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Awaiting the Fire (Wolfram Family)
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Product Description
A breathtaking werewolf historical romance about a man and woman as different as air and earth-who nevertheless form an elemental connection.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1039033 in Books
- Published on: 2007-09-04
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
Customer Reviews
3 Klovers - Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques
The time has come for the Earl of Wesmorlyn to take a wife. In keeping with his family's tradition, Simeon St. Ange accepts a marriage arrangement with a foreign wife. His only hope for the match is a woman with a proper sense of decorum and propriety, as befitting his station.
Countess Charlotte von Wolfram needs to get to England. With an overprotective brother, the betrothal to an English Earl seems the perfect way to achieve her goal. A means to her end, she has no intention of accepting his offer of marriage after she meets him.
When the pair finally meet, they mix just as well as oil and water. But that doesn't stop them each from feeling an inexplicable pull towards each other. But can this couple overcome their differences before Simeon's enemy destroys them forever?
Awaiting the Fire is the third book in Donna Lea Simpson's Awaiting series. As someone who has never read any of the other entries to this saga, I can tell you that Awaiting the Fire works very well as a standalone story and is not dependent on the previous books for continuity. The author does an admirable job of building the world well enough in this book that the reader has all they need to understand this tale, even though they may become curious about the characters from the other books mentioned in this one.
Ms. Simpson does an equally fine job in spinning a stimulating plot with enough layers to keep the reader guessing throughout the book.
Where I was disappointed was with the characters themselves. I found both the main characters and the supporting cast rather one dimensional. In addition, both Charlotte and Simeon were so distant and cold that I could never quite believe their connection when it finally happened. While I understood the need for their distance as a plot device in the beginning, I never felt as if they really overcame it enough to fall in love.
Charlotte was supposedly headstrong, but she really came across as a bit of a bully to those around her, insisting on having her own way no matter what. She tends to make decisions on behalf of her loved ones, never listening to them when they tell her what they truly want.
While I could see this author's talent in many ways, including plot building and suspense, the lack of interest in the characters diminished my ability to truly enjoy the story.
Series Order:
Awaiting the Night (Berkley Sensation)
Awaiting the Moon (Berkley Sensation)
Awaiting the Fire (Berkley Sensation)
Big Disapointment
I enjoyed Ms. Simpson's first book in this series. This book seems to be written (or not written) by someone else. There is no depth to the characters and it's not true to the time period. It opens with the heroine and her sister and brother, all from Germany and featured in the prior books, heading for a ball. She has a written contract to marry the hero, the Earl of Wesmorlyn. The ball is supposed to be in her honor and is sponsored by a cousin of the Earl. They've just arrived in town that day from Germany and she has never met the Earl. He doesn't visit her in advance of the ball, nor is she, her family or the Earl in the receiving line at the ball. In fact, there is no receiving line. This is implausible for the time period! Both the Earl and her brother are crtical of Charlotte's behavior (who knows why). They make the same stilted comments over and over again and she has the same reaction each time and whines about how unreasonable they are. With that, she goes out into the gardens and accepts the advances of a man she's just met, Lyluph Randell a neighbor of the Earl. She lets him kiss her and is discovered by the earl and her brother. The Earl challenges the other man to a dual and he and her brother continue with their superficial critical remarks. A short while later, Randell, who has his own nefarious plans for Wesmorlyn's sister, overhears Charlotte talking about locating her half sisters mother. He insinuates himself into the coversation (should she even be talking with him after he kissed her and caused such a commotion?) He tells them that this person just happens to be a tenant of his in Cornwall and since her brother is so unreasonable, he'll help them escape in the night and take them to this person. In what world does any idiot believe this outrageous coincidence and agree to go off with a stranger? Whatever this guy tells them, they believe.
The next day the Earl visits her brother to apologize. Here we get the second of the repeat senarios. The brother fees bad about what he said to Charlotte and the Earl feels bad about what he said. In addition, Randell never showed up for the duel but the Earl doesn't plan on doing anything about it. This is highly unlikely for a character of this time period about a duel. Charlotte (off on her adventure) also feels bad. They're either mad at the other person or feeling bad about their actions when they were mad.
I tried to plug on hoping things would get better. It's rare for me not to finish a book. However, the dialogue was so arduous to read, the characters one dimensional and the time period so unrealistic that I gave up on the book a quarter through. I read the other reviews here but can't believe they read the same book. I'm taking my copy back to the book store for a return credit.
superb historical paranormal romance
In 1795 Charlotte von Wolfram arrives in England to meet her betrothed, Simeon St. Ange. She also wants to find the mother of her illegitimate half-sister Fanny. She hides from her fiancé, an earl, that the males of her family are werewolves; a secret she has vowed to never reveal to anyone. Simeon knows that marrying her in what looked like a coup when he agreed is politically incorrect since the Prince of Wales and his pregnant spouse from the content have been squabbling; still he plans to adhere to the deal which includes giving Charlotte the right of refusal..
Simeon and his family host a ball in honor of Charlotte. However, to her astonishment her brother Christophe informs her that there is another shapeshifter at the event. Meanwhile family friend Lyulph Randell locates Fanny's mother. Charlotte and Fanny rush to meet her only to be forced to seek shelter with Gypsies. The band's seer warns Charlotte to beware of Simeon who hides something from her while Lyulph continues his manipulations waiting for the right moment to destroy his enemy.
Readers will enjoy the latest Donna Lea Simmons' historical paranormal romance as placing the supernatural inside a late eighteenth century plot makes for a superb refreshing romance (see AWAITING THE MOON and AWAITING THE NIGHT). The cast is strong as they bring the era to life even with the paranormal elements. Charlotte is especially terrific as she begins to have doubts about her beloved Simeon, who realizes his failing was one of trust. The sub-genre audience will appreciate this appealing tale.
Harriet Klausner
