This book brought me out of my reading slump!!

I have been on a cozy romantasy kick and this truly has keep me on that train. Giselle and Mal are everything.

I think my favorite part of this was that she was an older heroine and we see that she's no wiser, which is so real as someone who through growing up, I'd eventually have all the answers. The beginning where she was like waiting and waiting for the journey to be harder to validate her prolonging the journey is so me and my ADHD forever putting off things I need to and then being like oh, it was that easy? I feel like as the story went on and on I just connected with her so much - which I don't find often in romantasy books. We aren't the same age by any means but I definitely connected with her on a level I haven't with other characters before. I would definitely read more books by this author for this fact alone.

I love the yearning in this book and watching these two go from wanting nothing to do with each other to just pining so hard. It eats.
The grumpy/sunshine in this book was chefs kiss.

The fairytell retelling in this book was so different than other ones I've read before and I want more like this!!

This whole book is so magical, its witty, its fantastic. I just loved it.

Whimsically warm and wonderfully sweet, A.J. Lancaster’s new cosy fantasy ‘How to Find a Nameless Fae’ follows the journey of Gisele, a 40 year old angry princess who decides to hunt down her own fate… literally. Only, when she finds the almighty terrible fae sorcerer who claimed her in a first-born bargain all those years ago, he might not be as terrible as the stories make him out to be…

What to expect
➸ cosy fantasy romance
➸ rumpelstiltskin retelling
➸ forced proximity
➸ magical bond/curse
➸ human x fae

This novel was such a sweet little breath of fresh air. It ticked off many boxes: a magical bond that refuses to be broken, mature main characters who love tenderly, a talking cat who demands attention, and even a living house with a personality of its own. Gisele and Mal (a nickname Gisele gave him as he quite literally lost his name) both want the bond as little as each other in the beginning, and watching them slowly start to yearn for one another was just what I was looking for.

I enjoyed Lancaster’s take on the faerie world. Her lush prose and vivid descriptions painted such a magical picture, I could see the sentient house (Skymallow - what a name) bursting with life and moving things about as if I was watching a cosy cartoon. Moreover, though the plot progressed slowly at times (which could partly be put down to the genre), I really appreciated how the story tied together at the end.

Perfect for those chasing that feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket.

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7680821289

This book hits all my favorite notes: a house with a mind of its own, shared dreams, magical connections, curses, a chatty cat sidekick, a fae ball, found family, and real emotional depth. The world is rich and whimsical without feeling superficial. It’s packed with witty banter, slow-burn moments, and characters who genuinely come alive. I loved it!!

Really enjoyed this unique enemies to lovers cozy romantasy! The setup: A fae on the run made a “firstborn bargain” (think Rumplestiltskin), believing he’d be able to trade his true name and come back for it in a year it no problem; instead the queen’s firstborn lives a cursed, lonely life in limbo waiting for a bogeyman who never shows up to claim her. Our story starts as the princess, Gisele, sets off to find and demand answers from her erstwhile nemesis. Instead of the evil sorcerer she has envisioned, she finds a lithe, charming redheaded fae with cat ears, a tail, and a jaunty little earring, living in a sentient house called Skymallow. Turns out, he’s in hiding from a terrifying enemy, his true name has been lost (along with most of his power), and he’s utterly dismayed to learn of the unintended consequences of his unfulfilled bargain. Now that they’re together, the magical bond comes with forced proximity, delicious dream overlaps, and the uncertainty of not knowing if the bond is to blame for their growing feelings for each other. Top it all off with the perfect conflict: finding his true name will break her curse, freeing her from the need to be with him.

I loved how Gisele gets to see herself through Mal’s eyes—how much of a right she has to be angry at him and at her family, how brave and strong and resilient she is. Lancaster does a great job of illustrating her attachment difficulties (trusting, building relationship) given the isolation of her life till now. It’s a lovely arc as she learns what it feels like to be prioritized and fought for. The found family element is fun and endearing, I very much hope they will be future mc’s.

While I predicted the ultimate solution to the story’s problem pretty quickly, I still loved seeing the craft and care with which Lancaster facilitated it. Mal is one of my fave hero archetypes, which we’re thankfully seeing more of — he is not just gone for her, he is claimed, he is HERS.

Definitely recommend!!

If you like your fairytale retellings with a twist, let me highly recommend this beautiful comfort of a book! How To Find a Nameless Fae is a delightful take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin story, converting it into a charming, cozy romantasy. But this is even a twist on typical romantasy, making the main character, Gisele, an older, understandably impatient heroine who decides to save herself from the curse that's effectively ruined her life.

Shortly after turning forty, Princess Gisele decides it's time to find the evil sorcerer who cursed her before she was even born. Having been stuck in a tower and effectively unable to maintain any sort of relationship with anyone due to said curse, Gisele takes matters into her own hands and goes to find the malediction that didn't have the decency to come back and kidnap her as everyone assumed would happen. Finding her way into the land of the fairies, Gisele is then horrified to find that the evil sorcerer who cursed her is decidedly not evil, not a sorcerer, nor has he realized how much time has passed. But now that she's found him, their cursed bond has only strengthened... and neither of them have any idea of how to break it, save finding the fairy's name that he lost and has basically no hope of finding again.

