Although Promise Me Tonight starts off fine, it unfortunately grows less interesting as it goes along. By the end, I was a bit fed up with it. Still, it isn't too bad a read, and the story maintains a reasonable pace.

Isabella Weston has always loved her brother's friend James Sheffield, and she decides that she wants to marry him. However, James won't let himself love anyone after the deaths of his parents - he can't open himself up to that level of hurt. He hasn't reckoned with Isabella's persistence, and he may have to re-evaluate his plans.

Initially this story is reminiscent of the writing of Julia Quinn - light, bubbly, lively characters and amusing. However, this notion gradually sloughs away as the reader journeys through the story and it ends up with hero and heroine trying to ignore each other, holding grudges and behaving badly.

Historical accuracy is fair, although the dialogue contains rather too much modern American for authenticity. My big issue with the story: it just isn't very romantic. Neither James nor Isabella comes out very well overall, and I didn't feel that much confidence in their happy future, knowing how they both tend to do what they want without particularly paying regard to the other's opinion. It's an okay story but has its disappointments.