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 the impish girl he once knew has blossomed into a sensual goddess. And if he remembers his lessons, 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?

The beginning of a series? Check. Love with best friend's sister trope? Check. Debut author with a good deal of buzz?  Check.

One of my favorite romantic tropes is falling in love with BFF's sister/brother. I may like this type of story more than a secret baby plot. Regardless, what I loved about Isabella Weston is her confidence.  Confident she loves James; confident that James loves her (especially after her coming out); confident they belong together.

The final third of the book doesn't sit well with me because Izzie has lost this spark, this drive, this confidence.  Certainly, she's been through a ordeal until this point of the book -- no one blames her for her decisions or her reactions to the hand life has dealt her.  I just wanted her to react differently and felt disappointed when she didn't, when she seemingly lost all her previous gumption and determination and, yes, confidence until James decides to pull his head out of the sand.

That being said, Ms. Lindsey crafts a well-rounded and strong heroine, qualities I hope I see again in June with Tempting the Marquess, which features Isabella's younger sister, Olivia.