Graceless Heart tells the lyrical story of Ravenna as she navigates a country war torn between The Pope and his war against magic. While Ravenna's first occupation is helping run her family's inn she dreams of becoming a true sculptress and forever hiding the magic that flows beneath her skin. When her brother is put in a compromising position she must a win a contest to save him. However, being the winner is not all that it seems... Swept into a world of politics and secrets alongside one of the most powerful families in Florence Ravenna must do whatever it takes to survive.

A completely unique historical-romantasy that will set new standards for the genre! I was completely consumed by Ibañez's storytelling and hypnotized by the beautiful cover art. A 10/10 to the core.

Review: Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez

This book was dark, seductive, and absolutely gripping. Ravenna is a sculptress with a dangerous secret, and from the moment she enters Florence’s deadly competition, I was hooked. The world is lush with forbidden magic, ruthless politics, and slow-burning tension that had me holding my breath.

The dynamic between Ravenna and Saturnino is intense—equal parts danger and desire—and I loved how the story blurred the line between captor and ally. Every choice felt sharp, risky, and meaningful, and the backdrop of war and magic made it all the more haunting.

If you love lush historical fantasy, morally gray love interests, and heroines who refuse to break, Graceless Heart delivers.

Brief Synopsis: Set in Renaissance Italy, Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez tells the story of the sculptress Ravenna Maffei, as she is dragged into a mysterious plot by a strange family of immortal beings looking to exploit her hidden magical abilities. Saturnino Luni, the heir to the immortal Luni family, is aloof, overwhelmingly frightening, and the self-assigned watcher of Ravenna. While essentially held captive, Ravenna is placed on a chess board of Florentine politics and double crossing, but steadies herself as unlikely alliances blossom. Finding herself caught up in a feud between the Luni Family and the Pope, Ravenna must make choices for her self-preservation and her very soul.

My Thoughts: I found this to be one of my most enjoyable reads of the year. This book reminded me of a more mature version of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black in terms of its politics and romance.

This novel really stands out among its peers in the romantasy genre in how its author impressively and seamlessly weaves elements of historical fiction throughout its storyline. Renaissance Italy is detailed by Ibañez as presented as a rich and lively backdrop. The novel felt very unique due to its setting and blend of genres.

The writing was another aspect of this book that really shined. The tension and banter between the characters were next-level.

The main female character, Ravenna, was smart and strong. Everything she did was very obviously motivated and made sense within the bounds of her character. She undergoes a story of self-acceptance that I thought was effective and beautiful. Saturnino can only be described as an anti-hero. There were moments when I absolutely hated him, and moments when I loved him. He is complex and compelling.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I will rave about this book to everyone I can and look forward to its release in early 2026!

Are you kidding me??? She will forever be one of my favorite authors. Her writing is binge worthy. The prose are beautiful. The PLOT! It’s so clear that she does her research before writing every book. It makes the story flawless. One of my favorite reads of the year!

I really enjoyed parts of this totally inventive, unique story. Saturnino in particular is a dream of a character and would have loved more of his broody, tender inner life. In the end, I felt it was a fun, fresh, sweet story. 3.5 stars because I just never fully felt swept away by it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the advanced reader copy!

Looking at this book from a high level, it’s a book I want to read: set in Italy during a time of unrest, a relevant and interesting soft magic system, promise of strong character interactions. However, something about how these topics flowed into this book didn’t quite work for me.

Starting with the setting, I thought the author did a great job with the research of the novel. Some other reviews mention that it’s not 100% historically accurate, that’s fine - it’s a fantasy book! When you start to add faeries and magic into the mix, I can forgive a little deviation from actual recorded history. Additionally, this setting served as a wonderful backdrop to the fast paced and engaging plot.

For the magic system, I was so excited reading the intro page on the pietra magiche. I was expecting all of the magic described to appear in a meaningful way in the book, but only one or two stones were heavily featured throughout the novel, the others simply mentioned/shown in passing. Advertising itself partially as a fantasy book, I was really hoping for more involvement with the magic system. That said, the magical elements woven into the book (I won’t spoil!) were well done.

