Customer Reviews

Mr Impossible (Carsington Quartet 2)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Because such a rating is an aberration for me, I feel compelled to explain my reasoning.

First star - The hero has a healthy ego. He's not brooding, wounded, possessive or insecure. Instead, he is lusty (read this as constantly horny as hell) brave, has a keen sense of compassion and honesty, a wonderful sense of humor and the only fear he shows is for others. His respect, admiration and attraction for the heroine was a pleasure to read, and a wonderful twist. (Subtract this star if you need an alpha male who can only find his salvation through the love of a good woman).

Second star - The heroine is intelligent, steadfast, and vulnerable. Like most young women of her era, she was taught that normal sexual desires were wrong, intelligence in females was unnatural, and passion toward virtually anything considered a masculine endeavor was unattractive. Despite her background, she grows with the challenges she faces, overcomes her vulnerability, and she becomes who she was meant to be. (Subtract this star if you want a heroine who seems to be out of character for her generation, or turns into a blithering idiot once she falls in love)

Third star - Storyline. Yup, this novel has an actual plot, a beginning, a middle and an end. All the threads are neatly woven, you are not left hanging with a need to read the next installment. While other stories are available to read within the family of the hero (Lord Perfect, Miss Wonderful), this book is a stand-a-lone. (Subtract this star if you enjoy waiting months or years to find out how a story ends)

Fourth star - The romance is wonderful. The sex is as it should be. Fun, sensual, enthralling and it does not dominate the story. It is never unsettling, it never feels wrong. Descriptions of a kiss are just as vivid as the actual act, and written with such incredible -nice- passion, that it tingles the heart, not just the libido. Although the scenes were actually hot, there was an innocence to them that is normally missing in romance novels. You can honestly like these people, and want them to have the joy they physically find in each other. (Subtract this star if you are only reading this genre for sexual content, or prefer bodice ripping and pseudo rape to genuine romance)

Fifth star - Overall satisfaction. The story contains true adventure, really nasty villains, quick wit, heroic actions by both hero and heroine, character growth without the people behaving outside their own personalities, beautifully written landscapes, good secondary characters, true love, a good finish. This is a book you would enjoy reading a second and third time, a book you would happily recommend to a friend, and a book you would not feel embarrassed about if read by your husband or significant other. (Subtract this star if you believe romance novels are not -real- literature, and you believe The Da Vinci Code is. Yes, I will admit that I too would prefer a book cover that does not scream Romance Novel to fellow passengers on a plane, but genre snobbishness was beaten into me as a child, and I'm trying to overcome it. Besides, I really didn't like the Da Vinci Code.)

Yes, I was reminded of The Mummy. I was also reminded of Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (another favorite novel). All had a brave hero, a spunky and intelligent heroine, Egypt of the past and wonderful adventure. All three are fresh, all three have their own stamp of originality, and all three are HIGHLY recommended.

This is a really fun historical romance set in Egypt in 1821. "Mr. Impossible" is the second book in a series by Loretta Chase detailing the lives and loves of the unruly sons of the Earl of Hargate (the first being "Miss Wonderful".) I loved the Egyptian setting (being a devotee of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series!) and enjoyed the interplay between the charmingly mismatched hero and heroine.

The hero, Rupert Carsington ("Mr. Impossible" himself!), is the Earl of Hargate's fourth son, a reckless hellion who has been sent to Egypt by his father in an attempt to keep him out of trouble. But trouble follows Rupert wherever he goes, not in part because he *thrives* on it! When the attractive and scholarly widow, Daphne Pembroke needs assistance in locating her kidnapped brother, Rupert is the best that the unhelpful British consul general has to offer. Daphne is a linguistic genius, obsessed with deciphering hieroglyphs. Due to prejudice against her gender in the scholarly world, she and her brother, Miles, have long pretended that *he* is the language expert in the family. Since Miles is kidnapped soon giving Daphne a valuable papyrus that reportedly describes the location of a royal tomb, Daphne fears that the villains may be trying to use Miles's purported language skills to locate the pharaoh's treasure.

Rupert and Daphne provide the perfect yin and yang to the story. He is all tall, dark and handsome strength and action and she is the practical brains of the operation. Together they set off up the Nile in pursuit of Miles and the kidnappers. The plot has *lots* of action--with murder attempts, sandstorms, and rival groups of ruthless villains. There is delightful comic relief in the form of nutty servants (particularly the dramatic, pessimistic Leena), a devoted pet mongoose and Rupert's witty, irreverent repartee. But the heart of the story is the irresistible lust and developing love between the reckless but honorable Rupert and brilliant but insecure Daphne.

In summary, this is a delightful historical romance with an unusual setting and very engaging lead characters.
Highly recommended!

I like Daphne. She was in a bad marriage and came out of it with little self-esteem. She buries herself in a solitary life of scholarly pursuits. It's fun watching her learn what she's made of when her brother is kidnapped.

Rupert, another Carsington brother, is a delightful scoundrel. Nothing upsets him and he faces life with a lighthearted smile. He's able to make her laugh and feel good about herself, and rather than be intimidated by her brain as her husband was, he is fascinated to watch her formidable scholar's brain in action. He's perfect for Daphne.

He's been assigned to the embassy in Cairo. He drives them crazy, so they assign him to help Daphne find her brother, who's been kidnapped. When he says something stupid and discovers that his blunders distract her from worrying about her brother, he continues so that her first impression of him is a sweet natured idiot. Of course she learns otherwise as they go after her brother and a stolen papyrus.

The story takes place in Egypt, a refreshing change from England. It is rich in the history of excavations of the pyramids and attempts to decipher heiroglyphics.

Loretta Chase never disappoints. My only complaint is she doesn't write four books a year! This delightful tale of a brilliant female linquist who must conceal her intelligence, and the cheerful hero who understands and celebrates her abilities, as well as her looks and her passion, is romantic, clever, sexy, humorous, multi-layered, and very well written. Rupert Carsington is surely every woman's romantic ideal; tall, dark, and handsome, he rescues Daphne Pembroke in multiple ways, the most important being, of course, restoring her belief in herself as a woman. Daphne is equally appealing, beautiful, brilliant, bookish, but deeply hurt by someone who should have had her best interests at heart. Chase writes with her usual elegant style, humor and an obvious affection for her characters, and with an understanding of the human heart that surpasses the usual romance novel. I liked this book immensely and can't wait for Benedict...and/or Darius' stories.

I have to admit I DID have a slow start on this book because I was not necessarily interested in the location, Egypt. Not exactly your typical location for a Regency era novel. But once I got into the story, WOW! The characters are delightful, the love story is heartwarming and HOT and I ended up just loving this book! One complaint I generally have about 'romance' novels is there is more sex than romance. I like a good sex scene as much as anybody but I hate it when it is just for the sake of sex, when there are no feelings between the hero and heroine, or when they are supposedly in love but there was no telling how they got there. This story shows the growing love between the 2 main characters and it is charming. There is also a lot of humor in this book, swashbucking adventure, even animal antics from a mongoose and a couple of cats. This story and Ms. Chase's excellent writing make this book as close to perfection as is possible in a romance novel. I look forward to more books from Ms. Chase.

Setting - Egypt 1821 --- Having arrived only six weeks earlier in Egypt, Rupert Carsington, the fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, was his family's favorite son but a disaster because wherever trouble and chaos reigned, Rupert was sure to be in the middle of it. New to Egypt, he hadn't really had enough time to size up the society's structure as of yet, and being a gentleman, in spite of his hellion ways, he was not about to watch a soldier beating to death a man unable to defend himself without coming to his aid. So, English aristocracy or not, Rupert was promptly tossed into the deepest dungeon in Cairo.

At approximately the same time, news of Mrs. Daphne Pemperton's brother Miles kidnapping had reached her ears, and she soon discovered that the English consulate had no one available to lend her aid, other than the troublesome young Carsington sitting in jail. Daphne was not be deterred and if this was the only help she was going to get, she would storm the depths of the dungeon and bring the brainless but brawny and brave fool out to help her cross the desert in the hopes of rescuing her brother. To her way of thinking, they could form a partnership, she would provide the brains, and the big handsome (she couldn't help but notice) brute Rupert, would provide the brawn! What Daphne didn't expect was that the desert heat would be nothing compared to the heat Rupert instilled in her nether regions.

*** Having recently finished the first novel in the Carsington family saga MISS WONDERFUL, I looked forward to hearing more of the rest of the troublesome sons of the Earl of Hargate and found this to this to be a worthy entry. While I did find the previous novel to contain a bit more humor, this certainly had its moments. Rupert, fashioned with a wry sense of humor, was a perfect complement for Daphne's reticence and scholarly personality as he was able to break through the walls she'd erected around herself. Daphne was a more complex personality having suffered mental abuse by her husband, an older and condescending man, who jealous of her intelligence, belittled her in such a condescending way - really doing a number on her self-esteem in making her think that her passionate nature was something to be ashamed of, rather than to delight in. Rupert who never really took things seriously was a perfect fit - balancing out her practical nature. He was truly enthralled with and amazed by her `huge brain' and totally delighted in her passion. Mr. Impossible proved to be for Daphne, Mr. Perfect in another SPLENDID READ by Ms. Chase!!
--- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---

STORY BRIEF:
Rupert is the 4th son in a wealthy English family. He is always getting into trouble. His father sends him to Egypt to work for the British consulate. Rupert has an admirable sense of morality and fights bullies even when it lands him in jail. He's handsome and the ladies like him. At age 19 Daphne (also English) married Virgil who was 54. Virgil died three years later, leaving Daphne very wealthy. Daphne has a passion for decoding Egyptian hieroglyphics which very few could do at the time. She and her brother Miles are living in Egypt obtaining and studying artifacts. Daphne is decoding a valuable papyrus. Someone steals the papyrus and kidnaps Miles to translate it. The kidnapper thinks Miles knows how to read hieroglyphics. He does not. No one knows that it is Daphne (not Miles) who is able to do this. The consul general assigns Rupert to help Daphne find her brother. The search is on with additional bad guys and good guys hunting for the papyrus and Miles. Daphne is physically drawn to Rupert but fights her lustful feelings. She tells Rupert that she is the brains and he is the brawn. He's happy to play along being the dumb ox. But he's smarter than he pretends.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
There were many action scenes putting Daphne and Rupert in peril. The plot was ok, but there wasn't enough character development. We don't know what caused Rupert to be a hellion or what his life was like before going to Egypt. I wasn't emotionally drawn in. I wanted to be more surprised or delighted. At times I wanted it to be over. The sex scenes were not exciting. They could have used more passion. It would have been nice to have more information at the end as to what happened with the Egyptian friends, where Daphne and Rupert would live, and how their life would proceed.

