I enjoyed that this was a Rumplestiltskin retelling and that gave it a unique premise from the start.
This is whimsical and sassy and I arm and cozy and full of banter and wit! This was definitely a feel good book with little angst to it.
Also a magical, sentient house that ships the couple? Count me in on that alone!
Highly recommend if you are looking for a cozy hug of a book with snappy banter and a grumpy x sunshine trope!

This Rumpelstiltskin retelling definitely falls into the category of romantasy – and as many other reviewers have pointed out, feels like something that T. Kingfisher could have written. Not that for a hot second am I suggesting that Lancaster is jumping on any kind of bandwagon. But the fairytale setting peopled with three-dimensional, spiky characters coping with a difficult magical problem works really, really well.

Gisele is a joy. I loved that she was a forty-year-old spinster, whose curse had forced her into a miserable solitude – away from everyone in court and her own family. Including her twin brother. By now, the evil sorcerer who bound her to such a grim life is seriously overdue and she decides that enough is enough and she’ll set out to find him, instead. Said evil sorcerer has his own problems – to the extent that he’s frankly forgotten about the first born he’s supposed to have claimed.

In addition to the two main protagonists, there is a vibrant cast of supporting characters. Special mention has to go to a grumpy cat, who stole the show for me several times and we also have the big, bad villain. Initially, I wondered if we’d get the two-dimensional, cardboard cutout variety – but Lancaster also gave us an insight into why he’s so determined to bind Mal to his will.

There’s a lot of humour alongside the difficulty caused by the magic and the slow-burn romance works well. There are a couple of spicy sex scenes, which are sufficiently well handled that I didn’t have a problem with them – and these days, my tolerance of graphic bedroom scenes in amongst my fantasy adventures is running thin. All in all, this is a delightful tale and one of the best fairytale retellings I’ve read this year. Very highly recommended for fans of this sub-genre. While I obtained an arc of How to Find a Nameless Fae from the author via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

This was a cute story. I really enjoyed an older heroine. Malediction and Gisele were great together. The story seemed a little long and a lot of push and pull that I'm not sure was completely necessary

In How to Find a Nameless Fae by A.J. Lancaster, Gisele is cursed. Her mother sacrificed her to a fae as part of a firstborn bargain to allow her to spin straw into gold. However, Gisele is now 40 years old and still has not been claimed by her captor. As her curse worsens, she decides to take matters into her own hands and track down her captor in the world of the Fae. However, when she tracks him down, she realizes that things are not at all what they seem. Can she track down his name before the mysterious enemy tracks them down and locks in her curse forever?

I thought that this book was so whimsical and magical. It truly felt like reading an adult fairytale. I enjoyed the sentient house and all of the things that it helped our characters to do. I also enjoyed Zingiber the cat, who brought a touch of relief in tense moments. The other fae and creatures were a nice touch as well, mostly because it meant that Gisele finally felt like she had friends after 40 years of scaring people away. The ending was very well done and I felt that it wrapped up all of the elements of the story really nicely.

I personally wish that the story had been more descriptive in terms of plot. It felt very character-focused, which isn’t a bad thing. I love a character-driven story. But when you have a book with a heavy plot like this one, there has to be a balance, and I thought that it could have been balanced better. I also thought that the story felt somewhat juvenile in parts. Again, I understand this because Gisele has been mostly on her own for 40 years and doesn’t really understand a lot of social norms or world norms. However, at times, it felt like both she and “Mal” were making decisions or speaking as if they were 17 years old instead of 40 and older. Finally, it was a touch long. I think the author could have achieved the same results in fewer pages.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a whimsical fairytale story to get lost in, and I did enjoy it. If there is another in the series, I would definitely read it! 3.5 Stars.

I had not read a "romantasy" until this book, but I had read and loved loads of historical romances. This book was the right mix and added some unconventional features, like a heroine princess in her 40s who decides she might just as well save herself from the tower before growing grey hair there. I thouroughly enjoyed every banter between the two main characters and will surely check out other books by this author.

The first “cozy” fantasy that I have actually enjoyed. I loved that it had a charming found family element and was exuberantly queer. The magic and world building was eloquently described. I also enjoyed the 40+ female perspective. Funny dialogue and the main characters had great chemistry.

I received an ARC of How to Find a Nameless Fae by A.J. Lancaster (netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming fae fantasy with a cozy fairytale vibe and witty dialogue. Gisele is a strong, pragmatic heroine, and the nameless lord is the perfect mysterious counterpart. Their reluctant alliance and evolving dynamic—with an almost fake-enemies vibe—held my interest throughout.

That said, I had a couple of issues. The romance felt like a semi-slow burn, but since Gisele is upfront about her attraction from the start, the early tension didn’t build as naturally as I would have liked. The real push-and-pull dynamic only kicked in later, when their personalities and conflicts began to clash more.

