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divapitbull's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve really been enjoying the Fallen Angels series; but sadly, Possession was not one of my favorite installments. For starters I wasn’t all that interested in the soul on deck this round and their surrounding story. As one knows by now, the soul in question is not always clearly defined. This round brings us mousy graphic artist Cait Douglass; ready to get out there and live after being dumped 3 years prior by her college sweetheart (Soft bellied Thom I believe he was referred to as). Anywho, thanks to a demon-inspired dye bob Cait is ready to strut her stuff and she soon finds she must choose between 2 attractive and enigmatic (her words not mine) men. Will it be the smarmy, self-absorbed singer-actor G.B; or the Caveman one-word-wonder Duke? What girl wouldn’t be frothing at the mouth for a piece of that? In fairness, Duke does work nights bouncing at the Iron Mask and reports directly to Alex Hess – so…one kinda cool point? And – he gets to see John Matthew skulking around (for anyone counting BDB references).
Meanwhile in war camp; Jim (our Savior?) has his head so far up his ass it’s about to come out of his mouth (Now there’s a visual, and Devina wouldn’t have to keep crying about being so ugly). Jim is turned all around because of Sissy (who may eventually be “Something”) and he’s not in the game, or the war – for most of the installment. Adrian does his best to keep things from going to hell (quite literally); but it seems like in this round EVERYONE is cheating (except for Jim, who isn’t even playing). And Devina; snuggling up to the Savior for some cuddles? Worst demon Ever.
Sadly while there were some interesting moments, this installment brought me a lot of boring.
Meanwhile in war camp; Jim (our Savior?) has his head so far up his ass it’s about to come out of his mouth (Now there’s a visual, and Devina wouldn’t have to keep crying about being so ugly). Jim is turned all around because of Sissy (who may eventually be “Something”) and he’s not in the game, or the war – for most of the installment. Adrian does his best to keep things from going to hell (quite literally); but it seems like in this round EVERYONE is cheating (except for Jim, who isn’t even playing). And Devina; snuggling up to the Savior for some cuddles? Worst demon Ever.
Sadly while there were some interesting moments, this installment brought me a lot of boring.
romancejunkie1025's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars... sad to see i'm a fast losing interest in this series. I still enjoyed the portions with Duke/Cait/G.B. but everything else just became so extraneous for me i found myself skimming. i still love the Warden, but i think i may have to skip or delay the next two books until i'm in a different frame of mind to fully enjoy them. :(
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely better than the last two terrible ones. I actually didn't have trouble staying interested. Things got a lot more interesting as this series comes to a close (hopefully with just one last book)
belleflamey's review against another edition
3.0
Good read. Always enjoy JR Ward's creations and cant wait to see what happens to these characters.
jambrea's review
5.0
Consumed is brilliant and outstanding. As I was reading the story, in the beginning... something happens, I won't say what because I don't want to give spoilers, but while reading, I was saying... no, Ward wouldn't do that. She couldn't. No. But, Oh. My. Goodness... SHE DID! And that happened at the very beginning. What a way to start a story.
The mystery in Consumed kept me guess and I love that. Usually when I'm reading a suspense I can figure out who did it pretty early on. Not with Consumed. I was kept guessing at all of the little details and how they would add up.
I loved that this story had a big cast of characters and that we got to 'hear' from more than two. That is one of the things I love about Ward stories, she gives a lot of people. I really can't wait to see who might be next. I vote for Tom! I really liked Anne's brother.
This story is a wonderful and I think it is a must read for any JR Ward fan.
The mystery in Consumed kept me guess and I love that. Usually when I'm reading a suspense I can figure out who did it pretty early on. Not with Consumed. I was kept guessing at all of the little details and how they would add up.
I loved that this story had a big cast of characters and that we got to 'hear' from more than two. That is one of the things I love about Ward stories, she gives a lot of people. I really can't wait to see who might be next. I vote for Tom! I really liked Anne's brother.
