Rules for Ruin

A Most Anticipated Romance for Paste Magazine - The Nerd Daily - Marie Claire - Book Riot - Bookish - Fangirlish

One of BookBub's Best Romances of 2025 So Far

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 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.

Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 05/20/2025
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780593639290


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/2025 pg. 9
Publishers Weekly 03/03/2025
Booklist 05/21/2025

About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, a miniature poodle, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.