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Muse

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Ava Hart, a beautiful, intelligent student, is living a carefree existence at home with her best friend, her mum. The biggest drama she has had to deal with to date is breaking up with her first real boyfriend and the embarrassing thought of coming face to face with her replacement. But things take an unexpected turn for the worse. One fateful night, tragedy strikes, and she finds herself forced to leave her home to embark on an emotional journey. Torn from everyone and everything she loves, to live with a great aunt she never knew existed, she struggles to keep it together. Slowly, but surely, she finds the strength, with help from new friends, to re-build her life. But before she has time to fully recover, her heart and her future fall into the hands of a stranger, albeit one who has already had a hand in shaping her past.

206 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2014

29 people are currently reading
751 people want to read

About the author

K. French

5 books19 followers

K French is married with two children and lives in Hertfordshire. She has also lived in Dublin and Australia.
Her passions are writing and reading. She likes to read a variety of books but loves writing more. She loves creating characters and becoming entangled in their world.

K French loves music, dancing and being with her family and friends.


Follow her on Twitter
https://twitter.com/KFrench40

https://www.facebook.com/pg/teatimereads


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5 stars
27 (37%)
4 stars
22 (30%)
3 stars
11 (15%)
2 stars
5 (6%)
1 star
7 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Tink Magoo is bad at reviews.
1,291 reviews251 followers
did-not-finish
July 6, 2017
Stopping at 30%. The writing and main character were a bit too immature for me, plus it was really rather boring.
Profile Image for Sarah-Jane.
155 reviews2 followers
January 3, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! If I'm honest I wasn't expecting much from this and I wholeheartedly regret that now. Muse was a beautiful story. It just goes to show that the heart doesn't always want what is right but it wants what is best for you. Never be afraid to jump in with both feet, and don't be a afraid to fall in love.

Ava is an easy going, beauty, Daughter & Girlfriend. That is until her first real boyfriend breaks up with her for an easy bit of skirt that will give him a little bit of what he fancies. Ava is left heart broken, but not half as heart broken as she is after a tragedy strikes and kills the only family she has left in her life. Her Mum!

Nothing can prepare you for the torment you feel when you lose someone close to you, let alone your Mother who is also happens to be your best friend. Plans destroyed and Life shattered!! Packed up and moved away from everything you know in the blink of an eye. Ava has noone, that is until her Dad who she has never met only ever heard about from her Mum turns up. Ava isn't sure what to think of him as she only has the stories her mum left her with to go by.

After explaining his absence from Ava's life and explaining he would like to be there for her now, Ava ups and leaves her Foster home and moves to Harrogate but she isn't going to live with her Father and his family but his Aunt Bridget.
Bridget is a tough old bird but her heart in the the right place. Ava doesn't fit in with her Father's family right away, they can't accept her because they never knew about her. She doesn't fit in with the lifestyle they believe their Father/Husband had always had.

Ava has the hots for her new teacher and who can blame her he is hot, but Student - Teacher relationships but a big no no! It's just a silly crush though. Right?

Will Ava finally find happiness in the one place she thought she never would?
Will Ava find a family in the family she never knew?
Will Ava finally get the happily ever after she deserved?

A review is about being honest and that what im here to do. At first I thought the Student – Teacher relationship aspect of this book was creepy and a little bit cringy but as you read on (because you can't help but read on) you learn its not about age and right and wrong its about what is right from you! Ava feels safe in the relationship, she feels happy and she feels love, but will that all come crashing down around her when a secret is revealed that she didn't see coming?
I give Muse 4 stars. Purely the fact that I still can't get past the Student – Teacher relationship and I found it bloody hard to read, the formatting was all messed up and had page number in the middle of paragraphs!

http://abbycook30.wix.com/abby-and-li...
Profile Image for Krummi í klettagjá.
278 reviews14 followers
December 31, 2016
First of all, this was extremely well written, especially the first half or so. The author was great with describing characters and scenery. The book never felt repetitive and the wording was exquisite.

However, and this is a big however, the romance was awful. It was unrealistic and I just wanted to get it over with. I would have loved this novel so much more had it just been about a girl's life after the death of her mother - how she deals with that loss and how her relationship with her father and new family develops.

I did though like how all the sex scenes were fade-to-black. Normally I wouldn't like that, but considering how tired I was growing of their relationship, I was just happy to not have to read about their sex as well.



