This series is just too fanciful for me, as much as I want to love it. It’s unique and fun, but I can’t buy it. The reason behind our main couples feud just felt so silly- and everything felt overly silly as a result. This is probably a ‘it’s me not you’ situation so I’d still tell others to check out the series if they’re inclined.

A marriage of convenience between two polar opposite Geography professors that goes astray but now they are forced to work together on a new case and maybe finally make their marriage real because despite all their miscommunication, they might have been in love with each other all along. Elodie is chaotic, she’s sunshine, and she is determined to be taken seriously in the academic field. Gabriel is straight laced, grumpy, and can’t express his feelings all that well. Elodie and Gabriel are both geography professors at the same university and decide to get married to benefit one another... but things go wrong and they go from lovers to barely being able to stand being in the same room. Yet when a magic outbreak occurs and only they can solve the case, they will be forced to work together and finally face the issues of their marriage... or come to the realization that they’ve both been pining for one another secretly this entire time.

This was an absolutely delightful and romantic read. I can’t even begin to talk about the amount of times I was laughing and blushing over how adorable this book was.This is the perfect mixture of Anne of Green Gables x Twisters with magic and cozy romance. I love Gabriel and Elodie so much and their chemistry was fantastic. The slow burn, the pining, the absolute YEARNING was so well done. I love this series and I can’t wait for the next book. Every book just keeps getting better and better!!!

Release Date: April 8, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Very grateful to the publisher @berkleyromance and @acebooks for my #gifted copy through @netgalley , opinions are my own
The Geographer's Map to Romance was such a fun, whimsical read! India Holton continues to impress with her blend of historical romance, magic, and humor. Elodie and Gabriel were hilarious and lovable—two brilliant geographers who are also completely clueless when it comes to emotions. Their marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and one-bed situation made for great tension and swoony moments. I loved the magical chaos, the quirky side characters, and the absurd but charming world. The banter was sharp, the goats were ridiculous, and the miscommunication, while a bit frustrating, made the eventual payoff so satisfying. I appreciated that the book focused on academic fantasy from a professor’s point of view rather than students—it felt fresh and different. While I might still slightly prefer the ornithologists from the previous book, this one was just as delightful. If you're looking for something magical, romantic, and laugh-out-loud fun, this book is a great pick!

The Georgrapher’s Map to Romance was a fun, lighthearted story through the Welsh wilderness, magical storms, and romantic adventures.

After a marriage of convenience gone sideways, Elodie and her estranged husband, Gabriel, must work together to overcome the magical disaster plaguing a small Welsh village. But what happens when their mutual longing and pining for each other reaches its limits?

I absolutely adored the vibes of this book! The whimsical, heartfelt quality of the storytelling, along with the academic nature of the plot, the lush, picturesque Welsh countryside, and the sweet romance. The amount of longing in this book between the main characters can be felt immediately. I loved the idea of these two just helplessly in love with the other and them not even having a clue! It made room for the perfect love story to flourish through their adventures. This book made me giddy while reading and smiling throughout!

The only reason this wasn’t a hands-down five-star read was because the introspection of each of the characters and their additional inner dialogue, while very funny and entertaining, sometimes made me feel a little lost and took away from the momentum of the narrative.

I’m super curious to see what the next book will be about, and can’t wait for what magical academia we will follow next!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Another smashing love story from India Holton! The sheer number of tropes packed into this story could spin your head, but it's all in great fun. Professor Elodie Tarrant and her husband Gabriel are estranged but pining after each other. When a magical disaster strikes, it's up to the two of them to save everyone! Maybe using the Magna Carta! The tone is so fun and adventurous while also serving swoony romance. The balancing act is so impressive, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early reader copy!

SHE WAS CUTE!!! in all honesty i think i liked this one more than the first book! historical romance is her bread and butter and at this point im reading anything india holton drops. the romance was cutesy if not a little backseat to the geography bit that i simply did not care about 😭 (this is simply the romance lover in me begging for more)

A fun historical romantic fantasy that was filled with banter and ridiculous (in the best way) world building. This was such a fun book to read although the miscommunication got on my nerves and had me screaming at the FMC and MMC far more than I would have liked. The plot and general premise are wonderfully quirky and whimsical. I love that there are more additions to the academic fantasy that doesn't focus on the students - more please - and having them be professors in the same department I think adds even more. I do that this one was a bit more focused on the fantasy science than the previous one which I found a bit eye-glazing at times, but generally was too fun to find much fault. I find living in this world to be too delightful to hold much against it.

