Great start to a new series!

What a change from the BBD world....but I like it. Can’t wait to see what happens with Danny and Anne....will the wedding happen? Will they reveal how they really feel about each other? ( )

This was a neat free! novella that introduced Anne and Danny, the characters who will feature in JR Ward’s new firefighter’s series, Consumed. Basically, one of the other firefighters is getting married in what looks to be a disaster of a wedding, and Anne and Danny are dragged along for the festivities. There are definite sparks between them and Ward’s signature writing style is there for sure.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

This is a prelude to Danny and Anne's book 'Consumed.' They are both firefighters and they are both groomsman for Moose's wedding, complete with bridezilla. Danny has wanted Anne since the first day she walked in the station. the problem is Danny has a hound dog reputation and Anne thinks he's the king of one night stands. Danny decides to make the push to convince Anne to give them a chance and the heat is sizzling

Reading this story reminded me why I love J.R. Ward books. The depth of feeling is so real and pulls you into their story, I really felt all of the desire and angst. This short is a great sneak peek, you'll want to have Part 2 and 'Consumed' nearby so you can see the rest of their story.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/ ( )

Well. That was fast. I don't like novellas or short stories for this reason, most of the time. This didn't really add anything to Consumed (the full length novel). ( )

The Rehearsal Dinner is the first installment in a serialized novella prequel to J. R. Ward’s upcoming new contemporary romance series, Firefighters. For such a short story, it was an excellent read that had a little bit of everything. First our hero and heroine, who are both firefighters at the same station house, are members of a wedding party for one of their friends and fellow firefighters. This is where the proverbial wedding from hell comes in, because this guy and his fiancée are constantly fighting about one thing or another, and the bride is a total bridezilla, making life a living hell for all involved. This scenario is the backdrop for the rest of the story which also includes a little excitement, a little humor, and a whole lot of sexual tension.

Danny and Anne, our hero and heroine, as I mentioned, are both firefighters. There’s been an intense attraction simmering between them since they started working together, but thus far, they haven’t acted on it. That all starts to change in this story, when circumstances and proximity cause that tension to begin to boil over. While nothing beyond kissing has happened yet, that tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, so I look forward to seeing what happens next. In this very short space, J. R. Ward has already thrown out some intriguing tidbits of character development and backstory that I think are going to make for a great read when Danny and Anne’s full-length story, Consumed, is released. I love that Danny is trying his best to be a feminist, even it Anne doesn’t appreciate it in context, and being the daughter of a chief, Anne seems to have something to prove. I have a feeling, though, that these prequel novellas are just a small interlude out of time for these two, and a fair bit of time is probably going to elapse between the novellas and the novel. But regardless, I look forward to delving into these characters more.

I’m equally intrigued to read the next installment, not only to see what happens between Danny and Anne, but also to see if the (un)happy couple actually go through with this crazy wedding. Either way, I think they’re doomed, so I look forward to finding out if I’m right. The author has also used this story to introduce us to a number of first responders who seem ripe for their own stories later in the series. Overall, I think The Rehearsal Dinner was a great start and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more next month. ( )