#mimi matthews

[wellconstructedsentences]

There was nothing magical about being in love with someone. It didn't cure every ill or solve every problem. It was simply a feeling. An infinitely precious feeling. Deeper than friendship. More meaningful than mere attraction. But it wasn't a panacea. Real relationships were built on more than love. They were constructed with hard work, dedication, and patience. With honesty and mutual respect.

A Convenient Fiction by Mimi Matthews

#a convenient fiction #mimi matthews #on love

[jewellery-box]

Fascinating and...terrifying. Especially if you consider that I, too, would be a governess in the 19th century as I come from a family with little means. This article gave me chills (as most things Victorian-era-related do, honestly).

#mimi matthews #victorian #governess #victorian era

[saessenach]

Lady Anne and her black ballgown in The Lily of Ludgate Hill

Mimi Matthews' Belles of London is a CRIMINALLY underrated romance series, go read it NOW

#belles of london #the lily of ludgate hill #mimi matthews #anne deveril #my art #fanart #book fanart #digital art #artists on tumblr #illustration #procreate #i loved this series so much esp books 1 & 3 #the third one in particular REVIved me and if my muse is kind to me i'll be back #loved the romance between anne and felix and the vibes are impeccable #wish more people would read them bc THEY'RE SUCH FEEL GOOD NOVELS #but they have a lot of substance and research behind them #anyway i love goth anne and her idiot peacock of a man #might do a matching portrait of him in his evening black

[nanowrimo]

Pro Tips from a NaNo Coach: Writing with Chronic Injuries

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Mimi Matthews is here to share her advice on how to set yourself up for noveling success:

Dear Fellow Writers,

In an ideal world, we’d all be starting our manuscripts this November, bright-eyed and clear-headed, limited by nothing but time and the scope of our imaginations. In reality, many of us—myself included—are dealing with physical or mental health issues that impact our productivity. That doesn’t mean we can’t write a novel in a month. It just means we have to prepare a little differently. 

I’ve written all of my books while struggling with pain from a cervical spine injury. There’s no secret to it, only a little self-knowledge. Pain is a part of my life I have to manage along with all the rest of my responsibilities. It can be discouraging at times, but it’s never once prevented me from completing a manuscript. With that in mind, here are a few of my personal strategies for starting (and finishing!) a novel.

1. Be prepared.

Before you begin your manuscript, arm yourself with all the implements you’ll need to support pain-free writing. For me, this means a huge collection of neck pillows, ice packs, and a never-ending supply of Aleve. The more supportive I can be of my neck injury, the better success I have in my work.

2. Be flexible. 

Get rid of your preconceived ideas about when and where you should write. Instead, write when you can and where you can, in whatever way best supports your health. A story is no less compelling because you wrote it while propped up in bed at 2am instead of sitting at your desk at eight in the morning.

3. Listen to your body. 

If writing is hurting you, then stop for a while. Don’t give in to the panic about failing to meet your writing goals. Yes, it’s scary to fall behind, but there’s really no such thing as powering through to reach a daily word count when you’re in pain. You might be able to do it once or twice, but the work always suffers.

4. Write less to write more. 

It seems nonsensical, I know, but I’ve found that stopping work for the day when my neck starts to ache is the best way to ensure that I write more later. If I continue working while in pain, it sometimes takes me days or even weeks to recover from the ensuing flareup. Conversely, if I stop for the day, I almost always write double or triple the words at my next writing session.  

5. X marks the spot. 

I write historical novels, which necessitates a great deal of research. That can mean a lot of stops and starts as I’m writing. I sometimes lose the rhythm of the scene. Even worse, the stress of changing course so often can trigger my pain. To combat this, I use XX to mark things I need to research later. I also use XX in place of character names, locations, or clothing descriptions I haven’t thought up yet. Doing this allows me to get the bones of the story arranged much faster, without those frustrating (and pain triggering) stops and starts. 

There’s no one size fits all way to finish a manuscript, especially if you’re struggling with challenges to your physical and mental health. Be mindful of your needs. Be flexible in your habits. And, above all, be kind to yourself. Writing a novel is a huge undertaking at the best of times. A little preparation—and a generous supply of grace and patience with yourself—will make the experience a lot less painful.

xx Mimi Matthews

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper 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 a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

#nanowrimo #writing #nanowrimo 2022 #chronic injury #writing advice #by nano coach #mimi matthews

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour and Arc Review: The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews

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Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Welcome to The Lily of Ludgate Hill book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

Lady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she’s tempted to run…right into his arms. No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse—on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather’s country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare. Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions—and a tender heart.

