This was my first romantasy and it was such a page-turner!

I loved how natural and subtle the world-building was, it kept me waiting for the next tidbit of lore to come out without ever feeling lost. The backdrop of old Italy felt simultaneously romantic and foreboding. I was worried Raveena would be a Mary Sue, so conveniently perfect at everything she's unrealistic, but her character was grounded and human. From when we first meet her to the end, she never stops being fun to follow.

There is so much tension in this book, from the romance to the action to Raveena's relationship with her family. It made it impossible to put this book down!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Ibañez can never do wrong with a standalone fantasy. She is the queen of standalone fantasies. She knows exactly how to wrap up the story in every sense from start to finish and leave us still wanting more after.

This was so good!! This is the book I’ve been needing in my life. The yearning, the setting, the characters! Flawless. This book doesn’t release until *2026* but keep it on your radar. I’ve been super bummed and let down by anticipated reads this year, AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS ONE IS WORTH IT!

WOW this book! Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

In Renaissance Italy, Ravenna is a sculptress with a hidden magic. She finds herself the winner of a competition thrown by the elusive and immortal Luni family. Ravenna is taken from her home of Volterra and forced to work on a secret project for the Luni family in Florence as their sculptress. In Florence, the Medici, Luni, and the Pope are at odds and Ravenna soon finds she is a pawn in a much bigger game.

This story was so unique and I did NOT see some of the plot twists coming! I absolutely loved the Renaissance Italy backdrop of this story and the historical elements of some of the characters and the plot. Ravenna was such a respectable FMC and I was rooting for her the whole time. The world is not ready for SATURNINO to be their next book boyfriend! The angst!? The YEARNING this man exuded omg. There was so much packed into this standalone story but perhaps the ending leaves room for more??

What to expect from Graceless Heart:

🖼️ Renaissance Italy
🏰 Sculptress x immortal knight
🖼️ Political intrigue
🏰 Witches, wizards, vampyres
🖼️ Magic vs. religion
🏰 Standalone
🌶️🌶️ chapters: trentuno (31), trentasetta (37), trentotto (38)

This book was a surprise for me, I don’t usually read and enjoy a lot of historical fantasy but after reading and loving this authors previous duology, I decided to go for it and I’m so glad I did because I loved this!

I loved the world, the characters, the vibes, the magic, THE CAT, the romance, just basically every single thing. This book also evoked pretty much every single emotion, I swooned, I cried, I laughed, and there was even some anger (if you’ve read it then you know the characters that evoked this emotion)

Highly recommend adding this one to your preorder list!

Graceless Heart had everything I loved in a book! A villain of a love interest, intriguing magic system, a heroine that was fully aware when though at times she wanted to believe the best in people but, she was quick to pivot when the situation called for it. I loved the setting in Florence. The family dynamics were *chefs kiss* and, of course, the cat!

There were a lot of twists I didn’t see coming and the way I devoured this book with single minded adoration. Ravenna was the perfect blend of a girl who was both strong and soft at the same time and I loved her story arc. The way she found her strength and trust in herself. And, Saturnino — give me that slow burn villainous love any day of the week. The way their relationship unfurled had me glued to the pages and when I’m kicking my feet from excitement — well, we know it’s good.

Absolute five star from me! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy in exchange for a review.