This was such a great start to a new series! I love Mimi Matthews and will read anything she writes! This was a grittier, more angsty story than we have gotten in the past and I love it!

The start of a new favourite series! I loved the academic setting, the poodle, the balloon.... but most of all, of course, the romance!! Effie is a great main character and I can't wait to see where the series takes us next!

Effie and Gabriel were so natural! Fireworks!

TW: child abuse, dog kidnapping (not hurt obviously), patriarchy 😆

This is a closed-door, enemies-to-lovers, read that is full of banter. It gave me that feeling of mature characterss, who are fully aware of themselves and their souls recognize they have a connection right away! To quote Gabriel 'like recognizes like'. My favorite from the book. I can't get enough of it!

Effie wants her freedom, find her origins,  repay her foster guardian the moral debt she thinks she owes (which she does find out is real by the end , and in a twisted way, i loved it). Lastly she doesn't want anything to distract her, least of all a dangerous rugged man called Gabriel.

But when he rescues her from the terrace in the midst of her panic attack due to fear of heights things start slipping away from her fingers.
Gabriel is so real. The man wants to reform the Rookery with all his passion. He can break and blackmail friend and foe to advance his cause. But when Effie stands in his way, the only thing he can do is mutter, get stern and yet dress up nice for her and escort her to entertainments. It's tooooo good.

And there is a cute dog! And a balloon ride confession. Oh, just grab it if you haven't already!!

I’ve enjoyed every Matthews romance I’ve read and indeed, count Work of Art and Gentleman Jim among the best historical romances I’ve read. But Matthews’s traditionally published romances see her marvellous style flattened and this was evident in Rules for Ruin, which took ages to capture me. As to the wherefores, to follow from the details we glean from the publisher’s blurb:

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful lord’s systematic attack on women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.

The blurb doesn’t give Matthews’s characters their due; their characterization is deeper and more interesting than evident from it, especially Gabriel’s. He and Effie are linked by a desire to bring justice to an oppressed group: women for Effie and the people of the Rookery for Gabriel. As a self-made man, Gabriel wants in to the upper echelons to achieve his goal to save the Rookery and, at first, he believes he and Effie are cross-class; she is above his station, above him in every way. But the “powerful lord,” Lord Compton, proves the key to what they both want to achieve and, again at first, seemingly this is at cross purposes: Gabriel needs to preserve Lord Compton’s power while Effie seeks to destroy it.

There be reasons and they are well-developped on Matthews’s part. The problem? At least for this reader: the romance doesn’t really get underway because Gabriel and Effie don’t have much by way of on-page time together. When they do, it’s a delight: they’re witty, well-matched, and at core, good people. Franc, Effie’s French poodle, provides comic relief to a narrative that is fraught with the upsetting injustices of 1860s Victorian society, against women, the “lower classes,” race, gender, and birth. But Effie and Gabriel give them the lords and ladies a run for their money…which means less romance.

When the romance does make an appearance in a romance reader’s sigh-worthy way, well, it was at 60% read on my e-reader. And because Gabriel and Effie have so much page time to pursue Compton, their feelings come upon us abruptly and without the connection that helps a relationship make sense. However, it’s also when Matthews’s romance genius takes flight. Gabriel and Effie were children of deprivation, street-kids without succour or care and their exchanges are expressions of vulnerability and need. Despite their painful pasts, Matthews gives them an openness about their feelings, and their feelings are a surprise to them, but once realized, embraced, to themselves and to each other that was lovely and refreshing to read. It’s unfortunate Matthews’s romance was lacklustre for the first half, but at least it left this reader with a sigh-worthy second. Miss Austen and I say Matthews’s Rules for Ruin is “almost pretty,” Northanger Abbey.

Mimi Matthews’s Rules for Ruin is published by Berkley and released on May 20th. I received an e-galley from Berkley, via Netgalley. The above is my honest and AI-free opinion.

Euphemia “Effie” Flite is tasked by her former teacher and guardian, Miss Corvus, to find evidence to ruin Lord Compton, a powerful political opponent of women’s rights. Effie’s all for women’s rights and wants the stipend promised to her, so she agrees. She hits a snag on meeting Gabriel Royce, a man intent on keeping Compton in power.

Lord Compton keeps the law away from Gabriel Royce’s gambling hall, but that’s not the only reason he wants Lord Compton in his pocket. Gabriel has plans to help reform the Rookery and he needs Compton’s connections and influence to accomplish them. Euphemia is a danger to his goals, but his plans to thwart her are undermined by his growing respect and attraction to her.

While this sounds like an enemies-to-lovers sort of romance, these two were never hateful or mean. Effie and Gabriel shared similar values and goals. Their admiration, attraction and care came through loud and clear and they had chemistry in spades!

