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Being(s) in Love #10
Forget Me Not
Detective Ray Branigan protects his chosen city of Los Cerros. Whatever feelings he has on how he is treated as a werewolf in a police department of mostly humans, Ray keeps to himself for the sake of being what he is supposed to be and doing what he thinks he is supposed to do.
…Until he wakes up in an alley with a headache, magic tingling in his nose, and no memory of the half-fairy in front of him claiming to be his mate. Ray does not have a mate, yet his instincts tell him this is right—and that something else is very wrong.
Werewolves who lose their mates get self-destructive or violent. But a miscalculation in the spell used against him has temporarily spared Ray that fate. While he still can, he has to find who did this to him, and why, and try not to get too distracted by the brilliant half-fairy who smells like home.
Callalily “Cal” Parker is beautiful, clever—and far too careful when discussing their past. Fairies are supposed to speak the truth, but maybe Cal is right to hide it from Ray, since the pack Ray has fought so hard to believe in, the police, seem to have abandoned him, and, his instincts whisper, cannot be trusted now, which means that maybe Ray shouldn’t be trusted either.
But the spell is still at work, weakening even a werewolf’s strength. When Ray can no longer fight off the magic, will he become the monster so many think he is, or the hero that his mate insists he must be—that he wants to be, to save himself, and help his city, and make his Callalily proud?
…Until he wakes up in an alley with a headache, magic tingling in his nose, and no memory of the half-fairy in front of him claiming to be his mate. Ray does not have a mate, yet his instincts tell him this is right—and that something else is very wrong.
Werewolves who lose their mates get self-destructive or violent. But a miscalculation in the spell used against him has temporarily spared Ray that fate. While he still can, he has to find who did this to him, and why, and try not to get too distracted by the brilliant half-fairy who smells like home.
Callalily “Cal” Parker is beautiful, clever—and far too careful when discussing their past. Fairies are supposed to speak the truth, but maybe Cal is right to hide it from Ray, since the pack Ray has fought so hard to believe in, the police, seem to have abandoned him, and, his instincts whisper, cannot be trusted now, which means that maybe Ray shouldn’t be trusted either.
But the spell is still at work, weakening even a werewolf’s strength. When Ray can no longer fight off the magic, will he become the monster so many think he is, or the hero that his mate insists he must be—that he wants to be, to save himself, and help his city, and make his Callalily proud?
551 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2022
About the author
R. Cooper
83 books1,018 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.
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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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 6, 2022
3.5
Something changed in the Being universe or it's more like we're not allowed to ignore anymore what's wrong. It was always there and surely a cause for the resonant melancholy of the previous books, but there it was overlaid with whimsical occurrences, softened by adorable characters and dissolved by a cute HEA. Forget Me Not has all those ingredients and we get a new happy ending for Ray and Cal but the same can't be said for the overall situation. Seems now even in the Being universe there can't be a good life in a bad one.
To make that point R. Cooper goes back to where everything started. She even creates a situation where Ray and Cal have to fight for there HEA again because after a magic attack Ray doesn't remember Cal anymore and their mating bond is severed. Oddly that amnesia is only about everything Cal-related while to a certain degree he still remembers everything else. It's a difficult and dangerous situation because to common knowledge a werewolf loosing his mate is going feral and no one knows why Ray didn't go on a rampage yet and of course no one knows the reason for that attack or who did it. So now starts a race against time while the guys become aware that they don't know much about wolves because Ray is still the only one in the city and Ray realizes what his career as one of the only 2 Beings with the police force did cost him, how all the excuses for the slurs and prejudices affected his life and relationship and as a reader and fan of the Being series I had to recognize that the HEA I believed there was in the first book wasn't complete because there was so much left unsaid between the guys. So this is not only a story about a magical amnesia but also about a real 2nd chance.
It's funny to write that the guys didn't talk enough because also in this book for long periods they are doing nothing else than talk but it's in the typical R. Cooper style, incomplete sentences heavy with meaning, easily distracted and with the assumption that the other exactly knows what was meant. To a certain degree it was surely necessary but at times it was a bit much for me and I didn't understand why they it took them so long to act sometime e.g. why look at the thumb drive so late, why never contact that other wolf to gain more information? Made me wonder if Ray and Penn are that good as investigators but as soon as the situation got a bit more clear and the connection between Ray and Cal was established once again the mystery gained traction.
I was glad to have Penn more involved, an integral part of the story and a loyal friend. I enjoyed all the mentions of characters from other books but would have loved to see more cameos (do we ever get the information how Zarrin is dealing with his situation?). I believe even more now than after the first book that the connection between Ray and Cal is precious and has a real good base at the end of Forget Me Not. Ray is such a protective sweetwolf and Cal grew a lot since his capricious fairy brat phase and if I'm not always easy with their ideas for great sex, I also don't mind because I can't follow the flag of diversity and then when it counts I insist on human conceptions.
Ray will find Call, always and forever.
Am I good with the resolving of the mystery? Let's say I was surprised (in a good way) how much real life R. Cooper was able to include without loosing the whimsical foundation of the Being universe.
