Mr. Impossible (Carsington Brothers, #2) in Around the World in 80 Books

Feb 21, 2012 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: era-regency, historical-romance, egypt, era-1820s

I know this has gotten plenty of rave reviews, but I still did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

Like many romances, the POV constantly shifts back and forth between man and woman (in this case: Rupert Carsington & Daphne Pembroke). The first time we meet Rupert, his thoughts are, well ... the thoughts of an asshole - he certainly didn't strike me as someone I'd want to spend any time with, let along someone I'd be fond of. As the story moves along, we realize that Rupert is NOT an asshole I know this has gotten plenty of rave reviews, but I still did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

Like many romances, the POV constantly shifts back and forth between man and woman (in this case: Rupert Carsington & Daphne Pembroke). The first time we meet Rupert, his thoughts are, well ... the thoughts of an asshole - he certainly didn't strike me as someone I'd want to spend any time with, let along someone I'd be fond of. As the story moves along, we realize that Rupert is NOT an asshole, not a cad, not a lout, not any of those things - and that's fine that the impression he gives the world is not his true self, but surely his inner thoughts, when told from his POV, would reflect his true self? Or at least as true as he could know?? I think Ms Chase was trying to show us that the rest of the world thought he was a hellion, but he's really not, but I think she messed up a bit.

I really loved how naturally Rupert and Daphne grew closer, and how their very different personalities really meshed so perfectly. They endure madcap adventures, but none of it seemed TOO over-the-top, and dangerous situations naturally bring people closer together very quickly. And, once I got past the first 10 pages or so, I really liked both Daphne AND Rupert. Rupert is clever, intelligent, kind, thoughtful, charming, brave, silly, and confident. Daphne is intelligent, kind, brave, quirky, passionate, and a bit lacking in confidence but her bravery allows her to step right out there anyway. Okay, yes, this is all very TYPICAL for a romance, but I'm not going to hold that against this book.

I also loved the Egyptian setting. I have no idea how realistic any of it is, but I do love stories set in Egypt in the late 1800s.

The bad guys were a bit TOO over-the-top crazy, and there were too many of them, pulling in different directions. It added a nice complexity to the plot, but it also pushed many of the adventures over the edge from edge-of-the-seat straight through to eye-rolling ridiculousness. This is why I can't give this book 5 stars. ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Sam rated it liked it

Shelves: 4-historical-romance, read-2012, reviewed

I didn’t pay enough attention in choosing from among my pile of books, so didn’t manage to read the Carsington books in order, but instead have been reading them randomly. Once again, Chase created interesting, lovable characters in Daphne and Rupert. The motivations of each were believable and their interactions were funny and warm. Granted my sample is pretty small (just 4 books), I have to say that Chase is fast becoming a reliable author for me—if I need a quick read that I’m confident will ...more

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