While the Duke Was Sleeping by Samara Parish

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: England’s Sweethearts, #1

Release Date: February 25, 25

Miss Adelaide “Della” Rosebourne, wants nothing more in life than a home and a family, but since the death of her father, she has had neither and when her work as an author of travelogues was no longer profitable, she decided to go into service until she could afford a cottage of her own, which is how she came to be the lady’s maid to Lady Cordelia Highwater, daughter of the Duke of Thirwhestle and fiancée of the Duke of Hornsmouth. When Lady Cordelia bolts on her wedding day, she drags Della into an adventure that will change her life. Cordelia demands that Della help her escape London, which leads to Della taking a dip in the Thames and meeting a man named Rhett, who affects her like no man ever has. When they are not able to secure passage to France, Della and Cordelia decide to lay low in the country until the scandal of Cordelia’s wedding dies down. But that plan is shot when Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford proposes to Cordelia and she pushes him, causing him to trip and fall, hitting his head and falling into a coma. Cordelia insists that Della pose as her and makes the duke retract his proposal, offering her enough money to make her dream of a home of her own come true if she is successful. It seems pretty cut and dry, but that was before she meets his family, including his brother Rhett and falls in love.

Lord Everett “Rhett” Montgomery, the younger brother and heir presumptive to the Duke of Strafford has been summoned home from the continent, where he has been trying to find his purpose in life and having a very good time doing it. His return to England is marked by a dip in the Thames and a kiss from a beautiful woman named Della. Imagine his shock when a week later he comes face to face with the woman who has haunted his dreams and learns she is his brother’s betrothed! Rhett is sure she is not who she claims to be, but he can’t prove it. And the more time he spends with her, the more he wants her for himself. Rhett wants to trust her, but he has been used before and doesn’t know if he can risk his heart again.

While you were sleeping is hands down one of my favorite romantic comedies, so I was really looking forward to this Victorian Era retelling and unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, it was a cute retelling, that doesn’t follow movie exactly, although, there are key similarities such as “you are leaning” and “I object”. I found it disappointing that the author didn’t stay true to the era, the verbiage is very modern, the era’s etiquette is virtually ignored, and she incorporates things that didn’t even exist in 1893, like a car that has a clutch and needs keys. And despite the incredible attraction and sexual tension between Della and Rhett, this book was a very slow burn romance almost to the point of being frustrating to the reader. I did enjoy Della’s attempts to wake the duke, and his sisters were a delightful addition to the story – I definitely hope to read Meg’s story at some point. So, while this book wasn’t everything I had hoped for, it did have some amusing moments and was a quick read with a happy ending. If you are an historical purist, this book will annoy you, but if you can ignore the inaccuracies, this could be a fun read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *