King of Ravens by. Clare Sager | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: King of Ravens (Upon a Broken Throne, #1)

Author: Clare Sager

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 1/27/26

Publisher: Forever

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, Hades/Persephone Retelling

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Forever for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

He’ll do anything to keep her. She’d do anything to escape.

Rhiannon is dying—of what, she doesn’t know. Kept protected by her family in their remote seaside cottage, she spends her days searching for a cure. Her world is torn apart, however, when a fae King of the Dead invades her home.

Cold and cruel, Drystan offers her a choice: descend to the underworld as his bride or watch her family die. Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. She attempts over and over to run away, until Drystan offers her a new bargain: escape his deadly labyrinth, and he will set her free. Fail, and become his bride.

But in a court where every promise has teeth, Annon must make an impossible choice: return to the home she’s always loved or claim her place in a world where she might finally belong.

Content Warning: violence

I always enjoy a Hades/Persephone retelling and I definitely saw elements of it in King of Ravens. This is book one in a series that I assume will be exploring the Underworld. Annon/Rhiannon, is a chronically ill woman in her early thirties who is given to Drystan, an Unseelie Fae and King of Death, as his bride. He doesn’t know that she is ill, but that doesn’t matter because Rhiannon is determined to find her way back home.

Rhiannon is human, which doesn’t go well with the Unseelie, but she holds her own at Drystan’s court. She even makes a friend with her maid, Min. I feel like the beginning of this story where Rhiannon is acclimating to Drystan’s world moved slowly. But I appreciated the chronic-illness representation. I wanted more court politics.

Drystan offers Rhiannon her an option: find a way out of his labyrinth and she gets to go home to the surface. If she loses, she belongs with Drystan in the Underworld forever. She has two weeks to do this and there is danger in the labyrinth but also she befriends a creature called The Collector. Speaking of Labyrinth – there were times in the book that it reminded me of the movie!

The romance is a slow burn with tension growing between them. And when it really takes off, the spice is spicy. I did like it when Drystan and Rhiannon spent more time together as they build an emotional connection.

There are a few twists at the end, one I suspected, the other I felt came out of nowhere but it did feel a bit rushed. We barely get to know anything outside of Drystan’s land, so the ending was kind of a surprise.

Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t feeling this story in the first half of the book because I felt like it moved too slow and wasn’t giving me enough information. Rhiannon gets taken to the Underworld and isn’t really given instruction from Drystan on what to do or what he expects of her, so thank goodness for Min. We don’t get to know Drystan much either. But I think everything picks up in the middle, with the labyrinth, and the romance and spice. I do feel like I just wanted more from the story though, hopefully book two will have more depth.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Fallen Stars (The Heavenly Bodies, #2)

Author: Imani Erriu

Format: audiobook and paperback

Pages: 544

Publication Date: 11/25/25 (first published 2/14/23)

Categories: Romantasy, Series

In this stunning sequel to the viral TikTok sensation Heavenly Bodies, Elara searches for a way to save her star-crossed lover and defeat the Stars out to destroy her.

“Stars will fall.”

Elara is vengeful. Her love, Prince Lorenzo, is in a deep sleep, trapped between the realms of life and death. Her enemy has vanished, and with him, Enzo’s only hope of returning to the waking world, leaving Elara with a life she has never wanted and new powers she cannot control.

Now a disgraced queen, Elara must find a way to save Lorenzo while also seeking the lost Titans, a league of gods who ruled the world long before the Stars. But there is a darker power at play, one that even the King of the Stars is afraid of. With enemies at every turn, Elara must tread carefully if she has any hope of waking her soulmate and fulfilling her promise to make every Star fall.

Content Warning: death, violence

There are four parts to this story and multiple POVS by Elara, Adrian and Merissa. But I felt like there are two main parts of this story – when Elara is walking in dreamscape trying to find Lorenzo and then the other part when Adrian comes into this story and it takes it in another direction of water adventures. There is a lot that goes on in this story, most of it coming in at the end, but I did feel like at times there was too much going on.

One thing I loved about book one is Elara and Enzo’s love story. They are apart for Part One, but I felt like Elara was holding her own with her friends, Merissa, Leo and Eli. Eli is a Star but on their side, and I found him an interesting character with a past we don’t know much about. When Elara reunites with her soulmate, there are some challenges because she can’t control her shadows. And though there is spice, it was very interesting and creative spice, which at times seemed awkward because of timing. Also because the story doesn’t focus on falling in love, it did feel like something was missing. Obviously, they will die for one another. But then they started calling one another “soulmate” and it triggered my pet peeve of the word “mate” being overused.

Also, there’s is not only one love story taking place. Adrian becomes one of the main characters of this story. He’s a pirate, he is drawn to Elara but he doesn’t know why. He meets someone, a mermaid and there is some spice between them. Adrian being a pirate, really pulled this story into a water adventure because he’s a pirate, and they encounter creatures in the sea. That was very interesting but definitely something I wasn’t expecting.

As for the conflict between the Stars (Ariete) and Celestes (Elara-Moon, Enzo-Sun), it seems like there is a truce for a little while because they have to defeat the Dark (and when they revealed who the Dark is I was like huh? Who is that? Because there are so many characters to remember! 😆 Then I remembered). Also, I’m assuming Elara will be finding other Celestes (or Elementals) in book three. So not only is the world expanding but the character list is also.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this story was kind of choppy with a lot going on, especially at the end. I feel like it was the book that was helping transition Elara/Enzo’s love story into the next phase where maybe someone like Merissa will have her time to shine. I did like having the world expand and the ocean adventures. I liked meeting new Stars, and characters like Adrian, but the list is getting long and I am bound to forget somebody. Maybe a characters list can be included in the next book? I think the ending is intriguing where Merissa’s POV comes in so I will be definitely reading book three to see what happens with her but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did book one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Heavenly Bodies by. Imani Erriu | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 1/14/25

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Today I am going to be in the Ticketmaster war for Bruno Mars tickets – hopefully for the Vegas show. 😩 I’ve seen him at every tour except for his first album – and he only has 3 albums and then the collab for Silk Sonic (I did see that show in Vegas). So may the ticket Gods be with me today! 😅 May the odds be in my favor!

And this is why I am back on a book buying ban again. It doesn’t help that BTS concert ticket presales are next week also and my sister really wants to go, so I’m trying to get tickets for her.

Any concerts you are dying to go to in 2026?

What are you currently reading?

A Promise of Lies by. Clare Sager – 20% – no progress

Dawn of the North by. Demi Winter – 2%

A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris – 1%

Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova – chapter 10

Wicked Onyx by. Debbie Cassidy – 5%

Silk & Iron by. Alexis Calder – 20%

What have you just finished reading?

Love and Other Brain Experiments by. Hannah Brohm – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cure by. Pedro Urvi – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Songbird of the Sorrows by. Braidee Otto – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Crown of War and Shadow by. J.R. Ward – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

A Winter of White Ash by. Lucia Damisa

I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray

A Whisper of Winds and Leaves by. M.B. Reese

Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood

What are YOU reading right now?

New Book Releases This Week | 1/13/26

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

The Book of Blood & Roses by. Annie Summerlee

In book one of a seductive sapphic paranormal fantasy, a vampire hunter goes undercover at a mysterious university and falls in love with her roommate, an alluring vampire.

“Then her red eyes are on mine, gentle, deadly. She takes her time kissing my neck. I pull her closer and say: Bite me.”

In the mists of the Scottish Highlands is a university where vampire students study alongside humans.

Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter undercover at the university, searching for the mysterious Book of Blood and Roses, a lost compendium of ways to kill vampires. If she finds it, she’ll be one step closer to avenging her parents, who were slain by those creatures of the night.

But when Rebecca arrives, she finds something unexpected: a coffin. Her new roommate is Aliz Astra, scion of one of the most powerful vampire families… and the most beautiful woman Rebecca has ever met.

The maddeningly gorgeous Aliz is everything that Rebecca has always hated, but also everything she ever wanted, and now Rebecca doesn’t know if she wants to kiss or kill her.

