This is an amazing story that blends real history with fantasy fiction. It’s fast paced and keeps you wanting to turn the page.
We start out following our main character, Ravenna. Her town was ravaged by war between rich family and the pope. In trying to save her brother she puts a target on her back. Now she’s taken by a rich family connected to the family that destroyed her town. We follow Ravenna as she struggles with wanting to follow her heart when she is also trying to save her soul and the towns souls.

Thank you Netgalley and Saturday books for providing this ARC. I give this book 4.8 out of 5 stars.
The way she wrote and described the 15th century period was mesmerizing and transported me to that time, her writing always does that.
The characters had a great depth however, hear me out, the MMC was a bit toxic in the beginning. I couldn't believe he is the main love interest.
The FMC was very relatable to me as she struggled a lot with self acceptance and societal pressure and later she conquers them, which was great to see.m
I thought of DNFing this book at 60% BUT I AM SO GLAD I DIDNT. The plot twist made me gasp. I would recommend this book to all fantasy loving people who like variety of creatures in their books (wink wink).

I'm a fan of the author and was excited to read this one! I can say after reading, I will still want to read all of her books. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!
This is a historical fantasy set in Italy in the 1500's with a church conspiracy and magic.
This was a unique idea which felt refreshing, it had good atmosphere, I liked the characters & intrigue and the plot kept me reading.
Best for fantasy readers that like historical fiction and lower fantasy. I wanted more magic and more developed fantasy elements woven in but since I enjoy historical fiction, I still very much enjoyed this!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review Graceless Heart. Isabel Ibañez has become one of my favorite authors after reading What the River Knows. Once I saw she was coming out with a new book that was based in Florence I was beyond excited, especially since I spent a month in Italy last year.
I did not know what to expect going into this book besides our FMC being a sculptress and it taking place in Florence. It is probably one of my favorite reads of the year. It started off pretty strong with Ravenna accidentally killing someone as a child and her learning of her powers. Then we skip ahead to her adult life and she’s carrying a ladder through the street to rescue her brother. I feel like after that it did slow down some Ravenna did irritate me on some occasions, but if she didn’t do some of the things that she did, then we wouldn’t have a story. I feel like an idiot for not guessing it sooner that the MMC and his families are actually statues. That was a fun twist. Also learning about the pope.
I feel like this could have been a standalone novel, but I am excited to see what she’s going to do with it next. Only thing missing for it to be a standalone is for us to know more about the pope and where he came from since all we know is he’s from hell.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the multiple POVs I’m usually the type of person that goes for a single POV or back-and-forth between the two main characters, but after a while, I did not mind so much in this.
My only complaint which is very tiny, is the author used the phrase, they wrapped their hands around with their flat stomach or something about their flat stomach, a few too many times.

This fantasy takes place in Italy during the Renaissance. The setting itself is beautiful and so well written. Ravenna is put in danger due to showing her illegal magical powers. While Graceless Heart is not my typical genre, I enjoyed the slow-burn romance and magical universe.

A lush, romantic novel that had me on the edge of my seat. It had me frantically looking up Italian renaissance figures, and I hope Isabel Ibañez returns to this world in future novels. It is truly a treat.

An immersive historical fantasy set in Renaissance Italy, this new novel from Isabel Ibañez is lyrical from start to finish. With a FMC who makes herself a target by revealing her magical abilities, the novel is a blend of well-researched historical fiction and fantasy. I enjoyed the writing style overall and the story was engaging, though the plot was a bit confusing at times.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. When Ravenna wins the contest and frees her brother, she is taken by Saturnino dei Luni and his family of Immortals. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story by the amazing author, Isabel Ibañez.

This was my first book by this author and I was absolutely blown away. The atmosphere was beautifully written, as well as the overall story. Ravenna is what I love to see when it comes to FMCs, strong and kind. Seeing her relationship with Saturnino slowly grow over the course of the book was great, as it wasn't an instant love story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up a finished copy. 4.5 stars.

I was a big fan of what the river knows, and although where the library hides did not hit for me, I was willing to give this author another chance, and I was so excited to hear of her adult Romantasy debut. unfortunately, like many authors who go from young adult to adult, I don't think she appropriately aged up her female protagonist in terms of personality and maturity to make the transition seamless and believable. The romance left much to be desired. enemies to lovers is a hard trope to pull off, and speaking of transitions, this one was entirely too start. we went from true antagonism with Stockholm syndrome to lovers in the blink of an eye. at no point was their chemistry or connection believable beyond instant attraction coming from the female protagonist. I have to hand it to the author for the rich setting, political intrigue, and religious themes. the magic system and the romance left much to be desired.

Such an atmospheric fantasy read! I thought it was great and loved the FMC. Italian renaissance fantasy?? And a beautiful cover?! Brilliant.

