Former traveler and journalist, Adelaide Rosebourne now works as a maid to Cordelia, a duke’s daughter. When Cordelia flees her wedding, Adelaide helps with her escape by pretending to be Cordelia. This leads to a series of mishaps, but it also causes Adelaide to meet Rhett Montgomery, brother to a different Duke and a man of scandal and debauchery. When Rhett’s brother goes into a coma while proposing to Cordelia, Adelaide fully immerses herself in her portrayal of Cordelia so that she may secure a solid future for herself. What complicates this is that she also immerses herself with Rhett and his family, and she falls deeply in love with both.

This book is a retelling of While You Were Sleeping but is set in the Victorian era. Like the movie, there are great moments of humor, and it uses many mistaken identity tropes that work well. While You Were Sleeping is not my go-to rom-com, but I can imagine that those who adore this movie will find many allusions in this book. The plot is very much like a romp, and although the plot is fast moving, there are memorable slapstick moments, including Rhett and Adelaide’s meet-cute, which is quirky and fun.

While a certain amount of playfulness works well here, the plot seems a bit forced and even relentless in other moments. The last quarter of the book feels especially rushed, leading to a far too brief resolution between the couple. I also felt like I didn’t have a firm enough grasp of Adelaide’s identity. I would have liked to know her better before the plot twists. Lastly, while the chemistry between the characters seemed promising at first, it didn’t build or fulfill its great beginning. Their coming together seemed rushed, which is too bad since that culmination is a major motivator for romance readers.

Fans of the movie or those who love a fast-paced comedy of errors may love this book. This was the first book by Samantha Parish I have read, and although there are elements in this book that didn’t work for me, I did enjoy her humor and dialogue. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity. All of these are my opinions alone.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

What an hilarious , witty, whirlwind of a book this is! I adore the movie this is parroting and have not laughed that hard in a while! Poor Della is caught between a rock and a hard place when dealing with her less than adult employer-Lady Cordelia. Rhett has always felt second best and lives the life of a scoundrel to hide his pain. From the very first meeting, I laughed and it never stopped as I got introduced to the sisters! Their antics alone were well worth reading. I could feel the chemistry just burn off the pages and the pain of separation was heartbreaking. Frank is just an oily troublemaker and trouble he does make. I will say, the f-bomb is used liberally here and I DO NOT. Enjoy that. At. All! (Thus the 4 stars). The story did seem a little longer than it needed to be, but was delightful .

I received this story for free and these are my own views.

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 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

3.5 stars, rounded up

*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. *

This is such a fun read!
Cordelia, a duke's daughter and her maid Adelaide run away from Cordelia's wedding and switch identities. When they try to book passage on a ship, Adelaide runs into Rhett, the brother of a Duke.
After Cordelia and Adelaide rent a cottage in a small far away village, the duke who owns the cottage states that he and Cordelia are to be married. She knocks him over the head, and he accidently ends up in a coma. Cordelia begs Adelaide to switch places with her again, and Adelaide is surprised when she finds out that Rhett is the duke's brother.
The chemistry was great between Rhett and Della. There were a lot of interesting secondary
characters and a lot of laugh out loud moments.

This regency rendition of While You Were Sleeping was such a fun historical twist on a classic 90s romcom. I loved the quick connection between Rhett and Della, the found family aspect and Rhett’s lovable siblings, and the pacing of the book was perfect. I love a reformed rake trope and Rhett’s arc throughout the book was executed really well. He just needed someone (Della) to believe he could do the job of Duke as well as his brother could, and once he had that encouragement he did so well. I thought the scenes between him and his siblings at the end were heartwarming. I think my favorite part of the book were the scenes of Della and Rhett trying to wake poor Peter up… They were hilarious.

There were a few random scenes (namely re: the marble figurine) that didn’t really land for me, but most of the time I was enjoying myself thoroughly and really at this book up. I wish we learned more about Della’s background and her history other than just her job. I also would have liked to see more of Cordelia and Adelaide’s relationship because it brought another layer to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this eArc. This is my honest review and all thoughts are my own!!

