RECOMMENDED by the U.S. Review of Books!! "Darla the Muse" is a comic tragedy about one man's obsession with a woman who inspires his writing. In addition to her prayers on his behalf, his letter to her eventually permits him entry into the afterlife. However, his questionable character must be tested a final time to ensure that he has developed an adequate moral compass... or face a second and final death in an ultimate test of love. The following editorial review was written by Freelance Proofreader and Editor, Anita Lock: "Only the pure essence of the divine feminine lifegiver can liberate a mortal man to create the most lovely and most beautiful of all handiworks." When Erik Eckerd first meets Darla at an IHOP restaurant, he knows that there is something special about the young lady. Old enough to be Darla's father, the late fifty- year-old Erik begins to pursue Darla, and even more so after his immense research on the term "muse" and learning about Muse's powerful connection with mortal beings. Now fully enamored with Darla but not revealing his true feelings toward her, Erik finds out that Darla is engaged. Although he shares his deepest thoughts and tells her about "the secret of a happy marriage" in a letter just prior to her wedding day, the two amicably go their separate ways. Heading to Vegas and after ineffectively attempting to rekindle his previous Muse, Erik meets and marries a prostitute. What follows is a bizarre turn of events that eventually leads him back to the woman of his dreams, Darla the Muse. Author of numerous history-related novels, Kerry L. Barger spins a tale that is sated with spirituality. Barger's third-person narrative focuses on one man's journey in search of the one woman in the form of a Muse who can inspire him "to heavenly pursuits." Amid Erik's conversations with Darla and his personal musings about the young goddess, Barger covers a vast amount of information from celebrity relationships (i.e., Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn); Greek and Roman history; Greek, Chinese, and various Middle-Eastern mythology and legends; to all things erotica and beyond into the astral realm. Barger's novel is well written and researched. Yet readers who hope to delve into a light yet spicy story will be greatly disappointed since Barger's novel weighs heavier on the philosophical than on the story's plot. Indeed, Darla the Muse is earmarked for readers who desire nothing less than the deeper spiritual aspects of erotica. [See the USR review at www.theusreview.com/reviews/Darla-Barger.html]