General Outline
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Why is HBBB a thing?
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I am a list maker. I love organizing booklists, to-do lists, checklists of all kinds. I spend a great deal of my time researching books for my job and I’ve often found it frustrating that there isn’t one reliable resource where I can find an organized timeline of literature. So I’ve created one. I’ve set out to create a resource that will guide you on a literary adventure through history.
You can find books here on just about every time period or historical topic and for any age level. I’ve done my best to research and vet each title to ensure that this list is filled with living books. I’ve noted content warnings when necessary and my daughters and I have reviewed many of the titles recommended. This has been and will continue to be a labor of love, as we continue to build this website and update these book suggestions. I hope you find it helpful!
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Book Suggestions Published in 2026
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Featured Weekly Book Suggestion - 01/05/2026
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| Renaissance
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Graceless Heart
Author: Ibanez, Isabel
Buy at Amazon | BookShop.org
Time Period: Renaissance
Time Frame: 1478
Geographic Area: Europe
Country: Italy
Topics:Italian Renaissance, Medici Family
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Reading Age: Adult
Format: Novel
Published: 2026
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World History > Renaissance
#1 New York Times bestselling author Isabel Ibañez makes her adult debut with a gorgeous, historical, and romantic fantasy perfect for fans of One Dark Window and Ever After. A lush tale full of enemies-to-lovers tension, whimsical magic, villain romance, and slow-burn desire, set in an enchanted, perilous Florence where forbidden power could ignite a war.
“Truly radiant.” Rachel Gillig, New York Times bestselling author of One Dark Window
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.
Emily's Review
This is my second book by Ibanez, and I clearly need to read more, because this was fantastic! I would never have expected to give a Romantasy novel five stars, but here we are!
The writing and pacing were perfect, and pulled me in, but it was the intrigue and romance that sucked me into the story. I was so immersed in the setting; this book was so cinematic. I think it would make a great movie, like Ever After. It has strong fairytale vibes!
Saturnino's character arc and his relationship with Ravenna was gorgeously written. Ravenna was a fascinating protagonist in that she was never entirely sure of what was going on. She reminded me a lot of Katniss Everdeen, just charge ahead and hope for the best.
I appreciated the fact that I could never be sure of anyone's true allegiance. The intrigue between factions kept me on the edge of my seat! So many twists and turns. I must have gasped at least a dozen times.
The yearning, the magic, the intrigue - I couldn't put this book down!
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