I loved everything about this book. I loved that neither of the main characters were from the upper class, I loved the connection and romance between them. I loved the character of Effie, how strong and independent she was, and I loved Franc.

DNF at 42%

I have previously read other Mimi Matthews books and did really like her regency romance style. But because this book was pitched as a sort of Kingsmen-type book with women spies, I was expecting just slightly more action. At 42% in, I see no reason Euphemia is supposedly this well-trained spy from the Crinoline Academy. In fact, she seems quite out of her depth for the part of the book I read. Gabriel seems much more clever than her which is not the book I signed up for. Ultimately, I found my mind wandering while I was reading and decided this isn't the book for me. I will gladly finish Mimi Matthew's other series.

Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews completely drew me in from the very first page. There’s something about the way Matthews writes that makes the Victorian era come alive with such richness and authenticity. I felt like I was stepping into another world, and I didn’t want to leave.

The chemistry between Effie and Gabriel is electric. Their dynamic is equal parts tension, charm, and genuine connection, and I found myself fully invested in their story. Matthews has a gift for writing romance that feels both timeless and fresh, and this one is no exception.

I’m so excited this is the start of a new series. The Crinoline Academy has so much promise, and I’m already counting down the days until the next installment. Rules for Ruin is romantic, atmospheric, and utterly captivating.

I had so much fun reading Rules for Ruin and thought it was a great start to Mimi Matthews' new historical romance series. It’s got a little bit of everything I love—clever heroines, layered characters, secret missions, mystery and danger, and a swoon-worthy, slow-burn love story. I was completely pulled in by the premise of a women’s academy secretly training young ladies to take down corrupt men in power. Ummm, yes, please! lol

Effie is a fantastic main character. She's sharp, determined, and fully committed to her cause, even when the mission gets complicated. I loved how confident and intelligent she was, and also how much depth there was beneath the surface. And the way she navigates her growing feelings for Gabriel while trying to keep her focus was fantastic. Speaking of Gabriel… what a great love interest! Charming but morally complicated, Gabriel is rough around the edges in all the right ways. I loved how his relationship with Effie felt like a constant game of mental chess, but with major emotional stakes. Every time they bantered, I was grinning at the tension between them. (The dialogue throughout the book is excellent.) Their dynamic is full of tension and sparks, and even though the romance is closed-door, it still feels intense, sexy, and emotionally charged.

The world-building was another highlight for me. The book brings Victorian London to life, and I appreciated how Matthews worked in themes like women’s rights, class inequality, and patriarchal power without ever making it feel preachy. Everything felt naturally woven into the story—Effie’s mission, her personal beliefs, even the way she uses fashion as both protection and protest. I also like how the author uses the different settings to highlight the tone and mood of different scenes and characters.

Overall, I thought this was a strong start to what looks like a really promising series, and I'm already looking forward to reading the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Crinoline Academy is a somewhat obscure institution whose headmistress welcomes young girls of unfortunate situations and provides them with an education. Once they’re about to graduate they can make up for their fees by working undercover. These women are spies.

Mimi Matthews is an author with an elegant and precise narrative style. Her simplicity in writing and her command of words are the key to the mastery with which she conveys the growing romantic feelings of her protagonists to her ever-increasing and loyal readers. Without artifice or tendency toward drama, she not only perfectly creates a romance but also makes it appropriate to the era in which she has set her story. In the case of this book, the emphasis falls on adventure, risk, tension, and darkness as the only ingredients that transform this romance into something extremely exciting and moving. Mimi Matthews consolidates herself as one of my favorite writers with each book she writes.

This is perhaps the most obscure of Mimi Matthew’s books. It is not an eerie kind of story, nor is it a gothic romance, but the influences of both styles are undeniably there. The biggest influence of the book is the BBC series “Peaky Blinders”, not only Gabriel could pass as an alter ego for Tommy Shelby, the general environment of the book is the same as the first half of the series, even the smog can be felt behind the lines! And then there’s Effie, who only dreams of completing her mission and pay her dues so she can finally become independent. Through her we get to see the first hints at politics with women at their core. The laws of property for females are referenced there and the seed of what will be the suffrage movement a few decades later. Effie and her way of thinking are probably the most interesting aspectis of the book as well as Gabriel’s ideas of progress and betterment. Both Effie and Gabriel with their different takes on life are incredibly forward thinking for their time. But… what’s their story?

