This had a very promising start but I ended up setting it aside at 44%. I liked the very chaotic meeting of our hero and heroine (they both save each other's lives and make them more miserable simultaneously). Also liked the confusion about the heroine's identity (she's a maid pretending to be her mistress) and the hero's large, boisterous family. However, the way the "While you were sleeping" part of the storyline was executed didn't work for me.

Meh. I don’t care for either MC and the FMC reads like a modern heroine. There are other modernisms I’m not a huge fan of reading in a historical too.

While the Duke Was Sleeping is a fun historical romance by Samara Parish and the first book in the England's Sweethearts series.

This book was inspired by the movie While You Were Sleeping, which is on my list of favorite holiday movies *and* favorite rom-coms, so I had to pick it up.

I ended up finishing this book in two sittings, including staying up too late one night to finish it. It was such a fun and refreshing read! Unlike the movie, our heroine meets the hero prior to the duke falling into a coma, and I really liked that change.

I was absolutely here for the chemistry between our leads, even though she was supposedly engaged to his brother. There isn't really a lot of steam here, there are a few kissing scenes and one quick steamy scene as part of the epilogue. But instead of that, we get our MCs being vulnerable with each other in other ways.

Just like in the movie that inspired the book, I fell in love with the eponymous duke's family, and I hope that further books in this series will follow them. I don't often like second-chance romances, but I'm really hype for the book for Rhett's twin, Meg.

This historical take on a modern day romantic comedy was a delight to read! Here we have an insta-love beginning that, somehow, leads to an adventure of 'mistaken' identity that really was no mistake at all.

The chemistry between the MC's is instant, even if it got off to a pretty stinky start. Quickly drawn to each other and unable to forget each other even as they accepted never getting to see the other again. As fate would have it, their paths would indeed cross again and in the most unexpected place! The Dukes bedroom!

Join them in the Dukes bedroom while he peacefully sleeps and misses all of the shenanigans of not only Rhett and Della as they try to avoid crossing every line imaginable, but also the brothers 3 sisters. You will fast fall in love with them and the chaos the 5 siblings cause from the moment they walk in the door. As a member of a big family, I laughed out loud as scenes played out exactly as it would here.

An awesome time in what will, hopefully, become a long series. I am ready to read the 2nd book! I'll just wait over....here!

Huge thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the eArc. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and am leaving my review voluntarily.

I immediately knew I was going to DNF this book when I got to the second chapter. This chapter was written from Rhett’s POV and I absolutely hated him. He was so full of himself that it physically made me cringe. He is also a complete womanizer. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I love a good book with a womanizer for an MMC and then he turns soft for the girl but ugh the way that Rhett was talking about women, it kinda just disgusted me. Here are some of his highlights:

- “Married women, especially those who were shackled to old men, were more fun."

- “He’d wooed women in France and Spain, Germany and Italy, even as far away as Russia.”

- “Her red hair…could be Scottish or Irish. Her delicate features could be French. Her body stance and wild gestures reminded him of Mediterranean women.” (this does NOT give me a good description of this woman)

Not to mention that they start kissing in the second chapter as well? Like where is the tension? The build-up? There is none. It doesn’t exist. And in historical romances, we all know that if you are seen with a guy alone, let alone kissing him in a dingy bar bathroom, you are ruined for life and need to marry him. I couldn’t believe that that had happened and we just breezed by it.

Despite the second chapter, I continued the book and tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. I read 3-4 more chapters before I called it quits for good. The book was incredibly unrealistic for the time period and written fairly poorly. And yes, I have read another book by Samara Parish and I rated it fairly high so it’s not a problem specifically with the author, just how this book is.

If you are looking for a historical romance with an FMC that doesn’t care about society’s rules, then this might be for you. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was such a treat. I loved that it was similar to While You Were Sleeping with a historical romance twist. Once I started reading I just could not stop. I laughed and cried and also enjoyed the spice. I'm excited to see what else the author writes. A light-hearted fun read to help you escape reality.

