Cold, egotistical and a Foxton. He tore my final performance to shreds with his pen, and embarrassed me for all the world to see. But hate wasn’t what I felt for Scott Foxton when he touched me. Enemy wasn’t what I thought when he rescued me either. I got lost in dreams and hope, and ignored the threats that would follow my own deceit. For once in my life, family loyalty could be damned. But then I saw the painting. And now I can’t lie anymore. The man I shouldn’t want is the one that holds my heart. I just have to trust that he’ll still believe me when he knows the truth about Persephone Broderick.
Hailing from the depths of the quiet British countryside, Charlotte likes nothing better than sinking into her characters dark and devious world's. Sometimes they're kinky, sometimes they're twisted, and sometimes they're a serious hold on tight situation, but her stories are always filled with romance and love in some form.
This new series is a seamless collaboration between two authors whose styles seem to work so well together. It’s an age-gap contemporary romance and has a slight enemy to lovers vibe. It has quite a different style to what I’ve come to expect from these authors in the past but that’s not a bad thing just an observation on my part.
This focuses on bridging gaps and forging pathways and less on the physical there is heat but it felt slightly stripped back. The emphasis here is definitely on the tangled dynamics involved.
So we have two opposing families the Foxton’s and the Broderick’s there's a feud and this conflict has been ongoing for so long the antagonists involved aren’t even fully aware of its origins it just is.
Scott Foxton disillusioned and slightly cantankerous he’s an artist knocking forty that’s lost his mojo, he’s a bit of a player and his dissatisfaction with his present life has bled over into all of his daily interactions. He’s back in London from Paris to begrudgingly assist his father with his ailing paper the Foxton Herald where he’s temporarily working as an art reviewer.
Persephone Broderick is the youngest member of the Broderick clan she’s just shy of twenty-two and has been training and working as a ballerina under an assumed name Seffi Castlewood. She feels ignored and unimportant to her family and doesn’t believe they understand her as a person or even just how much she has put into her career devaluing her achievements and accomplishments with such ease.
Especially her older brother all that seems to matter to him is the family name and how what she does reflects on that. Now her brother Landon is back home from the states her home life seems to be him constantly badgering her into revealing what she plans to do next. In her brother's eyes, she’s a spoilt princess and he’s not shy of expressing that opinion.
So after an explosive initial encounter that could have gone better, Scott and Seffi are set on a collision course that can’t be stopped. Scott also finds in Seff something unexpected his lost inspiration a personal muse and it’s not long before she’s infected every part of his life.
When this implodes this was epic a real angsty mess and that epilogue left me very intrigued. I was left with some slight questions and I’m hoping this will be resolved going forward. This was well written and engaging and felt fresh and original. It’s dual POV and the characters felt raw messy and real in all their imperfections. I’m definitely on board now for the rest of the series. I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Muse.
The Broderick Saga series from the writing duo Charlotte Hart and Rachel De Lune gets started with the youngest Broderick sibling, Persephone, in The Muse. All four siblings will have their own book with their own very individual story to be told. This powerful family has many secrets and issues to be unveiled and Persephone is hiding behind her own secret identity.
The Brodericks have many enemies but there is one family in particular that fraternizing with will not be tolerated, for reasons unknown. Just another secret to be unveiled. Thus starts the emotional upset and indecision when young Persephone falls for the enemy. She is young but feisty, standing up for herself every step of the way. She does not take well to being told what to do and when to do it. And when her heart stirs for the infuriating man her family despises and she should steer clear of, she cannot fathom the reason why but also cannot deny the pull, try as she might.
Scott Foxton is as grumpy and unhappy with his life as it can get. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances but he is not impressed with the beautiful ballerina at first, and he makes no qualms about voicing that opinion, publicly. Confrontation with the beauty stirs his artistic juices, as well as other male juices, bringing his long, lost painting career back to life. The beautiful, flowing lines of the ballerina are begging to be captured, and thus, The Muse is born.
The Muse is an angsty, age-gap romance (which is one of my favourites!), chocked full of emotion. As secrets are revealed and dilemmas surface, this couple struggled to survive both themselves and their family. The grabbed my heart and gave it a good twist. Parts of the story were unpredictable and even though I had hope they would survive the turmoil, there is plenty of suspense, anger, revenge, and an all-consuming passion to experience along the way.
