The Muse

By: Lauren Blakely

Narrated by: Shane East, Siiri Scott

Fall in love with The Muse, a swoony romantasy set in a modern day Paris that's full of magic, art, mysteries, and passion from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely...Performed in duet by Shane East and Siiri Scott!

The first time a woman stepped out of a painting, I thought I was seeing things.

The second time, I thought I was going mad.

The night she emerged from a Renoir, I felt something else entirely -- a deep stirring of desire, and the wish to get to know the brilliant beauty who's been trapped inside a painted garden for years.

She can only come out at night in the Musée d'Orsay, where I work. There, after hours, we wander through galleries, with the Van Goghs, the Monets, and the Toulouse Lautrecs the only witnesses to our midnight kisses and, soon, our trysts.

She opens her heart to me, and I learn her story.

But she keeps secrets too, ones I hope to unravel. Why she was trapped. Why Renoir is hunting her. And why artwork in famous museums across the world is starting to disintegrate.

Why I, too, seem to be the only person who can repair the masterpieces.

As I fall deeper for the woman who's trapped in a museum, I'm caught up in another side of Paris after dark, one inhabited by forgers, ghosts of famous artists and, impossibly, by Muses.

But someone is after the woman I'm falling in love with, and it's up to me to save her...even if it means losing everything I've found with her.

©2021 Lauren Blakely Books (P)2025 Lauren Blakely Books

A Beautiful Love!!

Lauren Blakely has done it again!! The Muse is a truly beautiful story! I especially enjoyed the history that was included.

Wow! Brilliant!

I have read a lot of Lauren Blakely’s books. This one is something special! Having seen all these paintings in all those museums (except the Hermitage) added to my pleasure while listening. The art and art history research and Lauren’s creative imagination were just great. Just brilliant! Wow!

Whimsical and Paranormal Shades

At first I thought the book was boring, then became interesting about half through it, when Clio started sharing about who she actually was. I enjoy learning about Clio's background, meaning being one of the nine muses from Greek Mythology was what sparked my interest. Having been at the Musee d'Orsey brought some memories of the time I visited, as the museum is a character in itself in the story. Speaking of, most characters were likeable, l particularly liked Simon's sense of humor, Remi and Sophie wit. Not that I disliked the main characters, but I had to struggle accepting Clio and Julien amorous odd relationship, just as much was Julien speaking with Thalia??? Now, who has an amorous /sexual relationship with a portrait! And for that I found Julien to be a bit eccentric with a dash schizophrenia.The writer, (who I love) in spite of employing such imagination also appears to be trying to create a Jackson Pollock painting (which incidentally was refrenced in the book), This book contains tons of artistic references, understably so, quite educational. I particularly enjoyed learning about Rosa Bonheur, French artist/painter. Shane East was great!

Not my kind of story.

I have it 3 stars because it is a Lauren Blakely book. Not for me.

Not what I expected and loved it!

I'm not sure how to describe this book but it's worth reading. It's not like any other Lauren Blakely book I've listened to. The narration was fantastic, the story very fun, and the love shone through. I'm not much of a fantasy reader but the story kept my interest from start to finish. I couldn't put it down!

Not Your Typical LB Book

This is not your typical Lauren Blakely book, and I mean that in a good way. For those expecting steamy sex scenes with some plot in between, this is not that book. This book has more of a plot, was much more interesting, and for me much more enjoyable than your typical LB fare. No explicit steamy sex scenes at all, just a sweet, magical, romance. As always, Shane Eastman’s narration was excellent.

Loved this fantasy

I was so surprised about the quality of the writing. It was an excellent story.

Beautiful story of magic and mystery!!

Lauren Blakely is one of my favorite authors, so I knew this would be something special. I was definitely not disappointed. Listening to The Muse is like falling in love surrounded by stunning beautiful art. I was captivated from the very start and absolutely spellbound! The story is beautifully written and masterfully performed by Shane East, who flawlessly moved between characters of all ages, accents, and sexes. Siiri Scott narrates the epilogue and really brought depth to Clio, absolutely lovely!!

I was transported to the many amazing locations in this book and added many of them to my bucket list. The Musee D’Orsay and city of Paris are characters and I couldn’t help but get lost in the wonder and the love the masterpieces displayed therein. On my second listen I paused and googled some of them and found a new appreciation for these masterpieces and the work that goes into preserving them. Each work of art is a character, quite literally at times.

Julian is a wonderful man who is beautiful inside and out and brings out the best in people. The role he discovers for himself fits perfectly and is inspiring. I just love how his character evolves over time and his love of the art world just bleeds through in the story. Julian’s devotion is such that he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness to preserve these priceless works of art. Clio is mysterious, adorable, beautiful, and mischievous. She has a child-like fascination with all of the new experiences in her world while still being such a wise and timeless inspiration. I felt like every character, no matter how small the part, brought another layer to the story in an absolutely perfect way!

The Muse is a beautiful story of magic and mystery. I was very pleasantly surprised how much of my reaction to this book was visual. Julian’s devotion to art preservation reaffirmed my love of art in a time when we cannot visit museums in person. I enjoyed the mysterious circumstances and flawed characters, how they drove the story, what they represented, and ultimately how the mysteries were solved and things set right again in true Lauren Blakely fashion. I have listened several times already.

I received an #AdvancedListenerCopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Magical and amazing!

The Muse is the first book in the Beautiful Magic series by the talented Lauren Blakely. I love when my favorite authors start a new series, I get all giddy. I'm especially loving this one since it's about Muses, artwork coming to life and love. Julien works for the Musée d'Orsay and art is in his blood. He never imagined that the paintings he loves so much would actually come to life, step out of their frames and dance for him. He might be crazy, but what a way to go! Clio is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, and she just happens to be trapped in a Renoir. He fell for her before they even spoke, but after nights of stealing kisses, and wandering through paintings and sharing their stories, he learns that something is wrong. Paintings all over the world are starting to fade and he might be the only one who can save them. But at what cost? Losing the only woman he's even loved? Is it worth it? This story is just so lovely! I smiled a lot. Even shed a few tears. It's magical, mysterious and inspiring! I was an Art History minor in college and this just spoke to my soul! I could picture every painting and piece of art in my head and Lauren's attention to detail warmed my heart! It's different from Lauren's other romances, but you won't be disappointed in the way it makes you feel!

Audio: Shane, be still my heart! He did such an amazing job as Julien and his accents are incredible. Siiri was also fantastic! As always, Lauren is the queen of casting narrators!

Wow! What a surprise!

This book was definitely a departure from what you expect from Lauren Blakely but it was absolutely incredible. A beautiful love story that I would describe as Night at the Museum meets Mannequin, and I couldn’t have loved it more. The uniquely visual storytelling made this play as a stunning movie in my head and it took me back to the museums I have visited where this romantic adventure was playing out. Shane East was phenomenal and brought all the magical and mysterious characters to life exactly as I imagined. I would love to have more books like this from Lauren Blakely.