The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews – That’s What I’m Talking About…

Audiobook review: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

Picking up a short time after the conclusion of the first book (Rules for Ruin), The Marriage Method follows London newspaper editor Miles Quincy as he doggedly tries to find out more about Miss Corvus’s charity school. This brings former student and current deputy headmistress Penelope (Nell) Trewlove to his offices in an attempt to put off his incessant questioning. Injured at a young age, Nell has never left the safety of the school, and ends up in a heap of trouble when she and Miles are caught in a compromising position due to a huge misunderstanding. The only way to save their reputations, thus the reputations of the newspaper and school, is to marry immediately.

Such a hilarious start to The Marriage Method, which features a marriage of convenience to protect the institutions they each love. The story is an excellent non-traditional historical romance. What makes this one so delightful is that both characters recognize the need for the marriage and don’t try to inflict hurt or damage on the other. They are open and honest, even through difficult situations.

I absolutely adored both Nell and Miles. They are good, genuine people who believe in justice and would do anything to save the things and people they care about. From day one, even before they build their solid trust, they work together and never keep anything from the other that would harm them. Honest and open communication allows trust to slowly develop and eventually turn into friendship and love. The pacing of the romance is great. 

In addition to Miles and Nell’s burgeoning romance is a solid mystery that starts as two apparently unrelated cases. Nell is searching for a missing girl who was destined for the Academy. Miles’s gossip columnist has been absent, and after Miles receives a human tongue, is presumed deceased. Due to proximity, each is exposed to the other’s case and they work together. Miles treats Nell as a partner, which helps to slowly wear down the armor she uses to guard her heart.  The mysteries are exciting, especially as the couple gets closer to the truth.

Narration: The story is shared via the alternating third person POVs of Miles and Nell. Knowelden narrates with a soft, feminine voice which suits Nell, a woman who doesn’t like to draw attention to herself. Her baseline narrator has a proper English accent, and Knowelden alters it for dialogue, deepening her voice for males and changing accents as needed. Watt narrates with a mid-to-lower range male, also with an upperclass accent. He adjusts for gender by soften and pitching his voice higher for females. Both narrators create subtle differences between characters of the same gender.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed The Marriage Method. I do hope the author pens another story based on Miss Corvus’s academy. 

My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration: B

Jen

About the Book:

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