The Duke's Got Mail

England's Sweethearts #2

by Samara Parish

Anonymous love letters are all well and good… until you discover you’ve been flirting with the enemy.
 
Eleanor Wright is the best compositor in London and in high demand with every printing press in town. But when whispers spread of a new machine that could put her out of a job, writing to a mysterious pen pal quickly becomes her only relief from a life that’s coming apart like a badly bound book.

Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford, has spent years trying to get his estate out of debt. Now he finally has the solution in a machine set to revolutionize the publishing industry. If only finding a wife was as straightforward. Peter wants a lady who cares about him, not his title. Someone like his charming, witty pen pal—the only person in London who knows his most intimate secrets but not his real name. But when Peter’s invention makes them bitter rivals in person, can the bond they’ve created on paper survive the test?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, Slow Burn, Ebooks

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2026

About the author

Samara Parish is an award-winning author of historical romance. Her debut novel, How To Survive A Scandal, won the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year (RuBY) award in 2022.

How To Deceive A Duke and How To Win A Wallflower both released in 2022. You can download the series epilogue - https://samaraparish.com/rebels-serie...

Her short story, The General's Daughter, is available for free when you sign up to her newsletter - https://samaraparish.com/newsletter

She is always looking for an excuse to procrastinate, so she'd love it if you asked her a question!

As an Australian army brat in the ‘80s, Samara grew up moving from city to city—always with plenty of book boxes (to the movers’ annoyance). She reads anything that lets her escape - in particular romance, YA fantasy, and epic fantasy, although she has been known to read the occasional blockbuster suspense novel, even though she is a total sook who has a tendency to shriek at anything slightly scary.

When she's not writing or reading, she's walking her dogs or trying to tame her out of control harder. She lives in Canberra with her husband (a true romance hero) and her menagerie of pets.

Reviews

[Stacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series, so I was pretty excited at the idea of this one.

I really loved Eleanor. She's smart and driven and loves to learn and being in her head was delightful. Peter is aloof on the outside and all marshmallow fluff on the inside. He's loyal to his sisters and is ready to forgo his own happiness for their security.

Plot wise, it's a bit of a slow go, but sets a good basis for the relationship to build. I wanted more of everything; more animosity, more banter, more showing that they were falling into something more. The last couple of chapters were perfect, but somehow also felt like I was missing something.

Overall, it was a good addition to the series and I hope we get more from this family.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

You've Got Mail has gotten some attention lately because people realized how crummy the story was - an independent bookstore owner becomes pen pals with the head of the big box bookstore (basically Barnes & Noble) that puts her out of business and they fall in love. I wasn't sure how Samara Parish would turn the cute, but cringy story into a historical romance, but she did it beautifully.

The heroine, Eleanor, is one of the fastest and most efficient type setters (called compositors) in London. She's a freelancer who is sought after by newspapers and publishers. The male main character, Peter, is a serial investor and finally strikes gold - he invests in the linotype, the machine that will make setting type faster than humans and thus put the heroine out of business.

Eleanor and Peter become correspondents because he intercepts mail for his sister. They fall in love and share the challenges they have in business without revealing their identities. Like in the movie, Peter realizes their real-life connection first and there's some discomfort for the reader, but that was true to the movie. Of course, we know how things will end, but there is much angst along the way.

This was a fast, enjoyable read. I thought it was even better than the first in the series!

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Duke’s Got Mail! I really enjoyed this and ended up reading the whole thing in a day - oops!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually seen You’ve Got Mail… I’ll have to correct that now. However, what I have seen and read is North and South, which this reminded me a lot of. The conflict of progress is always a relevant one in our society.

I loved the tension between Peter and Eleanor, and her conflicting feelings between him and The Captain. Peter very much gives Mr. Thornton and Mr. Darcy, in the sense that he’s told his flaws outright and changes himself to address those in order to be worthy of the woman he has feelings for. Peter more than redeemed himself by the end, and I’m very happy for it. And the yearning this man did, ugh I just love him.

Eleanor is a character that really resonated with me on a personal level. She’s scared of change, she’s accepted her life as it is (even if it’s not exactly what she wants), and most importantly, she loves a good fun fact or a mass casualty event. Ask anyone who knows me and they will say I’ve just described myself. I found myself tearing up for her often, especially when she finds herself deep in depression. Sometimes you have to accept change, even if it’s scary (unless that change is AI, which I will never accept).

I have one dislike to mention, and it’s that sometimes the jump from story to letter seemed abrupt and out of place? But I did really enjoyed getting to see their letters to each other and how they slowly fell in love via correspondence. I would have loved to read the correspondence between Eleanor and Jacqueline too, as it felt like that was forgotten very quickly into the story.

The book, or at least the copy I have, still needs to proofreading for errors, but I’m sure those will be caught before release.

[Savvy Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐️ 🫑
I typically adore a historical romance meets 90’s/early 2000’s romcom. I love You’ve Got Mail in particular. In theory, this should have really worked for me. Peter just wasn’t it for me🤷🏻‍♀️ I couldn’t fathom Eleanor actually forgiving him. Also, the references to how horny he was for her but no on page spice irritated me. Either commit to it or don’t.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Anticipated Publication Date: April 28, 2026

[gabreadsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so happy. This is like if You've Got Mail had a baby with North & South. It was superb!

Parish really nailed the enemies to lovers/pen pal romance. It was like getting two love stories for the price of one. Eleanor and Peter were so suited for one another. I found them adorable, even when they were enemies. I think the transition from enemies to lovers was so well executed. The romance is paced perfectly and will make you swoon. I also really loved the letters. Their letters were so cute and romantic. I couldn't wait for these two to finally kiss! If you like Margaret and Mr. Thornton from North & South, Peter and Eleanor fit that couple's vibe.

I also really enjoyed the Victorian/Industrial time period. It was a nice break from the Regency era and cool to see how people's lives were affected by technological advances. Kind of like today with the whole AI debate. I liked that the issues and consequences were not sugar coated. It felt realistic and grounded the story.

As a retelling, I think Parish did a fabulous job. These blended seamlessly together and truly made a wonderful story. I simply loved this so much.

Would highly recommend to fellow historical romance readers or new ones.