While The Duke Was Sleeping, by Samara Parish, there’s way too much to this hilarious book to give it a brief summary just know there’s a runaway bride with a new fiancé who’s unconscious a lady in waiting who just wants a home and a second born son, who believes for the first time in his life in love at first sight. This was such a good book I love how Adelaide got along with his family I am not big on historical books that are historically inaccurate but I’m going to be honest I couldn’t stop laughing long enough to let myself be worried with the fact she cursed like a sailor at a time when most women did not curse at all and they were other things but just know if you love funny romcoms that are really really romantic comedies then you will definitely love this book I am a big fan of Samara Parish’s romances and this one definitely lives up to the reputation she has made as a great author. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and I do hope it is one of the sisters. Kudos to Miss Parish for another great read! #NetGalley, #SamaraParish, #WhileTheDukeWasSleeping, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,

90s rom-com alert! 🩷🩵

Thank you to Forever for the complimentary advanced copy.

This book is based on "While You Were Sleeping," and is for anyone who loves Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman's chemistry. The movie has been one of my favorites for years which made the book extra fun! There are some differences, but the story definitely captures the spirit of the film, including the physical and slightly naughty comedy. Parish did a great job adapting the most memorable scenes.

The language and antics in the book do lean more modern - the vibe is light on the historical and heavy on the movie inspiration. The romance burns very slowly too which is surprising given the amount of innuendo throughout. The book isn't precisely closed door, it's more of a slightly ajar door. That being said, 90s rom-coms are often this way with lots of dirty jokes but only delivering a few passionate kisses, so perhaps the choice was intentional.

If you're a lover of old school rom-coms and interested in historical romance this is a great choice. The book is light-hearted and I enjoyed it!

While the Duke Was Sleeping by Samara Parish was a book that I had been looking forward to reading, and it didn't disappoint!
Book one in the England's Sweethearts series was a great introduction. And I can’t wait to see what book two holds.
This story is an addictive, charming, enticing tale by Parish that I absolutely devoured.
A great and well written historical fiction story.

This author has been a bit of a hit or miss for me with her previous series, but I did really enjoy the last book in the previous series. So I was hopeful the good vibes would keep going. Unfortunately, this book ended up being more of a miss for me. I can suspend my disbelief only so far before I just want to roll my eyes. The set up was a bit outlandish, but whatever. I have never seen the movie that inspired this story, so I didn't have any expectations in that regard, and I've come to understand that this set up is similar to the movie. It just didn't make any sense that none of the family recognized she was pretending to be Cordelia when at least a couple have encountered her at ton events, their personalities are so different, and Adelaide made no attempts really to act like her. The book also lost me at the very extra attempts at trying to wake Peter up, which I think were supposed to be humorous but were not my cup of tea. The main couple is also weirdly repressed in their sexual encounters when the moments surrounding them lead the reader to expect it to not be closed door scenes. There are a lot of, in my opinion, weird sexual inuendoes and references that don't make sense or don't go anywhere. It was strange. The relationship between the main couple was on the surface a good match and I was hoping I could find the chemistry, but I never really saw much. Rhett, the mmc, was confusing and confused. For some reason, he questions immediately if this woman is actually Cordelia and then forgets later on that he thought that? I don't get it. I would be open to giving the next book in this series a try, especially if it involves Rhett's twin and the estate manager Andrew. I just think that would be a fun pairing.

London - December 1893

The spoiled Lady Cordelia is to marry a duke today in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Her dress is a concoction of silk studded with gemstones. Her lady’s maid, Adelaide (Della), is waiting to help her when she needs her. Suddenly, Cordelia flees the church and demands that Della get her out of there. They flee in a carriage and hide in an Inn. Cordelia demands that she change clothes with Della and then sends the girl out to find passage to France. It’s a good thing that they both favor one another in hair color and in their looks.

Everett (Rhett) Montgomery has arrived in London as his brother, Peter, the Duke of Stratford has demanded he return for Christmas. Rhett knows it’s because he wants him to stop his life of frivolity and settle down. That’s when Rhett sees Della looking for passage and they bump into one another and both fall into the Thames. He saves her but both are soaked and filthy. He finds a place for her to wash and change into clothes. She then kisses him and leaves. Cordelia and Della find a small cottage to rent outside London and Rhett is back with his family, where he finally gets clean and enjoys his sisters.

When Della and Rhett meet up again, it’s because she is impersonating Lady Cordelia. The story continues as Rhett is sure she is Della and not Cordelia. Yet both of them are attracted to one another and continue to play a game.

