Member Reviews

Another day, another book set in Paris!!! I have to say I could read about Paris every day of my life. It’s at the top of my list of travel locations.
Maggie was in need of inspiration to get out of a writing slump - the food, beauty, and people of Paris turned out to be exactly what she needed! A lot women’s fiction, with some family drama, and some sweet romance - I really connected to Maggie’s story. Here’s what I loved:

🥐The setting and descriptions of the city - I was transported.
🥐The FOOD!! Maggie really ate and drank this city up - I was practically drooling!!
🥐The bit of a love triangle... safe choice or true love?!? Max was a stinkin dream, so I know what my choice would have been!!
🥐The insider writing/publishing info was fun!! I was very invested in this book she was writing!
🥐 The stinky French bulldog ♥️

I could of handled a little more focus on the romance side of the story, but it flowed so well and I sped through this book very quickly!! Highly recommend it if you are looking to be transported to France!!

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DON"T SLEEP ON THIS BOOK.

Y'all this is everything. I need a friend like Lee - take me to Paris to work, PLEASE. The scene where Max takes her to get beautified - chef's kiss.

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DNF :( Yikes, I had to drop this one like a hot potato.

From the first page I was annoyed with Maggie, our main protagonist's voice. There is a lot of entitlement in her language and I was just not enjoying her even though it is obvious that I am supposed to think she is funny. She's not.

Then, enter the terrible set-up with her ex. She was a college student and he was her professor. Maybe it is because I was a teacher myself, but this is HORRIFYING! I was immediately grossed-out and decided, "You know what? I can't do this. Life's too short."

In the immortal works of Michael Scott, "Nope. Don't like that."

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It was so refreshing to read a romance novel centred on a woman in her late forties!! Maggie was an absolute joy, as was the cast of supporting characters. I really enjoyed every single page and read it in one day over a couple of sittings

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This book was a good read, but not great. For my taste anyway. I felt it was very slow in some parts and overly rushed in others. Maggie was a good lead female character and very likable. The pacing was just a bit off for me.

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A unique romantic tale. Take a trip to Paris for the food, the sights, the wine, and the romance. A possible second chance romance. A special daughter. Funny friends. Discover what becomes her muse for this book within the book. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

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Suffering a severe case of writer's block, novelist Maggie travels to Paris seeking her muse. She finds inspiration in the food, the shopping—and two charming men. How can she choose between them?

This book is fabulous. It's part women's fiction, part romantic comedy, and an absolute joy to read. If you're looking for a beach read or something to relax with at the end of the day, you couldn't choose better.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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I enjoyed Maggie's story so much that I didn't want it to end. I definitely wanted to visit Paris after reading it. I felt like the character development was so rich & all of them were intriguing. I also thought the storyline of how a writer writes a novel was so fascinating. I highly recommend reading this novel!

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Summary:
Maggie Bliss is a successful romance writer.- with a problem. Her book is due in 6 weeks and she has nothing. Will a change of scenery be just what she needs? Or will a change of scenery be the setting for a whole new set of problems?

As the book opens, Maggie's life is in a bit of chaos. She has a live-in boyfriend who thinks more of himself than he does of her. Her first draft is due on her publisher's desk in 6 weeks and she's got the worst case of writer's block. So, her agent recommends her traveling to Paris with him and his husband. Seems like paradise since she can write anywhere and she's kicked the selfish boyfriend out. The people waiting for her there are nothing like she thought of. Solange, Lee's (Maggie's agent), is quick to make herself sparse so sparks can hopefully ignite between her son, Max, and Maggie.

As Maggie gets to know the neighborhood and the people, her writer juices start to flow. However, even Paris can bring complications to your café table. Maggie's daughter has decided that since both her parents get along and are currently single, it's the perfect time to get back together. Will their old flame spark up again? Maggie also can't quite make sense of her growing attachment to Max. He takes her under his wing as he gets her a makeover and shows her the neighborhood. Will feelings develop?

