About the Book:
Title: Impossible
Author: Darcy Burke
Series: The Phoenix Club #5
Page Length: 318
Publication Date: April 19, 2022
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Synopsis: Society’s most exclusive invitation…
Welcome to the Phoenix Club, where London’s most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances.
Ada Treadway has been in love before, and it brought nothing but heartache. Still, she retains her cheerful optimism and is fiercely protective of the independence and respect she’s earned as bookkeeper of the Phoenix Club. When the owner enlists her help to organize his friend’s estate ledgers, she’s eager to prove her expertise and her worth. But his friend turns out to be a disagreeable, unpleasant beast, and Ada works to find the warm-hearted gentleman she’s sure lurks beneath.
Maximillian Hunt, Marquess of Warfield doesn’t care if he lives to see tomorrow, and he certainly doesn’t want to recall yesterday. The arrival of the meddlesome and effusively positive woman who will put his accounts in order not only reminds him of the past he’s desperate to forget, she sparks something within him he thought dead. Tempted by a future he never imagined, he must do the impossible: convince her that he’s worth risking her heart a second time.
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My Review:
I loved Impossible, the fifth book in Darcy Burke’s The Phoenix Club series. The characters are great, the story is compelling, and the romance is swoon-worthy! The story follows Ada Treadway, bookkeeper for the Phoenix Club, as she helps Maximillian Hunt, the Marquess of Warfield organize his estate and put everything in order. Unfortunately, Max doesn’t want Ada’s help. A wounded war hero that suffered terrible trauma and tragedy in the war, Max lives in seclusion and acts more beast than man. Ada’s infectious optimism and happy outlook on life irritates the grumpy Max to no end, but soon they begin to look forward to their time together. Can this pair find happiness, and will they reveal the secrets between them?
The Phoenix Club is such a fantastic historical romance series, and I adored Max and Ada’s story. It has total Beauty and the Beast vibes, which I always enjoy. Max is grumpy and growly, and he lives a very solitary life. Ada is full of energy and optimism, much to Max’s chagrin. In many ways, they are opposites, especially when it comes to temperament. But like Beauty and the Beast, the more time this pair spends together, the closer they become, and the. more they see that they are actually quite similar. Both are independent, both have suffered unimaginable loss, and both fear risking their hearts again.
Max is tormented by things that happened in the war, and he feels tremendous guilt and self-hatred because of it. Because of that, he struggles to let people in. He’s let his estate fall into disrepair, he’s not taking care of his tenants, and he is wallowing in his unhappiness and anger. I like that she helps him see that what he’s doing doesn’t just affect him. She also helps him find happiness and hope again, which is lovely. And Max and Ada’s banter is fantastic! The way she teases and antagonizes him, the way he struggles to resist her charms by throwing out seemingly sharp comments that are actually quite funny and charming. She pushes him in a way he desperately needs.
Ada’s story is as compelling and layered as Max’s. She’s such an admirable character, and the fact that she could remain so gregarious and optimistic despite all the terrible things that have happened to her is astounding. She is a resilient person and one of my favorite in the series. And the romance between her and Max is filled with chemistry and passion! I love the way they tease and flirt with each other, how they help each other through their fears, and the way they show each other how much they care. There are so many wonderful scenes, and Max’s professions of love are super swoon-worthy! My word, when this man embraces his feelings, he really lets them show, and I adored every second of it.
The secondary characters are also fantastic, and there are a few surprises with several of the characters from previous books in the series. They all form this close-knit group, and the found family vibes are strong. The Phoenix Club brings them together, and the messages about friendship, loyalty, and forgiveness are poignant. And I love that Lucien has a big role in the story. He is so intriguing, and I can’t wait for his story. Actually, there are two characters whose stories I’m dying to read, and I’m hoping they’ll be the focus of one of the next books. The pair has a history, and I’m eager to learn more about their relationship, what ended it, and if there is a potential reconciliation.
Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press and Darcy Burke for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!
- The characters.
- The Phoenix Club.
Favorite Line:
Just because something was difficult didn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Difficult things were often those that were most worth doing.
Recommendations:
I would recommend checking out the content warnings before reading the book as there are some elements that could trigger readers.
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