The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Mimi Matthew brings us the sequel to Rules for Ruin with the next installment of the Crinoline Academy, the Marriage Method.
She’s Penelope “Nell” Trewlove.
Second in Command at Miss Corvus’s Academy
Talented with a needle
Might have a blade in her cane
He’s Miles Quincy.
Editor in Chief of the Courant
Investigating the suspicious activity of the Academy
A cat man
In a nutshell…
After they utterly ruin each other (allegedly), Nell and Miles find themselves forced into a multi-layered partnership. At the same time, their separate investigations into two missing people lead them down an entangled path filled with danger and mystery.
Hyping it up!
I am pretty sure this is my favorite of all of the Mimi Matthews books I have read. (I haven’t read her entire backlist, but that’s not for lack of interest, just lack of time.) While I loved Rules for Ruin as a great start to this series, it had a lot of work to do to set up the concepts of the Crinoline Academy, Miss Corvus, and the expectations of the students when they reach adulthood. While the Marriage Method used that as a backdrop to the mystery at play and a tool to have Miles and Nell meet, the focus was clearly on Miles and Nell. It felt crisp, even while telling the story of a pretty complicated investigation.
First of all, it had one of my favorite tropes, which is the compromised into marriage trope but from some ridiculous misunderstanding. There has to be a shorter name for this… The setup of their situation was funny, but showed the beginning sparks of attraction at the same time. This scene will stick with me for a long time! Other classic tropes & HR specialties I noticed were house party, only one bed, my wife, and competency king/queen.
Throughout the book, there is something about the pacing, tension, and tenderness of the romance that just really works. Miles’s journalism talents allow him to be observant and his heart makes attentive to Nell. There were so many sweet moments where Nell got the affection and romance she deserved. I usually find myself missing the spice in closed-door romances, but I didn’t feel that way about this one, perhaps be cause it was a bit more heated than I expect from Mimi Matthews. If you enjoy closed door romances, I do not think this would cross any of your boundaries. However, there were some intimate moments essential to the character and romantic development.
Thank you to Berkley for the ARC. This is my honest review.