Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Muse

Rate this book
Erotica author Kate McMannis has crippling writer’s block and a deadline in less than two months. When a beautiful woman named Erato appears at her house and claims to be her muse, Kate isn’t certain whether Erato is mentally ill or truly her supernatural savior. Either way, when the incredible sex Erato offers leads to genuine inspiration, Kate isn’t inclined to refuse her unusual brand of help.

When a little fantasy fulfillment with Erato inadvertently leads her to the shy and gorgeous Olive Johnson, unexpected feelings threaten to derail Kate’s motivation once again. Erato is just as determined to keep her writing on track as Kate is to explore her very real attraction to Olive—which leads to friction that threatens not only Kate’s ability to meet her deadline, but also her burgeoning romance with Olive.

Caught between a contractual obligation and her heart, is there any way for Kate to have it all?

264 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2015

29 people are currently reading
439 people want to read

About the author

Meghan O'Brien

44 books1,148 followers
Born in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Meghan O’Brien relocated to Northern California in 2005. As a transplant, she enjoys the moderate weather and gorgeous scenery of the Bay Area. Meghan lives with her wife, their son, three cats, three dogs, two snakes and several tarantulas. Yes, it can be just as chaotic as it sounds.

Meghan’s day job is as a software developer, but her real passion is writing. From her humble beginnings creating numerous “books” out of construction paper and crayons as soon as she learned to write, to her several published novels and various anthology contributions, writing is what makes her feel most complete. (from the author's website)

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
90 (19%)
4 stars
151 (32%)
3 stars
151 (32%)
2 stars
53 (11%)
1 star
23 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Diane Wallace.
1,453 reviews166 followers
December 9, 2019
Good read!
This M.O'Brien's book is of the chain --- it's just sex, sex, sex and more sex from beginning to 80% of the entire storyline. It never stopped until both had to take showers, have a meal, bits of conversation here & there with cussing -- little real plotline --- but the so call 'muse' was a bit twisted. In the end the storytelling was puzzling
Profile Image for Vic.
46 reviews30 followers
September 1, 2015
I wanted to like this, as I've really enjoyed most of this author's work, but I just couldn't get in to it. I persevered and read to the end, but I didn't particularly like the main character. I thought she was whiny and annoying unfortunately. The whole situation was just a bit too silly (for want of a better word), and I had no real interest in the 'romantic' pairing I think we were meant to be rooting for.

A shame really, as I do like Meghan's other books, and she's not a bad writer at all. This book just did nothing for me, and if I can really pick at one particular annoyance, I'd have to mention the multiple references to anal shenanigans during most of the sex scenes - which were numerous throughout the book. I'm no prude, and I do enjoy a well written erotic tale (I absolutely loved Meghan's Thirteen Hours), but there were times when reading this that I got tired of trying to overlook some aspects of a scene. Fair play to anybody into that particular sexual 'kink', but it's really, really not my thing. Kinda spoiled the fun bits of the book that Meghan normally writes so well.

I'll still look forward to seeing what O'Brien comes out with next, but this one was a "nope" for me.
35 reviews8 followers
February 13, 2016
Handing this novel out at the local retirement home got these reactions...

Archibald Smothers (92) : "Lebanese? I was told there were Lebanese in this book!"

Lillian Granderson (83) : "Ha! You think this is hot? Back in my day we had orgies for weeks!" *starts twerking*

Margaret Thomah (89) : "I last had sex in 1972 and it was nothing like this! Is this even realistic? These ladies are going all day and any sensible person knows its only supposed to last 10 seconds!"

Moving on...

I had major surgery the week before reading this book, but its Meghan O'Brien and I needed to test her craft. If anyone could turn me on after having my stomach cut open she could!

So the novel starts with Kate who is a writer that doesn't write. She watches kitten videos. And out of nowhere a Muse enters her life and suddenly things change for the better. Erato is stunningly beautiful, cooks, cleans and makes love to you like no other. Erato's only motivation is to see Kate finish her novel. Kate worries she might be a nutjub, but they get over that pretty quickly.

Soon enough we run into Olive, the true love interest in the story. Olive has things she wants to write off of her bucket list and Kate and Erato are looking for a threesome. So enters the 1st huge very long love scene. Very hot. Made me forget the surgery for a few minutes there.

Personally I'm not one for threesomes, but if Meghan writes it I'll give it a shot. There are a couple such scenes in the novel.

