Reading Wrap-Up (April)

Hello! For the blog post this month I'm going to do some mini-reviews of some of the books I've read since my last wrap-up in November 2025. So far in 2026, I have finished 17 books, 2 poetry collections, and 3 plays.

Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy #1) by Mimi Matthews

Summary: "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."

I really enjoyed this new series from Mimi Matthews, who I first discovered through her Belles of London series. While all of her books have engaged with serious topics, I appreciated the shift to a darker, more action-heavy side of the historical romance genre, and the effect of that shift on the type of heroine.  Feminism is often a present theme in Matthews' books, but it was particularly lovely to see it woven into the story as the main character's driving philosophy and socio-political pursuit. Personally, I rarely get to read about the more working class side of the population in Victorian/Georgian novels, so I tip my hat to her for integrating that element as well. 

There were some issues with this particular novel, however--I thought the romance and the espionage plots often interrupted each other in a way that made the pacing inconsistent. Some of the romance scenes were so contradictory in tone to the darker plot elements that they seemed forced--I'm sorry, but the hot air balloon scene was ridiculous. I was also not a fan of Gabriel at all--I don't like the mercenary hot guy stereotype in general (I guess what romantasy fans would dub a "shadow daddy") and his self-serving attitude just wasn't for me. Their initial meeting in the study wasn't hot to me, it was creepy (like dude, you might not have a reputation to ruin but as far as you know, she does). I didn't buy his random kindness towards Effie as genuine acts of care, but as manipulations to prevent his plans from suffering. Or as an expression of possessiveness, which is a romance novel pet peeve for me. It was hard to believe that someone who didn't even consider the plight of women in the slums that he allegedly runs with an iron fist would suddenly make feminism his pet cause because he fell in love with a bluestocking. My misgivings about Gabriel aside, I enjoyed the overall setup as well as the depth of Effie's backstory (the reveal about her mother was a bold choice and I loved it). I do wish that Effie had been a little stronger of a character, but I appreciated how kind and considerate she was. 

The Marriage Method (The Crinoline Academy #2) by Mimi Matthews

Summary: "When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the Academy's intentions, the school 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..."

***This book occurs after the events of the first, and while you don't necessarily need to read them in order, you will encounter minor spoilers if you do.***

I much preferred this one to its predecessor, Rules for Ruin. Not only was the plot more to my taste--I love a good murder mystery--I found Nell and Miles more engaging than Effie and Gabriel, both as individuals and as a couple. Though the subject matter is a bit darker than in the previous installment, I preferred the pacing of both the romance and the plot. The predicament the characters find themselves in and their way of dealing with it is more specific (and therefore contained) than that of the first book, allowing for a more satisfying resolution.

Matthews has written characters with physical disabilities before (and not always well, if we're being honest), and in my opinion, Nell is the most respectful and well-developed depiction she has written thus far. Her disability is treated as an important part of her character and is written consistently as such. Additionally, she is written as a dynamic and developed person: easy to root for, just reckless enough to urge the plot forwards without being careless or contradictory to her motivations (which is an issue I see often in other books), kind yet wary of others, dedicated to the cause yet deeply lonely. She is perfectly matched with Miles, who strikes the balance of outwardly strong and stoic while inwardly honorable and deeply devoted. Their banter--from their meeting as strangers to their ending as lovers/partners--made me smile so hard, my face hurt. Their mutual respect, maturity, and chemistry hit all right notes for me. 

Idol, Burning by Rin Usami, translated by Asa Yoneda

Summary: "Akari is a high school junior obsessed with "oshi" Masaki Ueno, a member of the popular J-Pop group Maza Maza. She writes a blog devoted to him, and spends hours addictively scrolling for information about him and his life. It is a devotion that borders on the religious: Masaki is her savior, her backbone, someone she believes she cannot survive without--even though she's never actually met him. But the organized, knowledgeable persona Akari presents online is totally different from the socially awkward, unfocused teenager she is in real life. As Masaki's career spirals, his troubles threaten to tear apart her life too."

