I was very excited for this audiobook, and luckily it did not disappoint. I haven’t found a historical fiction book that I have enjoyed this much in forever, The Naturalist felt like it was set in a Jane Austen world, with slight romance and comedy and charming characters.
The story is about Alice a woman who has a passion for science and nature, but in the regency times she as a woman cannot practice this. She disguises herself as a man to get a job with a Naturalist named Joseph.

I loved the narrator’s voice, she moves along at a comfortable and engaging pace. I enjoyed her British accent as well it wasn’t difficult to understand and added to the them of the book.

Thanks so much NetGalley, BellaVita Press, and Tantor Media for the ALC

Thank You RBmedia and NetGalley for the ALC of this book.

Katherine Anderson did a great job narrating and bringing this story to life, the production quality was good. The premise was fun and lighthearted. This was not an overly deep or intense story by any means, but it was sweet and the characters were likable. Was it overly believable the very surface level disguise actually worked to convince the MMC that the boy he was working so closely with everyday and the young lady of quality were not the same person, that was the part that made me suspend my disbelief most in order to buy in to the story. But watching as they each had their journey of acceptance and hope for the future was good, clean fun. Enjoyable and sweet.

I loved the concept of this book, but I just couldn’t connect to the charaters. I found myself annoyed at their behavior and actions. I think if you connected well it would be a lovely novel, I just was the wrong personality fit.

Genre: Historical Romance
Age: Adult
Tropes: Forced Marriage, Woman working, secret identity, miscommunication
Themes: Science Research
Read For: Netgalley
Obtained From: Thanks to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the Advanced Listening Copy
Hashtags: #TheNaturalist #NetGalley.

This book was dry but well written. I didn’t find the story or the characters engaging. Audio was produced well.

In all honesty, about two hours in I was going to make this a DNF as it was not holding my attention… but, I’m glad I finished it.

Joseph Tierney, a naturalist, has the amazing luck to find an assistant who actually knows what he’s talking about.

Unfortunately, he later finds out that Arthur is not what he seemed…
In fact, Arthur is actually Alice….

It’s a sweet story, in times past, and in the last couple of hours, it DID hold my attention… so there’s that!

Not my favorite, but good just the same!!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#TheNaturalist by #ChristinaDudley and narrated by #KatherineAnderson.

*** RELEASE DATE IS COMING SOON….5/13/25! So, look for it then!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #TantorAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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Two young people who love the natural world. Two young people who want to spend their time searching, studying, and cataloguing. Two young people who decide to work together to catalogue the species around the young lady’s home. This should be a match made in heaven, except the young lady is pretending to be a boy and that ploy obviously cannot go not forever. A lovely romance with some great side characters. I greatly enjoyed the audiobook narrator whose voice I felt was perfect for the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Naturalist is a sweet and cosy read that is perfectly silly at times as it is equally endearing. It was an absolutely delightful read that had me giggling right to the end - I am so glad to have been able to listen to this book.

The narrator Katherine Anderson did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life!

The Naturalist
by Christina Dudley
Narrated by Katherine Anderson

What initially attracted me to this book was its cover, but ultimately, it wasn't for me. I have listened to many historical romance audiobooks before, but I found this one to be extremely boring. I even tried speeding up the narration, but I still couldn't connect with the characters, and I thought the plot was very predictable. listened to many historical romance audiobooks before, but I have to say that I was extremely bored listening to. I sped up the narrator, but still, I could not connect with the characters and found the plot very predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this audiobook!

I have never listened to a historical romance audiobook before, but I have to say that I was extremely bored listening to this one.

The writing was fine enough. However, I didn't care about any of the characters, and there just wasn't anything for me to really become invested with. The romance was dull, and truthfully, I couldn’t wait for this to be over.

I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Alice Hapgood, England 1808, loved everything to do with nature. Forbidden to explore by her father for proprietary's sake, she starts dressing up as a boy to go about on her excursions. That is how she met Joseph, a Naturalist.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Tantor Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute, sweet, quick his fic romance. It was clever and fun. I thought the narrator was great and engaging. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a cozy, low stakes romance with PG Bridgerton vibes. I had a good time listening to it!

My rating: 3.5 stars rounded up

This is a cozy romance. The premise of mistaken/hidden identity is charming and had some hilarious moments. I see that the book was published awhile ago. I think the story holds up 10 years later. It's a sweet romance- nothing beyond kisses. I prefer spice but a sweet romance seems more appropriate for a the time period. The narration is really well done. There's a single narrator, Katherine Anderson. She has a nice accent and does cute variations for different characters.

Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

Contains an audiobook review!

This is the first book in the Hapgoods of Bramleigh series. It is a kisses only Regency Era romance.

