Today I’m reviewing The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton. In this historical fantasy romance, we follow courteous darling Beth Pickering a professor at Oxford in ornithology, who is determined to find and capture the elusive deathwhistler bird to gain the coveted title of Birder of the Year and of course tenure. When the dashingly charming Professor Devon Lockley (and yes he’s book boyfriend material dear readers) enters the fray, both Beth and Devon (and readers too) won’t know what to do with themselves as their worlds collide (along with their hearts) in this perfectly penned romp of a story.

I need the next book!!!

I loved Holton’s latest novel in her series of Love’s Academic! She brings her characters to life with such wit and charm, you ache to sit down with them to soak in their humanity. What I love most, besides the magical way Holton brings her characters together in this wild west action packed story, is how charmingly funny her books are. There are pure magical moments where you will be belly laughing and have smiles from ear-to-ear in almost every chapter. It's simply put, exceptional.

And those are the books worth every minute from beginning to end and all the re-reads after.

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is a must read. And with this opening novel, romance readers, grab some tissue (you will be cry laughing), and be ready for an adventure featuring murderous birds, conniving bird enthusiasts, and a love story you will find so irresistible, you’ll find yourself back at page one to experience all over again.

I loved the slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers, and a hilarious twist of the one bed trope. Romance readers will not want to miss this one.

Just know, this may be your next obsession.

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is a playful rom-com that will most likely made into a movie. Set in England and Ireland in the early 1900s, Beth is a young professor in an academic world full of older men. Beth gets caught up in a quest to find a rare mythical bird, with the hope that she will receive tenure and the Birder of the Year award. What follows is a romp through multiple scenes where Beth is paired with or against Devon, a handsome young ornithologist who is out to win Beth's love. Recommended for fans of Harry Potter and Only Murders in the Building

thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=5 | 😘=5 | 🤬=3.25 | ⚔️=1 | 18

summary: two rival ornithology professors in 1890s Britain embark on a road trip unwillingly collaborating to find a rare bird. tenure (and love) is at stake!!!!

thoughts: well. gosh. this was delightful. so clever and witty and romantic and silly and unserious and also very emotional and gorgeous?? so fun????? like i was giggling the entire time having the literal time of my life?? cozy and nerdy and unbelievably cute—historical romantasy is such an underrated and relatively unexplored genre. i shall devour however many installments this series includes and provide India Holton with a kidney (one of mine, to be clear, should she require it).

I was obsessed with this book, I felt like it was made for me. It was so nerdy and SO FUNNY. Like seriously no book has business being this funny. It was also so soft, with Devon being the biggest simp of all time in the best way. And India Holton making Beth polite in a fun way, and not a boring no personality way. I can't wait to read the rest of India Holton's books now. Wow.

I feel like the marketing of this book made me think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, and sadly this one didn't live up to that hype. I think the PR plot combined with the Birder of the Year competition totally overshined the romance, sadly. The romance felt 0 to 100, which I understand given the plot, but was less satisfying as a reader. I also wish more had been explained around the magical powers of the birds? I don't know.

Beth Pickering never got along much with other people -- she's more interested in birds than most human interaction. As the youngest and only female Oxford professor, she's not much respected by her peers. But when an international birding competition reveals that the prize is the elusive tenure, Beth is all in. No matter that the bird is practically mythical...

Also looking for the caladrius bird is the roguish Professor Devon Lockley. While a beautiful specimen to behold, he gets on Beth's nerves and in the way of the tenure that belongs to her! The two end up having to work together to find the elusive bird that will win one of them tenure. But as the days go by, they begin to realize that they don't want the competition -- and their temporary partnership -- to end.

Recommended for readers of historical romance looking for something off the beaten path, especially those who loved India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series.

An absolute madcap riot of wit and whimsy!

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is just plain fun. From the banter, to the fantastical birds, and the asides from the press, it was a delight from cover to cover.

Truly a book with a “this is just for me” type of feeling. I adored it.

A splendid, fast-paced romance with immersive worldbuilding about a darling pair of lovebirds! I was also delighted by all the bird jokes--India Holton's humor absolutely had me cackling.

I adore India Holton, and her instagram is also a source of endless, witty enterainment.
Every single sentence in this book is a sparkling gem of excellant punnage, wit, wisdom, sarcasm, satire, subterfuge, acrobatic word-play, or all of the above. It is all so clever and a pleasure to read.

The creativity of each piece was wonderful, so I admired the fantastic skill involved, but the story as a whole didn't GRAB me and hang on..... I am not sure what unquantifiable thing was missing; though it was made up of brilliant little bits, I can't say the book as a whole was a page-turner or kept me up past bedtime wanting to read on.

this was actually really good, i don’t know much about birds but it did well teaching me. it was super funny but also the romance was GREAT!

This was my first India Holton book, and I'm kicking myself for not picking up her works earlier! This was so incredibly funny, adorable and entertaining. I usually have a hard time with books that aim to be funny because I find there to be a veryyyy fine line between funny and cringe, but this was seriously a delight.

The story follows academic rivals, Beth and Devon, as they compete and eventually reluctantly team up as part of an ornithology competition to win the title of "ornithologist of the year" and more importantly of course, TENURE. Beth is a ray of sunshine, so immersed in her studies and aloof when it comes to socialization. She's overly polite to try to cover her struggles with socializing and it makes for some really funny and endearing interactions. Devon on the other hand is a total rake, flirtatious and hilarious. The dynamic was totally giving Emily Wilde and Wendell, so if you're a fan of that series (as I am) you'll definitely love these two!