I can't explain how much joy this book brought me. It's different than most of the fantasy books I've read, but its silliness was amazing and the romantic tension was excellent. It may not be high fantasy, but who needs that when you've got such a fulfilling story?

So many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for giving me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: June 27, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/21a9c048-4ae8-4d8c-a5e4-cdf6d5225c4a)
Review posted to Instagram: PENDING

THIS BOOK!! There is a feeling that you get when you start reading a book that you know is going to be a 5 star read. I’m not sure I can even properly put into words how much this book delighted me. First of all, I am OBSESSED with the fact that our main character Gisele is a 40 year old woman and she speaks her mind. I loved that she finally decided to take fate into her own hands, even though she was cursed by magic, and try to do something for herself. Our other main character, the nameless fae, is equally as charming. I love the intricacies of the plot and that the reader gets to explore and discover with the characters in “real time”. All of that aside, I also now want a sentient house! I didn’t want this book to end, but the ending was cozy and beautiful and everyone should read this book. I loved it so much!!

This ARC was provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you A.J. Lancaster, Victory Editing, NetGalley Co-op for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
This is my first time reading something by A.J. Lancaster. Let's just say I now want to read everything ever written. I loved the no-nonsense FMC. This book was whimsical and magically cozy. It grabs you right from the beginning. The characters were likeable and relatable, the pace was great, and the plot was on point. I'm sad it's over, it was such a fun read. A.J. Lancaster is stuck with me now.

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Thank you to Netgally, AJ Lancaster and victoryeditingngc for allowing me an early copy of this book. I love a fae story with tension, banter, antagonists to lovers vibes in my books and this one did not let me down.

Giselle is an older female character who decides to save herself and take her future into her own hands by tracking down the fae who cursed her as a child and forcing him to remove it. What she wasn’t expecting was a very handsome fae with who she has a connection to.

This book is absolutely hilarious. I found myself laughing so much throughout this story. The dynamic between the fae and Giselle is so fun and so full of banter.

Although we are watching these two try to remove the curse and mishaps start to happen it has this wonderful cozy feel which I enjoyed even though I’m not the biggest cozy fantasy reader.

The spice was spicy and I really enjoyed the shared dreams where things got spicy before we get to the real spice which was so fun.

The MMC is such a cinnamon roll which I really loved, he’s so cute and I love him so so much.

I’m so excited to jump into more of Aj’s work in the future.

First of all a huge thanks for getting to read this arc!
I absolutely fell in love with this book. The cozy vibes, the mmc & fmc, the connection between them and the found family? Love love love!!
It is such a fun and quick paced read, devoured it in basically 1 day!
Mal is a mmc that I haven’t seen very often. I loved how shy he’d get and everything. Absolutely adore him!
I would definitely recommend this book!

I'm utterly obsessed with this story. I adore cosy Fae fantasy books, and this story has all of the elements that makes those books so wonderful.
I loved the FMC from the first chapter, and it was amazing to read about a 40 year old FMC! The characters are all so entertaining and the world building is light and easy to follow. I also loved how the story tackled subjects like loneliness. I also liked the LGBTQ+ representation in this book. Overall this is a hilarious comfort read. If you're a fan of the Emily Wildes trilogy and Ella Enchanted, I highly recommend that you give this book a try.

Thank you NetGalley and Camberion Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Words cannot even describe how magical this book was. It reminded me of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, Rumpelstiltskin, and Beauty and the Beast all wrapped up in a heartwarming, cozy package. It touched on serious topics with the main characters that felt relatable and created a connection to them while also maintaining that cozy feeling. I loved Gisele. She was strong and brave but also had insecurities just like everyone. I loved the fact that she was older too. Mal was just as loveable. He had a sweet side underneath the dark side. He showed his vulnerability which made him even more loveable. The found family trope in this book had me so happy! It is one of my favorite tropes and this was written perfectly. I absolutely loved this book and I really hope we get to dive back into this world in the future.


I published my review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Instagram. They were all published 6/26/25. Links available below for all but Barnes and noble. It is in review.

Very cute cozy fantasy. Princess Giselle, as a 40 year old cursed princess, was refreshing as a female main character, and Malediction was such a fun character to explore in this Rumpelstiltskin retelling. All of the side characters, including Skymallow the house were so charming and enjoyable!

I really enjoyed this book. Instantly loved it was an older FMC which is so rare now a days and it was a damsel who was taking matters into her own hands to get the job done. I enjoy a fairy tell retelling and the fact this was Rumpelstiltskin was great as it's not commonly done (my favourite storyline in the once upon a time tv show was Rumpelstiltskin and belle). This was a cozy romance with the edition of a sassy talking cat which always helps!

This is the beautiful story of Princess Gisele, a human who was cursed as a baby by an unnamed Fae. Expecting to have been claimed earlier in her life, when she hits 40, she chooses to go in search of the man who has held so much power over her for her life. Their connection leads her to him, and his sentient house, Skymallow, where she discovers he has lost his name, and without it, he cannot break their bond. In the absence of his name, Gisele refers to him as her Malediction - Mal. They embark on the adventure of finding his name, amidst their growing attraction to each other.