DATA:
Story length: 312 pages. Swearing language: none. Sexual language: mild. Total number of sex scenes: 5. Total number of sex scene pages: 11. Setting: 1821 Egypt. Copyright: 2005. Genre: historical romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Loretta Chase books, see my 5 star review of "Lord of Scoundrels" posted 2-19-08.

Mr. Impossible should be re-named Mr. Irresistible, which is what I found Rupert Carsington from the first time Daphne met him, locked up in a dungeon, but still irrepressible. Come to think of it, Mr. Irrepressible would be a good title, too.

Mr. Impossible takes place in Egypt. Daphne Pembroke, a widow, is also a scholar working on translating heiroglyphics. But because nobody takes women scholars seriously, she & her brother Miles let it be known that he's the scholar and she the assistant.

The trouble starts when Miles purchases a papyrus for Daphne. He spends a lot for it because it's a beautiful specimen, he knows she'll like it, and neither of them has a head for finances. But someone thinks there's more to it, as the papyrus was purported to contain directions to an unknown tomb, and the treasure therein, and the only reason they can think of for Miles to pay so much for it is that he's finally deciphered heiroglyphics and can read it. So they kidnap Miles.

Meanwhile, Rupert Carsington, 4th son of the Earl of Hargate, has been sent to Egypt to be out of his father's hair, even if it can't keep him out of trouble. He's currently imprisoned for attacking soldiers who were beating an unarmed man.

When Daphne asks the English consulate for help finding her brother, the man assumes Miles has just gone off drinking or womanizing, but not wanting to upset the wealthy widow, he offers her Rupert's services, if she'll pay the fines to get him out of jail.

As I mentioned earlier, their first meeting sets the tone for the entire relationship. Daphne's intelligence, and Rupert's irrepressible good humor just shine. They play off each other perfectly--she initially thinks she's the brains and he's the brawn, but as the story progresses, his intelligence and her courage both come out, as they bring out the best in each other.

Daphne, who's always been told she's un-feminine because of her scholarship, and either ignored by men or chastised by them for her unladylike ways, is at a loss with Rupert because he does neither: he accepts her and listens to her. Rupert is used to being considered a magnet for trouble, but he also finds his particular strengths in demand.

The Good:
The setting--Egypt is unusual for a romance novel.
The adventure.
The humor.
The characters.

The Bad:
It's an easy book to look at with a cynical eye.
It is a niche book--if you don't like other things in this niche, like the Amelia Peabody books, or the movie The Mummy, you likely won't enjoy this either.

The Verdict:
There's not a dull page in this book. In fact, it could have been written with me in mind. I love stories with intelligent heroines, couples who become equal partners and respect each other, and characters who learn things about themselves. In addition, being a huge fan of Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series, the Egyptian setting and plot was icing on the cake. I can't say enough good about Mr. Impossible, the second in the series about the Earl of Hargate's sons, the first being Miss Wonderful. I can't imagine how Ms. Chase will top this one, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

It's usually interesting to read what other readers have to say about a book one is reading, or has read. Unfair to check before reading, I think.

After laughing myself silly, rapidly turning pages in this wonderful book, I am dumbstruck that anyone would say `there's not enough romance in this book.' Can they have read the same book I did? Apparently so, although I find it hard to comprehend.

I found there to be delightful romance on every page. Not each page contained romance between the hero and heroine-there may have been 30 or so that didn't-but there are different sorts of romance to be considered. Having not so long ago experienced an astonishing bout of lust, I believe Ms. Chase deserves every accolade there is for her marvelous depictions of silly, rambunctious, delicious-and yes, loving lust. Blatant, subtle, funny, joyous, all-encompassing-I wouldn't have missed it for the world, and can only feel sympathy for those who never have.

Passion comes in many guises, and a passion for scholarship or learning or exploring when coupled with a passion for another person can be devastating, even when it ends happily, as does this book. Although, to be sure, the first paragraph of the Epilogue gave me a jolt. I should have known enough to trust the author more than I did.

Mr. Impossible should certainly be a major candidate for best book of 2005.

Oh, that Rupert Carsington! I could just eat him up with a spoon. He is by no means the all brawn/no brain brother that the rest of his family deems him. He's big-hearted and fun-loving and a perfect match for the heroine, Daphne, who is cerebral and serious (without being one of those shrill and preachy bluestocking characters). They really complement eachother. I would have loved to have seen more of their romance, too, as another reviewer noted. But what we did see was very well-done.