I also want to note that the other siblings will have equally interesting stories to be told and next up will be Landon. Oh, his secret that was uncovered by Scott Foxton is a doozy and I am totally excited and enthralled to read The Lawyer!
What an incredible start to this new series by Charlotte E. Hart and Rachel De Lune. The Muse is the first of four books featuring each of the Broderick siblings and this is Persephone’s story.
As always, I went into this book blind and I hope that you get to experience Seffi and Scott’s story as I have done - without any spoilers. Scott instantly intrigued me. My thoughts and feelings about him changed many times throughout the story and I love that I experienced this. Seffi and Scott find themselves in unfamiliar circumstances and whilst they have an instant connection and their sexual chemistry is off the charts, there is so much for them to work through before they have any chance of a HEA together. The twists and turns throughout had me needing to know how their story was going to unfold, and I am now desperate for more. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever stop wanting more of this couple.
Seffi is an incredible character. She may be young, but she is strong and knows her own mind. What I admire about her is that she isn’t afraid to stand up and fight for what she wants. Seffi was about to embark on a new chapter in her life when she meets Scott and I love all the emotions that then ensued. I cannot wait for you to meet her. I am certain you’ll love her just as much as I do.
I am so excited for the rest of the series. The Muse has introduced us to the Broderick family and whilst I cannot wait to learn more about Ivy and Neve, it’s Landon’s story that I am desperate to get my hands on next. He has featured more throughout this story than Seffi’s sisters and I am anticipating that his story is also going to be unputdownable.
The Muse is a must read. A fabulous storyline, incredible characters, beautifully written and those twists and turns throughout the story kept me hooked from start to finish. Enjoy… I can assure you that you will!!
Angsty suspense, anger, hatred, revenge and red hot passion. This book was a whirlwind of emotions with a feisty young ballerina and the jaded, grumpy, brooding older man whose inspiration for art is reignited when he sees the beauty in her dancing.
The Muse has a very different feel to the previous collaborations by these two authors and it was a fabulous start to a new series set to follow The four Broderick siblings.
Seffi (Persephone) Castlewood and Scott Foxton should hate each other and their fiery first meeting following Scott's scathing review of her final performance certainly felt that way. However the spark that ignites can't be ignored, despite both knowing for different reasons that it should. Seffi's grace and beauty inspires Scott to paint again, but she's keeping a big secret, one that could tear apart everything they are beginning to trust.
I loved Seffi, she was young but feisty and determined, if a little naive perhaps, but she knew what she wanted and was brave enough to stand up and fight for it, despite her older brother Landon's best efforts to knock her down and downplay her achievements. Scott was disillusioned, angry and burning with an ingrained hatred. He was a fascinating slightly broken mix of cold, aloof, sexy, charming, brooding a-hole who at times let his anger rule over his instincts and desires! I wanted to shake him one moment, then jump him the next!
They have a lot of stigma to overcome to be together but like moths to a flame they can't keep away. Tension, hatred, anger, secrets and a pull they couldn't deny lead to explosive chemistry in this age gap, forbidden love romance. Well their story kept me turning the pages until the very end and left me wanting more.
With the unconventional ending leaving me with a few questions, I suspect the stories of the Broderick siblings will all intertwine as I'm certain we've not seen the end of Seffi and Scott the way it was left. Landon also intrigued me...... a moody, mean, controlling b@stard if ever I've seen one and I'm looking forward to seeing any redeeming qualities he might have and he's up next! I'm looking forward to finding out what comes next for The Brodericks.
Good God this story is stunning! The artistry in the words brings the story to life before your eyes! Seffi is stunning and beautiful and caring and lovely but she has such a spark inside her that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Then there’s Scott, boy I wanted to smack him round the head once or twice. Blooming ar@eh#le but then in the next breath I wanted to screw him sideways because I do love a good moody b@st@rd in a story and trust me he is definitely one of those. The story takes you on a ride that is full of twists, turns, love, hate, and all the emotions in between. Not often I get caught out by a story but this one had me on my toes throughout with no idea what was going to happen next. Got to say this, I really can’t wait for the rest of this series because this has blown my mind with its beauty!
The Muse is the newest series by Charlotte E. Hart and Rachel De Lune and I have to it is tamer than their last one. Which surprised me greatly. The Muse is a slow burn that did take me a bit to get into but once you do this book is hard to put down.
