I absolutely love Maggie Bliss! It was refreshing to read about a female protagonist that was approaching middle age, especially for someone who is in the same boat. Maggie’s life is a mess, and her self-confidence is a little low. She’s in a rut but doesn’t realize it. When the novel starts, she’s got serious writer’s block. The last book in her successful trilogy is past due and she has no idea where to start. She ends things with her self-centered boyfriend that she admits to herself should have been done long before, and finally throws herself on her Agent’s mercy. Her agent is headed to Paris for a few weeks and invites her to come along and use his apartment while he is traveling. A change of scene should help, especially with the different energy. Maggie is game, there is a lot riding on this book and she needs to find her Muse. As an added bonus, she could see her daughter who is living in France.
When a strange man shows up in the apartment’s bathtub and she finds her ex-husband is also visiting Paris, distractions abound but, happily, her writer’s block disappears. As her writing progresses, Maggie finds herself in a personal dilemma as she spends time with two very different men: the sexy Frenchman and her nerdy, sweet, ex. Will her time in Paris help with not only her book, but her personal life? Is there a future with either of the men? Will she choose to take the easy, comfortable way of life or take some chances?
There is romance involved, but this book was more about Maggie and her growth. I loved watching her find herself, her confidence, and her self-esteem in Paris. Rather than a person as a Muse, she needed to find herself and a future that makes her happy. I enjoyed going on Maggie’s journey of rediscovery with her, cheering her on. This was a captivating novel that was full of heart.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MaggieFindsHerMuse #StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #DeeErnst

This one grew on me and slowly pulled me in. Maggie Finds Her Muse is a contemporary romance novel about a 48-year-old author who recently broke off a relationship with a selfish boyfriend and is having difficulty completing the last book in her bestselling romance series.

To help her regain inspiration, Maggie’s agent invites her to Paris with him and his husband hoping the change of location and Parisian culture will spark inspiration in Maggie helping her to complete the book by her deadline. Despite some difficulty settling into Paris, Maggie soon finds her bearings there with the help of a Frenchman and spends time with her daughter and ex-husband while in the city. She even finds the inspiration she’d been looking for and love, too.

It was a lighthearted read that took off for me once Maggie gets to Paris. For me, the early chapters, especially the first one where she’s fighting with her asshole of a boyfriend, were a slog to get through, and I think it’s because the story starts off with an argument between Maggie and her boyfriend. That immediately turned me off. But, once she got to Paris, I was hooked.

I think the Paris chapters got me because that’s when we really start to get some humor in the story and the romantic comedy aspect of it takes off. My favorite part, of course, was when she unknowingly walks in on Max taking a bath and then starts checking him out, lol. The Paris chapters also interested me because it sold me on the city. Paris isn’t one of the top cities I’d like to visit, but Maggie’s love of it seriously bit me with a travel bug, which if it wasn’t for corona would have made me book a flight to go visit the city too.

I enjoyed seeing how Maggie’s relationship with Max develops and even liked seeing her interact with her daughter Nicole, who lives in Paris, and her ex-husband, who was visiting the city. But I was so taken with the descriptions of the city and the touristy things Maggie was doing that I didn’t care much for the romance bits or the relationships (lol). But I do like how she tries to give Nicole space to grow and be independent and tries to be understanding about Nicole having Asperger’s without being overbearing.

One thing I didn’t like, though, was how the conflict between Maggie and Max was introduced. Really, all that lying wasn’t necessary and it’s obvious Max would have been fine with things if Maggie was honest. Things could have been easily resolved with a quick, honest chat. It always annoys me when this happens in stories.

OVERALL: ★★☆☆☆ ½

It was an okay read. It was lighthearted, fun, and even funny in some spots. And it made me want to go visit Paris.

I love a good love story, and when I heard about Maggie Finds her Muse, I was excited for two reasons: a) the story is set in Paris and b) it featured an older heroine. I was particularly excited about the older heroine because most of the romance novels I read are about 20 and 30 somethings, and I thought her life experience would lead to a more mature love story.

Maggie Finds Her Muse was a slog to get through - it took a while for the story to get rolling, and even when it did get going, not a lot actually happened. This was a very paint by numbers romance - the main character has two love interests, has a big misunderstanding with the one she likes most, and then in fifty pages everything is peachy again. It was predictable and not very entertaining.

I found Maggie to be painfully naive and clueless - she was the epitome of a clueless and clumsy American tourist. At one point she talks about not knowing what crepes are - though this was a small, offhand remark, it really highlighted her lack of worldliness. She also got upset when she didn’t immediately fit into French culture - after she totally discarded all of the warnings her friends gave her about how to fit in. She lacked the maturity I was expecting from a middle aged leading lady, and came off as entitled more often than not.

