When a plus-size florist becomes an obsessive artist’s muse, she’ll have to decide: Is she his masterpiece or his love?
Carmen Moreno is weeks away from losing her grandmother’s Brooklyn flower shop and desperate enough to say yes when guarded Irish photographer Declan Ashford offers her a contract she never expected: three months as his exclusive model. The pay could save everything. The catch? Declan does not just want to photograph her. He worships her. Every curve, every inch of softness her ex-husband taught her to hide, Declan frames as art, as power, as desire.
But Carmen is not sure if she is reclaiming her body or becoming another muse he will discard when the gallery show is over.
Declan is creatively wrecked after his last muse walked away and the art world quietly decided he was finished. Carmen is his last chance to prove he can create something true instead of just another beautiful lie. The more he photographs her, directing her body, her pleasure, and her trust, the more their sessions blur from concept into confession. The images stop looking like a project and start looking like proof of a woman he is falling for. But when the question of who those images belong to becomes very real, Carmen is forced to face the possibility that what feels private and sacred to her might be just material to him. Declan has to choose: the work that could put him back on the map, or the woman who has become everything.
What happens when art and love collide and they both demand all of you?
Tropes readers lovePhotographer hero obsessed with his musePlus-size, body-positive heroine reclaiming desireWorkplace contract with high stakes and forced proximityGrumpy, emotionally guarded artist and second-chance-at-self-worth heroineWorship and praise kink with enthusiastic consent“Am I your art or your love?” central conflictReputation, boundaries, and desire on the lineHealing from body shame and emotional abuse
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️This is a high-heat contemporary romance with multiple explicit, on-page intimate scenes that center emotional intimacy, body worship, and Carmen’s journey to reclaim pleasure on her own terms. Expect:
Photographer and muse power dynamics with clear consent
Worship and praise kink with reverent, explicit body appreciation
Light bondage, spanking, and orgasm control
Exhibition elements where intimate moments are photographed and filmed
Detailed, character-driven steam that advances the emotional arc
A Muse, Me? is not erotica. It is a deeply emotional, trauma-informed love story with a very steamy payoff. Readers who love angst, obsessive heroes, plus-size representation, and high-heat romance with substance will devour this book.
