not just on the surface, which had no nerves to register sensation. She had no emotion about the thing, either. It was what it was, a part of her now that needed to be, by definition, as indigenous as all the stuff she had been born with. What the hell did she have to get upset about?
I gave this two stars because the book was just okay for me overall. One thing I will say is that the firefighting scenes were obviously well researched, and perfectly brought me right inside the action. I have zero complaints on that score. The arson story arc was actually going pretty well, and there were times where I started to warm up to Anne as she faced off with the suspect. When she came out on top in their skirmishes, I was mentally giving her a high five. Her determination and courage were admirable as she struggled to find fulfillment in her new career. Finally, I was seeing some dimension to her character. It was refreshing to see her examine her insecurities over her body image, and reveal the reasoning behind her anger and disgust towards her parents. I thawed a little more as she let down her walls. Then Deandra goes off the deep end, causing a chain reaction of copious amounts of drama, and it lost me.
Consumed failed to hit the mark in many ways, but there was enough interest for the rest of the characters introduced that I can't dismiss the series altogether. When Anne's brother Tom's book comes out, I may give it one more shot.
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