After a few years in Paris, finishing her education, the headmistress who took Euphemia in as a child has a mission for her back in London and that is to infiltrate in London balls and soirées passing as the protegée of an English lady. Her actual goal: to destroy a powerful man that years ago caused the downfall of Miss Corvus, the Crinoline Academy’s headmistress.

In a very different area of London, far from the clean and proper streets of Mayfair, dwells Gabriel Royce. A self made man that grew up in the underworld of London, in a miserable area called “The Rookery” in St.Giles. The people there have next to no hope to make something of themselves, poverty and disease are present in every corner of the neighborhood. Men drink they they don’t work and steal from their wives and children’s labor. Gabriel started his gaming hells and betting rooms when he was very young and now he’s the most powerful man in St Giles. He’s on the path of making the place livable for his people and for that, he needs to deal with the very same man that Effie is set to destroy.

Soon they understand that the attraction between them is too strong and therefore they will start to question their priorities. She stands in his way to make his people justice, he stands in her way to complete her undercover mission. Both are at risk of losing everything including their lives… both are very protective of each other so the question is, will they manage to succeed in their endeavors and, at the same time, find their happily ever after?

I really enjoyed the premise of this book—a Miss Havisham-esque figure opens a school to train orphaned girls to fight the patriarchy.

I also thought the two main characters were well matched with some intense chemistry. Gabriel literally says “if he hurts you, I’ll kill him”— major brooding hero energy— and you know he would do it too. Effie is appropriately conflicted in her motives, given her questions about her origins, and a good match for the conflicted Gabriel.

The only place this book didn’t quite measure up for me was the execution of the plot. Considering how highly trained she’s supposed to be, Effie seems dangerously naive and disorganized. I would have liked to see her pursue her mission more competently or at least get more of a sense of why she keeps screwing up so badly. And Gabriel seems a little too easily persuaded to give up his entire identity to be with a woman he barely knows… also a dangerously naive move from a man who is supposed to be a self-made man with a violent past. I would have liked to see him wrestle with his choices and inner darkness a bit more.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am already looking forward to seeing more of Nell and Miles in the next book.

thank you netgalley besties for the arc <333333

I was sooooo excited to get this early, I've come to really love Mimi Matthews's work! The premise for this book was a bit different than her previous titles, and I have to admit I was a bit skeptical that it would be too "girlboss" and not believable for the setting. However, my fears were totally unfounded and this was a delight! It's definitely very pro-feminism, but it's situated in it's time and isn't at all a push for modern sensibilities in historical contexts. I found that everything fit well and I had no problem going along with the story.

But I think the true strength of this novel was the main leads. They were a bit...scrappier? than Matthews's usual characters, but hoo boy were they great. They were both strong on their own but even better together. They were a well-matched pair with great banter and obvious chemistry. Because of their situations they had a bit of a push-and-pull dynamic, which added tension without unnecessary drama. And their attraction made sense! I'm usually not a fan of romances when the main character has another pressing obligation, but here it worked: Effie wasn't overly distracted from her goals because of Gabriel, nor was she just attracted by his looks. They were drawn to each other as people (like recognizes like!).

After I finished this, I realized I had a couple of problems with how things resolved: however, everything else was so strong that these don't overly affect my enjoyment of this book.

This book definitely delivered on everything I've come to expect from Matthews—strong characters, believable setting, a romance you can't help but root for—but with enough of a twist that it was a fresh read. I'm very excited to see what comes next in this series!

Rules for Ruin The Crinoline Academy #1 by Mimi Matthews is an extraordinary historical romance. Miss Euphemia Flite has a been a pupil at a lady’s institution that trains young women in the art of disruption. She is required to infiltrate a viscount’s home to discredit him and then she is able to gain her freedom from the Academy’s grip. Gabriel Royce has other plans and want s to use the viscount for his gain. He cannot have Miss. Flite stand in his way. They both clash in so many ways!

WOW! I was drawn into Rules for Ruin and did not want to leave this amazing story! The banter, tension, and chemistry between Gabriel and Euphemia was simply amazing! The alternating POV helped me to watch them both develop and grow. Themes of redemption, identity, and found family resonated deeply with me. The historical details and time period were fascinating and I felt like the author transported me back to Victorian England. I could not get enough of this incredible book.

