Katie Stacey tells the story of how she and her boyfriend Luke moved to northern Spain’s verdant Asturias mountains to rewild a dairy farm. Cash is tight and locals are sceptical, wary of wildlife conservation in a region where wolves have long been persecuted. Undeterred, the couple stick at it, learning by trial and error. They are driven by a deep love for the land and an evolving vision of their little farm as both a family home and a thriving ecosystem for wild and domestic species. Wonderfully life-affirming.

Ben Hoare - BBC Wildlife Magazine December 2025, Best Books of 2025

This passionate debut from nature writer Stacey recounts her experience rewilding a farm in northern Spain. She and her partner, Luke Massey, a photographer, moved to the Asturias region in 2018 with a plan to investigate endangered Iberian wolves, which were often hunted by locals because of their reputation for destroying livestock. The couple purchased a crumbling farmstead and set out to turn the property into a wild farm, restoring the land to its natural state and creating a haven for wildlife. Stacey recounts the ups and downs of the experience: handling animals like goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and bees; struggling with a new language; meeting new neighbors (both hostile and helpful); planting a natural garden; nurturing a wildflower meadow; and giving birth to two sons. Throughout, Stacey and Massey work to combine their passion for protecting wildlife with the need to support their growing family. Along the way, they learn that they can promote coexistence with wolves, and wildlife in general, by sharing the story of their farm and inviting people to tour it, demonstrating that living in community with nature is possible. Lyrical and hopeful passages (“I truly believe that one day soon we can all enjoy a paradise with wolves”) paint an immersive portrait of rewilding. Readers will be inspired.

Publishers Weekly https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781803418520 

Stacey's positive mindset shines in No Paradise with Wolves. Rather than focusing on conflict, her and Massey engage as much as possible with local stakeholders – inviting visitors to the finca, talking reasonably to hunters that show up on their land – showing first-hand that coexistence is possible when property is managed with wildlife in mind. This thoroughly enjoyable book is honest, hopeful and based on lived experience, providing an absorbing story of rewilding in practice.

Ed Stubbs - Birdguides

This immersive and inspirational book invites the reader to fall in love with nature again and you can’t help but oblige. No matter where in the world you are, you find yourself side by side with Katie and Luke, as they make their way to becoming the custodians of a beautiful Spanish finca, nestled amongst the mountains of Asturias. Katie doesn’t shy away from the trials and tribulations of prioritising biodiversity in a traditional farming landscape, yet their successes punctuate every chapter in the form of the returning flora and fauna. The content of this story is as beautifully diverse as the land they are so lovingly tending. A thoroughly enjoyable read, with comedic anecdotes and relatable tales of family life, the story of Wild Finca has filled my head with ideas and heart with hope. Not only is ‘No Paradise with Wolves’ a book about restoring nature, Katie’s honest account of raising their children in a wild environment sews the seeds for other parents, like myself, to join them in raising the custodians of the future.

Gemma Shooter, Rewilding communicator, illustrator, animal behaviourist & founder of Just Add Wild 

Can humans play a beneficial role within a habitat? Luke, Katie, and their young family are shining examples of just this. By telling their story, they share a hope that will warm hearts  and inspire minds.

Rebecca Hosking, pioneer of Agriwilding and Founder of The Forever Flock


A passion project which has really worked, blending family life with a genuinely practical project to bring back nature.

Dr Stephen Moss, Naturalist & bestselling author

A beautifully woven story that takes your hand through the mountains of Asturias and makes you feel as connected to it as the lawn in your backyard. As Katie and Luke’s story develops and grows, just like their family and farm, so deepens your connection and willingness for their finca to flourish. As Katie invites us into her home and walks us across her pasture and meadows, we become enriched by tales of rewilding. Katie charms through her writing as she recounts the highs and lows of management, motherhood and as a custodian of this special conservation-led environment. This story left me inspired, my horizons feeling broader than ever before, the flame of hope for our neighbours on this planet ablaze and awakened, with all credit to the incomprehensible hard work and dedication of Luke and Katie, and beautifully surmised in No Paradise with Wolves.

Elle Kaye, Conservationist and Taxidermist

An inspiring story of vision and deep love and connection with the land. Katie and Luke’s inspirational passion for Wild Finca is felt on every page of this book. The journey is not an easy one, yet you are left feeling that the landscape is in good hands, and you cannot help but share the vision that one day, Wild Finca will be filled with the buzz of insects, the songs of long-lost bird species and even, possibly, the howl of the wolf. A wonderful read that restores a faith that landscapes such as these can, once again, see nature flourish in all its wild glory.

WildlifeKate, Wildlife Enthusiast and Educator

No Paradise with Wolves is a self-help book for the 21st century, disguised as the memoir of the rather epic journey of a couple rewilding a Spanish farm.
It’s a story of wonder and hope, as all kinds of creatures return to the land. It’s a showcase of how people can once again become part of their landscape and thrive together with their non-human neighbors.
They overcome the challenges of a new language, stubborn grazing staff, the local hunters’ association, and the little distractions that two sons bring to the team.

Joost Janmaat, Co-author of 'Het Wilde Noorden, Stadsnatuurgids voor Amsterdam-Noord' ('The Wild North, Urban Nature Guide to Amsterdam North')