Rating: 5/5
Spice Rating: 1/5 (kissing only)

[Stephanie (stephreadsallthebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Forever for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

ARC Review: The Duke's Got Mail by Samara Parish
Pub Date: April 28, 2026

Eleanor Wright is highly competent at her job as a compositor - she starts up a correspondence with an unknown man who she is very intrigued by. Unbeknownst to her, her mystery man is the Duke of Stafford whose new investment is threatening to end Eleanor's job. They are immediate adversaries - as they get to know each other more and Peter sees how his investment is hurting workers, he tries to do right by everyone.

This is a slowwww burn, closed door historical romance with epistolary elements that I did like quite a bit. You have a secret identity, a plot surrounding technology advancement affecting employment, and class difference. I did end up really liking the relationship between Eleanor and Peter and how well Peter saw Eleanor and what she needed after loosing everything that was important to her.

My main issue is that I really didn't feel any chemistry until pretty close to the end of the book - there was a lot of focus on the main plot which was interesting but didn't really allow for a ton of time with both characters on page to develop that tension I was really looking for.

[Rachel b00ksrmagic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC.

Read this book if you like You’ve Got Mail, Victorian era romance, strong FMC, rivals to lovers

Eleanor Wright is a self-made woman. She works hard as a compositor, setting type for printing presses. She’s the fastest, most efficient worker in London, beating all the men. She also has a secret anonymous pen pal that she shares all her secrets with. Peter Montgomery is trying to save his Dukedom by investing in a new machine called a linotype that will put compositors out of a job. He also writes to a pen pal that he wishes he could meet in person. As Eleanor and Peter clash in real life, they pour out their woes to each other on paper. But what happens when they decide to meet?

As a teen in the 90s, I watched You’ve Got Mail multiple times. So I instantly recognized this retelling. I enjoyed how the story was adapted to Victorian times, and the characters were fun and fresh. Their battles over modernization of printing fascinated me. And I loved how strong and independent the FMC was. In many ways it was a predictable story because it carefully followed the movie plot. But I found I didn’t mind because all the characters were so charming and interesting. I really enjoyed this book!

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Samara Parish for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I FEEL like this might be a series- but the author's website nor The StoryGraph list it as such. Okay wait- GoodReads does list it as a series with the first book being While The Duke Was Sleeping. So take that as you will! The author does not state it that way- but Amazon overlords do, but I digress.

I LOVED THIS. It is a retelling of the beloved movie, You've Got Mail and the parallels are SOOOOOOOOO delicious. I loved every easter egg, down to the novels they were reading, to the lines that were said during the HEA. SIGH!

AND I LOVE historical romance- so this hit alllllll of those notes. The ton, the peerage, women working to gain independence, propriety and more!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful adaptation of You’ve Got Mail/The Shop Around the Corner. It was charming and fun and funny. I did not read the first book in the series (While the Duke Was Sleeping) but it in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this book. Thanks to Forever for the ARC.

[Blair Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I wanted to be. I loved the pen pal, letter aspect of it. I loved Eleanor. Her name as “Book Lover” and then her anonymous pen pal being “The Captain” who turns out to be, obviously we know it to be Peter the Duke of Strafford. It was, for me, the perfect You’ve Got Mail reiteration…now I need to go watch the movie becuase it has been so long. There tension was perfect. The banter between them. Of course becuase of the time period that this takes place and them being more enemies to lovers type trope this is a slow burn. And I was all for it. While I personally don’t mind and love a good insta love, I know that is not every ones cup of tea, I DOOO love me a goood slow burn and this one does it perfectly! I am going to need the audio and a physical copy ASAP so I can do a reread as an immersion read.
Thank you so much to Forever for the complimetnary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own,

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story. Eleanor is an intelligent woman who has made a name for herself. She has made herself indispensable as one of the fastest compositors, or type setters in London. All is going quite well for her, until she meets a Duke who could ruin it all. Peter, or the Duke of Strafford, has helped invent and invested in the Linotype, a machine that will put her and her friends out of work. Eleanor hates Peter, and is irritated to find they keep running into each other. And at the same time, Eleanor is excited to read her pen pal, the Captain’s letters, everyday. As Eleanor comes to realize Peter might not be the devil she thinks he is, she also falls more deeply for the Captain. If only it wasn’t so hard to decide who she likes best. This was a sweet story, with engaging characters. I enjoyed this book, and hope we get more for each of Peter’s sisters. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

[Cara Niehoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A You’ve Got Mail inspired historical romance? Sign me up!!

I absolutely loved this book! Eleanor is such a strong willed heroine and makes her own way through being a compositor for newspapers and publishers. When the Duke of Strafford, Peter, introduces the Linotype to society and essentially replaces Eleanor’s job, the two go from budding acquaintances to bitter rivals. But what they don’t know is that they are falling in love through anonymous letters as well!

While their relationship is rocky for a majority of the book, I could see where both characters were coming from with their individual arguments. Peter has been raised not to let his emotions stand in the way of taking care of his family and tenants, and is incredibly stubborn until he realizes the hurt he has put Eleanor through. I loved their letters intertwined with each chapter and how they slowly opened up to each other with their words!

Their romantic relationship was a slow burn, with just a few kisses exchanged throughout the book. I love when two stubborn characters are bested by love, and their banter was so good!

I adored Peter’s sisters and how they would not let him settle for a marriage without love. Eleanor also had amazing friends who had her back throughout the story, and I was so glad for all the support they both received in the story.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in about a day! I would definitely recommend to those who love both historical romances and the iconic romance movies that have inspired this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy. These are my opinions.

The book is a good take on the story You've Got Mail.

Eleanor has an anonymous pen pal who calls himself "The Captain" with whom she exchanges daily letters. Neither one of them have any idea that they are acquainted, or that she dislikes him since his investment in a typesetting machine will cause her to lose her job as a compositor.

The story is beautifully written, there are wonderful interactions between Eleanor, her friends, and Peter the Duke. Peter's sisters add lots of comedic relief with their bickering and advice.

The characters were realistic, and I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers' theme of the story, and the way Eleanor found out the Duke was the Captain was swoon worthy.