I loved that Effie was a force to be reckoned with, well-educated in self-defense and strategy! Loved her adorable, spirited poodle, Franc, too!

Rules for Ruin was an utter delight! I was hooked from page one! The writing was beautiful, the characters multilayered and likable. I also enjoyed the author’s note detailing some of the history the story was based on. I can’t wait for the next installment, The Marriage Method (11/25/25) which centers on Nell and Miles!

Once again, Mimi Matthews remains my favorite Victorian romance author. Her characters always have off the charts chemistry, and the historical detail she adds is astounding.

I've loved Mimi's books for years, so I was ecstatic that she was starting a new series. This series in many ways reminds me of her Parish Orphans of Devon series, but instead of the men of the series growing up as orphans, it's the female protagonists who are. It's such a breath of fresh air, since so many historical romances just focus on the Gentry class. Mimi interested gives a note diverse picture of what life was actually like back then.

In "Rules for Ruin," Effie has come to London with one purpose: to see Lord Compton ruined. The man is a villain and always has been, and with the married women's property act up for vote in parliament, damaging his reputation could be crucial in getting the bill to pass. Unfortunately, the handsome Gabriel Royce stands in Effie's way. He's no fan of Compton, but he needs Compton's political support to save his home. All of which would be easier if Effie, the woman he can't stop thinking about, wasn't threatening to destroy everything. Despite being enemies, Effie and Gabriel can't seem to ignore their draw towards one another. They do say to keep your enemies close.....

Once again, Mimi Matthews has written a wonderful book and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Found myself smiling so much throughout. Mimi Matthews is a gem of writer and leaves no doubt that historical romance is the genre of her heart. A definite favorite of the year so far and you better believe I will be handselling it whenever I can!

Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews is hiding a deadly weapon behind a layer of crinoline.

** I would like to express my thanks to ☆ Mimi Matthews ☆ for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review **

This has to be one of my favorite books by the author so far. This book was jaw dropping. The vibes and the atmosphere that was set up the author was immaculate. From the set up to the academy and what it stood for and to the missions Effie was apart of, I loved every moment.

The tension, the moments between Effie and Gabriel were next level. There was so many things I wasn't expecting but to summarize Gabriel is a top tier man. His intuition, his dedication, his behavior towards Effie are 👏TO 👏 die 👏 for. Where can I get me one of him? To Effie as well, balancing duty with wants. How can one not fall in love with her character, her stubbornness, and her dedication. This book is amazing, and I can't wait to see what the next ones have in store!

I highly recommend this book to everyone in need of undercover spies and danger galore.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait for more of the series! Effie was such an endearing character and I loved how her romance developed with Gabriel. The pacing was nice and quick and had a very solid plot.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This new series of Mimi Matthews is an absolutely enchanting and captivating romantasy based around women rights. It's absolutely incredible to see this woman absolutely infiltrate the patriarchy Only problem? There's a man on the other side, also infiltrating, but with the opposite goals. Reading about Euphemia and Gabriel clashing is absolutely incredible - the tension was next level. The banter was just plain fun, and I gasped more than once. They were both just written incredibly well and I loved reading a book set in the Victorian period - the historical references and descriptions were amazing and well done. The romance is closed door but that didn't alter anything as that tension and yearning left you burning!

Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews came out this week - thank you to @berkleyromance for the free book and to @spotifycanada for having the audiobook as I switched between formats!

I've read several books by this author and this one was really good - it reminded me a bit of my beloved Veronica Speedwell series and I think anyone who is a fan of historical romance with a mystery component would enjoy this. There was a great female main character, Effie, and her backstory was emotional but the way she evolved as a character who really learned her worth was sweet and special. There's a cute dog too!! I enjoyed the friendships in the story and especially loved the ending. This one is the first in her series The Crinoline Academy and I am now eagerly anticipating the next one!

I read the Digital review copy and listened to the audiobook. The narrative voice flowed seamlessly, language and actions did not stray from what seemed to be normal for the time in the novel, and I appreciated that. A lot of other period pieces tend to stray in remaining true to the era of the setting, using language that is more modern. Effie and Gabriel are both characters that pull me in immediately. I love that Effie and Gabriel form this bond over time, I wanted to see more of them. Gabriel gave me Apollo from Tropical Rebel energy, and I loved it.

As someone who doesn’t read Victorian romances, I wasn’t sure how this one would land with me.

I am thrilled to report I enjoyed “Rules for Ruin” so much and am eager to read book 2 when it drops.

