Friday, January 25, 2019

Review - While the Duke Was Sleeping

Author:  Sophie Jordan
Series:  The Rogue Files #1
Genre:   Historical Romance
Publisher:   Avon
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages:  384
Date of Publication:  October 25, 2016
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
Sometimes the man of your dreams . . .

Shop girl Poppy Fairchurch knows it’s pointless fantasizing about the Duke of Autenberry. Still, dreams can’t hurt anyone . . . unlike the carriage Poppy spies bearing down upon the unsuspecting duke. After she pulls him to safety, the duke lapses into a coma and Poppy is mistaken for his fiancĂ©e. But one person isn’t fooled: his arrogant and much too handsome half-brother, Struan Mackenzie. Soon Poppy isn’t sure what she wants more . . . the fantasy of her duke or the reality of one smoldering Scot who challenges her at every turn.

. . . is not who you think.

An illegitimate second son, Struan may have built an empire and established himself as one of the wealthiest men in Britain, but he knows he will always be an outsider among the ton. Just like he knows the infuriating Poppy is a liar. There’s no way the haughty Duke of Autenberry would deign to wed a working class girl. It doesn’t matter how charming she is. Or tempting. Or how much Struan wants her for himself. 


MY THOUGHTS:

How far would you let a fantasy go? Poppy Fairchurch is forced to answer that very question. As a girl in a flower shop, her marriage options are quite limited. She dreams big, however, especially when it comes to the Duke of Autenberry. She fancies herself in love with him. Saving the Duke from a fight and an impending carriage accident leads Poppy down a very interesting trail. When she immediately runs into his handsome, bastard half-brother Stuan MacKenzie. 

It doesn't take Poppy long after meeting Struan for her to realize that this man might actually be the man of her dreams, not the Duke. How awkward for her, especially, because there is a twist to her infatuation with the Duke. She tells his family that she is his fiance and they believe her. All but Struan. One look into Poppy's eyes and Struan just knows she is lying - and that he is incredibly drawn to her.

Sound familiar at all? Remember the blockbuster hit While You Were Sleeping? Yes, indeed. This retelling of that story was done with flair. I was drawn in from the first page and didn't let up with this book until I completed it. 

I adored Poppy. Not only did she make the perfect heroine, she was the opposite of hapless. Not only was she extremely resourceful, but her role as a big sister made me smile more than once. Struan was pretty terrific too. He was a sexy Scot, and a self-made man, despite his illegitimate status. The Duke was fun, although he pretty much slept through the entire book. Imagine waking up engaged! The rest of the cast of characters were a delight as well. All in all, a terrific story and makes me want to carve out time to watch the related film. 

While the Duke Was Sleeping is the first book in The Rogue Files series. It is followed by The Scandal of it All (2017), The Duke Buys a Bride (2018), and This Scot of Mine, which will be released in March, 2019.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed a natural choice. After several years teaching high school students to love ANTIGONE, Sophie decided it was time to pursue her long-held dream of writing. Two years later, she landed her first publishing contract.

Her first book, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT, was a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical. Her second novel, TOO WICKED TO TAME, released in March 2007 with a bang - landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List. A few books later marked her first appearance on the New York Times bestseller list with the release of IN SCANDAL THEY WED.

And as if she's not busy enough, Sophie writes young adult fiction for HarperTeen and contemporary paranormals for Pocket. Sophie resides in Houston with her family and loves to hear from readers. To learn the latest information about Sophie and her books, follow her on facebook and twitter.




7 comments:

  1. Poppy seems to be a popular name to use in books, I've read several in the last month ;)

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  2. Not my genre but a great review nontheless. Thanks for sharing.
    Gemma @ www.gemmasbooknook.blogspot.com

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  3. I like the premise of this book.

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  4. This seems adorable! I need toto pick upup a historical romance and.

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  5. I loved reading your review! This looks like a really fun read, thanks for sharing!
    - Melissa
    http://melissasfandomworld.com

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  6. Lovely sounding book. Not sure it would be a book for me though.

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  7. Great review Robin, I absolutely love the movie While You Were Sleeping and I also love the author Sophie Jordan as well. I really love the sound of this book, thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar.

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