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A review by cala_p
While the Duke Was Sleeping by Sophie Jordan
4.0
Sophie Jordan always seems to write a cute historical romance, and this book was no exception.
Poppy is a mere shop girl who always sells flowers to one particular Duke, whom she forms a crush on. The interesting part of this book was indeed the realism of that crush. Because while she dreams of him, and later deems he can do no wrong, that she knows "so" much about him when his half brother is claiming other things, she does drop hints into knowing how he really is. When she is admiring him for sending flowers to all his conquests, she also admires that he writes each one a personalized note. She contradicts his greatness by seeing truth, but like in any crush, doesn't act on it and even refuses to admit that it's wrong; she sees the wrong in a positive way.
When he gets into a fight with his half-brother and hero of the story, Straun, she saves him from an oncoming carriage but it ends up putting him into a coma, in which she claims to be his fiancee to gain entrance into his life and make sure he is okay. The funny part of this book is that the little white lie took off and his whole family takes her in as the future daughter-in-law, going as far as helping Poppy's sister and inviting both to their Christmas festivities away from town, where everything goes down.
In between the lie there is strong Straun. At first questioning of her involvement, and later taken in by her personality which then drives desire and the romance that blooms between them. Straun's story is a sad one. The duke's father (thus his father) refused to acknowledge him after ruining his mother, and both were left poor to fend for themselves. So he has grown up hating his father for abandoning him, and also his brother for refusing to see the bad their father did and accept him into the family. Already, he is salty about all this so now that Poppy is in the picture, with him, but being engaged to his brother, she is choosing him over Straun and it's definitely a nice literary reflection of the past.
Poppy and Straun are so cute together! They gave me tingles. I liked that Straun wasn't just nobility, rogue or not, he wasn't even at the same titles as everyone else, but still wealthy and still appreciated Poppy for herself. Given his lower status, he wasn't looking for someone to give him status. It is a beautiful character reflection for him to just love someone for them. It was all so sweet, and by the end even heartbreaking. It does, of course, have a HEA mind you but getting there was the journey of this wonderful book!
Poppy is a mere shop girl who always sells flowers to one particular Duke, whom she forms a crush on. The interesting part of this book was indeed the realism of that crush. Because while she dreams of him, and later deems he can do no wrong, that she knows "so" much about him when his half brother is claiming other things, she does drop hints into knowing how he really is. When she is admiring him for sending flowers to all his conquests, she also admires that he writes each one a personalized note. She contradicts his greatness by seeing truth, but like in any crush, doesn't act on it and even refuses to admit that it's wrong; she sees the wrong in a positive way.
When he gets into a fight with his half-brother and hero of the story, Straun, she saves him from an oncoming carriage but it ends up putting him into a coma, in which she claims to be his fiancee to gain entrance into his life and make sure he is okay. The funny part of this book is that the little white lie took off and his whole family takes her in as the future daughter-in-law, going as far as helping Poppy's sister and inviting both to their Christmas festivities away from town, where everything goes down.
In between the lie there is strong Straun. At first questioning of her involvement, and later taken in by her personality which then drives desire and the romance that blooms between them. Straun's story is a sad one. The duke's father (thus his father) refused to acknowledge him after ruining his mother, and both were left poor to fend for themselves. So he has grown up hating his father for abandoning him, and also his brother for refusing to see the bad their father did and accept him into the family. Already, he is salty about all this so now that Poppy is in the picture, with him, but being engaged to his brother, she is choosing him over Straun and it's definitely a nice literary reflection of the past.
Poppy and Straun are so cute together! They gave me tingles. I liked that Straun wasn't just nobility, rogue or not, he wasn't even at the same titles as everyone else, but still wealthy and still appreciated Poppy for herself. Given his lower status, he wasn't looking for someone to give him status. It is a beautiful character reflection for him to just love someone for them. It was all so sweet, and by the end even heartbreaking. It does, of course, have a HEA mind you but getting there was the journey of this wonderful book!