Fun, lighthearted story. I loved all of the characters. Loved the storyline and did not want to stop reading this book. This book just made me feel so happy when I was reading it. I just want to read this book over again because it was so good!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this delightful story.

Maggie is a writer struggling to finish (or start) the third book in her trilogy. Her agent invites her to Paris to find her muse and finish her book.

Maggie was such an interesting character. She kicks out her live in boyfriend and travels to Paris at the drop of a hat to finish her book. She finds a muse, an amazing city and so much more.

There are so many wonderful secondary characters in this book. I loved Martin and his relationship with Lee. Solange was amazing and I loved Nic and Luis. I adored Max and his chemistry with Maggie.

This is another perfect quarantine book because it transported me to Paris when I can’t travel. Just be warned, this book will make you hungry!

Loved the older heroine in this book! This title just wasn’t my cup of tea; but I think that it was a good story and a sweet idea!

I am sorry but I can't continue this book. The synopsis seemed really interesting when I requested for this book but then I learned it had a love triangle which I absolutely hate in a book. And the main female character somewhat didn't understand her daughter? She needed to know about Asparagus more. Do some research. Whatever! I'm out.

If you are a Francophile like me, you will fall in love with this book. Maggie has writer’s block after the successful first book of a trilogy. While waiting for the second to be released, she is on a tight schedule to finish the third. Her manager and his partner suggest she goes to Paris with them for inspiration, Maggie’s daughter is a student in Rennes, outside Paris and is meeting with her father, Alan, Maggie’s ex, also in Paris and another reason for Maggie to enjoy Paris. The descriptions of the food and places will make you want to hop on a plane. Add in the charming and handsome Frenchman, Max, and the romantic part of the story really shines. I highly recommend, especially if you are taking a vacation. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Paris solves all problems!

I'm thoroughly convinced that visiting Paris solves any problem, including writer's block in Maggie's case, and to fall in love in the process is the cherry on top of the cake!

I think this book was really sweet and inspiring to read with a heroine that is older than we usually see for romcoms. But that's what is inspiring about it. Maggie goes to Paris to finish her book, but ends up finding her muse and someone to love as well. It's a good story to sit back and relax with and enjoy the escapades that Maggie and her friends go through in Paris and to discover a bit of Paris yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

This one wasn’t for me - largely because I thought the love triangle took too much time. I would have preferred the author to invest in one relationship but instead she left me caring about neither. I enjoyed the setting, writers info and relationship with her daughter.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-copy.

This book caught my attention as soon as I read the synopsis - mostly because the main character is older and not a 20-something (as a 41 year old, I appreciated that). I flew through it in three days and found it to be a very enjoyable (albeit predictable) read.

I liked getting the inside look at Maggie as a writer. Seeing her process, her "writing clothes", how she gets in the zone was all pretty realistic and I could imagine relatable to other authors. The descriptions of Paris, especially the food, made me want to get on a plane and travel there, COVID be damned. I also liked the secondary characters, especially Nicole.

This was a very cute story, that made me giggle at times, smile at the end, want to eat lots of bread and cheese, paint my nails gray, and read this fictional series that Maggie was writing!

Struggling to write the last book in a trilogy, Maggie heads to Paris hoping to find inspiration! Luckily, for her, she finds plenty: a lovely apartment, an attentive housekeeper/cook, her grown daughter, Nicole, who lives there, the sights, sounds, and tastes of Paris... and perhaps even a sexy Frenchman (or maybe even her ex-husband, Alan).

Who or what will bring joy to Maggie and help her find her writing groove?

This story gripped me from the very first pages. It was fun, sweet, and sometimes laugh out loud funny. It held my attention throughout and brought me joy.

Location: Paris, France

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Maggie Bliss is running behind. The third book in her latest romance trilogy has to be at her publisher in months, and despite what she’s told her editor, she hasn’t written a word of it. Not one word. She has tried everything she can think of to kick start her inspiration, but nothing is happening. And when she tries to talk to her partner about it, all he has to offer her are complaints about what’s going wrong for him.

For Maggie, it’s the last straw. She kicks him out. Now she’s 48, newly single, and needing to write an entire book in mere months to meet her publisher’s deadline and to finish the series to potentially sell it for a lucrative cable series.