While the Duke Was Sleeping by Samara Parish is a captivating regency romance where a woman with a secret identity and a charming bachelor find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. The novel transports readers to a different era, immersing them in a world of intrigue and passion. Once I started reading, I was completely engrossed and found myself wishing the story would never end.

I adore While You Were Sleeping, so I was really looking forward to reading this historical romance retelling of the movie. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I'm not sure why. The premise is great, and I initially liked the main characters. They definitely had a ton of chemistry. But as the story progressed, I lost interest.

Adelaide (Della) is great, and her personality shines from the very first scene. She's smart and strong, and she's a bold woman who longs to have a home of her own. Della is a lady's maid for Cordelia, who has run away from a duke on their wedding day. Her, I did not enjoy, though I thought her character contrasted Della's well. Cordelia has a spoiled, petulant personality and is so unlikeable, as are several of the other minor characters.

I did like some of Rhett's siblings and am assuming they will probably be more of a focus in future books in the series. That could be interesting. As for Rhett, he was charming, and he fell hard for Adelaide. However, he's kind of immature, which frustrated me. The story had some good banter, especially when Rhett was part of the conversation, and there were several comical scenes that I loved. Some of the sibling antics are also great. But, overall, this was just an ok read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a Victorian retelling of While You Were Sleeping, with a differing social status/swapped identity theme as well, with a hint of runaway bride.

This has a rather bold, nomadic female main character, Adelaide Rosebourne (Della), who is lady's maid to her near look-alike, a spoiled duke's daughter, Cordelia, who decides to make a run for it rather than wed another duke. Della, spirits her away, and they have a rather interesting meet cute with the MMC at the docks, as Della tries to spirit her unasked-for charge away.

Rhett Montgomery is the second son and heir to a duke, and has been living a life of adventure and reckless abandonment gallivanting around the world for years after having had his heart broken many years before. His ventures have been so notorious that stories of his escapades have even made it back to the ears of his family and Society in general. Unfortunately that comes to an end
when his brother reels him in and cuts off his funds. He is welcomed back to English shores with an unexpected run in with a bold, beautiful spitfire on the docks, that ends with them both having a foul dunking in the Thames. He never expects to see her again when they part, even though he cannot get her out of his mind.

The last place he expects to find her again, is at the bedside of his comatose brother, introduced as the Duke's affianced!

A cute Victorian era remake of the movie with well drawn and interesting characters in Della, Rhett, and his sisters. Cordelia comes off as rather one dimensional initially as a selfish, impulsive, rather spoiled creature who starts to get interesting in the end, and I am left wanting to know more about the sisters and Peter and what their life paths will take. Della's interesting past makes her an intriguing and colourful personality, and I liked the chemistry she and Rhett had. Rhett came across as emotionally immature, wanting to run away from conflict, his feelings, and responsibility, whereas Della was seeking roots and a place to land after having nothing of the sort through her life. I found the uncle character quite slimy, and feel that his villainous potential was not reached, or fully addressed.

A generally enjoyable story with warm and familiar vibes because of the movie.

3.75 stars out of 5

As always, I enjoyed the book written by this author. The story was a sweet one and focused on the need to love your body - and how a person can have a negative view of how they look. I liked the message of the story: that we should love the body that we have; and that we are lovable.

Solid 4 stars
Raunchy and romantic. This reminds me of Anthony’s book from Bridgerton. The way he barges to the wedding. Swoon

Many thanks to NetGalley and Samara Parish for the ARC. All opinions are of my own

