ARC Review: ‘From Puppet to Muse’ by Emberlynn Raine
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From Puppet to Muse
by Emberlynn RaineSeries: Four Foxes #4
Published by Self-Published on April 22, 2025
SubGenres: New Adult Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 352
Source: The Author Agency
Audience: 18+/Adult
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LILY & MIKEYShe was the light of my dark soul…only she never knewHe was the hope of my slithering life…only he had no ideaIn his head, he was a puppet. In my heart, he was my muse,
my forever muse…
Lily JamesonSix months—that was all I had left.Because after that, I’d be gone—forever.So, I planned a blueprint for my limited sentence,Rewrote my hopes and dreams,Wishing I had the time to make them come true.But what I didn’t plan…was him.Michael Saint DeClere; Rockstar. Golden boy. My brother’s best friend,Also, the boy who broke my heart and never cared to put back the pieces.Instead, he became a ghost whose favorite pastime was ignoring me.Now, he was everywhere,In my dreams, in my space, in my apartment,Maybe even in my heart.But what he didn’t know was that I was dying.And if Michael even had an ounce of space in his heart for me, he didn’t say,But it might already be too late for me to know that… From Puppet to Muse is Book Four of the Four Foxes series. It is a childhood best friends to enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend romance. This is a complete standalone with HEA. It is intended for mature audiences, containing themes of mental health situations, abuse, violence, and mentions of death.
From Puppet to Muse is the fourth installment in Emberlynn Raine’s Four Foxes series, focusing on Mikey and Lily as they seek their happily ever after. Be prepared: this book will take you on an emotional journey. I certainly felt its impact while reading it. I anticipated that the story would be challenging, especially after experiencing Evy and Jay’s trilogy in the series, but I never expected to feel such heart-wrenching emotions for Mikey and Lily.
Mikey and Lily were once best friends during their childhood, doing everything together. However, an event happens in the past that has one of them shoving the other away from their life. Fast forward to when they are adults, the Four Foxes are now famous and Mikey is the bassist of the band, while Lily is pursuing her passion as a manga artist. Although, she’s harboring a secret from everyone that she isn’t ready to reveal.
Unfortunately, Lily is forced to interact with her former best friend and her brother’s best friend, Mikey, when her brother asks him to look after her while he’s away. The longer she spends with him, the more she wants to know why they are no longer friends. Plus, the more time she spends with him, she realizes she still has feelings for her, and he possibly has feelings for her, too. The thing is, she can’t let him know what’s truly going on with her. Otherwise, it will ruin everything.
Emberlynn Raine certainly evoked strong emotions with Mikey and Lily’s story. The flashbacks that revealed the decline of their friendship alongside the current events they were facing were truly heart-wrenching. I understood Mikey’s perspective and why he chose to push Lily away. I also understood Lily’s desire to keep her secret hidden; she didn’t want to worry anyone. However, in my honest opinion, she should have confided in them. If she had, she would have realized how much they were willing to fight for her and how deeply they all loved her.
I loved how Mikey’s true feelings for Lily gradually revealed themselves, especially when he felt jealous of another guy who was getting her attention, even though that guy wasn’t really a threat. There were so many signs that Mikey had loved Lily for a long time that it took her a while to notice. I enjoyed getting to know him through his point of view. He was a big softie but also a protector.
These two characters were always meant to be together, and it took a significant event in the future to reunite them. The story is emotional, but everything ultimately works out in the end. I did have some issues with the timeline, as it jumped around quite a bit, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. I found myself rereading certain sections to ensure I didn’t miss anything and to get back on track.
Aside from that, this was another great installment in the series, though it was certainly an emotional journey. I give it four stars and look forward to reading the rest of the Four Foxes members’ happy endings. I’m so glad I discovered Emberlynn Raine’s Four Foxes series, as I am eager to see what else she writes after this. If her stories make me smile, cry, and almost toss my Kindle because of some characters’ actions, she’s an author to watch!
Single/Dual POV: Dual POV.
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes. If you enjoy Rockstar Romances that take you on an emotional journey, check out Mikey and Lily’s book, From Puppet to Muse. To read the books in order, start with From Me to You, which is Evy and Jay’s first book in their trilogy.
What to Expect:
💜Rockstar Romance
🖤Childhood Best Friends
💜Enemies to Lovers
🖤Forced Proximity
💜Brother’s Best Friend
🖤Sick Heroine/He Takes Care of Her
💜He’s Always Been in Love with Her
About Emberlynn Raine
Emberlynn Raine is an indie author/writer. She writes books for all her fellow hopeless romantics forever in love with a fictional man. When she's not writing she's procrastinating while drinking coffee and listening to Taylor Swift.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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