A review by rainbowofcrazy
The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I am a huge fan of India Holton's books and the Dangerous Damsels series was one of my absolute favourites. She takes Victorian romances and cranks it to such fun levels of absurdity, that I actually prefer reading the ebooks over listening to the audiobooks because her writing is so charming and tongue-in-cheek and it's such a delight for my eyes. (if you do like audiobooks, the narrator for her books, Elizabeth Knowelden, is also fantastic!) 

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is the first book of her new series and I was just as delighted with this book as I was with the Dangerous Damsels series. We have two new leads and a new romance and y'all, I had such a fun fucking time.

And omg, I annotated the shit out of this book. This was a new record of annotations for a book for me. I am IMPRESSED. It actually took me longer than expected to finish this book because I spent so much time having to pause my reading so I could highlight a passage. So many passages. This would happen like multiple times on a SINGLE page. Good gawd I'm amazed I finished this book at all.

Anyway, I'm rambling, but this book was a frickin delight. We have the classic India Holton heart-warming Victorian romance, this time with two very educated professors. But then we have this bonus dose of pure nerd bliss that is ornithology (the study of birds). And this gets amped up even further because in this world, the birbs are magical majestic birbs - some of which can be dangerously deadly. I loved the fantasy touches through this one. Who doesn't love a little extra magic with their Victorian romance?

And can I just make a note of how many FUN FKIN WORDS are in this book?! Just a sprinkling of delightful words:

codswallop. galumping. stupefaction. perambulating. heinously gormless faradiddling cockalorum!

And just a tiny highlight from this book for my own amusement:

'"Let us in!” Cholmbaumgh shouted.  
“We only want to talk to you!” Schreib added.  
“Do you think us complete idiots?” Devon called out.  
“Well, you did get your doctorate from Yale,” Beth said, “so you can hardly blame them.”'

ahaha

'He gave her a dark look. She shrugged defensively. “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to help it. There must be some contagious aspect to your impishness.”  
His eyebrows elevated at speed. “Did you just call me _impish_?”   
“Cheeky?” she tried again.'

'"I know what I’m talking about. People aren’t interested in romance. They want sober, informative reports that use complex words and make them feel stupid, thereby inspiring them to seek higher education."'

Anyway, super cute, I had lots of fun. Can't wait for the next book, which will be released.. next.. year.. *cry*.