What a wonderful romance! A bestselling author with writers block goes to Paris to get inspired and finds more than she bargained for. I love that the protagonist is in her 40s, love being immersed in the Paris experience, and I love all of the supporting characters as well! I was engaged from the first page to the last. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

MAGGIE FINDS HER MUSE by Dee Ernst is a fun novel! This book is a love letter to Paris. The main character, Maggie, is a romance writer who travels from New Jersey to Paris to “find her muse” to write the last book in her trilogy. There’s a love triangle featuring her ex husband and a French man to spice things up. Reading this made me hungry for some French bread! I loved the setting but the romance felt very rushed and forced.
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

Great beach read and enjoyable to many I am sure. Just a fun romp in a great setting an sweet. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

So much ugh.

I don't even know why I grabbed this ARC-older couple maybe? And it really started out fine, but I must admit an author heroine with only first person POV. Well, it dragged. Very few authors can pull off a story about their own profession successfully for me, and this just wasn't one.

There is a bunch of stuff (minutiae, really) on France, writing, and how hot and attractive the hero is-and the hero is on page for like 20 pages, I swear, but there's no intimacy built between the couple - like they go from mutual attraction to a few outings (not even dates) to attraction and straight to sex. There's just no build-up. Complicating this, is the ex in the picture who is very sweet and Maggie just really, deep down wanted to believe in the fire and the passion. She writes romances after all.

And it was unforgivably boring. Aside from this, the author repeated scenes we'd read, and explained how there was a Big Mis, what it is was and that her two friends would stop reading her books if she ever did one.

Like I said, ugh.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Maggie Bliss is a 48 yo popular author who is on the verge of being really big deal. She just needs to write the third book in her Delania series. Unfortunately she's got a severe case of writer's block and doesn't know what to do. Her age, Lee, is convinced that Paris is the answer. He has a flat there and is planning on going with ih partner. Maggie figures she's got nothing to lose, and her daughter is living in France, so double win.

Turns out her ex-husband is visiting her daughter too. And the flat has a lovely housekeeper who has an attractive son who happens to be in Paris and is willing to show Maggie around.

Turns out Paris was the answer, and as the words start flowing, Maggie wonders if she might have a romance of her own? Could it be a second chance romance with her ex-husband? What about the sexy French man? I loved that the heroine of this book is 48! And had supportive friends, a career, and multiple love interest opportunities. This was an engaging book with humor, great dialogue, family, self-reflection, romance, delicious food descriptions, and Paris!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts
Being one myself, I enjoy reading books about older female protagonists. Here are my pros and cons for Maggie Finds Her Muse:

Pros

1. As a lover of reading, I also love learning about the other side of the book I’m reading… the writing process. I’m always intrigued by writing rituals, processes, muses, etc., and this book didn’t disappoint in that area.

2. Paris! What is it about Paris that is so appealing? Even just reading about it is awesome! The descriptions of Paris and Rennes were so amazing that I felt like I was there!

3. I enjoy the “older woman takes a risk, learns something about herself, and blossoms into a better/happier person” trope. Perhaps, I’m living a little vicariously through these types of novels, but I could read them all day long. This book didn’t disappoint with the “transformation” of Maggie.

4. I enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Maggie and her daughter. It is a side story, but I found it to be more interesting that the main plot most of the time.

Cons

1. Maggie Bliss? Really? That is like naming the lead cowboy in a modern western novel Duke Roughrider, or an MMA fighter Max Payne, or a teacher Ms. Apple. It is a nitpick but using Bliss as her last name felt corny.

2. I didn’t really feel the connection between Maggie and either of the men. The so-called romance was pretty blah in my opinion. There just weren’t any sparks there at all in my opinion, and when the author tried to create some sparks it felt forced. (I’m not taking about sex, but about the connection or chemistry between two people.)

3. I also felt like the romance between Maggie and Max happened way too fast. They hadn’t even spent a week together and she felt like she couldn’t live without him? Really?

Summary
This was a good book. It was a fast read and I generally enjoyed it (even considering my cons above). Sadly, it was the third book I’ve read recently with this same story (down to some almost identical plot lines) so it unfortunately suffered a bit by comparison.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Paris, books about writing books, or romance novels involving older adults.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an ebook, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

4.5

With just two months until her next book deadline and nothing written, Maggie heads to Paris to find her muse. This book makes me want to race to Paris and eat nothing but baguettes and croissants with melon for weeks.

I love Maggie's voice and asides to her reader. She writes romance novels and often interprets her own life through the lens of how it would play in a romance scene. I was so happy to see the presumption about what counts as important writing undercut. Yay for all the romance novels!

I also really enjoyed Maggie's relationship with her daughter, Nicole, who has Asperger's. She describes the challenges and the love very well.

Most of all, I loved the discussion of who gets to be a romantic hero or heroine. Maggie is 48, and the book includes a variety of older women and men. I love seeing a character who claims to be well passed a midlife crisis as the female protagonist.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.25/5⭐️

I enjoyed this one about a romance writer who travels to Paris in hopes of overcoming her writer’s block.

