Graceless Heart
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Description
'Richly imagined and full of heart' REBECCA ROSS
'A lush and dangerous story' MARY E. PEARSON
'A breathtaking blend of intricate magic, riveting intrigue, and hypnotic romance' AVA REID
A lush, atmospheric and achingly magical standalone adult fantasy romance set in Renaissance Italy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent-a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.
There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family's enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.
Meanwhile, Ravenna's forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.
As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.
TROPES TO DIE FOR . . .
enemies-to-lovers
slow-burn
magic vs religion
political intrigue
EARLY READERS LOVE IT!
'The prose is lyrical, lush and inviting, the setting is unique and so engaging' ¿¿¿¿¿
'If you only read one book in 2026 let it be this one' ¿¿¿¿¿
'Spellbinding! Bewitching!' ¿¿¿¿¿
'That tension? That yearning? The mistrust? Absolutely amazing' ¿¿¿¿¿
'I was on the edge of my seat multiple times, praying for a resolution' ¿¿¿¿¿
Book Information
Posts
In der schier endlosen Menge an Romantasy- Reihen ist fantasy historical fiction das Regenbogenglitzereinhorn, das man zufällg gefunden hat und allein seiner Einzigartigkeit wegen mögen muss. Das war endlich mal was anderes! Neue story, neue characters, eine Katze… Was will man mehr? Allerdings habe ich das Gefühl, dass man entweder historisch bewandert sein muss, um sich im Italien der Renaissance heimisch zu fühlen oder es gibt da irgendwo ein Prequel, das mir entgangen ist.
3.5☆ - I really enjoyed the initial setup and the early worldbuilding, which immediately drew me in. Unfortunately, about 30% into the book it began to drag.
The central plot point (Ravenna coming to live with the Luni family and working as a sculptress for them) quickly lost focus, and the family itself never felt fully developed or compelling enough to carry the story. One of my biggest issues was the sheer number of povs. Several of them felt unnecessary and made the book feel more drawn out than it needed to be. Other important characters like the Medici family and the pope had significant influence on the plot, but weren’t included very much. Some of the character‘s choices also didn’t really make sense to me. I did enjoy the romance between Ravenna and Saturnino, and their connection made sense on a surface level, but the tension faded too quickly and the “forbidden” aspect of their relationship was resolved a bit too suddenly for me. I also really wished we’d seen more exploration of Ravenna’s powers, because the magic system was quite interesting and something very important for the story. Overall, this book has beautiful writing and a richly described setting, but it felt overcrowded with too many povs and plotlines that never fully unfolded. I think for the amount of plot and characters Ibañez wanted to include, it should have been a duology. It was a story with a lot of potential that didn’t quite come together for me.
Description
'Richly imagined and full of heart' REBECCA ROSS
'A lush and dangerous story' MARY E. PEARSON
'A breathtaking blend of intricate magic, riveting intrigue, and hypnotic romance' AVA REID
A lush, atmospheric and achingly magical standalone adult fantasy romance set in Renaissance Italy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent-a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.
There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family's enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.
Meanwhile, Ravenna's forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.
As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.
TROPES TO DIE FOR . . .
enemies-to-lovers
slow-burn
magic vs religion
political intrigue
EARLY READERS LOVE IT!
'The prose is lyrical, lush and inviting, the setting is unique and so engaging' ¿¿¿¿¿
'If you only read one book in 2026 let it be this one' ¿¿¿¿¿
'Spellbinding! Bewitching!' ¿¿¿¿¿
'That tension? That yearning? The mistrust? Absolutely amazing' ¿¿¿¿¿
'I was on the edge of my seat multiple times, praying for a resolution' ¿¿¿¿¿
Book Information
Posts
In der schier endlosen Menge an Romantasy- Reihen ist fantasy historical fiction das Regenbogenglitzereinhorn, das man zufällg gefunden hat und allein seiner Einzigartigkeit wegen mögen muss. Das war endlich mal was anderes! Neue story, neue characters, eine Katze… Was will man mehr? Allerdings habe ich das Gefühl, dass man entweder historisch bewandert sein muss, um sich im Italien der Renaissance heimisch zu fühlen oder es gibt da irgendwo ein Prequel, das mir entgangen ist.
3.5☆ - I really enjoyed the initial setup and the early worldbuilding, which immediately drew me in. Unfortunately, about 30% into the book it began to drag.
The central plot point (Ravenna coming to live with the Luni family and working as a sculptress for them) quickly lost focus, and the family itself never felt fully developed or compelling enough to carry the story. One of my biggest issues was the sheer number of povs. Several of them felt unnecessary and made the book feel more drawn out than it needed to be. Other important characters like the Medici family and the pope had significant influence on the plot, but weren’t included very much. Some of the character‘s choices also didn’t really make sense to me. I did enjoy the romance between Ravenna and Saturnino, and their connection made sense on a surface level, but the tension faded too quickly and the “forbidden” aspect of their relationship was resolved a bit too suddenly for me. I also really wished we’d seen more exploration of Ravenna’s powers, because the magic system was quite interesting and something very important for the story. Overall, this book has beautiful writing and a richly described setting, but it felt overcrowded with too many povs and plotlines that never fully unfolded. I think for the amount of plot and characters Ibañez wanted to include, it should have been a duology. It was a story with a lot of potential that didn’t quite come together for me.