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Familiar Spirits #1
A Little Familiar
Listening Length: 3 hours and 33 minutes.
Powerful witch Piotr Russell has resigned himself to loneliness, because ordinary humans can’t know what he is, and other witches are intimidated by his abilities. Generations of Russells have lived and died with only their familiars at their side. The presence of a friendly familiar is enough to keep even the loneliest witch sane, and yet Piotr deliberately hasn’t chosen one. He forces himself to keep busy instead, but the emptiness of his house haunts him even more the spirit of Great-Great-Aunt Elysia in the parlor. With Samhain and Halloween approaching, he’ll have much to do, and knowing that, his concerned coven seizes the chance to intervene and sends help to his door in the form of Bartleby Dorchester.
The rarest of rare jewels, Bartleby is a human familiar: a witch with no magic of his own, and a desire to find a strong witch to help and serve. In particular, he desires to help and serve Piotr, and everything in Piotr wants to let him. Bartleby was meant to be his familiar; Piotr knows it as surely as he knows when it will rain or when the apples in his garden will ripen. But what Piotr wants from Bartleby, all he’s ever wanted, is for Bartleby to love him, something he thinks is impossible. Russells live and die unloved, and he won’t allow Bartleby to feel obligated to spend his life with him as his familiar if he could be happy in love with someone else.
But Samhain is a time for change, when walls come down and borders grow thin, and Bartleby isn’t going to waste what might be his last chance to convince Piotr that they were meant to be. He might have no magic, but love is a power all its own.
Powerful witch Piotr Russell has resigned himself to loneliness, because ordinary humans can’t know what he is, and other witches are intimidated by his abilities. Generations of Russells have lived and died with only their familiars at their side. The presence of a friendly familiar is enough to keep even the loneliest witch sane, and yet Piotr deliberately hasn’t chosen one. He forces himself to keep busy instead, but the emptiness of his house haunts him even more the spirit of Great-Great-Aunt Elysia in the parlor. With Samhain and Halloween approaching, he’ll have much to do, and knowing that, his concerned coven seizes the chance to intervene and sends help to his door in the form of Bartleby Dorchester.
The rarest of rare jewels, Bartleby is a human familiar: a witch with no magic of his own, and a desire to find a strong witch to help and serve. In particular, he desires to help and serve Piotr, and everything in Piotr wants to let him. Bartleby was meant to be his familiar; Piotr knows it as surely as he knows when it will rain or when the apples in his garden will ripen. But what Piotr wants from Bartleby, all he’s ever wanted, is for Bartleby to love him, something he thinks is impossible. Russells live and die unloved, and he won’t allow Bartleby to feel obligated to spend his life with him as his familiar if he could be happy in love with someone else.
But Samhain is a time for change, when walls come down and borders grow thin, and Bartleby isn’t going to waste what might be his last chance to convince Piotr that they were meant to be. He might have no magic, but love is a power all its own.
4 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 3, 2015
94 people are currently reading
1017 people want to read
About the author
R. Cooper
81 books996 followersI'm R. Cooper, a somewhat absentminded, often distracted, writer of queer romance. I'm probably most known for the Being(s) in Love series and The Suitable 'Verse stories. Also the occasional story about witches or firefighters in love.
You can visit my website for updates or sign up for my newsletter . My newsletter is free! And comes out once a month or once every two months or so.
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If you just want book release updates, I have a BookBub profile.
Also, I now have a Storygraph where I will try to track my reading in an organized fashion.
You can visit my website for updates or sign up for my newsletter . My newsletter is free! And comes out once a month or once every two months or so.
Otherwise... have some social media links if you want updates and whatever the hell else I am talking about.
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BlueSky
**With Meta's current policies, I do not use FB or Insta or Threads for anything but the bare minimum.**
Instagram and Threads
You can also support me on Patreon if you like
If you just want book release updates, I have a BookBub profile.
Also, I now have a Storygraph where I will try to track my reading in an organized fashion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
May 16, 2025
I really enjoy and appreciate what Cooper is able to evoke through her prose, theres always something kind of whimsical and soft about her worlds and characters.
I'll admit however this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. The vibes were great, very traditional coven witches set during Halloween and the inevitable romance between the strongest witch of his generation, Piotr, and the human familiar, Bartleby. I think that in this case there was a little too much deep seated miscommunication that was just fundamentally unnecessary when talking about adults and a bit too much self flagellation.
I'm not someone who needs spice in my romance but for some reason the vibes between these two kind of felt a bit incomplete with the fade to black we got. I would have liked a smidge more intimacy given how long the unrequited pining has gone on.
Still an ultimately enjoyable read for a bite size 100 page novella.
I'll admit however this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. The vibes were great, very traditional coven witches set during Halloween and the inevitable romance between the strongest witch of his generation, Piotr, and the human familiar, Bartleby. I think that in this case there was a little too much deep seated miscommunication that was just fundamentally unnecessary when talking about adults and a bit too much self flagellation.