Christina Dudley's writing gives me Jane Austen vibes. I've read many stories based during the Regency time period, and some of the writing seems more modern to me than others. I listened to this audiobook in the same week I watched Pride and Prejudice in the movie theater. Then I listened to the audiobook version of the book. This was my next listen, and I really could see Jane Austen's influence in Christiana Dudley's writing.

This story itself is very fun. I love hidden identity aspect of this book. I was literally laughing out loud numerous times.

As a side note, the very first book that I was given as an ARC was the last book in this series. I remember loving it and wanting to read the others. I am just a slow reader and prefer audiobooks. I was so excited to see this one coming to audio. The female narrator does a very nice job of reading the story and providing character voices.

Many thanks to RBMedia for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Naturalist is a well written Regency era book perfect for Jane Austen fans, who love a headstrong female main character.
Alice has no interest in marriage, but instead wishes to further her education by exploring the flora and fauna of her family home. Enter Joseph Tierney, a young available gentleman, destined for the life of a clergyman, but wanting to be free to be a naturalist. All the families with eligible daughters set their sights on him.
The story is full of regency shenanigans with dancing, banter, misunderstandings, and fun.
I received the Audiobook from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, and enjoyed that the narrator had a British accent to really place you in Regency England. The author had a clear soft spoken voice and while it played well with the time period of the story, it was at times difficult to follow and keep all the characters straight. The characters had similar sounding names and at times it was hard to know who was who.
There was also very little differentiation between the character voices, and it again made it difficult to follow just with listening. I would recommend listening and reading the story together for a full immersive experience.
Thank you NetGalley and Tantor audio for the audiobook.

This was an engaging and witty regency romp. I loved Alice and her sisters as well as her whole family dynamic. It was a quick and cheerful read and I’m excited to continue the series. This new cover is stunning.

This was a sweet, clean romance, and I loved how it progressed. The MCs just were made for each other, although it took the MMC some time to realize his feelings. The narration was done well, too. I enjoyed this book.

I had so much fun with this light romance. I have to say as I have been reading almost exclusively queer/queer coded books I was not sure I would like this hetero normative couple, but I fell very in love with the low stakes and lightness of this one. The book was splendid and I am looking forward to more. I have to say it also made me pick up Essex Serpent again too, The Priest iykyk


also where is my naturalist hottie??

Bit of a slow start for me but eventually fell into the Jane Austin-ness of it with the extra details about family dynamics and in conversations. Alice wishes to be educated and dreams of being a naturalist but can't because she was born a girl. So instead, she pretends to be a boy and has been going out for years without being discovered. Suddenly an actual naturalist, Joe, finds her and takes him/her on as his assistant in the field while staying in the area. Hijinks ensue. The romance takes both parties unaware and neither recognizes how their relationship has changed until they start talking about it with others. It is a sweet story even though there are lies and miscommunication. I did spend a little bit of time just wishing they had spoken their minds sooner and to each other, but I always struggle with miscommunication tropes. It is a cozy, clean, romance that takes place in nature.

From the very first pages, I was swept away by that familiar feeling I get when entering an Austen novel: sharp wit, social stakes, simmering tension, and a heroine who sees the world differently.

Christina Dudley clearly knows her Austen. She’s playing in that same world of wit, warmth, and romantic tension, but she isn’t copying. She’s building something of her own. She’s honoring the classics while carving out her own voice.

The Naturalist is Regency through and through. It’s a thoughtful, romantic, and deeply satisfying story that lingers like the best love letters do.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review The Naturalist!

This book is very uneventful…the most interesting thing to happen is she gets caught dressing as a man but it’s really not even blown up much despite the fact during this time period it would be a major issue and ruin her reputation. I liked the concept in theory, I just found the execution lacking somewhat. I think there was a lot of room for more stuff to happen but it didn’t, which made it difficult to get through the book as it was kind of slow moving.

I received the audiobook ARC for this and found that the narrator’s heavy accent at times made it difficult to follow along with the story and it took me a while at the beginning to adjust to it. I think this made me dislike the story more, as I had to try harder to process what she was saying in order to understand what was happening in the book. While it does help to point out the setting of the story, for International readers outside of Britain, it can be a bit difficult to understand or follow easily. When I listen to an audiobook I like being able to easily understand and not have to decipher what is being said, but I had to actively be thinking about what was said while listening to this. The author also doesn’t really use a different pitch or tone when speaking from different character perspectives. One of the male characters I fully thought was a woman up until the end because the narrator used such a high-pitched voice when saying their dialogue. If there was a bit more difference between the characters dialogue and how it was said, it would be easier to distinguish the characters from one another.

On a more positive note, I do like the setting of this book and it kind of gives Pride and Prejudice but with a cross-dressing STEM gal instead for a mc (Alice, I know you’d be a researcher in the modern world and would love STEM). Another thing I love about this book is the cover, which I think is absolutely gorgeous and has beautiful colours in it. The newer cover is much better than previous editions I’ve seen.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own.