Rival ornithologist professors hunting down a rare magical bird in a competition find themselves falling in love while trying to beat each other to the prize. Beth Pickering is determined to get tenure, she's only passionate about one thing: birds. So when the ornithologist society offers a huge cash prize and tenure to the winner of the magical bird capturing competition, Beth is determined to win it, the only problem is so is famous handsome professor Devon Lockley. Beth and Devon are constant rivals and Devon loves getting under Beth's skin like nobody else. From the moment Devon met Beth he just couldn't stay away. He's been smitten with her since he met her and despite being professional rivals... this competition is the perfect way for him to team up with her and get to spend time with her... and it definitely doesn't hurt that the news paper have assumed they were lovers and that most of the places they've stayed at only have one bed..... but can he capture Beth's heart or will she fly away like the birds she so loves to chase? This was an absolutely charming and cute rom com read, it's perfect parts cozy fantasy romance and part charming academia. It's the perfect book for fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries!!! I can't even begin to talk about how much I adore Devon and Beth, Devon is so in love with Beth and it's so precious. I can't wait for book 2 to see the next couple fall in love! Please add this book to your tbr because I promise you wont regret it.

Release Date: July 23, 2024

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*

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

What an absolute delight of a book!

This book is smart, witty, and absolutely bonkers, but in the best way possible. A crazy birding competition, an opposites attract romance, political and academic intrigue, and most importantly, the lucrative offer of tenure on the plate (every professor's dream!). Through a series of incredible hijinks, backstabbing colleagues, heists, and hijackings, Beth Pickering and Devon Lockley are at the center of a hunt for an incredibly rare bird that has last been seen in England. In a story that mixes historical realism with magical birds and some steampunk contributions (helicopter parasol, anyone?), there is an incredible story that meshes both the romance between the two leads and the exciting chase to be Birder of the Year.

I had such an amazing time reading this book. The language is flowery and ostentatious, but it somehow works within the context. The romance brewing between Beth and Devon is delectable and earnest, and it is everything you would expect from a period romance. The angst is there, the pining is there, and you get so much emotional payoff throughout the whole story. The contest adds flavor to the story, and it works in perfect balance with the romance. Everything is so perfect and succinct, and the story absolutely just works.

This book was so much fun! I can't wait to read the next book from India Holton.

“All any of us want, bird and birder, is the freedom to find our own skies, our own magic.”

Get ready for your heart to take flight in India Holton’s newest!

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is an enchanting and magical historical romance filled with adventure, mystery and romantic moments. There are magical killer birds, a birding competition, shenanigans and lots of tea. Such a fun and unique read; India has a truly special writing voice.

The romance between Devon & Beth was adorable. All of their interactions made me giddy. I enjoyed watching Devon transform from a rakish rogue to man in love. Beth’s exasperation with him was a highlight. This book is FUNNY- prepare for top notch banter and witty one-liners.

I’ll always come back to India Holton when I’m looking for something swoony and magical!

What to expect:
📖Genre: Magical realism + Historical romance + adventure
🕊️Magical killer birds
✌️Dual POV
🐎Only one horse
🫠Nicknames (Villain/ Angel/ Ruthless Woman)
🚪Open door (very mild details)

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advanced copy; all thoughts are my own.

Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.
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“The wise ornithologist keeps her friends close and her enemies tied up somewhere they cannot trouble her.”

This was an adventure as everyone is searching for a magical bird. Our fmc Prof Beth and her rival from another university Prof Devon end up having to work together to find it. I man tenure is the prize this is important. Though there are people pushing them together and one bed and rivals to lovers situations happening. Love this series! It's a fun historical with some magic.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley and Ms. Holton for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I haven’t read anything by Ms. Holton before but based on reviews and the overall tone I believe that her style is one that the reader either enjoys or… Does NOT. Overall I thought the plot was cute and fun, and I particularly enjoyed the publicists angle and the chemistry between Beth and Devon. However, I would have enjoyed more world building (all these birds that can kill - how are more people not dead or injured regularly? how does the magic work?) and I thought in general the tone and zaniness level was OTT. Too much for me, anyway. I get the general idea that you pick up this author’s work if you know and enjoy what you’re getting into. It’s definitely a romp but it’s in the eye of the beholder as to whether it’s more of a “zany, fizzy, sexy, hilarious” romp or the “off the rails, preposterous, too much of a good thing” variety.

I think I fell somewhere in the middle - some parts were fun! - but some were a little too much. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a book for bird lovers! A sweet book comprised of love and birds. If you are a bird lover this is a must.

"Come now, Miss Pickering," he said, laughing. "All may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology. Cheating is practically one of our scientific principles."

