I've never before so strongly felt the author's glee emanating from every page-- rife with devious smiles and cackling laughter.

And just to get this out of the way: this is hands down the nerdiest romance I've read in my life. Peak "talk nerdy to me" energy.

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is very much in the vein of Holton's debut series, resplendent with innuendos and puns (and also puns in basic French). This is additionally, probably, her most creative play on the "only one bed" trope out of the four novels I've now read from her. And oh man, do the farces of this romcom reach new farcical heights!!

It's truly a love letter to Romance readers and the nearly fourth-wall-breaking narrative element in this had me giggling constantly. Holton is incredibly self-aware and it's absolutely hilarious to read.

If you're looking for spice or the romance of the ages, you might look elsewhere. But if you'd like a laugh and a fun, goofy adventure with magical birds and kisses that feel like getting the right answer when called on in class-- this just might be for you! It was definitely for me.

A wonderful and whimsical love story a kin to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries if there was more romance. Thoroughly enjoyed the love story and the action and the creativity of a world with magical birds. Banter = 10/10!

What is the most fun book you've read lately? For me it's definitely The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by the amazing @india.holton!

I knew I would love it. I knew it would be hilarious, fun and relatable. And it STILL surprized me! There were so many times I literally laughed out loud 😄 all I will say is that there isn't just one bed, there's.... Oh, you'll have to read it to see 😂

Such an specific noche and yet I love the characters!
What a charming story, The pacing was a bit odd at times but Im looking forward to read mor of this authors work

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

This book was a fun period piece with a hint of the magical. It follows two rival ornithologists that are in a competition to find a certain magical bird. This novel was fun and lighthearted and honestly silly at times. It was very cute and easy to read and the romance was adorable. It did get slightly repetitive at times but overall was very enjoyable.

thank you to netgalley and berkley for providing this to me as an ARC!

this is my first read by india holton and this book was a DELIGHT. i signed up to read this for the birds and was a little surprised when i realized they were magical but that was really not an issue for me at all. while magical, the story was still realistic and sprinkled with flirtatious scandal between the two rival othologists (if you know you know).

the banter between beth and devon was fun and the tension between them was set at a perfect pace. i thought beth was very relateable due to her suspected neurodivergence and experiences in academia.

the publicists really added flair to the story and i thought this approach was very clever. i loved the scenes with them!

if you are looking for a whimsical late 19th century romance, definitely check this one out

Two birds of a feather take flight together in this utterly charming fantasy historical romance. With a competition that is as fixed as a taxidermied albatross, our unsuspecting professors not only spread their wings with emotional growth, but Beth grows a set of talons. Definitely recommended for bird watchers, bird lovers, and madcap academics.

i think it says a lot that i was unaware the birds were magic in this book until i hit around 76%…ive tried india holton’s books before and something about her writing style makes my brain very confused. literally nothing against her or her writing, its just my reading style doesn’t match with her writing style and that’s okay

This book is so much fun! I will admit that it started a little slow, for me, but as I really liked this author's other books, I had faith it would be great. It is. It is great. Hijinks, competition, clever heroine and hero, jokes about getting tenure(!), tropes played for fun, wacky side-characters, nefarious goings on---what else could you want?

This book has many things that should make me love it. Romance, fantasy, Victorian times, Oxford, birds, MAGICAL birds, ornithologists. But I didn’t love it. I found the story repetitive and boring. I was never invested in Beth or Devon or their relationship. There is so much silliness – SO MUCH silliness – that it is truly hard to take the story seriously. There’s madcap and then there’s so much absurdity that it’s really hard to fall into the story and stay there. At least for me.

At one point they are naked and about to have sex and Devon asks, “do you consent?” Really? After making out and taking off each other’s clothes “I consent” literally needs to be said? OK, never mind, maybe young people having sex today really expect the other person to say “I consent” during the throes of passion. I guess this is supposed to prove what a super nice and trustworthy guy Devon is, but I found it awkward and unrealistic. (Oh, and how very very helpful and convenient that he is sterile and manages to tell Beth before they do the deed.)

In the Acknowledgments, the author says, “While every effort was made to accurately depict the various details of life in 1890, I took considerable artistic licence with the big picture”. You think? Like having an educated gentleman go around using the f word in front of a gentlewoman? (That word felt so out of place in this book.)

Some of the magical creatures seriously reminded me of certain Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Especially the big climax with the magical caladrius flying and filling everyone with magic, healing, and love.

I think it may be time to stop reading India Holton. I read the first Dangerous Damsels and gave it three stars as well. (At least this book was not nonstop nonsense. There is plenty of nonsense, but it’s a little more contained.) She just really is not my cup of tea.

I read an advance reader copy of The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love from Netgalley.

This was everything I was hoping it would be! It was charming, whimsical, enchanting, funny, & swoon worthy. It also had a lot of action sequences that kept the story alive. This book made me smile so many times. Beth and Devon were so good together. The side characters were amusing. I will read whatever India writes because her stories just simply make me happy.

On paper this is absolutely a book for me--rival ornithologists, a rare birding competition, women in STEM, touch of magic, Victorian era setting, yes yes AND YES. However, the tone of this is cozy historical romance. And while I was expecting a romp and and easy breezy reading, this was cozy to the point of fussiness. The over-reliance on making our main female character seem so naive & hiding behind big words took me out of the story every time. For some, this style of writing is going to be a hit, but it is really not for me. The other thing that really didn't work for me in this book was the plot itself. The magical birds were vastly under-explained & the harebrained scheme of the ornithological society really didn't make much sense at all. Again, the synopsis of this book is one I absolutely loved, but the execution was not at all what I was hoping for. I hope that lovers of tediously cozy books find their way to this one, I do think this is a case of it was me, not the book.

