Vision of Virtue is the second book in the Memory’s Muses’ series by Brey Willows and is another great novel. The story is utterly captivating and the main characters suck you into the adventurous fantasy of an enemies to lovers romance. I love the Godly world the author has created. Her many supporting characters and how she keeps them all flowing in a masterpiece of words is beyond my understanding. This is a fantastic series. This is a fantastic author. I highly recommend this book (but I would start with Song of Serenity... :-)

This wasn’t marked as a sequel here on netgalley and I don’t think it’s an issue to not have read the first book I just can’t help but wonder if the world building would be better for me if I’d read the first book. Like I felt like I was missing something a little bit and found myself confused a time or two which greatly lessened my enjoyment of the book.

3.5/5 stars

This was a really fun book with an interesting premise. I haven’t read the first book in this series, but Vision of Virtue could definitely be read as a stand-alone. In a fun twist on mythology, in Brey Willows’ world the Gods and Muses have revealed themselves to the broader public. As the Muse of History and Virtue, Clio wants to share the lighthearted side of immortality on her television show. Unfortunately her show isn’t getting the views it used to, and her execs think it needs more hard-hitting and down-to-earth moments. In comes Kit, a serious reporter who wants nothing more than to reveal the evils and injustices in the world. As they cooperate (reluctantly) on a new show, Kit and Clio’s contradictory personalities and outlooks clash in the best of ways.

This book was a really fun ride, not only with the relationship between Kit and Clio, but also with the world building and unique take on mythology. The blending between exploring the world of immortals and showing a budding romance made this a constantly exciting, addictive and engaging read. I really loved the relationship between Kit and Clio, it was the perfect opposites-attract romance with heaps of banter, tension and passion.

While I think the plot itself could have been more streamlined and was a bit messy, the book overall was really enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more from this series.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be quite honest, this was a mistake on my part. This is the second book in a series and while I could probably have read through it all without reading the first one, I just felt I was missing something to really understand it.

Clio Ardalides, the Muse of History and Virtue, is an extrovert who enjoys being the centre of attention. Being on TV should suit her but her show’s ratings are plummeting. In order to save her job, she accepts to merge with Kit Kalloway’s show, even though the two women are complete opposites. Clio’s show is about showing the good in life, with games and light, fun interviews of gods, whereas Kit’s is all about the gritty truth.

Vision of Virtue is the second book in the Memory’s Muses series, itself a spinoff of the Afterlife series (which I haven’t read yet). While I loved the first book, Song of Serenity, this one didn’t work as well for me. I usually like the Sunshine/Grumpy and opposites attract tropes but everything felt heavy-handed. I had the feeling what happened to the book is what the author writes about in the book: the search for balance between light and heavy, between striving for joy and being aware of reality. The merge of the two TV shows is a perfect example: Clio’s show is all about entertainment (the description reminded me of a show I used to watch as a child, Intervilles), Kit’s one hundred per cent information, mixing them together results in infotainment. When it works, it can be excellent. When it doesn’t, it can feel like it’s trying too hard to cram too many things in one session. Even so, Brey Willows’ snappy writing made Vision of Virtue an easy read.

As in book one, I enjoyed the getting-to-know-each-other between immortals and humans now that they all live together and that the author includes all sorts of gods, from all cultures and religions. Some I’ll be looking up to learn more about. I liked Clio and felt for her. Three thousand years of witnessing and recording all the ways humans hurt one another could drive anyone to burn out, even a muse. I admired Kit’s dogged pursuit of the truth even as her pertinacity in seeing the world as black or white made her extremely frustrating.

I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped I would but I’m looking forward to the next one in the series, Lines of Love, which will be released in December.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I gave it a shot and finished it but this was not my cup of tea.

This book suffered from a lot of the same issues as the first one. It's repetitive and clunky. There's a lot of crying again, though there's an attempt to excuse it with a quip about the muses being highly sensitive beings and Clio most of all - that doesn't really explain why all the other characters cry a lot, though.