I was so taken in by Rules for Ruin and absolutely adored it. The story is beautifully written with enchanting characters, fascinating historical content, and wonderful romance! I am so thankful that book #2 will be out in the future as I can not wait to visit Crinoline Academy and its pupils again. I highly recommend Rules for Ruin! It will be one of top favorite books of 2025.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a positive review

For fans of: India Holten, Minerva Spencer
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
Genre: Historical Romance
Violence: 🪓🪓
Spice: 🔥🔥

Synopsis: England, 1867. Effie was raised in no ordinary girls’ school, one that trains young women to distract, disrupt, & discredit the patriarchy. To earn her freedom, she must infiltrate the inner circle of a lord systematically attacking women’s rights in parliament. Too bad a handsome underworld king pin stands in her way.

Thoughts: This gem of a book seamlessly integrates social justice with intrigue and romance and is a just plain fun read from beginning to end. While spy-training-disguised-as-boarding-school isn’t a plot unique to Matthews, her take on it is innovative: gifting young woman the skills to blend into any environment so they might undermine the laws and social fabric that oppress women and the less fortunate. Thus the novel is both a historical snapshot and a relevant parallel to modern social concerns.
Don’t worry: you’re in for a political treatise. If it had fewer bustles (but why would you want such a thing!) and more high-speed chases, it would count as a comic thriller. And the love story is *chef’s kiss*! And can I just say: the crinoline is a brilliant literary device. Curious what I mean? Read the book!

Thanks to Berkley & NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rules for Ruin
by Mimi Matthews
Pub Date: May 20 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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.

“On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy.”

Rules for Ruin is set in Victorian England. A pupil of the secretive Crinoline Academy, Effie Flite has been set on a mission that brings her into direct conflict with Gabriel Royce, to predictable results. (That’s not an insult! I think it’s pretty obvious that when reading a romance novel, you can predict the main characters will have a romance.)

This is a very specific brand of romance, and will appeal to readers who like historical romances with witty banter and some unlikely characters; an anachronistically strong and independent FMC trained to be something of a spy, with an equally unlikely MMC who is tough and hard on the outside, but secretly has a progressive and egalitarian center. Basically, do you like a historical romance setting but you need a little something extra and fun? This is for you!

Mimi Matthews has a distinctive style and I’ve enjoyed her Somerset Stories series. This is much more light-hearted and fast paced, but still shows her distinctive writing style. It’s a closed door romance so if you’re looking for extra spicy scenes you won’t find them here, but I think anyone who enjoys cute banter and a feminist protagonist will have a good time.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my review! All opinions are, as always, my own.

This was wonderful. I had such a good time.

It had the right balance of intrigue to keep you guessing, and the heart-achingly beautiful romance that we know and love in a Mimi Matthews book.

I just loved Effie, and I loved how she confounded Gabriel at every turn.

I’m already so excited for book two and I can’t believe I have to wait!

Many thanks to Berkley and PRHAudio for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Ahhh this was so good! We have a bit of a departure from Matthews’s previous series as we move from upperclass horsewomen to 2 orphans from St Giles moving amongst the ton to enact their own schemes.

I loved the idea of the Crinoline Academy, with girls being fully trained, not just educated. Effie was an immensely sympathetic FMC. Her need to know where she came from, her commitment to women’s rights, her love of her poodle, and her entirely relatable fear of heights made me love her. (And when we learn WHY she has a fear of heights…OMG it just broke me).

Gabriel also made me love him from the start. He’s a bit rough, but he cares deeply about St Giles, and I swooned over how gone he is over Effie. I did want to shake him a bit at one point for being a bit dense, but thankfully he got over it!

This was action packed, heartfelt, and un-put-downable. I think fans of Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen are going to love this series. Highly recommend!

RULES FOR RUIN is the first in a new historical romance series. Effie Flite was raised in a bit unconventional orphanage. The patroness was determined to raise young women who were educated and able to take care of themselves and eager to pursue social justice for women.

Effie was the oldest of the students and has spent some time in France as a companion to a gentlewoman. Her time abroad has given her polish, and a cute French poodle named Franc. She has come to London with the intention of finding some way to ruin Lord Compton who is an influential man, a member of Parliament, and strongly opposed to women's rights. He is also a villain who began his rise to power by stealing the fortune of a young woman he had promised to marry leaving her ruined.