As someone who already knows that they enjoy Japanese fiction, I really jived with this. It's definitely not for everyone--a lot of details are suggested rather than explained, we never get a concrete answer about what Masaki did or didn't do regarding his scandal, and the ending might be more open-ended than some readers would prefer. I personally enjoyed the nebulousness (?) of the whole thing. The rumination on idol culture was fascinating, as was the underlying theme of how the pressures of being a functional human in society causes people with unique struggles to turn inward, to the point where they cannot bring themselves to succeed. The story slyly invites the reader to join the other characters in judging Akari for shirking so many of life's responsibilities, even tasks that seem easy or innate, and to point to her ability to "succeed" in the fan space as proof that she's just "not trying". The moment we as the reader finally come to understand the deeper issues at play, to sympathize with Akari and to stop judging her for her actions, is such a powerful and interesting perspective. I understand why many readers chose to resist it, and to use it as a reason they didn't like or understand the book at all, but personally, I thought it was genius.

The Drag Gospel of Queer Jesus by Chris Watkins

Summary: "Rescuing biblical language from misuse by those who would persecute queerness and subjugate the natural world, The Drag Gospel of Queer Jesus contemporizes and enlivens Biblical mysteries, exploring queer/trans identities and Florida ecologies through poetic forms (both received and invented) as often as through free verse. Simultaneously playful and serious, like the best drag performances, these poems nod equally and as often to the work of RuPaul or Marsha P. Johnson as to William Shakespeare or the author(s) of Genesis. Meanwhile, as the poems point to the artificial constructions of gender, they also embrace the (queer) natural world."

This poetry collection was fresh and interesting. Truthfully, there were some poems that I didn't really get (maybe because I'm a cisgender straight woman, maybe because I don't know the Doja Cat songs or the Drag Race slang on which some were based) but I learned a lot and that's always a welcome experience. The ecology-themed poems were my favorite, but there were standouts from every section--the Thomas(ine) Hall poem in particular was a banger. One of my favorite things with poetry is playing with/creating new forms, so I got a kick out of learning about the Bop, burning haibun, curtal sonnet, and Wild Goose Poem forms. Overall, a really cool collection and one I'm glad I read. 

Their Fake Amish Betrothal by Rebecca Kertz

Summary: "Abigail Yost moves to a new Amish community to become a teacher and to escape the heartache of her sister’s engagement to Abby’s former beau. Only, one of the townsfolk isn’t so welcoming. Carpenter Nathaniel Hostetler attempts to avoid the newcomer while building her cottage—he’d much prefer to be working on setting up a new dairy farm. When he witnesses Abby’s distress over a wedding invitation, Nate makes an unexpected offer: a fake betrothal. But as the ceremony date approaches, they find that their pretend feelings are starting to become all too real…"

My first bonnet ripper, and potentially my last. This book was written incredibly poorly, which is surprising considering the author has published her work for over a decade. Physical actions are over-explained, descriptions are repetitive, the plot lacks urgency, and the characters are flat and uninspired. You don't need to say "he looked at her standing by the window near the left side of the house where she was staying". You don't need to remind us that the horse is being tied up at the post and the post is at the back of the house when we have tied the horse to the same post at the back of the same house five times already--we know where the horse is tied up and where the post is. You don't need to say someone "seemed" confused or sad or tired when you could say they ARE confused or sad or tired...or better yet, describe it somehow instead of just telling us! The writing style was so clunky and awkward, with certain phrases coming up several times per page--"his/her eyes studied her/him", "so-and-so managed a smile", and "she/he grinned" were the most common offenders. What tiny glimmers of promise are there--representing different Amish communities and their different rules, themes of belonging, an attempt at a last minute plot twist, valid interpersonal conflict between characters--are snuffed out in favor of wrapping everything up as quickly and simply as possible. For example, Nathaniel's initial rudeness towards Abby is motivated by the fact that she is pretty, and his ex fiancé who broke his heart for another man was pretty, therefore she must be just as mean and untrustworthy as his ex. (No, really). Abby, not knowing why Nathaniel is treating her so coldly, understandably identifies him as a rude and unkind person. Throughout the latter half of the book, the reader is repeatedly fed paragraphs about how Abby misunderstood and misjudged Nathaniel. She didn't misjudge Nathaniel. He was rude to her for a stupid reason and she understood him as being rude. She didn't know what the stupid reason was, but that part doesn't matter, because he was actually rude and so she judged him as rude. 

Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I was expecting too much. But expecting an author of over a decade to churn out something readable seems like a pretty reasonable expectation.