[Nicole Frantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love taking you’ve got mail but making it in the Victorian era. The secret pen pals and the build up thought that was great to read. I loved seeing Peters sisters and their dynamic together with him.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORED this book. The Duke’s Got Mail is a historical book that is a mix of You’ve Got Mail and Pride and Prejudice. I was hooked from start to finish. Their letters were funny, charming and heartwarming. I loved all the characters and the MMC and FMC were perfect. I recommend this book for everyone who loves Jane Austen or You’ve Got Mail. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was either going to love this book or I was going to hate it—there is no in between when someone tries to adapt my favorite live-action movie of all time. You've Got Mail is my comfort movie; it's the movie I turn to when the world is burning and I need a safe place. So I was very nervous going into The Duke's Got Mail. I really enjoyed what Samara Parish did with her adaptation of While You Were Sleeping last year, so I had faith she could pull this off and she did. I really enjoyed myself.

Thanks to Forever for the complimentary ARC of The Duke's Got Mail.

Compositor Eleanor Wright is the best in the business. She has been setting type since she was a child and has become the most sought-after—and highly paid—compositor in London. But all of that is about to change. A new invention, called the Linotype, is about to put her out of business. This machine is faster and far less expensive than a human compositor, even if it isn't as accurate, and it threatens the independent life Eleanor has built for herself. It's being pushed on the market by the Duke of Strafford, a man who clearly doesn't know anything about working people or the art of setting type. In Eleanor's opinion, he is another out-of-touch toff who is only looking to make as much money as he can, no matter who he hurts in the process. The only thing keeping her grounded is her anonymous pen pal, The Captain. His letters are the one place where Eleanor can let out her deepest thoughts, even if she can't share specifics.

Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford, has the weight of his title, his estates, and three sisters on his shoulders. As a duke, hundreds of people depend on his estate for their livelihoods, but with industrialization, it's not producing enough to support them. Add in that his sisters are all in need of either financial independence or a dowry, and he knows he needs another source of income. So Peter has been on the hunt for an investment opportunity, and after years of development and careful research, he has one: the Linotype. This machine will revolutionize how periodicals and books are printed, lowering costs. Yes, some compositors will lose their jobs, but they can retrain to operate the machine or do something else. That is the cost of progress. He just never expected that his machine would hurt the one person he's opened up to, his anonymous pen pal, Booklover.

You've Got Mail is not the original source of this particular story. It was originally a Hungarian play called Parfumerie, which was then adapted into the film The Shop Around the Corner, and has been adapted over and over again for stage and screen. You've Got Mail just happens to be the version most people are familiar with today. I don't know for sure if Samara Parish went back to one of the earlier sources for bits of this story, but it read to me like she did because she had some elements that come from The Shop Around the Corner, rather than You've Got Mail. But fans of Nora Ephron, do not worry. She left some of our favorite moments in, including a variation of "She's a pill," "Go to the mattresses," and "Don't cry, Shopgirl." (Can you tell this is my favorite movie?)

Where this book really was able to shine away from the Ephron of it all was the historical setting and printing industry. Eleanor was a master of a very specific craft that was both challenging to do and essential to the production of media in the era. Setting type was a very specific skill—it required being able to visualize an entire page at a time so the compositor could justify the text properly, and they had to be able to set the type backward so it would print properly. Mistakes were costly, so Eleanor's speed and accuracy allowed her to demand top dollar. I loved seeing her competence on the page, but also the way in which she struggled with being pushed out of her life's work and forced to consider other options.

Peter's character has to be a rich, entitled jerk, but we also need to see his humanity. We got that through his relationships with his sisters and the care he shows to his estates. But Peter has a narrow focus for his empathy and goodwill. It's just on those who directly depend on him. I liked that we saw him open that up to extend to the wider world because of Eleanor's influence. I am very tired of ethical dukes in romance right now—they are the historical equivalent of billionaires, and I want to see them be bad and learn. We got to see that arc here, where Peter realized his privilege and saw the error of his ways.

My biggest gripe with You've Got Mail/The Shop Around the Corner adaptations is that they often try to play with the timing of the identity reveal or make it softer by coming up with some compelling reason for the character who knew to have kept their identity secret. I don't want that. I want them to stick with the original because it works. It works that by the time Peter wants to tell Eleanor everything, he knows that she would freak out and reject him because she's not ready to reconcile her anonymous friend with the man who ruined her career. He knows her, and he chooses to keep the secret because of that. When authors mess with the timeline, they often cheapen the depth of the relationship to get us there, and I hate it. This was very well done, and I really enjoyed that Samara stuck with the original.

I loved this book. It was delightful from start to finish and the example I will put forward of how to do a You've Got Mail adaptation. 5 stars.

[Toni Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

2. 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever, and Samara Parish for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with what to rate this but truthfully it left me feeling kind of... neutral. Yes, there were some aspects of the book that I enjoyed. But I felt like a lot of the pieces were just there and not hugely impactful.

The plot:
It's You've Got Mail in a Regency setting. Booklover and Captain OTN have developed a friendship as penpals. Sure, they're both anonymous and writing under pseudonyms, but they've connected on a surprising level that's allowed them both to truly be themselves. In reality, Booklover is Eleanor, a compositor who is so talented and highly sought after that she is able to fund a fairly luxurious and independent lifestyle for herself. And Captain OTN is none other than Peter, the Duke of Stafford, who is currently working on a plan to develop and sell Linotypes, machines that will put compositors like Eleanor out of business. The two butt heads in real life, but continue to connect via their letters. But what happens when the truth comes out, and they have to content with their realities and their true feelings?

What I liked:
- The very beginning of the book really grabbed my attention. It started with a few letters between Booklover and Captain OTN and their chemistry was immediately noticeable.
- Dual POV
- Booklover and Captain OTN clearly have feelings for and influencer over each other. The first time they meet in person (as their true identities, without knowing about their correspondence) is at the zoo, after Booklover encouraged her penpal to visit and take some time for himself.
- So many secret identities that were fun to watch unravel. Of course, they're anonymous penpals, but when Peter first introduces himself, he doesn't mention he's the duke.
- The little hints throughout the plot relating to Booklover and the Captain's true identities, that neither of them really pick up on. The dramatic irony is fun.
- The changing sign offs on the penpal letters that were very indicative of how each character was feeling
- I enjoy a story where a no nonsense character who sticks to their routine starts to soften and stray away from reason for only one person.

What I didn't like:
- This is my own fault for reading book 2 before book 1 of the series, but the beginning of this book was incredibly laced with context from book 1 that I just didn't get. And it wasn't little things either... it was mentions of failed weddings and comas that left me feeling very confused. It made the book feel unapproachable to me at times.
- There were some phrases that were used that felt anachronistic to me, or things that the characters got away with in public that didn't seem realistic. Those moments kind of shook me out of the reading experience and instead had me considering the feasibility of the plot.
- I usually prefer dialogue to description and exposition, but in this, I found a lot of the dialogue quite annoying. I liked most of the exchanges between Eleanor and Peter, as they were witty and relevant to the plot. But I found Peter's sisters and Eleanor's friends, and the dialogues that came with them, to be annoying and superfluous.
- Peter is made out to be very serious and focused throughout the book, but has two moments of complete impulsivity that I think are very out of character for him. The first actually happened in the first book but gets mentioned multiple times in this one, and that's the moment where he announced his previous engagement before actually proposing. The second is at the very end of this book, when he mentions that he sought out a special license to marry Eleanor before he even proposed. Seriously? It seems a little far fetched.
- I'm surprised that this book wasn't steamy honestly. Throughout the book, there are references to smut and certain parts of anatomy and relevant... accessories that led me to believe there would be. I'm not upset that there wasn't any, but I think it's a bit odd that those types of things were included without any tie up. It felt like a plot line that got disconnected.

Some notes (I'm neutral on these but wanted to share):
- If you ask me, the Dowager Lady Wharton is clearly based on Lady Danbury from the Bridgerton series. She's tough and described as a "dragon." She remarks on "stewarding future generations of women." And her name is Agatha. I liked Lady Wharton, but not as much as Lady Danbury.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Duke's Got Mail is the second book in the England's Sweethearts series by Samara Parish. If you haven't read book one, never fear; the story stands alone. (I didn't read the first book, either. If it's anything like this one, it will be a treat to read!)

Eleanor Wright is the best compositor in London and in high demand with every printing press in town. But when rumors of a new machine that could put her out of a job spread across London, writing to a mysterious pen pal quickly becomes her only relief from a life that’s coming apart like a badly bound book. Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford, has spent years trying to get his estate out of debt. Now he finally has the solution in a machine set to revolutionize the publishing industry. He knows he needs to marry, and he wants a lady who cares about him, not his title. Someone like his charming, witty pen pal—the only person in London who knows his most intimate secrets but not his real name. But when Peter’s invention makes them bitter rivals in person, can the bond they’ve created on paper survive the test?

If the title of this book sounds familiar to you, I'm sure you've heard of or seen the movie "You've Got Mail". Yes, there are similarities here, and I'm sure it was deliberate. This was such a fun and charming book, though it seemed to me to run just a wee bit too long. But you can't help but be enchanted by these characters! Eleanor was a highly skilled compositor. Yes, I had to look that up to see what exactly that was, though I had a general idea. It is a person who sets the type or text for printing. She was the best of the best, and for most of her life she was judged on how skilled and smart she was. She wasn't all about work, however; she had a thirst for knowledge. If Trivial Pursuit had been in existence in that time and place, she would have won every game. She also had a love for the zoo; it was her Happy Place. She had a penpal, and when her penpal was unable to write due to surgery, her brother stepped in and wrote for his sister. Little did she know that her letter writer was Peter, the Duke of Strafford! I absolutely adored Peter. His sisters drove him crazy, but he absolutely loved them. He had been trying to bring the estate's accounts into the green, and he hits on a solution with a machine that would revolutionize the printing and publishing industries. He knew he had to get married, but he really wasn't interested in anyone, besides his penpal "Booklover". Peter discovered that Eleanor was his penpal, but she didn't know that Peter was hers when she met him. She wasn't particularly thrilled with Peter, especially when she discovered it was he who would cause her to lose her job. She began to be charmed by Peter, but what about her penpal "Captain O.T.N."? Oh, how she wished they were the same person! There was wit and humor throughout the entire book, but I must say I was charmed by Peter the most! There were some great supporting characters, especially Peter's sisters and Eleanor's co-workers Lillian and Mabel. I must read Ms. Parish's first book in this series, and I look forward to her next work.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Duke's Got Mail had me completely smitten! Historical romances continue to deliver for me, but this one felt extra special. Special because of its homage to a cinematic 90s classic, You've Got Mail. It beautifully pays homage while also ensuring its own identity, and its result is a magnificent experience in reading.

Eleanor and the Duke of Strafford are the best of friends. Well, on paper...and anonymously. They exchange letters daily while keeping their respective identities hidden, unknowing to the fact they are to become well acquainted in person and very much at odds.

If you watched the 90s film classic You've Got Mail, then there are certain story beats you'll be eagerly anticipating and let me tell you...this book delivers them perfectly, and each time with its own unique spin. I was giggling, swooning, and yelling in intended frustration at all the right points, just like in the movie! It just extracted all those emotions that help you connect with a story. And I connected so well with this one. The narrative is engaging, the pacing is seamless, the entire cast of characters intriguing, but none more so than our two leads, Eleanor and Peter. They are fantastic and lead the most heart-warming slow burn.

This is a perfect slow burn, one full of yearning. This isn't a romance that explores a love in full, it's more so a romance that builds up to its beginning. That explores the falling in love and all its complexities. There's class and ideology differences to overcome that raises the stakes in love. Peter represents everything that threatens Elenor's livelihood. He looks to usher in the future of publishing but all Elenor can see is the demise of what she has sweated blood and tears for. There is built in animosity they must contend with, for it pushes back any mutual understanding. And it takes them time, which is why it's so perfect they are unknowingly pen pals. Two strangers of kindred spirits who feel so comfortable in sharing their heart and secrets to one another. We witness booklover and Captain fall in love first, but what makes this book truly work, is you also see Eleanor and Peter fall in love even more, and it's that love you root most for. Is it weird to be rooting for one more than the other, knowing they're the same person!? Maybe! But it's why I love a certain decision Peter makes in the final act. He's presented with a shortcut when it comes to earning Eleanor's love, but what he chooses instead is to expose himself as he is. Not as Captain, not as Duke, but simply as Peter. Flawed and all, to begin again with Eleanor. She resists at first but soon enough and ever so comfortably begins anew alongside him. Those shared moments in the final act, as Eleanor and Peter, were everything to me. Perfectly paced in every way! The chemistry doubled the initial dynamite chemistry! I just fell in love right alongside them.

Smitten. In love. Fully satisfied. That's how I felt reading this one. A historical romance I will forever cherish.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily .

______
original post-read quick thoughts


I wish I hadn't peeked at the GR ratings because it instantly made me doubt my own, but I genuinely loved this one. You've Got Mail is one of my all-time fave romcoms and this book honored it so beautifully. I loved our heroine, Eleanor, and hero, Peter as well (but most especially Eleanor!). I also loved booklover and Captain hehe! The romance is lovely. That said it's definitely a slow burn, but for me, it's built up in a way that I never felt impatient. Spice may be lacking, but yearning never was, and I was absolutely fine by that. For me, the romance was in the build up to that first step. To trying for more than friends. So don't expect a romance that explores its every facet, it's more about moving into that first stage. In earning that line finally being crossed.


Historical setting worked very well. I personally found no fault in this one, it worked perfectly for me.


full review to come!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in my life felt slightly feral while reading this, and my review of The Duke’s Got Mail by Samara Parish starts with this truth: I was not emotionally prepared to care this much about anonymous letters, printing presses, and two people being spectacularly wrong about each other. Published by Forever (Grand Central Publishing), with sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ARC, this book turned my calm reading plans into a mess of feelings and opinions very quickly.

At its heart, this is a pen-pal romance between Eleanor Wright, a fiercely capable compositor who has clawed out a place for herself in a male-dominated industry, and Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford, who is trying to save his estate and do right by the people who depend on him. They meet first on the page, anonymously, through letters full of wit, curiosity, and surprising tenderness. In those letters, they are perfectly matched. In real life, they are rivals on opposite sides of a technological shift that threatens Eleanor’s livelihood and represents Peter’s future. Watching that disconnect play out was both delicious and painful.

What made the story work so well for me was how human both of them felt. Eleanor’s pride, fear, and stubborn independence rang true. Her love of facts, books, and her carefully built life made me ache for her whenever that life felt under threat. Peter, meanwhile, could have been an easy villain, but he isn’t. He’s earnest, lonely, and deeply convinced he’s doing the right thing, even when that conviction blinds him. The tension between who they are on paper and who they are in person carried so much emotional weight. I felt every near miss and misunderstanding right along with them.

The reading experience itself felt cozy but sharp-edged. I laughed at the banter, kicked my feet at the letters, and sighed heavily during moments of yearning that stretched just a little too long in the best way. One quote that perfectly captures the soul of the book is, “It is easier to be brave on paper, where no one can see your hands shake.” That idea threads through every interaction, asking what bravery really looks like when anonymity is stripped away and choices have consequences.

I also loved how the story engages with bigger themes without losing its romantic core. The debate over progress versus labor, innovation versus human cost, felt thoughtful and timely without ever turning preachy. It grounded the romance in real stakes and made the eventual emotional growth feel earned rather than convenient.

My final rating settled comfortably at four-and-a-half stars. This isn’t a book you rush through. It’s for readers who love slow-burn romance, epistolary storytelling, and characters who are allowed to be flawed, defensive, and occasionally very wrong before they get it right. If you adore You’ve Got Mail vibes, historical settings with modern emotional sensibilities, and romances that balance wit with depth, this one will absolutely work for you.

By the time I turned the last page, I was left with that soft, slightly melancholy satisfaction that only comes from a story that made you feel something real. So I have to ask: would you rather be loved for the person you are on the page, or the person you are when everything is laid bare?

#TheDukesGotMail #SamaraParish #HistoricalRomance #RomanceReview #BookReview #NetGalleyARC #ForeverRomance #EpistolaryRomance #Bookstagram #BookTok #ARCReview

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

The second book in the series by Samara Parish, but can be read as a standalone story. Eleanor Wright and her two close friends work together as a team in the printing business. She is proud and noted as one of the best compositors in the business, demanding a premium price and highly successful. As a working woman, she is living a pretty good life independently, with a good income, her close friends, and her cat. Romance is not on her horizon, until she starts a friendship by correspondence. This brings her into contact with an intriguing man whom she only knows as the Captain, with whom she develops a connection.

Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford, is a man driven by his duty as a duke, both in the House, and in managing his estates and family. He spent years bringing the dukedom out of debt and is highly driven to ensure the future of his tenents and family. To this end, he has been working on innovations in printing, developing a new machine that will make printing literature cheaper and more efficient, thus making the printed word cheaper, quicker, and more accessible. His life revolves around his obligations, and the only escape he sought for himself was secretly reading novels late at night, until he starts corresponding with a mysterious woman called Booklover, on behalf of his visually impaired sister. They both quickly find they share much in common and start to correspond privately, quickly sharing thoughts with each other they do not with others, and looking forward to each shared note.

A historical romance that plays on You Got Mail, with hidden identity, differing social status, and enemies to lovers themes. Eleanor stands to lose her job, income, and a sense of her own identity when Peter presents his machine. In the face of her loss, she seeks solace in her friend, the Captain. Peter, thinking that Booklover could be a woman he loves, and knows he must marry for the future of the dukedom, arranges a meeting, but is aghast when he discovers that the woman who may be the woman of his dreams is in reality the strident harridan who is in opposition of the progress he presents, does not meet her as the Captain, and stops writing, breaking Eleanor's heart.

But slowly, as Eleanor adapts to the new realities of her life, and Peter sees the consequences of his new machine in action, they start to see each other's sides and each other in different ways and lose their previous hostility and come together again. But Peter still is hiding a big secret from Eleanor, and that may be enough to break her growing trust in him.

A bit slow going at first, but I really enjoyed the letter-writing parts of the story, showing Eleanor's alternative relationship with the Captain, and the two aspects of her relationship with Peter. It was frustrating that Peter showed such cowardice by hiding his Captain identity from Eleanor for so long, but understandable and it added to the story. A very enjoyable story with two strong characters and I really enjoyed the differing social status aspects of the story, but with Peter being more in touch with the working man and not being too caught up with being an aristocrat, though Eleanor may not see that at first.

4.25 stars out of 5

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Forever for a digital ARC for review.

Only my second Parish (and as a true chaos reader my first was not the first in this current series but Parish’s seeming debut How to Survive a Scandal), the Duke’s Got Mail, a 19th century reimagining of You’ve Got Mail, definitely demonstrated to me that Parish has continued to grow with her craft. And, as a reader, I didn’t feel like I missed anything for having started with the second book, even as some of the references increased my odds of swinging back to book 1 (I’m just not usually interested in While You Were Sleeping narratives).

The conceit of this novel centers around the automation of typesetting and takes some big swings. Eleanor is a preeminent compositor. Peter is a Duke that needs to refill his coffers for the sake of his sisters and his tenants, and the Linotype also speaks to his literary sensibilities. While he knows there will be casualties to innovation, he thinks the democratization of knowledge will outweigh the temporary sacrifice. Until Eleanor catches his attention for her very ability to see beyond the Duke of it all and gets caught up in the crossfire. Even as he remains conflicted in how drawn he is to her, at the same time he is also enamored of his penpal, “Booklover.” Never mind that neither may fit the bill to be a Duchess (or are the same person) as his duty expects of him. And I loved the specific moment in time this novel let us explore.

And, while clearly in conversation with the tensions of the time, it also draws parallels to our current literary moment. I like that this novel takes big risks. It leaned in to the nuance and fallout from all sides. And a fun cast of supporting characters helped illustrate this nuance. There were very real stakes at play. There is legitimate conflict between Peter and Eleanor. He has cost her her job, a job wrapped up in her personal history and identity. And, while it could be argued the forgiveness comes a little easy by the end (though those beats are very familiar to the original), she does rail against him. And Peter is conflicted about some of the fallout of his choices and progress, even if it takes mostly Eleanor to demonstrate the human component. And I did love the intellectual attraction.

Still, there were moments in the middle where the pacing slowed a bit. If we’re sticking closely to the model of the original movie (and I’m still conflicted on how I feel about the current trend to retell romcoms, but at the same time that same trend gave me one of my favorite Eva Leigh series years ago), it’s not a surprise that this is a closed door romance. However, whether this choice or other pacing issues, there were times where I wanted the tension between these two to crackle more intentionally. Especially as so much the tension is verbal, it can leave those insults to linger without full resolution and leave the emotional reversal feeling quicker, even with definite work being done in the back half to ease that. The relationship can sometimes take a backseat to the history, which does leave me conflicted as I loved both, including exploring a unique historical angle and a female protagonist with a unique profession.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is trying to be a You’ve Got Mail retelling, sadly like others I’ve tried in the past it just didn’t work for me. I was excited to get too this after enjoying the authors version of While You Were Sleeping. This time however the historical setting and the characters just didn’t combine into an enjoyable read.

For one, while it keeps the literary theme for why they are “enemies” that is in the movie version. In the book a much more nuanced problem is substituted in and it just doesn’t work. The writing has you routing one way but your knowledge of the film and history means you know what the outcome will be. In the movie Tom Hanks’s character seems to take a much less personal approach to their “war”. In the book the MMC does and says things I’d find very hard to forgive. As with the other book I read there are several historical inaccuracies, however as I wasn’t enjoying this one as much I was less willing to over look them and they just took me out of the story. The plot of this book also felt more forced into copying the movie, whereas the first book veered away from its movies plot when it needed to.

The film also does a much better job with the side characters, they are lovable, well rounded and serve a purpose. In this book the main side characters just come across as annoying. Both are leads have women they talk to about their pen pal (MMC it’s his sisters, FMC it’s her two work friends). In the scenes where they talk about it, all it achieves is dragging things out in the story. There is a lot of telling not showing of their bonds with the lead character in many antidotes. They also ask the leads pointless questions about it all, you are just left wishing for this scene to be done with to get to something that actually progresses the plot or another letter between the leads.

As I mentioned at the start, I often don’t get on with You’ve Got Mail retellings. I think a lot of that might come down to Tom Hanks making his character a lot more likeable than he would be otherwise. I also think in historical settings it doesn’t work to have the man in their situation finding out the pen pal identity first. Historical context already puts the woman at a huge disadvantage anyway and so giving the man another piece of power over her just doesn’t sit right with me. And in this story you also have them being of different social class, he is a Duke, which is a further imbalance in their relationship that has to be handled with a lot of care and it just wasn’t in this story.

I pushed through to the end and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed the last 25% but that was mostly because the MMC had had his epiphany moment and had become a much better character. It’s also the best moments of the two leads together. I don’t think the FMC had enough resolution to her internal problems but they are a lot to tackle. It says a lot about the writing too that I was able to finish the book, so I wouldn’t be opposed to reading from Samara Parish again. I would just maybe go in with lowered expectations or have to make sure the tropes suit my tastes.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Franky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

(+) :
As far as retellings go, I think this one did a really enjoyable job. Taking ‘You’ve Got Mail’ (specifically YGM, not ‘Shop Around the Corner’ which people conveniently seem to forget exists thanks to Nora Ephron) and putting it into Victorian printing industrialization was a fun take.
On that, I think Eleanor’s relationship to books, to her job, to her craft and what the loss of it would possibly mean to her was really endearing. She definitely puts up a front, but seeing her having to grapple with the undeterrable constant march of change was understandable. It is also not lost on me that this was pretty clearly a parallel with what is going on right now with the GenAI bubble, but without the more clear positives that the linotype had.
- I like Peter and his motivations as well as his struggles with his duality between himself as a person and himself as a duke. I also liked his relationship with his sisters (and absent brother).
- However, my favorite relationship in the book was the friendship that Eleanor had with herself, Mabel, and Lillian They really do care about each other and their own dreams but their approaches to what is happening in their industry also leads them further down the road, specifically for Lillian and Mabel, to become more out side of what their lettering positions with Eleanor serve them.
- Gorgeous cover. I love the almost mixed media styling. My only qualm is that I had trouble picturing Peter to look like this but that’s a me thing.

