Lady Wombat says:

Very different heroine, very different hero, quite different setting, from Miss Wonderful, but equally appealing. And very very funny!

Lady Daphne Pembroke has been a scholar all of her life, except when her late husband didn’t allow her to be one. She publishes under her brother Miles’s name and all her brilliance is attributed to him. When Miles is kidnapped, Daphne is frantic with concern and determined to do something. She rescues Rupert Carsington from jail and decides that he will be the brawn behind her brains on the quest to rescue Miles. As the story progresses, they find that she has more courage and he has more intelligence and resilience than either of them ever expected, and from these discoveries, respect and love grow.

This book was definitely much better than the last book I read by Loretta Chase. Here, the hero and heroine play perfectly off each other. Chase has written characters whose chemistry practically makes the pages sizzle and not only in the most obvious ways. Their minds work together very well and I loved how their personalities were gradually revealed both to the reader and each other. I was also particularly pleased with Daphne’s brilliance and that except for when her life was in danger, she never let a man get the better of her when she knew how intelligent she was.

Admittedly, the plot here wasn’t all that great. Revelations about the papyrus and the reasons Miles were kidnapped are all fairly obvious from the start. This will only disappoint those who are actually looking for a plot, though. While it’s nice for a romance to have a clever and inventive plot, it’s not really necessary, and clearly here the focus is sharply on the characters.

This was definitely an engaging and entertaining read. I’d recommend it.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=590 ( )

This is the book which has started thousands of women who swore they'd never read romance novels (or never read them again; what? the used bookstore when I was fifteen had romance novels for 25 cents and my best friend and I read them TOTALLY TO MAKE FUN OF THEM; I SWEAR; NOT AT ALL FOR THE DIRTY BITS) on a mad quest to read everything Loretta Chase has ever written, and press those books swooningly on friends.

Chase is a damn good writer. Not just a "damn good romance writer", which carries a "relatively" with it. A damn good writer. Mr. Impossible is only my second favorite of hers, but it's such a good way to start.

I struggled a lot with this one. Becuase it was loaned to me by someone I (generally) agree with as being completely wonderful crack!fic I suspect my lack of enthusiasm is more about me than the book. It was read in a thousand and one (very small) sittings, and didn't really grab me by the throat at any point. Some amusing parts, some well written parts, but mostly I'm left feeling blah about it. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/m... ( )

Although set a good 60-70 years before the first Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters, this book shares a good many themes and attitudes that make them directly comparable. While Peters writes primarily mysteries with a romantic element, Chase is definitely writing a romance with trappings of a mystery -- not very convincing trappings at that. You can tell that she's impatient with having to actually provide clues and motives, that they're just a distraction from the love story she REALLY wants to tell. However, I liked both the heroine, a Dorothea Brooke-ish scholar who ultimately makes a much better choice of mate than Dorothea, and the hero, who admires Daphne for her strength. And the sex is hot. ( )

I rather adore this book

Regency + Egypt = One happy dame

Mr Impossible is the second in Loretta Chase's Carsington brothers series, and I enjoyed it more than the first, Miss Wonderful, and at least as much as the third, Lord Perfect. Rupert is delightfully charming, and amusing as he winds up the intelligent, feisty Daphne in Regency Egypt.

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.

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. ( )

Rupert Carsington, 4th son of the Earl of Hargate, is reckless, stranded in Egypt in prison. He accepts Daphne Pembroke's proposal to rescue her brother, who's been kidnapped by a rival seeking a fabled treasure. Fun. ( )