I also found some of the inner thoughts repetitive, which slowed the pacing in parts. Additionally, Gisele’s voice felt younger than her stated age, which made it harder to fully connect with her perspective.

Despite these points, the magical debt plot added real stakes, and the gradual shift from resentment to understanding between the leads was satisfying.

Perfect for readers who enjoy reluctant alliances, magical bargains, and slow-burn tension. How to Find a Nameless Fae feels like both a whimsical fae adventure and an exploration of how duty and resentment can slowly unravel into something more intimate.

A cozy fantasy with a few flaws (personally), but still 100 % worth the read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGally in exchange for an honest review!

We follow our main MFC princess Gisele. Before she was borne, her mother made a first bourne bargain with a sorcerer. Her mother failed to do her part of the bargain and Gisele was cursed. She is now 40 years old and has been prepared to get taken away, and she has been treated differently her whole life because of the curse. She decides to take matters into her own hands and look for the sorcerer that cursed her.

This book definitely read as a cozy fantasy. It is a rumpelstilstkin retelling with enemies to lovers.
It was a place between slow and medium in pacing an it could feel a little to slow sometimes for my taste. Sometimes I was drifting out of the story while reading because it was a little slow and repetitive at times. The romance in was okay and cute but nothing new and special. It did not quite feel the chemistry between the main characters trough the book.

How to Find a Nameless Fae is an adorable mashup of Rumplestiltskin & Howl’s Moving Castle. I really enjoyed reading an older female MC take charge of her life and barriers.
I was giggling and kicking my feet reading the banter.
4.5/5
Thank you to Net Galley & Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up. AJ Lancaster builds beautiful worlds and in this case beautiful houses as well. I've had a run of books lately with magical houses and I can confirm I would like to live in one!

Gisele leaves the confines of her home and her world to figure out how to end the curse that was put on her at birth. She's off to find the fae who cursed her so she can get on with living around people without them being uncomfortable in her presence or without mucking around with the properties of gold. Gisele finds her Malediction, who is not at all what she expected, and his sentient house. Together they work to figure out how to get Gisele out of the curse.

There was a lot to like about this book, older characters (wohoo for a 40 year old FMC!), found friendship with all sorts of fae characters & a cat, a solid retelling Rumpelstiltskin where you root for him, characters you want to like and a story that doesn't let you down by pulling the rug out from under you, it has light and humor.

In the acknowledgements it's mentioned that <spoiler> this was initially a novella, and I feel like the reader can tell. </spoiler> It doesn't have the quick wit the Stariel series has, and in my opinion it doesn't maximize the use of the page count.

I adored Stariel and this was a fine follow up, I think I just had greater expectations. Keep 'em coming AJ! I'll still be reading.

What do you get when a knife-wielding princess with a fae-debt problem crashes into a reclusive magical house lord who literally has no name? Chaos, charm, and a slow-burn bond tied up in fairy-gold threads. 🧚‍♂️

Gisele was promised to a fae sorcerer before she was even born, and now that he’s ghosted her (rude), the magical debt is starting to unravel her life. So naturally, she sets off to hunt him down with sass, steel, and zero patience. But instead of a terrifying villain, she finds a reluctant, nameless lord who’s just as trapped as she is.

✨ Enchanted house? Check.
✨ Magical bickering? Check.
✨ A quest to unravel true names, true selves, and old curses? YES PLEASE.

Think tangled fairytales meets cozy gothic vibes, with a heroine who’s fed up and feral in the best way. If you love magical bargains, unlikely partnerships, and a bit of chaos with your destiny this one’s for you.

🧵 Would you dare try to guess a fae’s true name?

#FantasyReads #CozyFantasy #HowToFindANamelessFae #FairyTaleRetelling #EnemiesToLovers #BookReview #BookstagramMagic

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This was fun and I should have figured out his name WAY EARLIER. My fault for reading when having PEM. I especially adored the main side characters.

This book is exactly what I needed: a cozy romantasy with charm, wit, and a slow burn that doesn’t make me want to throw things. Just enough tension to keep me invested, but none of the toxic drama that usually makes me feral.

The heroine is everything I want in a fantasy MC: sensible, sarcastic, and entirely over everyone’s drama. She’s been dealt a curse and a royal title, but neither defines her. She’s calm under pressure, emotionally intelligent, and just sharp enough to make every scene feel alive. She doesn’t flail; she handles things. And she’s funny - not quirky, not forced - just naturally dry and done.

And then there’s the catboy.

He has trauma, yes, but mostly he’s a gentle, self-sacrificing mess of a man who tries really hard to pretend he’s fine. Sometimes a little smug, because he knows he’s cute and fair enough, he is. His ears betray his feelings constantly. He’s not the aloof, broody fae lord; he’s the anxious catboy who wants to be helpful and quietly spirals when feelings happen. I adore him.

The romance is a proper slow burn. There’s yearning, there’s banter, and there’s very little miscommunication, which honestly feels revolutionary. When they finally get together (once, and only once), it’s cute, meaningful, and timed to absolute emotional perfection.