Finally, the character interactions. For me, this was the weakest point of the book. Some of conversations didn’t quite make sense, the development of particular characters and certain relationships felt rushed and didn’t quite follow a logical progression, and I really disliked how our protagonist was repeatedly shoved, grabbed, pushed, slapped, etc. to drive the plot forward. Female main characters can still show their strength without needing to be assaulted by a string of men. I recognize this is an ARC, so I am hopeful that there may be some revisions that will strength the overall character development.

This book has a great premise and a strong foundational idea. With a bit more work on the characters and their interactions, I could see this book being a very solid read.

** Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley but all reviews are my own **

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I was so captivated by the cover, I picked up this book. Ravenna's powers were so mysterious and had my mind fully captured! I wasn't expecting the twist on the MMC. Yes it's a romantasy, but you will never guess what sort of a person he is till the revelation. I loved the cat Ombretta. I love it when animals play a prominent role in a story more so than being a cute addition.

and yes it's spicy! it's so tasteful and the yearning! THE YEARNING. it was very well done.

learning that the plot was based on real historical events and people really elevated the story for me. The writing was clean.

Graceless Heart
by Isabel Ibañez

Isabel Ibañez is an auto-buy author for me — I’ve devoured everything she’s written, and Graceless Heart was no exception.
In this lush, magic-laced tale, we meet Ravenna, a gifted sculptress with a dangerous secret: she’s a witch. When her brother’s life hangs in the balance, she’s forced to reveal her true nature to save him — and stakes everything on a prestigious sculpting competition. If she wins, she can petition the Immortals for a boon that could save her brother.

But when Ravenna sculpts her Pluto and imbues it with nightflame using her magic, her secret is exposed. Cast out by her hometown and taken by the Immortals, Ravenna is ripped from the life she knew and thrust into the deadly games of the powerful.

Saturnino, an Immortal Knight, believes Ravenna may be the key his family has hunted for decades — the one who can finally extract the nightflame. He tries to bend her to his will through fear and intimidation, but Ravenna’s fierce spirit and warmth slowly chip away at the stone encasing his immortal heart.

With her homeland on the brink of war, Ravenna is caught in a web of dangerous politics and impossible choices. Torn between betraying Pope who hunts her kind and turning away from the Immortal Knight who has begun to claim her heart, Ravenna must decide where her loyalties truly lie.

I gave Graceless Heart 3.75 out of 5 stars. I adored the evocative setting and the delicious slow-burn tension between Ravenna and Saturnino. However, the pacing felt uneven — the first half drags with repetitive moments before the story picks up speed around the halfway mark. I also found the magic system a bit too sprawling at times and wished for a sharper focus.

Still, I’m so grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. Fans of lush romantic fantasy and tangled political intrigue will want to watch for Graceless Heart. Isabel Ibañez remains one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!

I didn’t know that I was craving a magical-Italian-historical-Romantasy, but Graceless Heart DELIVERED!

I was swept away by Ravenna’s determination & the slow cracking of Saturnino’s stony heart to reveal the tender gems hidden beneath.

As an impossible love is carved between them, they are caught in a web of religious hypocrisy and lies, forced to risk everything they hold dear or lose their city and those they love to war. I think you’d love it!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of this!
This is my third read from Isabel and Just like the others this did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed our FMC Ravenna. Her struggles were believable, her motivations as well. She was interesting, and bold, and she loves the people around her fiercely.
Our MMC Saturnino was equally interesting. Cold and brooding, with a tragic past. I really liked him and watching him warm to Ravenna. The tender moments between them were everything ✨
This book has magic, mystery, secrets, tension and a great slow burn!

There’s some good twists in this, and overall I really enjoyed the story!

Meh. There was a lot that worked for me and a lot that was left lacking. Ultimately, it was a very middle of the road fantasy book and not one that I would recommend to many people but I also wouldn’t tell you to stay away. I will say that it picks up around the 60% mark but getting there can be a slog.

What worked:

The setting was spectacularly moody and immersive. In so many ways I felt as if I had time traveled to Renaissance Italy and the intense descriptions around location, sights/sounds/smells and the characters was very thorough.

