What do you think?
Rate this book
Being(s) in Love
Something Bright
Left on her own at a young age, Batch grew up in logging camps as a rough-and-tumble tomboy in men’s clothing, and kept all her soft and tender impulses carefully hidden. Even her name is a joke to most, and she used to drink to keep herself from minding. But with the area quieting down into orderly farms and civilized towns, complete with stricter notions of propriety, and her mind finally clear and sober, Batch is starting to wonder, and worry, about who she is, and where her place in the world might be.
It’s a bit of a shock to encounter Olivia Hooper again in the middle of her worrying. Like Batch, Hooper dresses in pants and does work most women don’t. But Hooper is something special. She wears her hair short and carries herself so confidently that few attempt to argue with her on the matter. She befriends everyone Batch cares about, and tells fantastical stories about true love, and destiny, and the town where she grew up; a place where no one cares how she dresses—or who she might step out with.
Hooper talks a lot of nonsense, but Batch is intrigued. Maybe it’s Hooper’s eyes that sometimes, almost, seem to glow, or the way no one can sneak up on her. Or maybe it’s the bold way Hooper declares that she’s in search of a wife, with her fierce gaze fixed right on Batch.
The idea is as impossible as Hooper’s mythical hometown. But less than a day under Olivia Hooper’s careful attention and Batch finds herself feeling almost like she’s someone special too, someone delicate and soft and admired for it. As if Hooper’s stories are real, and there is a place for Batch if Batch could only dare to imagine it.
A Being(s) in Love f/f historical novella
It’s a bit of a shock to encounter Olivia Hooper again in the middle of her worrying. Like Batch, Hooper dresses in pants and does work most women don’t. But Hooper is something special. She wears her hair short and carries herself so confidently that few attempt to argue with her on the matter. She befriends everyone Batch cares about, and tells fantastical stories about true love, and destiny, and the town where she grew up; a place where no one cares how she dresses—or who she might step out with.
Hooper talks a lot of nonsense, but Batch is intrigued. Maybe it’s Hooper’s eyes that sometimes, almost, seem to glow, or the way no one can sneak up on her. Or maybe it’s the bold way Hooper declares that she’s in search of a wife, with her fierce gaze fixed right on Batch.
The idea is as impossible as Hooper’s mythical hometown. But less than a day under Olivia Hooper’s careful attention and Batch finds herself feeling almost like she’s someone special too, someone delicate and soft and admired for it. As if Hooper’s stories are real, and there is a place for Batch if Batch could only dare to imagine it.
A Being(s) in Love f/f historical novella
126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2022
22 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
R. Cooper
81 books1,000 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.
Otherwise... have some social media links if you want updates and whatever the hell else I am talking about.
Tumblr
BlueSky
**With Meta's current policies, I do not use FB or Insta or Threads for anything but the bare minimum.**
Facebook
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.
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.
Tumblr
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 7, 2022
Really unique story, with a lot of heart and soul, but also a lot of internal monologuing and issues. But I actually really enjoyed the emotional portrayal. This is a very wordy story, where there's really not much action, so know that going in - but as I said I quite enjoyed the difference in tone and the unique twist that happens. If anything I wanted to spend more time with these characters.
Our MC "Batch" is 27 odd years of age, and a recovering alcoholic. She wears pants and a gun while she assists to keep the western town lawful and structured in her sobriety, helped along by her gruff mentor and unofficial sheriff, plus another older geezer that has also taken her under his wing. There's a few women at the local Hotel that also keeps an eye out for her, and an alluring newcomer called Hooper, Olivia Hooper, that is intriguing and mysterious.
I loved the found family aspects here.
Olivia is drawn to Batch. She too is a unique woman of the west, slightly more masculine, but tall, short cropped slicked hair, trousers and guns, taking jobs escorting people, coaches and mail as a gun for hire. We get some slight backstory of some commotion the town had recently had, during a time when Batch was either still in her cups, or just getting sober and struggling to stay upright.
This is something Batch is all too sensitive and guilty about, struggling with the person she was before, and her lack of direction now. Hooper gives her something to want, a future to hope - but that prospect could be even scarier than slinking back into alcoholism.
The two have a lovely connection, and the wordsmithing is detailed and emotional, while still leaving a lot left unsaid. There's a curious reveal about Hooper and where she comes from, which is intriguing and unexpected. I loved seeing Batch come into her own, and how her friends supported her. I also loved seeing Hoopers own unique view of things.
Just a really special story of difference to sink into.
Our MC "Batch" is 27 odd years of age, and a recovering alcoholic. She wears pants and a gun while she assists to keep the western town lawful and structured in her sobriety, helped along by her gruff mentor and unofficial sheriff, plus another older geezer that has also taken her under his wing. There's a few women at the local Hotel that also keeps an eye out for her, and an alluring newcomer called Hooper, Olivia Hooper, that is intriguing and mysterious.