Maggie is on the cusp of over-the-top success, a tv deal and being able to purchase the beach house she’s always dreamed of if she can just pen the final book in her trilogy.

This story is filled with wonderful supporting characters (daughter Nic, ex-husband Alan, Frenchman Max, agent Lee), including Paris itself. There’s a love triangle, and Maggie must make a difficult decision, but yes, she does find her muse. 😊

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the early ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

I really enjoy books that are set in cities I’ve visited. I cherish the memories of being on vacation, exploring a new city and experiencing the city’s culture. In Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst, this book brought me back to Paris with all its amazing cuisine and romance. Pair this with an equally enchanting storyline, and you’ve captivated me.

Maggie Bliss is a middle-aged author who is experiencing writer’s block. Attempting to write the third manuscript in a trilogy, she has already received two deadline extensions without having written a single word. When her agent Lee suggests she spend some time away in Paris to clear her head, she jumps at the chance to get away.

Now in Paris, Maggie is staying in Lee’s fabulous apartment complete with a housekeeper to meet her every need. She is also quickly introduced to Max, the housekeeper’s middle-aged son, who assists Maggie in a makeover fitting of a Parisian. Maggie welcomes the new look and feels it timely because she will be meeting her daughter and ex husband for lunch. Soon, as Maggie starts to unwind and explore Paris, her ability to write becomes stronger and stronger. She discovers that is seems to be easier to write when her new found muse is present, creating a scenario that works for her writing, but may only lead to heartbreak.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the romance, appreciated the detailed character development and could feel Maggie’s journey of personal growth experienced throughout the book. I found Maggie to be both likeable and relatable - the type of character who you’d love to be a friend. I loved the description of French cuisine, and the places that Maggie visits. I admired the way that Maggie embraced the French culture, stepping out of her comfort zone at times to experience more. The book flowed beautifully, and I felt engaged throughout. Maggie Finds Her Muse is a lovely piece of escapism, which made me yearn to resume travel when I’m safely able to do so.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Maggie Bliss is a best-selling author who is trying to sell her latest series to a TV network. There’s just one catch: she needs to finish the third part of her trilogy about two lovers in a war-torn country before any network will pony up the big bucks (they learned their lesson after “Game of Thrones”), and she’s suffering from a massive case of writer’s block, which has caused her to miss a couple of deadlines.

Conveniently, her agent has access to a gorgeous apartment in Paris, complete with a charming live-in housekeeper, and he’s convinced that the words will tumble right onto the page if Maggie experiences a change of scenery. Plus, Maggie’s grown daughter lives in Rennes, Brittany, a quick 90-minute trip from Paris by train.

It turns out that the housekeeper, Solange, has a handsome son who happens to be visiting, and Max sparks Maggie’s imagination; when he’s around, the dam bursts and Maggie finds herself able to write for hours. (In between stints at the laptop, she is able to do fun stuff like shop at Galeries Lafayette and drink wine at sidewalk cafés.) The problem is, Max is a busy executive, and Maggie is terrified that if he leaves, she won’t be able to finish her novel. Further complicating matters: Maggie’s ex-husband, Alan, is visiting their daughter, and he’s interested in rekindling their old flame.

I really enjoyed the fact that this is a novel about a woman in her late 40s who gets to have fun and find love—such books are all too rare. Sometimes I felt Maggie was a little bit too flighty and silly for a woman of her years; there’s a Big Misunderstanding with one of the male characters which is so ridiculous that Dee Ernst gets a little bit meta with it (in the novels Maggie writes, we learn, no such plot contrivance would ever occur). Still, "Maggie Finds Her Muse" should appeal to anyone looking for a light, romantic read about a 40+ heroine; just don’t be surprised if you find yourself overcome with yearning for a trip to Paris by the end of the book.

Maggie has written 2 books of a trilogy, the first book went down brilliantly and the second book is due to be released any time soon so she is writing the third book, the problem is she cant get started. She cant find her muse.Will France and the people she meets be the answer?

I really enjoyed this, I loved how Dee Ernst gave us an insight to an author's mind, what it takes to plan a scene in a book so the author can visualize it (this particular bit had me laughing out loud), what it means to an author when they randomly meet people who have read their books and the buzz they get from it but also what its like to be sat in front of a keyboard waiting for the words to come when they don't.

This book reminded me how important it is to review books and let the author know what their books mean to you especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic when book signings and events aren't possible.

Although this is a fictional book, its one I'd recommend for a reader and an aspiring author. It also has a cute love story in the background.

This romantic comedy was just pure fun.

We get to join Maggie as she struggles to write her much anticipated third book in a very successful trilogy. Maggie is Forty-eight years old and newly single (again!), and decides to venture to Paris in a last-ditch effort to finish her manuscript. In Paris Maggie finds a strange man in her bathtub and let the meet cute commence.

I enjoyed the chapters of Maggie discussing her writing processes. The scenes where they are acting out action sequences made me smile.

I think we need more books about middle-aged women having adventures and finding love again.

