Two of a Kind: Impulse / The Best Mistake

by Nora Roberts

Impulse
Rebecca Malone—who has never traveled more than five hundred miles from Philadelphia—heads to Greece after quitting her job and selling off everything that she owns. Her friends and family think she’s crazy, but Rebecca has never felt saner—especially after meeting Stephen Nickodemus. And for the first time, following an Impulse just might give Rebecca’s heart the kick-start that it needs…

The Best Mistake
Former model Zoe Fleming is now a single mother looking for some help with the bills. But J. Cooper McKinnon doesn’t seem like the perfect tenant. To Coop, a long-time bachelor and sportswriter, the harried Zoe doesn’t seem like the greatest landlord. But what starts out with mutual misgivings could turn into The Best Mistake both Zoe and Coop have ever made.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Novels, Anthologies

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por Impulso - 3⭐

Este livro foi-me oferecido durante o mês de Junho do ano passado e, como não sabia o que havia de ler durante este mês e tinha pouco tempo, acabei por me decidir por este para poder finalmente colmatar a minha curiosidade acerca do mesmo.

Este é um livro repleto de atracção, paixão, tensão, amizade, mistério e amor desde o início até ao fim, com um enredo cativante e com personagens carismáticas e envolventes.

Como é habitual, a escrita da autora apresenta-se directa e simples e propicia uma leitura leve e agradável ao leitor.

Tenho a dizer que gostei deste pequeno livro, apesar de ser curto e ter uma história pouco aprofundada – ainda assim, o meu principal reparo vai para a sensação com que fiquei de o romance ter sido demasiado instantâneo e os acontecimentos muito mais rápidos do que deveriam ser.

De qualquer forma, este é um romance descontraído que consegue captar facilmente a atenção do leitor – eu gostei do que li e recomendo!

-----------------------------------------------------------

O Melhor Erro da Sua Vida - 4⭐

Este livro foi-me oferecido durante o mês de Junho do ano passado e acabei por me decidir a lê-lo no final deste mês literário de forma a poder, enfim, saciar a minha curiosidade acerca do mesmo.

Este é um livro recheado de amizade, atracção, amor, tensão, drama, ternura e romance do princípio ao fim, com um enredo ritmado e bem construído e com personagens fortes, reais e cativantes.

Tal como já esperava, a escrita da autora mostra-se leve e fluida e proporciona uma leitura descomplicada e agradável.

A verdade é que gostei bastante deste pequeno livro pois, apesar de ser curto, tem uma narrativa sólida e interessante que se mostra, sem qualquer dúvida, plausível – é certo que algumas situações poderiam ter sido mais e melhor exploradas mas, no geral, eu penso que a história está muito bonita assim. Este é um amoroso e cativante romance que promete prender o leitor sem qualquer esforço – eu recomendo mesmo que o leiam!

[Paula Reis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livros para ler ao sol !

[Mónica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livrinho com duas histórias distintas. Acabei por gostar muito mais da segunda.

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really not liking it.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 estrelas

Por Impulso: 3 estrelas
Não gostei muito, é uma lamechice daquelas à antiga, afinal já foi escrito há mais de 30 anos. Aquelas indecisões e inseguranças de Rebecca mexeram-me com os nervos. Leu-se mas não ficou na memória.

O Melhor Erro da Sua Vida: 4 estrelas
Muito, mas muito melhor que o outro! Este é uma pequena preciosidade que fica na memória. Gostei muito de tudo: da forma como Zoe e Coop se conheceram, como a relação evoluiu, das dificuldades e, principalmente, do pequeno Keenan, de 4 anos. Lindo!

[Tania Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A primeira história foi um bocado rebuscada com tanto amor subitamente mal se veem um ao outro. Gostei mais da segunda ate porque tenho um fraco por histórias que envolvam mães solteiras e o miúdo era o máximo...fofinho!

[Allison Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

not normally a fan of such short pieces of hers, but these were decent

[Maritere Matosantos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nora Roberts short novels many times are republished of her earlier work - when I bought this I didn’t at first remember I had read them. If you haven’t read them, they’re warm, funny, short romantic stories, not exactly memorable, not upsetting, good to read on a slow day under warm covers with a hot chocolate or better, a glass of wine.

[Isa :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐ voor zomerzon
2,5⭐ een gelukkige vergissing

[Gia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read Best mistake.. was really a poor story. The H is a sports writer who needs a place to stay so rents from the h. She has a 4 yr old son and almost from day one, she tries to make Coop babysit for her! It was really pathetic and annoyed me that she doesn’t know this guy from Adam , and she’s shoving her kid at him, making him do car pools etc! Then barely a few days later she tells Coop she’s in love with him and jumps into bed with him! Smh
Coop naturally rebels after a while but then suddenly does a turn about and asks her to marry him! Head scratcher or what! It was so bad I didnt bother to read the next story •impulse”. Maybe someone else was a pseudo writer for Nora Robert’s:)

[Lovviner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was 2 books in one. I liked the second one a little better. Nora Roberts is a good author, but this was not one of her better books. I might would have scored it higher if I was twenty something. Those days are long gone.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both stories are cute love stories. Good when you need brainless reading. Typical but still good. I don’t feel like I wasted my time but they were predictable stories. I would give 3 and a half stars.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a nice sappy read theses are yours. I liked the 2nd one better. The characters were more developed and it was less locking eyes & instantly in love.

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca got on my nerves just a little bit, but overall I liked and the Best Mistake

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vintage Nora, very quick and fun!

[Gracie Boissel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved these stories.

[Connie Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short love stories

[Teresa Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read with happy ending! What could be better!

