**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.

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