ARC Review: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

The Marriage Method
Author: Mimi Matthews
Series: The Crinoline Academy (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (November 25, 2025)

Description: The Academy always comes first . . . which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them . . .

My Thoughts: Penelope Trewlove from the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies is sent to London the encourage newspaper editor Miles Quincy to focus his attention elsewhere. Nell hasn't left the school since she was dropped off there as a five-year-old orphan. A fall from a rooftop while rescuing a friend has caused permanent hip and thigh damage and left her with a limp. 

Nell's first meeting with Miles leads to scandal when his stray cat gets caught in her crinoline and the two are discovered trying to untangle it. Miles is very concerned with his reputation since he grew up in a slum and guards it fiercely. Nell would also lose her reputation but doesn't agree with Miles' solution of marriage as the answer. 

It isn't until Miss Quincy sends her away from the school to protect its reputation that she agrees to marry Miles. But she isn't willing to give up her secondary purpose for visiting London which involves another orphan who disappeared there while on her way to the school. Meanwhile, Miles is also searching for his missing gossip columnist.

The two agree to work together to find both missing persons which leads them into the underworld or London and the world of prostitution and murder. 

I enjoyed this historical romance which was filled with all sorts of Victorian detail. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.