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read for me! I was excited to turn each page.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of classics for a smile

[Agata Bąk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story was too predictable so I gabe 3.00 stars and the second one: the original plot and I fell in love with so 5.00 stars🥰🤩

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dated in sytle. As a long time reader of romances; these have the feel of those from decades ago.

[Cathy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

2 stories in 1 both were good reads, my only complaint was the price of $8.00 for less than 180 pages. It makes every page worth gold and the stories not worth it.

[Connie Glasgow · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read - two stories!

It is fun when someone finds remance!

[Savannah Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shockingly excellent. The second novella was much better than the first.

[¡addie! · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf.
this was so generically written that i couldn’t stomach finishing it. made it to page 155 and decided to stop. will certainly not be reading another nora roberts book, clearly not for me.

[Chinablue_25 West Bostedor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so this book is two short stories. I enjoyed both stories. I think the first is my favorite though. It is about a woman who is an accountant in Philadelphia and when her aunt dies one month after retiring and in the midst of planning to travel (and her aunt was the only family she had left) She sort of freaks and quits her job, sells her condo, car, and all her possessions. Everything that she owns now fits in a suitcase and she jumps on a plane first class to London, then Paris, then Greece where she meets a rich business man who happens to own the resort she is staying at among others she later finds out. He becomes obsessed with her. Feels possessive over her. Now some women might not like this but I found it romantic. After finally making love for the first time, he discovers it wasn't just their first time together but HER first time PERIOD. He got upset that she didnt tell him she was a virgin and she translates that he didn't want her because she wasn't experienced. So she packed and left before he woke the next day. She went back to Phili and got an apartment and began making plans to get back to her life as an accountant. After two weeks he found her and shows up at her door furious with her. He storms in the apartment and his first words are, "What in the hell do you think you are doing? Do you deliberately try to drive me mad or does it come naturally to you?" They work through their misunderstandings and then he asks her to marry him and immediately come back to Greece with him. The end!

The second story was cute. A single mother of a four year old little boy rents out the second story of her house to a single sports writer for the local newspaper. He is immediately attracted to the mom, but doesn't like kids. Slowly he warms up to the kid and before he knows it he basically falls in love with the kid. Then they finally have a date and sleep with each other. He all of a sudden freaks out when he realizes that they have basically become a little family. So he tries to take a step back and pisses the mom off royally. Then he gets drunk one night and pushes his way in and starts running his mouth about how he watches her with her son in the yard and how he loves the smell of her shampoo and how he can't get her out of his head and how he knows what she is doing and she better stop popping in his head and then he passes out. Next morning he wakes up with massive hangover, and she talks calmly to him and makes him eggs and a hangover remedy and then he just loses it and tells her he wants her and that he thinks they should get married and then she can quit her second job at the bar and go to school like she was planning. She takes offense to the way his lame proposal and says no and then leaves to get ready for work. By the time she gets home she finds her house with a fancy table setting for two and dinner and candlelight and flowers everywhere with soft music playing in the background. This second time he got it right with the proposal and what he said and she says yes. The end!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was another anthology collecting two of Nora Roberts' older stories (1989 and 1994)--these were novellas, and I don't think they were ever published as stand-alone books, but were parts of other anthologies. I thought I hadn't read either before, but as soon as I started the second story, "The Best Mistake," I knew I'd read that one. Anyway, I enjoyed both of them.

In the first one, "Impulse," Rebecca Malone has given up everything, following the death of her only remaining family member--quit her job as a corporate accountant, sold her condo and everything in it--and set out to travel wherever she fancies. In Greece, she meets Stephen Nickodemus, and romance (and some misunderstanding, of course) ensues. This story totally gave me the urge to do the same as Rebecca--get rid of possessions and hit the road--even though I probably won't. ;-)

In the second story, sports writer Coop McKinnon rents an upstairs apartment from hard-working Zoe Fleming and her 4-year-old son, Keenan. The apartment is everything he'd been looking for, as long as his landlady and son are quiet and stay out of his way. But he doesn't anticipate falling for both of them....

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two of the books I hadn't gotten hold of yet. Impulse was unusual in that it takes place in Corfu and Athens. Most of Ms. Roberts' books are set in America. I didn't get a good handle on the characters in this book, mostly because Rebecca is described as angular and sturdy, but Stephen sees her as beautiful and sultry. There were too many instances of contradictory actions and perceptions to really "see" the characters, which is also unusual for Ms. Roberts. I enjoyed The Best Mistake more, although, once more, I had trouble with the characterization of Coop. The description of his apartment and his love of baseball were authentic, but he reminded me of a junkyard dog in his manner and rough talk. Keenan, four years old, and his interest in baseball was a bit over the top. I don't think most four year olds could watch an entire game, asking questions and learning from the answers. He seemed precocious there but a typical four-year-old at home with his mother. Once again, contradictory actions and perceptions.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of a Kind By Nora Roberts
Two books in one!
Impulse
Stefan met her at the restaurant when he glanced over at her walking through the door. He immediately fell for her and she was so fresh and happy to be on vacation.
Rebecca had come from PA and had traveled to Greece and he was to be her personal guide after they chatted over a meal. Problem is she is falling in love with him.
Love the places this book takes you to and the detailed descriptions.
The Best Mistake
He's there, early, to see the apartment for rent. He works at the newspaper.
Zoey Fleming has the apartment and is just finishing the painting.
She has an 4 year old son. Hoop is talked into taking her son to the ballgame and he got a ball signed, and a shirt, etc.
She works at the flower shop and waitresses and when she tries to get a sitter Hoop steps up.
He found himself playing catch with the little boy and it was a treat if his mom was around...