What worked for me was the historical connection woven into the romance storyline. Along with the enemies to lovers, will they? won’t they? vibe, Matthews writes a story that includes the fight for women's rights in Victorian England in the 1860’s (among many other heavier moments in England’s history). Oftentimes I find that adding these historical references within a romance book is a huge win for me as a reader. The “behind the book” section of “Rules for Ruin” was enlightening, earning this book an extra star in my rating.

Effie and Gabriel were such determined, strong willed people and their banter and passion for the world around them made them a pair you found yourself rooting for (as individuals and a couple).

After 5 years in Paris as a lady's companion, Effie is called back to the Crinoline Academy (or the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies) by her benefactress, Miss Corvus. The first pupil, the brightest, and most bitter, Effie and the other girls are trained and educated to overturn the patriarchy. Her assignment is to bring down powerful politician, Lord Compton. Find evidence to cause Compton's downfall so that other politicians won't follow his lead in voting against the Married Women's Property Act. If she succeeds, Miss Corvus will discharge the debt to her, enabling Effie to leave the academy with a small sum of money, enough for an independent life with her lovable dog Frank. The problem? Gabriel Royce. Leader of the Rookeries underworld and betting shop owner, he needs Lord Compton in his pocket to insulate him from government interference and the police. He's blackmailing Compton to introduce him to the aristocrats in the ton. He needs the support of the wealthy and their influence in Parliament to stop the destruction of the Rookeries and make improvements in the neighborhood to better the lives of the poor. Without Compton's assistance the Rookery would be obliterated taking Gabriel's livelihood with it. When Gabriel realizes what she's up to he says he will stop her war on Compton. She declares war on him! I enjoyed both characters. Strong because they had to be. Both orphans and more vulnerable than they showed to the world. Effie uses her crinoline skirts as intimidation, giving her space and a place to conceal weapons. Gabriel doesn't know what to make of it. Soon finding himself neglecting his work to keep up with Effie. How they come to together in their missions is a delight.

This was a fun, interesting historical romance. Mimi Matthews is great at writing books in that genre that are closed door, while still crackling with the chemistry of the two main characters.

Euphemia Flite didn’t have a typical upbringing - she was raised in a school for young ladies that trains them to infiltrate and disrupt the patriarchy. When she is instructed to destroy the reputation of a viscount, she finds opposition in Gabriel Royce, a betting shop owner who is using the viscount (and his good name) as a pawn.

What follows is a battle of wills and wits, as they attempt to outmaneuver each other, and yet find themselves unable to escape their mutual attraction.

I've read 18 of Mimi Matthews' published books. I find her to be a consistent author who writes characters I can root for and stories that pull me in. Out of 18 I've read, I've only rated 5 less than 4 Stars. So I generally expect to like her books. Yet when I started Rules for Ruin, I had a hard time connecting to the beginning of it. I worried the story was going to stray more into a mystery than her books have in the past. All it took to change my mind was to make it to the part where Gabriel and Effie met. That was enough to hook me.

Effie has grown up in an orphanage for girls. But this wasn't a typical orphanage. The owner of the orphanage wasn't affectionate, and she and Effie often butted heads. Effie was eventually sent to Paris, and now she's returning for a mission that will, hopefully, earn her freedom. Mrs. Corvus has tasked her with ruining a man who stands in the way of laws to further women's rights--specifically protecting women's property that they bring into a marriage from being taken over by their husbands and leaving them completely dependent upon their spouses, who might not have their best interests in mind. Effie is hosted in society by a lady who owes a debt of some sort to Mrs. Corvus. This lady is frequently in the company of Lord Compton--the mark. Lord Compton has an impeccable reputation, but how he votes often sways his peers.

When Effie meets Lord Compton, she also meets a man named Gabriel Royce. Gabriel runs a betting house in the Rookery. He is trying his best to grow his business and improve the Rookery. He has good intentions. But he uses Lord Compton as protection from the law. And he's recently been pressing him for introductions to more noblemen and businessmen, hoping to garner investors in his improvement ideas. But he has to do so using a bit of blackmail. Effie's goals run counterproductive to his own. And he lets her know up front that any plans she has against Lord Compton will be undermined by Royce himself.

Effie and Gabriel have a fun journey. I liked seeing them work against each other and for each other. I liked seeing them bump heads as both tend to have a little temper and fire about them. I appreciated that Gabriel isn't a typical hero. Most wouldn't root for a man who owns a betting shop in the slums. But he was a good match for Effie. And I enjoyed their story.

I did wonder a little at a few things. The Crinoline Academy is essentially raising spies. They are trained in unconventional arts. And Effie is supposed to be the prize student. Yet, I found her skills lacking several times. Maybe she's out of practice, having been in Paris and not necessarily on a mission. But a few things felt obvious to me that she missed. Even after being warned by Nell to assume she's being followed, her correspondence being read, and being spied on herself by keyholes, Effie is never as paranoid as I would assume she would be.