Fortunately, she also has a support system behind her, and her agent Lee invites her to France. He and his husband are heading over for their yearly trip to his family’s apartment in Paris and to their vineyard in Provence. While they head out to check on the vineyard, Maggie can stay in the Paris apartment, be inspired by the food and the art and the Eiffel Tower and write her book. Plus her daughter is living in France, so she can visit with Nicole while she’s there.

If she can’t find inspiration in Paris for her romance novel, will Maggie be able to find it anywhere else?

It’s not until the Lee and Martin leave for their vineyard with their live-in housekeeper Solange that Maggie wakes up to find a naked man in her bathtub. He introduces himself as Solange’s son Max. As an international banker, Max travels a lot and stays at the apartment when he’s in Paris. Maggie excuses herself from the bathroom and over an awkward cup of coffee tells him that she’s meeting her daughter and her ex-husband. When Max learns that Maggie hadn’t seen Alan in years, he insists on getting her a makeover and starts to make calls immediately.

After a new haircut, manicure, and fabulous new clothes, Maggie feels like a new woman. She heads out to meet with Nicole and Alan, and he can’t keep his eyes off of her. Nic starts dropping hints that it would be great if they got back together. Maggie hadn’t even considered the possibility . . . until then. But it doesn’t matter, because Maggie has to focus on her book. That’s why she’s in Paris.

As the days go by and Maggie succumbs to the power of French breads, wines, cheeses, produce, and all the other flavors of the French table, she finds herself finally being able to write. As the days in France go by, Maggie finds herself alternating between writing binges and meals with Nicole and Alan, more writing and then a fabulous meal with Max, back and forth, until she has trouble figuring out where her inspiration is coming from. Is it the possibility of rekindling romance with Alan? Is it the flirtation with Max? Or is it Paris herself?

As Maggie’s life expands with pages of her novel and memories, she realizes that she has found her muse again. For one novel, it had been wearing her sweater inside out. For another, it was Mallomars. But this one is more complicated, and Maggie has to figure out how to hang on to her inspiration through the rest of her novel, and maybe even longer if she can. Because it’s just possible that Maggie is in love.

Maggie Finds Her Muse is a charming story about finding new life and new hope in mid-life. Author Dee Ernst brings Maggie and her family and friends to life and describes France and its magic in way that makes you want to jump on the next plane and move into a friend’s apartment for a month or so (if you’re lucky enough to have friends with an apartment in Paris).

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought there was a lovely balance between the romance and the rest of Maggie’s life. She was a strong, smart woman who had lost her way for a bit but managed to recreate herself as a stronger version through supportive friends and being courageous enough to go after what she really wanted, and I loved watching her find herself again. This is a lovely book, but it may leave you with strong cravings for wine and French pastries, so be forewarned about that. Otherwise, Maggie Finds Her Muse is a lovely journey to France and to love.

Egalleys for Maggie Finds Her Muse were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Maggie Finds Her Muse: A Novel by Dee Ernst
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst is such a wonderful, heartwarming story. I truly enjoyed this book. The characters were wonderful and the story was so engaging!

This was a quick read, that I did not want to put down! Definitely a great weekend read!

I'm so grateful to Dee Ernst, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Title: Maggie Finds Her Muse
Author: Dee Ernst
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rating: 5 out of 5

All Maggie Bliss needs to do is write. Forty-eight years old and newly single (again!), she ventures to Paris in a last-ditch effort to finish her manuscript. With a marvelous apartment at her fingertips and an elegant housekeeper to meet her every need, a finished book—and her dream of finally taking her career over the top—is surely within her grasp. After all, how could she find anything except inspiration in Paris, with its sophistication, food, and romance in the air?

But the clock is running out, and between her charming ex-husband arriving in France for vacation and a handsome Frenchman appearing one morning in her bathtub, Maggie’s previously undisturbed peace goes by the wayside.

I loved this book! This is a quick, fun read with a totally relatable heroine who manages to stumble (and eat) her way through Paris as she finally figures out what she wants out of life—and love. Maggie isn’t the perfect young heroine, and her love interest isn’t a typical brawny male. She’s a bit older than me, which made her so easy for me to put myself in her shoes, and she’s still struggling to figure out things. Same, girl. This would make an excellent vacation read, or just savor it over the weekend!

Dee Ernst lives in New Jersey. Maggie Finds Her Muse is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press exchange for an honest review.)