I'm not someone who needs spice in my romance but for some reason the vibes between these two kind of felt a bit incomplete with the fade to black we got. I would have liked a smidge more intimacy given how long the unrequited pining has gone on.
Still an ultimately enjoyable read for a bite size 100 page novella.
October 17, 2020
3.5 Stars
An atmospheric yearning love story steeped in magic!
As per the blurb, Piotr is one of the strongest witches around. He’s so powerful that an ordinary animal familiar simply won’t do. Only a human one could possibly stabilize and strengthen his magic, but they’re extremely rare and the sole one Piotr knows of is the beautiful Bartleby, who’s way out of his league. Thus Piotr hasn’t dared dream that Bartleby would ever look his way, and he lives a quiet life of solitude, taking care of the community but never allowing himself to be cared for in turn.
What Piotr doesn’t know is that the attraction goes both ways, and Bartleby is tired of waiting for Piotr to make a move. They’ve been in each other’s lives for years, circling around, one hoping, the other avoiding. However, Bartleby is finally fed up and manages to get a toe into Piotr’s cloistered life and he won’t let the inch of gain go.
Hence, a slow burn, incognito courting with plenty of longing, doubt, and insecurity ensues. Piotr’s a top notch gentle giant, and I enjoyed the push pull between him and Bartleby. Overall, this was a very sweet, sexy lite, enjoyable magical romance!
An atmospheric yearning love story steeped in magic!
As per the blurb, Piotr is one of the strongest witches around. He’s so powerful that an ordinary animal familiar simply won’t do. Only a human one could possibly stabilize and strengthen his magic, but they’re extremely rare and the sole one Piotr knows of is the beautiful Bartleby, who’s way out of his league. Thus Piotr hasn’t dared dream that Bartleby would ever look his way, and he lives a quiet life of solitude, taking care of the community but never allowing himself to be cared for in turn.
What Piotr doesn’t know is that the attraction goes both ways, and Bartleby is tired of waiting for Piotr to make a move. They’ve been in each other’s lives for years, circling around, one hoping, the other avoiding. However, Bartleby is finally fed up and manages to get a toe into Piotr’s cloistered life and he won’t let the inch of gain go.
Hence, a slow burn, incognito courting with plenty of longing, doubt, and insecurity ensues. Piotr’s a top notch gentle giant, and I enjoyed the push pull between him and Bartleby. Overall, this was a very sweet, sexy lite, enjoyable magical romance!
November 18, 2023
This is a very charming book, albeit difficult to read. The writing style is difficult for me, I had to read a few paragraphs twice and three times before I really got into the book and found it easier. I think a native speaker would have no trouble with it.
Nevertheless, I love this book, I love these characters.
There is a content warning about intense loneliness and this is actually the case. Piotr radiates such incredible loneliness ... oh boy I just want to take him in my arms and never let him go.
Baskets of canned fruit and vegetables were not the gifts of a normal boyfriend. People expected fancy or impractical things from the ones they loved, chocolates or hugs or visits at work. Piotr had done his best. Fresh baked bread had earned him a perplexed look. Preserves had gotten him a puzzled “Thanks” and then Kyle had forgotten to take them home with him. 🥺💔😢
And Bartleby is a naturally cheerful and intense character, but he too just needs someone to show him that he is worth it. It takes a while for the two of them to find each other. It was like pulling teeth, but also so good.
„I’m tired of being a stray cat. Being a familiar for a witch and being his lover don’t have to go hand in hand, but it would be nice.” 🥺💔😢
I would complain now that a few more explanations would have been nice. Also, it would have been great to not only be in Piotr's head. On the other hand, a lot is left to your own imagination and I kind of like to make my own picture of what Bartleby feels and thinks.
“I didn’t think you wanted the longing I felt for you, and I couldn’t ask you to give up your future for the sake of pleasing your witch.” ❤️🥀❤️
Nevertheless, I love this book, I love these characters.
There is a content warning about intense loneliness and this is actually the case. Piotr radiates such incredible loneliness ... oh boy I just want to take him in my arms and never let him go.
Baskets of canned fruit and vegetables were not the gifts of a normal boyfriend. People expected fancy or impractical things from the ones they loved, chocolates or hugs or visits at work. Piotr had done his best. Fresh baked bread had earned him a perplexed look. Preserves had gotten him a puzzled “Thanks” and then Kyle had forgotten to take them home with him. 🥺💔😢
And Bartleby is a naturally cheerful and intense character, but he too just needs someone to show him that he is worth it. It takes a while for the two of them to find each other. It was like pulling teeth, but also so good.
„I’m tired of being a stray cat. Being a familiar for a witch and being his lover don’t have to go hand in hand, but it would be nice.” 🥺💔😢
I would complain now that a few more explanations would have been nice. Also, it would have been great to not only be in Piotr's head. On the other hand, a lot is left to your own imagination and I kind of like to make my own picture of what Bartleby feels and thinks.