Author Bio:

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 a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com.

Author Photo Credit: Vicki Hahn

Rating: ★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Non-Exclusive Extract below the cut.

My Review:

I loved this. It was exactly the sort of banter-filled stubborn hero and heroine who are gone for each other but refuse to admit it story that I love. It's easily the best of the Belles of London series. Anne and Hartford are perfect for each other but it takes them a while to admit it. The only problem I had with it was that it was *extremely* predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to go from the beginning and there was no deviating from that. I actually stopped about 75% of the way through and checked goodreads to make sure I hadn't already read it before. I hadn't. And yet I had predicted every. single. thing that happened. It was like deja vu but more so. The last quarter unfolded exactly as I expected it to. I don't know if the foreshadowing was just really intense or what but that did lessen my enjoyment of the story. Aside from that, however, everything else was exactly as I like in a historical romance. I am curious about the next one, as well, after meeting who will obviously be the new wheelchair-bound, artist hero. I have high hopes because neither of those is something we typically get in a romance hero. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

"I wish I were more eccentric," Anne declared, rousing her spirits to the cause. "I might have traveled to Yorkshire weeks ago and saved Julia from her fate."

Non-Exclusive Excerpt:

The twin fragrances of pipe smoke and parchment met her nose. Lemon polish, too, though there was no sign that the maids had done any recent tidying up. The library was a place of spectacular clutter. Bookcases lined three of the walls; leather-bound volumes on botany, agriculture, and natural history were pulled out at all angles as if an absent-minded researcher had wandered from shelf to shelf withdrawing tomes at random only to change his mind midway through extracting them. The fourth wall was entirely covered in framed sketches of flowers and greenery. Some images were produced in pencil and others in delicately rendered watercolor. They were-along with the teetering stacks of botanical journals and drooping maps that spilled over the sides of the earl's carved mahogany desk-evidence of his prevailing passion. Lord March's love of exotic plants was legendary. He'd spent much of his life traveling the globe, from the wilds of America to the highest peaks of the Himalayas, bringing back rare seeds to nurture into bloom. A distracted fellow at the best of times, but a kind one, too, as far as Anne recalled. It had been a long time since she'd darkened his doorstep. A lifetime, it felt like. She tugged restlessly at her black kid-leather gloves as she paced the worn carpet in front of the library's cavernous marble fireplace. She'd never excelled at waiting for unpleasantness to arrive. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. "Hello, old thing." A familiar deep voice sounded from the library door. Anne spun around, her traitorous heart giving an involuntary leap in her breast. Mr. Felix Hartford stood in the entryway, one shoulder propped against the doorframe. Lord only knew how long he'd been observing her. She stiffened. After all these years, he still had the power to discompose her. Drat him. But she wouldn't permit her emotions to be thrown into chaos by his attractive face and figure. What cared she for his commanding height? His square-chiseled jaw? For the devilish glint in his sky-blue eyes? And devil he was. The very one she'd come here to see. "Hartford," she said. Her chin ticked up a notch in challenge. It was a reflex. There was no occasion on which they'd met during the course of the past several years that they hadn't engaged in verbal battle. This time, however, he made no attempt to engage her. He was dressed in plaid trousers and a loose-fitting black sack coat worn open to reveal the dark waistcoat beneath. A casual ensemble, made more so by the state of him. His clothes were vaguely rumpled, and so was his seal-brown hair. It fell over his brow, desperately in need of an application of pomade. There was an air of arrested preoccupation about him, as if he'd just returned from somewhere or was on his way to somewhere. As if he hadn't realized she was in the library and had come upon her quite by chance. An unnatural silence stretched between them, void of their typical barb-filled banter. Greetings dispensed with, Anne found herself at an unaccountable loss. More surprising still, so did Hartford. He remained frozen on the threshold, his usually humorous expression turned to stone on his handsome face. At length, he managed a smile. "I knew one day you'd walk through my door again. It only took you"-withdrawing his pocket watch from his waistcoat, he cast it a brief glance, brows lifting as if in astonishment at the time-"seven years to do it." She huffed. "It hasn't been seven years." "Six and half, then." Six years and five months, more like. It had been early December of 1855, during the Earl of March's holiday party. She'd been just shy of seventeen; young and naive and not formally out yet. Hartford had kissed her under a sprig of mistletoe in the gaslit servants' hallway outside the kitchens. And he'd proposed to her.

But Anne refused to think of the past. Never mind that, living in London, reminders of it were daily shoved under her nose. "You're not going to be difficult, are you?" she asked. "That depends." He strolled into the room. "To what do I owe your visit?" "Presumptuous, as always," she said. "For all you know, I'm here to see your grandfather." Hartford was the only child of the Earl of March's second son-the late (and much lamented) moralist Everett Hartford. Anne well remembered the man. He'd been as straitlaced and starchy as a vicar. Rather ironic, really, given his son's reputation for recklessness and irreverence. "My grandfather is in his greenhouse," Hartford said, "elbow deep in chicken manure. If it's him you've come to speak with, you're in for a long wait." She suppressed a grimace. There was no need for him to be crass. "Really, Hartford." "Really, my lady." He advanced into the room slowly, his genial expression doing little to mask the fact that he was a great towering male bearing down on her. "Why have you come?" Anne held her ground. She wasn't afraid of him. "I've come to ask a favor of you." His mouth curled up at one corner. "Better and better." He gestured to a stuffed settee upholstered in Gobelins tapestry. "Pray sit down."

Excerpted from The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews Copyright © 2024 by Mimi Matthews. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

#shilo reads #blog tour #berkley romance #historical romance #regency romance #netgalley #arc review #book review #romance #mimi matthews #the lily of ludgate hill #belles of london

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Siren of Sussex (The Belles of London #1) by Mimi Matthews

Sometimes I need a forbidden Victorian romance to perk me up, a softly building love story that'll set my heart a'flutter with all those longing looks and chaste lingering touches. So imagine my delight to have come across Ahmad and Evelyn!

These two are characters who are out to make their mark in society, but who are both operating under some kind of disadvantage. For Evie, that's being a bluestocking with a family who's on the edge of ruin and who needs to raise her worth on the marriage mart, not, as one would assume, in ballrooms, but on horseback, since that's where she believes she's mostly likely to snag attention. For Ahmad, that's being a half-Indian tailor who's trying to gain recognition for his riding habit designs so that he can achieve his dream of opening his own women's dress shop. As such, they come together out of mutual need...at least at first. However, it isn't long before a deeper connection and attachment is borne.

While this was more of a closed door, fade-to-black, love story, what I liked about it was that it focused heavily on the emotional intimacy and respect that Ahmad and Evelyn had for one another. As a result of that, there was an incremental blossoming of trust and sensuality between them. That was deepened, of course, by the fact that she became his muse, inspiring his designs, and she became his prime fashion showcaser wherever and whenever she could, acquiring him the clientele he needed for his business. I enjoyed their mutually beneficial arrangement as well as the support they gave each other without prompting. Plus, Ahmad sewed pockets into all of Evie's dresses. What's not to love about a man who understands the importance of pockets in women's clothing? SWOON.

Definitely recommended for historical romance readers, especially those who favor books that critique colonialism.

3.5/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

#ashlee bree's book reviews #the siren of sussex #the belles of london #mimi matthews #historical fiction #historical romance #romance #recs: ashlee approved #read april 2024 #bookblr #booklr #book reviews #book recs

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Belles of London Series

Some of you may have noticed a new addition to our store — Island Books now has a dedicated romance section and I couldn't be happier. Cheerful covers in bright colors, containing stories where all kinds of people find their HEA (happy ever after) or HFN (happy for now). As a person who decidedly prefers books to end on a happy (or at least hopeful) note, romances are a genre I can count on. And often an author will write a series that lets you watch everyone out of a friend group find love, allowing me to linger in a delightful fictional world.

One series that I just discovered, a little late to the party, is Belles of London by Mimi Matthews. Lil recommended the first book, The Siren of Sussex, a few years ago, and I was finally able to pick it up. I barely needed Cindy’s "first page test" to be hooked and quickly finished it. I then raced through the next two books, The Belle of Belgrave Square and The Lily of Ludgate Hill, in this planned four book series. (The fourth being The Muse of Maiden Lane, coming out 11/19/24).

Set in Victorian England, all the heroines are equestriennes, and finding the marriage mart challenging for a variety of reasons. The Siren of Sussex features Evelyn Maltravers, the second daughter of an impoverished family. After her older sister embroiled herself in scandal instead of making the advantageous marriage she was supposed to, Evelyn is tasked with snaring herself a wealthy husband and saving her family. But she knows her best chance to catch the eye of eligible noblemen is not in the ballroom but on the back of her horse, a place she always feels confident. And to really make an impression, she needs the most fashionable riding habits she can afford.

Enter Ahmad Malik, who only needs the right influential woman of the ton to wear his designs to help him finally realize his dream of owning his own dressmaker's establishment. When Evelyn commissions him to make her riding habits, he decides to take her as his muse and dress her for the season. It's not long before fitting sessions blossom into something more, but Evelyn is bound by financial constraints. And Ahmad is reluctant to entangle his own heart with a woman society says he could never have. The path of true love never did run smooth!

I loved the way Mimi Matthews took on the challenges of an interracial couple with significant class differences as the heart of her romance. And I also loved every lushly described detail of the gorgeous clothes Ahmad designs for Evelyn. Throughout The Siren of Sussex, enough teasers are dropped for the other heroines of her series (and their prospective beaus) that I was eager to continue on and see what romances lay in store for them. Matthews builds romantic tension masterfully and employs a dual point-of-view so the reader can appreciate the inner journeys of both leads.

Pick up The Siren of Sussex if a swoony Victorian historical romance series sounds like the escape read you need right now. Or come check out our new romance section and see what else catches your eye!

— Lori

#island books #lori robinson #book notes #mimi matthews #siren of sussex #belle of belgrave square #lily of ludgate hill #belles of london #victorian romance

[smartbitches]

This week on the podcast, my guest is Mimi Matthews talking about her book The Lily of Ludgate Hill.

Y'all there is so much pining in this book. PINING.

Mimi is a really, really fun guest and if you like historical romances, or were (or are!) a horse girl, you'll like this. We do talk about loss (some characters are pining for the past) and about death and grief, but it's mostly hopeful and entirely about loving someone after they're gone.

Happy Friday, y'all!

You can find Smart Podcast Trashy Books wherever you get podcasts, or, you can listen right here:

#romance podcast #smartbitches #mimi matthews #historical romance #pining

[northernbookworm]

Hello! How have you been? What were your top 5 favorite romances you read this year? 🌼

Hi! 👋 I’ve been well, thank you! My top 5 romances of 2023, in no particular order:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune 

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood

The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews

I’d love to know what your favourites are, I need more book recs. 😊

#taylor jenkins reid #laurie gilmore #carley fortune #romance books #contemporary romance #historical romance #canlit #clarissa harwood #mimi matthews

[wearethekat]

December Book Reviews: The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

I've had a hold on this book for months, because I thought the first book was very well done. And The Belle of Belgrave Square is, if anything, better. Reclusive Captain Blunt needs an heiress to repair his home and mother his children-- and one that won't ask too many questions or uncover his shocking secret. Meanwhile, heiress Julia is trapped by her hypochondriac parents and her overwhelming social anxiety, making it very difficult for her to marry. Inevitably, the pair elope in the first third of the book-- leaving them to uncover each other's disastrous secrets for the remaining two thirds.

This is not a book that covers any particularly original ground (fairly typical for historical romances). However, the tropes Matthews does use are very well handled. What if there was ONLY ONE BED in the inn but they didn't have sex because the guy was RESPECTFUL OF HER COMFORT LEVELS and instead he brushed out her hair and helped her out of her lovingly described historically accurate Victorian underpinnings. What then.

A very fun read. I look forward to seeing what Matthews does in the next one.

#my book reviews #december book reviews #mimi matthews #the belle of belgrave square

[chocolatepot]

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying The Belle of Belgrave Square. It is a heterosexual romance, I thought I was done with those!

(It's because the book, and the series that it's part of, are intensely romantic. This is perhaps a super aspec thing to say but I usually find historical romance to lean so hard on the characters being physically attracted to each other that there's literally nothing else for them to connect with, but Mimi Matthews writes the characters as actually liking, being interested in, and helping each other ... and it really works.)

#books #belles of london #mimi matthews

[harryforvogue]

they just don’t make men like this anymore 💔💔

#mimi matthews #a holiday by gaslit

[princessasmosprincess]

I was rereading a book and I came across this note I left last year.

#the matrimonial advertisement by mimi matthews #highly recommend if you like historical romance that's sfw #mimi matthews

[deliriousdisquisitions]

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You Should Read This If You Like: historical romances with bipoc characters, British-Indian love interest, historical romances that don’t take place in a ballroom, sizzling chemistry, and seemingly doomed romances.