Kate and Olive have an obvious connection right from the start that they feel goes beyond the explosive sex. Erato though believes that Olive will be a distraction to the completion of the novel. And there we go...There is some drama, a TON of really well written sex, and a smidgen of romance.



My issue with the story is that Kate and Olive hardly spend any time together. I kept expecting a few dates or something, but they never came. So basically a few mind blowing orgasms lead to a relationship? Well okay...

The book is good and readable. Probably more of a 3.5 but I rounded up. I found myself wondering more than once if this was Meghan's personal journey of writing through writer's block.
Profile Image for Eva.
80 reviews
September 8, 2015
I'm sorry to say this but the only good thing about this book are the sex scenes, and they are not even great, anyway.

The story has no sense at all. The author builds this story over a very thin layer of fantasy/mythology but it is never enough to sustain it, and the story fails miserably because of it.

The story is just so unrealistec and unvelivable that is almost embarrassing. You may enjoy the sex though..

Profile Image for Amanda.
344 reviews9 followers
May 30, 2019
O'Brien is hit or miss with me, and this one was a miss. I will keep reading them because every once in a while I will really enjoy one. If you are a big fan of hers you will probably enjoy this one.
Profile Image for Tara.
783 reviews373 followers
January 4, 2016
Okay, there's a lot I loved about this book. Olive might be one of my favourite characters ever, the sex is hot (because, yeah, Meghan O'Brien erotic romance), interesting premise. If you've ever wondered how enthusiastic consent could be sexy, then this is definitely the book for you.

That said, I can't give this 5 stars because the frequent questioning whether Erato was mentally ill rubbed me the wrong way. It came up a lot, especially in the early chapters and it was pretty stigmatizing, but also weird since Kate still let Erato into her home and bed anyway.

It's still worth a read. I just wish that hadn't been in there.
Profile Image for Margaret.
353 reviews56 followers
January 24, 2016
Firstly: Thanks to NetGally for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detailed score: 4.25/5 [very nearly more]

Quick review: Prepare to be ravished. If you've read Meghan O'Brien's other works and enjoyed them then stop reading this review right now and get purchasing. This book may be O'Brien's best yet -- although I think Thirteen Hours still trumps it...just...maybe...

More detailed review:
All three leads are very likeable in their own way and have their own separate identities. The book is professionally edited and the story, for the most part, keeps rocking along at a satisfying pace. I'm now going to mention a few points that I think may help my fellow Goodreads compatriots decide if The Muse is the book for them but - while I'm going to try avoiding them as much as possible, it's going to be hard to do that without at least some spoilers so, if you don't want to risk them then look away now:



Overall - I experienced a number of emotions (I was moved to tears at one point) and, er, other 'feelings' (*blush*) while reading this novel. Meghan O'Brien is one of the few lesfic authors for which I allow myself to have high expectations and I am very pleased to be able to say that The Muse met those and more. *wanders away to re-read/bookmark some particularly 'notable' passages* ;)
Profile Image for Choko.
1,500 reviews2,684 followers
October 21, 2025
*** 3.33 ***

A very fun Les erotica, which I have come to expect from Ms. O'Brien. I did think it was a tad too much though... It felt like throwing everything and the kitchen sink into this one and I thought it could have been split into several different stories... But what do I know, I am just an avid reader who is here to appreciate other people's craft and they sure know better than me 👍🙂
Profile Image for Heinerway.
767 reviews98 followers
July 28, 2015
I know it's a Meghan O'Brien's book and I love all her books. I did try to like this one, but I just didn't get into it. I kept persevering, hoping that I'd start to enjoy it, but no such luck.
Profile Image for C. Mack.
Author 2 books20 followers
August 10, 2018
The muse

This is pretty much what I expected from Meghan O'Brien, a raunchy well written erotic novel with an intriguing storyline.
Profile Image for Kelly.
385 reviews23 followers
June 5, 2020
3.75 stars. This book has some very hot scenes. Although when not being scorched, it tended to be slower in parts when it came to the relationship angst.

Enter Kate (celibate erotica author) who opens the door to her very own Greek muse Erato.

Erato is here to help Kate unleash her full potential through any means possible.

