Get your first book for just $5.

Join today!

We’ll make this quick.

First, enter your email. Then choose your move.

By pressing "Pick a book now" or "Pick a book later", you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy.

Get your first book for just $5.

Join today!
undefined

You did it!

Your account is now up to date.

get the appget the app

Our app is where it’s at.

Unlock our Reading Challenge, earn prizes, and get notified of new books on our app.

Our app is where it’s at.

Unlock our Reading Challenge, earn prizes, and get notified of new books on our app.

get the ios appget the android app

Already have the app? Explore here.

get the ios appget the android app
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Historical romance

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love

Early Release

This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.

by India Holton

Excellent choice

Just enter your email to add this book to your box.

By pressing "Add to box", you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy.

Quick take

Rival scholars ruffle each other’s feathers (and a few other things) after they join forces to combat fowl play afoot.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Quirky

    Quirky

  • Illustrated icon, First_in_Series

    First in series

  • Illustrated icon, Salacious

    Salacious

  • Illustrated icon, Romantasy

    Romantasy

Synopsis

Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, stealing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that’s beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She’s so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they’re professional rivals.

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can’t trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love.

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love

CHAPTER ONE

For the master ornithologist, trouble is like water off a duck’s back. —Birds Through a Sherry Glass, H.A. Quirm

Spain, 1890

It was a fine day for birding. Almost too fine. Sunlight glazed the sky of northern Spain, unrelieved by cloud or breeze. Heat pressed down on the forest path.

Mrs. Quirm and Miss Pickering strolled beneath the shade of hats and lace parasols, employing their white-gloved hands in the manner of fans to cool themselves. Every now and again they lifted delicate silver binoculars to search the surrounding trees. Several birds flitted between branches, singing, courting, and generally participating in occupations typical to the avian species. But the ladies’ quarry was one bird in particular, far shyer than the common breeds. They had seen glimpses of it throughout the morning and were intent on pursuit, despite the overbearing weather.

“By Jove, I could use a glass of lemonade right now!” Mrs. Quirm declared.

“Indeed, it is atrociously warm,” Miss Pickering agreed.

“Rupert!” Mrs. Quirm snapped her gloved fingers. “Lemonade, if you please.”

Rupert, walking behind her, turned to the contingent of porters, guides, and servants walking behind him. He gestured, and a man hurried forth with bottle and glass. Lemonade was poured, the glass was set on a silver tray, and Rupert presented it.

Mrs. Quirm took the drink, but before she could bring it to her robust lips, she sighted something that caused her to gasp.

“A bastard, here in the forest!”

Create a free account!

Sign up to see book details, our quick takes, and more.

By pressing "Sign up", you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy.

Why I love it

Magical birds, magical book: this is a love story between fools, feathers, and flames.

Following the announcement of the International Birder of the Year competition, which will grant the winner fame, riches, and tenure, every ornithologist is out for blood. The task: find and catch an endangered and highly dangerous bird before anyone else. The obstacle: every competitor is a field expert, highly motivated, and surprisingly vicious.

Beth, an Oxford professor, wants to be respected enough to delve into her research theory, but with her being a woman in academia and all, tenure is her only hope of doing so. Standing in her way is her biggest rival, Devon the Cambridge professor, who seems to show up in her life solely to make it harder. After an improbable chain of events, the two find themselves allied in the International Birder of the Year competition and not hating it, to the delight of an ornithology publicity group. Romance is good for business, it turns out.

In the process of hunting down a rare, magical bird, we watch ornithologists all over the globe lose their collective marbles but can two, accidentally, also find love? India Holton’s The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is comically chaotic, delightfully absurd, deeply charming, and entirely one-of-a-kind.

Member ratings (1,525)

New and recent add-ons
Intermezzo
The Stone Witch of Florence
What Does It Feel Like?
The Last One at the Wedding
The Book of George
We Solve Murders
The Bog Wife
Here One Moment
The Night We Lost Him
The Crimson Crown
Someone in the Attic
Middle of the Night
A Sorceress Comes to Call
Four Weekends and a Funeral
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
The Seventh Veil of Salome
Leather & Lark
Hum
The Life Impossible
Vilest Things
The Love of My Afterlife
Home Cooking
New and recent add-ons
View all
Intermezzo
The Stone Witch of Florence
What Does It Feel Like?
The Last One at the Wedding
The Book of George
We Solve Murders
The Bog Wife
Here One Moment
The Night We Lost Him
The Crimson Crown
Someone in the Attic
Middle of the Night
A Sorceress Comes to Call
Four Weekends and a Funeral
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
The Seventh Veil of Salome
Leather & Lark
Hum
The Life Impossible
Vilest Things
The Love of My Afterlife
Home Cooking