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is a light academia, historical-fantasy rom-com, in which rival ornithologists, dedicated to the study of thaumaturgic birds (which is to say, magical birds) race across France and England to find a rare magical bird in hopes of winning the Birder of the Year award, as well as a tenure position as a professor of Ornithology.

If sunshine and joy were ever to exist in book form, it would be The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love. This books was so delightfully charming and whimsical, witty and even laugh-out-loud funny at times; it was genuinely impossible not to smile the whole way through! Not to mention the way that India Holton cleverly breaks the 4th wall to address us, the readers, all throughout the book! and I mourn the fact that I'll never be able to experience reading this book for the first time ever again.

It's always interesting to see the many ways in which India Holton includes neurodivergent representation in her books, and The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is no exception to that! I adored reading how Beth used her vast knowledge of birds to understand and/or relate to her peers, and seeing how Devon felt overcome with emotion and excitement at finally having found, in Beth, someone who could match him in her intellectuality and intelligence, after a whole life feeling othered by his peers.

Speaking of Beth and Devon, the romance was so, so precious and wholesome, and I couldn't get enough of how completely enamored Devon was with Beth. From the way that he thought about her, to the way that he talked to and treated her, it continuously warmed my heart, as did being witness to Beth experiencing romance for the first!

With lots of hijinks, bird puns, museum mayhem, death defying stunts, a hilarious take on the one-bed-trope, and more, The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is one of my top favorite reads of 2024, and my gateway to India Holton's books; it's a book that I will cherish forever and that I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you will too!

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton is witty and fun, just the kind of historical romance I love to read. In book one of her new series, Love’s Academic, India Holton continues with her heroines being clever and capable and finding heroes that love smart women.
In this new novel, both Beth and Devon are incredibly clever and fun characters, each learning trust along with love and passion, accepting that they bring out the best in the other. And isn’t that the way all relationships should be? I love the set up of the romance, that while the forced proximity is due to the contest and the press, that both of them inevitably fall for the other, especially over witty repartee and intelligence deductions. The adventure and romance are lovely with a spectacular ending.
If you love historical romance that is especially witty and fun, I suggest checking out The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love. It is fun but still is infused with deeper elements like trust and passion and both characters fall due to the intelligence and strength of their partner. I love the strong female protagonist of Beth but I also love the charm of Devon. This is the perfect romantic read!

THIS BOOK WAS SUCH A FUN ROMP!

India Holton just keeps getting better with time. I will say, I have to be in the right kind of mood for her books (silly and ready for a whirlwind of adventure), but once I am in that mood, I simply devour her writing. I think something fascinating about Holton's books and this one in particular is the world building that she does and the way that the reader is thrust into the world and gets to learn more as the story progresses.. It's the softest kind of delightful magic that exists and I am wowed by her creativity and skill. I also appreciated the commentary on being a woman in academia (BUT TENURE!) and her nuanced portrayal of an autistic woman in the time before that word existed. Also, he falls first and HARD, which hits every time.

I can't wait for the next one in this series!

This is my first book by India Holton and it was a refreshingly fun summer read. Without a doubt this is one of the quirkiest romances I have read and its unique blend of Victorian History, Magic, Romance, and Comedy truly set this apart with My Lady Jane meet Indiana Jones Vibes in a classic Steampunk Package. This book will not only draw you in with the unexpected, but it will delight you with side characters who steal scenes and a pair of academic rivals who set out seeking a rare magical bird and tenure but find each other and love in the process... all the while engaging in delicious banter and just plain silly antics. This was a super fast paced action romance with a wonderfully new trope Academic Rivals to Lovers that left me giggling and sighing.

in short, The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love was pure unadulterated escapism at its best!

I will be reading more of India Holton in the future because finding a fresh new, to me voice, in romantic comedy is hard to find!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC. It was a pleasure reading this book

Another hit from one of my fav quirky historical fantasy romance authors!! I loved this first book in a new series that sees two rival ornithologists falling in love as they chase down a magic bird and fend off other competitiors.

Full of top notch banter, sexy slow burn romance, action, adventure, helicopter umbrellas and MORE! India has the unique ability to blend genres in a steampunk esque way that I just can't get enough of!! Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sarah Hawley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next!! A must read for any historical fiction fantasy lovers!

India Holton’s books make me grin. They’re quirky and fantastical and positively delightful.

In The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, we find our neurodivergent heroine, Beth Pickering, teaming up with rival ornithologist, Devon Lockley, in a road trip that takes them by boat, carriage, train, and horse across Britain—and part of France—on the hunt for a caladrius, a bird with panacean properties, whose capture will secure the Birder of the Year title for one of them (as well as tenure at a top university). Whew, what a premise!