I enjoyed this lovely read that immediately captivated me and kept me totally involved in all that was happening from start to finish with unforgettable characters, a great family dynamic, humor, emotion, and the beautiful city of Paris. Best-selling author Maggie Bliss goes to Paris to overcome writers block and rediscovers love, family, confidence and inspiration. If you enjoy women's fiction at its finest, don't miss "Maggie Finds Her Muse". I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Ernst does a fantastic job setting the scene - when reading, I could feel the cobblestones beneath my feet, smell the baguettes in the air, hear the music and language, it was magical. The story itself was a perfectly enjoyable rom-com. Nothing mind-blowing, but it was a fun story.

I didn't give it four stars because while the book ended the way I hoped it would, I felt like the decision was rushed, and Maggie brushed off the other option rather quickly, considering how much time the reader spends with her hemming and hawing over it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy for review, all opinions are my own.

Maggie Finds Her Muse is a fun look into the writing process of an author with a lot on the line. I loved the descriptions of Paris, from the food to the museums to the people, even if they do look down their noses at Maggie at times. The love triangle is a bit predictable, and of course there are some romance tropes thrown in, but Maggie’s friends call her on her behavior in a rather hilariously meta fashion.

If you’re looking for fun, easy read for a summer day, then Maggie Finds Her Muse fits the bill.

I cannot believe how much I loved this book.

This is a women's fiction/romance book. This is about a writer that cannot write, so she goes to France looking for a muse to help her write. Her daughter is also in France, and she meets up with her daughter. Her daughter does have Autism. I love the characters in this book, and they are really developed. The plot/storyline was really good. There is not so much drama in this book, but there was a lot of stuff going on. This book is told in the view point of Maggie, and I loved the Maggie character. I really loved all the parts about France, and it kindof made you feel you where in France. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Griffin) or author (Dee Ernst) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I found this to be a enjoyable read, which I always enjoy and finding a new author to me is also always great. Maggie is experiencing writer's block, and this calls for desperate measures so she heads off to Paris in search of the inspiritation to once again get into the writing mood. What follows is a wonderful book that kept me turning the pages. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publish St. Martin's Griffin, and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Maggie is stressed with a deadline looming over her head as she battles writer's block. When her agent insists she accompanies him and his partner to Paris, she agrees with the anticipation of being inspired in the most romantic city in the world. She didn't expect her ex-husband Alan to be in the same city visiting their daughter and she definitely didn't expect meeting and making a new friend, Max. The days fly by as the flood gates open and she's full-on writing while enjoying the sights and delicious food. She soon realizes that Max has become more than just a friend, and she will do anything to keep him around until she finishes her book.

This was a fun read, taking us readers on a journey to Paris. I can imagine myself there with the detailed descriptions of the historic sights and the delectable cuisine and desserts. Maggie is a relatable person, older and divorced but still desiring to feel and be loved. With Alan hinting at a reconciliation, it would be easy for Maggie to say yes. What she can't figure out is why is Max always on her mind?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst is a romantic comedy novel about Maggie, a middle-aged romance author who is struggling with romance when it comes to writing and her personal life. After things come to a head in her relationship with her husband Greg, Maggie decides to refresh in Paris to find some inspiration for her writing and visit her daughter. Shortly after she arrives, she finds Max in the bathtub after thinking she would have the apartment to herself and also discovers her first ex-husband, Alan, is in Paris as well. As she explores Paris and rushes to finish her manuscript, Maggie must figure out what she is looking for in both love and life.

This was a charming novel with a light tone throughout. The setting in the novel was also fantastic with me imagining myself walking down brick roads to the boulangerie. At the beginning of the novel I struggled with Maggie's personality as her inner commentary was uncomfortable at times, especially when she called her daughter the B-word seemingly out of nowhere. However as the novel progressed Maggie felt more real and naturally progressed as a character. I loved that this novel focused on romance in middle-age which was unique and is much needed in romance. I do wish there would have been more scenes between Max and Maggie as the majority of her interactions were with Alan so at times it was hard to connect with their relationship. I also think a bit more length to develop the background of Alan and Max would have been helpful too. However the ending of this novel absolutely made this for me as it was a bit extra but so fun!

Many thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The story is a little bit tongue in cheek. It tells the story of Maggie who is a an author having writers block. She finds the perfect muse in Max but the relationship is complicated by the presence of her ex. It gives great insight into the mind and journey of the writing process and offers some witty takes on characterizations. Falling in love in the city of love becomes a happy benefit of finishing her book.