Gisele and Mal are both incredibly endearing characters, and their story is adventurous, entertaining, and full of heart. I can see this becoming one of my comfort reads, that I return to over and over. Beautiful

'How to Find a Nameless Fae' by A.J. Lancaster, its a fairytale retelling.
A cosy fantasy romance novel, that tells the tale of a cursed princess and her search of a fae lord with no name. Throughout the increasing havoc on her life, the FMC will stop at nothing until she finds him.

Full witty and whimsically quirky, scenes. This slow-burn mature romance is simply adorable. A wonderful cosy read for all who love this genre. I recommend it.

In this book you will find:
- Grumpy/sunshine pairings
- Protagonists over 35
- Cursed princess FMC
- Howl-esque MMC
- He has cat ears
- A magical and sentient house
- Banter and Wittiness
- Mild Spice (this book is considered steamy... but in my opinion is almost to none)

This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin was such a fun read, especially in the second half of the book. I love when authors re imagine fairy tales in fresh, new ways and this one was no exceptions. This cozy version really centers on the idea of what it is to be alone and how to trust people when you have been let down so much in your life.

I love that the princess is 40 and that Rumpelstiltskin is a fairy with cat ears and a tail. I also really enjoyed the fluid sexuality of the main characters. The house is so great and the secondary characters are interesting and fun to explore. It definitely started a little slow but by the second half I couldn't put it down. Absolutely worth the read.

I had such a fun time with this read!
It is great for anyone who loves a cozy, unique, fairytale retelling.

Imagine Rumpelstiltskin but in a cottagecore, fantasy, romantic comedy kind of way.

Our FMC isn’t our usually teenager or 20 something year old, she’s a 40 year old woman who’s had enough of waiting and takes her life into her own hands. And she does an amazing job of it.

And our Mal, he’s such a unique, forgetful cinnamon roll character! I just adore him.

I hope we get another book with these in the future as I would love to learn more about Apfela and Nissa.

Life of princess Gisele was miserable. Cursed even before she was born, she spent her life alone, not enganging with other people because of it. On every birthday, she was expecting a fae who made a deal with her mother so many years ago to come and get her, but it didn't happend. could he just...forget her? Not trying to lose yet another year of fruitless waiting, she decided she needs to do the work and just go to him. If he doesn't want to have anything, he could just lift the cure. Simple as that.... except it is not.

Entangled in the weird things unwrapping between them while they try to find his name so he could finally free her they start to realise that may will find a lot more.




It was a very, very interesting read. At first i was a bit confused, but everything grew on me.
I have read a lot of fantasy books in my life. I also have found myself liking characters with weird traits like horns, tentacles... you know, just normal stuff. But Mal? Well, i try to not remember the way he looked because it didn't spoke to me. But besides that, i really enjoyed this story. I would love to see more about all of the side characters, like maybe their own books? That would be nice.
I would definitely read more from this author.





all opinions are my own.

A.J. Lancaster's How to Find a Nameless Fae is a stunning reminder of why I love to read. It was fantastic—not just for its powerful storytelling, but also for its brilliant moments of social commentary.

At its core, the book champions the courage to live authentically, free from the weight of external expectations. It's a call to action—to define our own lives, seek our own freedoms, and combat the loneliness of isolation through the strength of new relationships and community. It beautifully illustrates that personal growth knows no age, reminding us that we can flourish at any stage of life if we are willing to take a step in that direction.

Also, I was delighted by the novel's perspective on a woman's choice to remain child-free: “Children aren't the only way to find fulfillment in life...”

Furthermore, the intimacy is handled with remarkable skill, serving as a meaningful layer of character and plot development rather than mere filler.

This is a beautiful retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with sensibilities that will resonate deeply with modern readers.

Thank you to Victory Editing Co-op via NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Publish date June 26th, 2025.

This book is the literary equivalent of a warm cup of coffee on a rainy morning-sweet, cozy, and delightfully funny. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Our protagonist, Gisele, is a 40-year-old woman who was promised to a fairy before she was even born. But that fairy never showed up. Rather than continue living in limbo and burdening her family with the curse, she devises “A Plan” 😉 to break it once and for all. When she finally tracks down this elusive fairy, her Malediction, things are not at all what she expected 🤔

I adored everything about this story, from Gisele’s thoughtful and stubborn nature, to our irresistibly goofy and charming male lead, to the talking cat sidekick (an absolute gem) and the sentient house, Skymallow (a favorite micro-trope of mine!). Skymallow provided the perfect cozy setting to slowly unpack the rich lore of the fairy world and Mal’s backstory. The pacing was spot-on, and although we don’t get to spend too much time with the side characters, they served their purpose in supporting the main character arcs.

At its heart, this story explores loneliness, how it affects all kinds of people, the doubts it plants, and the yearning it brings. But it’s also about finding your people, and I think it’s safe to say that Gisele and Mal finally found theirs 💕

If you loved Half a Soul or any whimsical Regency fairytale, this one’s for you. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author!