While the Duke Was Sleeping (Rogue Files Series #1)

by Sophie Jordan

Overview

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 fiancée. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062222558
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Series:	Rogue Files Series , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	88,066
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country, where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than fifty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and streaming anything that has a happily ever after.

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2016
In this predictable but satisfying opening to the Rogue Files Regency-era series, a shop clerk falls for a self-made man. Struan Mackenzie’s father, the previous Duke of Autenberry, abandoned his pregnant mother and died before Struan could confront him. Struan’s accumulated wealth does nothing to impress his scornful half-brother, who now holds the Autenberry title. Poppy Fairchurch and her teenage sister are barely scraping by on Poppy’s bookstore wages. Poppy moons after the duke, who’s a frequent patron at her London shop; after saving his life, she’s mistaken for his fiancée, and his best friend convinces her to keep up the ruse. Struan sees an opportunity to take a dig at his brother by stealing Poppy’s affections. His ignoble motives change when he falls in love with her. The feeling’s mutual, but she’s afraid he’ll hate her when he learns of her deception. The novel hews very closely to the plot of its namesake film, including replicating some of its flaws, but Jordan (Hell Breaks Loose) has added both disdain and heat to the familiar story. The complex characterization and eccentricities of Struan’s relatives refreshingly diverge from typical portrayals of Regency gentry. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Associates. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

An intrepid heroine with a fierce protective streak and the well-to-do bastard son of a duke clash from their first meeting and keep the sparks flying. This sizzling holiday-tinged romance launches a new series with links to Jordan’s popular ‘Debutante Files’ books.” — Library Journal

“The comparison with the Sandra Bullock movie While You Were Sleeping is inevitable. James has taken the classic and put her own spin on the charming story….the sweetness and enchantment of the story remains with its snappy dialogue and set of engaging characters.” — RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)

“The novel hews very closely to the plot of its namesake film… but Jordan has added both disdain and heat to the familiar story. The complex characterization and eccentricities of Struan’s relatives refreshingly diverge from typical portrayals of Regency gentry.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

The comparison with the Sandra Bullock movie While You Were Sleeping is inevitable. James has taken the classic and put her own spin on the charming story….the sweetness and enchantment of the story remains with its snappy dialogue and set of engaging characters.

RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)

10/15/2016
From the moment the Duke of Autenberry walked into the flower shop where she worked, Poppy Fairchurch has adored him from afar. When she sees him being attacked and then nearly run down by a carriage, she rushes to the rescue, but the fall puts him in a coma. Poppy accompanies him home, where she is mistaken for his fiancée and swept up in a deception beyond her making. Although concerned for the duke, even more of a worry is his estranged half brother, Struan Mackenzie, a tough-minded, canny Scot who both attracts and repels Poppy—and seems to be bent on seduction. VERDICT An intrepid heroine with a fierce protective streak and the well-to-do bastard son of a duke clash from their first meeting and keep the sparks flying. This sizzling holiday-tinged romance launches a new series with links to Jordan's popular "Debutante Files" books. Jordan (Hell Breaks Loose) lives in Houston, TX.

Library Journal

Narrator Carmen Rose captures heroine Poppy Fairchurch’s vulnerability and hero Struan Mackenzie’s no-nonsense temperament and virility in this historical romance. After Poppy saves the Duke of Autenberry from being killed by a runaway carriage, he slips into a coma. When she’s mistakenly believed to be his fiancée, his friend demands that she keep up the farce for the good of the family. But the duke’s half-brother, Struan Mackenzie, thinks the engagement is a lie and wants Poppy for himself. Rose moves smoothly from character to character—from Poppy’s petulant younger sister to Struan’s upper-class stepmother—giving dimension to all the supporting characters. In Rose’s capable voice, the story, set in London and at the duke’s country home at Christmastime, is a satisfying romp. S.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile