The Duke’s Got Mail
Author: Samara Parish
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B+
What I’m Talking About:
Picking up roughly a year after While the Duke Was Sleeping, The Duke’s Got Mail features Peter, the duke who was sleeping and brother to Rhett, the male MC from the first title. Peter has been corresponding anonymously with an acquaintance of his sister. They share their love of reading along side hopes and dreams. Meanwhile, Peter and Eleanor are at odds, neither knowing the other is their secret pen pal.
This is Parish’s second title in her delightful England’s Sweethearts series, historical romances based on 90s rom-coms. It’s been a couple decades since I saw the movie You’ve Got Mail, but from what I can recall, it follows the plot fairly closely. As anonymous friends, Peter and Eleanor share many of the same values and appreciate the other for their original thoughts. However, in the real world, Peter’s pursuit of innovation to secure his sisters’ financial independence butts up against Eleanor’s livelihood.
Eleanor’s entire identity is wrapped up in being the best compositor, period. Based on whispers from the past, the reader infers that she didn’t fit in with “normal kids” and drove herself to perfection in any task she attempted. She associates pain and hard work with a job well done. It isn’t until she loses her job that she starts to find that she remains a woman worthy of a happy life. Meanwhile Peter is equally narrow minded, only seeing the positives of his new machine, meanwhile attributing any negative issues, like unemployment, to the publishers and newspapers who purchase his machine. He takes no culpability until Eleanor forces him to realize the unintended consequences of his actions.
Similar to the movie, Peter discovers Eleanor’s identity well before she realizes who he is. While it could be cringy because of the unbalanced power dynamics, the story never crosses the line. The knowledge allows Peter to back off and make things right. I enjoyed seeing how each deals with setbacks and comes to terms with change.
The Duke’s Got Mail is a lovely romance and a delight for fans of Nora Ephron’s 1998 film. The story made me happy and that’s just what I need most days.
My Rating: B+
Jen
About the Book:
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?
Release Date: April 28, 2026
Publisher: Forever
Series: England’s Sweethearts #2
Genre: Historical Romance, rom-com
Format(s): paperback (400 pages), e-book
Book Source: Publisher / NetGalley
#RRBC: Duke in the Title