I will start off by saying that I am not generally a romantasy person. I enjoy both romance and fantasy/sci-fi separately (and am a big fan of fantasy/sci-fi with romance sub-plots) but often find that books mixing the two genre's equally tend to fall flat on both fronts.

Unfortunately, I feel like this book too falls flat on both the romance and fantasy aspects. I thought with such a high page count, it might balance the two perfectly, but I left the book feeling slightly disappointed.

Now, there are things about the book that I did enjoy! Firstly, both the setting and the magic system immediately drew me in. Renaissance Italy is not something I have ever had much interest in, but it was new and fresh to me and I immediately fell in love. And the magic system revolving around what are essentially magic stones felt very new and fitting for a novel about a sculptress. Saturnino was your typical jaded broody MMC but I still ate it up and really liked his character from the moment he laid eyes on Ravenna's sculpture and was in love by the time he adopted Ombretta. And the religious themes were done fairly well in my opinion (as a non-religious person) and really added fuel to a lot of the tense inner struggles Ravenna went through.

Unfortunately, though, all of those things were not enough for me to fully enjoy reading this book. I was initially drawn in by the magic system, thinking it would go hand in hand with art in a way that would feel as beautiful as the time period it's set in. With Ravenna being a sculptress, I thought she would somehow come into her magic as she continues her craft, but that didn't happen. The whole sculpting aspect was sort of dropped pretty quickly in the novel and we didn't get any solid information about any Pietra Magiche other than the Nightflame. That, paired with the introduction of more magical beings (that were spoken about beforehand, sure, but not in a way that ever felt concrete enough to introduce them so late in the game) the world-building fell flat. It's hard to make a magical world feel grounded and real, but I thought entwining it so deeply with our real history would help. And yet it didn't. There was just too much introduced and not enough time to flesh it all out.

Which is exactly how I felt about the romance. I wanted to like it. I really liked Saturnino as a character and Ravenna's honesty with him was refreshing. She subverted a lot of tropes that I hate in romance novels, but at no point did I actually feel like these two were genuinely falling in love. One minute I felt like I was raging at Saturnino for stringing Ravenna along when he clearly feels nothing and the next he's... suddenly deeply in love with her? I just wasn't convinced with these two. There were one or two moments where I really rooted for them, but one or two romantic moments does not make a romance. There was too much plot for the romance, and too much romance for the plot.

Which could have possibly been solved if we weren't cutting away to useless POV's every few chapters. Honestly, you could completely remove those outsider POV chapters from the novel without any editing and probably not miss a thing about the story. Yet at the same time, they spoiled far too much. I don't want to know what sort of background machinations are happening if the MC doesn't know about them! Like sure it sort of fleshed out these side characters that Ravenna did not get much opportunity to know, but there are much better ways of presenting that information that aren't wasting precious pages on character backstories that have little bearing on the plot. The important things that were introduced in those chapters would be introduced to Ravenna later anyway, so why spoil it all before we get the satisfying reveal of learning information with our MC?

As harsh as I feel I've been about the cons, I really did enjoy reading it. At no point did it feel like a chore to pick up, and I definitely ignored the sleep timer I put on in more than one instance because I had to know what happened next. There were just too many flaws for me to ignore.

2.75 stars, rounded up to 3 stars for simplicity's sake.

As someone who rewatches Borgia alot, I really enjoyed this. This was so immersive feeling and I loved the historical fantasy! This author is always an automatic read for me. Thank you netgalley for the arc

Graceless Heart
by Isabel Ibañez
Pub Date: Jan 13 2026

As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence’s most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.

Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence’s walls.

The Pope’s war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her — or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war.

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a free copy of this.

I didn't realize who the author was until I had already read a couple chapters. I had problems with the previous duology of hers (couldn't finish it, the male and female protagonist in that irked me). So I say this: if you had problems with the female and male protagonist in that book you will have a problem with these, too.

Why I gave it two stars is for the setting. It was easy to envision Italian Renaissance. The use of historical figures was interesting too (Medicis, looking at them in particular). When the author started playing outside the box of historical figures, and adding fantasy to them (the Pope chasing after some magic stones and blocks) and having them interact alongside her own creations ... well, that was rough. Honestly, it's a hard thing to do and I haven't read many stories that pulled off historical fantasy (but my praise for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell stands).