This story is a wonderful and I think it is a must read for any JR Ward fan.
nellesnightstand1's review
5.0
Wasn't sure what to expect, but damn the Warden has created a whole new world with real drama and intrigue. This heroine is tough, real tough. She may not be everyone's bag, but she gets mad props from me. He's no slouch either! They both have some crap to get through.
We meet a fton of people and get their povs too and I cant wait to read more from the 499 and 617!
This story is fraught with gory, hard , tragic events. She does not hold back punches and that's one of the reasons I cant get enough of this author.
We meet a fton of people and get their povs too and I cant wait to read more from the 499 and 617!
This story is fraught with gory, hard , tragic events. She does not hold back punches and that's one of the reasons I cant get enough of this author.
theamyleblanc's review
4.0
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As far as first impressions go, I like J.R. Ward and her work! She has a very distinct writing style: quiet moments of intense detail, sentence fragments that help underscore a point, and lots of metaphors (sometimes too many, I thought). There were a few discordant moments where her voice came through instead of the character's but on the whole, I enjoyed it.
I requested this book because I have a new(ish) connection to the world of firefighters and their legacies. I thought it would be an interesting look into the workings of that kind of family, that kind of bond, and it was. But honestly, with a title like Consumed, I thought it was going to be more of a romance novel. HOWEVER, I'm not at all disappointed with how everything turned out! Getting a peek into the lives of the major players and how they handle things was beautifully done. I felt like J.R. Ward pulled back the curtain a little and gave her readers more substance and depth than originally anticipated (at least for me).
I absolutely want to read the next book in the series. And I'd recommend this to anyone who:
- wants to discover a new author/series
- is a part of the first responder world in some way
- enjoys a slow, complex burn
As far as first impressions go, I like J.R. Ward and her work! She has a very distinct writing style: quiet moments of intense detail, sentence fragments that help underscore a point, and lots of metaphors (sometimes too many, I thought). There were a few discordant moments where her voice came through instead of the character's but on the whole, I enjoyed it.
I requested this book because I have a new(ish) connection to the world of firefighters and their legacies. I thought it would be an interesting look into the workings of that kind of family, that kind of bond, and it was. But honestly, with a title like Consumed, I thought it was going to be more of a romance novel. HOWEVER, I'm not at all disappointed with how everything turned out! Getting a peek into the lives of the major players and how they handle things was beautifully done. I felt like J.R. Ward pulled back the curtain a little and gave her readers more substance and depth than originally anticipated (at least for me).
I absolutely want to read the next book in the series.
Spoiler
I want more of Danny but I also want to see Ripkin go DOWN!- wants to discover a new author/series
- is a part of the first responder world in some way
- enjoys a slow, complex burn
missbibliography's review
2.0
Things I didn't enjoy:
1. Some parts were a little gorier than I was expecting for a romance novel. It almost felt to me like the author was trying to make Anne more manly, more fitting into the 'boys club' but feminism doesn't mean a woman has to enjoy blood and gore. Or maybe I just haven't read enough of books that mix thriller and romance together. Either way I was really actually shocked by what went down in some of the fires. Since I don't want to spoil anything for someone who might really enjoy this novel, I'll just say that if you have a vivid imagination and don't want to imagine blood, and guts, and murders, (or you're like me and don't like the idea of a woman only being a firefighter if she can lift weights and belch with the men) lay off this and pick something else.
2. Some places were much too dramatic. I get it, a fire is a fire. Adrenaline pumping, heart racing. And many of the firefighters might be adrenaline junkies, and the readers definitely want their own hearts racing. But other sections of the novel felt so dramatized. Perhaps I'm just an old cynic at the ripe old age of twenty, but the sections where the couples stare at each other and get hot and gooey really put me off. No one is that sappy. I guess I really should be paying better attention to the synopsis when requesting novels.