This book felt like emotional comfort food: warm, a little sad, full of heart, and laced with cleverness. Nothing overdone - just cozy fantasy done really well.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (I wanted way more development in these scenes but it did have things I liked. I felt like they had an emotional pull I appreciated)
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑 (It’s pretty short, a few paragraphs to a page)
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (they are pretty short)
Humor: Yes
Perspective: third person point of view from heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow
When mains are first on page together: pretty soon in – 6% (chapter 3 of 42)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No

Should I read in order?
I think this is a stand alone?

Basic plot:
Gisele has been waiting 40 years for the sorcerer her mother bargained with to show up – she’s done waiting and decides to find him and demand her life back.

Give this a try if you want:
- fantasy romance
- Rumplestitlskin inspired
- princess heroine
- fae hero / human heroine
- close proximity – she finds him and they work to break the curse together
- a magical house and animal friends with telepathy
- he cooks for her
- magic
- lower steam – there’s 3ish full scenes but they are shorter and it’s a long book

Ages:
- heroine is 40, I didn’t catch him but he’s older (as he made a bargain with her mother...)

My thoughts:
I’m so sad this one didn’t work for me because I loved the setup. Honestly Rumplestiltskin is one of my least favorite fairy tales because it’s kinda creepy (I mean, I guess they all are on some level) but I was curious how this one would spin. And I loved the idea of a bargain made and them being connected together by a bond. And how she goes to find him. I loved that. I loved the house and the magic elements.

But this book was so boring to me. So, so boring. Two people moping around a house for hundreds of pages….I wanted better tension at least. And when we did get to the intimacy it was disappointing. The scenes were so short and over before I even realized they were starting. (and like….he has a knurl??? for pleasure??? and it’s BARELY MENTIONED. Why even give it to him?)

I did find the chapters really jarring. Some of them would end in a spot that felt abrupt to me and then just kind of continue on. I didn’t see the point of the point breaking in the middle of a conversation and then continuing especially when there was no perspective shift or like suspenseful action or change of scenery.

So overall this was a miss for me. But if you want a gentle fantasy read with some light steam and magical elements I’d give this one a go.

Princess Gisele in the FMC we deserve! She had me from the first sentence of the first chapter. What a breath of fresh air she is! She had initiative, self reliance and A Plan. She is endlessly optimistic and doesn't give up.

Her capacity for self reflection made her my favourite FMC. She has her thoughts and emotions conflicting but never lies to herself or beats around the bush. She feels her emotions, acknowledges them and names them.

I don't know if therapy was part of her princesses training, but she sure had a lot because that level of emotional maturity sets her light years ahead of the the typical 18 YO FMC who's stubborn just to be stubborn and obfuscates things just to annoy everyone around her.

Gisele is kind and thoughtful but also on the clock - she's wasted 40 years anticipating an eerie evil coming for her and she has had enough of that - she's going after it determined to face it head on. I enjoyed and felt connected to her struggle with loneliness, the determination to not let any more of her life pass her by and the search for a place she truly belongs.

Overall, a 5 star read for me and a FMC I will endlessly keep recommending!

This book was so fun! I had such a good time reading it! I loved the characters and Gisele was such a genuine character that you couldn't help but root for. I laughed so much at their banter and their romance was so good. I really enjoyed this book!! It was so cozy and such a vibe! I loved the garden being overgrown (maybe bc I relate because mine hasn't been tended to). It was such a good book!

What a fabulous time I had whilst reading this book!

I came to love Gisele & Mal so effortlessly. The way in which these two wonderful characters allowed me to have such an incredible time throughout the book.

I truly need to praise A.J. Lancaster for their work, because I haven’t had that much fun since Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (and I mean that so sincerely.

I hope that one day this book is found by the masses and launched into fame like I know it deserves.

The environment was so magical, and so different to books that I’ve read previously, that I wish I was able to pick up a book in the same world just to stay there for a little longer. The characters, even those with a small role, felt so well developed and whimsical, even Skymallow!

If all of A.J.’s books are like this, I need to pick them up and read them immediately (I’ve already purchased the hard copy of this one!

Such a cozy and fun read. The vibes were perfect and kept my attention the entire time. Loved seeing a 40yr old character.

This book was such a cute cosy little fairytale re-telling! I adore the possessive cat vibe from the MMC, the sentient house and mind-speaking cat made me want to live in Skymallow. Highly recommend if you are a fan of slow burn, cute, cosy romantasy.

First off thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful story! This is my first time reading from this author but it won’t be my last. I have always loved romantasy but this is one of the first I’ve read that is a more cozy humorous adventure. It honestly is 1. Such a good book but 2. It would be an amazing palate cleanser after some of the other books out there in the romantasy genre. Besides if nothing else there is an adorable and hilarious cat who you will instantly fall in love with :)