Mr. Impossible

I found this book somewhat disturbing. The hero and heroine (they actually ARE such) are typically Chase- strong clever female, strong male who doesn't know what the heck he is doing. Very satisfying. But the story itself and the background are violent and gory. Some scenes are quite horrific and linger in one's mind. I read this genre purely for escapism, not to give myself nightmares.

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 p

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.

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!

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.

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 ---