Along the way, they have to survive attacks from other magical birds and from their competitors, meddling from news reporters, innkeepers, and some other mysterious individuals, and interference from their former partners/employers. The journey is rather eventful, to say the least.

Highlights for me included the language barrier miscommunication with some of the people they encounter along the way, the innuendo and double entendres, and the pulling of the puppet strings behind the scenes.

I grinned and I giggled and had a jolly good time.

If you’re a fan of historical fantasy, I highly recommend reading this one.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley Romance. All review opinions are my own.

This book is everything to me for REAL! My first India Holton book, and I picked it up while I was in a bit of a reading slump because the book I had been reading was absolutely not it. From the very beginning, The Ornithologists SLAYED. The cast of characters at the beginning set the tone as whimsical and fun, and that's exactly what it was. This book had me giggling, kicking my feet, screaming, ALL OF IT, and I'm not even exaggerating like I genuinely did all of those things. The books I read for the rest of the year are going to be hard-pressed to outdo this five-course meal of a book. To coin a slightly-outdated phrase: Slayed the house boots down Houston I'm deceased.

And also very much looking forward to the sequel!

I have a passion for books set in slightly altered versions of our own. While I love the high fantasy of <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>, I adore the world bending of <em>A Discovery of Witches</em> and <em>Emily Wilde</em>. In the latest book coming out this week from India Holton, we are introduced to a world much like our own, but one in which Ornithology is a dominant concern, and the birds they study are far more magical than our own. <em>The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love</em> introduces us to Dr Beth Pickering and Professor Devon Lockley, in a delightful historical parody romcom.

The scene for this enemies to lovers tale is set within the first few pages, when Beth and fellow Ornithologist, Hippolyta Spiffington Quirm, are on the verge of capturing the rare deathwhistler bird. As they are on the brink of success the bird (and the glory) is stolen away by Devon Lockley and Klaus Oberhufter. Devon succeeds in stealing both the bird and Beth’s imagination, as much to her chagrin, the handsome and charming villain begins to occupy her thoughts. As professional rivals, they both understand that they must not draw closer to each other, but both of them are captivated by the other

Ornithology is a cutthroat and villainous world, and Beth soon finds herself trading in one backstabbing partner for another, Devon Lockley himself. The International Ornithology Society (IOS) has announced a competition to capture the highly elusive and endangered caladrius bird. Circumstances initially throw them together, but a greater plot is afoot. The IOS is engineering the entire competition to bring itself more fame and encourage the next generation of Ornithologists to enlist. They have decided that the media story is best served by throwing Beth and Devon together wherever possible, be it in two beds or one.

The pair are not witless however and learn of the plan quickly enough, playing along just enough that they can protect the birds they love and the person they are starting to care far too much about.

QUOTE All is fair in love and war, but this is Ornithology.

This is one of the most enticing love stories I have read of late. The characters presented are very Darcy and Elizabeth-like, as all good enemies to lovers should be. Devon’s demeanor and reputation mask the man within who needs only the love of a good woman to emerge. While Beth’s intelligence and skill will take her far, but leave her wanting something. To be clear, Beth is not lacking for anything, only that her attraction to Devon fills a part of her she was not aware of before. Holton writes wonderfully engaging characters, from our protagonists, to the agents of the IOS, to the street boy that is unnamed but recruited by the society to advance their end game. The book comes with a frontispiece to guide you on these delightful people. Gabriel Tennat is described as a grumpy cousin, Klaus Oberhufter is listed as “a stain on the noble name of beak bagger” while Mrs Hassan is simply listed as “coincidental”. As Devon and Beth make their way around the country, they encounter all sorts of characters, and Holton paints each one lovingly, making for a wonderful patchwork of personality, and a fascinating deep dive into the characters of the United Kingdom.

The birds themselves are utterly delightful, whether they are simply beautiful such as the rainbow Ostrich of South America, or terrifying as the deadly Rabid flesh-eating lapwing. Not enough time is spent describing the subjects of this world of Ornithology, and while the book does not lack because of that, I personally would love to see a companion piece describing the denizens of this new feathered world.

The story takes us from the wilds of Spain, to the streets of Calais, and then across the British countryside, all with a subtle Edwardian feeling of gentility and society at the edges of the tale. Never mind that the parasols the ladies carry serve as “go-go-gadget” helicopters to get them out of trouble, as long as tea is observed at the proper time. The juxtaposition of technology and high society, of birding and machiavellian plotting, is delightful, and Holton masterfully weaves the odd pairings together in a unique setting that only makes me want to spend more time in this world. Though preferably far away from the lapwing.