Gabriel Royce is a man who has built a successful life by running a betting shop in the Rookery. He is blackmailing Compton in order to have his business protected and to further his plans to improve conditions for the people who live in the Rookery.

The two meet and recognize something in the other, but with opposing plans, there doesn't seem to be any hope for a future for them. Nonetheless, they keep running into each other while trying to further their own plans until they find a future they both can live with.

This romance is packed with historical detail concerning the struggles of the women's rights movement and the passage of the Married Woman's Property Act. It also has details about the conditions for the poor in a very famous slum that existed right next door to some very wealthy parts of London.

I liked this story and will be looking forward to more in the series.

Rules for Ruin is a fantastic start to a brand new series. Mimi Matthews creates a story focusing on strong and savvy young women, throws in a rich working class hero, and blends the two for a historical romance treat.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Effie is summoned back to the mysterious Crinoline Academy, the orphanage where she thrived as a star student. The curriculum focuses on all the things savvy young women need to know to find their way in the 19th century, along with fighting the patriarchy. But now the academy’s founder needs Effie’s help to discredit a member of the ton. While searching for evidence of the lord’s misdeeds, she meets Gabriel Royce. Gabriel runs a London betting shop where he holds the debts of many members of the aristocracy. As much as he is intrigued by Effie, he won’t give up his hold on this particular member of Parliament, who he’s been blackmailing. While the two are seemingly at odds, is there a way that they can act on their mutual attraction and still both get what they want?

Mimi Matthews is one of the few authors I know who writes closed door romance where the main characters have sizzling chemistry. It’s clear that sparks fly every time Effie and Gabriel are in the same room, even though nothing untoward happens between them. I also adore a MMC who is protective of his love interest almost against his will, and takes a while before he realizes these feelings are actually love. And a huge shout out to Franc, the charming poodle, who is Effie’s first love and protective companion.

Rules for Ruin has all the hallmarks of a terrific historical romance. If you are a fan of romances with a bit of mystery starring smart women and sassy poodles too, read this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We have quite the conflict of interest in these two characters! Euphemia aka Effie has been summoned back from Paris by her old benefactor and school mistress Miss Elizabeth Corvus! Miss Corvus is very ill and she sees in Effie one last attempt for revenge!
We have Gabriel Royce owner of a betting establishment and other money making ventures in the poor area of the Rookery!
Giles has pulled himself up from nothing and is determined to save as many as he can from utter poverty!
These two meet in the library of Lord Compton definitely courting scandal as no lady should be alone with a man!
Effie is searching for something her mind on her mission Gabriel senses she is not all what she seems! He has no idea how closely they resemble one another in background and deeds! They are loyal to a fault!
Effie wants to complete her mission involving Lord Compton and Gabriel seeks to protect him to ensure his businesses thrive! These two are like fire and gasoline! I love a hero that falls first!
But Lord Compton is a dangerous man as Gabriel continues to warn Effie!
I love how crinoline skirts kept people from invading your space!
But Effie has tried to face her fears over and over again but they are ingrained too deep!
Her fears have caused 1 tragedy will history repeats itself!
Can Effie thwart a merciless enemy and fall in love!? She must also keep her promises! Oh Effie you must choose wisely! Bravo well done!
I received an ARC copy for my unbiased opinion!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I don’t know if I’m in a rut with Mimi Matthews, or if my on/off issues with historical romance have begun to affect her books. Because while Rules for Ruin had things that made it stand out, and which I really appreciated, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed, just as I was with the latter two books in her previous series.
I appreciate the historical context interwoven in, and I actually came away having learned something. St. Giles has been a setting for romances set earlier in the 18th century and Regency, depicting the underbelly of London, so I was fascinated to learn about how the industrialization and other technological modernizations of the time led to the clearances of the slums and an attempt to “clean up” the area, but the poor people weren’t offered any aid and were instead further marginalized by being pushed out of areas where they were once allowed and confined into smaller and smaller spaces. Additionally, there’s the period-accurate inclusion of feminism, with a woman like Effie trying to find independence in an era where she and all she owned essentially would become her husband’s property (something that would change a handful of years after the book is set with the Married Women’s Property Act in 1870. Both of these topics feel deeply haunting in the wake of Trump and the policies his administration have begun enforcing.
And I did like Effie, as well as the other women, and I liked how she and her compatriots were working to bring down the patriarchy. Gabriel was also pretty interesting, as he’s fighting for the people of St. Giles against the rookery clearances. And as a romance, they do have decent chemistry, I suppose. I can’t say I was super-wowed by them, but they work decently well together, and the ending did feel somewhat well-earned.
However, in spite of the number of interconnected plot threads and the fact that this book promises a bit of a mystery, this book was such a slog to get through. I contemplated DNFing early on, but I saw it got a 1-star review dinging it for being “historically inaccurate,” because the heroine’s a feminist, so ended up finishing it to spite them, in spite of the lackluster pacing.
While I found this underbaked, I respect what Matthews was trying to do here, even if the ideas didn’t come together in a compelling story for me. However, others have enjoyed this, so I’d recommend this if you’re interested in a well-researched, if slow paced historical romance with a strong mystery subplot, I recommend giving this a chance to see if you enjoy it more than I did.

