"Promise Bridge" is a historical set in the pre-Civil War South, but it also has some romance and suspense. The world-building was excellent, with the details of the setting and historical social and everyday details bringing the story alive in my imagination without slowing the pace. I think the author did an excellent job portraying both the good and the bad of the pre-Civil War American South (and North) without that ever seeming like it was the point of the story. It was the backdrop.

The characters were realistic and dealt with realistic problems. The "good" characters were likable, and I cared what happened to them. There were periods of danger and high suspense, but there were also lulls of safety filled mainly with interesting interactions as Hannah learned to see reality.

There was a very minor amount of cussing and swearing. There was no explicit sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as well-written, fairly clean reading.


I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher.