Graceless Heart (The Spellbound History, #1) by Isabel Ibañez

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.

"A strange feeling unsettled him, like hearing a single haunting note in a quiet room, its resonance hinting at a symphony far richer and more complex than expected. Ravenna Maffei was no simple tune; she lingered, an echo in his mind he couldn't quiet, not matter how much he wished to."

First off, I’m confused about whether this is meant to be a standalone or part of a series. The synopsis calls it an “achingly magical standalone,” but Goodreads lists it as book one in The Spellbound History series. That distinction matters, because the story doesn’t actually wrap up by the end. Instead, it stops mid-moment. Ravenna starts to say something, Saturnino tells her to come with him—and that’s it.

After such a drawn-out story, the abrupt ending was incredibly frustrating and left the conclusion feeling unfinished. The beginning also drags, and the world-building left a lot to be desired. I understand that the author intended this to be historical fiction, but I wasn’t thrilled with her depiction of religious leaders in the Catholic faith or the way she chose to weave real historical events into the fantasy elements.

The secondary characters also fell flat, as most of them were either nonexistent or felt like plot devices meant to further the MC’s storyline. It was a missed opportunity to develop friendships and give us more reasons to like—or dislike—the other people Ravenna interacts with. Instead, it’s Ravenna doing almost everything on her own, and Saturnino undergoes a noticeable personality change about halfway through the book. Yes, he starts to admit feelings for Ravenna, but I didn’t think it meant he also had to change so drastically.

There’s also a hole in the story that doesn’t make sense. A prominent character is the child of two other important characters, but they’re also said to have a brother. How does that work? The main focus is on this one child, and it’s clear that the two weren’t conceived by the same parents.

In the end, Graceless Heart didn’t wow me the way I was expecting. All the ingredients for an amazing story are there, but I think the author botched the recipe. The book could have benefited from more emphasis on world-building and character development. While I liked Ravenna, it would’ve been nice to spend time with other characters as well. Saturnino had the makings of a good morally gray love interest, but the switch from bad guy to lover didn’t feel natural or smooth. I’ll be curious to see whether this stays a standalone or turns into a series, but either way, it’s probably not one I’ll continue. (★★★☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Sunday Post [81]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News

Hello lovelies! This week went by fast with the holiday on Monday. The weather hit Friday afternoon and has been steadily dropping since. We dipped into the negatives yesterday with some snow and I don't think I'll ever be warm again. We've kept a fire burning in our little woodstove which has helped, and we're doing our best to stay bundled up and cozy. Our poor chickens don't want to leave their coop and only come into the run for a few minutes to get food and water.

We started a new family D&D campaign last night and didn't make it very far before my kids resorted to trickery and thieving to get what they wanted. I stayed quiet this time to see what they would do on their own. Clearly they still need guidance, lol. I caught my husband laughing several times at their ridiculousness. He has this entire thing planned out and we never do what he's expecting. He's a good DM though and we're having a lot of fun with it.

Previous Posts on the Blog

• Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1) by Brynne Weaver 
• When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain
• Bookish & Personal Goals for 2026 - Top Ten Tuesday [18]
• The Sunday Post [80]

What I'm Currently Reading

🎧 Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli

Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1) by B.K. Borison

The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner

What I Plan on Reading Next

🎧 Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) by Navessa Allen

The Bone Queen by Will Shindler

What I'm Watching

I'm back to watching Frieren: Beyond Journey's End in my spare time. I'm really enjoying it! The slower pace, the animation, the characters—all of it! I also plan on finishing the new season of Shield Hero soon, but I have to wait and watch it with my son or he gets upset. 🙄

Challenge Updates

• Audiobook Challenge: 3 / 30
• Goodreads Challenge: 12 / 100
• Physical TBR: 0 / 25
• NetGalley: 28 / 50
• Discussion Post Challenge: 0 / 20

I guess I need to make more of an effort with my Physical TBR and Discussion Post challenges! Good Spirits is a physical book, so I should at least have 1/25 by next weekend. I also have a few discussion post ideas planned out, and I'm hoping to post at least one of them this week. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading!

Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1) by Brynne Weaver 🎧 Joe Arden & Lucy Rivers

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Every serial killer needs a friend.

Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

I had an absolute blast reading Butcher & Blackbird and definitely plan on continuing the series! Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers did a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life, and I loved watching Sloane and Rowan’s relationship grow over the years—both romantically and as friends. What starts out as a game for them slowly becomes the thing they look forward to most each year—and not just for the hunting and stabbing (though that definitely helps).

I actually started this one last year, but my hold expired before I could finish it. The wait was so long that it didn’t pop back up on my Libby until just a few days ago. At this point, I might as well put myself on hold for the other two books in the Ruinous Love Trilogy, because I’m sure their wait times are just as long. Next up is Leather & Lark, followed by Scythe & Sparrow. I adored Lark’s character in this one and am excited to see how her relationship with Rowan’s brother develops. The ending of Butcher & Blackbird makes it seem like they might not like each other very much—frenemies, anyone?

Back to Butcher & Blackbird, there was one part of the story that really threw me off. There’s a scene where Sloane is at a disadvantage with a target, and the logistics just didn’t fully make sense to me. She notices someone following Rowan and decides to intervene, but the next few minutes of the audiobook were really hard to track. I couldn’t quite tell how she ended up in the predicament she did. She’s falling (falling where, exactly?), lands next to a black leather jacket that’s never explained, and then suddenly she’s being taken somewhere. I listened to it twice and still couldn’t piece it together.

Sloane and Rowan have amazing chemistry, and I loved their banter. They tease and challenge each other, slowly building trust over time. Neither of them is inclined to open up easily, given their baggage and backgrounds, so when they finally do, it feels hard-won and beautiful. They’ve found their person—someone who truly understands who and what they are. Someone who doesn’t try to rein them in or change them, but accepts—and even loves—that side of them, too. 

Definitely keep this one in mind if you’re a fan of dark romances! I also did not see that twist at the end coming. Well played, Weaver. Well played. (★★★★☆)

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain 🎧 Amanda Stribling

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies comes a new southern gothic supernatural thriller about a teen girl in a small Ozark town who can hear the bones of the dead.

The past three years have been tough for Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, a small town quietly tucked away in the Ozark mountains. More than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails; there one moment, gone the next, not a trace left behind, until their buried bodies are discovered.

17-year-old Dovie doesn’t believe in magic even though she comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing, and for the past few years the bones have been crooning nonstop, calling out to Dovie to dig them up.

Some of the old-timers believe that it’s the monstrous Ozarks howler snatching people off the Aux Arc Trail. Well Dovie doesn’t believe in the howler, and she doesn’t believe her best friend Lo when he tells her he is being haunted by dark shadows. All she believes in is her talent that guides the local sheriff to the bones when they begin their song, then reuniting the dead with their families to give them some peace.

Lo doesn’t know peace, though. The shadows follow him everywhere. He soon learns they’re the murdered hikers and they want answers. But the truth of their deaths isn’t buried with their bones; it’s hidden somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed.

When the Bones Sing was such an amazing thriller with a really wonderful mystery to unravel. There were so many possible suspects—seriously, everyone said or did something at some point that made them seem guilty—and I loved how many red herrings the author threw in to keep me guessing. I honestly suspected everyone except the MC at one point, and even Dovie wasn’t always the most reliable. She definitely had her own biases, but I liked that she still tried to be fair and objective, even when the truth was hard to face.

My one small complaint would be the romance. I didn’t really think it was necessary, and it honestly pulled me out of the story a bit. Dovie and Lo’s history and long-standing friendship made complete sense, especially given everything they’d been through together, but adding another person into the mix felt unnecessary. It didn’t add anything to the overall story, never quite felt right—and his timing was pretty terrible, too. I kept rolling my eyes and texting my friend group to complain (they finished before me and had similar feelings about it).

There were several twists I didn’t see coming, and the conclusion was absolutely ovation-worthy. The author wrapped everything up beautifully and left me feeling hopeful for the characters’ future. I’ll admit I teared up toward the end—enough to make my kids briefly question my mental stability—but it all paid off with a satisfying ending that made the anxiety and heartache totally worth it. Definitely keep this one in mind if you're in the mood for a good mystery/thriller! 

PS: The narrator did an amazing job with this one. Her male and female voices were believable and really well done, which made the story even more enjoyable to listen to. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Bookish & Personal Goals for 2026 Top Ten Tuesday [18]

 

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!

This week's topic: Goals for 2026 (Bookish or not! Share your reading goals, personal goals, etc.)

Bookish Goals

1. My NetGalley ratio is currently at 35%, and I’m determined to significantly improve that number this year! I’ve already knocked out 27 reviews this month and plan to continue making a dent in my review pile. That’s why you’ve been seeing so many Past Due Reviews posts lately—they're the most effective way I’ve found to tackle several overdue ARCs at once.

2. One of my goals this year is to be more selective about the books I request. I need to read a book's full synopses before agreeing and stop letting pretty covers sway me into choices I regret later. I’ve also been going through my NetGalley list and physical ARCs and removing books that no longer appeal to me—or never should have been on my list to begin with. Some of them are from 2018, and my reading tastes have changed a lot since then.

3. I need to get better about reviewing books as soon as I finish reading them. I always take notes and track my thoughts while I’m reading, but my reviews are always better when the story is still fresh in my head. Even if those posts sit in my drafts for a while, it’s better to have them written than to try to remember everything weeks later.

4. I want to continue blogging consistently. Even if it’s only once or twice a week, I want to be intentional about carving out time for myself and writing throughout the week. I love interacting with everyone and sharing my thoughts on books while reading yours—it genuinely makes me happy, and I don’t want it to take a back seat to everyday life. That said, I never want this blog to feel like a chore, so I won’t force it when I’m not feeling up to it, but I’d love to remain more consistent this year.

5. Physical books and ARCs: I did a massive clean-out of my books last year and got rid of hundreds of titles, condensing everything down to two bookshelves and one cart. Even so, I still have quite a few unread books and ARCs, and I’d really love to make progress on them this year.

Personal Goals

6. I want to be more mindful about leaving work on time and not bringing it home with me. When I do, it isn’t fair to my family, and it’s not fair to me either. I was doing really well with this for a while, but I’ve noticed myself slipping back into old habits and want to get back on track. I love my students, and they receive so much of my time and attention during the day, but I want to make sure my husband and kids have my full attention when I'm at home.

7. Game nights with my family are the best! We love sitting down together to do puzzles or play games, and I want to make even more time for that this year. My kids are only going to be kids for so long, and I want to enjoy every moment we have together. Pretty soon, we might even need a whole closet—or a room—just for our board games!

8. Daily Bible readings and devotionals have become such a meaningful part of my life. I’ve been really enjoying the Hallow app and everything it has to offer. As a family, we listen to the Bible in a Year podcast, and it’s been such a joy to share that time together. We didn’t quite make it all the way through last year, and my husband and I also didn’t finish the book version (the one by the Augustine Institute), but this year I’m looking forward to approaching it with more consistency and simply enjoying the journey along the way.

9. I want to pray the rosary more, both on my own and with my family. I think the rosary is absolutely beautiful, and while it did take me a while to get into the meditative aspect of it, it's become one of my favorite things. I want to be more intentional with my time and make sure that I'm putting God first for myself and for my family. I would also like to start going to adoration more often as well. 

10. Move. After teaching all day and parenting at night, it often feels like I’m constantly on the go—but that doesn’t always mean I’m taking care of my physical health. I want to be more consistent with my walks (I’m pretty sure the dogs would appreciate it too!) and get back into some weight lifting at home. I want to stop making excuses and be intentional about caring for my body.

It seems like being intentional and consistent are going to be my two biggest focuses this year!

The Sunday Post [80]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News

I honestly forgot about writing this post until a few minutes ago (it’s 5:37 PM 😅). We went to church this morning, grabbed food from a hotdog stand we love, and then tackled grocery shopping. I spent the rest of the day finishing Graceless Heart so I can share my review this week.

Since we’re off tomorrow for the holiday, I’m on my second cup of coffee—a pistachio latte from Starbucks (thank you, teacher gift cards!)—and fully planning to enjoy a late night in bed with a book. The kids helped me get the house back in order after a busy week, and now they’re playing a game together before bed.

I saw these flowers at the store and couldn't resist bringing them home. 

Previous Posts on the Blog

• Past Due Reviews [12]
• Beach Read by Emily Henry
• When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
• Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
• Assistant to the Villain & Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
• Most Anticipated Books of 2026 - Top Ten Tuesday [17]
• The Sunday Post [79]

What I'm Currently Reading

🎧 Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1) by Brynne Weaver

Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1) by B.K. Borison

The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner

What I Plan on Reading Next

🎧 Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli

🎧 Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) by Navessa Allen

What I'm Watching

Copy and paste from last week: We’re still working our way through My Hero Academia and Spy x Family, but we’re almost done with both! We’ll need something new to watch soon. Any recs? 

Challenge Updates

• Audiobook Challenge: 1 / 30
• Goodreads Challenge: 9 / 100
• Physical TBR: 0 / 25
• NetGalley: 27 / 50
• Discussion Post Challenge: 0 / 20

I’ve been really working on my NetGalley ratio and have made a lot of progress this month! The Past Due Reviews posts help a ton, and I finally went back and reviewed several children’s books I read ages ago just to get them cleared out. I still have books on there from 2018 😅—don’t judge me. I judge myself plenty, LOL.

I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading!

Past Due Reviews [12]

Past Due Reviews exists to help me make peace with my ever-growing backlog—books I received for review that I either read and never reviewed, or read well after their publication date (the struggle is very real). These posts are my way of catching up, one overdue review at a time, and finally giving those books the attention they deserve.

If you have a few reviews lingering on your backlist that you’ve been meaning to get to, I’d love for you to join me. At the end of each month I’ll host a link-up where you can share your own past-due reviews and catch up right alongside me. No stress, no deadlines, and absolutely no judgment—just a cozy little space to celebrate “better late than never” and give those books the love they’ve been waiting for.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

🎧 Julia Whelan

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.

I really wanted to like Beach Read, but it ended up being a three-star read for me. I keep hearing how good Emily Henry’s books are, so I was excited to try my first one—now I’m a little hesitant to pick up another. I thought the book started off strong, puttered out in the middle, and then wrapped up with an okay resolution. I wasn’t fully sold on the relationship between January and Gus, which made it hard to really feel the feels. I also didn’t love how Gus treated January in certain parts of the book.

I was much more invested in January’s relationship with her deceased father. That aspect of the story was really well done, and I appreciated seeing her come to terms with the choices of someone she could no longer speak to. She had so many unanswered questions and had to rely on others to fill in the gaps about the kind of person he truly was.

Overall, it was a somewhat enjoyable story—the banter and the race to finish a book in the other person’s preferred genre were fun—but the execution of the romance fell short for me. Honestly, I wish they’d just remained competitive friends that challenged each other to go outside of their comfort zones. (★★★☆☆)

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

🎧 Marin Ireland

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in San Francisco. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever.

As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes a novel of intertwined destinies and heart-wrenching suspense: A detective hiding away from the world. A series of disappearances that reach into her past. Can solving them help her heal?

When the Stars Go Dark was a compelling story that easily held my attention from start to finish. The author has a really unique writing style, and Marin Ireland brought the characters to life with her narration. The atmosphere was especially well done—I could clearly picture the cabin, the woods, and all the small details revealed along the way.

Instead of a slow-burn romance, this was a slow-burn mystery. We unravel clues alongside the main character, Anna, and I enjoyed watching the gears click together in her mind. She’s excellent at being a missing persons detective, but she’s also careful not to step on the toes of local law enforcement in Mendocino. She didn’t go there to solve or work on a case; she went to confront her own demons and come to terms with recent events in her life.

Anna’s story is a difficult one to read about, especially as you begin to piece together what’s happening beneath the surface. My heart broke for her and everything she was going through, but I think the missing teenager kept her from fully feeling what she had gone there to escape. I thought the author did an amazing job weaving two stories together—solving a missing persons case while also uncovering what Anna was running from. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra

🎧 Zehra Naqvi

Synopsis (via Goodreads): To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.

Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

I really enjoyed this one! Katyani was an amazing protagonist, and the world-building was breathtaking. The author clearly wanted to make sure we saw and felt everything the main character did. The Indian mythology was well done and incredibly interesting. There were several plot twists I didn’t see coming, and the secondary characters were just as compelling as the MC. I loved their relationships even when they weren't seeing eye to eye.

I do wish there had been more to the romance, but this book easily held its own as an amazing fantasy—and it’s a standalone! It had characters to love and root for, along with a plot that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. I thought Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove had a really unique premise that absolutely delivered. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.