This was a moving historical fiction romantasy featuring rival professors who have been estranged since their marriage of convenience went horribly wrong. I loved the we need to save the world from a magical disaster vibes and thought it was great on audio. Highly recommended for fans of the Emily Wilde series or authors like Elizabeth Everett and Evie Dunmore. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

India Holton manages to write some of the wittiest, most outlandish historical romances. Her sense of humor in these stories makes me giggle throughout. I always enjoy magical realism and she writes it so well. This book series is so wholesome and I just absolutely adore these geographers just as much as I did the ornithologists. The magic in this world is so fun and interactive and I love these geographers and the ridiculousness of it.

Elodie and Gabriel are some of the most oblivious geniuses. They are so fun because of their passion for geography. Yet they literally misinterpret anything and everything emotional. Every assumption, every presumption, every inference was literally the opposite of reality. This book was so outlandish and fun, that as frustrating as you think that would be, you don’t really even notice, because it blends so well together with the magic and the other characters.

This story has marriage of convenience, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, one bed, and delivers all these tropes in such a quirky way. I enjoyed every second of this story. I will say I do think I love ornithology slightly more. No matter, I can’t wait to read the next installment of this series.

Thank you India Holton and Berkley for an earc. All opinions are my own.

5 stars. Obviously. There is so so so so so much to love about India Holton's books, and this series in general. They're historical romance meets cozy fantasy/pnr meets romantic comedy and it's honestly the perfect combination that I want to read over and over again. I love that Holton's heroines are so very modern, which should feel anacrhonistic given the time period of the book, but just makes me love them more. As with other books from Holton, The Geographer's Map to Romance is hysterical. You've got banter for days with so many fun one-liners. But the best part... THE BEST PART... is that this is marriage of convenience. But not just any marriage of convenience. No- these two bozos actually are head over heels for one another, but didn't realize it when they got married, and because they're bozos, they let things get carried away and refuse to acknowledge that they have any actual feelings for one another, and oh yeah, they're fellow geography professors at Oxford who find themselves in the field together with only one bed and damn is everything about that scenario delicious! The first book in this series was my intro to Holton's writing, but this book has officially cemented me as a fan. I cannot wait for the next book in this series, and I will 100% be reading her earlier books.

Thank you so much to Berkley and netgalley for the ARC. This one truly had me smiling the entire time.

The Geographer’s Map for Romance was a whimsical, cozy time with Emily Wilde vibes mixed with a unique mix of historical romance and magical realism. The hijinks Elodie and Gabriel get caught up in had me giggling and gasping in shock. I adore this style of writing and think this is a must read for any romance lovers! The only reason I didn’t rate this five stars was that the strife between Gabriel and Elodie was solely miscommunication. As someone who doesn’t usually enjoy this trope, I found myself wanting to pull my hair out in frustration. However, the pining was top notch and I loved the added back story we get on both characters.

Thank you to Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton is a charming and whimsical adventure that blends romance, humor, and a touch of fantasy. The story follows an unlikely pair who embark on a journey guided by a magical map, with unexpected twists and sparks flying along the way. Holton's writing is witty and engaging, with strong character chemistry and an imaginative plot that keeps readers entertained. The mix of lighthearted romance and adventure makes this book a delightful read for fans of quirky, feel-good stories.

The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton
Love's Academic #2
Pub day is 4/08 🎉

Clever, witty, silly, perfect!

This series is fantasy + historical romance and both books made me so giddy the whole time!

From the synopsis: When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there's no navigational guide for the geography of the heart.

• India Holton sneaks a zillion literary references into her books, and they are truly so much fun to read! I'm so proud whenever I catch one, but since I know that they're frequently really subtle, I'm sure I'm missing even more than I catch! Caught a whole bunch of Jane Austen references in this one.

• I absolutely never miss an opportunity to remind you that my favorite trope is marriage of convenience with a huge side of obsessive, helpless, pathetic pining. I bring this up now, obviously, because this book HAS THAT and more. Professors Elodie and Gabriel are so in love that they simply cannot stand to be near the other!! 🤭

• A reminder (to myself and everyone else) that the benefit of starting the romance novel with the characters *already married* is that the hero starts saying variations of "my wife" and "that's my wife" *even earlier* in the book!

Loved it so much and highly recommend!

