ARC/ALC Book Review: Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy #1) by Mimi Matthews

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Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break 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. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, 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.

Thank you to the author and Berkley for the gifted copy and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

OH I AM SMITTEN.

First things first. Gentleman Jim is my ALL TIME favorite Mimi Matthews book and the MMC in Rules for Ruin? Dear Gabriel Royce? HAS THE SAME VIBES. So clearly this read went well for me. Gosh I loved him.

I have read nearly all of MM’s backlist and I love that this felt like a wholly new series starter. The unique set up for the characters and future books was awesome. I loved the institution turned training ground and how that influences the story line. The distinct darker atmosphere of the story was top notch too. I loved the hidden moments, putting all of the clues together and sneaking about in the dark.

And the romance? SWOON. We love a protective MMC. Also bless the fact that this was dual POV. I loved being in both Effie and Gabriel’s headspace. The push and pull between them was delicious. The banter and moments where they leaned on each other as they learned more about themselves. The kisses were [as always] heated and utterly romantic. I am a puddle for these two.

I loved how everything came together and those who deserved their due received it. I will happily sit here waiting for book two. Mimi Matthews never misses.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild

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ALC Book Review: The Love Haters by Katherine Center

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

HIT ME IN THE FEELS.

The body image content and themes in this book found their way to the depths of my soul. It was hard to read at times but gosh I loved the truths explored and the conversations that were had. This felt like more than a romance and truly impacted the way I think about myself.

But don’t worry, I was obsessed with the romance too. And the fact that this is about the Coast Guard?? Give me more stories with them!!! I loved Hutch’s demeanor and quirks. The goodness radiated from him and it was just the sweetest romance.

And I loved the quirky nature of Katie. She’s spunky and lacking in some self-awareness and I loved her journey. Her quips made me laugh out loud multiple times and she was an easy character to love and support. There were man y side characters that earned my love and strong friendships that I appreciated seeing too.

If you’re curious about my 1/2 star deduction. I think Hutch’s storyline with his brother took over a bit too much in the second half (with some specific moments that had me flustered). The closing scenes and moments were great though and I had a good time listening to this book today.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: themes surrounding body image (with mentions of disordered eating), loss of loved ones (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom #1) by Rachel Gillig

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Rachel Gillig
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From BookTok sensation and NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig, comes the next big romantasy phenomenon: a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced beyond the safety of her cloister on an impossible quest to defeat the gods with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the gifted ARC and LibroFM for the audiobook.

OH WOW.

I loved the journey this book took. I admit it was a bit slow on the uptake for me but once the mystery started I was really invested. I love the way that Gillig writes and the torturous atmosphere created by the depths of the storytelling. It has the feeling of sitting in a medieval bar listening to a bard tell a tale.

The romance was filled with snarky banter and that slow burn vibe I often crave. I loved how the character arc for Sybil wove into the romance and how she grew to stand on her own. I love when characters take in new information and really DO something with it. There’s a lot of adventure with a traveling plot as the secrets of the cloister are ripped to shreds.

Honestly I could have seen this being an amazing standalone but I’m not upset that we get more books in this world. I loved the dark ambiance and characters. OH MY GOSH BARTHOLOMEW. I can’t forget about him. There’s seriously so many little aspects of this story that I can’t get out of my brain. The complicated craft of the world x magic system is like none other.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: open door (2-3 scenes)
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: drowning (repeatedly), murder, loss of loved ones

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Book Review: Divine (House of Oak #2) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 346 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: November 24th, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Time is a vast cosmic sea, where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring tangles with that of another, linking two lives together even though separated by centuries…

Georgiana Knight–born in the nineteenth century, but now living in 2013–has certain standards when it comes to mysteries: they must involve blood curdling threats, late-night rendezvous and the terror of Imminent Danger. So far, her current mystery has been a terrible disappointment. No ghosts, no dastardly villains, not even an actual murder weapon. Just a suspicious symbol, a drawing of a bloody dagger, and an old love letter. Though the centuries-old love letter is written in her own handwriting, so that’s something, right? And there is a time portal in her cellar. Should she risk giving up hot showers and return to the past to discover the mysterious stranger who inspired (will inspire?) her passionate letter?

In 1813, Sebastian Carew has his own mystery to solve. As a teenager, he fell madly in love with his childhood friend, Georgiana. Ten years later, he returns from fighting abroad as an eligible man of fortune who must marry. And soon. He is determined to fend off fortune-hunting women, find Georgiana and win her affections. However, she has utterly vanished. Can he divine the truth of her disappearance and convince her to marry him before time runs out?

GREAT AUDIO.

I have suddenly made it a quest of mine to read Nichole Van’s backlist so here we are! I liked this one quite a bit and thought the audio production was great.

The time travel worked well for me (and I’m usually meh about it) and I loved that Sebastian fell first and that man fell hard.

Georgiana, the FMC, bugged me a bit though. She was incredibly stubborn about Sebastian. The ignorance was astounding and her odd thrill of wanting things to be “dangerous” wasn’t working well for me either. When Georgiana finally allowed things to click I enjoyed her more and I got to see the great chemistry between her and Sebastian in full.

It was a good book, definitely plan to continue the series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Time Travel Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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