The Antiquarian's Object of Desire - (Love's Academic) by India Holton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When two history professors and best friends are forced to fake hate to protect their reputations, chaos ensues, in the next rollicking historical-fantasy rom-com from beloved author India Holton.

Magical-antique experts Amelia Tarrant and Caleb Sterling have been best friends forever, although lately each has begun secretly wishing for more than friendship. But when rumors about their relationship spread, they're forced to fake being enemies to protect their reputations and keep their jobs.

The resulting arguments spark havoc across Oxford University, and when they cause an explosion while fighting over a magical antique, it's the final straw for their exasperated faculty head. He dispatches them to a job in Cumbria where even they can't get into trouble....

Which proves just how wrong one man can be. In a stormbound old manor house, Amelia and Caleb face magical mayhem and rampaging ghosts that make the previous havoc look mild in comparison. Most troublesome of all, though, is the secret of how they feel about each other. When it comes to tackling deadly antiques, hiding the truth in their hearts could destroy them for real.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Geographer's Map to Romance

"A funny, cozy romantasy with a splash of Indiana Jones. I can't wait for the next installment!"--Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series

"The Geographer's Map to Romance charts a trajectory from first dances to second chances, equal parts earnest and tongue-in-cheek, and entirely, madly charming. Holton has done it again with her trademark frothy, joyous storytelling, this time celebrating love and landscape (often sublime; sometimes explosive). Her writing positively sparkles with magic."--Brigitte Knightley, New York Times bestselling author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

"India Holton's books are unlike anything else in romance right now -- and that's very much a compliment!"--Paste Magazine

"[E]ffervescent...Holton ratchets up the whimsy in her worldbuilding and her characters leap off the page, especially taciturn Gabriel, who manages to imbue myriad meanings into a simple 'Hm.' The result is a delicious, feel-good romp."--Publishers Weekly

"Holton layers on detail and frothy jokes like a pastry chef with an eye for fabulous icing roses, covering every inch of the story with sugared delights. Beneath this is an unfolding reconciliation between Elodie and Gabriel that becomes more satisfying as the book advances."--Library Journal

Praise for The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love

"India Holton infuses the story with wry wit and meta inside jokes. Every sentence is positively vibrating with the kind of charm that will have you pressing your lips together with laughter. And yet amid all the outrageous and camp fun, Holton also succeeds in building a genuine love story - between two people who have kept the world at a distance for years but somehow find a home within each other. And if that doesn't sell you, then you should at least know this book has one of the funniest twists on the 'one bed' trope I've read in a long time."--NPR

"Holton continues to be the world's leading engineer of the romp. The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is positively confectionary: a sweetly earnest love story wrapped in layers of sharp word-play, deadly magical birds, and cheeky narrative awareness."--Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"Holton's prose winks and sparkles with wit and magic, flitting expertly between laugh-out-loud hijinks, swoon-worthy romance, and adventure filled with fowl play. The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is pure, rollicking fun--and will set your heart aflutter."--Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Fragile Enchantment

About the Author

India Holton lives in New Zealand, where she has enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats. Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about uppity women and charming rogues, and drinking too much tea.