Today I’m reviewing The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews. In this historical romance, we follow the young Stella Hobhouse, who is in desperate need of a marriage of convenience. After encountering the handsome up and coming artist Edward “Teddy” Hayes, she may find her solution after a series of unfortunate events.

What I Loved About it:
Mimi Matthews continues her series in the Belles of London, featuring the final horsewoman whose situation is rather dire. With a verbally abusive clergyman for a brother, who tries to retain her inheritance, Stella is in need of a husband. And marriage of convenience can be a fun trope to use when a character is in a sticky situation. When they are desperate to marry possibly anyone to get away from an already unpleasant situation.

Enter Teddy Hayes.

I loved that Mimi took a chance and had a main character who has a disability. Giving voice to people who are capable of more than their disability including finding happiness and love.

What Didn’t Work:
Stella’s situation seemed similar to Julia’s in The Belle of Belgrave Square. Where Stella and Julia both had family members who did not fully see them or empathize with their feelings or needs. The difference between the two characters though is Julia is privliedged where Stella is not. I understood the challenges Stella would face trying to break free from her overbearingly orthodox brother, but all four women Matthews wrote in her Belles of London series were independent, forward thinking, strong willed individuals. Who all went against the social norms of a woman’s place in the world.

I felt Stella lacked that internal strength. To be able to do things on her own without someone having to step in and save her. Had there been more flushed out scenes towards the beginning of the novel, where Stella doesn’t hide away, but takes the plunge to be in Teddy’s orbit, solidifying the spark and the idea of a marriage of convenience earlier on.

A Few Last Thoughts
But overall, this is a historical romance, romance readers will enjoy.

If you’re looking for a marriage of convenience, grumpy + sunshine, and disability representation, then give this one a try.

Mimi Matthews’ writing enchants as always! She paints the most beautiful love story with words. Miss Stella Hobhouse is a young woman whose hair has gone gray. She wants to find a husband and escape her brother’s unwelcome home. By chance, she meets a handsome artist in a wheelchair at an art gallery. Stella doesn’t expect to see him again at a house party; especially since she’s dyed her hair! Mr.

Teddy Hayes has been confined to a wheelchair for four years after contracting scarlet fever. He discovers his muse with silver hair at a house party, but his enthusiasm scares her away. They eventually become friends and then something far dearer.

Both characters know how it feels to be judged on their outward appearances. But love requires vulnerability and trust. This is a beautiful book with compelling original characters, an interesting artistic setting, an unforgettable love story.

I will post this in my November 2024 newsletter.

I like to thank Mimi for the being the queen she is and forcing Berkley's hand at giving me an ARC. Some people have their authors they will absolutely, 100% support and Mimi is mine. I buy all her books, and every single one of the Muse books I've purchased when they come out after I have read the ARC. If there is a fanclub, I am part of it and vocal in it.

Anyway. Before I begin, I want to say: this book has a handicapped main character. I work with disability individuals, and I get to hear on the phone their suffering and their triumphs. So I responded to this very strongly. Bias (even if it was not Mimi)? Perhaps.

Teddy Hayes is like a pot boiling on the stove. His emotional feelings have been simmering and cooking for so long but held back due to his predicament (scarlet fever caused him to loose feeling in his legs). He is outspoken, direct, passionate, and focused in his art. Art is his joy and the one thing that has not been taken from him so to speak. I recall Teddy from the Orphan series, and I knew we would have an interesting character. He needed the right woman to show him and tell him he matters..

Enter Stella. Our little grey haired beauty. Teddy caught sight of her in the previous Muse book, compared her to a painting. Stella did not know how to take Teddy's outward, focused comparison. Already she has attention drawn to her due to her grey hair at a young age and she wishes she were ordinary. (She didn't always have grey hair, it just changed that way over time.)

To Teddy this is exquisite, perfection, and unlike anything he ever seen and he must paint her.