“I didn’t think you wanted the longing I felt for you, and I couldn’t ask you to give up your future for the sake of pleasing your witch.” ❤️🥀❤️
Read
November 3, 2024A short sweet queer fantasy romance, very slow burn due to misunderstanding, which isn't my favourite, but they do start to talk. Cosy and autumnal in feel.
December 30, 2017
That was lovely. *Almost* enough to melt my obsidian heart.
January 15, 2016
More like 3.5 Stars.
Well, 3 stars for some, 4 stars for others, 5 stars for a couple of really great lines and 2 stars for the book cock blocking at the end.
So yeah, 3.5 stars overall.
I liked this quiet and charming story. The characters were very appealing and they really needed to be together for so many reasons. I really wish I would have read it around Halloween, it's got the perfect moody feel to it that I'll have to check out during a reread next Halloween.
I don't need to have graphic boning in my books, not that I don't tend to lean in that direction however. This one could have gotten away with no boning at all. But, there was a brief, fade-to-blackish sex scene and talk of impending fucking so when then time came and I got book cock blocked at the end I was bummed. Sweet jeebus, the outfit that Bartleby showed up in at the end deserved the full fledged bone job. The language and the buildup of UST between the two teased me into thinking I would get the goods on page.
But, I did love Piotr and Bartleby together and was charmed by their language and dedication to their culture. The quiet nights at Piotr's house were homey and just plain lovely. What seemed like opposites attract was more like opposites being balanced and I wanted to sit Piotr down over some of his homemade cider so we could have a little chat about awareness. He's a gentle bear with no clue. Then there is Bartleby with a penchant for eyeliner, fashion and a heart made to care for Piotr. How can I NOT love them?
I would have just loved them more if the promised boning had happened, on page, just sayin'.
Well, 3 stars for some, 4 stars for others, 5 stars for a couple of really great lines and 2 stars for the book cock blocking at the end.
So yeah, 3.5 stars overall.
I liked this quiet and charming story. The characters were very appealing and they really needed to be together for so many reasons. I really wish I would have read it around Halloween, it's got the perfect moody feel to it that I'll have to check out during a reread next Halloween.
I don't need to have graphic boning in my books, not that I don't tend to lean in that direction however. This one could have gotten away with no boning at all. But, there was a brief, fade-to-blackish sex scene and talk of impending fucking so when then time came and I got book cock blocked at the end I was bummed. Sweet jeebus, the outfit that Bartleby showed up in at the end deserved the full fledged bone job. The language and the buildup of UST between the two teased me into thinking I would get the goods on page.
But, I did love Piotr and Bartleby together and was charmed by their language and dedication to their culture. The quiet nights at Piotr's house were homey and just plain lovely. What seemed like opposites attract was more like opposites being balanced and I wanted to sit Piotr down over some of his homemade cider so we could have a little chat about awareness. He's a gentle bear with no clue. Then there is Bartleby with a penchant for eyeliner, fashion and a heart made to care for Piotr. How can I NOT love them?
I would have just loved them more if the promised boning had happened, on page, just sayin'.
December 10, 2015
Really sweet. Review to come.
February 21, 2016
2.5 Rounding up because even though I'm unlikely to re-read this there were parts I liked, sadly lost somewhat in the overwhelming sense of longing and UST. While I normally enjoy Cooper's writing it didn't pull me in this time, there was too heavy a feel despite the light homeliness of the story. The UST dripped from the page where I needed some brightness.
At least the first 8% was info dump, tediously setting out the world and explaining how the characters are destined to be together, clearly in love, but denying it Because.. Standard fare for the 'familiar' verse; long standing misunderstandings and lack of communication - this time around with two characters who have grown up together, in the same world, in the same covern! Everyone appears to know but the characters, but at least in this story due to length they're off-page and we don't meet them.
The characters were interesting as were witches, familiars, the haunted house and providing from the soil. A few great lines, including the splendidly simple and true portent:
Disappointing, because it could have made a lovely story if the relentless strong emotions eased up in places allowing some joy through. Poor Bartleby did his best, he even dressed up pretty, which went shockingly under-appreciated.
At least the first 8% was info dump, tediously setting out the world and explaining how the characters are destined to be together, clearly in love, but denying it Because.. Standard fare for the 'familiar' verse; long standing misunderstandings and lack of communication - this time around with two characters who have grown up together, in the same world, in the same covern! Everyone appears to know but the characters, but at least in this story due to length they're off-page and we don't meet them.
The characters were interesting as were witches, familiars, the haunted house and providing from the soil. A few great lines, including the splendidly simple and true portent:
The clock ticked because that was what clocks did
Disappointing, because it could have made a lovely story if the relentless strong emotions eased up in places allowing some joy through. Poor Bartleby did his best, he even dressed up pretty, which went shockingly under-appreciated.
August 23, 2018
4.5 stars
I adored this. It hit me hard in the feels. I was basically holding my breath through the last third or so of the book.
