The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is a fun and swoony historical romance with a dash of mystery and a heaping helping of disability representation (4.25/5 stars)

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is a fun and swoony historical romance with a dash of mystery and a heaping helping of disability representation.

I was a big fan of the first book in The Crinoline Academy series, Rules for Ruin, and I absolutely ate this up and inhaled the sequel in a single day! I listened to the audiobook from my local library and followed along (and tabbed) in my physical review copy. You can probably read this as a standalone, but I’d still recommend reading the first book because it’s fantastic.

The author’s sense of humor is great, even when there are darker themes present. I believe the juxtaposition of lightness and darkness is something that’s great to have; it absolutely heightens my experience with a book.

There’s also fantastic disability representation in our FMC, Nell. She suffered a horrible injury when she was younger, and often uses a cane as a mobility aid. Said cane usually has a spring-loaded blade at the end of it when she needs to make use of it. Nell grew up and is now a teacher at the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies.

The romance is closed-door, but still steamy and swoony from several kissing scenes. And the pining! Worth noting, the MMC is a cat-dad, which I love to see. I also love that the author is inspired by actual bits of history, and goes into some detail in her Author’s Note at the end of the book.

He wasn’t repelled by her contradictory distinctions. It was the very quality he admired in cats. Their ferociousness, their daring, and their indomitable independence, all wrapped up with loyalty and affection bestowed on their chosen few.

Rep: disability

Tropes: historical (Victorian), black cat/black cat, marriage of convenience, slow-burn, only one bed

CW: violence (on- and off-page), ignorant remarks about FMC’s disability, references to abduction/human trafficking (off-page), references to mutilation (off-page), references to parental abandonment and death of parent (in the past), references to FMC’s traumatic injury (in the past)

I received a complimentary review copy from Berkley Romance. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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The Crinoline Academy series includes:

• Rules for Ruin
• The Marriage Method