At first, I was following the protagonist and her aim at freeing her brother. Apparently she has magic. The world building of the magic and the reason why it exists was simply non-existent. But of course, there are fey. And vampires. And witches. And they all connect somehow in this world that you just have to accept the fact they exist. So our protagonist has magic and she can carve things really well. She then carves a likeness of the male protagonist (because she found him hot from the moment she saw him), thinking that this will attract his family's attention and grant a boon. Well, it happens... but they hold her ransom and take her to their estate and simply tell her to chisel five stones to extract some magic stones inside them.

This is where the story falls apart. Our male protagonist should have been 100% a villain. He should have used her, and at most, stayed a middle ground guy. Played her to get the end game. She was dumb enough to simp over him, and as much as she kept saying she wanted nothing to do with him, she found him too hot to function and wanted to kiss him. Of course she sees him do some intense stabbing (and murdering), puts through with him toying with her, insulting her, and absolutely near assaulting her. He tells her he has no heart, but of course, he hasn't met our female! She's going to change his view, because no other woman in the past 100 years has! Please. Honest to god, she whined through the whole book while he lounged against doors, gazed at her through half lidded eyes, and manhandled her. Meanwhile, he demanded (and his family for the few times they made their appearance) to get carving those stones. She asks him constantly what is the purpose but they don't really come fully clean.

There is also some plot with the Pope after the stones and trying to take over the city. Our characters get mixed up in this - she has to spy, he has to protect the Medici family. Further and further the story started to slip from its historical grounding and it became obvious the whole thing was simply a background for a poorly written romance between this guy who apparently found our protagonist kind, honest, and special. Barf.

Of course, there will be people who enjoy this - like her last book - because they focus on the romantasy and nothing else. Plot and schematics come first in a story, then character, then romance. So, if you're like me, you're gonna have a rough go with this because it's like puzzle pieces grabbed from several different puzzles all about the same topic / image, and they're being forced to fit together in this story.

All in all, I think I'm done with this author.

Graceless Heart is the latest novel from Isabel Ibañez. I have been reading this author since I read “Together We Burn”, which I absolutely loved. This book is a historical fantasy set in Florence during the times that the Medici ruled. It is the story of Ravenna, a sculptress who has magical powers. She enters a sculpting contest arranged by the Luni family in order to free her brother from jail. she wins and her brother is freed. However, the family takes her away to live with them. It is there that she develops a relationship with Saturnino, one of the sons of the family. There are a number of events involving the Pope and many powerful people as well as mágical elements. I absolutely loved this book and knew it would be a five star read for me. It is very descriptive and makes you feel that you are actually in Florence. Please read this beautiful story. You will love it.

This was Read Now and I couldn't resist diving in! However, perhaps my expectations were too high or even misaligned. So please take that into account when reading this review. These views are very subjective.

I’m not sure if this is fair or not, but as Isabel Ibañez’s adult debut, this did not live up to my expectation of what that shift in age category entails. What I mean is that I did not feel Graceless Heart did enough to separate itself from the author’s YA work. Our main female character reads young, her motives read naïve or innocently simple, the world building around the magical stones is criminally underutilized, and the pacing was uneven. What I will credit is the historical (Renaissance) world-building. I do think the author does a great job with historical works -- and I did like What the River Knows/Where the Library Hides. But I personally don’t see too much difference between those works (YA) and Graceless Heart (adult).

The cover slaps though. I think many will pick up Graceless Heart for the cover alone, esp. if there's a shiny special edition.
You might also like this if you enjoyed Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar. I noted many similarities.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Saturday Books
and Netgalley for the eARC!

4 stars!!!

Ahh!! So, this was my first book by this author, and I loved it so much! I thought the writing style was exquisite! I loved the setting of Italy, I have never been there but the author did an amazing job at describing the world in detail and it was so immersive and beautiful!

This was also one of my first historical fantasy romances and I really liked that aspect, I thought it was such an interesting concept and really hooked me in!