Scott is a hard man to like and even to the end I don't know if I like him. He has the cruelty of a man that wants everything but isn't sure how to get it so he takes his anger out on everyone. In the meantime, his family the Foxton and the Broderick have been fighting back and forth for an undetermined amount of time. When Scott falls for a beautiful dancer Seffi Castlewood he has little idea that she is really Persephone Broderick.
Seffi is the youngest of the Broderick's and is really sheltered, emotionally, and in the family way too. She has no idea that getting in bed with a Foxton would turn her world and his into such turmoil.
Again I enjoyed this story, as usual, these authors bring on a very strong storyline, set of characters, and make you want more. However, there is no mention of a cliffhanger. The ending is a bit confusing and that did not sit well with me, that is why I went down a star. I can't wait to see where The Lawyer takes us.
What a start to this new series by two brilliant Authors, I can’t wait for the next one already. Two families, one rivalry spanning generations and a romance between two people that is full of contradictions, it should never work.
This is an age gap romance, with an enemies to lovers vibe full of intense chemistry and emotion you can feel it.
Seffi Castlewood is a talented Ballet dancer, who was driven enough to make it to the top of her game at the young age of 22 has the last performance of her career. Confident in her ability as she has dedicated her life to her passion, she wants to go out on a high.
Scott Foxton, brought back to London from his life in Paris to help his father run the failing family business, of which he is very uninterested, bored spends his time drinking and being and sleeping around. This isn’t how he saw his life, and has made him bad tempered and irritable. The last thing he wanted was to go and review the Ballet. Although he didn’t expect for the young Ballerina herself piquing his interest.
Seffi and Scott’s first encounter goes appallingly, she hated him at first sight with his bad attitude and his rude comments, and is angry at the review he prints in his newspaper. She hates even more he is Foxton.. Seffi is a stage name, whose real name is Persephone Broderick and their families have had a rivalry that runs deep for generations.
Finding out that Seffi has another more intimate performance,he goes to watch, and cannot take his eyes from her, at post performance drinks Scott saves Seffi from an uncomfortable situation and they both start to see a different side to each other. They start spending more time together and their connection grows intense very quickly. They both see something they weren’t prepared for in each other.
I love Seffi she has a fun and caring personality, innocent but strong, also not afraid to say what she really feels. She shows emotion and gives what she wants freely.
With Scott I really didn’t like him at first, but as the story progresses, you see there are all these different layers to him and a depth which I actually grew to love, Seffi has the ability to draw these back without Scott realising, or understanding what is happening. Scott is the epitome of the playboy, never wanting to settle down or have Love on his radar, to an extent he doesn’t understand it.
This story has it all, humour that makes you smile, secrets, betrayal, blackmail, plenty of twists and turns along the way, it is also packing in the heat department. Charlotte and Rachel have such an amazing and seamless way of telling a story that you feel the drama and anticipation and this makes it difficult to put down. The storyline is so good I read it twice!
Secrets and lies have the ability to tear a relationship apart, Seffi has huge ones she has hidden from Scott and her family, with the heavy weight of it on her shoulders, will it all come crashing down when all is revealed.
The book ends with a cliffhanger, but also an introduction into Landon’s story.
The Muse is the first book in The Broderick Saga. There will be 4 books in this series of Broderick’s. This is Persephone Broderick and Scott Foxton’s story. I have now read several books by this writing duo and have enjoyed Charlotte E. Hart and Rachel De Lune’s books singly. I really enjoy when they write together. They write seamlessly.
Scott is back from Paris to help his father run the paper Foxton Herald. Persephone Broderick aka Seffie Castlewood, her stage name. She is a Ballet dancer and was a Principal for the Royal Ballet. She is giving an interview since she is leaving the ballet company and she meets Scott, he is one of the interviewers from the press. He is very antagonistic towards Seffie in his questioning and the story goes on from there. Wait until he learns her real name isn’t Seffie and who she really is.
This is an enemy to lovers' romance and there is so much more! Persephone is one of four sisters that will be written about in the Broderick Series.
I loved reading about their story and can’t wait to read the next sister’s romance! The Lawyer is Book 2.