Along for the ride is Olive, who gets caught in their exploration but develops a thing for Kate.
Profile Image for Fae.
152 reviews26 followers
January 8, 2016
I read Meghan's previous books before, and they are amazing- excepted this one.
The sex scenes are great. But that's not what I'm really looking forward to the most when I picked up a book with the 'romance' label on it. The problem with the book is how more than half of the story, it is centered toward two characters that won't end up together.


Meghan is an amazing writer, that is for sure, but this storyline is not working for me. A sequel where we got to witness Erato's love life might just make this book worthwhile to read.
Profile Image for stat shiv.
118 reviews26 followers
November 19, 2023
➬➱➫➩➪【4.5 Stars】
Best ménage à trois I’ve read. I am definitely biased because I love O’Brien’s work. This book was fabulous. I loved the story from beginning to end.

This erotic romance falls under being almost a love triangle, and I wish more f/f writers would write love triangle stories. There were really hot scenes throughout the story and it does have a plot, but it is challenging to follow. I have reread this throughout the years a few times to make sense of what is going on. On the first read, it was confusing, which I don’t think a book should normally be like this. Yet, I do think O’Brien stepped out of her normal writing for this plot which I liked.

Despite knowing all of this, if you still want to read this, go for it! One of the hottest reads for sure.
➢Happy reading!
Profile Image for Bonnie.
476 reviews8 followers
April 8, 2018
3.5 stars. I didn't really warm to this book to start. Kate is an erotic author and has writer's block when a veritable sex goddess turns up on her doorstep to help her 'creative juices' flow. After marathon bouts of sex, enter Olive who provides a romantic complication and threatens to derail the progress of Kate's book. The story did flesh out after that, with some comic relief thrown in. Fans of Meghan O'Brien will likely enjoy it, as will fans of erotica.
Profile Image for Sprinkles.
203 reviews335 followers
May 15, 2016
I really wanted this to book to be a knockout for me. Not quite, though, Meghan O'Brien hasn't lost her hand in writing some delicious sex scenes.

I'm already kind of iffy about love triangles and when Erato began getting extra, I wanted her to disappear so I could enjoy Olive and Kate alone. I also would've rated this higher if I enjoyed Kate's character more.

This doesn't change my love for O'Brien's work. Looking forward to her next book!
Profile Image for Luce.
5 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2018
Not what I expected. Story is too farfetched and I push myself to finish this book quite long time. :/
Profile Image for Nyki Mancera.
616 reviews2 followers
March 26, 2023
my good gawd!

This was an amazing story. Like nothing I’ve ever read before. I’ve read all but two of this authors books. My first book read was “Wild” and I was hooked. I struggled with “The Three” not because of writing style or anything, just the premise of the love interest in the story. I always have a hard time with “polyamory.”

I knew Erato was problems from first meet. I knew the promises that Kate was seeking was going to bite her in the ass at some point.

However, Erato made for some very delicious scenes. They wrecked those three bucket list items. I wasn’t sure how this story was going to play out with so much angst that was caused.

How could you not like Olive? How could you not root for her. At first I liked Erato, until…. She lied to Kate about the texts. Olive and the confrontation with her proved it.

I am glad this story is over. I couldn’t rest while reading it. The things that Kate endured to write this epic novel kept me too anxious. Although her final run in with Olive had me howling when Olive told her story. I never laughed so hard. Actually, I laughed a lot when Olive was around with some of the things that she said.

It was also nice to read a story with an interracial couple. Being a black woman, it is hard to read some of the portrayals in interracial relationships. But Meghan O’Brien is one of the few that gets it right when written by a “white” person. She rights the same even when the race changes. I knew that Olive was black. Because I was told that she was. I wasn’t beaten over the head with it. And she spoke like I speak. A regular black woman that doesn’t speak AAVE. It was quite refreshing to be portrayed normally like I see a lot of black people in my life.

Well done and so creatively written.
Profile Image for Sloan.
59 reviews
October 6, 2019
I enjoyed this novel a lot more than some other reviewers. Once I suspended disbelief and accepted the premise that a muse (Erato of Greek fame) had walked into Kate McInnis's (a romance writer with writer's block and a hard deadline) life I mostly enjoyed the story. As always with an O'Brien tale, the sex is hot, plentiful, and not for everyone. If you have read other O'Brien novels and enjoyed the erotic scenes you will likely enjoy these as well (I did!).

So, Erato, the Greek muse, shows up in Kate's life as she's struggling to write her current novel. Erato spends the book crafting environments that she believes will push Kate to finish her book and she mostly is very successful if also unnerving in her ministrations.