I loved the found family aspects here.
Olivia is drawn to Batch. She too is a unique woman of the west, slightly more masculine, but tall, short cropped slicked hair, trousers and guns, taking jobs escorting people, coaches and mail as a gun for hire. We get some slight backstory of some commotion the town had recently had, during a time when Batch was either still in her cups, or just getting sober and struggling to stay upright.
This is something Batch is all too sensitive and guilty about, struggling with the person she was before, and her lack of direction now. Hooper gives her something to want, a future to hope - but that prospect could be even scarier than slinking back into alcoholism.
The two have a lovely connection, and the wordsmithing is detailed and emotional, while still leaving a lot left unsaid. There's a curious reveal about Hooper and where she comes from, which is intriguing and unexpected. I loved seeing Batch come into her own, and how her friends supported her. I also loved seeing Hoopers own unique view of things.
Just a really special story of difference to sink into.
October 9, 2022
I loved this. It was sweet and simple and so very R. Cooper.
May 22, 2025
How did we wind up there?
I had no idea this story would wind up there. It seemed like a straight period story. No fuss, no muss. I couldn’t read between the lines on all of it. I still don’t “know” what exactly the trouble was that Hooper found herself in.
I do know that she had an eye for Batch. When you read about Batch, it hurts. There was so much going on in her short life that it was hard to keep track of. People are thrown away and forgotten. Then they live a life of abuse. Until someday someone sees that they are more than their circumstances. They’re worth more than the time they live in values them.
And along the way someone catches your scent, even when it is mired in puke and everything else. This is where Hooper finds Batch. And boy does Batch have a story to tell. So much so that she cannot believe a word that comes out of Hoopers mouth, except she does. She should. The rough times and everything she had gone through would help shape her to enter this fantastical world that Hooper wanted to bring her into. And if anyone deserved it, it was Batch. It was Tinney, Carillo and Ruby.
I would have loved to learn more about Batch and Hooper before their story began. I hope they’re happy. They deserve to be.
I had no idea this story would wind up there. It seemed like a straight period story. No fuss, no muss. I couldn’t read between the lines on all of it. I still don’t “know” what exactly the trouble was that Hooper found herself in.
I do know that she had an eye for Batch. When you read about Batch, it hurts. There was so much going on in her short life that it was hard to keep track of. People are thrown away and forgotten. Then they live a life of abuse. Until someday someone sees that they are more than their circumstances. They’re worth more than the time they live in values them.
And along the way someone catches your scent, even when it is mired in puke and everything else. This is where Hooper finds Batch. And boy does Batch have a story to tell. So much so that she cannot believe a word that comes out of Hoopers mouth, except she does. She should. The rough times and everything she had gone through would help shape her to enter this fantastical world that Hooper wanted to bring her into. And if anyone deserved it, it was Batch. It was Tinney, Carillo and Ruby.
I would have loved to learn more about Batch and Hooper before their story began. I hope they’re happy. They deserve to be.
April 23, 2022
Sweet slow story
This was a slow and very sweet story about healing and love. Very gentle and with happy endings implied like most of R. Cooper's stories.
This was a slow and very sweet story about healing and love. Very gentle and with happy endings implied like most of R. Cooper's stories.
April 21, 2022
Lovely people, personal growth and love
This tale is a coaxing tale of old West love between two ladies. It's got a very little of R. Cooper's Beings in it, with some supernatural character(s). But generally a story of Batch learning who she is as a sober adult, and Hooper who really really likes Batch. There's hints of past old West battles. But the tale is simply one of gentle love.
A soft place to spend a little time.
I can highly recommend R. Cooper's other Beings tales, particularly Little Wolf and Treasure for Treasure. These tales have more history and angst and lessons to be learned on page for live to win. I also really enjoy her short tales, such as Scotty and Mr. Porter and Wealth of Unsaid Words. Though short, these have layers of the drama of love in them, with R. Coroner's special style of longing.
This tale is a coaxing tale of old West love between two ladies. It's got a very little of R. Cooper's Beings in it, with some supernatural character(s). But generally a story of Batch learning who she is as a sober adult, and Hooper who really really likes Batch. There's hints of past old West battles. But the tale is simply one of gentle love.
A soft place to spend a little time.
I can highly recommend R. Cooper's other Beings tales, particularly Little Wolf and Treasure for Treasure. These tales have more history and angst and lessons to be learned on page for live to win. I also really enjoy her short tales, such as Scotty and Mr. Porter and Wealth of Unsaid Words. Though short, these have layers of the drama of love in them, with R. Coroner's special style of longing.
