3 HALF STARS - GOOD DEBUT - SOMEWHAT ANNOYING HEROINE!!!: (2010-06-21) 
I liked this book though there were a few disspointing and annoying aspects.

Isabelle (Izzy) has been in love with James her whole life - every since she was 6 years old - when she decided that she would marry him when she got older.

Well, Izzy is now 20 and a ravishing beauty. When she makes her debut and James sees her again after being gone for 5 years, he is stunned by her beauty and the intense desire he feels for her. She is after all his best friends' little sister and he has no right having these feelings for her. James has decided that he will never marry - he despised his father and grandfather and he has decided to never have children so that the Sheffield line end with him - that is his revenge against his grandfather.


What he hasn't counted on is having these feelings of deep desire and passion for Izzy. Izzy tries to convince James of her love for him - but he is stubborn and refuses to realize that he has found the perfect mate in Izzy.

What got annoying after a while was James stubbornness and Izzy's immature whining ways of trying to get James to fall for her. She steals into his house one night and seduces him - and James being quite inhebriated realizes that Izzy is really in his bedroom and has just robbed her of her virtue.

Well, he agrees to marry her, but izzy hasn't counted on the fact that James might have married her, but he is in no way going to stay and play the adoring husband - when he has made it very clear to Izzy that he doesn't want to marry or bear any children.

James leaves - and Izzy is devastated by his departure. She comes to the realization that he is not coming back and another disturbing bit of news: she is pregnant. She goes to Scotland with her Aunt and her Mother and she bears James' daughter.

James who joined the Navy, is almost killed after being gravelly wounded at a battle off the coast of Egypt. As he recovers from his wounds he realizes that he loves Izzy and is determined to return to his wife and make things right.

However, the Izzy he returns to is embittered and angry at his callous departure and now he finds he is also a father.

I agree with a reviewer that Sara Lindsey's writing at times is reminiscent of Julia Quinn' novels. The story was charming and I loved James. After his close brush with death he realizes that he is allowing his grandfather to still rule him from his grave. His time away from Izzy and time served in the Navy has matured him and left him whole. I found Izzy's theatrics rather tiresome after a while - all she did was whine and cry for the second half of the book. The love she has for James is obsessive and manipulative at times, as all she thinks about is her desires and selfish wishes without taking his into consideration - it seems that throughout the book all she has is this childish fascination and fixation with James. She manages to redeem herself in the end - after she has become a mother and she allows James' love for her to mature her and complete her. All is all a good debut, it would have been 5 stars if the heroine had had a bit more backbone and not been so immature and annoying.

First of Weston Siblings series: (2010-05-27) 
Although this book started off OK, it unfortunately became less interesting as it went along and by the end I was a bit fed up with it. Still it wasn't too bad a read and the story kept pace reasonably.

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

Initially this story reminded me of the writing of Julia Quinn - light, bubbly, lively characters and amusing. However this gradually sloughed away as I journeyed through the story and it ended up with hero and heroine trying to ignore each other and holding grudges and behaving badly. Historical accuracy was OK although the dialogue had rather too much modern American for authenticity, but my big issue with the story was that it just wasn'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 were both able to do what they wanted without particularly paying regard to the other's opinion. It was an OK story but had its disappointments for this reader.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2010

Delightful! Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey: (2010-04-26) 
What a delightful historical romance set in England 1792. This is a Weston novel. This book is well written with detail and depth. The characters are charming, strong, emotional and will pull you into the story. It has sweet sensuality, romance,bitterness, forgiveness, mystery, and is an emotional love story.The heroine has been in love with the hero since the first time she saw him, when they where only children. The hero is determined never to marry, his father died shortly after his mother died in childbirth. He was sent to live with his grandfather who was not so nice. As fate would have it, he ends up marrying and learns a lesson in true love. It is a must read. It is fast paced, page turning story from the first page to the last. I would highly recommend this book.

Great Historical Romance: (2010-04-22) 
This was such a fun historical romance read. It kept me in the story and the fact that the lead male is the lead female's crush for the whole of her short life is one of those stories that warms your insides. It's really cute in the beginning when it's like a close friend relationship. The entire book heats up tremendously when the two characters start to move into a relationship that is a bit for physical. The inclusion of the battle with the Bonaparte ship fleet was incredibly detailed and I really enjoyed reading that about history. I love it with these historical romances have actual history in them as well as a heated romance, it just makes the book very beneficial. Anyway, this is the first book in a series about the Weston family and I look forward to the next book and the next book after that as well. I really liked the very cute family-esque ending. It was adorable.
Now, everyone is saying it's a ripoff of Julia Quinn. I have never read Julia Quinn, but this is still it's own story. People that can respect that, even if there are similarities will enjoy this book. Or those that haven't read Julia Quinn.

Excellent Debut: (2010-04-16) 
Having heard lots of buzz about Sara Lindsey being "the next Julia Quinn," of course, I was bound to check her out. Julia Quinn is among my favorite authors for good reason; she combines humor, passion, and wit to create brilliantly entertaining romances.

While it took me a couple of weeks to work through this book, it is not the book's fault! I immediately fell in love with Isabella Weston, a spunky and determined young woman. She knows what she wants, and what she really wants is James Sheffield. And who could blame her? James is dashing, handsome, and he's always been a knight in shining armor to Isabella. When she manages to surprise him one evening with a plan to snare him into marriage, James is stunned. He wants nothing to do with Isabella as a wife...or really wants a wife at all. Instead, he's content to allow his grandfather's precious estate to die with him.

As a debut novel, this one is exceptional. I suspect that Lindsey's works will only continue to improve with time.