Euphemia Flite “Effie” has been recalled to England by Artemisia Corvus, the founder and director of Miss Corvus’s Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies (but called the Crinoline Academy by the locals). Effie has been in Paris for the last five years working as a companion, but she owes Miss Corvus her loyalty and returns with the hope of finally repaying her debt to her and earning her freedom and pursue her dream of independence and a home of her own with her poodle Franc. She quickly learns her mission will require her to move in society, so she can collect information to ruin Viscount Compton. All she knows is that Lord Compton ruined a young lady’s life by jilting her and stealing her fortune, and while that ship has sailed, Miss Corvus is sure that he has done the same to other women and wants the proof to bury him and if Effie succeeds, she will be free of the Academy and will be given a generous stipend to start her new life. Sounds easy enough, especially since Miss Corvus has called in a favor and has a well-respect society matron to sponsor Effie. But that was before she met Gabriel Royce, a man who is bent on protecting Lord Compton. He is clearly her enemy, so why does she find him so enticing when she knows he will do nothing but destroy her chance for independence?

Gabriel Royce was not born in the Rookery, but he has lived there most of his life and has fought his way to the top. He has a successful betting shop and has made a decent fortune, but he knows that the Rookery is shrinking and without the support of parliament to revitalize it, it will soon be gone, along with his business. Lucky for him, he has a nobleman in his pocket, thanks to some incriminating letters that came into his possession. He knows what Lord Compton did to his former fiancée and has used the knowledge to force the viscount to help him by keeping the police from raiding his not quite legal betting shop, but now that is not enough, he needs to save the Rookery and will need more than Compton’s support to do it, so he once again forces Compton to help him, by introducing him to other parliament members who could support his efforts. Sounds easy enough, but that is before he met Effie Flite, a woman bent on destroying Lord Compton. She is clearly his enemy, so why can’t he get her out of his mind when he knows that she will do nothing by destroy his life?

What a great start to a new series, this was a well-written, nicely paced story with wonderful world building and likable characters. Effie and Gabriel have an instant chemistry, and it was a delight to read their story. This book has a lot going on and it is filled with secrets, lies, betrayal, heartbreak, amazing secondary characters, an adorable poodle named Franc (he is a poodle NOT a dog!), some levity, low-steam love scenes, surprising revelations, and finally a well-earned HEA complete with an epilogue. I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly looking forward to the next installment! If you are a fan of strong heroines and heroes who fall hard – this is the book for you!

4.5 stars, rounded up

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

This one was cute! Matthews is a great with tension, and I was really rooting for the couple, and I liked how both of them were fleshed out. I've found myself returning back to this one because how of how adorable it was. Dare I say, potentially my favorite Matthews book (though Gentleman Jim is a hard one to beat)?

3.5 stars, rounded up - knocked down only because I felt the pacing was slightly off in the first half.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read! I don’t always vibe with historical romance unless it brings something fresh to the table, and this one totally did. Effie is a total badass on a secret feminist mission, Gabriel is a morally gray gangster with a soft spot, and together they had so much chemistry it hurt. The pacing was super fast, the feminist themes were actually historically accurate (finally!), and I loved that it felt a little grittier than your typical historical romance while still being beautifully written. If I had one tiny complaint, it’s that the dual POV gave a little too much away too soon, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the ride. Can’t wait for the sequel—Effie and Gabriel own my heart now!