I do want to say that there is a non-binary love interest in this, who I read (and the text alludes to this) as genderfluid. I liked the representation; it worked for me.
More coherent review later on.
I adored this. It hit me hard in the feels. I was basically holding my breath through the last third or so of the book.
I do want to say that there is a non-binary love interest in this, who I read (and the text alludes to this) as genderfluid. I liked the representation; it worked for me.
More coherent review later on.
September 1, 2022
While I love this story, I could honestly hardly follow it with how softly the narrator spoke. I don’t know if he was going for husky or whatever, but I felt like I needed to go find an ear trumpet to be able to make out what was being said. This narrator is going straight on the DNL list.
May 1, 2025
This should totally be read in October, or nearby, pre Halloween, on a dark stormy night preferably. But definitely a fall book, novella length and perfect cottage core, and pining, double pining and courting without the object of the courting being aware of it (R. Cooper is probably the best at it...) and all the feels. I read it in April which was a complete waste of the witchy Halloweeen, cottage autumn harvest vibes, but I will just have to reread it one day in October ...
Very loveable, and the witchy cottage core pining, courting is just my cup of tea.
Very loveable, and the witchy cottage core pining, courting is just my cup of tea.
January 12, 2016
The premise of this short M/M romance was quite good, with two potentially strong characters.
In a romance, though, especially in one where nothing really happens, the author needs to skillfully depict the leads coming together and getting to know each other's feeling.
That skill is missing, here.
The general tone, especially at the beginning, is didactic to the point of being mildly irritating: common Wiccan lore does not need lenthy explanations as most readers can be expected to know it well.
The tale's flow is stilted, dialogues are clumsy, the many little ambient details that should mirror the characters' emotions feel redundant and repetitive. We are also told countless times how Piotr is so very powerful and how Bartleby is born to to be a familiar for a powerful witch; we are also told that they have loved each other since they were children but we never really get to see that special chemistry in action. The transition from men afraid of getting hurt to men confident in their love for each other never takes place.
I am sorry to say this, but in the end I was bored.
In a romance, though, especially in one where nothing really happens, the author needs to skillfully depict the leads coming together and getting to know each other's feeling.
That skill is missing, here.
The general tone, especially at the beginning, is didactic to the point of being mildly irritating: common Wiccan lore does not need lenthy explanations as most readers can be expected to know it well.
The tale's flow is stilted, dialogues are clumsy, the many little ambient details that should mirror the characters' emotions feel redundant and repetitive. We are also told countless times how Piotr is so very powerful and how Bartleby is born to to be a familiar for a powerful witch; we are also told that they have loved each other since they were children but we never really get to see that special chemistry in action. The transition from men afraid of getting hurt to men confident in their love for each other never takes place.
I am sorry to say this, but in the end I was bored.
October 23, 2025
2025- Reread
My comfort read for Halloween
3.75 reread 2022
Again reading this for halloween, and because I hear there is a new one coming out shortly
I do enjoy these two
3.75
Re read - 2021
Finally I'm reading this one around Halloween instead of either well before or afterwards
I love Bartleby and Piotr but wished that they opened up a little more as most of the miscommunication would have been cleared up
Still a good enjoyable read
Reread October 2019
Upgrading to 3.75 ⭐️
Enjoyed this much more on this ReRead
Was ok
3 ⭐️
This author has a formula that revolves around miscommunications, at times when I’m in the mood for it, it works. But I need to pick my moments or else it I can’t handle it. This one was no exception. Piotr did my head in, and there were times I really wanted to slap him across the back of his head. Once Bartleby opened the lines of communication and talked around to what he wanted they finally moved forward.
I’ll still give the next one a go too.
My comfort read for Halloween
3.75 reread 2022
Again reading this for halloween, and because I hear there is a new one coming out shortly
I do enjoy these two
3.75
Re read - 2021
Finally I'm reading this one around Halloween instead of either well before or afterwards
I love Bartleby and Piotr but wished that they opened up a little more as most of the miscommunication would have been cleared up
Still a good enjoyable read
Reread October 2019
Upgrading to 3.75 ⭐️
Enjoyed this much more on this ReRead
Was ok
3 ⭐️
This author has a formula that revolves around miscommunications, at times when I’m in the mood for it, it works. But I need to pick my moments or else it I can’t handle it. This one was no exception. Piotr did my head in, and there were times I really wanted to slap him across the back of his head. Once Bartleby opened the lines of communication and talked around to what he wanted they finally moved forward.
I’ll still give the next one a go too.
February 15, 2016
This is a delightful story about witches and Halloween. I really enjoy how Cooper writes romantic awkwardness and nervous tension, and both are in abundance in this lovely story. Great secondary characters include a raven and a ghost. I love this author's writing style and the slow reveal of the history between the two main characters. R. Cooper's one of my favourites, and I was not disappointed.