I loved our fmc, Ravenna. She was so strong willed & brave. I really loved seeing her journey into finding & accepting herself & her magic. I LOVED the tension between her & Saturnino. The yearning was everything!! It was a little bit of a slow burn but I loved when they finally got together & I thought they were so sweet!

Also would just like to take a moment to talk about the cover because it is GORGEOUS!!!

Definitely recommend!

While I applaud the author’s research of the Renaissance period and the interesting world building, I never bought in to the Romance between the two leads. It was insta-lust, we were told fifty times in three pages that the dude was hot. And he was so unlikable I just never bought it. In most novels there’s some hint early on that the guy is tortured for a reason. Here, he nonstop is a jerk to the girl. No redeeming qualities, so I stopped reading.

Special thanks to NetGalley andSt. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thoughts:
This unfortunately fell flat for me. I did not really like the writing style and I thought that the pacing was inconsistent. I did like the romance, but it didn't "wow" me nor I was I particularly swoony about them. I did like how Ibanez integrated the history of the time period that the book takes place in, it was interesting! I will give this another read when the official copies hit the shelf though!

I had such high hopes for this! The cover is stunning and a historical romance fantasy set in renaissance era Italy sounds right up my alley but unfortunately the lack of chemistry in the romance and the overly purple prose fell flat for me. The author clearly did their research into the era and I greatly enjoyed the political aspects, so if that's for you I would totally recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book.
3.5 stars.

Written beautifully, this is a lovely romantic fantasy/historical fiction set in 1400s Florence. The time of the Medicis, the ruthless rulers of Florence and the great patrons of the arts.

Ibanez has taken this time in history and created a world where magic exists; witches, wizards, vampires and more and introduces the reader to Ravenna, a young sculptor who is also secretly a witch. This is a time of persecution with the pope leading the scourge to wipe magic from the world.

Ravenna enters a sculpture competition with the hopes of saving her brother who has been caught up in the wars that plagued Italy at that time.

After the competition, she is whisked away by the dei Luni family and their eldest son, our MMC, the stern and brutal Saturnino.

Drama, magic, and secrets ensue.

Very well done, the author brings to life the city of Florence and the turmoil of the time while she introduces magic and a mystery into the mix.

I did see the twists coming, but all in all they still were enjoyable.

My biggest issue was with the length of the book. Easily 100 pages of repetitive inner monologues and flowery descriptions could have been cut to tighten things up. I found myself skimming more often than not.

But overall an enjoyable read.

This book was so unique and such a refresher! It felt one of a kind. If you're looking for a book to shake up your normal Romantasy reads while still having everything you love, this book will be perfect.

Tropes:
🥵Enemies to Lovers
🩶Morally Grey MMC
🪄Harnessing Magic

Plot: Ravenna sets out to win a sculpting competition in order to receive a favor from the powerful Luni family. Getting noticed by this family means she is thrust into the dark underbelly of her city. She needs to figure out if she can trust Saturnino dei Luni or get away as far as possible.

My Thoughts: This book was very mesmerizing and had a unique flair you don’t see often. I was amazed by all the plot twists that I did not see coming. I appreciate how strong Ravenna was when faced with all these challenges. I think she was the perfect blend of warrior fierce with still so much grace and femininity. Saturnio felt like your classic morally grey MMC who wants her but can’t quite figure out why. One thing I did not like about this book was the pacing. I felt like it was too slow in the first half and had a hard time holding my attention in the beginning. Once the story really started to pick up, it was a really enjoyable read that sucked you in. I think if you like books by Rachel Gillig or Stephine Garber, you would probably really adore this one too.

Early access read, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

Graceless Heart is everything I want in historical fantasy: rich atmosphere, a unique magic system, and a heroine who’s both tough and emotionally layered. Set in 1400s Florence (really, in a few different places in Italy) the story follows a sculptress caught in a web of ambition, power, and slow-burn romantic tension that had me hooked. The enemies-to-lovers arc is deliciously paced, and the way Isabel Ibañez weaves magic into art and politics is so fresh and clever.

I especially loved the setting - having been to Italy earlier this year, the details felt alive and real. I did take off one star because of points that I felt were somewhat rushed and I still had a few questions left at the end (like the aunt’s disappearance and connection to the story, and I found myself wanting to know more about the other members of the Luni family). All to say though, I burned through this book in a day. If you’re into grounded historical fiction with a side of fantasy, art, and romantic tension, this one’s worth picking up when it comes out next January!

