Review: Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey

Isabella is determined to marry James...

Isabella Weston has loved James Sheffield for as long as she can remember. Her come-out ball seems the perfect chance to make him see her in a new light.

James is determined never to marry...

James is stunned to find that the impish girl he once knew has blossomed into a sensual goddess. And if he remember his lessons correctly, goddesses always spell trouble for mortal men.

A compromise is clearly necessary...

When Izzie kisses James, her artless ardor turns to a masterful seduction that drives him mad with desire. But, no stranger to heartbreak, James is determined never to love, and thus never to lose. Can Isabella convince him that a life without love might be the biggest loss of all?

Promise Me Tonight is a pretty formulaic read. That's not necessarily a bad thing. There are times that I seek out those types of stories as almost a comfort thing. The problem I had with this though, was that the main couple just didn't really work for me. There were moments that I could see their past as kids together merge with their adult feelings for each other and those were lovely moments where they worked as a couple, however there weren't enough of those.

Izzie's single minded obsession with James is a bit off putting for me. She has loved this guy since she was six years old and while that could be cute, it was a little annoying for me in some ways.

James' whole, "I had a rough childhood (not as rough as some regency heroes) so I will never ever love anyone" issues were also over done a bit I think. He treats her horribly because of them and then when he shows up all sorry and wanting to make it work, she's just supposed to forgive and forget and move on. I really wanted to see him crawl a bit more, but that's just me.

Where the characters really shine for me are in their relationships with family and friends. James relationship with the Weston family is really great and his discussions with his friends feel more interesting and real than his relationship with Isabella. Izzie's relationships with her mom, Aunt and siblings are super fun to watch. Her Aunt Kate was a crack up and her mom and sister were fun characters as well. I also loved her dad and her older brother, Hal. This family is a very tight knit and loving family with a great sense of humor and they have each other's backs when it comes down to it, which made them a great family to read about.

Overall, I felt that the story was a bit too predictable, the lead couple did grow and work on their issues but they weren't a very enjoyable couple for me. The strongest point in the story for me was the Weston family and the lead characters' friends. They made the hero and heroine more interesting and likable and they themselves were fun and interesting.

My final grade for this is a C+. This is going to be a series revolving around the Weston family and I think there's a lot to work with there. Ms. Lindsey has potential and as she tells the stories of more of the family, I hope that the series will improve with each book.