November 12, 2020
3 Stars
Review:
This was a soft, sweet romance story with a cozy, autumnul, witchy feel. I feel like it was mostly just the two characters talking about their feelings, Bartleby calling out Piotr for how he isolates himself, them discussing the future, and them finally reaching the point where they realized they both wanted each other. No plot, really. It gave the book a certain prettiness. The book also had a kind of soft sexiness to it at times; there were some brief explicit moments, but it was more just the way Bartleby carried himself and Piotr's attraction to him. Last but not least, Bartleby was gender-noncomforming and kind of genderfluid in how he presented himself, but he didn't mention a label or pronouns, and I really dug that because you rarely find characters who are noncomforming but don't use a specific label. Overall a nice story, especially for the Halloween time of year.
The audiobook narration by Joshua Macrae was alright (somewhat lacking performance in the dialogue, but still good), but it was very quiet, and something about the audio quality made it hard to understand. It was kind of hiss-y and whisper-y. Every word sounded like an S, even words with no S in them. So I think it was decent narration, but poor audio quality.
*This is part of a series, but this is a complete story, and it seems each book is about different characters.*
*Rating: 3 Stars // Read Date: 2020 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes witches, soft and sweet m/m romance with a lot of talking, and simple stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
This was a soft, sweet romance story with a cozy, autumnul, witchy feel. I feel like it was mostly just the two characters talking about their feelings, Bartleby calling out Piotr for how he isolates himself, them discussing the future, and them finally reaching the point where they realized they both wanted each other. No plot, really. It gave the book a certain prettiness. The book also had a kind of soft sexiness to it at times; there were some brief explicit moments, but it was more just the way Bartleby carried himself and Piotr's attraction to him. Last but not least, Bartleby was gender-noncomforming and kind of genderfluid in how he presented himself, but he didn't mention a label or pronouns, and I really dug that because you rarely find characters who are noncomforming but don't use a specific label. Overall a nice story, especially for the Halloween time of year.
The audiobook narration by Joshua Macrae was alright (somewhat lacking performance in the dialogue, but still good), but it was very quiet, and something about the audio quality made it hard to understand. It was kind of hiss-y and whisper-y. Every word sounded like an S, even words with no S in them. So I think it was decent narration, but poor audio quality.
*This is part of a series, but this is a complete story, and it seems each book is about different characters.*
*Rating: 3 Stars // Read Date: 2020 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes witches, soft and sweet m/m romance with a lot of talking, and simple stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
September 28, 2024
DNF @ 53%
This is really short but I'm so bored that I don't want to bother finishing it. It's a pity because the MCs are great and I loved their dynamic. The writing style was also unique and suited the cozy, adorable vibe of the story. Unfortunately, there was way too little plot to keep me interested.
The biggest problem stemmed from this being a friends-to-lovers story where both MCs start the story already having feelings for each other and everybody knows about it except the two of them. In addition, the only thing stopping them from telling each other how they feel is the old 'I'm-not-good-enough-for-you' shtick, which bores me. It's not realistic that these two guys have been friends for their entire lives, have had feelings for each other for years and are constantly giving signals that they're interested, yet they've never talked about their feelings. The only reason it happens is because it's the only conflict the author bothered including in the story so it had to be stretched out.
The lack of plot was also really obvious in the huge amount of repetition. The same conversations are had over and over again, the same details are mentioned over and over again and the same actions happen over and over again. For example, it's mentioned about a hundred times that Halloween is coming up soon, that Piotr loves to bake and garden, that Bartleby is an unattached familiar and that Piotr's home is haunted by his Great-Great-Aunt Elysia. Things like cider, hay, dogs and tons of other things are constantly showing up. The problem is that these details aren't a replacement for plot. None of these things mattered because they weren't used for anything important.
I know there's an audience out there for fluff pieces like this and I did enjoy the fairytale-like writing style and the characters were great, but there needed to be more plot for me to be interested.
This was my first book by this author and being this bored is usually a sign that the author and I aren't on the same page, but I see in other reviews that this story is an outlier for this author and their stories are usually more interesting so I'm going to give this author another shot.
This is really short but I'm so bored that I don't want to bother finishing it. It's a pity because the MCs are great and I loved their dynamic. The writing style was also unique and suited the cozy, adorable vibe of the story. Unfortunately, there was way too little plot to keep me interested.
The biggest problem stemmed from this being a friends-to-lovers story where both MCs start the story already having feelings for each other and everybody knows about it except the two of them. In addition, the only thing stopping them from telling each other how they feel is the old 'I'm-not-good-enough-for-you' shtick, which bores me. It's not realistic that these two guys have been friends for their entire lives, have had feelings for each other for years and are constantly giving signals that they're interested, yet they've never talked about their feelings. The only reason it happens is because it's the only conflict the author bothered including in the story so it had to be stretched out.
The lack of plot was also really obvious in the huge amount of repetition. The same conversations are had over and over again, the same details are mentioned over and over again and the same actions happen over and over again. For example, it's mentioned about a hundred times that Halloween is coming up soon, that Piotr loves to bake and garden, that Bartleby is an unattached familiar and that Piotr's home is haunted by his Great-Great-Aunt Elysia. Things like cider, hay, dogs and tons of other things are constantly showing up. The problem is that these details aren't a replacement for plot. None of these things mattered because they weren't used for anything important.