The magic system in the book is well thought out and unique. I wish we could have seen more of Ravenna learning to lean in to her powers and what they could do to help her. I also would have liked to see more magic being used by others (especially those cool sounding stones in the beginning). I especially liked the way that magic affected our MMC and all the implications thereof.

Speaking of Saturnino…. Loved him. The angst, the drama, the spooky vibes? All top notch morally grey, heart of gold hero behavior.

What didn’t work for me:

At times, the grammar in scenes with heavy amounts of action (fighting or smooching) felt stilted and repetitive and was lacking in varied sentence structure. It ended up feeling very clunky and inorganic to read and took me out of the story in parts that I believe were meant to be intense.

Additionally, a whole lot of the book revolved around things that happened to the FMC and she was continually torn in the direction she had to go with very little agency on her part. Ravenna spent sooooo much time trusting the wrong people and her pig-headed ideals of right and wrong became annoying the further the plot progressed and the more the “good” people showed themselves to be awful. I get that religious trauma is a thing but come on already and grow a backbone! When I said earlier that things picked up around the 60% mark, it’s in large part due to Ravenna starting to take responsibility for her magic, her decisions and her life. Once she leans into everything, the reading becomes exponentially easier.

———————————
Ultimately I’m glad I read the book but I’m also glad I read it early on NetGalley. I would have eventually picked it up in stores or the library because of the description and pretty cover but I would have been disappointed to buy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read early in exchange for honest review!

I was instantly intrigued by the Renaissance Italy inspired setting of this book. The historical fantasy elements blended perfectly with the political and religious scheming, keeping the stakes high and the tension sharp throughout the story.
I really liked the FMC, Ravenna. She is strong, determined, and willing to risk everything for her family. And the slow burn romance with Saturnino was full of tension, banter, and just the right amount longing. Their dynamic added so much heart and emotion to the story.
This was such an enjoyable read with great worldbuilding, high stakes, and a romance that had me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Solid enemies to lovers setup with a cool fantasy world, but the beginning throws a lot at you—names, magic, politics, all at once. Took a bit to get into it. Looking back, I should have brushed up on my Italian Renaissance history just a bit before diving in.

The middle had me HOOKED. Couldn’t put it down. Then one plot twist had me eye rolling but then the end picked back up again. I did not see all of the ending coming, at all.

This was billed as the author’s first adult fantasy so I was expecting more in that sense- there’s one moldy spicy scene and two that are mostly closed door scenes.

I was ecstatic to receive the arc for this book as I have been following the author’s social media ever since she announced that she was writing a new historical romantasy set in Renaissance Italy. I was instantly hooked by the unique plot and the main female character of this book, a sculptress with magical powers. Ravenna is such a complex character, struggling to figure out where her loyalties lie whilst uncovering political secrets unfolding in a land on the brink of war. There were so many twists that made me put the book down and stare into space as I was processing the new information alongside Ravenna. Also, the tension between her and Saturnino was on point. He had me giggling and kicking my feet with just how mysterious yet dedicated he was to her. I wouldn’t define their relationship as enemies-to-lovers, per se, but there is definitely a lot of secrets, banter, and forbidden longing between the two that is drawn out in a slow burn. Overall, there is something just so whimsical and comforting about Isabel Ibañez’s writing which is why she is one of my immediate-buy authors because this book and her others did not disappoint. With that being said, if you like her other books such as What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides, then you will definitely love this book too. I seriously had only the slightest of critiques for this read which was the repetitive use of a couple phrases like Saturnino’s constant eyebrow movements and the “virgin stone” Ravanna has to carve the Nightflame out of. It had me noticing every time they appeared but got easy to ignore after a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saturday Books for the arc! This was fine. It was just shy of good, even. Here are some takeaways:

The first half of this book is much better than the second. The second part was lost in the sauce of the romance.

Many elements stuck out to me as juvenile or meant for readers of a younger age despite being an adult book. The prose, and some aspects of the fmc herself are a couple examples.