If you're looking for a light, fluffy and charming romance- consider Maggie Finds Her Muse. I loved the story. I was engrossed right from the get go. I loved all the characters and how they interacted. I loved how Dee Ernst made Paris feel so magical through the pages. I loved seeing all the possibilities and watching the story unfold. She even made a farting dog become a cute comical character.
I do need to warn you that if you like your romance books to be steamy, you won't find that with Maggie. There are plenty of references to steamy things she's written for characters and a couple of beginnings, but very little steam. But what it lacks in that department it makes up for with charm. I didn't want to put the book down and I didn't want it to end.

Maggie Finds Her Muse could be a great summer read.

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*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: April 20, 2021

A breath of fresh air to have a main character who is at a reasonable age (48) to have a career/life crisis. So often main characters are barely 30 and allegedly in crisis but im thrilled to see some representation for a group who has earned their time for a crisis!

If this doesn’t make you want to move to Paris and be a writer you might be dead inside. What a fabulous setting for a book, it made me want to book the next flight out and follow in Maggie’s footsteps through all the same adventures (and meals!)

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Maggie Finds Her Muse is a delightful romantic comedy about a romance writer who is struggling to write the third book in her latest trilogy. The remedy – a writing retreat in Paris at her agents’ flat in the city, of course. I love the setting. The beach always inspires me to write, but I could see where a beautiful and romantic city like Paris would do the same for Maggie, the main character. I also loved the in-depth look at the writing process with all its quirkiness and challenges.

The focus is more on the book writing process than on romance, but since Maggie has two love interests – one, her ex-husband, and two, the son of the Paris flat housekeeper – there is still that romantic plotline threaded throughout the novel. In the book, Max convinces Maggie that writing about a more mature romance rather than the young characters she does typically would be an even better story, and that is precisely what the reader gets to experience with this novel. A romance between two older individuals who have the experience of previous marriages and life in general finding that spark and connection that makes the world a better place in which to live. I love that it boldly acknowledged that love and romance are not just for the young but are even more intense and relevant as people grow and mature, learning more about themselves, what makes them happy, and how to open their hearts to another.

Maggie is a well-developed main character who can get rather tedious but overall is relatable and endearing. Her support characters are not as well developed, but they fill their roles superbly.

If you are looking for a light and funny read, Maggie Finds Her Muse is just what you are looking for.

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I received a complimentary copy of this ebook ARC from the author, publisher, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ★★★★


I think I've read it somewhere that this was similar to Beach Read, and Emily Henry's book was one of my faves from 2020, so of course, I had to check Maggie Finds Her Muse, and I wasn't disappointed.

Maggie Bliss is a romance author who has writer's block. When she finds out that her live-in boyfriend thinks he is more important than her, she leaves him and decides to go finish her book by going on a trip with her agent Lee to Paris. Will she be able to find her inspiration and find love again? Read on and find out for yourself.

The premise is great, and I love that the MC was in her late 40s, it's not every day that you find romance books with older women finding love again, and this one was light-hearted and entertaining. Definitely recommend!

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I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! Our protagonist, Maggie, finds herself in a writing slump as she nears a huge deadline for the third book in her bestselling series. Her agent invites her to stay in his Paris home for a few weeks, hopefully to spark her creativity. She goes, but of course it's not the city that helps her write, but instead the rather cute Frenchman who's mom is the caretaker of the apartment. She quickly learns she cannot write without him there, and does everything she can to keep him around.

I've been reading a lot of romances about younger couples, and it can be nice to switch it up every now and then and read about older couples. Maggie's relationship with her adult daughter, Nicole, was key to the book, as was Maggie's relationship with her ex-husband, Alan. These relationships added more depth and complications to the story, and really helped to shape it. All of the characters in the book were enjoyable, the love story between Maggie and Max was adorable, and the Paris setting really tied the whole thing together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

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First time reading this author. Good story about an author, Maggie, who is having trouble getting started on writing the third book in her trilogy. She heads to Paris to find her muse after breaking off a relationship with an egotistical guy. While in Paris, she spends time with her adult daughter, reconnects with her ex-husband, and meets Max. I give Maggie credit for being secure in herself and knowing that she didn't need to settle for a relationship that didn't have passion. Quick, enjoyable read.

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This is an enjoyable women’s fiction novel centered around an author’s trip to Paris in an effort to finish writing the last novel in her popular series after breaking up with her boyfriend.