The biggest issue with this book is that it is a romance novel with no real chemistry. During this story, Maggie has two potential love interests: her long time ex husband and a hot Frenchman she meets in Paris. She had chemistry with neither of them. Both relationships felt forced and lifeless, lacking anything to make me root for either couple.

I went into Maggie Finds Her Muse hoping for a Nancy Meyers-esque rom com, and came out thoroughly disappointed. Between the lack of romantic energy, the sluggish plot, and the immature leading lady, I was definitely disappointed by this book. 1/5

3.5 Stars

Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst is a fun contemporary romance with a huge dose of Paris. The characters are entertaining and engaging as well. This is a perfect book for your beach bag.

What I love most about this novel is the setting and the vivid descriptions of food. Almost every scene in the story involves some sort of mouthwatering dish. It is a perfect solution for wanderlust, as Maggie immerses herself in Parisian culture. There are visits to museums, châteaux, shops, and cafés that will give the reader a real virtual trip to Paris.

❀ INTERESTING MAIN CHARACTER

Maggie is an interesting main character with lots of spunk. She is a middle-aged, divorced, romance author looking for inspiration for her book. Her sense of humour and ability to find new ways to adapt are admirable.

❀ A CUTE, LAUGH-OUT-LOUD STORY

The story is cute and there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments as Maggie navigates her way through Paris. I especially love her interactions with her housemate, Max. He shows Maggie a side of herself that she hadn’t seen before, which is endearing and sweet.

❀ PERFECT SUMMER READ

If you are looking for a perfect summer read, Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst is one to watch for. The story is a fun escape that will help ease an urge to travel right now.

I honestly don’t have much to say about this one. It wasn’t badly done by any means, just not my cup of tea. There were a lot of coincidences to solve problems. I wish more time was spent getting to know Maggie’s daughter and getting into that relationship. And I wish Max and Maggie had more scenes together, because I would have believed in them a bit more. But it is a short book, so there wasn’t really time for that within the page length. But if you’re looking for something light-hearted and super easy to read (and short), then I’d recommend this!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

As one of the characters in this story says, there's nothing more erotic than a 40 something woman finding love. I quite agree and this delicious modern novel set in Paris had me lingering at the supper table. I loved novelist Maggie and all the characters that intersect with her. It might have been predictable but that didn't make it less entertaining. Oh, how I miss Paris!




Publication Date 20/04/21
Goodreads review 26/05/21

* Also reviewed on Instagram and Facebook*

I had high hopes for this as I had seen it everywhere. I let was a light read but it was missing something for me. The book was slightly on the slower side as well.

This is such a perfect summer read. It has all of the elements I want in a romance novel. Likable characters, cravable food, adventure. It was a fast and fun read I couldn't get enough of.

How does one read about Paris and not have croissants and espresso? Maggie Finds Her Muse was an excellent romcom that mostly takes place in beautiful France 🇫🇷. Maggie is a writer who is struggling to write her next book especially after breaking up with her latest boyfriend. She keeps procrastinating and she’s on quite a deadline to get her book written. Maggie’s agent suggests she goes on a she visit Paris for inspiration. She meets Max in a hilarious way and she feels a spark of attraction immediately. Soon the words are flowing out of her and she makes real progress on her novel. But does she also find love and happiness?

I love that Maggie was on the older side and had such passion for life and romance. I also loved all the talk about what goes into writing a book and her process. I found her story to be very inspiring. And it definitely made me want to travel again. And eat all the pain au chocolate and baguettes and just all the cheese and wine.

Maggie finds her Muse was definitely a cute chick lit read. Predictable, yes.... but aren’t all chick lots? And we still read them all. Ha! But honestly this was a cute one that you’ll want to add to your TBR list!

Ah Paris and romance, what's not to love. This was a great story and I fell in love with the characters along the way. I was rooting for Maggie all the way.

This was just the tonic I needed! I just adored this sweet novel.

Romance writer Maggie is on a tight deadline and she has no idea what to write. Her agent Leo suggests she join him in Paris, after all if anywhere can inspire someone to write a romance novel then surely Paris is the place.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and lovable, I really liked the character of Maggie but there were also so many wonderful secondary characters too. And the setting, well, being largely set in Paris which is my favourite place in the world, definitely helped. The author did a sterling job of describing Paris, especially the food. I really needed this lighthearted read which left me with a big smile on my face.

I also really loved the fact that Maggie was an older character, with grown up children, it made such a nice change to read about someone that wasn’t in their 20’s.

