{"id":27359,"date":"2026-08-09T19:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T23:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=27359"},"modified":"2026-09-13T10:03:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:03:49","slug":"the-muse-of-maiden-lane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27359","title":{"rendered":"The Muse of Maiden Lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Muse of Maiden Lane<\/em><\/a> (2024) Mimi Matthews<\/a> (Belles of London #4)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Hampshire, Derbyshire & London, England in 1863<\/p>\n

This is the final book in the Belles of London series.<\/p>\n

Stella wants to marry to escape her older brother, but as she turned completely gray by 16, she doesn’t see how she’s going to manage it.<\/p>\n

As a young lady with gray hair, possessed of modest breeding and little fortune, she was often dismissed and ignored. No one ever saw her. Not really. Indeed, no one seemed to notice her at all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And if she doesn’t marry, she’ll have the spend the rest of her life either with her brother and the odious woman he wants to marry.<\/p>\n

Stella\u2019s mouth twisted in a bitter smile. \u201cMiss Trent takes my riding as a personal affront.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne was incredulous. \u201cShe objects to horses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe objects to the expense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn expense you subsidize out of your own inheritance,\u201d Anne retorted indignantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. She\u2019d rather I let my brother have my income for good works than waste it on my own selfish pleasures.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Or with the even more odious Squire Smalljoy.<\/p>\n

Squire Smalljoy was the first to break the appalled silence. \u201cA politician\u2019s personal indiscretions don\u2019t matter a jot when his policies are in good order.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Teddy has come to England with his sister and her husband, but while they plan to return to France to the perfumery Teddy and Laura own, Teddy wants to remain in England and paint. Unfortunately, Laura fears for him living on his own.<\/p>\n

It had been the only way to set Laura\u2019s mind at ease. He\u2019d been in his chair for nearly five years, the first several of which she\u2019d been his caregiver. It was a difficult role for her to relinquish.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Laura had her own book, A Convenient Fiction<\/em> in the Parish Orphans of Devon series, and we saw Teddy there when he would hardly leave his room. But he was convinced to study art, and a wheeled chair allowed him to move about with some freedom.<\/p>\n

Custom built for him in France, it sat upon a carriage axel, boasting a high-backed seat of well-padded wood, with two large, spoked wheels on either side, and a smaller wheel at the rear, which aided in turning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One of the things I found most interesting about this story was how Teddy managed–and the development (although slightly earlier than was historically correct) of a chair that would give him greater mobility and freedom.<\/p>\n

Two matching brass brackets immediately descended to the wheels, locking them into place.<\/p>\n

Teddy rolled forward in his own chair to examine the apparatus. \u201cA hand brake,\u201d he said in amazement. \u201cIs that what it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that important?\u201d Stella asked, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, it\u2019s essential, ma\u2019am,\u201d Mr. Abbott said. \u201cAs Mr. Hayes can no doubt tell you. The invalid generally relies on an attendant to place him into his chair.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, there is also plenty about Teddy’s art and the changes that would eventually become Impressionism, but I found the development of the wheelchair to be more interesting (because I am a heathen).<\/p>\n

In addition to not being interested in the art, I skimmed the bits about Stella when she returned to her brother’s house, because I just was not up for reading a lot of details about males holding power over women and just how horrible they could be.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Stella Hobhouse, Edward \/ Teddy Hayes, Alex Archer, Laura Archer, Lady Anne Deveril, Mr. Felix Hartford, Ahmad Malik, Evelyn Malik nee Maltravers, Mrs. Julia Blunt nee Wychwood, Captain Jasper Blunt, The Countess of Arundell, Justin and Helena Thornhill, Tom and Jenny Finchley, Neville and Clara Cross, Jennings, John Turvey, Daniel Hobhouse, Miss Amanda Trent, Marcus Neale, Viscount Brookdale, Mariah Spriggs, Jeanette, Turvey, Mrs. Waltham, Mr. Chakrabarty, Mr. Tariq Jones, Mira, Mrs. Mukherjee, Mr. Fielding, Dr. Jepson, Mrs. Jarrow, Squire Smalljoy<\/p>\n

Publisher: Berkley Romance<\/p>\n

Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Muse of Maiden Lane (2024) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #4) Hampshire, Derbyshire & London, England in 1863 This is the final book in the Belles of London series. Stella wants to marry to escape her older brother, but as she turned completely gray by 16, she doesn’t see how she’s going to manage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[193,30,938,292,204,33,207,742,26],"tags":[802,181,557],"class_list":["post-27359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-10","category-british","category-dual-point-of-view","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mental-health-rep","category-physical-health","category-romance","tag-belles-of-london","tag-mimi-matthews","tag-victorian"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-77h","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26597,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26597","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":0},"title":"The Belle of Belgrave Square","author":"Michelle","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Belle of Belgrave Square (2022) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #2) Set in London in 1862 I discovered I started this story in January 2025, and then lost track of it until this past Friday. Julia Wychwood hates the season. She's beautiful with a substantial dowry, but seemingly no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Belle of Belgrave Square","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24118,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24118","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":1},"title":"The Siren of Sussex","author":"Michelle","date":"December 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Siren of Sussex (2022) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #1) Set in London in 1862 Ahmad Malik and his cousin Mira came to England after her mother died, and after her father died, Ahmad took whatever work he could to care for her. Now he is a tailor, hoping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Siren of Sussex","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26600,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26600","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":2},"title":"The Lily of Ludgate Hill","author":"Michelle","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lily of Ludgate Hill (2024) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #3) Set in London in 1862 Much of the first part of this story takes place concurrently with The Belle of Belgrave Square. Lady Anne Deveril has spent the past 6 1\/2 years joining her mother in mourning for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Lily of Ludgate Hill","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Lily-of-Ludgate-Hill.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Lily-of-Ludgate-Hill.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Lily-of-Ludgate-Hill.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22717,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22717","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":3},"title":"A Holiday By Gaslight","author":"Michelle","date":"January 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861 Sophie's father keeps improving their country estate--whether they have the funds to do so or not--so when wealthy manufacturer asks permission to court her, the family agrees. But despite wanting to help her family, Sophie also wants to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Holiday By Gaslight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/A-Holiday-By-Gaslight.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19491,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19491","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":4},"title":"A Holiday By Gaslight","author":"Michelle","date":"December 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861 I love a good novella \/ short story. I have tremendous respect for an author who can build characters and an immersive story in under 200 pages. What I particularly liked about this story is Sophie has a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Holiday By Gaslight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/A-Holiday-By-Gaslight.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11792,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11792","url_meta":{"origin":27359,"position":5},"title":"The Matrimonial Advertisement","author":"Michelle","date":"March 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Matrimonial Advertisement (Parish Orphans of Devon) (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1859. Helena Reynolds has fled London. She's in Devon responding to a matrimonial advertisement, but if this doesn't work, she return to London. 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