A spectacularly cosy fantasy inspired by the Rumpelstiltskin story. Here, the havoc of an unpaid debt leads to an unlikely romance.
'Witty, heartfelt, romantic and utterly charming'
– Stephanie Burgis, author of Wooing the Witch Queen
This princess has decided to rescue herself.
Princess Gisele has spent her life waiting for an evil fae sorcerer to claim her. It was the price of her mother's crown – her first-born child for the ability to spin straw into gold. But it's been decades, and he still hasn't shown up. Now, the magic has curdled into a curse.
So Gisele marches into the fae realm to hunt down her 'Malediction'. Yet instead of a monster, she finds a scholarly, cat-eared sorcerer and his meddling, sentient house. He wants nothing to do with the angry, knife-wielding princess on his doorstep.
Unfortunately, the magic that binds them won't let them go that easily. And in a house that rearranges itself to keep them together, Gisele discovers that the man who ruined her life might just steal her heart.
She came to end him. But she might stay to save him.
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Readers love this book:
'I absolutely adored the characters, their connection and their story. I laughed and smiled so hard through the whole book. 100% recommend'
'This felt like Howl's Moving Castle meets Emily Wilde. There's a talking cat, a magical house, a curse and a romance'
'I LOVE this book! It's really soft and lovely'
'Loved it, absolutely perfect escapism, all aspects are brilliantly balanced, the magic, the stakes, the humour, the romance'
'Funny, fresh and binge-read worthy'
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. An enthralling cosy fantasy where a determined princess seeks out her fae nemesis. Brimming with magic, enemies-to-lovers romance and found family feelings. AJ Lancaster grew up on a farm in rural Aotearoa New Zealand and her first job was finding lost people in a corn maze. Since leaving the farm, AJ's activities have included a geography degree, environmental planning and editing maths exams. Now AJ lives in the Manawatu and writes romantic, whimsical fantasy books while investigating how many plants you can fit in one house. Results so far suggest that the limit does not exist. In 2021, AJ Lancaster received the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent, New Zealand's preeminent awards for science fiction, fantasy and horror. AJ is best known for the Stariel novels, a series about a country estate that chooses its own ruler, beginning with The Lord of Stariel. "Witty, heartfelt, romantic and utterly charming" -Stephanie Burgis
