When the time comes for Simeon St. Ange, the Earl of Wesmorlyn, to marry, he shuns the glittering ballrooms of London. In the tradition of his ancestors, Wesmorlyn looks towards the Continent to find his bride. His mind becomes set on Charlotte von Wolfram, and he invites her to London hoping the lady will be favorably impressed and accept his proposal of marriage.

Charlotte arrives with her older brother and younger half- sister, but instead of falling in love with the earl or even looking favorably on him, she dislikes him almost at once. Declaring him a prig and a snob of the worst sort, Charlotte is determined to refuse him and return to Germany. Wesmorlyn is less than impressed with Charlotte, as well. She is too pretty for his tastes, too open, too generous, too everything. He finds himself attracted to her but embarrassed by her demeanor. Wesmorlyn is especially mortified by the quick attachment Charlotte forms with his old friend and neighbor, Lyulph Randall. Although he dislikes Randall, he has never completely cut him out of his life. A decision he will soon come to regret.

Lyulph Randall, a werewolf, has had his eye on Wesmorlyn's younger sister and ward, and plans to make his move on her at the gala for Wesmorlyn's future bride. However, Lyulph changes his mind when he meets Charlotte. He quickly decides she will be better suited for his plans. Charlotte and her family are also werewolves, so her brother recognizes the wolf in Randall immediately and tries to keep Charlotte away from him. She is secretly embarrassed by her recent public behavior, but she can't seem to stay away from Lyulph, even though she knows she should. Worse, her dislike for Wesmorlyn clouds her decision making and she falls prey to Lyulph's schemes, putting herself and her sister in danger.

AWAITING THE FIRE is the most recent book in Simpson's paranormal romance series, following AWAITING THE MOON and AWAITING THE NIGHT. Simpson relocates readers from Germany to London for this third book. And yes, there is a gypsy camp, danger lurking in the shadows and, of course, the required full moon, but the gothic elements in this book are not as pronounced as in the first two. Although you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover art on this one is much better than the others. A good story in an attractive package should please paranormal romance readers.