We still have the same showing verses telling problem. The romance develops awkwardly because we don't experience events alongside the characters but more as a spirit looking down on events. There's more action in this - gruesome action, at that - but it's plagued by the same pitfalls. There is no heightened emotion in those moments because we aren't going through it with Clio and Kit.

I found Kit really disappointing. It's almost like she could've been swapped out for Jordan and you wouldn't know the difference, not really. And I don't love the repetition of a more femme-of-center MC being almost exclusively attracted to a more masc-of-center MC. It feels stereotypical and cheap.

I think I'm done with this series. It's a shame because the concept on the whole is very much up my alley. Execution leaves too much to be desired, unfortunately.

Vision of Virtue, the second book in the ‘Memory’s Muses’ series by Brey Willows is another successful fantasy romance/adventure novel. It’s set in the author’s world where immortal gods of all religions intermingle with humans in our modern day society. In each of these books, Ms. Willows has narrated the story of a different muse falling in love with a mortal and the adventures that happen because of that.

This is the story of Clio Ardalides, the Muse of History and Virtue, and Kit Kalloway, the lead reporter with a television show called Truth Spotter. Kit has a big problem with the immortals, and this leads to some major conflicts when Kit and Clio are forced to work together. That work also puts them into some pretty harrowing and dangerous situations.

I do love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and this is an exceptional one. There are sparks between these two characters from the moment they meet. At first those sparks appear to be from irritation since the two seem to be constantly at odds. Gradually, those sparks change into something else as the two continue to work together. The author did a wonderful job creating conflict and chemistry with these characters. The action and adventure parts of the narrative are exciting and perilous.

This is an excellent addition to the ‘Memory’s Muses’ books. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will be looking for more in this series. After all, there are more than just two muses.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I usually font delve into fantasy related book but this book was pretty good. The characters dynamic was great. Both of the characters were likable. I recommend this book to anyone.

This book had some good moments but overall it missed the mark for me. There was too clear a delineation between butch/femme gender roles. Butch women are strong, funny, womanizing…”bros.” Femme women are pretty, emotional, and like clothing. I think we’re all more complex and nuanced than that. Apart from that, Clio seemed really immature for being 3,000 years old, and like she was struggling to find herself, which doesn’t seem realistic for a 3,000 yo muse of history and virtue, which I guess was the point but didn’t work for me. Also, I did not buy the chemistry/relationship. They didn’t seem like they respected or liked each other, so I can understand a drunken mistake one night but not the falling in love part. On the plus side, there were some interesting historical and art nuggets. The author was smart to use this setup to explore some more in-depth themes.

Short summary: Clio and Kit each headline their own failing show. Their producers pair them together in attempt to spice things up. There’s an opposites-attract between the two women and things heat up as they start to see the other in action.

So Sweet

Clio and Kit are complete opposites, then their careers bring them together and they start understanding one another’s views. However, only when a disaster strikes do they both get the opportunity to find out if they have really learnt from one another and can share in understanding and agreement of balance of positive and negative in life.

What a brilliant story, focusing on why we all need to have balance in life and try to be kind and understanding of different views and feelings towards things. I learned so much joining Clio and Kit on this adventure, and just hoped they were going to learn from one another two.

At the beginning, the tension between them provided intense moments and a lot tense words and exchanges, but with the help of other characters in this amazing world Brey has built, fate was at play and making sure these two were going to have an experience. It was quite an experience too, with them really being thrown in at the deep end. For Clio, it was less of a shock, because as a muse she was more familiar with the situations they found themselves in. Clio was affected deeply though, emotionally and partly physically because of who she was. Kit however really struggled at times. Some of this was terrifyingly outside of her comfort zone but she was excited by some of it in making sure she shared what really went on in the world with people.