GRACELESS HEART by Isabel Ibañez is a stand-alone adult fantasy novel set in 15th century Renaissance Italy. As soon as the email hit my inbox, I requested this eARC. I'm a huge fan of this author, and was so excited to read her adult debut. Friends, it was so, so good! The world building was top notch, the magic system original, and the romance swoon-worthy. Before I gush on, I'll share the premise and setup.

We meet Raveena, a sculpturess in a world where women aren't supposed to create art. To free her brother from a wrongful imprisonment, she enters a sculpting contest. She has a magic inside of her that she's been ashamed of since its discovery, but she uses her magical ability to make add an extra flare to her sculpture. When she wins, she uses the boon promised to gain her brother's release. He's set free, but she's taken from her family by the Luni's, the immortal family that had sponsored the tournament. Without any agreement from her, or chance to say bye, she's brought with them to their place in Florence, a lavish home in the central part of the city. Officially their artist in residence, unofficially they demand that she performs a miracle using her magic.

The eldest son of the Luni family, the achingly handsome Saturnino, is a knight hell bent on Ravenna accomplishing her task. He threatens her, intimidates her, and... fascinates her. Assigned the task of keeping tabs on Ravenna and her work, he occasionally lets his broody mask slip, showing her his vulnerable human side. As the stakes grow more and more urgent and involve more and more twists and unexpected turns, the story draws the reader through a breath-taking romance and heart-poundingly dangerous adventure.

What I loved most:
- I enjoyed this beautifully described glimpse into 15th century Italy with a fantasy twist. The inclusion of some famous Italians from the time — like the Medici's — added to the immersive feel of this novel.
- Isabel always crafts such multi-dimensional characters, and I enjoyed every single one of them, from heroes to villains, from mains to secondaries.
- Ravenna's transformation from the beginning of the book to the end was such a poignant character arc. The challenges she faces are so formidable, and yet she presses forward. Loved her!
- Saturnino was a swoony love interest. Complex, broody, and multi-layered, his character arc, the revelations of what he's been through, all of it, was so fascinating and emotional.
- Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Isabel pulls it off brilliantly. Watching the inconsistently mercurial Saturnino fall for Ravenna — and her fall for him — was one of the best parts of this novel
- The Courier was such an enigma and when more about him was revealed, my jaw hit the floor. He was one of the best characters in this novel. Might we get a novella where we learn more about him?
- The magic system was based on different types of fae stones with magical abilities. Helpfully, they are listed at the beginning of the novel. It's such an original take on magic.
- The spice in this book is written to perfection. Just the right amount of detail mixed in with stakes and emotions. Brilliantly crafted!
- I like that Isabel gave us some hints leading up to each big reveal. I guessed one, and then was completely surprised by the others
- Most of this book was written from Ravenna's POV, but the occasional other POVs included provided clues and insights into other character motivations.

What didn't work:
- The only complaint I have is that I want more. This book was so good. I'm looking forward to Isabel's next, which I believe is also a stand-alone and is set in historic France. Can't wait!

GRACELESS HEART is a deeply immersive read brimming with adventure, romance, and danger, with a strong cast of characters. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to purchase this fantastic novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.

I wanted to love this, but it was just okay. The Italian-inspired setting and sculpting magic were really cool, but they barely came into play, which felt like a missed opportunity. Ravenna was a solid heroine, but her character growth came way too late, and the side characters (especially the Luni family) felt flat/felt one dimensional. The romance… meh. It was a lot of insta lust and mixed signals, with Saturnino swinging from threatening to tender in a way that didn’t feel earned. The overall setting vibes were great, but the story didn’t fully click for me.

Thank you NetGalley!!

I love this cover!! I absolutely loved the entire premise of this story. Ravenna is such a well developed character and I really loved how devoted she was to her family! The magic systems throughout the book were a bit confusing sometimes but definitely not a deal breaker for me.

Ravenna gets wrapped up in this contest trying to save her brother after he gets put in prison and in doing so finds herself in the midst of the immortal family and while she’s trying to free herself from this she starts to wonder what would happen if she stayed (guess that guard really caught her attention).