When Aliz rescues her from a vampire attack one moonlit night, she accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar. Now, they must work together to break the curse, but as they get closer to solving the mystery, Rebecca and Aliz get closer, too.

But can a vampire hunter ever fall in love with a vampire?

Graceless Heart by. Isabel Ibañez

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.

We’ve Hit Turbulence by. Jessica L. Cozzi

When a girl is stuck on a cross-country flight with her ex, things get bumpy—a swoony YA rom com perfect for fans of K.L. Walther!

As if flying couldn’t get any worse.

Olive Austin just wants to get on her flight to visit her long-distance boyfriend in peace—a spring break filled with white-sand beaches, cute date nights, and soaking up the sun in Hawaii. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered…especially since lately she can’t shake the feeling that her relationship is on the rocks.

Unfortunately, when she boards her cross-continental flight she discovers that her seatmate for her 13-hour journey is none other than Tyler Ferris, her ex…a.k.a the boy that her heart never really got over.

Even though Olive’s prepared to ignore him and survive the flight with her heart unscathed, Tyler has other plans, and before long, with nowhere else to go, the past begins to resurface. Now, Olive’s feeling more confused than ever about her heart, what went down that tore her and Tyler apart, and—most importantly—what she’s going to do once the turbulence passes and the flight finally lands.

Oxford Blood by. Rachael Davis Featherstone

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets Ace of Spades in this YA thriller where a girl has to navigate the cutthroat world of academia to uncover the truth behind her best friend’s death.

Love, Lies, Legacy…High-achieving state-school pupil Eva has one dream – reading English at Oxford. If she gets in, not only will she receive a world-class education at an elite university, but she will be fulfilling the dreams of her mother and gain some independence from her father, the overprotective Inspector Dawkins.

At the same school, Eva’s best-friend George is also hoping to go to Oxford. The attraction between him and Eva is undeniable, but they’ve agreed to put any romance on hold until their places at Oxford are secured. Eva cannot be distracted from her goal – although when they are both invited for interview week, their future together feels oh-so close.

Until George shows up dead.

The police rule his death an accident, but the behaviour of some of the other interview candidates has Eva suspecting foul play. When a shocking secret about George is revealed, Eva finds suspicion falling on her. What was meant to be one of the most important weeks of her life is fast turning into a nightmare.

All eyes are now on Eva, including the anonymous posters behind OxSlay, a gossipy social media forum exclusively for Oxford students. But amongst the conspiracy theories, lurk hidden clues. Could they help Eva clear her name – and catch the killer?

Scorched Wings by. Frost Kay

Dahlia Skysinger has made the ultimate mistake: she assassinated the one man who could have freed her from the cruel grasp of the human royals—her husband. Now branded a traitor by both realms and haunted by the ghost of a love she never meant to destroy, Dahlia must outrun her hunters and the truth that could unravel two kingdoms.

To protect her family, she’ll make one final, desperate bargain. Even if it means surrendering her freedom once more.

King Neve has every reason to hate the woman who nearly cost him his life and crown. With his kingdom on the verge of civil war and vengeance burning through his veins, he should want her dead. But when fate entwines their paths once again, desire clashes with duty, and revenge becomes something dangerously close to redemption, he must make a choice that could destroy everything.

A Vow in Vengeance by. Jaclyn Rodriguez

Deadly tarot, wicked schemes, dangerous alliances . . . can you survive the Forge?

Sexy, action-packed, and brimming with magic, A Vow in Vengeance is an unputdownable romantasy debut.

Rune Ryker has nothing left to lose. Everything’s been stolen by the Immortals—her family, her home, her freedom. But she’s done playing by their rules.

Each year, humans are forced to journey into the Immortal Realms, but twenty-year-old Rune orchestrates her own selection, determined to find her family and destroy anyone who stands in her way. Rune is used to doing whatever it takes to survive, and now she must endure the Forge, a cutthroat college for the Immortal druids’ elusive tarot magic. When Rune’s magic reveals itself to be the rarest and most powerful, she must live with its only other wielder—Prince Draven. As arrogant as he is ruthlessly ambitious, he’s the last person she can trust.