This book was a hoot! Pun fully intended. It was absurd and bonkers in the best why possible. I was constantly cracking up reading this and I loved all the different magical birds. The romance between Beth and Devon is utterly precious. Though I do think it was a bit long or drawn out in some parts. If you enjoy fun and silly romance this is definitely for you.

✨A bird in the hand is worth two professors getting it on in a bush✨

TL;DR: Hmm the romance was great and Holton’s writing remains a national treasure, but I could honestly have cared less about the plot (sorry to the birds). While it’s not my favorite Holton novel, I have no egrets <3

✨

This book was fun and definitely classic India Holton™ bonkers, but I was just not as intrigued by the birds as I was by her pirates/witches/spies. Maybe it was because I’m terrible at picturing things in my head, but I was just like…what do you mean magical birds??? I felt like we got even less rules in this universe and my brain kinda hurt. My eyes were going a bit spiraly. I couldn’t really get lost in the world quite like I did in the last series.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the birds and the absurdity of it all, but I just wanted more romance and less plot. The way Holton writes characters falling in love is by far my favorite thing about her books. Was there much romantic tension because this was some of the instaest insta love I’ve ever read? No, not really, and I do think there could’ve been some more depth, yet I was SO CHARMED. Definition of romance. “Apologize to the lady for annoying her” is pure sex.

While I did get a bit bored of the bird chasing, I was so invested in the“publicity” subplot. Basically there were some ornithologist PR agents trying to drum up public interest in ornithology by heavily promoting the Romance of it all. They kept calling reporters and orchestrating only-one-bed scenarios, which was GREAT fun. It was an endearing amount of farcical and kept me giggling and kicking my feet.

After evaluation, The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is most similar to The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. They both do a lot of work as intros to series (and absurd magical worlds), the romances were set up very similarly (rivals to lovers pretending to be enemies to lovers who spend half the book being friends to lovers), and the romance took a lesser role to the plot.

I also feel like book two is going to be my favorite of the series, the same way The League of Gentlewomen Witches stole my heart. The teaser for book two was somehow more interesting than this entire book. Like India Holton writing second chance???—former marriage of convenience, current (and estranged) marriage of inconvenience???—I am LIVING!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️.5/5


I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

Sometimes you just have to embrace your guilty pleasures and India Holton’s books are one of mine. I adored her Dangerous Damsels series and Love’s Academic is shaping up to be in the same category. Beth is a young ornithologist (studyof birds) and meets Devon out in the field. It’s your typical comfort Rom-Com with a healthy dose of adventure as they try to capture a rare magic bird & save a few other birds along the way. Beth is a capable, very intelligent woman and it’s wonderful to see Devon fall for her because of those things, not in spite of them. He sees her as an equal and is drawn to how knowledgeable she is about the birds he loves as well. I love that Hilton’s characters aren’t always the “normal” romance characters, but the real world versions who feel a little weird or different themselves and find their matches who love them for their weirdness. I love that Holton makes fun of the one bed/horse and fake marriage tropes repeatedly and even has the Victorian version of viral romance gossip following them. It’s just a witty, bantering, fun romp in the magical bird world and I’m all for it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, India Holton & Berkeley Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review!!

This was genuinely the most delightful book I’ve ever read. Everything about it made me happy, and I could not stop smiling the entire way through. Incredibly well-written and thoroughly entertaining, India Holton has crafted another masterpiece. PLEASE add this to your TBR!

A delightful, sunshiney, and swoon-worthy historical fantasy romance, perfect for fans of EMILY WILDE. ORNITHOLOGIST's is a ridiculous, romantic romp of a book, and I enjoyed every second. I can't wait for the next installment of Love's Academic!

Full review to come to my blog, In My Book, soon.

Thank you to Netgalley/Berkley Romance for the early copy!

I read this book because I love India Holton's style in her Dangerous Damsels series. She's over the top, ridiculous in the best way, with a fun intersection of "proper" victorian behavior and adventurous FMCs.

I found The Ornithogogist's Field Guide to Love hard to follow in the beginning. It took me a chapter or two to understand the world building and the magical birds. I also found that the book prioritized fun, ridiculous scenes over developing the romantic relationship. The love story was cute (Who doesn't love rivals-to-lovers?) but I would have liked to see more depth between the main characters. That said, I fully enjoyed the world this was set in. Magic birds, rival professors, victorian england, cutthroat ornithologist's, what isn't to love? I would love to read more about these characters and birds in the future, I feel like theres a ton of potential avenues to explore.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves India Holton, anyone who loves over-the-top, fun stories, and anyone who likes light historical fantasy. It was a cozy read that I will definitely be revisiting.

Thank you to India Holton and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

There are only two books I have ever described as cockamamie perfection, and they book belong to India Holton.

Burn this entire book into my brain. This. was. EVERYTHING?!? I have never read something so ridiculous and over-the-top and utterly me-coded. And yet, for how silly it was, it was so layered and clever and just simply well-written. There was not a single page where I did not laugh at some joke, the best being a running gag that involved speaking French wrong. And then, while I was cackling at the antics, I was also kicking my feet and squealing at every interaction between the love interests.

I literally could not have loved this book more and am begging Berkley for the follow-up book as soon as possible.