I adore Mimi Matthews, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors in the historical romance genre. Her books always have a melancholic undertone to them, the kind of tragic unease best suited for haunting, doomed romances. Which is why stories like Gentleman Jim and The Matrimonial Advertisement are some of my favorites of her works. Matthews' writing feels very reminiscent of older classics. If "The Perish Orphans" series has the gothic, eerie moodiness of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, Then Siren of Sussex is more evocative of a classic Dickensenian novel.

It follows Evelyn Maltravers who’s in London for the season. On the brink of destitution, Evelyn desperately needs to make a wealthy match in order to pave the way for her younger sister's futures. But as a bluestocking wallflower, Evelyn is well aware of her lack of charms. In order to attract a wealthy husband, she hatches a plan to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. But in order to attract the attention of a potential husband, she needs to dress and look the part. This is where she meets Ahemad, a British-Indian habit maker, whose revolutionary designs catches Evelyn’s eye. Together the two form a partnership to showcase their best designs to find Evelyn a wealthy husband, and Ahmad a wilder clientele guarding their hearts in the process.

The story is told through Evelyn and Ahmad’s shifting perspectives which makes for an interesting narrative as we get to explore both sides of British colonialism and the way that it shapes their relationship. In Evelyn we see the privileges of being born into the British upper class, even one that exists on the fringes. Confined within the limitations of her role as head of her household, Evelyn struggles to find a means to secure a future for her sisters in the wake of her older sister’s scandalous elopement. It lends a pseudo-claustrophobic undertone to the novel that never quite dissipates. However, Evelyn is a very dull protagonist, at times even laughably naïve in her worldview, which makes it hard to truly sympathize with her circumstances. Conversely, Ahmad is a more interesting character. He represents all the socio-economic struggles, microaggressions, and discriminations of being a racial minority and an immigrant working class in Britain. However, the novel only skims the surface of colonialism, only hinting at horrors like British soldiers “marrying” Indian women, indoctrinating families into the British lifestyle, forced religious conversions, or even the details of the Jallianwala Bagh massacres, etc.

In much the same way, Evelyn and Ahmad’s relationship feels superficial bordering on insta-love. There is an almost instantaneous attraction, the chemistry palpable in every stolen glance and every accidental brush of finger. The taboo/scandalous nature of their relationship drives the narrative tension. But their socio-economic, racial, and cultural differences set up various obstacles and narrative threats that are never fully realized. Seemingly insurmountable conflicts are easily resolved. There are cramped conversions on colonialism and colonial guilt with an attempt to highlight the impossibility of their relationship and yet the happily ever after never quite truly feels earned. With the writing style I almost wish this didn’t attempt to subvert the genre and ended as a tragedy instead.

Mimi Matthews’ writing has the kind of evocative quality to it that instantaneously transports the reader into the streets of London’s East End. The world building is fairly new as most of the action takes place on the fringes of London society. Unlike most historical romances, Evelyn and Ahmad fall in love in the cramped backroom of his Tailor shop, across racing tracks, and while browsing for books in closed bookstores. They exist on the fringes of society and these marginal spaces are described so vividly that you can almost smell the musty smell of old second hand books and cloth or leather. I just wish I could see more of it.

I struggled writing a review for this book. Sirens of Sussex has all the potential for being a truly outstanding novel in the genre. It had the promise of something new and no one is more disappointed that it failed to live up to the expectations I had built for this book in my head. 3.5 stars.

#delirious disquisitions #deliriousdisquisitions #historical romance #regency period #mimi matthews #sirens #sirens of Sussex #book review #bookblr #studyblr #gradblr #books #colonialism #bipoc characters #bipoc #bookshelf #to read #currently reading #book quotes #books and libraries #new books #books & libraries #netgalley #arc #goodreads #romance #wallflower #british raj #bookworm

[cameracourt]

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Own in Multiple Formats

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Own in Multiple Formats

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#Amanda Dykes #audiobook #Book #books #Carla Laureano #ebook #Laura Frantz #list #literature #Lori Benton #Meme #Mimi Matthews #Reading #Sarah Sundin #Top Ten Tuesday

[themoonphoenix]

Mimi Matthews' A Lady of Conscience Cover Reveal

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#historical romance #mimi matthews #new books