Rune’s abilities also draw the eyes of the most dangerous druids in the realms. Some want to use her. More want her dead. Draven offers to train her . . . for a price. As Rune becomes ensnared in Draven’s dangerous games, she learns there are secrets at the heart of the kingdom that some will kill to protect.

And Rune and Draven’s growing attraction may be the spark to ignite a brewing war.

The Magic of Untamed Hearts by. Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

After several years stuck as a ghost, Sky Flores learns to reconnect with the living again with the help of her handsome neighbor in this lush romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Witch of Wild Things.

Like her sisters, Sage and Teal, Sky Flores has a touch of magic, and it’s caused nothing but heartache. Not only did she disappear into the woods years ago and reappear with no rational explanation, she’s also more comfortable talking to animals than to people. Different and misunderstood, Sky is shunned in the small town of Cranberry.

Sky’s neighbor, Adam Noemi, has his own problems. After being laid off from a prestigious newspaper, Adam, ever the ambitious reporter, needs a big headline to redeem his career. Enter Sky, a girl with a story that news outlets have been chasing for years. Sky agrees to grant Adam an exclusive interview on one that he befriend Sky, in a very public way, to prove to everyone in Cranberry that she’s not an outcast.

As Sky shares her experiences with Adam, something much bigger than a simple agreement begins to grow between them. But for love to take root, Adam will have to take a leap towards a life that defies expectations, and Sky must open her heart – full of flora and fauna and mystical energies – to his curious mind.

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok (TikTok)

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026 | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 1/13/26

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

Their Will Undone by. R.J. Valldeperas

What’s on your TTT?

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok | Etsy | youtube

Oxford Blood by. Rachael Davis-Featherstone | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: Oxford Blood

Author:Rachael Davis Feathersone

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Dark Academia

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Until George shows up dead.

Content Warning: bullying, death, grief, murder

Set at Oxford this story has a murder mystery, secrets about bloodlines and a very determined FMC in Eva. Eva has a chance to get into Oxford but she needs to go through the daunting process of interviewing. There are a few kids who are there with her, along with her boyfriend, George, but the spots are coveted and very limited.

As the story goes on we learn more about secret societies, classism, racism, colorism, and sexism that takes place at this prestigious learning institution. Also, someone is killing people, and trying to frame Eva for it. But with her infamous detective father, and her new found friends, the clock is ticking to found out who is committing these murders.

I don’t think I was the right audience for this book even though I did enjoy the murder mystery. I do think young adults and teens would like this one though. But everything happens really fast, and I didn’t see how Eva could just jump right in trying to investigate these murders, one of them being someone close to her, plus try to focus on her interview without processing anything. I think things just happened way too fast that it didn’t feel believable. Also, because it’s happening so fast, she’s so stubborn in thinking she knows all the answers, even defying her dad’s advice. I wanted her to stop and breathe a little!

Final Thoughts:

I liked the setting of Oxford and learning so much about students trying to get into a place like that. There was great discussion about racism, and colorism, which is important for any reader. Also the murder mystery did move along quickly. This one was a quick read, and teens and young adults will probably enjoy it more than I did (the older adult).

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/11/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ You know, last year I really jumped into book because after the election I was feeling sick, worried about all the things that would happen to our country. I mean I read 230+ books in 2025, that’s a record for me. I was trying to escape all the bad feelings inside of me and it helped alleviate stress and anxiety, a little. And now it’s January 11th and I feel sick again – anxious – helpless when I see what’s happening in the news. What happened to Renee Good and seeing ICE do what they do …it’s sickening. What I see happening to this country and how our leaders are acting makes me feel physically ill. And this week the books couldn’t help me escape my feelings this week. 😒

+ But because life is weird and with this bad stuff going on, you still have to keep living and try to stay positive…one thing that made me super happy is Bruno Mars dropped a new song. And yes he is probably my favorite artist and not only because he is from Hawaii, and he’s half Filipino, but his music/his voice makes me feel something and this new song makes me feel happy. It pulls me out of the darkness going on in the world today. 🙏🏽

The song made me dance right away – another thing that heals us, singing and dancing! And this song was definitely needed. His tour tickets go on sale this week, and my son wants to go, a friend of college wants to go, another friend wants to go – I’ve seen him twice for his solo tours and then once at his Silk Sonic residency. All his shows were so amazing – I think he’s the artist I will definitely want to see in concert until he retires, if ever. I’m excited that my kids love him, he is also on my husband’s bucket list but he is waiting for Japan tour dates because my hubby wants to see him in the Osaka Dome. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway, let’s hope I get tickets – but this also means I am going back on my book buying ban (I have some on pre-order though 🤭 but outside of that I’m on a ban lol)…because concert tickets are expensive.

Blog Posts:

The Sins of Silas by. Kylie Snow | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drive Me Crazy by. Lizzy Dent | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Best Books I Read in 2025 | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 1/6/26
New Book Releases This Week | 1/6/26
A War of Wyverns by. S.F. Williamson | ALC Review | Audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
WWW Wednesday | 1/7/25
We’ve Hit Turbulence by. Jessica L. Cozzi | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Book of Blood & Roses by. Annie Summerlee | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Let’s Talk Bookish: Bookish Trends of 2025 | 1/9/26
Graceless Heart by. Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Birthstone Book Covers: January – Garnet | 2026
Shadows and Secrets by. Arcadia Rayne | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Books I Finished

A War of Wyverns by. S.F. Williamson
Stolen Midnights by. Katherine Quinn
Love and Other Brain Experiments by. Hannah Brohm
Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu

Currently Reading:

A Promise of Lies by. Claire Sager
A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris
The Cure by. Pedro Urvi
Dawn of the North by. Demi Winters
Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson
Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Instagram | Tiktok

Shadows and Secrets by. Arcadia Rayne | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Shadows and Secrets (The Fatebreaker Trilogy, #1)

Author: Arcadia Rayne

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 614

Publication Date: 11/13/25

Categories: Romantasy, Fae, Fated Mates

She was sent to kill him. Now she might have to marry him.

Huntyr Lachlan is Velia’s deadliest assassin, and the fae prince who destroyed her family just walked into her kingdom.

But when her plan goes wrong, she’s thrust into the Conclave, an ancient competition for the prince’s hand.

Now trapped in a deadly game, Huntyr must navigate rival suitors, perilous trials, and a prince who is far more dangerous, and captivating, than she ever imagined.

In a world where nothing is as it seems, though, her greatest enemy may be the one she least expects.

Content Warning: violence, death, mentions of torture/training

I didn’t know anything about this book. It was one of those nights I was scrolling on Kindle Unlimited, saw this pretty cover, the synopsis sounded like the usual romantasy Fae story and I decided why not?

Even though this is 600+ pages, I felt like the story moved fast because the world-building is light, and there are a few typical tropes: deadly bridal trials, secret identities, enemies to lovers – all the things I enjoy in a romantasy.

Huntyr is a mortal and an assassin. Her contract assigns her to kill the Fae Prince, Derian. Huntyr is only happy to take the contract because she hates the Fae since in her memories, it was the Fae that killed her father. Her father dying when she was young set into motion a childhood of strife, starvation and fear. It’s what made her an assassin.

Derian, is one of the most power Fae in existence – he is a storm-wielder and the spare who is in charge of his brother’s forces. When his brother arranges a marriage for him to a mortal, Derian takes matters into his own hands and instead announces a Conclave – a competition to the death for his hand in marriage. And Huntyr is one of the contestants.

Derian and Huntyr’s relationship starts off with sparks. She can’t stand him but must play a part and hide her assassin identity. And Derian can’t seem to stay away from her. I thought their banter was fun, and I really loved how their relationship grew. They are enemies, but the attraction between them is strong, and soon they are both falling for one another. I loved seeing them fall for one another. It is a fated mates romance, which I usually steer away from, but I like how this one is done. I like how Derion gives Huntyr space when she needs it, but I like how they fight too – it sometimes leads to something which was fun.

The world-building is pretty light, with the deadly trials taking up most of the story. But I didn’t mind it because there was a lot of action. We didn’t get to know a lot of the contestants, but I still enjoyed the fight scenes. Huntyr is pretty bad-ass in a fight. There is an enemy the Fae are fighting, also, the Velkai, who is encroaching on their borders. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and found family that is growing for Huntyr.

I thought the ending was very emotional for Huntyr and a good set up for book two.

One of my issues with this story was some of the language and it wasn’t a lot, just a few here and there…but there would be a moment where the character would say something modern like “cool” and it would take me out of the story.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was such a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t sure if I would like it or I’d just be bored with the usual romantasy tropes, but this was an easy read filled with a strong FMC, romance, spice, and deadly fights. I’ll definitely be reading book two because I want to see how they deal with the Velkai, but definitely check this book out if you like the usual romantasy tropes.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Birthstone Book Covers: January – Garnet | 2026

The original creator of this book tag is **Leslie @ Books Are The New Black** so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!
Nominate people if you want!

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

A Kiss of Iron by. Clare Sager

*****

Oxford Blood by. Rachael Davis Featherstone

*****

The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by. Elizabeth May

*****

Red as Royal Blood by. Elizabeth Hart

*****

To Cage a Wild Bird by. Brooke Fast

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

Graceless Heart by. Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Graceless Heart

Author: Isabel Ibañez

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 488

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Publisher: Saturday Books

Categories: Historical Fantasy, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Saturday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

LOVE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS MAGIC.

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.

Content Warning: misogyny, violence, death, religious trauma

Set in 15th century Italy, during the Renaissance, this story took me on a journey to the past but with magic involved. I loved the setting of Florence, during a time when the Medici ruled the city, while the Pope was ruling the country from Rome. I was immersed in the food, clothing, culture, architecture and really felt transported back in time. This is told in 3rd person but with multiple POVs.

Ravenna is a sculptress, but she has a secret magic. It’s her skill as a sculptress and her connection to Nightflame magic that she wins a contest, and is taken from her family, to retrieve Nightflame stones from 5 slabs of rock to help the immortal Luni family. One family member, Saturnino, their assassin, is keeping an eye on her, and she feelings things for her enemy that she shouldn’t she can’t help it.

With the Medici family and others involved against the Pope, there is a lot of political intrigue and Ravenna is caught between both and tries to play both sides. As for Ravenna, I loved her strong character, but she is human and embodies a lot of the qualities to Saturnino’s irritation. She’s compassionate, she where’s her heart on her sleeve, and makes some crazy decisions. There were times I wanted her to be sharper, more cold, but that’s not Ravenna. I will say sometimes she acted younger than I expected but I know this is adult fiction, so I was surprised at how she acted at times.

There is magic, story of witches, a wizard and even a vampire. Ravenna is raised in the Catholic church so she is torn apart with guilt about her magic. She knows the fight for power on either sides leaves many victims, but now she is caught in the middle as well. I liked how the story questioned what people would do to survive, and if what they did was forgivable to an extent. Each character

Ravenna is the fire to Saturnino’s ice. Saturnino has lived for a long time now, and Ravenna finally melts his cold heart. I thought their romance was filled with a lot of tension, but it’s clear Ravenna has no defenses against him. She’s too honest and he tries to take advantage of that until he realizes he doesn’t want to hurt her anymore. There’s some spice, but just enough. I was definitely rooting for their love.

I felt like the story was very strong in the beginning, I couldn’t put it down, but sometime near the middle, it started to slow down – I think because Ravenna kept getting twisted into another problem with no fix in sight and then the fix came in a rush at the end.

Final Thoughts:

Beautifully written, this story transported me back in time and I loved everything about the setting and time period. I loved the tension between Ravenna and Saturnino. The politics were intriguing, and even though Ravenna had a soft heart that got her into trouble a lot, it showed her human side – something that was missing in Saturnino but what he was clearly drawn to. Ravenna was a caught in such a web of secrets and betrayal it helped the story move quickly. I do think the ending felt a little rushed but overall I thought this was magical story and really enjoyed it!