A review by theamyleblanc
Consumed by J.R. Ward

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.
SpoilerI want more of Danny but I also want to see Ripkin go DOWN!
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