I enjoy romances that have a good mystery and The Marriage Method has both. It also has a male lead who rescues cats which ends up causing a forced marriage! Other than a rare slow spot, I was intrigued by the story.

Nell is a teacher at a girl’s academy who comes to London to meet with Miles, an editor and journalist for a newspaper. During their meeting one of Miles’ cats gets tangled in the crinoline cage of Nell’s skirts and when they try to untangle the cat, Nell loses her balance (she has an injury from a childhood accident and uses a cane.) When the annoying Reverend Pettiman walks in, Nell and Miles find themselves compromised and must marry.

Both Nell and Miles have mysteries to solve. Nell is looking for Miss Brent, a fourteen-year-old girl who disappeared at a train station on her way to Nell’s school from a workhouse. Miles is looking for a gossip reporter who has disappeared. Together they search for clues and interview witnesses to discover what happened. Nell’s beauty takes Mile’s breath away and she surprises him by her unique skills in self-defense. Nell admires Miles’ loyalty and kindness plus he has five cats!

The story started out fun with Nell and Miles first cute meeting with the cat trouble. The pace slowed down for a bit until they got married, but then it picked back up and I became totally immersed in the story as they worked to solve the mysteries. The story has a little bit of spice. Also, Nell grew up an orphan at the school and I enjoyed hearing about her backstory.

This is my first book by Mimi Matthews and I think it stands well on its own. Nell is friends with Effie and Gabriel from Rules for Ruin. She and Effie grew up together at the academy and Nell is planning to visit with her when Effie returns to London from a trip to Paris with her new husband.

I think historical romance readers that like some mystery in their stories along with a sweet romance will enjoy this gem.