Olive and Kate meet by chance after Kate tells Erato her sexual fantasy of a threesome. As Kate and Olive's mutual infatuation grows, Kate's harmonious relationship with Erato becomes tempestuous and torturous.

One thing I really enjoyed about this novel aside from the unique premise and the sex scenes was the story within the story and the reflections on Kate's writing process. Readers also get to follow Kate's characters and their story arc in her work in progress.

Like other readers, I could have done without the implications and judgments of Erato as mentally ill, but overall I found this novel unique, enjoyable, and much more plot-driven than some others I have read by O'Brien.

Profile Image for Caitlin.
427 reviews
January 21, 2020
I am finding this a hard book to review. It wasn't unenjoyable but also not really memorable. I liked Wild by O'Brien and thought I would give this one a try. For me, I just didn't really connect with the characters. A lot of time was spent going thru the lives of Kate's characters, but not enough to connect to them either. In the end I didn't spend much time getting to know Olive and Kate spends most of the book struggling or writing. Since I didn't feel a connection with the characters, the sex scenes didn't land quiet as well.

All in all, this might be more up other peoples alley than it was for me.
Profile Image for QueenGeek.
218 reviews
March 6, 2018
"Writing had always been the best way she knew to escape her daily life and explore worlds more beautiful than her own."

Psst... I read this book for the erotica.

I discovered a book with a full plot, excellent character development, a sexy evil villain, and laugh-out-loud comedic elements. There is even a book within a book.

This is an engaging page-turner with lovable characters. And sex. Lots of very hot sex.

Thank you, Meghan O'Brien, for this beautiful world. I will be escaping to it again on a future read.
Profile Image for Sydney.
110 reviews
December 8, 2020
Holy moly I could barely get through this one. For the record, I’m a fan of O’Brien’s other works and have no issue with erotica. This one just felt like porn though. I did not get feel any chemistry between the love interests. Not to mention, I found Erato to just be way too corny and ridiculous to be compelling as an antagonist. I also just didn’t find the sex scenes to be written that well in this one.
Profile Image for Teneisha (Teesbookjourney) .
1,160 reviews31 followers
July 28, 2021
I had such high hopes for this book. I was looking forward to the great sex and characters ann eventually the love story.

I was loving everything about this book for most of it. I love Olive and Kate together and the love they seemed to find with each out.

I think the development with Erato was a little much for me. if I could change anything it would be her at the end of the book. she was a bit much

and the fact that Kate just listened to her bothered me.
but I loved most of the story
33 reviews
July 29, 2018
What a tantalizing read! So many emotions and twists I had to put the book down a few times to take it all in. The undeniable chemistry in this novel was beautiful and captivating.
The sex scenes were deliciously depicted and perfectly executed on the pages leaving me in absolutely awe and my imagination in a frenzy.
Great read over all and with a perfect ending to being it all together.
18 reviews
December 30, 2020
I would give this book a 5 star because it is good and there is nothing wrong with it overall. But because I am not a fan of a super happy story, I would have preferred for Kate's heart to be broken and write a sad ending for her book then have Olive realize that the book is one big apology for her. Then that's the time they will reunite. But this is totally my preference. The book itself is wonderful and the author did a great job writing it. I was just not fully satisfied by it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for W.A. Cooper.
Author 5 books48 followers
November 16, 2022
Very interesting read

Loved the angst and situation that Kate, the writer found herself in, with Erato, the muse. Then the complication from the introduction of a third party, Olive, really upsets the delicate balance and with a deadline to meet, Erato goes to extraordinary lengths to keep Kate on track.
52 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2021
Hot sex scenes? check. Angst between characters? check. A three-some that leads to a happy couple? check. This book is about an erotica author who gets to experience her own erotic romance... and wow does it ever deliver!
Profile Image for Joseph .
803 reviews132 followers
January 31, 2021
Meghan O'Brien is one of the best romance story writers I have ever read. This is the seventh book of hers I have given 4 stars to. She does a wonderful job writing an unbelievable believable love story.
436 reviews
September 6, 2022
Wow, this book is hot and steamy and so crazy all at the same time. The fact that Kate let’s Erato in at the very beginning seems so crazy to me, but when she actually does help Kate it is kind of amazing. Bringing Olive in and the story just gets crazier. You both hate and love Erato by the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.