I love how the book doesn't take itself too seriously, the ridiculousness is part of the charm. The villains are cartoonish but in a way that works perfectly for the story. Funny roadblocks were constantly popping up, and seeing the main characters navigate it was never boring. The humour in the dialogue was so witty and struck a perfect balance of some laugh out loud moments as well as deeper cuts. Just such a fun book from start to end!

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the eARC!

As always, India Holton has written a clever, amusing, and heart-warming book that is just the ticket for a low-stakes but magical read. This book was a delight and I couldn’t love Beth more.

In this fresh and absolutely absurd romance adventure, two rival ornithologists become the victims of an elaborate marketing plan ... and suffer intense yearning, birding mishaps, and mixed variations of there was only one bed trope – all for the chance of becoming Birder of the Year. One thing about India Holton is that she will have you cackling one moment, and swooning the next. The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love will have you entangled in a clever repartee between two rivals (who maybe aren't), dangerous magical birds, hijinks, and most importantly, tea! This historical romance with a delightful fantasy twist is a new favorite!

All the stars, all the love.

India Holton has done it again! This is a heartwarming, witty, swoony, soft, fizzy, magical, irreverent light academia historical fantasy romance to kick off a new series titled Love's Academic. It has all the author's hallmarks from the Dangerous Damsels series - madcap shenanigans, the wittiest of banter, lots of clever literary references, allusions, and puns, well-developed, immediately engaging characters to wholeheartedly root for.

A new favourite!

India Holton remains the queen of comedic fantasy.

I never know quite how to explain her books to people, other than “India Holton could write two people casually sitting down to breakfast, and I’d laugh out loud with every other line.” Actually, I think there was a breakfast scene in this book? And I read several of those lines out loud to my husband, in between snorts and giggles.

<i>The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love</i> follows Professors Beth Pickering and Devon Lockley, two rivals in magical ornithology who have temporarily teamed up in order to track down an elusive bird and win the most coveted prize of all: <i>tenure</i>. Throughout the process, they must deal with murderous birds, murderous fellow ornithologists, accidental French jokes, and terrifying public relations agents.

As has been the pattern with all of India Holton’s books, I reached for this novel as soon as I was feeling stressed, and it immediately diverted me from my problems. Somewhere in the midst of my cackling laughter, however, I still had a touching moment with the heroine, who strikes me as an autistic person who’s been (hilariously and desperately) masking all throughout the novel. In short, <i>The Ornithologist’s Field Guide</i> was a perfect way to spend my evening—and I intend to recommend it heartily to anyone in need of a pick-me-up.

"Ornithology is hardly a walk in the park. Er, except when it is an actual walk in the park to observe birds, of course."

This was absolutely delightful! I am now obsessed with India Holton's witty, silly, and whimsical writing. I kicked my feet, giggled, and fell in love with the characters in this historical fantasy rom-com.

You will love if you enjoy:
Academic Rivals
Light Academia
Witty Banter
One Bed Trope
One Horse Trope
Victorian era England
Indiana Jones-vibed roguish professor

This cover is STUNNING. Definitely one of my favorites from the last few months. I squealed when I was approved for the arc. (SQUEALED. My husband heard it across the house and wondered what was wrong.) Fantasy rom-com with Indiana Jones vibes hunting magical death-birds? Rivals to lovers? An academic setting of a random specialty I know nothing about? Strong, capable woman? A competition to be the best? One bed trope? Fowl play?! It keeps getting better! Sign me up immediately! I must have this book! This is everything I love! The fantasy! The adventure! The hot chemistry dripping off the page! This will be my favorite book of the year! So! Many! Exclamation points!

Friends, I missed/misunderstood the word HISTORICAL in the bold line above the blurb. /facepalm/ This is for fans of historical rom-coms who want a tiny dash of fantasy. The prose screams "Victorian-Era historical rom-com," and I'm generally not into it (my own personal taste). I stopped after chapter 1. Suggestion to the marketing team to add that information in the blurb.

Leaving five stars. In my overwhelming disappointment, there's no way I can fairly judge this. I might come back to it later, but setting it aside for now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

SYNOPSIS
Rival ornithologists hunt through Victorian England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.

MY THOUGHTS
The first in the beloved author's new series is her most charming yet! A cutthroat competition between ornithologists finds neurodivergent MC Professors Beth Pickering and Devon Lockley teaming up to try to win Birder of the Year.

Holton's characteristic wit, whimsy, quirky dialogue, and amazing worldbuilding make this romantasy a joy to read -- and I dare say, her best ever! Holtonites will swoon and guffaw, as will readers who adore laugh-with-delight histficroms. Huzzah!

4.5 stars

As a lover of birds, magic, and rivals to lovers romance, this was a book after my own heart. It’s lighthearted and whimsical, not to mention laugh out loud funny. I loved how it contained all of the good tropes whilst also poking fun at them - my fave was the room with seven beds.

The competition aspect was super fun to follow as Beth and Devon traipsed around England avoiding other ruthless ornithologists in search of a rare magical bird. I loved the historical setting and how Beth is always worrying about her propriety, while Devon slowly makes her forget all about it. The romance was really sweet and a tiny bit spicy, and I found it to be developed believably in a short amount of time.

There are small things I could criticize, but the book is clearly not meant to take itself too seriously. I’m a fantasy girlie, so I would have loved even a little more magic. Overall I enjoyed this a lot and would like to read more from India Holton.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the ARC!

By Jove! ORNITHOLOGISTS is a delightfully madcap rivals-to-lovers romp featuring India Holton's trademark wit, genteel ladies who enjoy tea with their fisticuffs--and of course, oodles of magical murder birds. I was charmed from beginning to end!