I know there's an audience out there for fluff pieces like this and I did enjoy the fairytale-like writing style and the characters were great, but there needed to be more plot for me to be interested.
This was my first book by this author and being this bored is usually a sign that the author and I aren't on the same page, but I see in other reviews that this story is an outlier for this author and their stories are usually more interesting so I'm going to give this author another shot.
December 28, 2024
This was charming with likable characters and a bit of whimsy, some mutual pining and cluelessness about said mutual pining, as R Cooper always delivers.
With this one though, I didn’t quite get or buy why Piotr was so convinced he’d end up alone or how it was some sort of family thing.
It wasn’t fleshed out or plausible enough for me to really get his melancholy and refusal to date; he’s in a community of witches that care about him; not isolated, so why could he not date someone who knew or understood his magic? Just because he broke up with a human doesn’t mean he couldn’t find someone, when he has a supportive community and other covens nearby as well.
I really liked him as a gentle giant caretaker figure of food and gardens, and enjoyed it overall. But it didn’t pull me in like other works have, as I didn’t buy the rationale for him thinking he would be alone, or the premise that Bartleby was somehow less. We didn’t have any evidence of either, really. I think it shows it was an earlier work. I’d recommend a stronger more recent work over this, though I enjoyed it.
With this one though, I didn’t quite get or buy why Piotr was so convinced he’d end up alone or how it was some sort of family thing.
It wasn’t fleshed out or plausible enough for me to really get his melancholy and refusal to date; he’s in a community of witches that care about him; not isolated, so why could he not date someone who knew or understood his magic? Just because he broke up with a human doesn’t mean he couldn’t find someone, when he has a supportive community and other covens nearby as well.
I really liked him as a gentle giant caretaker figure of food and gardens, and enjoyed it overall. But it didn’t pull me in like other works have, as I didn’t buy the rationale for him thinking he would be alone, or the premise that Bartleby was somehow less. We didn’t have any evidence of either, really. I think it shows it was an earlier work. I’d recommend a stronger more recent work over this, though I enjoyed it.
January 18, 2020
I really liked this novella about a male witch who felt like he was all alone, and his friend who thought he wasn't needed. I love the hesitant romance between the two men, one of whom was a human familiar. Great story telling in a small package.
October 18, 2024
I liked the Samhain/Halloween 👻🎃 theme. The story unfolds slowly and is sweet.
It's a little quirky like both MC's and I rounded my 3.5 rating up to 4 ⭐
It's a little quirky like both MC's and I rounded my 3.5 rating up to 4 ⭐
June 10, 2016
Short and sweet
Aside from some grammatical errors and a few spelling mistakes, a lovely gem of a Halloween story. Piotr is a powerful witch from a powerful family, isolated and believes himself entirely self-sufficient, alone in his ancestral house. He never attends his coven's Samhain revels, preferring to stay home and give out candy to kids. He's known Bartleby his whole life, a man born to a witch family, but with a different power - he's a human familiar, a focus and companion for a witch. The most powerful witches need familiars, and Piotr doesn't have one. He doesn't think he needs one.
Sweet story about not seeing what's in front of you, about loneliness and fear and refusing to admit what you want because you think you can't have it.
Aside from some grammatical errors and a few spelling mistakes, a lovely gem of a Halloween story. Piotr is a powerful witch from a powerful family, isolated and believes himself entirely self-sufficient, alone in his ancestral house. He never attends his coven's Samhain revels, preferring to stay home and give out candy to kids. He's known Bartleby his whole life, a man born to a witch family, but with a different power - he's a human familiar, a focus and companion for a witch. The most powerful witches need familiars, and Piotr doesn't have one. He doesn't think he needs one.
Sweet story about not seeing what's in front of you, about loneliness and fear and refusing to admit what you want because you think you can't have it.
February 22, 2021
Tried to Deny the Inevitable!
Whimsical, fantasy slow-burning romance for Witch, Postman, Bear, Piotr & Familiar, grocery clerk, Twink, Bartleby. A very slow start but a well-written, poetic short tale. A likable read. Rating: 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Whimsical, fantasy slow-burning romance for Witch, Postman, Bear, Piotr & Familiar, grocery clerk, Twink, Bartleby. A very slow start but a well-written, poetic short tale. A likable read. Rating: 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
January 22, 2023Typically when I review a book but don’t rate it, it’s because I’m conflicted and can’t decide on a rating or I don’t connect but it feels somehow wrong to low rate the book. In this case, I’m leaving zero stars. Not because there was anything offensive or egregious in the story but because it was a whole lot of absolute nothing. There was no substance whatsoever. The premise in theory was great but it went nowhere. I liked the characters in concept but they too had no substance. The ‘conflict’ was forced and nonsensical and it lasted the ENTIRE book. The characters and concept could have, should have been great but the entire plot was based on each character’s misunderstanding of the other and not communicating. I didn’t hate it but for the whole book I kept asking myself ‘when is this going to go somewhere?’ and ‘why are they so obtuse and in denial?’ and the final reasoning for it was wholly unconvincing and uninspired.
