Awaiting the Moon

by Donna Lea Simpson

Book Overview

The wait for a new take on werewolf romances is over. It is said that werewolves roam the woods around Wolfram Castle--but Elizabeth Stanwycke, newly arrived tutor to the Count's niece, is not a child to be frightened by bedtime stories. Of more pressing concern is her attraction to the mysterious Count.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425208494
• ISBN13: 9780425208496
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

delicious gothic

Awaiting the Moon is set in Germany, which is cool, but the misspellings/grammatical errors in the German are annoying. For example: sehen means 'to see', not 'to say'. Argh. Still. It's more of a gothic, actually. But OMG, it's a delicious gothic. The castle, the woods, the mad aunt, the assortment of odd relatives, the heroine who's an outsider, the dark and brooding hero... I usually don't like brooding, but he makes up for it, and demonstrates that there's an exception to every rule. But most of all, there's the air of mystery. I've loved gothics since long before I knew they were romances, and this is an excellent one. The excerpt at the back shows a sequel--I've never seen a gothic with a sequel. I can hardly wait.

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!

I absolutely loved this book and found the attraction and love between Nikolas and Elizabeth to be something truly beautiful to behold. A host of quirky characters added to the pot just made it a more delightful reading experience. Although I desperately wanted to find out the mystery of the plot, I regret that the book had to end.

Elizabeth Finds Love Amidst Werewolf Madness in 18th Century Germany

I very much enjoyed AWAITING THE MOON, a gothic paranormal romance by Donna Lea Simpson. This was the first book I've read by the author, and I was impressed by her characterization and plotting, as well as her easy-to-read writing style. The gist of the story is that young Elizabeth leaves her homeland of England, reputation in tatters, to become a tutor to a young countess in Germany in the year 1795. Once there, she discovers herself insatiably attracted to Count Nikolas von Wolfram, the head of a troubled family and a man of many secrets. Elizabeth was a delightful heroine in that she was both self-conscious, yet courageous, with both a strong backbone and sharp intelligence. Plus, her forward nature and natural curiosity are both her biggest strengths and greatest weaknesses, as she well knows. She is not a character who needs a man to do everything for her, nor is she the type of heroine who stupidly stumbles into trouble every five seconds, needing saving. I liked reading about her, and I liked how she dealt with her feelings for Nikolas and his family. Nikolas was also a good hero. He was dark and brooding, but he wasn't a jerk-off and the secrets he kept were good secrets, nothing to make me roll my eyes about. I also liked the way he handled Elizabeth in that he was straightforward (except for his secrets, of course) and respectful. He was also a very creative bed partner, and I thought the love scenes in this book much more sexy and refreshing than the same-ol', same-ol' you read about in other romances. Germany as a setting was a great choice, too, for this was the first romance I ever read that had Germans in the lead and dealt with German issues and culture. I loved it. That said, there were a few negatives about the book, but nothing major. One, the author's phrasing and diction were awkward at times, and I wondered if it was so formal because she was trying for a gothic effect. Also, there are a lot of characters in this book, and I found myself trying to remember who was who at a couple points. Oh well. Regardless, I enjoyed the book immensely and read it in one setting, refusing to go to bed until I'd finished it. The storyline was intriguing and mysterious, and the supernatural part kicked in just when I started to wonder if I had tricked myself into thinking - just like Elizabeth - that there were logical (and not paranormal) reasons why things were happening the way they were. I highly recommend this book. By the way, it has a sequel called AWAITING THE NIGHT. Also, if you are interested in other gothic paranormals, GENTLE FROM THE NIGHT and THE WOLF OF HASKELL HALL are also nice reads.

A new remarkable author!

This book was a bit of a slow starter for me and I almost gave up. Wow am I glad I stuck it out through all the thick gothic plot and character development! The romance was subtly, lovingly and erotically handled with such delicate sensuality--I'm definitely putting this book in my keeper stack. Seldom are characters in romance genre given such time to develop a complex, loving and erotic relationship and written in manner that allows an authentic building of feelings. Then the paranormal aspects are sprinkled over this deep sensual relationship just towards the end. I stayed up until 2 am to revel in this deeply romantic novel and reflecting on it the next day kept my energy up. Take a chance on this one!

fast-paced historical romantic suspense

In 1795 Englishwoman Lady Elizabeth Stanwycke journeys to Wolfram Castle in Germany to become a tutor to Charlotte, niece to Count Nikolas von Wolfram, as she has nothing else. Near the estate she notices a man chasing a woman in the woods, but her escort, Katrina Leibren, insists they not stop and tells her to forget what she saw. At the castle, she meets her new employer, his two sisters and an uncle as well as the visiting Count Delacroix. Elizabeth soon finds herself wondering what is going on as she hears strange noises and witnesses eerie events. The weirdest is her growing feeling for Nikolas, who at times is coldly aloof while on other occasions, is passionate as if he feels the heat between them. Still unable to resist the mystery of the occupants of Wolfram Castle and especially the wolf-like howling just outside, Elizabeth begins to investigate not realizing how dangerous that is to her well being including her heart. AWAITING THE MOON is a fast-paced historical romantic suspense that will keep the audience wondering whether the sub-genre is gothic or supernatural. The key element to Donna Lea Simpson's clever prose is whether a werewolf is running loose in Germany and if so is that creature Nikolas? Elizabeth as she falls in love with her employer ponders which is worse; that he is a murderous shapeshifter or that he is a homicidal lunatic. Fans of either sub-genre will treasure this strong Regency era thriller. Harriet Klausner