Berkley Sensation, $6.99, ISBN 978-0-425-21761-0
Fantasy Romance, 2007

Awaiting the Fire is easier to follow than Awaiting the Night, but here’s the thing: I’m convinced that the heroine Charlotte von Wolfram, a female werewolf, is suffering from some kind of dementia. I have never encountered in a while a heroine as really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really stupid as Charlotte.

Simeon St Ange is finally meeting the woman he is supposed to marry when this story opens. However, Charlotte, our really stupid heroine, not only shows up dragging her illegitimate sister along with her, she also lets herself be caught kissing Simeon’s enemy in the garden shortly after her arrival. When Simeon is angry, she blames him and calls him names when he challenges that man to a duel. She then later trusts the bad guy for reasons no sane person would come up with, and it goes downhill from here.

Oh boy, Charlotte. She thinks she knows everything, but every thing she does in this story is wrong. To top it off, she is abrasive, refuses to listen to reason, and behaves generally like a mad dog all around. Simeon on the other hand doesn’t do enough. He seems wrapped up in apathy, and it is this apathy of his that allows Charlotte to run around behaving like a braindead rampaging rhinoceros right up to nearly the last page. What I don’t understand is how the story seems to indicate that Ms Simpson is aware of Charlotte’s rampant foolishness, but Charlotte is allowed to go on for as long as she does.

You have to read this for yourself to get a taste firsthand on how toxic Charlotte’s bullying nature and aggressive stupidity can be. Me, I am still trembling from the experience. I believe I can enjoy this author’s stories, one day, since I have no problems with the technical aspects of this story. For the love of all that is good and holy, however, I hope she spares me from heroines like Charlotte in the future.