3. The grammar/spelling choices frustrated me to no end!!! I know that this is just an ARC, and that some of the mistakes were simply a result of being an unfinished version of the book, but it wasn't those that annoyed me. I was more bothered by things that were the author's choice. For example, "Annnnnnnnnnnnnd that was when the next fight started." was how the author chose to end one of her chapters. Cringe.
Despite all these misgivings, Consumed had two things going for it.
1. Really clever and witty wording - one of the quotes that I absolutely loved from this book: "Her glass was not just half full. It was overflowing with rose-scented denial." It was descriptions like that that really kept me going in the beginning.
2. Good thriller/ detective plot. I really had no clue what the end of the novel was going to look like. There were a lot of dead ends, and a lot of death threats. I think that if this novel were to have the dramatic romances removed, what would be left behind would be a great shell to start a 5 star thriller. Since that isn't the case though, I'll make due with the book I have in my hands now.
Would recommend to: someone who enjoys reading about hot firefighters and romance amidst thrills, or someone who likes dramatic, headstrong characters.
anasatticbookblog's review
2.0
Consumed by J.R. Ward
1st in a Firefighter Romantic Suspense Series. Read the Free Prequels First.
2.5 Stars
I am a big fan of JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, so I went into Consumed with high expectations. I read the Wedding From Hell prequels one and two first, and I think it is absolutely necessary to read those before reading Consumed. I was dying to know what would happen to Danny and Anne after reading them.
“It’s amazing what you can live through and come out stronger on the other side.”
Consumed began with the most addictive and explosive beginning! OMG it was exciting and devastating at the same time, and many lives were changed that day. Then we flash forward 10 months. Danny and Anne haven’t seen each other in all that time, and there is an arsonist loose in the city.
I usually love mysteries and suspense, but I found this to be boring and drawn out. Much of it was procedural and inner workings of the fire department, and we even had other POVs. But to me, the thing that usually makes me love a book is the characters, and sadly, I never warmed up to Anne, and liked Danny less in this book than the prequels, though he got better towards the end. But this one quote describes Anne well.
"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 know that a lot of people I trust really loved Consumed, and I really wanted to. The prequels and the first 15% gave me so much hope! I will say, I am glad I pushed through and finished, because the ending 15% was really good. To me, I’d give the first 20% 4.5 stars, the middle 65% 2 stars, and the last 15% 4 stars.
Likes:
- •The first 15% and the last 15%.
- •A strong, female firefighter that can kick ass and take names.
- •The dog.
- •Well written, realistic fire scenes.
- •A well thought-out, well-researched plot.
- •Realistic portrayals of the mental health issues firefighters face.
- •Good character growth
Dislikes:
- •I never warmed up to Anne, and Danny was just OK.
- •I was bored and seriously considered a DNF between 50% and 80% but pushed through.
- •I found JR Ward’s gangsta slang to be jarring in this setting. It’s one thing for vampires in a fake world, but another in a non-paranormal.
- •I felt like she didn’t portray millennials and even Hispanics in a fair light. (Not all Hispanics speak broken English).
- •There just wasn’t enough romance for me, and even the mystery was slow.
- •Too many 3rd person POVs.
The Down and Dirty:
I wanted so much to love Consumed, I mean it’s JR Ward for goodness sake! I enjoyed the free prequels and was excited to read more about Danny, Anne and the firefighters of Station 499. Unfortunately Consumed didn’t live up to the prequels for me. After the explosive beginning, the rest of the book was just boring to me. It was more Anne and her investigation than anything else. I found the whole thing to be kind of depressing, there were no light moments to break it up, and it was definitely more mystery than romance. At 60% I almost DNFd but it’s a long book and I already put in so much time that I pushed through. I am glad I pushed through for the end, because it did redeem itself a bit for me, and I am curious about Tom’s story. But not enough for me to continue. A lot of bloggers I fully trust absolutely loved this one, and a few DNF’d, so this one seems to be a love it/hate it type thing. As for me, I’m right in the middle, and give it 2.5 stars.
Rating: 2.5 Stars, 3.5 Heat
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