Perhaps it’s because I’m not familiar with “While You Were Sleeping” that at first I had a difficult time keeping up with the story. But it finally fell into place. I like this author’s books and look forward to reading more of them. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4.5/5 stars

Tropes:
Fake engagement
Son of a duke/lady's maid
Mistaken identity
Wanderlust
Finding oneself
Forced proximity
Insta-lust to love
Dual POV

I loved this historical retelling of one of my favorite 90s romcom movie. I was giggling and feeling all mushy with this book. I really enjoyed Adelaide's character. She just had so much gumption and independence but was also yearning for the closeness of family. And Rhett was misunderstood even by himself. I think they both brought out the best in each other and it was sweet to watch them grow in friendship past their instant attraction.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for fans of historical romances, 90s romcoms, and forced proximity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

While the Duke Was Sleeping is a very charming While You Were Sleeping retelling set in Victorian England.

After fleeing her wedding day, Adelaide Rosebourne's mistress, Lady Cordelia, not only convinces Adelaide to accompany her on the mad dash, but insists that she and Adelaide swap clothing...and identities. They fail so spectacularly at attempting to hightail it away from the "scene of the crime" on a ship to France, that Adelaide finds herself being rescued from the Thames by a handsome second son, Everette Montgomery. They share one passionate embrace before Adelaide bolts to safety, wondering if she'll ever be able to locate him again once this Lady Cordelia debacle is over.

Adelaide and Cordelia rent a cottage in a very small town while they come up with a game plan. The Duke of Strafford, who owns this cottage, gets wind that the infamous Lady Cordelia is staying on his property, and decides this is the perfect opportunity to avoid the London season and procure himself a wife locally, as one does. He stops by the cottage while Adelaide is out to tell Lady Cordelia he can send a betrothal announcement to the Times imminently if she agrees...and ends up tripping and bonking his head reeeaaaalllll good. When Adelaide returns and attempts to fix the SECOND debacle Lady Cordelia seems to have gotten them into, a series of assumptions and mistruths lead the Duke's footmen to believe Adelaide, who has been posing as Lady Cordelia afterall, is affianced to this unconscious Duke. His family insists they both stay at the estate while the Duke (hopefully) wakes from his coma. Adelaide reluctantly agrees with this and plans to tell the duke to call off the engagement upon waking...when she finds out she'll be living under the same roof as the Duke's brother--the very same Everette Montgomery who she smooched a sennight ago.

While the Duke Was Sleeping was a very fast paced read which you could probably tell by my lengthy intro--and I didn't even mention the surprise villain! There is *a lot* going on here, but the pacing was honestly really impressive. The tone is definitely more modern than your typical historical romance, but I am not a stickler in the historical accuracy department so I truly enjoyed how it was written. This book is also SO funny?! Everyone's desperation led to some absolutely hysterical (ok ok ok yes also definitely unethical) ploys to wake the Duke from his coma. I'm talking homemade smelling salts, loud music, plucking nose hairs, and essentially Weekend at Bernie's-ing this guy. It's a closed door romance, but still pretty sexy. Rhett has some sort of chornic twitching c*ck affliction that he probably should get checked out soon.

Overall, this was a 3.75 (rounded up to 4) for me! If you love 90s and early 2000s rom coms, I definitely think you'll enjoy it. I absolutely will be checking out the next book in this series which appears to be a You've Got Mail Retelling.

Thank you to Forever for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

What a real delight of a book. I could not have enjoyed this more. Adelaide takes a job as a lady’s maid because she’s tired of moving about so much as a writer. She wants to make money so that she can settle down. Unfortunately for her, her lady is Lady Cordelia who makes a rash decision to run from her wedding. The two try to make an escape overseas, but run into trouble doing so. Along the way, Adelaide meets Rhett, the brother of a Duke. He’s on his way home to see his brother Peter. So much happens in this book, and it’s all hijinks and hilarity. Adelaide and Cordelia end up hiding in Berwick, which is coincidentally the country estate of Peter. When Peter proposes to Lady Cordelia, she is affronted and ends up accidentally injuring him. He ends up in a coma, and Adelaide ends up pretending she is Lady Cordelia so that the real Cordelia can hide out in their cottage. Of course Rhett and his delightful sisters arrive. So much mistaken identity and longing and many hilarious scenes in which Rhett and Adelaide try to wake up Peter. I just loved how sweet and lighthearted this book was. Rhett and Adelaide had great banter. Highly recommend. Everything you could want in a Historical RomCom.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a bone to pick with this book, the entire time these characters had been building the sexual tension with the MMC having multiple pants discomfort from just looking at the FMC just to end up with one and a half very short spicy scenes, face palm. Maybe if his pants situation wasn’t mentioned in every single chapter, multiple times, I would not expect at least 3 hot peppers in the spice department. That was the end of my woes. The While you were sleeping retelling was quite good and I found it hilarious and very fun. The characters were likable and the anticipation for the FMC to reveal the truth was giving me anxiety.

