Attention all light academia enthusiasts, historical romance connoisseurs, and readers of all things whimsical, wacky, and wonderful – India Holton has released another book! The Geographer’s Map to Romance, the second in the Love’s Academic trilogy, is officially out and about. Set in the same beautifully chaotic world as The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, this whirlwind of a novel is packed full of sizzling tension, burning emotion, and things that go boom!

Geography professors in a failed marriage of convenience inconveniently reconnect for an emergency mission in this swoony historical-fantasy rom-com. Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her – except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves. Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either – except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They’ve been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn’t stopped him from stoically pining for her. When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there’s no navigational guide for the geography of the heart.

It is an adorable tale, and fans of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries will thoroughly enjoy it. The quirky wit and laugh-out-loud style of India Holton’s writing make for an amusing read and the characters are just as eccentric – even the stoic and gentlemanly Gabriel Tarrant. I like the perspective choice as it allows forthe same event to be given to the reader from both Elodie and Gabriel’s voices at the same time instead of a reflection in the following chapter which in turn makes the character think about past events instead of present actions With two seriously studious academics as the Tarrant’s (with a friendly nod to the third Tarrant whom we will be seeing in the third installment The Antiquarian’s Object of Desire coming in 2026).

I do love a little light academia from time to time, and the fact The Geographer’s Map to Romance is also a historical romance makes it all the better in my eyes. If you are interested in a little more whimsy magic in your historical romance, mayhaps a little bit of danger with action scenes and the second bed getting eaten by a goat – you read it right, the one bed trope is getting featured in the best possible way – then pick up The Geographer’s Map to Romance and add it to your tbr. It is the perfect autumnal read given its havoc-inducing natural elements of rain and wind and storms, yet the vibes also fit wonderfully in spring, so that’s half the year of perfect reading settings to enjoy this novel.

If you’re into sweet, light-hearted, toe-tingling reads, look no further. The Love’s Academic series has you covered. i am so looking forward to The Antiquarian’s Object of Desire in 2026.