Furio’s review and LWM’s review articulate it much better than I do.
It’s cute and sweet and only 99 cents but if you read the blurb, that’s the entire substance of the story.
Furio’s review and LWM’s review articulate it much better than I do.
It’s cute and sweet and only 99 cents but if you read the blurb, that’s the entire substance of the story.
December 10, 2025
3.5⭐️
I love me an adorably oblivious mc. Cute and sweet. Enjoyed the story… not so much the narration.
I love me an adorably oblivious mc. Cute and sweet. Enjoyed the story… not so much the narration.
December 9, 2020
Not my book.... It was more like reading a Literature material.
I love a supernatural book with a dash of mystery. But this is way too mellow for me. I don't know how to rate the book. Well, written book so 5 stars. But did not hold me captive, wanted to skip an Audiobook!!! (no fault of narrator) so 3 stars. Felt it had lots of potential but fell short.
I love a supernatural book with a dash of mystery. But this is way too mellow for me. I don't know how to rate the book. Well, written book so 5 stars. But did not hold me captive, wanted to skip an Audiobook!!! (no fault of narrator) so 3 stars. Felt it had lots of potential but fell short.
May 30, 2017
I love Piotr for being a burly bear who channels his alphaness into gardening and homemaking and taking care of others. And then there's Bartleby, who's brown and genderqueer and taking care of Piotr by allowing Piotr to take care of him.
This has all the makings for five stars from me: a gruff loner is worn down by a magnetic interloper who winds up being everything the loner refuses to allow himself. Buuuut technicalities.
For starters, this could have used a copy-editor because there's one too many oversights like missing words or words in the wrong place. It's bad enough that I stopped trusting word combinations. Like, there's the line "I'm this me, today" and I swore it was an error until it dawned on me -- hours later -- that it's playing on "I'm this way, today."
And secondly, the character-building is shaky. Bartleby is supposed to be the same age as Piotr, who's in his thirties, but he reads as being in his twenties. And the fact that Piotr's been pining for Bartleby since forever is revealed way late in the story, like I know it's written in the blurb but I skimmed the blurb before deciding to pick this up (which just shows how much the premise hooked me). So the only thing holding Piotr back is his stubbornness to embrace Bartleby, who's doing everything in his power to express that he wants Piotr back. That killed the tension for me because if Piotr's already in love, then I'm dealing with an emotionally constipated loner instead of an intimacy challenged one. Totally different expectations. This isn't even me judging a book based on what I wanted it to be; unless I'm obtuse and missed it, I had no in-story clue that Piotr has always known Bartleby is meant for him until, like, 50% into the story when they explicitly start talking about fortune telling.
But, I mean, the story is still very sweet and I loved Piotr and Bartleby's chemistry. Except there's also too much teasing for a potential sex scene that never happens on-page. I'm not one to demand a sex scene, but jeez, that felt like a cliffhanger.
Apparently I'm in a whiny mood. Take with a massive bucket of salt.
This has all the makings for five stars from me: a gruff loner is worn down by a magnetic interloper who winds up being everything the loner refuses to allow himself. Buuuut technicalities.
For starters, this could have used a copy-editor because there's one too many oversights like missing words or words in the wrong place. It's bad enough that I stopped trusting word combinations. Like, there's the line "I'm this me, today" and I swore it was an error until it dawned on me -- hours later -- that it's playing on "I'm this way, today."
And secondly, the character-building is shaky. Bartleby is supposed to be the same age as Piotr, who's in his thirties, but he reads as being in his twenties. And the fact that Piotr's been pining for Bartleby since forever is revealed way late in the story, like I know it's written in the blurb but I skimmed the blurb before deciding to pick this up (which just shows how much the premise hooked me). So the only thing holding Piotr back is his stubbornness to embrace Bartleby, who's doing everything in his power to express that he wants Piotr back. That killed the tension for me because if Piotr's already in love, then I'm dealing with an emotionally constipated loner instead of an intimacy challenged one. Totally different expectations. This isn't even me judging a book based on what I wanted it to be; unless I'm obtuse and missed it, I had no in-story clue that Piotr has always known Bartleby is meant for him until, like, 50% into the story when they explicitly start talking about fortune telling.
But, I mean, the story is still very sweet and I loved Piotr and Bartleby's chemistry. Except there's also too much teasing for a potential sex scene that never happens on-page. I'm not one to demand a sex scene, but jeez, that felt like a cliffhanger.
Apparently I'm in a whiny mood. Take with a massive bucket of salt.
November 18, 2021
It was a sweet story. Wished that it would have been a bit longer. But I guess that's why there are sequels to this book :)
I had tons of questions about world-building. Like how does it all work? But at the same time, there was enough of it for such a short book.
I had tons of questions about world-building. Like how does it all work? But at the same time, there was enough of it for such a short book.
October 7, 2024
Love happens in context
One of R. Cooper's author bios mentioned that she loves writing about the walking wounded, and even in a shorter story like this, the characters are beautiful in their love and their pain, ensnared fairytale style in their own assumptions and misapprehensions.
There's almost nothing more satisfying to me in a story than having a lonely, sad person, find love and romance and fulfillment with a partner who suits them and to whom they can give fully and from whom they can receive unstintingly. The free flow of love and affection in Cooper's stories is only ever impeded by miscommunication and previous wounds of the heart.
And it's so beautiful every time the dam bursts and two people come together (heh) in love and passion, but there's always a greater context. There's always a greater community around the lovers, always an increase in the way that the new lovers now BELONG to each other AND ALSO in the community.
It's so satisfying. Her Beings in Love series, I'm actively studying, because I want to write better, and her universe there is so evocative, the characters are so THEMSELVES.
I've been lonely a long time, and these stories both made me REALIZE that I have been, and also give me some ideas on how to break through my own isolation (like Piotr here, finally allowing his Familiar into his life, his house, his bed.) Overcoming fear of love is a major major theme, and something I still need to conquer, too.
Her books are weird and wonderful and exactly what I need to be reading.
One of R. Cooper's author bios mentioned that she loves writing about the walking wounded, and even in a shorter story like this, the characters are beautiful in their love and their pain, ensnared fairytale style in their own assumptions and misapprehensions.
There's almost nothing more satisfying to me in a story than having a lonely, sad person, find love and romance and fulfillment with a partner who suits them and to whom they can give fully and from whom they can receive unstintingly. The free flow of love and affection in Cooper's stories is only ever impeded by miscommunication and previous wounds of the heart.
And it's so beautiful every time the dam bursts and two people come together (heh) in love and passion, but there's always a greater context. There's always a greater community around the lovers, always an increase in the way that the new lovers now BELONG to each other AND ALSO in the community.
It's so satisfying. Her Beings in Love series, I'm actively studying, because I want to write better, and her universe there is so evocative, the characters are so THEMSELVES.
I've been lonely a long time, and these stories both made me REALIZE that I have been, and also give me some ideas on how to break through my own isolation (like Piotr here, finally allowing his Familiar into his life, his house, his bed.) Overcoming fear of love is a major major theme, and something I still need to conquer, too.
Her books are weird and wonderful and exactly what I need to be reading.
December 22, 2023
When I first discovered this story, I was in the midst of one of the most awful, difficult years of my life. My brother-in-law was recovering from a severe spinal cord injury, my cousin’s mother and his wife had recently died in a tragic house fire, and my aunt was in the final stages of her fight against lung cancer. Although autumn has always been my favorite season, full of magic and mystery, beauty and exhilaration, the last thing on my mind that year was the turning of the leaves or the cooling temperatures in the air. All of my usual anticipation and joy for the coming of autumn and for the Halloween season had drained away from me.
But this story was so charming and precious and lovely, the characters so endearing, it gave me a brief respite and a small taste of the season I love so much. It gave me a moment of peace and brought me comfort, like a warm, snuggly quilt wrapped around me on a chill autumn’s evening while I curled into a comfy chair before a crackling fire, sipping hot mulled cider. It encapsulated everything that represents the Halloween season to me. It was like a piece of my childhood brought to life. It was exactly what I needed and, quite possibly, saved me from a complete emotional breakdown that autumn. Now I reread it every year and I’m certain it will always remain one of my favorite stories of all time.
But this story was so charming and precious and lovely, the characters so endearing, it gave me a brief respite and a small taste of the season I love so much. It gave me a moment of peace and brought me comfort, like a warm, snuggly quilt wrapped around me on a chill autumn’s evening while I curled into a comfy chair before a crackling fire, sipping hot mulled cider. It encapsulated everything that represents the Halloween season to me. It was like a piece of my childhood brought to life. It was exactly what I needed and, quite possibly, saved me from a complete emotional breakdown that autumn. Now I reread it every year and I’m certain it will always remain one of my favorite stories of all time.
February 23, 2021
R. Cooper is an odd writer for me. It's like they write in a language that I can only just understand and sometimes it flows beautifully where I feel like I can ride its wave but other times I feel like I am either not understanding why a whole book is needed to be written for the same UST and miscommunication until the end and it's frustrating that no one can actually say what they mean and either talk in riddles or slight innuendos or nothing.
Honestly, I just don't like being frustrated with this type of UST through a whole book and I am fully aware that is exactly what this author does (at least in the books that I can remember off the top of my head) but others didn't frustrate me as much I guess.
Honestly, I just don't like being frustrated with this type of UST through a whole book and I am fully aware that is exactly what this author does (at least in the books that I can remember off the top of my head) but others didn't frustrate me as much I guess.
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