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by India Hilton (July 23, 2024) – Many thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the free print and audio copies of this historical romance, fantasy, adventure rom-com. Below is my honest review.

In a fantasy version of England in the 1890s, birds contain magical powers and ornithologists are the celebrity academics of the age. There adventures and exploits are splashed across the daily papers. Beth Pickering and Devon Lockley are two of the youngest professors in their field and bitter rivals as Lockley just bested Pickering in capturing the rare deathwhistler bird like the annoyingly handsome villain that he is. But now there is a contest to be named Birder of the Year, and with it comes something even more rare than the bird they must capture to win – tenure. As a cast of unscrupulous ornithologists race across the country, Beth and Devon form an unlikely alliance, first out of necessity then from mutual respect and growing attraction. While they Indiana Jones their way through close calls, they bicker, banter, and discover that not one inn within England has two beds for the night, they realize they might have found their intellectual and romantic match.

I was laughing out loud to the way Holton wrote the dialogue and internal monologue of people at war with their feelings in such a charming and comedic way. Devon was much more than a handsome rake and Beth’s unending politeness was also a mask for deeper feelings. I really liked that Devon and Beth matched each other in wit and grit – she saved him as much as he saved her. There were so many odd characters willing to go to extreme lengths to win and the idea of all of England being consumed by the race for a magical bird gave this such a fanciful feeling. I felt like the plot took a bit of a backseat to the relationship itself and I wanted to know more about this fantasy world where birds are imbued with magical powers, but the dynamic between Devon and Beth was so well written that I didn’t care. I’ll 100% continue on with the series and her other works are moving up my TBR for her writing style and the female empowerment vibe.