Book 1 - The Muse - Persephone Broderick and Scott Foxton’s Story Book 2 - The Lawyer Book 3 - The Writer Book 4 - The Fallen
Another fantastic collaboration between Charlotte E. Hart and Rachel De Lune! The first book in the new series starts with the cold and jaded Scott Foxton. There will be four books in the series, showcasing each Foxton sibling! Yum! Scott is in a bad place in his life. He is an artist, a painter, not a writer of reviews. Persephone is a ballerina on the wrong end of his review. And quite young. The age gap storyline usually isn't a favorite of mine, but the story is so enthralling that I didn't care. She sparks something in him - the beauty, her form, and she becomes his muse to begin his artistic journey anew. There are family issues between the Brodericks and the Foxtons, which makes her falling for her enemy so much hotter! There are secrets and angst galore, making you tear through the book are a fast pace! I am excited for the next book in the series, as always, with Hart/DeLune!
This is a new author to me and I didn’t know what to expect, it was a bit slow at first and really made me not like Scott that much until we get to know why he is the way he is, Seffi-Persephone is a strong woman that you like since she first appears.
It really is an amazing book, with a lot of drama and emotions, I really enjoyed it it broke my heart a lot, I honestly can’t wait for the next book.
Though this book starts out a little slow in the beginning it quickly picks up pace to the point that you have to find out what happens next. At first I hated Scott, thinking he was just a drunk and bitter man. But as time goes on in the book, you find out that he’s an artist and why he acts the way he does now. We also soon find out the Seffi the ballerina is actually Persephone, daughter of the family that has been warring with Scott’s family for decades. We also get a sneak peak into book 2 of the series - The Lawyer - and I for one, can’t wait to find out more about this series and these families!! I loved this book once it got going and that ending!?! Definitely leaves you wanting more!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Muse (The Broderick Saga Book 1) By Charlotte E Hart and Rachel De Lune 5 stars
Firstly, I need to say how much I love the cover for this book! It is absolutely perfect and captures one of the main characters perfectly and secondly – they’re back!!!!! was so excited to read another book from this wonderful writing duo and I have to admit I loved that they took a different style for this new series. There was a good amount of angst, definitely a lot of love and hate and underneath a lot of passion going on! Seffi (Persephone – I actually adore this name!) and Scott’s story was so engaging, the simmering family saga going on in the background and the genuine connection that they both had was just wonderful to read about. I loved the Romeo and Juliet vibe it had going on as well. With the cliff-hanger to this couple’s story at the end I can’t wait to find out what happens to them next so I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. We see snapshot of what may be to come from Landon during this story and I have to say I am pretty certain I think I’m going to love him!!
The Muse reminds me of the Hatfield and McCoys (Foxton and Broderick). A feud that has been going on for years. Now everything is about to change. The new generation is about to turn the older generation's world upside down in the next four books. Persephone's four sisters. Forbidden romances, age gap and enemies to lovers. Scott is in his forties. He's so negative that it has affected his entire outlook onlife. He's helping his father with the newspaper. A job he hates. If only he could get his mojo back and start painting again. A grumpy old man until he is confronted by Seffi. Persephone is a ballerina in her early twenties. All it took was one critic to ruin her life. If he only knew who she really is. Can't wait for next installment!
This was a great start to what is shaping out to be an amazing series about the Broderick siblings. Seffi and Scott are from families that have been fighting for years and they can't do anything to stop the feelings they develop. This was a great age-gap enemies to lovers book that is full of angst, heartbreak and being a muse for each of their arts! I was hooked from page one of this book and couldn't put it down, I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and if they could put there family history in the past and be happy together. I can't wait for the next book to find out how this story unfolds more!!
I was very kindly offered an Arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review and I have given it 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So first of all I will admit it took me a little while to get into this story.
The art thing and the ballet just don't do it for me and I struggled to connect with the story but Charlotte and Rachel are just amazing writers and I really am glad I stuck with it. I was hooked by the end, their writing style is so fluid and effortless that it's hard not to be drawn in to their words
The story just flowed beautifully and I couldn't wait to see where it took Seffi and Scott.
And that epilogue....damn!!! I hate Landon with a passion but his book is going to be epic so gimme, gimme, gimme.
What an introduction to a new series from these two authors, when you think that they can beat what they had previously written, they pull this out the bag. In the first book featuring the Broderick family, we meet Persephone the youngest of the family aka Steffi. Steffi is a fantastic ballet dancer, and is retiring whilst she is at the top. During an interview she meets Scott a reporter let's just say that this meeting does not go well. Scott is an older man, who works with his father, he was an artist though lost the passion for it. Scott does not know who Steffi really is, which is all well and good for now as there is an old feud between Scott's family the Foxtons and the Boderick's. I don't wish to give any spoilers, I want the reader to go in with no expectations and become fully immersed in the story as I did. An absolutely fantastic read, can't wait for the next installment.