I really enjoyed this addition to the Memory’s Muses series. It was great to have some familiar characters popping up again if you’ve read the Afterlife Inc. series or the first Memory’s Muses book, so could catch up with them. Now, I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

This is a slow burn romance. The story is where the Gods and Goddess are living openly with humans. Clio is a muse who has a shallow but fun Talk Show. Kit is an investigative Journalist who love to expose the all the evil in the world thinking the Gods are not doing enough. When Clio show rate begins to fall the network came up with a decision to combine their talents. I say that thought they had great chemistry, and the author did an amazing job writing the story. I recommend 4.5 stars.


Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC.

This is a story about immortal Clio Ardailides, muse of History and Virtue. Clio is a very happy person with a tv show that focuses on happy stories and is suffering in the tv ratings. Kit Kalloway is an investigative journalist with her own hard hitting tv show. Her show is all about tragedy and heartbreak stories. The tv network decides that these two hosts need to combine their talents into one show. Both of them are unhappy with this new show format. Kit thinks Clio is all fluff and and silly with her fancy clothes and happy go lucky outlook.

As the story progresses they end up in Mexico and Russia in two horribly violent situations. The second half of the book has a lot of action and adventure. There is a slow burn romance after a shaky start.

This is the second book in the Memory’s Muses series. There is some mention of the characters in the first book but you can read them in any order. I enjoyed the second half of the book once the action kicked in.

Arc received from Net Galley for a voluntary and honest review.

Interesting f/f enemies to lovers romance
This is a story embedded into a world where the known and unknown gods and goddesses of old have merged into the world. Clio, the muse of history and virtue, is one of the immortals. She heads a rather shallow fun show about the gods and is a bit lost. Kit her counterpart is all about investigating the truth and expose all the evils of the world. Oh, how I loved their initial clashes, I am such a sucker for a good enemies to lovers romance and this is a good one.
The writing is flowing very well and the building of this world where magic seeps into the real world is very well done. The last third was not quite as convincing, but still well done.

This series (you can read them stand alone) is so clever and engaging. The idea of using myths and gods and updating them is great, and interesting as well as educational (there’s way more gods and lesser deities than you think). On top of the learning curve, the author doesn’t neglect the romance, which is rather sweet. Sure it’s all about the Muse, but they are the star of the show so it feels fitting and I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. They are fun and they’re helping me cement the classics. My only complaint is that Tamara was glossed over a bit quick!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a funky story! This is the story of two TV shows and main leads merging together to form one show that takes the lightness of muse Clio's show mixed with the serious truth telling of mortal Kit's show. Obviously, there are some bumps along the way. There were some big events that happened that I did not see coming. I appreciated the creative freedom that could happen in the writing by having the gods/goddesses roam among the mortals world. While I didn't check into any of them after, it was neat to learn about lesser known god/desses. It was also fun that most of the noted relationships were queer as if that was the dominant orientation.
It did take me a little bit of time to get into and follow along but I did mostly enjoy it.
(Posted on goodreads separately since it wouldn't let me link it here)

2.5

Ah, I am genuinely so sad this book ended up not working for me! It had such an interesting premise, and I was so excited to read it, and yet, the execution didn't live up to my expectations. It might be that this was the second book in the series, and I have not read the first (nor was it marked on Netgalley as a part of a series). It wasn't hard to follow, it didn't necessarily read as a sequel, but maybe some of the issues I had (such as the world-building) would've been less, had I read the previous book.

Vision of Virtue is a book following two characters, Clio the Muse of History and Virtue, who likes to look on the positive side of things, and Kit, a cynical mortal reporter, who likes to look for the ugly truths. They are polar opposites, the only thing they have in common is that they both host their own TV shows. Clio's show is full of gods doing funny challenges, and to Kit, it's worth nothing. Kit's show deals with hard-to-swallow pills, uncovering dark secrets, and other things people want to turn away from. When Kit and Clio are forced to work together, they're forced to find the middle ground and bridge the gap between them. What they do find is a desire for each other, but the question of whether will that be enough remains.

