Mimi Matthew’s Rules for Ruin
Miss Euphemia Flite, or Effie, an orphan is brought up at the Crinoline Academy by Miss Crocus to be both spy and lady. After being away for five years in Paris, she is brought back to London society with a mission. The mission is to dig up dirt on Lord Compton, an influential politician who will undoubtedly oppose the Married Women’s Property Act. Effie wants to eliminate him from politics and society.
On the other hand, Gabriel Royce, the man who runs St. Giles through the influence of his betting shop and his contributions to the neighborhood, has Lord Compton in his pocket. Gabriel needs the Lord’s cooperation to protect his assets and prop up his ideas for economic and social reform. While the two of them have opposing goals, Effie and Gabriel are brought together by their admirable goals and connection to each other.
Thoughts
I love a book that is unapologetically progressive addressing issues of women’s rights and class reform. It uses these ideologies to drive the plot, and I appreciate that it doesn’t explicitly teach these topics. (That gets preachy- quick, and is usually preaching to the choir.) It’s just enough to reignite the spark for passionate readers or inspire them to find out more information from other sources.
The romance between Effie and Gabriel is reviving. They are so well matched with shared histories and neither personality overshadows the other. Mimi Matthews has constructed a clever plot where both MCs get to be the good guy even though they want the opposite things in regards to Lord Compton. I was rooting for both of them to get what they want, and absolutely rooting for both of them to find their HEA with each other. Even though Matthews writes closed-door romances, there is such a perfect concoction of tension and passion, my heart is frequently jumping and fluttering.
Another fun aspect of the book was the relationships Effie and Gabriel have with the secondary characters. Effie inspires an interesting change of heart in Miss Compton, and I’m curious to see if she will have a larger role in the series. Nell was raised with Effie at the Crinoline Academy and promises an interesting future of her own. (Looking forward to the second book of the series!) It was sweet to see how Gabriel uplifted people in St. Giles, such as employing them in his own homes. His valet, Ollie, was one of my favorites.
If you have read Mimi Matthews before, you will know what a captivating storyteller she is. This series promises to be a fun and empowering showcase of her talents. If you haven’t, then you are missing out. I urge you to get started now and enjoy the fanfare that is bound to follow with each book release. Mark your calendars for the release of Rules for Ruin on May 20, 2025.
Thank you Mimi Matthews and Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review. To find more about this book, click here.