With pretty much no traveling in the last year, I was very excited to pick up MAGGIE FINDS HER MUSE by Dee Ernst. I love books about authors and their writing strategies and you set it against the backdrop of Paris and I was pretty much sold. Maggie is an author who is struggling trying to write her final book of a trilogy who tags along with her agent to go to Paris to help get inspiration. The setting of Paris was absolutely the best part of this book. I could smell the croissants, the coffee cream, and I could definitely picture all of the beautiful Parisian man.

As the title suggests, Maggie is trying to find her muse and find one she does but she also has recently been reunited with her ex-husband while visiting her daughter who also lives in France. I enjoyed the love and romantic component however for a woman that is 48 years old the writing style and how she went about her romantic entanglements felt very immature. If you told me halfway through the book that the heroine was actually 25, I would’ve believed you.

Romantic element aside, this book was a really fun read. It wasn’t amazing but it was definitely worth reading if you’re looking for somewhere to travel from your couch. The city of Paris is brought to life and if you want to read about Parisian food, good looking men, and a writer’s way of work...you want to check this book out!

I loved this charming story of reinvention and renewal of spirit. In Dee Ernst's hands, Maggie is a layered and lovely character who journeys in a believable way to a well-deserved happy ending.

This was such a fun, delightful and charming book! I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters and the setting! I love reading books set in Paris, and I loved the way the author described the sights and sounds of Paris as well as the food. Oh my! Made me wish I was there taking it all in with Maggie. I liked the main characters were older, not your usual twenty or thirty-somethings. I guess that’s just because I’m older now and appreciate reading about characters forty years of age and older. Life can be fun, exciting and adventurous after forty! Maggie Finds Her Muse has just the right touch of romance and comedy that makes it the perfect summer read. It had me chuckling in quite a few scenes. I really did adore it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

This book was such a breath of fresh air for me! I felt like I had been reading a lot of books in March and beginning of April that were about heavier topics and this one was just flat out cute!

Maggie is an author and working on the next novel for her book series. (A book about books! What’s not to love!) she decides to go to Paris to work on this novel and to find her muse, because she is having a little bit of writer’s block.

In beautiful Paris, with the help of some unlikely friends, she begins her writing process and looks for her muse that will help her get into her writing groove.

On a scale of good, great or fantastic, this one was GREAT!

This was cute and fun to read. A wonderful book to pick up in between non-fiction, hard-hitting contemporary, scf-fi, fantasy...lol...pretty much anything dense.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

What a refreshing adult romance featuring a middle-aged writer trying to finish the third book in a planned trilogy this turned out to be. Maggie has hit a writer's block while working at her home in New Jersey. She’s already missed two First Draft submission deadlines. Her agent invites her to his Parisian apartment, hoping that the change of scenery will help kick-start her writing.

What unfolds is a wonderful book about so many things. We are treated to a loving look at Paris as Maggie explores the city with a cast of characters. Max, who quickly becomes her muse, and soon her love interest easily won me over with his charm and gentleness. We watch the measures that Maggie goes to in order to finish her book, and the revelations she learns about herself along the way.

This is not, YA or New-Adult fiction. I enjoyed the scenarios presented and the thoughtful decisions that Maggie, Alan (Maggie's ex-husband) and Max made about relationships. I also enjoyed that Maggie was a successful author who fought for what she thought was right and fair with her publisher.

I'm so glad that I had the chance to read this book. I'd recommend this to readers who are looking for contemporary romance featuring real-life middle-aged characters; and who a predominately French setting. Ooohhh-la-la!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

The story revolves around an author who could not write and as a result of which she goes to Paris looking for a muse to help her write. I loved the story line and it is always fun when I read a book set in Paris. As far as the writing style is concerned, I loved it.

This was a fabulous, fun book. So truly wonderful to read a book about a woman who isn’t in her twenties and yet is portrayed for who she is. A strong, smart, vital woman who matters and still has a lot to say and give. She isn’t looking for the “the perfect man to make her whole” as she already knows she is. A grown up adult woman who can take care of herself, live her life and function all on her own. Who takes charge when she has had enough and isn’t willing to settle for anything less than what she feels she deserves. She has wonderful friends and she is good with that! Maggie is an author who has a serious case of writers block. She is truly stuck. She’s just kicked out her romantic partner and heads to France for some inspiration in the form of a muse for a book that is overdue to her publisher, who just so happens to be a sexist jerk. While away she rediscovers herself, her wants, desires and meets Max, a lovely delightful Frenchman. Is he the one? Read this wonderfully fun book to find out……you'll thank yourself for the treat!