Another relationship in this book was

It was very interesting to see how much alchohol consumption was in the book - especially considering that the main character was seventeen. I'm pretty sure there was alchohol in at least every other chapter. Perhaps it was supposed to be some sort of contrast; the mother dies in a drunk-driving accident and then the daughter consumes alchohol throughout the book. But it didn't feel like that was the author's intention, nothing ever bad came from her drinking (except once) and it was usually just a glass of wine here and a glass of champagne there. It was never frowned upon that she was drinking and I found that quite strange - is it just normal in the UK for 17 year olds to drink wine with dinner?

I liked how it ended with her dad.

I thought that the Grace problem was solved way too easily. It just seemed like a quick fix for the author.

I liked the drama involving Jake and would have liked to know more about that and about what happens with him and his mum. The final scene involving him felt too minor and insignificant to the plot. Like I said before, I would have liked to skip the romance altogether and I think that this could have been a bigger part of the story instead.

I was interested to know what happened with Ava and her relationship with Veronica, if it ever got better. But I'm not interested enough to pick up the next book, though.

-- I'd like to add that it annoyed me quite a bit how often Jake said 'baby girl'.

All in all: Really well written (mostly), awful and cheesy romance, interesting and diverse characters
Recommend it to anyone that can handle sickeningly sweet romance and seriously cheesy dialogue.
It started out as a 5 star read after the first couple of chapters, then dropped to a good 4+ but as soon as the romance started, it went downhill fast and ended up being 2.8 stars, which is in my opinion generous considering how awful the romance was but lacking considering the wonderful writing in the beginning.
Profile Image for Diana Febry.
Author 21 books176 followers
March 11, 2016
I recommend this read to YA readers.
Quite a refreshing change compared to several YA books I've read recently. This book is not only about teenagers but has been written for teenagers with a lot of thought about what would appeal to them as readers.
The writing style is elegant in its simplicity and kept the pace moving at a steady pace.
I love the front cover image but I was a little concerned the story might be too girly for me. While there is a central romance the book covers many contemporary issues of teenagers today giving the book a greater depth. The heroine has to deal with the death of her mother and meeting her father for the first time in a short space of time. She experiences foster care, starting a new school and dealing with resentment from her half-sister as well as emotions connected to her rather unorthodox first lover.
As a mature (OK old!) reader I did raise an eyebrow at some of the character's decisions but then reminded myself this book was written from a teenager's perspective and the author certainly captures their energy, excitement for life, attitude to danger and vulnerability.
A beautifully written book for teenagers.
Profile Image for Sarah Stuart.
Author 22 books104 followers
August 26, 2015
Ava tells her own story, and I don’t simply mean the author uses first person narrative. Reading Muse, I found it impossible to remember it was a novel and not a story being told to me by a teenage friend. Some aspects of Ava’s life came close to reflecting things that have happened to me and Ms French is spot-on with every one, from the mental pain of losing a mother whilst still a teenager to the physical pain and disorientation caused by serious injury.

Teacher/pupil sexual relationships are a no but they can, and do, happen. It is the factor that ties this story together, removes any hint of the unforgivable – in fiction – coincidence, and is written with the same sensitivity and insight that Ms French shows in every scene and every character throughout. Characters that I saw through Ava’s eyes and grew to understand and, in many cases, to love. The sequel, Desire, is already on my “to read” list.

A brave, beautifully-written five-star novel
Profile Image for Emma Corcoran.
130 reviews13 followers
August 21, 2015
This book has driven me mad since I finished it !
Not one responsible adult in it... Well maybe her dad who grew a backbone 18 years too late.
A vulnerable young girl who has been through the mill is encouraged by her guardians to have an affair with her teacher??

FFS!!!

The teacher is basically a predator... Hopefully the sequel will be about his life behind bars.

The only redeeming thing about this book is poor lovable Jake.
Profile Image for Grant Leishman.
Author 15 books148 followers
October 5, 2015
According to all standard and logical thinking, I did this all wrong, I read French's second book in the series; Desire, before I read her first book Muse. Big Mistake? Actually, no it wasn't. Desire was an excellent stand-alone novel that I enjoyed immensely, as you would see if you read my review of it.

But, the question remained, could I enjoy Muse as well, given that I was already familiar with all the characters and knew what was going to happen to them in the later story. If I'm honest, I was doubtful myself whether I would enjoy Muse as much, but I needn't have worried at all. Muse was a fantastic read and I took great pleasure with reacquainting myself with many of the characters I'd grown to love in Desire.

From the very first chapter I was drawn into young 17 year-old Ava's life. Robbed of her mother in a horrible car accident she is thrown into first a temporary foster home and then meets the father she has never known. Sent to live with her father's aunt, who she also has never met, much of the story revolved around the difficulties of coming to terms with a parent's death at such a young age and suddenly finding yourself all alone in life at 17. Of course, Ava wasn't all alone as she set out to build relationships with relatives who up to that point had been no more than her mother's memories.