My goodness me! What a book! Filled with characters that are intense, flawed, complex, they jump of the page and floor you. Seffi is young, gifted, a mixture of innocent, vulnerable and lost. Scott is arrogant, cantankerous, cruel, gifted, flawed, stalled in his career and needing to support his father, but exciting and uniquely attractive in all his anger and passion. Their meeting is one of fireworks and inspiration. The issue is whether the flame can withstand life.
The ingredients for the longer story/series are all there, leaving unanswered questions, life up in the air, feuds unresolved and unexplained and a vengeful Landon champing at the bit to wreak his kind of havoc... fantastic! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Muse by Charlotte E Hart & Rachel De Lune is the First book in The Broderick Saga. This starts the story of Scott Foxton and Persephone 'Seffi' Castlewood. Scott is a older man who has hit a wall with his painting which has added to his bitterness. Then he meets Seffi who he isn't impressed with at first and makes it very known. Seffi is a young women who has some secrets that may impact her growing feelings for Scott. Scott starts to feel the passion again for painting which is brought on by Seffi. This was nothing short of a page turning read and I can't wait to read more from this series.
The details they go into had me in awe. The vivid description of colours throughout different chapters pulled me into the story and made me feel for these two characters that in some ways are destined for a 'Romeo and Juliet' style romance due to an ongoing rift between their two families.
But they didn't hit it off immediately. Initially their attitudes put each other on the defensive. The story of enemies to lovers had me captivated. And now I can't wait to see what Hart and De Lune have in store for them in the future.
Everything about this book screams to me while touching deep in my soul for all who cannot live their truth. Scott Foxton and Seffi Castlewood have more in common than differences, yet, both are blinded by their families hatred towards one another. Why? Who knows. Seffi made her mark as the prima ballerina only to step away while at the top. Bearing the brunt of a scathing review from Scott she courageously fights for her talent only to fall harder for the man who owns her heart. The real question is: Will either of them be strong enough to leave it all behind to find their true passion or will it all be a ruse to the muse?
This is a "Must Read" worthy book! He's the Critic and with more than one "face" we discover his real depth. She's the dancer giving all up. His words are merciless. He's considerably older than she is, so this relationship is on shaky ground from the beginning. The machinations that go on, make this compelling reading and as for the heat between our leads, it's definitely off the scale! This promises to be another corker of a series from Charlotte E Hart and Rachel De Lune and I can't wait to get into the next book!
I loved this enemies to lovers book, the first in the series. Scott and Seffi are antagonistic from the very start, and as they fight with their words, underlying all the enmity lurks some deep passion! Getting down and dirty after some hot banter was fun and steamy! Watching their feelings evolve was fantastic, and I was sucked right into their world! Loved meeting the siblings and can't wait to get their stories!
Yes yes yes. This is exactly what I needed to read. I absolutely loved this story.
These two characters Persephone and Scott’s story….Talk about having my head in a tizzy. From two families that hate each other you are certainly in for a rollercoaster of a story.
These two authors blew my mind…. Yet again. I can’t wait to read more of The Broderick Saga.
I love the world that these writers have created. Always intense, edgy, and very passionate. They take star crossed lovers to the extreme. Persephone and Scott are embarking on a great lover story, but they have a lot of work to do to make a relationship happen, two artist, a ballerina and a painter, both with very strong personalities. And both, have family drama ready to blow their worlds apart. I am excited to read the next books in the series, I feel things are just heating up!
I thought this was a great start to a new series. We have an age gap, enemies to lovers, two lost souls who slam into each other and fill voids that are open. Overall, a great book. It will be interesting to see how things progress.
Mindblown! The written word is so strong in this book. Colour, characters, age gap, angst, the search for acceptance and approval lead us into a brilliant new series by Hart and De Lune.
Omg I absolutely love Hart and De Lune when they write together. The chemistry these two authors have together is amazing.
I totally fell in love with Seffi and her passion for life and Scott, I grew to love him too. These two are from rival families and have an age gap so their relationship doesn't start out with the best chance especially when Scott finds out who Seffi really is.
I really can't wait to read the next book in the series and I'm sure it will be just as brilliant as this one.