Adelaide is lady’s maid to Lady Cordelia, daughter of a duke and betrothed to Duke of Hornsmouth. When Cordelia decides to run out on her wedding, she drags Adelaide along, and soon the pair are hiding out in a small village waiting for the dust to settle. However, the Duke of Stratford discovers Cordelia and tells her she will be his wife. In an attempt to flee, Cordelia knocks out the duke, and following a string of silly circumstances, Adelaide finds herself pretending to be Cordelia. Waiting for the duke to regain consciousness, Adelaide must continue her charade living with his family, including Rhett, the man who sets Adelaide on fire.

While the Duke Was Sleeping is a delightful homage to the 1995 movie While You Were Sleeping. Pretending to be the fiancée of a man in a coma, Adelaide falls in love with this younger brother, Rhett. Overall this is a fun story. At times it is silly but not outrageous. I love Adelaide and Rhett. Their chemistry is wonderful; they truly are each other’s other half. They have an immediate connection that only grows as each opens to the other. She gives him truths that she’s never shared with anyone else. She’s honest with Rhett, despite lying about who she is. And I love how Adelaide helps Rhett realizes his own worth and encourages him to believe in himself and his opinions.

The supporting cast is a hoot. Rhett’s sisters are full of life and energy, often talking over one another and scheming to make sure Adelaide stays. While the story and romance are completely standalone, I was left with questions about trouble-making Uncle Frank and his relationship with one of Rhett’s sisters. I also disliked Cordelia immensely for much of the book. She’s a whiny bully, but probably written appropriately for her rank and position in society. I did find it odd that Cordelia was left off page for much of the book, after establishing that she cannot/will not do anything for herself. Readers are left wondering why she ran from marriage, and I’d love another book to find out!

While the Duke Was Sleeping is a fun historical romance that is best enjoyed if you don’t take it too seriously.

My Rating: B

Historical While You Were Sleeping...

Ah, the tangled webs we weave! I enjoyed this historical take on While You Were Sleeping...This time, Adelaide is pretending to be her mistress, whose fiancé is in a coma. Meanwhile. his brother Rhett shows up, totally suspicious of her and rightly so...She's no lady.
Recommend.

While the Duke Was Sleeping is loosely based on the movie titled While You Were Sleeping. This Historical Romance has references tying it to the movie such as a sister named Jac and being mistaken for the man in a coma's fiancée. There are also elements that remind the reader that this is a story in its own right. The book begins with a runaway bride - the obnoxious Duke's daughter, Cordelia, and her look alike ladies maid, Adelaide. aka Della. She is a character with a hidden identity, witty intelligence and a dream for her future. Everett (Rhett) Montgomery, the infamous brother of a Duke who has a almost tragic first meeting with Della and can't seem to get her out of his mind. Together they suffer a series of mishaps, incorrect assumptions and guilty attraction! Will the Duke awaken from his coma complicating Della’s dream future and smashing Rhett's heart?
While The Duke Was Sleeping as it was a cute, easy read. It skirts the strict adherence to society's protocols and vocabulary, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story. I like Samara Parish's previous books, and this one seems to be a bit more lighthearted than her earlier titles.
I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving my voluntary review based on my reading experience.

This is a re-make of the movie “While You Were Sleeping” set in 1893 England. Some parts of the plot require major suspension of belief, from how Della and Rhett meet on the docks to Della’s impersonation of Cordelia. The majority of the characters are likeable, and there is some humor, but I just wasn’t feeling the romance. However the book is well-written and the characters are realistic, and Della’s longing to belong is well done. I look forward to the next entry in this series.

It took me by surprise how much I enjoyed this book. Retellings of films can often go wrong, not finding a balance of how much to take from the film and what to change without the story becoming unrecognisable. This managed to walk that line pretty well of having many nods to the beloved film without it just being copy and pasted into a historical setting.

Yes it’s not the book for someone wanting historical accuracy and at times the writing of the dialogue was a bit heavy handed, but ultimately the story that was crafted keeps you turning the pages so if you go in just expecting a fun time then this will be perfect.

I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series which seems to be a You’ve Got Mail retelling (another favourite film of mine) and I believe we have already met one of the characters too.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.