I'm not a chick-lit devotee, although I am a bit of an old, romantic and I loved this story of burgeoning romance between a young girl and her older, art teacher, who also had a skeleton or two in the closet.

To put it simply, this is a wonderfully well written, sensitive portrayal of a female's rite of passage into the adult world. French has a wonderfully simple writing style that was easy to identify with. I am looking forward to more from this talented woman. A fantastic story, that fully deserves the five stars I gave it. Great job!
Profile Image for Ter Wilson.
169 reviews3 followers
July 22, 2015
K. French sets up a world you can fall into. Ava is a bright young woman, who at her age has a great head on her shoulder you can clearly see in the couple minutes before K. French leaves you breathless with just a horrible tragedy.
Before Ava can get her head wrapped around her new life, she is shuffled off to live with strangers while she puts things in order. Here is where she meets an awesome person. (Yes, I’m not going to give away who this person it. Ha Ha Ha) While I think this person is awesome and just what Ava needs. I do question the smarts of today’s youth.
BAM!!! Another person comes into Ava’s life. A person who might as well been a myth. While this person has all the good attentions. I felt like they were lacking a bit of a backbone. Granted I am a rude American, which can lack the decorum a situation like this would need. So just my opinion on this person. Ava is now to move in with a Great Aunt she has never met before.
While Ava’s life seems to be getting back on a normal balance, she is hit with another whopper. Love! Man, I would love to give you all the details in this. Granted I know for a fact that if I do. I will have spoiled the story for you.
I am going to be honest with you, I bought this book totally based on the cover work, and blurb. With it only being $0.99 at the time of purchase. I figured it would be a decent read for a stormy day in the summer. What I didn’t expect was to want to live in Ava’s world. I personally need to know she forever okay. Also I am totally addicted her Aunt. She reminded me a lot of my late Great Aunt.
I highly recommend this book to those of you who enjoy coming of age books, which tug on your heart.
Profile Image for Terri's Dangerous When Reading.
898 reviews13 followers
January 17, 2016
I don't usually read "coming of age" stories and yet the blurb intrigued me and so I gave it a try. Once I started reading I did not want to stop. I almost read this book entirely in one sitting except I read so late into the night that I fell asleep with my Kindle. When I woke up in the morning I felt compelled to continue reading straight to the conclusion. It was that good.

I was immediately pulled into Ava's world and I cared for her deeply. I am a single mother with one child, a daughter who is much like Ava, and I could not help but wonder as I read along, "What if this was my daughter? What if she lost me suddenly?" I felt invested in the story and I had to be assured that Ava would be okay.

Yes, as the reviews tell, the teacher/student relationship is hard to watch. As I read along I was predicting that there could be no possible future in their relationship. The author brilliantly gives the reader Ava's thoughts in language that a young girl would use and Gabriel's thoughts are in language that a more mature and sophisticated man would use. Both characters are very likable. I did not think Gabriel was creepy at all and I did not think he stalked her. Their attraction is written with such sensitivity that I couldn't stop reading. I kept expecting tragedy to strike again at any minute because from the start Ava has huge, life-changing problems to cope with.

In short, the story will grab you and not let go. You can bet I will be reading the sequel and I am going right now to buy it. Five big fat stars!
Profile Image for Erin Riley.
Author 5 books73 followers
July 27, 2015
Muse is a poignant coming of age story that I truly enjoyed. Ava is a bright and beautiful teenager whose life is changed forever when her mother dies in a car accident. She is thrust into a nightmare she didn't ask for, full of social workers and foster parents, but is able to make the best of it by befriending a boy who is as broken as she is. I loved the character of Jake, and especially loved the sweet and protective relationship they develop as two against the world in their foster home. Alas, Ava is moved once again to live with long-lost family. She starts at a new school, doing her best to fit in and make friends, all the while missing her mother who had been her best friend. It is there that she meets a teacher who makes her feel alive again. Seventeen year old Ava is overwhelmed by her feelings for this man. Gabriel is a young up and coming artist who decided to teach at Ava's new school for reasons of his own. When Ava learns the reason, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about the man she'd come to love.
Although the student-teacher relationship was at times difficult to read, I simply loved this book. Life and love are frequently about making hard choices, and Muse doesn't shy away from those choices. If there is a second book in the series I will be sure to pick it up!
Profile Image for India.
Author 14 books97 followers
August 10, 2015
This book eclipsed my expectations entirely. Ava is a regular college student with a strong bond to her mother who raised her single-handedly. When tragedy hits the family, it leaves her in an unfamiliar world, alone and in pain. She slowly begins to open up when she meets Jake, a sensitive but flamboyant boy in the system. Together they begin to heal until Ava is once again ripped from everything she knows. Things become even more complicated when she meets her new art teacher.
It was beautifully written and the emotions flowing from the characters had me in tears before I’d barely begun. It is a novel of strength and love with building emotional tension that keeps you riveted to your seat. It is a star crossed, deeply felt romance; a must read.
27 reviews
August 5, 2015
**I received this book as part of a goodreads giveaway**

