I would have missed this book if my friend Kaye Wilkinson Barley hadn’t mentioned it. But, then, Kaye’s read everything that has come out in recent years set in Paris. Dee Ernst’s romantic comedy, Maggie Finds Her Muse, hit all the right notes for me. It’s set in Paris, in so many locations that I saw when I was there. And, the food! This story makes me want to go back and take the book with me. It’s about a writer, a mature woman, who finds love, and it’s such a pleasure to have a romance between two characters who are not in their twenties.

Maggie Bliss is a successful romance writer on the verge of a career breakthrough. The second in her popular Delania Trilogy is about to be released, and, once she writes “The End” on the final book, she might sign a contract for a cable series that will allow her to buy the beach house that has been her dream. However, Maggie is no closer to finishing that third book than she was six months earlier. She hasn’t written a word. She swears she’s lost her muse.

It doesn’t help that she’s finally kicking out Greg, the man who has lived with and sponged off of her for four years. He’s an award-winning nonfiction writer who travels the world, but it’s Maggie’s income as a romance author that pays the bills. But, for the last four years, Greg has been the image of her alpha male for her books, and now she’s stuck. Maybe she needs a change of scenery. Or a new muse?

Maggie’s agent, Lee, and his partner are about to leave for their Paris apartment, so Lee tells her she should come with them. If Paris, the wine, the food, the scenery, doesn’t inspire her, nothing will get her writing. And, Maggie does fall in love with Paris, the museums, the cafes. She loves Solange, Lee’s housekeeper. She’s even going to meet up with her adult daughter, Nicole, and Maggie’s ex-husband, Alan. Maggie and Alan are better friends now than they were twenty-three years ago when they divorced. Nicole has hopes that Maggie and Alan might get together again. But, then what would Maggie do about the man she finds taking a bath in the Paris apartment?

The man in the bathtub is Solange’s son, Max. He’s also divorced, a successful banker who travels the world. And, he takes the unprepared American under his wing, setting her up for a makeover so she will look attractive to meet up with her ex. Now, Maggie sees a sparkle in Alan’s eye. She also sees the appeal of the sexy Frenchman. Now that she’s drawn to two men, Maggie can’t wait to put words down on paper. Paris, the City of Love, might just have brought more light to Maggie’s life than she expected.

Maggie Finds Her Muse is a charming book about finding unexpected love. It’s funny at times, with a French bulldog who farts, and an action-packed scene in the Luxembourg Gardens as the cast acts out a scene to help Maggie stage a rescue. There’s all that wonderful food, and the sites in Paris. The relationship between Maggie and her daughter, Nicole, both of whom have learned to live with Nicole’s Asperger’s, is a beautiful portrait of love and appreciation of each other. The relationships are enjoyable and adult, except when Maggie panics over her writing. Even that is explained. “Every author in the world knows in their heart of hearts that despite the fame, awards, accolades, and devoted followers, at any moment we could all become incapable of putting together even the simplest of sentences.”

Dee Ernst has managed to put together sentences, chapters, and a story that has heart and beauty and romance. Did I mention Paris?

Dee Ernst’s website is https://www.deeernst.com/

Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2021. ISBN 9781250768339 (paperback), 304p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a copy of the book.