(-) :
- This book just kind of…ends. It starts pretty starkly and then it has a good middle and then it just ends. It was frustrating because I wanted to see them together for like…any semblance of time.
- The way these characters use the word “fuck” seems really anachronistic to the time period. Maybe it isn’t, but it just feels really modern.
- The epistolary aspects of the book are a bit heavy handed, especially at the start.
- I found Peter’s sisters to just blend together. I also found them to be pretty annoying, all things considered. Maybe this is because I didn’t really know clearly that this was the second in a series of interconnected standalones, but I just really didn’t care much for his family.
- I get why this is the title but it is just not for me. At the very least it is quite clear what it is in reference to.

(?) :
- How does Eleanor satisfy the part of her with the need for a job after the linotype? Is she really able to fill that void with being a duchess?


WILL I READ THE NEXT ONE? : I don’t know. I’m not clamoring for it.

(HOW LONG) DO I THINK THEY’LL STAY TOGETHER? : I think they have enough of a camaraderie that they will be able to have a long and happy marriage.

*Thank you to Forever & Netgalley for providing this ARC!


SIMILAR BOOKS :
- 'Earl Crush' by Alexandra Vasti
- 'Bringing Down the Duke' by Evie Dunmore
- 'The Duke Heist' by Erica Ridley

[Tracy Emro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Eleanor Wright’s life is just about perfect; she is the premier compositor in London and is in high demand. Thanks to her salary, she is independent and can afford to indulge in all the books she could want, pretty gowns and a spacious apartment. She has also recently begun a new pen-pal relationship with the brother of her secret pen-pal and they have really connected. Life is good, until it isn’t... She is blindsided by the Linotype machine, a new technology that will forever change the publishing industry and will make her obsolete and costing her job and her self-worth. And the man responsible for her misery? Peter, The Duke of Strafford and the primary investor of the Linotype.

Peter, The Duke of Strafford has not been having the best year, he was jilted by the woman he planned to marry, when he was in a coma and she fell for his younger brother and now he has been roped into acting as his sister’s personal secretary as she is recovering from eye surgery. But there are bright spots, first after years of worrying about providing for his family and his estate, he has finally found an investment that will secure his finances for years to come, the Linotype and he has been corresponding with an amazing woman. Everything is going great, until it isn’t… the woman he has been falling in love with is the same woman whose life has been upended by the Linotype. He knows that there is a price to be paid for progress, but he never imagined it would cost him the love of a lifetime.

I am not a huge fan of movie adaptations, but I will give credit where credit is due – Ms. Parish didn’t just rewrite the plot of the hit 90’s Rom-Com “You’ve Got Mail” and call it a day – she took the idea of that story and made it her own. Yes, there are a lot of similarities to the movie, but there are also a lot of original ideas that give this adaptation its own flair. Unfortunately, I think one of the biggest changes was in Eleanor’s character, who is plagued with atychiphobia (the fear of failure) and is a perfectionist who is unwilling to try anything new and be deemed less than perfect, something that she has struggled with all her life, seemingly thanks to her parents. I tried to feel sorry for her, but unlike her movie counterpart, her dislike of Peter came off as nasty and shrewish, and I felt like she was being unfair to blame Peter for everything. So overall, it was a good read, but it did seem overly drawn out and the romance was bland. I did enjoy the story and appreciated the new twist as well as the cute epilogue, making it a book that I would recommend, but I probably wouldn’t read again. This is the second book in the series, but each book can easily be read as a standalone title.

*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. *

[Giana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. I did send my friend a five minute voice memo ranting about it even though I never send voice memos.

First, the positives. I LOVED the writing. These characters were funny and human and so incredibly realistic. They just jumped off the page and I was enamored. Usually with books like this I take issue with cheesy writing, but I did not have that issue at all with this book. The character work, specially with Eleanor, was flawless and I felt so viscerally for her (maybe because I experienced a similar crisis when the NIH funding cuts cost me my job). I even liked the anachronistic vibe of the regency setting (the historical vibe was pretty superficial- I wouldn’t classify this as historically accurate in the slightest, but I don’t think it was trying to be). This book would’ve been an easy five stars if it weren’t…

The negatives. I think I came into this book at a disadvantage because I did not like You’ve Got Mail in the slightest (I don’t think I realized this book was a retelling going in, and that’s on me tbh). I think it’s icky that the mmc cost the fmc her job and she was expected to forgive him anyway. I could go on my whole Marxist rant, but it boils down to the fact that the mmc (in both the movie and the book) knew that what they were doing would cost jobs and livelihoods, and chose to do it anyway because they didn’t care. And then oh no, suddenly they became enamored with someone who was affected and suddenly they grow a conscious, but we’re supposed to forgive them because they didn’t know, and they didn’t mean to hurt HER. The book is especially egregious because Eleanor told Peter time and time again what would happen, but he didn’t listen. It’s willful ignorance at that point and nothing he did, imo, made up for his initial actions enough for me to buy that Eleanor forgave him. Plus he was giving major misogyny vibes- he said he wanted someone who would speak her mind and be willing to push back, but as soon as he found a woman who did so, he suddenly didn’t like it because it forced him to confront things he didn’t like. Suddenly a brainless debutante is better than a woman with the intelligence he said he so desperately wanted. It was just very icky and I never quite forgave him for that either.

If we had a better mmc, I think this could’ve been a pretty easy five stars. But what we have makes me a little queasy and I can’t fully recommend it in good faith. I will, however, be eagerly checking out the author’s other work because she has real potential to provide a five star somewhere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own

[Mountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklover and Captain can't help but share their true selves with each other in the letters they begin as anonymous pen pals. Their friendship grows as letters flurry about London...

Eleanor is the best at what she does as a compositor, setting type for various editions of print. She knows she's the best and feels deep pride in her work, and the independence it affords her. Unfortunately for her, however, the Duke of Stafford's new invention appears poised to change the entire printing industry - and her life.

Peter is *trying* to move past a mistake in his past where he sort of announced a betrothal without asking the lady in question. Now he knows he needs to do his duty, care for his family, and find a wife - this season. While finding himself bored to tears with the ton, he meets a woman at the zoo who captures his imagination. Not part of high society, she doesn't realize he's the very Duke setting her world upside down.