I'd like to say thank you to the author for sending me this book to review. While I did enjoy the story, I sometimes felt that the conversations between characters felt forced and unrealistic (an aunt who encourages her teenage niece to have a relationship with her teacher?!). I guess I also have a hard time believing the whole 'love at first sight' concept, which was basically what happened between Ava and her Mr. Edwards - he hardly knows her but all of a sudden will be showering her with compliments about her beauty, strength, etc. All in all, it was a cute story and I would probably read future works by the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for D.K. Cassidy.
Author 19 books121 followers
July 19, 2015
Repairing Her Heart

This is a coming of age romance novel. There is a lot depth in the characters, and a well thought out plot.

Ava is a delightful character. She’s beautiful but not self-centered. Ava goes through what most young women experience: love and loss. In her case, the loss goes deeper than the loss of a boyfriend, she also loses her mother. This tragedy introduces new people into her life. I don’t want to tell you who, you need to read this to find out.

I think you’ll enjoy this well-written book about a young woman rebuilding her life. I don’t read many romances but am very glad I purchased and read this one.
Profile Image for Mary Blowers.
Author 12 books57 followers
September 3, 2015
Muse by K. French is a real page turner. I feared for the safety and sanity of Ava as she navigated the world of being 17 without her mother after a tragic accident. Since her father was estranged, she had never actually met him until a social worker got in touch with him and he attended the funeral. This turned out to be a rewarding relationship in time. Her story is further rounded out by a new friend in the foster home, a new school and home near her father, more new friends there, and finally a chance at love. I really liked this book.

I sense there may be a sequel to continue the story sometime soon.
90 reviews1 follower
July 25, 2015
Muse by French is a well-written story about healing. Ava tragically loses her mother in an accident. Ava, needing a guardian, meets her long lost father and his family. Ava is foster by her father’s brilliant aunt. It is a beautiful story of suffering, growing, building relationships with long lost relatives, and finding love.

I love Ava, she is a beautiful soulful young lady. Like Ava, the other characters are compelling and well crafted.

I rated Muse 4 stars, because the Student-Teacher relationship was difficult to read.
Profile Image for Rachel McGrath.
Author 36 books59 followers
May 12, 2015
Compelling story, the author takes you on an intriguing story from the start which develops really well. The main character is beautiful and interesting. The story entwines you right to the end with a really good twist!

K French has written a great story, and I hope to see more!
9 reviews
June 23, 2015
I enjoyed this book thoroughly! I thought it could have been a bit longer as I wanted to know more about some of the characters but the story was excellently crafted and I am looking forward to seeing more from this romance writer
Profile Image for Tayla.
843 reviews11 followers
August 4, 2015
*I won a copy of this book via good reads giveaways*
I will film a review & update here later once I collect my thoughts but right now all I can say is I really enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading the second book in the future.
2 reviews
September 17, 2015
WOW
A truly good read from the begining to the end
I couldn't put it down ,this book as it all for the woman that likes real life romance
Don't forget the tissues ....... Can't wait to read Desire
Profile Image for Jeana.
401 reviews
April 30, 2015
That was a really touching story. Everything worked out well for everyone.
Profile Image for Shirley.
564 reviews27 followers
October 25, 2015
Really enjoyed this, lovely easy-reading story.
13 reviews2 followers
May 11, 2015
First attempt at e-reading. Light read and amazing love story!!
1 review2 followers
May 21, 2015
Really enjoyed reading this book, kept me engaged through out, looking forward to the sequel
Profile Image for Nellie Marcum.
39 reviews
Want to read
January 3, 2017
Needs work!

This book had great potential the first couple of chapters was good! Then it just trailed off!!! Then in the middle of the book things was left off, paragraphs was repeated, I got very frustrated because when I start a book I try my best to finish it!! It really has great potential though!!!
Profile Image for Sheri.
1 review
January 6, 2016
.....Hard to keep your attention

This wasn't one of my favorites, But not a bad read was tough trying to stay focused on the book.
21 reviews
August 13, 2015
Read in one day :) . Easy to read and you constantly want to keep reading.
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