I really enjoy India Holton's books. They have action and adventure but also romance and humor.
This one is about a marriage of convenience between 2 professors, Gabriel (who is hoping to acquire lodgings) and Elodie (who wants others -men - to see her as someone smart and not to be looked down on). After one night and a little bit of miscommunication, the relationship ends, though they are still married. They are then brought together to go on a mission to figure out why magic is erupting in a small Welsh village.
I really liked both Elodie and Gabriel and their inner monologues about hating the other but secretly still being in love. Elodie was the epidemy of a sunshine character and Gabriel was the epidemy of a grumpy one. It was fun to see their relationship grow and how they came to trust one another. There were also some quirky and goofy side characters that made parts of the story other than the relationship really fun.
These characters trying to save England from erupting magic was entertaining. The way magic worked in this world was interesting and the way Elodie and Gabriel dealt with it was sometimes funny. A lot of the book was focused on their relationship, but this was a fun addition.
I really love India Holton's writing style. Since it is a historical era book, the writing is a little "fancy" which I think fits the story and era perfectly.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 is a scholarly, humorous romp through 1880's England - perfect for fans of 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦'𝘴 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. It's a silly, short period escape featuring a pair of highly academia magical cartographers who entered into a marriage of convenience only to avoid all forms of sensical communication for a year. Their lack of discussion, especially for such a length of time, was slightly aggravating, but I kept reading for the vibes. However, I enjoyed Elodie's whimsical chaos in contrast to Gabriel's grumpy realism.

The overly embellished prose can become tiresome, and isn't for everyone, but this story was an appropriate length to support such vocabulary while simultaneously not exhausting readers. This is a unique, eccentric story perfect for fans of cozy fantasy and historical fiction, and it hits shelves April 8.

Coming from someone who read an ARC of The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love and LOVED it, I was excited for another unique mix of academia and fantasy.

I could quickly see why the author described Gabriel as a Mr. Darcy type and Elodie as an Anne Shirley type. I would normally prefer to come to that conclusion myself while reading rather than have it put into my head by the author’s instagram’s posts but I enjoy the characterization nonetheless.

This one is shy of five stars because it’s much of the same as the first book and that was a five star read because it took me by surprise with its uniqueness.

I laughed out loud but just not as much as with The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love. I love Elodie and Gabriel perhaps even more than Beth and Devon though.

I don't think I realized when I requested it that this was the second in a series. I haven't read the first, and it didn't affect the reading in the slightest-- perfectly ok to read this on its own!

This is a fun adventure story with a romance subplot. The heroine is a loveable whirlwind. The hero is set up as a stodgy, brooding, historical alpha, but the story teases this apart and reveals him to be a real person, also very loveable. There's definitely grumpy-sunshine energy, and the characters could be ND-coded-- especially the hero.

The paranormal universe is a little generic-magic with a touch of steampunk. I kept finding myself thinking how much the main characters would love to have been in on any of Rincewind's unwanted adventures.

eARC from NetGalley.

This book was a delightful, entertaining, swoony read!!! Truly top tier wit, banter, angst, tension, and yearning!!!

I often have issues getting invested in cozy romances because it often feels too insta-love, but not at all with this book. I was completely enthralled within the first 10% of this book, and it kept my attention the whole way through. It had me smiling and laughing out loud multiple times and I was just completely enamored with the writing and the story. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and when I got to the page where we find out THEY'RE MARRIED (it's like 2 pages in hahaha), I was all in. Idiots in love does not always hit for me, but it 100% worked for me (probably because of all the tension and yearning and banter).

This is a rare time where I was like...maybe there was TOO MUCH plot (which was so entertaining, honestly!!!), but I wanted to get back to the incredible romance. Elodie and Gabriel were simply perfect characters that you couldn't help but love and root for. I loved how they accepted and understood eachother so earnestly, and it was such a juicy "opposites not only attract, they thrive!!" vibe. The dual POVs really worked for me, without being repetitive (which is often my complaint about dual POVs).

So yes, I loved it!!!

*3.5

Thank you Berkley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Are you looking for a cozy fantasy with a sweet & angsty romance? This is the book!

Filled with an adventurous case, Professors Elodie and Gabriel Tarrant (who's marriage is solely of convenience ;) work together to save England from a magical and dangerous eruption.

You can't help but root for Elodie and Gabriel as you see them fall in love and save England together.

Truly a treat of a book!

I loved this book! It’s so whimsical and fun and the romance was delightful. The storm chasing stuff was really cool to read. India Holton is great and I really like her books. Definitely pick this one up!