Okay, this book made me desperately want to go to Paris. I just can’t wait to travel again in general. I liked this book!

I really like that this one was more of a women’s fiction as well as a romance. It was a nice change from just reading full romance books. I liked the idea of a struggling writer going somewhere else to find her fire. Maggie’s relationship with her daughter was very unique and I enjoyed their interactions. I was loving reading all about Paris, the setting descriptions were fantastic.

My downsides to this one were that it started to drag on for me in the second half. I felt like things were getting repetitive. Although I was rooting for Maggie, I didn’t find myself rooting for the romance in this book at all. Maybe there wasn’t enough build up to it. I also thought the book Maggie was writing was very.. odd and was losing interest when she talked about her book.

Overall, I liked this one, but didn’t love it. If you are wanting to travel within a book, read this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and fast read! I read it in one day !!!

I loved the fact that Maggie is a romance writer in her 40s and had gone to Paris to find her muse and inspiration to help her with her writers block. I enjoyed the parts in the book that was ABOUT the characters/book that she was writing. The supporting characters were interesting.

I feel that I was most interested in the WRITING of her book ... then the actual romance that was developing between her and Max. I also loved Paris as the backdrop .. I loved the descriptions of the city and the places they visited.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoyes books about characters that are writers and having the city of Paris as a backdrop.

I struggled a bit with this book but all in all it was an enjoyable tale of another author struggling to finish her manuscript while travelling and meeting new people.

What a lovely inspiring read! I felt like I was transported to Paris! I was very invested in the story of Maggie and her daughter Nicole. I really enjoyed the details about paris and Maggie’s writing process. I loved that Maggie’s daughter was on the spectrum with ASD...I learned a lot about her condition and it was great to see this in the novel. I also loved the complicated relationship Maggie had with her ex Alan. It really helped make the book stand out as not the typical cookie cutter romantic comedy. I really wanted Maggie to find her muse and succeed! I was fully invested in the story and setting it in Paris was an added bonus as I love all things related to Paris. Who wouldn’t be inspired in Paris!!! It was kinda like a grown up version of Emily in Paris the tv series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The story follows 48-year-old author, Maggie Bliss, who is struggling to write the third novel in her bestselling trilogy. Maggie has fallen out of love with herself, her awful boyfriend and is frustrated with her writer’s block. So when her agent Lee suggests she visit Paris and stay in his apartment to get some inspiration, she decides why not! Shortly after her arrival, her charming ex-husband arrives for a vacation, her daughter begins acting strangely and she finds a handsome Frenchman one morning in her bathtub. With a lack of peace, will she be able to find her muse? And maybe even herself in the process?

This was a wonderful romantic read and I found myself flying through the pages. This fantastic story centred an author who rediscovers her independence, family, and the ability to love herself. I enjoyed the slow burn and honestly didn’t know what Maggie would decide.

This book made me want to drop everything and fly straight to Paris! I loved the vivid imagery, constant wine/coffee drinking and food experiences. What an all round wonderful read.

A very good Romantic Comedy about a writer who has lost her creativity. Her agent suggests she go to Paris with him to maybe get her mojo back. She meets the son (Max) of her agent’s housekeeper and can write again. Is he her muse or is it just Paris? Her ex-husband is also in Paris visiting their daughter. Does she get back with her ex-husband or her muse? The relationships between her , Maggie, and the two men Max ( the muse) and Alan ( the ex-husband) is explored in great detail. The characters are well written and interesting. Romantic Comedy is not my genre but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Dee Ernst for a copy of this novel for my honest review.

Maggie has lost her mojo for life, love, and her writing. But she has a book that is overdue. So what does Maggie do? She flies to Paris of course. I did enjoy this book. I thought Maggie was a dithering mess in the beginning. I love the Paris setting because who can't help but be inspired by Paris. Max was the bomb and I thought the way Maggie used him was unfair. Can they work it out or will Maggie settle for co,fort and predictable with an old flame? Read the book to see for yourself.

Oh my gosh, this is the sweetest, most delightful, funny, and feel good romance novel I have read in a long time. I LOVED this book and read it in one sitting!! 😍

This is the story of Maggie (who I adored!! I wish I could pluck this character into real life and be her best friend forever! 😂). Maggie is an author with writers block and a looming deadline, so she travels to Paris to ‘find her muse’ (as in the spark she needs to inspire her writing). There, in the most romantic city in the world (ahh Paris, could there not be a more beautiful setting for a book?) she catches up with her daughter and ex-husband and falls in love with the city as she goes about experiencing all the touristy things, devouring delicious food and writing like mad. All the while, she rediscovers love, confidence and inspiration as she is surrounded by the beauty that Paris is.

I do not have words to express how gorgeous this book is. I read this entire thing with a smile on my face and laughed out loud multiple times. Every single character is realistic, relatable and simply delightful, and the atmosphere of this book has you swarming with an itch to jump on a plane and fly to Paris, right now! This is the sweetest, most uplifting book I have read so far this year.
Everyone needs to read this!! I promise you will have a smile on your face and lilt in your step for hours afterwards!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this so very much! 😍