I love how we start get a serious example of the magics consequences right out the gate but then it slowly goes into building the relationships between our characters and the political.

I get how important the magic is and how it led to where we are and I enjoy that but for someone who had such a strong and frightening beginning, I was shocked to see how little Ravenna used it when it could have helped.

Her back and forth with Saturnino were some of my favorites in any book with their back and forth as they eventually leveled the playing field between an immortal and a human girl. I did enjoy how we get to see things from people on the outside looking in at them. You can definitely see the disgust in his family at the humanity he seems to be finding within this partnership.

I just finished Graceless Heart and honestly… I’m still swooning a bit. Isabel Ibañez really knows how to pull you into a world that feels so rich and vivid.
I loved Ravenna. She’s fierce and emotional and doesn’t always make the “right” choices, but that’s what made her so compelling to follow. I was rooting for her the whole way. And Saturnino? Total enemies-to-lovers bait—he’s sharp, frustrating, and exactly the kind of character who makes you yell “just kiss already” at the page.

The romance definitely had tension , but what I appreciated most was how much emotion and political intrigue were layered in. It wasn't just about falling in love—it was about fighting for power, for freedom, and for yourself.

The pacing slowed a little in the middle, but I honestly didn’t mind—I was enjoying being in the world so much that I didn’t want it to rush. And the ending? SO worth it.

If you love books with magic, lush historical settings, strong-willed women, and brooding men who need to get over themselves (in the best way) this one is for you! All the stars!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I went into this book with very high expectations and unfortunately not all of them were met, but I still had a nice time reading it!
Let’s start with the positive observations: I obviously loved the setting, as an italian myself, i was super eager to see italian history and art get woven into this fantasy novel.
It was delightful to see real characters into action: Lorenzo de’ Medici, Giuliano and Simonetta, Leonardo da Vinci, Il Duca Sforza di Milano, Jacopo Pazzi etc. The conflicts and the intrigues were masterfully created, it was interesting to see how Ravenna was given impossible choice after impossible choice, she was in a very delicate situation and this felt like a 18th/19th century gothic novel for all the anxiety and stress that other characters constantly put her through. She definitely showed her resilience and her quite strength throughout the book as she learned how to grow a thicker skin. I really admired her.

As for what I didn’t really appreciate: the romance left me unconvinced, i only felt something for them towards the end of the book. Saturnino (I don’t like any name ending with -ino in italian, but I guess it might fit the 15th century?) was a very inconstant character, to the point where I couldn’t feel much for him, especially during the first half of the book, where his interactions with Ravenna seemed to be rehearsed and stiff. However, it was nice to learn about his backstory.
Some characters’ povs didn’t really add much to the story and I found them to be useless, some betrayals were expected and there were some inconsistencies throughout the book, but i really appreciated the ending.
Moreover, there were quite a few mistakes concerning the italian language, i will leave a note for the editor in the hope that the book might get edited before release day!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for a free e-arc, all opinions are my own!

Graceless Heart was a moody, magical ride. The Florence setting was rich and eerie, Ravenna’s sculptor-magic was super unique, and the enemies-to-literal-life-or-death tension with Saturnino? Delicious. Overall, it totally delivered on vibes, danger, and slow-burn chaos. I need book 2 like…now

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

I loved the other books I've read from this author, so I was so excited when I got approved for this book on NetGalley.

I also think that this book has such a pretty cover.

This story is set in a Renaissance/Medici period of Italy and there is a lot of reference to that period and the history that surrounds it. If you are a history nerd that loves that era or just Italian history, vibes, and architecture, I think you'd really be into this.

I couldn't get as invested in this book as other books from this author, the writing and characters didn't capture my heart or attention the way those others did.

The dynamic between our main character (Ravenna) and the villain was fun, they had a banter going that made their dynamic quite fun and really added to the tension, but I didn't care about that dynamic as much as I wish I was made to.

I was definitely entertained by this story and would definitely recommend it, but I just don't think it was for me. The setting and atmosphere were done beautifully, there are conspiracies and political intrigue, but the characters/romance lacked the oomph that would've really captured my full attention and my heart.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.