We have a lot of eARC’s and we want to promote them a little bit more. So we decided to do some more Bookish Beginnings On Friday. Today I wanted to share the beginning of Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez. This is a January 2026 release and I’m really curious about it, so let’s jump in!
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.
Ravenna Maffei disliked magic because her parents did, but on the day her aunt took her to visit the quarry for the first time, she learned what it was to truly loathe it.
Now that is an opening sentence! I immediately wanted to keep on reading and I read both the prologue and the first chapter before writing this post. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop! And that is a great sign. This book grabbed my attention right away and pulled me into the story. The world and the characters are interesting enough to want to keep on going.
I haven’t read anything by this author yet, but I’m really curious about her work and this sounds like a great book to start with. This takes place in Florence during the Renaissance and I can’t wait to see how the magic comes into play and how it ‘rewrites’ history. I hope this one lived up to the start of the book, because then it will be a great book!