So, my first (and probably biggest) issue was world-building. I said this already, it could be due to the fact I've not read the first book. I thought the idea of the world presented here was interesting, there was 'the merge', and all of the gods, from every pantheon, every religion showed themselves and started living among the mortals. It seems this has greatly affected the world we know, and while there are glimpses, there are many questions left unanswered the biggest ones how and why. As I said, there were some explanations given, but overall the world felt confusing, and overcrowded (both with people and other entities, and with ideas) and overall it just felt like deities were just haphazardly strewn about. It felt disjointed a lot of the time, and I was just missing some more world-building. I will say, I understand this book is primarily about the romance, but as it has such an ambitious world, I was wanting more.

This issue of world-building translated into the characters as well. It seemed that both in the plot and the characterization the author was trying to tackle some big, important themes but all while keeping the overall 'positive' tone of a romance novel. This is not necessarily wrong, but you can only deal with so many situations in that way before it starts feeling repetitive and like you're glossing over some issues.

What I mean when I say it's seen in the characters as well, is evident in Clio, the Muse. She is the Muse of History and Virtue, meaning that throughout mankind's history she's been a witness to both the good and the bad, the wonders and the atrocities, creation and destruction alike. At many points in the book, Kit openly mocks Clio's want for the good times only, for laughter but never the sad truth that Kit values. Pretty much every time Kit does this, the same conversation ensues, where Clio states she has already seen all of the humanities, and that she's witnessed many wars and many horrors, for the purpose of documenting them (or inspiring the ones who would document them). This conversation happened enough times that it became repetitive but it also didn't hit the mark for me. We are given examples of the things Clio has seen, but just a few occurrences being named, don't do justice of showing the heaviness, the bone-deep tiredness Clio must be feeling. I again understand the tone of the book would be much different had we seen all of those play out, but it made sense why Kit never understood Clio - it is so hard to connect with something entirely unimaginable to you, especially when this is the only way it's being explained to you. I could sympathize.

Kit definitely feels more 'relatable', not because she always is, but because she is human in the way it resonates. Her anger is hot and her emotions are on the surface, in a way they can be only when you're mortal. She is just, but often unfair if that makes sense. She seeks out the truth to the point of things becoming black and white and losing their nuance. Both she and Clio experience character development and growth in this book, which was definitely nice to see. Kit definitely gains some much-needed perspective, as does Clio. They started off on completely opposite sides, but managed to find the middle ground. Even though Kit feels more relatable, she felt incredibly frustrating at times. She was hell-bent on seeing things her way and being 'right' even though she was insanely biased the entire time. She based her search for the ugly truths on a personal tragedy, and while that's a completely valid motivator she let it cloud her vision a lot.

As a couple, I actually enjoyed Kit and Clio a lot. I think they balanced each other very well and brought clarity to each other. Kit desperately needed a more positive outlook on the world, and Clio needed a little push to get herself out there instead of hiding behind 'happy' skits. Asides from their repetitive arguments, they had good chemistry and they felt like a good match. In many of the situations they witnessed together they were a good match, a perfect mix of emotion and straightforwardness. However, the scenes with the protests and the riots largely felt out of place for me, as I really didn't feel immersed in the world. I do understand how everyone finding out that every god ever exists could wreak havoc in the best of communities, but I, not knowing enough of the world, found myself quite confused about what exactly was the problem. These scenes were again the ones where I felt like some big problems were being tackled but also glossed over.

