Mr. Impossible
Mr. Impossible book cover

Mr. Impossible

Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2005

by
Price
$7.99
Publisher
Berkley
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0425201503
Dimensions
4.18 x 0.85 x 6.75 inches
Weight
6.4 ounces

Description

From Publishers Weekly Set in Egypt in 1821, Chase's romp of a romance possesses a fine sense of time and place. Solving the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphics has been Daphne Pembroke's lifelong passion, one she has kept secret from everyone except her brother, Miles, who fronts as the hieroglyphics expert of the family. (Daphne's disapproving late husband believed that "intellectual endeavors put too great a strain on the inferior female brain.") When robbers steal a papyrus from her Cairo home that may lead to a vast fortune and kidnap Miles as well, Daphne knows the crooks have taken her brother so he can decipher the hieroglyphics. To find Miles before his captors realize he's clueless, she needs muscle in the form of hunky Rupert Carsington (a secondary character from Miss Wonderful , the previous book in the series), whom she springs from a local jail. Tracking the kidnappers takes Daphne, Rupert and their entourage down the Nile, where they face sandstorms, snakes and other perils. Comic relief comes in the form of a mongoose named Marigold. Though the book offers a fascinating glimpse into the workings of ancient Egypt, Rupert and Daphne's relationship, and the trials and errors thereof, remain the heart of the story. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Egypt in 1821 is not a safe place for foreigners. So when her brother, Miles, disappears, Daphne Pembroke immediately goes to the British Consulate for help. What Daphne gets is Rupert Carsington. At first Daphne is quite vexed with the idea of being saddled with this cheerful blockhead, but she soon realizes that since she is clever, all she really needs is a big, strong man who will follow orders. As Daphne and Rupert set out in search of Miles, and a missing papyrus that may hold the key to a pharaoh's long-lost tomb, Daphne begins to suspect that she may have underestimated not only Rupert's intelligence but also her own susceptibility to his devilish charms. A bookish, sharp-tongued heroine with a passion for hieroglyphics discovers an all-together different kind of passion in this supremely satisfying and thoroughly romantic tale. Chase's subtly nuanced characters and deftly plotted story come together brilliantly, and her polished writing is imbued with a wicked wit. John Charles Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Wickedly witty, simply wonderful! Don't miss it!" Loretta Chase holds a B.A. from Clark University, where she majored in English and minored unofficially in visual art. Her past lives include part-time teaching at Clark and a Dickensian six-month experience as a meter maid. In the course of moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter, she fell under the spell of a producer who lured her into writing novels . . . and marrying him. The union has resulted in more than a dozen books and a number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award.xa0 You can talk to Loretta via her email address [email protected], or visit her website at www.LorettaChase.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Blame it on the Egyptian sun or the desert heat, but as tensions flare between a reckless rogue and beautiful scholar en route to foil a kidnapping, so does love, in the most uninhibited and impossibly delightful ways.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(376)
★★★★
25%
(314)
★★★
15%
(188)
★★
7%
(88)
★
23%
(288)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Entertaining, but . . .

Ms. Chase is a wonderfully talented writer. That said, this book cannot compare to Lord of Scoundrels. While reading this novel, I kept remembering the movies The Mummy and The Mummy Returns with Brendan Fraser. I enjoyed those movies, but when I read a romance I want more depth and substance. The descriptions of Egypt and the research done by the heroine are too detailed and the plot and character development suffer because of this, since the book is only a little over 300 pages long.

What caused Rupert to become a hellion? What was his life like before going to Egypt? He is apparently the product of a happy family, but we only learn about this in the last couple of pages. How did he become such an understanding and insightful man when we are given to understand that his life was aimless and he was known by everyone as a ne'er do well?

Daphne's character is better developed and we get to know her better. Still, the whole experience left me unsatisfied. If Ms. Chase removed all the plot elements that were not directly related to the romance itself, I'm afraid we would be left with less than one hundred pages. The resolution of the "conflict" came in the last five pages and even that was almost nonexistent and contrived.

I'm not sure if I'll read any other books in the series, despite Ms. Chase's fine writing, though I am sure that I'll reread Lord of Scoundrels many times.
8 people found this helpful
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Missing something

I own everything Chase has ever written. Her characters are usually drawn so incredibly well. For some reason this book seems to be missing something. Maybe because I needed to know more about the hero. His short introduction just wasn't enough. I would have liked to hear more about what he was thinking, what were his motivations (besides sex witht heroine). The heroine was smart, funny and commited to rescuing her brother. She was also missing something. When I put the book down I wasn't satisfied. It was like eating a fish dinner and being hungry two hours later. The Egyptian locations were interesting, but I really wanted to hear more about the older brother.
8 people found this helpful
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Terrific addition to the Chase oeuvre....

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.
7 people found this helpful
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I like it!!!! Yeah!!!

As I really did not like Miss Wonderful, I read this book because a friend said it was a fun book, much more entertaining then Miss Wonderful. I agree! I love regencies but have to admit to liking few. I find most regencies tedious at best. So I am always happy when I come across one that is a keeper. This story, which takes place in Egypt in 1821, has Daphne Pembrooke, not quite beautiful but with a killer body, paired off Rupert Carsington, a wonderfully sexy, funny man. They had great chemistry and I was happy that Daphne succumbed to Rupert's crazy charm. The story is fast paced, with witty dialogue, interesting secondary characters, and vivid descriptions of both the characters and the places they go. Miles, Daphne's brother who she and Rupert try to find and rescue, is rather bland. I loved being inside of Rupert's head, his thinking process was fun. My complaint with the book, though minor, is what is Rupert's story? What is his background? Why is he hunky but supposedly stupid?? And when Daphne and Rupert make their way to Rupert's home to meet his family, having Daphne in the carriage reading is silly. Really, she would have been to nervous and asking thousands of questions about what and who she was going to meet up with rather than reading, I think. Also, it would have been nice to get a peek at their new life in London, which was not a place Daphne looked forward to going as she felt like a fish out of water there. With him being, well, him, dashing, etc, it could have been fun to read an epilogue about their first ball together. That is another complaint I have with so many regency authors - the stories always end with I love you sort of stuff but the real fun in real life marriage and relationships is AFTER the ring is on!!!
5 people found this helpful
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Good and entertaining but not Great

Chase is a talented writer and she proves it again with Mr Impossible--by the way, I thought that was one of the worst romance book titles of these past few years.

It's refreshing to see a book taking place in Egypt at the beginning of the 19th century instead of the more traditional Victorian times. Rupert is indeed a great hero, and if you love great hunks who deliberately downplay their intelligence and who truly like and respect women, you'll love him to death. Daphné is a strong heroine whom I didn't find as likable as Rupert at first but she's more than a match for him. And of course everyone will love Marigold the mongoose.

I didn't give it five stars however because I still felt that the book lacked something. Sure it's fun and the verbal repartees are excellent but it felt like I was reading a lot more than 312 pages for some reason. Before I started reading I was disappointed to see that it was barely over 300 pages long, but by the time I finished it, it felt like I'd read 400 and I was in no hurry to re-read it.

On the whole I think Captives of The Night and The Last Hellion are superior books. But then I tend to prefer darker books with more tension.
5 people found this helpful
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Two thumbs up!

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.
3 people found this helpful
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LOVE this book!!!!

This book is one of my absolute favorite romance novels. It's one I can read again and again. I loved the relationship between Daphne and Rupert, and the way it grew and changed them both. It's also very hot in the romance department. Just a great book all around, and my favorite by this author. HIGHLY recommended, you won't be disappointed! Chase is a wonderful writer, both from the story and the romance angle.
3 people found this helpful
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Literary Gold

The Plot: Another novel of the Carsington brothers; this time Rupert it's, the scoundrel. Having been shipped off to Egypt by his long-suffering (and manipulating) father, Rupert crosses paths with scholarly heiress Daphne, whose brother has gone missing or been kidnapped. Entertaining high-jinks ensue, and along the road to recovering her brother Daphne finds hereslf falling for the scoundrel.

My Thoughts: I really need to buy this book. I have read it one million times (no, I'm not joking; the librarians laugh when I bring it to them to check out) and it has yet to disappoint me or get stale. There are so few authors and novels that I really enjoy; Loretta Chase's Carsington brothers series (each novel is a stand-alone, but the characters make appearances in each others books) happens to be one. You can start anywhere in the series; I began with Lord Perfect (Benedict) and then Mr. Impossible. Plot, emotion, setting, and characters are seamless. No flaws, no critiques. Reading this book has saved me from many bad days and tough times.

The Conclusion: Read this book, and then buy it. Let's keep this author in business so that everyone can meet the Rupert and Daphne and laugh and sigh with them (or at them). You won't regret it; I promise.
2 people found this helpful
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Very Satisfying!

I really enjoyed this book. The setting is exotic and well-described. The hero and heroine have great chemistry and witty, enjoyable dialogue.

I completely fell in love with Rupert Carsington. He was so good at getting her goat and being annoying to her but then he also always seems to be indispensable.

Daphne Pembroke is a great heroine. She has a real reason for shying away from romance with him and her quirks are believable.

Books set in the Middle East can be a bit of a stressful read because of the clash between eastern and western norms, but this book is as much about the interaction of these two characters and the adventure they're forced to undertake as it is about the place itself.

I also liked Daphne's brother, Miles. I wouldn't mind reading more about him in the future.

The only thing I wanted was a little more background on why Rupert is considered such a hellion. Alistair had a whole bio at his introduction. It would have been nice to learn some specifics regarding Rupert's antics rather than just vague references.

All around good read and I find myself wishing the later books would include this couple more (although I know that's not really Chase's style).

I recommend the whole Carsington series.
2 people found this helpful
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Fast and fun road trip in the land of the Pharaohs.

This is the first Loretta Chase book I have read and it will not be the last. This fast-paced and humorous tale of British black sheep helping a beautiful widow to rescue her abducted brother in Egypt is enjoyable throughout. Daphne Pembroke is the bookish young widow of a much older man who suppressed Daphne's spirit and made her feel ashamed of her strong passions and superior intellect. Rupert Carsington, the fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, has been sent to Egypt by his father in order that he might make something of himself. Up until now, Rupert has been a bit irresponsible and has a habit of getting himself into trouble. Daphne is initially reluctant to engage the handsome and virile Rupert in her quest, because she mistakenly views him as dim-witted. This is a notion that Rupert encourages for a while, because it feeds his warped sense of humor. As their adventure progresses with an exciting and dangerous boat trip along the Nile, Daphne discovers that Rupert is much more than a pretty face. She is steadily is drawn in by his courage, tenderness and easy charm, and the fact that he is not intimidated by her intelligence. In fact, Rupert seems to bring out the very best in Daphne.

This book is a pleasure to read. Although bad guys and murder abound, it is done almost tongue and cheek, and never detracts from the romance. Ms. Chase's sly humor is delightful, and Daphne and Rupert's (frequently lustful) thoughts about each other are laugh-out-loud funny. "Mr. Impossible" is not a typical historical romance, which is just fine by me. I liked it immensely and found it a very satisfying read.
2 people found this helpful

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