This book is the second in the England's Sweethearts series, though it can be read as a standalone book. I highly enjoyed this story! I wasn't sure how the story from You've Got Mail would translate, but Parish did a wonderful job. Some of the moments from the movie are recognizable in the book, but not forced or out of place. The combination of epistolary and regular prose was a nice change of pace - as someone who misses regular prose in a solely letter-based story, the mix was just right. The characters were fun, and I especially enjoyed the friends and secondary characters, though I did wish some of their plot lines had been wrapped by the end of the book, rather than left unsaid (Jac, Dragon lady...). Perhaps Parish will revisit these characters in the next installment?

Be forewarned, this is a SLOW BURN romance, just like the original movie. If you are looking for open-door spice, this may not be your favorite read. That said, I really enjoyed the way the feelings grew along with the characters. Both Eleanor and Peter had wonderful character arcs and their growth as individuals really allowed the growth toward being a couple. I was smiling as I finished the book, which is a very good sign, especially when you know where the story will end from the beginning.

Spice level (scale of 1-5): 1.5 (kissing, discussion of self-enjoyment, discussion of body parts)

Stars: 4!

My thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC! All opinions are solely mine.

[mood_reading_maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Forever for the e-ARC.

90s romance vibes turned historical romance? I was drawn to the premise. As a You've Got Mail reimagining, the book follows most of the film's beats, general plot, and even a couple key scenes. If you love the movie, you will likely love this spin.

I really struggled with a few aspects of the story, primary being the power imbalance at play between the main characters: Eleanor Wright and Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford. Gender and class dynamics intersect to pit the MCs against once another, heavily tilting the scales against Eleanor as a working class woman. While Peter has his own financial and familial concerns, his risk of loss seems inconsequential given his aristocratic privilege, especially when it's understood that he's effectively ousted Eleanor from her profession. Women whose fates/livelihoods are held in the hands of men stress! me! out! With the business and economic conflict also so central to the main characters' romantic hurdles, marriage as a resolution felt flimsy and diminished the Eleanor's plot and character elements that emphasized her professional pride and excellence. Related to this, the book's commentary on value attachments to professional identity - ie. performing your job perfectly becomes a critical defining trait - started out strong and then fizzled out.

The Duke's Got Mail heavily features epistolary elements, par for the course for a You've Got Mail reimagining. I found the main characters' portrayals through letters in harshly stark contrast to their in person interactions. It felt like I was reading friendly, flirty letters from two entirely different characters, making it difficult to connect with the Eleanor and Peter's on page personas given their highly emotional barbs as they moved through the story. This ultimately their romantic connection, because lest we forget that the Duke has effectively decimated jobs in Eleanor's industry. The moniker "It's business. It's not personal" bellyflops when you consider the power imbalance at play.

Lastly, while I anticipate occasional spelling or grammar errors when reading an ARC, the last 50% of this book had an issue on almost every page. It took me out of the story too often.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a charming and thoughtful historical romance with the perfect mix of rivalry, longing, and heartfelt vulnerability.

Set against the changing world of London’s printing industry, the story follows Eleanor Wright, a talented compositor whose livelihood is threatened by a new machine designed to replace workers like her. At the same time, she finds comfort in exchanging anonymous letters with a mysterious pen pal who seems to understand her better than anyone else.
What she doesn’t realize is that her witty, thoughtful correspondent is actually Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford. The very man responsible for the invention is threatening her future.

I really loved the tension between Eleanor and Peter because their relationship feels layered from the start. On paper, they connect so naturally through honesty, humour, and shared loneliness, while in person they clash constantly as enemies on opposite sides of progress and class. Watching those two versions of their relationship slowly collide made the slow burn incredibly satisfying.

Eleanor was such an easy character to root for. Her fear of change, uncertainty about the future, and struggle to adapt as the world shifts around her felt deeply relatable. Beneath the romance, the story also explores the anxiety surrounding technological advancement and the people left behind by progress, which gave the book more emotional depth than I expected.

Peter completely won me over as well. He starts flawed and somewhat blind to the consequences of his actions, but what I appreciated most was his willingness to listen, grow, and genuinely try to become a better person. The yearning, the letters, the quiet moments of understanding between them, all felt very tender and sincere.

I enjoyed the time spent developing the emotional connection and the larger conflict surrounding the printing industry.

The letter-writing added so much charm and made their relationship feel intimate long before either knew the truth.

A sweet, intelligent, and emotionally grounded historical romance filled with longing, and growth.

Thank you so much Forever Publishing & Samara Parish for sending me a #gifted copy!
All opinions are my 🖤

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in a series that is based on 90's Rom-Coms. In the previous book, “While the Duke Was Sleeping” (Feb 2025), Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford was unconscious and his younger brother got the romance. This book is a retelling of “You’ve Got Mail”/“Shop Around the Corner". Peter has been exchanging letters with someone he knows only as Booklover, the writer calls him Captain. They share ideas and mostly discuss books. Booklover is Eleanor Wright, a working woman. She is one of the best compositors (typesetters) in London. But a new invention, invested in and promoted by the Duke of Strafford, will likely lead to the loss of her career and industry.

I love how cleverly the author fits the elements of the base story into this historical romance. I like that Elenor meets Peter before titles become involved. The innovations of Victorian England fit the story as well. I was perplexed in the beginning what the time period was. I cheated and looked back at my copy of the first book which took place in 1893. I would guess this is a year or more later. I think it is an error not to give a year and leave it up to the reader to look at when certain inventions came to be.

The romance and chemistry is fun. She actually makes the move for a first kiss. The writing is modern. Words like crap show up as does her insisting he acknowledge his privilege. Peter's sisters are delightful extras, teasing him about finding a bride. I was slightly disappointed that, like in the movie, he gets to know for a longer time that they are pen pals to each other. Once the reveal happens the book winds up quickly. I really appreciated the extra letter exchanges that serve as an epilogue.

The story is a stand alone although part of a series. You don’t need to read the previous book to understand this one. And the previous couple do not make an appearance. They are mentioned but are out of the country. This romance is kissing only but there is language. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review.