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:	NOOK Book
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	13,725
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sophie Jordan grew up on a pecan farm in the Texas hill country, where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times bestselling author of Avon historical romances and the Firelight series. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows.

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

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

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