Some character development was lacking and some was puzzling

There were some moments though that has my jaw on the floor. I was reeling in a good way

Some famous cameos

So yeah, this was okay, and I was engaged enough to read to the end, but it was nothing special, and instead very flawed in my eyes. -3.5 statues

Ibañez delivers a lush and emotionally charged sequel filled with political intrigue, romance, and rebellion. The characters shine as they grapple with love and loyalty in a vividly imagined world.

I really wanted to like this novel. The world building and historical setting was lush and interesting. However, it just falls flat for me as a romantasy. The pacing was very very slow. At 30% in hardly anything had happened and I was hoping for more interactions. It could have just been the timing of when I read this as compared to other books as I can definitely be a mood reader.

I think this book is great for anyone who likes historical fiction and wants a book set in an actual place within its historical context. The addition of magic should be an exciting addition for anyone who enjoys Italian history and nuances.

❤️
Y'all, with political tension, intoxicating attraction, and emotional awakenings, Isabel Ibanez has done it again!!!
Set in the peril of the 15th century Italian Renaissance, Graceless Heart is a historical fantasy filled magical realism and a forbidden desire. Ravenna Maffei, a 22 yr old sculptress, wins a prestigious contest only to be kidnapped by the mysterious, immortal family. Tasked with the impossible, Ravenna uncovers dangerous truths in her mission to keep her family safe and has to battle her brutal attraction if she wants to stay alive.

For fans of the Da Vinci Code and for those wanting something with unique worldbuilding and high stakes, I highly recommend Graceless Heart when it drops. As soon as I heard Isabel Ibanez was coming out with a standalone adult historical fantasy I ran to Netgalley to request it. This book was an intense clash of spiritual authority and revolutionary thought, where your loyalties constantly shift and tbh that is exactly what I need in these type of books. Isabel Ibanez knows how to write a well balanced book!!

The multiple POVS were a great touch, especially considering how many moving parts were at play. To say the least it enriched the plot and added a lot of depth to our beloved side characters. Ravenna's shifting alliances kept me on my toes, especially where the romance was concerned. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, and Saturnino's emotional awakening made me love him even more,  the ending felt a little more rushed due to the timeline they were on. For those who have read it, Ravenna's  "Yes" felt a bit impulsive.

Overall, this book worked really well for a standalone. That being said, the mass amount of events that happened, I personally would have preferred a duology to give them a little but more breathing room. Even so, the worldbuilding was extremely impressive and consistent for a somewhat complex fantasy world; I never found myself confused by the technically elements of the story.

Overall I would say 4.25/5 stars for me!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marketing wise, I would argue against characterizing it as "Enemies to Lovers". And while yes, they technically were enemies and many death threats were shared, I would argue that they were not TRUE enemies to lovers. They weren't enemies by choice - they were pawns in a game of immortal politics. In actuality, I would consider Ravenna and Saturnino's journey to be lustful to feelings to lovers, as opposed to enemies.😆

A huge thank you for the e-arc copy NetGalley and Saturday Books!

Graceless Heart was such an engaging and beautifully written historical fantasy! I was completely pulled into the richness of the world as it is Renaissance Italy with forbidden magic, political intrigue, and a sculptress MC who’s way too relatable for her own good. You can feel how much research and care went into this book, and it made the setting feel so lush and alive.

Ravenna was such a strong, determined heroine, and I loved how layered every character was. Seriously, even the side characters felt distinct and interesting. And don’t even get me started on Saturnino… broody, dangerous, slightly unhinged, and the perfect slow burn enemies to lovers romance material. The tension between them was really great.

My only tiny gripe? The pacing dipped a bit in the middle, and at times the romance felt like it overshadowed the main plot which was a shame, because the political intrigue and magic system are so fascinating. But the last third totally picked up, and the ending was super satisfying.

If you love lush historical vibes, forbidden magic, political scheming, and slow burn chemistry that will have you screaming into a pillow, this is definitely worth picking up. Isabel Ibañez is new to me, but after this? I’ll be reading more of her books for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley, Isabel Ibañez, and St. Martin’s Press/Saturday Books for the eARC of this book.

Unfortunately this is another DNF for me. While her world building is exquisite, it was hard connecting with the lead. I didn’t feel pulled by her. The chapter headings also were confusing because I thought it was going by place at first until i looked up what capitolo meant.