May 18, 2022
This might be R. Cooper’s best written book. There is so much there to chew on, except… there also isn’t enough. I needed to see more of Batch’s transformation. I needed to see her reaction to learning the truth about Hooper. I needed to see who goes to live with Hooper and who doesn’t. I needed to see the life that they would live together. We don’t get any of that. This book was really two different stories in one and they didn’t play well together. The story of Batch and her journey toward who she truly is was held back by the magical elements and ,sadly, by the romance. And the fantasy elements and subsequent love story did not have the time or the room to blossom and grow adequately.
This is definitely worth the read, especially if you like westerns, but it’s not quite what you might expect going in.
This is definitely worth the read, especially if you like westerns, but it’s not quite what you might expect going in.
December 20, 2022
DNFd at 30 pages.
Sorry, but like the other shorts and bonus stories in the series, this just didn't work for me. I didn't know going in that it was a Pioneer/Western era and style story. There was an awful lot of nothing going on, to the point I got really bored. I didn't connect to Batch at all, or even Hoopper.
Tinney sounds like Carl, which could have been great, but I never really saw him on page.
There was no timeline/date noted. I just had to guess from the atmosphere, which took a few pages. There was a lot of talk about a villain who'd already been defeated, stuff Batch couldn't remember, and lots of hints/suggestions that didn't go anywhere.
In the end, I just didn't connect. Here's hoping Forget-Me-Not redeems the series ending (for now!)
Triggers: historic attitudes towards women, LGBT, beings, and an MCs history of alcoholism.
Sorry, but like the other shorts and bonus stories in the series, this just didn't work for me. I didn't know going in that it was a Pioneer/Western era and style story. There was an awful lot of nothing going on, to the point I got really bored. I didn't connect to Batch at all, or even Hoopper.
Tinney sounds like Carl, which could have been great, but I never really saw him on page.
There was no timeline/date noted. I just had to guess from the atmosphere, which took a few pages. There was a lot of talk about a villain who'd already been defeated, stuff Batch couldn't remember, and lots of hints/suggestions that didn't go anywhere.
In the end, I just didn't connect. Here's hoping Forget-Me-Not redeems the series ending (for now!)
Triggers: historic attitudes towards women, LGBT, beings, and an MCs history of alcoholism.
May 6, 2022
Sweet
I enjoyed this little story. It's definitely different in the beings collection, as a more historical piece, but it was still enjoyable, and I liked the allusions to the places we already know and love. I'm a little confused on the timeline of the beings, here, and their coming out, but it's been awhile since I've read the other stories that talked about the when and the where of that, and I do remember that the beings in some places stayed quieter longer. But I enjoyed the gritty reality of Batch's life and the HEA. Thank you for another wonderful story!
I enjoyed this little story. It's definitely different in the beings collection, as a more historical piece, but it was still enjoyable, and I liked the allusions to the places we already know and love. I'm a little confused on the timeline of the beings, here, and their coming out, but it's been awhile since I've read the other stories that talked about the when and the where of that, and I do remember that the beings in some places stayed quieter longer. But I enjoyed the gritty reality of Batch's life and the HEA. Thank you for another wonderful story!
March 22, 2023
I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as others in the series. Partly it was because it's about women instead of men, but mostly because there isn't even a hint of supernatural until the chapter titled "epilogue."
April 21, 2023
This novella is about recovery from addiction and trauma and learning to accept softness and care. It's a nice bit of history/lore from the Beings world. I don't read a lot of sapphic content, but I really liked this.
May 28, 2023
Maybe 2.5. Better than the last one from this series that I read. It continues to amaze me that the Beings in Love series seems to much more poorly written than the Familiar Spirits stories, which I usually love.
March 15, 2024
3 stars. The plot and world building were intriguing but I wasn’t crazy about the writer and I wasn’t all that invested in what was going on. I was a bit bored and I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t read the previous books or not. It was a quick read but nothing memorable.
November 14, 2025
The timeline just before this story started felt a bit overly complicated with who arrived in town when, but I liked this story a lot.
April 18, 2022
So lovely to read, Hooper is so sweet to/for Batch. Miss Primrose (a flower name ❤) deserves all the pretty things her Olivia will give her.
I liked hearing about a certain home town, and how Batch has her people who care for her through her bad times, and i love that she gets to have both. I only (ha) teared up like 5 times.
I liked hearing about a certain home town, and how Batch has her people who care for her through her bad times, and i love that she gets to have both. I only (ha) teared up like 5 times.
April 16, 2022
You very much need to read the rest of the series before this, so you can have the insider knowledge to see beyond what Batch sees when she looks at Hooper. It made it so much fun!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews