Isabel Ibanez is on my watch list. I’ve truly loved some of her work in the past, so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to read her newest book, Graceless Heart.
Moving from Egypt in her previous historical fantasy series, this one takes place in Italy, a setting replete with historical potential.
It took a hot minute for the story to grab me, and I still felt like I was sort of bashing my way through a jungle of vines in order to get to the good stuff.
But the good stuff was good. Saturnino was one of those characters where you weren’t entirely sure the entire time if he was someone you could trust. Ibanez is so good at this morally ambiguous love interests! And the finale at the end of the book was truly fascinating and memorable.
If you are new to Ibanez I would honestly recommend her previous duology, beginning with What the River Knows, over this. I found it more immersive and chalk full of adventure and mystery I was more interested in. This one just felt a little too heavy with extraneous world building/political details that, while they may pay off eventually, also had an adverse effect on the story this novel could have been. As a writer myself, I understand the impulse to show off the impeccable world you’ve crafted that the story fits inside of…there just wasn’t enough, as a reader, to grab onto and really care about all those tracks.
Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Details
Title:: Graceless Heart (The Spellbound History Quartet #1) Author:: Isabel Ibanez Genre:: Historical Fantasy Publisher:: Saturday Books Length::488 pages Published:: January 13th, 2026 The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars
Where the Library Hides is the second book in the Secrets of the Nile Duology by Isabel Ibanez. If you have not started this wonderful historical fantasy series yet, please start with What the River Knows. If you’ve not read it, the review below may include spoilers.
Inez is in deep with the forgery circuit mystery in Egypt, too deep to ignore – too deep to turn back. The only way she can get out from beneath her uncle’s thumb of control is to marry Mr. Whitford Hays, a cunning man of mystery & deception she’s convinced herself she can trust. But when he betrays her within days of their secret wedding, Inez accepts that only she is in control of her destiny – there is no one left she can trust. If she doesn’t work to preserve the legacy of Cleopatra and other Egyptian relics, no one will. Her fiery a relentless personality is back in full force for this conclusion to the series. But what I love about Inez is that she’s not all fire. She also has so much compassion. She has an open heart for forgiveness and wants to give others the benefit of the doubt, even when they may not deserve it.
In this novel she is put through many trials, and jumps head first into dicey situations many would run away from. She’s brave. She’s strong. She’s noble. And she won’t stop until she succeeds.
Whitford Hays…oh Whit, Whit, Whit…what a rascal you are. Where he is a swashbuckling enigma in the first book, we get to see some deeper layers to the secretive genteel in this second book, and ladies, he’s far from perfect. He makes some big boo boos along the way, but in the end, the romance is as bombastic as we (and they) deserve.
I cannot recommend this series highly enough. The intrigue, the adventure, the tension…all of it is handled masterfully, and I’m not sure how I feel about it ending after only two books. Did it need more? No. But selfishly I want to linger far longer in this world. Luckily I own both books in multiple formats so I can revisit them literally whenever and whereever I want. #readergoals
Read it. Love it. Thank me later.
Details
Title:: Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) Author:: Isabel Ibanez Genre:: Historical Fantasy Publisher:: Wednesday Books Length::400 pages Audio Length::14h 29m Audiobook Narrator:: Ahmed Hamad and Ana Osorio Published:: November 5th, 2024 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
When a book lists The Mummy as a comp in the blurb, you know your girl’s gonna pick it up. That’s as far as I got in the description (I love going in blind), and it was everything I’d hoped and more. There is something so intriguing about ancient Egypt, and when you add a touch of actual magic, you get What the River Knows.
Young Argentinian Inez Olivera’s parents spend half of every year in Egypt, working alongside and funding archeological digs there. They’ve never let Inez make the treacherous journey so far across the globe with them, but when Inez receives a letter that the two of them have been lost in the sands of the desert, she sneaks away from her family in Buenos Aires and steals away to Egypt to meet her uncle, who worked with them there. Inez is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her parents, their lives in Egypt, and whatever she can about the magic ring her father secretly sent to her before he died. Between her tight-lipped uncle who tries to push her onto an Argentina-bound boat every chance he gets, and his handsome rogue ‘aide’ he sets to mind her the rest of the time, Inez has to scheme to find out the secrets her parents kept from her, and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, her uncle is in a race to discover the tomb of Cleopatra before his biggest rival, and the ring Inez’ father sent her might just be the key he needs to do it.
This book is a grand adventure with stakes that reliably rise ever higher the whole time, down to the last line (which had my jaw on the floor). It reads like nineteenth century historical fiction, if there were magic rings, and magic sandals, and magic neckties back then. I absolutely loved the tangled webs of secrets and lies that build and build and leave you wondering if what you think you know is the truth, or just another deception. It was seriously compelling, but the pacing was maybe slower than some readers might prefer. Inez takes time to describe the things around her, which adds to the complexity of the world and gives the novel a rich, complete flavor.
The best part, perhaps, is our heroine. Inez is a spunky, resourceful woman in a time when those of her gender had very little power, if any at all. A book like this doesn’t work well with weak or arrogant main characters, and luckily, Ibanez gives us a smart, cunning woman we can trust to act rationally with the information she has. With so many trying to hide their truths from her, anything less would have been torturous to endure.
Did I mention the will-they-won’t-they slow burn forbidden romance plotline? Inez and Whittford Hayes, her uncle’s ‘aide’, are undeniably attracted to one another, but life isn’t that easy, and when she doesn’t know who she can trust, the tension is utterly delicious. Every little moment that betrayed their feelings I ate up with relish, including probably the shortest chapter I’ve ever seen:
Bloody hell.
Whit
I consumed this story as an audiobook narrated by Ana Osorio & Ahmed Hamad. Ana, especially, impressed me. There are several accents to juggle, and in general she handled it gracefully. It was a real pleasure to listen to.
The worst part? Having to wait until November for the sequel. The ending has you begging for what happens next. Masterful storytelling, honestly — and I cannot wait for more! So if you’re looking for a little more mystery and adventure in your life, What the River Knows will certainly scratch that itch.
Details
Title:: What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1) Author:: Isabel Ibanez Genre:: Historical Fantasy Publisher:: Wednesday Books Length:: 404 pages Audio Length::16h 36m Audiobook Narrator:: Ahmed Hamad & Ana Osorio Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio Published:: October 31st, 2023 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