As Maggie is an author herself, I enjoyed how many nods there were to books. For example, references like: well in my romance novels this would be when this would happen, but we know that doesn’t happen in real life.

So fun!

Maggie is a middle aged divorce with grown children, so I am not quite the book’s demographic. It was reminiscent of Debbie Macomber, which I say as a compliment!

I was thinking of how I would recommend it to my mom and then an incredible steamy bedroom scene happened and I decided I won’t be doing that. I do feel that the open door romance part of the book did feel organic and did not fit with the tone of the book.

It was a quite enjoyable read as it let me travel to Paris and explore the city alongside Maggie while she also was trying to find herself.

The travel aspect was even more enjoyable now that travel is not as accessible. The author was fantastic with describing the sights and the tastes of the delectable foods Maggie was eating.

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4.5/ 5 stars

Maggie Finds Her Muse is a wonderful fun book that I found so enjoyable. It is my first book by this author.

The book is listed as a romantic comedy. But it really felt more like women's fiction to me. At least until the last third of the book.

The narrator is 48 year old romance novelist, Maggie Bliss (1st person POV). She lives in New Jersey and has been struggling to write the third book in her romance trilogy.

Okay so first off I love that Maggie is a romance writer. It is so amazing to read about her writer's block and I loved everything to do with her book.

Her agent Lee offers her a suggestion. Does she want to go stay with him in a beautiful foreign city? Will she be able to finish her book and find a muse (hence the title)?

The setting was phenomenal and was honestly my favorite thing about the book. I loved everything to do with Maggie being in Paris. The author described the food, the shopping, the people and the locations so well. And it made me feel like I was there.

Maggie's daughter Nicole lives in France. And this was a big part of the story. Also Nicole having Asperger's was a really great part of the book.

Romance is a part of the book. But it isn't a big focus in the first half of the story.

I really enjoyed seeing Maggie get to interact with her ex-husband Alan. And I absolutely loved Lee's housekeeper's son Max. He was so kind and charming.

This book had really long chapters. But it was a fairly quick read. Also, it has a love triangle (which I love). Overall, I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

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Charming rom-com about middle-aged divorced author Maggie experiencing severe writer's block. Her agent offers her a change of scenery -- the use of a lovely apartment in Paris to see if she can kick-start her latest book, which is already past deadline. An added plus is that her grown daughter is living in France and she will get to spend some time with her.

She is enraptured by Paris and settles in to the apartment under the care of Solange -- cook, housekeeper and all around wise Frenchwoman. Solange's appealing son Max shows up as well. Maggie finds that the different surroundings have definitely sparked her imagination and she almost immediately sits down and begins to write. What she hadn't expected was romantic complications -- between the handsome French Max and the unexpected appearance of Maggie's ex-husband and their affectionate and comfortable relationship, Maggie has a lot of fuel for her imagination. A delightful and quick read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I enjoyed this light read by Dee Ernst! It's wonderful to find a romantic-comedy about a woman over 40. Fabulous escape reading that is filled with the beautiful scenery of Paris, delectable food, and heart-warming, delightful characters! Reading Maggie Finds Her Muse was a perfect vacation without leaving my home! Thanks to NetGalley and Dee Ernst for the ARC!

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I really enjoyed reading a book where the main character was an author. I think it gave insight to the process authors go though as well as the struggles they may have writing. I loved the descriptions of Paris. It made me feel like I was there. This was a book that I could not wait to continue reading at night!

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To quote the words of Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea” so when I saw the cover and read from the synopsis it was set in this amazing city I was keep to get my hands on a copy. And the book did not disappoint.

Maggie is a successful writer who has a dealing pending but is struggling from writers block. In order to give her some head space and a change of scenery her boss and friend Ian invites her to his apartment in Paris so she can hopefully find her muse and get her creative juices flowing. Firstly this book is filled with interesting characters that you just cant help but like instantly, starting with Jules the aging dog, Solange the caring house keeper, and Martin, Ians partner who has a great sense of humour. Not to mention Max, Solanges very dashing son.

I have read anything by the author previously, but I am sure this won’t be the last book. She managed to write about complex emotions and situation in a way thats funny and easy to read. Writing about a lady in her middle age in a love triangle was also brilliant and very amusing. Really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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