This was a fun regency romance. The book starts when Cordelia, daughter of a Duke, begs her maid Adelaide to help her run away from her wedding. Adelaide is baffled by the request as she would give anything for a home and security, but she makes a snap decision to help her run away. As they are trying to run away they switch dresses, and try to get passage on a ship to take them away. While trying to get on a ship, Adelaide (Della) has an encounter with a rogue and they both go tumbling into the disgusting Thames. Rhett is fascinated with the jeweled woman with the mouth of a sailor and tries to help her find a places to wash the stench off. Their encounter ends with a kiss neither can forget. A week later Cordelia finds herself in a jam when she ends up betrothed to a Duke and accidentally puts him into a coma. She begs Della to switch places with her and get her out of yet another jam. Imagine Della’s surprise when she gets to the Duke’s residence and finds out his brother is the rogue from the docks. Della then must act for her life trying not to let Rhett know who she really is, while fighting her growing feelings for him. And Rhett struggles with his growing attraction to his brothers betrothed and what it will mean for him if his brother never wakes up. A funny heart warming story with lots of longing. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Hello! It's me, the marketer/publicist for this book. Just leaving a review to keep up my NetGalley ratio.

While you were sleeping, but regency? Yes, please! It was hard to get into at first though, probably because I was constantly comparing it to the movie haha 😝

What an awesome book! The writing is exquisite. I laughed so hard in so many places as the action and dialogue were so fun. It wasn't only the dialogue between Della and Rhett, but also included all of the supporting characters. The story is so deep and rich. This is a must read!

I have been a long-time fan of the film While You Were Sleeping. So much so that it is a yearly rewatch for me in that time between Christmas and New Years. I went into this book with great excitement, and I was not disappointed at all. While I do think some moments read a little modern, that did not take me out of the story one bit. I absolutely loved it. All of the warmth and love that the family had and Della's deep desire for that love, along with the development of the romance, had me absolutely enthralled.

Rhett and Della were developed beautifully, and I do hope in the future of this series we see more of the family and perhaps a romance one day for Peter.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This was such a cute read. I have been a fan of Ms. Parish since How to Survive a Scandel. Her writing is fantastic, she always does such a great job at giving the reader fully developed characters that you can root for as well as swoon for. I really enjoyed the class difference as well as heroine in disguise trope. It was an engaging and wonderful story, I can't wait for her next release.

I throughly enjoyed the book. This was the first Samantha Parish book that I have read and I will plan to keep an eye out for her next book. Adelaide, is a current ladies maid who is posing as her mistress after an unfortunate meeting with the titular “sleeping duke.” Rhett, the hero of this funny novel, is the duke’s brother. Close quarters, hilarious attempts to wake the duke up, and a nosey family are some highlights of this book. I would highly recommend this to anyone who may be leery of historical romance. While set in the 1800s this book reads like a modern novel. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book, with my honest review below.

While You Were Sleeping is such a comfortable classic I was delighted at the idea of doing this with a historically set romance. Lucky for me, I enjoyed how While the Duke Was Sleeping played with that premise in this story but made the appeal of that movie its own. Starting with a bang with a runaway bride, Cordelia, and her lady’s maid, Adelaide, the plot was inventive and the characters, even when note ones you love, very entertaining. For fans of historical romance, this story doesn’t really go into the details of its time and setting as much as some others may, but if the appeal for you is a cute romance, unique amongst its 1800’s peers, that is absolutely what you will get.

I found myself at times feeling that the webs that were woven were perhaps a bit too derived for their own good, which stifled some of the fun, but if I let the fantasy of it take me away I enjoyed the shenanigans. Rhett, brother of the Duke, had a really touching journey of growth as well, and I loved that this book didn’t just paint its male characters as one secure in his family’s wealth and born self confident.

If you’re a fan of While You Were Sleeping and lighter romances in general, give this a whirl.

Thank you to Netgally and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While the Duke Was Sleeping is a fun and enjoyable historical romance. I like the characters and their chemistry together. The romance is swoonworthy. I had an amazing time reading it!

A thoroughly amusing and engaging read. The main characters seem to get themselves into very awkward situations, which makes it quite entertaining. Add some uniquely interesting siblings and you get witty ribbings. He didn’t know what he was searching for until he met her and she was looking for a forever home until she found it in him. Excellent read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalkey and leaving my review voluntarily.