The focus of art is like an invisible thread and feeling that pulls the two of them together. From my time spent in the art path (before I chose the medical path), art can unlock people. It can heal people. It can change people. Through the course of the book, as Stella sits to be sketched by Teddy, her feelings of apprehension change into love. And his feelings of focus, determination of sketching her begin to make him soften and explore the hope that he can be loved for who he is - disability and all. I can't tell you how absolutely evocative the chapters are of him drawing her. They're intimate, hot, and it was on par of Jack Dawson drawing Rose naked on the divan. (Girl isn't even naked, and when he gets to paint her finally she still isn't naked - she is clothed in less though.)

It was also fun seeing all the Devon Parish couples appear, too. I will say that if you grabbed this ARC / book without reading those you're missing out. (While they weren't part of Berkley, they are on par with these even if under a different publisher.) It's a fun thing for a longtime reader and someone who is a fan.

I loved these books because not only does Mimi not put sex in them, she puts the focus on the emotional aspect and how a person is beyond sexual intimacy. What if Teddy could not have sex? Could he find love, even if he was handicapped? Stella proves time and time again, through her growth, she is unafraid, she is open to loving him... she wants to love him and care for him as a wife does for a husband.

To me, this series was a perfect capture of historical fiction that would delight those who watch shows like Downton Abbey or The Gilded Ones. For readers, it's a Heyer and an Austen (different time periods obviously) when you have read them all.

So thank you Mimi for allowing me to be your fan and allowing me to travel with you through your written worlds. I can't wait for your next series!

The Muse of Maiden Lane is a beautiful conclusion for a wonderful series, and if you enjoyed the other books in Mimi Matthews's Belles of London series or you enjoy regency romances that explore relationships between members of society who are often overlooked, this book is for you.

There is so much to love about this book. Stella absolutely blossoms throughout the novel from a woman who longs to be inconspicuous to someone who is comfortable taking up space and garnering attention, and I am here for it. Mimi did a great job of building tension and chemistry between Stella and Teddy from their first interaction. She viewed him from the beginning in the way that he deserved - as a man full grown, handsome and potentially dangerous to her reputation even though he's in a wheelchair. She views and treats him as a whole person worthy of her respect, affection, and time.

Teddy is extremely candid to the point of occasionally coming across as impertinent or rude, but it makes the moments where he speaks kind words over Stella so impactful. He sees her as truly as her friends do, and he helps her see who she can be if she stops shrinking away from the social spotlight.

The scenes where the two of them are together are delightful, but arguably my favorite part of the story is when Stella has to go home and decide whether she's going to bow to her brothers pressure to marry a local gentleman or set out on her own. The vibe is very Jane Austen with the snide remarks and maneuvering that Stella has to endure, and it's incredible to see her come alive and stand up for herself.

I tend to prefer romances with explicit content. This book does not have any explicit content or scenes, but it still feels very swoonworthy and romantic. Well done, Mimi, for writing a romance where the character's journeys and chemistry speak for themselves without having to include open door scenes. I was enthralled from start to finish.

Thank you to Berkley publishing and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this book for me to review.

ARC provided by the publisher.

What a wonderful, wonderful book and delightful way to close out a series. The Parish Orphans of Devon series is one of my favorites and I have absolutely loved the Belles of London. That they have a crossover is pure heaven.

I loved Stella and Teddy’s story so very much. They are two characters whose pairing and ultimate HEA I have been anticipating for months. It did not disappoint. They were perfect for each other in every way. I loved that they saw each other. Truly saw each other. In Victorian England, a prematurely silver haired horsewoman and many in a wheelchair were subjected to disregard and ignorance. Both found ways to express their frustrations that society didn’t fully understand. What mattered is how they understood each other and the magic of that flows each page. Pure magic.

I loved these two together! Seriously from the start, the reader is able to see the tension, the heat, and the angst. And as the book goes on, we get to see them get to know each other some more and fall in love with one another. A definite 5 stars read.