3.5: I really wanted to like this book, and I think that both helped and hurt the reading experience.

After reading Ibanez’s last duology and wanting a little pre from it, I think I was expecting that this book would have the “a little more” I was looking for. And my hunt for that had me pushing through the first 25% which felt a little disjointed.

Here’s the thing, there were lots of good things about this book.

The setting was lush, the historical time period that it takes place during felt really well researched (you can’t break all the rules unless you know what rules you’re breaking) and the storyline was unique. In a world where romantasy plots feel rather recycled, many aspects of this book were certainly a surprise to me. And that’s really refreshing.

I think the magic system could have used a little more explaining in the beginning— as a sort of “soft” magic system, it at times felt convenient rather than rule-driven. I feel like the ending especially read a little Deus ex machina.

The pacing felt slightly off balance to me and I struggled to keep my attention on the first half of the book. Even when the stakes got higher during the second half of the book, I felt like I was being told that they were higher, I didn’t really feel it.

I also wanted a little more from the central relationship. It wasn’t bad, but I was waiting for a spark I never really felt.

Ultimately, I can see a lot of people loving this book. It is an adult novel, there are adult themes, and it’s an interesting departure from the world of What The River Knows.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibáñez is a heartfelt queer fantasy that hooked me with its themes of found family, bravery, and magic that literally makes your heart stronger. The characters are full of heart (pun intended)—I loved navigating their friendships, romance, and all the secrets they unravel together. A few moments felt a bit slow, but the emotional payoff and unique magic system made this a really satisfying and solid 4-star read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for this ARC! Graceless Heart pulled me right into a lush, magical version of Renaissance Italy, and I loved following Ravenna’s journey as both an artist and a woman caught in dangerous intrigue. The chemistry between her and Saturnino had me hooked, full of tension and longing. While the romance wrapped up a bit quickly for me, the rich world-building and emotional twists made this a story that lingered long after I finished.

This was my first Isabel Ibanez book and now I get the hype! Such beautiful worldbuilding, a fun magic system, and just fantastic prose.

I loved this! Isabel Ibanez's writing is so beautiful and this cover is completely stunning. I fell in love with the characters and the plot and was completely immersed. I will pick up anything this author writes.

Everything about the description and premise of this book drew me in by its description. Geographically unique and approaches different subjects mixed in with the romance. Sometimes it felt a little to instant or rushed in comparison to the story. But I found it interesting none the less

Oh, how I wanted to like this one, especially with that cover! And the Florence + the Machine lyric reference!

I loved the premise here—with a magical, Renaissance-era Florence as our setting and an artist as our protagonist—but I felt that however much I was enjoying the world itself, the pacing dragged at times and the romance never fully won me over. Ravenna falls into a few of your standard romantasy heroine pitfalls (e.g., always trying to run away without thinking things through), which just gave Saturnino opportunities to swoop in at the last minute. I was hoping to see more of her artistic side influence her decisions and way of thinking, but things took a more "action heroine" turn, which felt like a missed opportunity. I do respect that she leads with compassion, first and foremost, and I'd often found myself thinking that despite her heart leading her to make foolish choices, I couldn't always be mad at her sincerity.

Saturnino is a beautiful, brooding bad boy with a penchant for murder and a near-supernatural sense for when Ravenna might be in danger. Despite their physical attraction to each other, their love story didn't manage to reel me in; I did, however, quite like some of his lines near the end!

At the end, some threads wrapped up a bit conveniently while others trailed off as a clear teaser for another book, so instead of receiving some good emotional payoff, I was left a little underwhelmed. Still, if you're in the mood for a love letter to Renaissance Italy with some magical rocks, I'd say this is a decent read for a lazy afternoon with a feline friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

3 stars! ⭐️
This is my first book by Isabel Ibañez, and she has a beautiful writing style.

It’s a slow burn, enemies to lovers romantasy, based in Florence during the renaissance period. It was interesting to see how the author used places and people from this time period in the book.

There’s a lot to like about this book! The main character is strong, it is a fresh idea that doesn’t feel like it’s been done before, and it has a happy ending overall!
I did have a hard time getting through this for the first half of the book. It was a lot of story building, but it felt like a lot of details I didn’t need to know. The main character and love interest don’t kiss until after the 50% mark, which, for a book that has almost 500 pages, it felt like a very long wait. This book felt very slow overall until about 85% of the way, and when it picked up I didn’t want to put it down. It does end with the main overall conflict resolving very quickly, which is a stark contrast to the rest of the book. It does set up to have another book after, with some questions unanswered, including a twist at the end.

Overall, if you like fantasy that has real world settings with beautiful writing, slow burn, enemies to lovers, and magic, then you’d really enjoy this book!

Anything Isabel writes, I will read. This book…man did she knock it out the park for me. The details, history, guest appearances, chemistry and finally love. I absolutely loved this book.