India Holton lives in New Zealand and is the author of <em>The League of Gentlewomen Witches</em>, <em>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels</em>, and <em>The Secret Service of Tea and Treason</em>. <em>The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love</em> is being released this week by Berkley Romance. <em>GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes</em>.

This was such a fun book! I love books with "quests" and this one was no exception.
Our main character Beth is an ornithologist. When a competition to capture an extremely rare bird, a caladrius is announced, Beth finds herself forced to team up with her professional rival Devon to have a chance at winning and being deemed "birder of the year."
As this book is a historical fantasy/romance, Beth's image is very prim and proper, though she would rather converse with birds than humans. She is very smart and cares deeply for any type of bird. Devon is a little bit of a scoundrel and he thinks he has a love at first sight thing going on with Beth. I really liked both Beth and Devon as characters. There were a lot of side characters, but no one really stood out (except maybe Beth's former employer) and I think that was the point.
The plot is hilariously absurd. Beth and Devon need to do these crazy things to continue on in their pursuit of this bird. There are people in the background following them and trying to publicize the "romance" to drum up interest in ornithology which was just so funny especially for a book that is historial. I feel like once they figure out getting from here to there, there is a whole other problem getting to the next place or step and it's just ridiculous in the best way.
I love India Holton's writing style. The banter is great and I always find myself laughing out loud. I didn't find anything boring and the pace was good.

This was my first book I've read by this author and I loved it so so much. Enemies to lovers, sorta workplace romance in academia but make it ornithologists from rival prestigious universities? SOLD. I loved the romance x science vibes. I need the next book to come out like now?

Beth Pickering is the youngest professor in her ornithology department. And studying magical birds with their capacity for destruction and havoc is not for the faint of heart, or for those unwilling to fight off the competition. Professor Devon Lockley is another young professor, willing to jump ahead to capture a bird... or a heart. Pushed together by an unscrupulous, mysterious pair arranging a fix on the competition to become Birder of the Year, both Pickering and Lockley will have to keep all their wits about themselves.

Why I started this book: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was a delight and I was eager to see what Holton had to say about professors and birds.

Why I finished it: I'm giggling just thinking about this book. Holton's playfulness, her puns, and delight in setting up and breaking romance tropes are apparent throughout this book. I found myself laughing out loud at her sentences, her observations and her silliness. This book was a carbonated sugary summer delight.

"The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love" captivates with the charm and wit reminiscent of classic race movies like "Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines" and "The Great Race." From start to finish, I found myself smiling as the story weaves together magic, romance, and adventure into an enchanting read.

Unlike typical romance novels by authors like Colleen Hoover or Lucy Score, this book takes a refreshing approach. It's not about steamy encounters but instead delves into the blossoming relationship between a refined professor and a daring rogue professor. Their chemistry is palpable, their banter delightful, and their journey together is a joy to follow.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this novel and eagerly anticipate the next adventure in the series. For anyone seeking a heartfelt story with a dash of whimsy and a lot of heart, "The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love" is a perfect choice. Highly recommended for lovers of unconventional romance and thrilling escapades!

I'm a huge fan of Holton's previous books so I was so excited to get an opportunity to read and review her newest book, The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love. Part of the appeal of Holton's writing is how exceedingly charming and whimsical it is while also being slightly biting. I found myself frequently highlighting clever turns of phrase and anachronistic references that absolutely delighted me. The world of this book is ours with a slight twist--the birds have magic. In that way a lot of this book resembles the world of Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them and at the root of the conflict is a competition to find a particularly elusive bird.

The heart of the book, though, is Beth and Devon's relationship from rivals to much, much more. I loved their romance and the way it developed from their love of birds and academia (even if Devon did go to Yale...yikes). There are hijinks galore in this book and some of the more creative fantastical birds but at the end of the day this was a delightful romp with hilarious and loving characters and a romance that made me swoon.

Thank you so much to Berkely and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who knew a book about bird watchers set in 1890’s England (and France) could be so entertaining? The Ornithologists is a magical romp through the English countryside. Hijinks galore as Beth and Devon (and an entire group of unconventional bird watchers) try to find a magical and elusive rare bird. Romance blooms and I admit to swooning over all kisses between them.
Chivalry is not dead! It is alive and well on the moors.

This book made me laugh so many times. India has a wicked sense of humor and I am there for all of it !!

“Mrs. Grant!” the woman called out . “I think there’s someone hiding in the closet!”
“Nonsense!” came a distant voice. “What a silly idea! It’ll be the ghost.”
~~There actually were 2 people hiding in the closet