Favorite quotes:
-"A finishing school in Paris, was it?" Gabriel inquired. "That's correct." Miss Flite returned her attention to the others. "And were you?" he asked. She glanced back at him again, distracted. "Was I what, sir?" "Finished?" Her mouth curved into a slow, feline smile. "On the contrary," she said. "I'm just getting started."

-"There you are," he said, with a husky scrape of triumph. "I see you now."

-"Fashion is fleeting, but a well-timed right cross is forever." She added wryly, "To paraphrase The Oracle of the Ring."

-"You're too bitter, that's the trouble. You persist in blaming Miss Corvus for the conditions that brought you here. And she's accepted the blame--foolishly, I feel--in the mistaken belief that your anger would fuel you. Instead, all it's done is cloud your judgment. It's made you suspicious of everything you've learned. Perpetually dissatisfied, imagining there's something better waiting just around the corner, if only you could be free of this place."

-"Never talk about other people. It is the mark of a small and common mind."

-"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Blackmail is a loathsome business." She smoothed her gloves. "I intend to remove Compton from the board entirely."

-"Everyone must sleep eventually." "Some people sleep with one eye open." Effie gave him a thoughtful look. "Some people must be very tired." Gabriel's mouth hitched wryly. "Exhausted." "That's why it's important to have a true friend. Someone you trust with your life. You can sleep in turns."

-"When all the world desserts you, you will have no friend but yourself to rely on," Miss Corvus had told them. "See that you are a fierce and competent friend. A friend to be reckoned with."

Rules for Ruin is multifaceted, and I've barely scratched the surface in my review. Miss Corvus's backstory. Effie's backstory. I mentioned Nell, but I haven't described any of the side characters. Franc, the dog. I enjoyed it all. I'm so glad that I pressed on when things felt slow in the beginning. And I can't wait to continue the series with Nell's book next. Rules for Ruin gets 4 Stars. Have you read Rules for Ruin? What did you think? Let me know!

As a disclaimer, I DNFed this book so my review is based off of what I did read. I was honestly just not hooked by what I did read and really wasn't encouraged to continue.

It is as though this book was written from the depths of Mimi Matthew’s soul, it is a masterclass in sophisticated, evocative writing.

Couple an ominous air of suspenseful intrigue with an emotionally passionate duet between Effie and Gabriel. Gentle, tender notes of care and vulnerability play alongside a forte of powerful, smouldering fervency culminating in a composition with a thrilling crescendo!

From the drawing rooms of Mayfair to the rookeries of St. Giles this book will bring political intrigue, heart-stopping suspense, melting moments of vulnerability, passion and grand sweeping gestures of sentiment.
A must read!

Rules for Ruin is a sharp, slow-burn historical romance with a feminist twist—and I was hooked from the first page. Euphemia is bold, brilliant, and completely done with the patriarchy. Her mission? Take down a powerful lord from the inside. But things get complicated when she crosses paths with Gabriel Royce, a brooding underworld king who’s just as clever (and infuriating) as she is.

The chemistry between these two crackles, and their push-and-pull dynamic had me flipping pages like mad. With secret societies, political scheming, and plenty of wit, this book is smart, swoony, and deeply satisfying. If you love morally gray heroes, fierce heroines, and historical romance that doesn’t play by the usual rules—this one’s a must-read.

This is not the kind of book I’d normally pick up- I’m not usually a historical romance type of reader but I decided to give this a try. I have mixed feelings.

Gabriel, the scoundrel-adjacent MMC, is the highlight of this book. My issue? I wanted there to be MORE of him. Granted, I know this book is about both of them, and primarily what Effie is trying to accomplish (no spoilers here), but I wanted to see more of him being our rogue with a tender heart. The writing was well done. The tone and dialogue felt true to the setting.

But, let’s talk setting. . . As someone who doesn’t read a ton of historical romance I found the setting and specificity of the time period hard to follow. That is on me as a reader, so I’m sure if you are into Victorian- era HR, it would be much easier to get into. I wanted to take a chance into this genre it just didn’t do it for me. The chemistry between them felt lacking, overshadowed by the context of the story. I think it needed to deliver more interesting moments, more tension.

Overall, it was good, but took me a long time to finish. It’s truly a 3.5 for me. It’s probably great for someone who reads HR a lot- by all means, go for it- but for someone who doesn’t I wouldn’t recommend. I don’t have a lot to compare it to (in the genre) but it’s not one that I could outright recommend as an overall engaging read.