Muse. Brittany Cavallaro. 2021.

The year is 1893, and war is brewing in the First American Kingdom. But Claire Emerson has a bigger problem. While her father Jeremiah, prepares to reveal the mighty weapon he’s created to showcase the strength of their province, St Cloud, at the World’s Fair, Claire is crafting a plan to escape.

Jeremiah is a sought-after inventor, but he believes his genius is a gift granted to him by his daughter’s touch. He’s kept Claire under his control for years. As St Cloud prepares for war, Claire plans to claim her life for herself, even though her best friend, Beatrix wants her to stay and help with the growing resistance movement that aims to see a woman on the throne. At any cost.

When her father’s weapon fails to fire on the fair’s opening day, Claire is taken captive by Governor  Remy Duchamp, St Cloud’s young, untried ruler. Remy believes that Claire’s touch bestows graces he’s never had, and with his governing power weakening and many political rivals planning his demise, she might be his only and. EST ally. But the last thing that Claire has ever wanted to be someone else’s muse. Still, affections can change as quickly as the winds of war. And Claire has a choice to make: Will she quietly remake her world from the shadows - or bring it down in flames?