All in all, I don't think this is a bad book, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting and hoping for. I think if you've read and enjoyed the previous book, you probably know what to expect, and you would probably enjoy this one much more than I did. That being said, I really do wish this was either more straight-up fluff, with less serious moments, or a more in-depth, more detailed depiction of the world where all of the issues would be explored more. The combined approach is what didn't work for me, I think. Even so, I would still recommend this book, but I would probably start with the first book before this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

‘Vision of Virtue’ by Brey Willows is the second story in the Memory’s Muses series. This time we are with Clio Ardalides, the Muse of history and virtue. She seeks to show the good in every situation. Positivity is her mantra. But sometimes her TV show veers too far towards the superficial. 

Kit Kalloway is the complete opposite. She is for truth and reality, whatever the situation. It irks her that Clio focuses too much on appearance and the lighter side of life. She may find the Muse extremely attractive, but that won’t stop her voicing her disapproval. 

When the pair are pushed together in a terrible situation, can they see past first impressions? And can they find a way to take their mutual attraction further?

Brey Willows breathes new life into classical characters. Characters who would otherwise have remained in dusty tomes, unknown to the majority. Her stories are thrilling, exciting and fascinating. The world she has imagined, where gods and mortals coexist, is a stroke of genius. 

Clio wasn’t the person I thought at first. She had lived a long life and had witnessed some awful things. She didn’t want to dwell on all that horrible stuff - and who can blame her? Sometimes we all need to shut off the news.  

Kit had a huge chip on her shoulder, but spending time with Clio let her see that immortals are not all the same. She didn’t seem to consider the feelings of others. Until faced with some home truths - and the fear of losing a chance for love. 

Brey Willows took Clio and Kit to a place where they had to face who they really were. Humans and immortals can both be guilty of self delusion. Sometimes it takes a kind soul to point out the truth. Or an inciting event forces reflection. It takes courage to change and a desire for something more than the status quo.

I loved being back with the muses. All of them. Tying their stories together works so well and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I was given this ARC for review.

Vision of Virtue by Brey Willows

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke books for a ARC for an unbiased review.

This is a contemporary setting but with God's living amongst us. It is another story of retelling on some aspects of the mythology, yet it isn't what truly drives the book for me. What does is the way Brey Willows is able to make characters of every kind relatable.

There is obviously a fantasy element, but it isn't bogged down with massive worldbuilding or grandiose themes. And it makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read as a result.

Ah Clio and Kit. What are we going to do with you? The two main characters who I did enjoy. At times though I felt we knew Clio slightly more than Kit, and that is why I'm pulling it to 4/5 stars. It is in reality a 4.5 for me and I debated on whether to round it up or down, & plumped for down as while a great book, it didn't quite factor in enough of the wow moments for me to warrant full stars.
Overall, a fantastic book and one I'd definitely recommend for others and read again myself. A good solid 4/5 stars 🌟

This book is everything you want in a WLW fiction. A bit of enemies to lovers, Gods loving mortals, action, heroism, finding oneself, making room to love, following a calling- it has absolutely everything. The chemistry between the MC's? It burns so hot during their steamy scenes that you may be contributing to global warming. I loved every side character with their ability to move the plot along. Not a word is wasted in the dialogue and it's a tale brilliantly spun and woven into a fabric that you'll want to cuddle up with over and over.

This is the second one of this series and follows the muse of history and virtue, Clio, who hosts a tv show where immortals complete against each other in fun obstacle courses. She is forced to scrap the format of her tv show and join forces with Kit Kalloway, an investigative journalist whose only concern is getting to the ugly truth. As they work together they find their views differ greatly but also start to see the world a bit more from the others point of view.
I really enjoyed this as much as I did the first in the series. I really love this world where the gods of all religions over time interact openly with the world. Both Calliope and Clio show very human emotions alongside the knowledge they've gained over their 3,000 years alive. Kit was a fun character who gave Clio a new viewpoint that helped her find a new way to use her knowledge and help the world. The writing is excellent and plot lines engaging, I'd highly recommend this book. Though it's the second in the series you don't have to read the first one before you dive in but the first is great and I'd recommend reading it anyway. I see Eris is the main character of the next book in the series and I can't wait to read it!