Something changed in the Being universe or it's more like we're not allowed to ignore anymore what's wrong. It was always there and surely a cause for the resonant melancholy of the previous books, but there it was overlaid with whimsical occurrences, softened by adorable characters and dissolved by a cute HEA. Forget Me Not has all those ingredients and we get a new happy ending for Ray and Cal but the same can't be said for the overall situation. Seems now even in the Being universe there can't be a good life in a bad one.
To make that point R. Cooper goes back to where everything started. She even creates a situation where Ray and Cal have to fight for there HEA again because after a magic attack Ray doesn't remember Cal anymore and their mating bond is severed. Oddly that amnesia is only about everything Cal-related while to a certain degree he still remembers everything else. It's a difficult and dangerous situation because to common knowledge a werewolf loosing his mate is going feral and no one knows why Ray didn't go on a rampage yet and of course no one knows the reason for that attack or who did it. So now starts a race against time while the guys become aware that they don't know much about wolves because Ray is still the only one in the city and Ray realizes what his career as one of the only 2 Beings with the police force did cost him, how all the excuses for the slurs and prejudices affected his life and relationship and as a reader and fan of the Being series I had to recognize that the HEA I believed there was in the first book wasn't complete because there was so much left unsaid between the guys. So this is not only a story about a magical amnesia but also about a real 2nd chance.
It's funny to write that the guys didn't talk enough because also in this book for long periods they are doing nothing else than talk but it's in the typical R. Cooper style, incomplete sentences heavy with meaning, easily distracted and with the assumption that the other exactly knows what was meant. To a certain degree it was surely necessary but at times it was a bit much for me and I didn't understand why they it took them so long to act sometime e.g. why look at the thumb drive so late, why never contact that other wolf to gain more information? Made me wonder if Ray and Penn are that good as investigators but as soon as the situation got a bit more clear and the connection between Ray and Cal was established once again the mystery gained traction.
I was glad to have Penn more involved, an integral part of the story and a loyal friend. I enjoyed all the mentions of characters from other books but would have loved to see more cameos (do we ever get the information how Zarrin is dealing with his situation?). I believe even more now than after the first book that the connection between Ray and Cal is precious and has a real good base at the end of Forget Me Not. Ray is such a protective sweetwolf and Cal grew a lot since his capricious fairy brat phase and if I'm not always easy with their ideas for great sex, I also don't mind because I can't follow the flag of diversity and then when it counts I insist on human conceptions.
Ray will find Call, always and forever.
Am I good with the resolving of the mystery? Let's say I was surprised (in a good way) how much real life R. Cooper was able to include without loosing the whimsical foundation of the Being universe.
July 5, 2023
We're with Roy and Cal again, and things aren't going so well, mostly because they're good guys and therefore on the wrong side of law - particularly painful for Roy, a police office who is reluctant to accept that his fellow officers would happily turn their backs on his not-straight, not-human ass and even more happily see his fairy boyfriend dead.
This definitely has a sad tone overall, reflecting both the characters' disillusionment, and I think the author's (as with so many other Americans in the past few years) feeling of helplessness in the face of massive entrenched greed and prejudice. I still enjoyed the read, but rather in the way you can enjoy spending time with loved ones you haven't seen in a while even though you're gathered for a funeral.
This definitely has a sad tone overall, reflecting both the characters' disillusionment, and I think the author's (as with so many other Americans in the past few years) feeling of helplessness in the face of massive entrenched greed and prejudice. I still enjoyed the read, but rather in the way you can enjoy spending time with loved ones you haven't seen in a while even though you're gathered for a funeral.
December 5, 2022
Thank you so much to Santa’s most distracted Elf for gifting this to me during the 2022 Secret Santa Exchange!
===
I wanted to love this one, but sadly, it was a miss. :/
It's pretty clear that Cooper doesn't have a team of editors/betas, because not only were there a number of SpaG and formatting issues, but goddamn this book was way too fucking long. At least a third of it should have been cut out. It dragged and got repetitive, and I really do think this author needs somebody to reign them in a bit, as this is not an uncommon issue for them.
But honestly, my biggest gripe here is that I'm not entirely sure what the audience was here. It felt like the author wanted to tell two stories: 1. Ray & Cal revisited and 2. a critique of the criminal justice system through the Beings lens. I think both of those are great! But I don't think the combination here worked for me. The author says this can be read as a standalone, and I'm not sure I entirely agree--events from the first books are heavily referenced and seen as a catalyst, to the point where I feel like a reader is missing a lot of context if they don't read it. On the other hand, having literally just read that book, I felt like this was an entirely different book in a way that honestly left me feeling really discombobulated. Because the author really (IMO) did not set up any of the criminal justice/policing critiques in book 1, the sudden focus on them here really didn't feel cohesive and seemed entirely out of left field. There are comments and reframes of things we saw in book 1 that make sense if you squint, but mostly just felt like retconning to me. And even the evolution of Cal & Ray's relationship felt really odd and disconnected from the first book--why the fuck is Ray having sex with Benny?? How does that at all make sense for the characters that have been laid out? I can get into a sort of poly situation for sure, but again, this felt like the author wanting to make a point and not like it was authentic to the characters that had originally been presented, particularly Ray. To me, this felt like the author wanted to fundamentally change book 1, and instead of rewriting it, she created a sequel to try and fix the things she personally wanted to change, but that just left me feeling really confused, because I just don't feel like they read cohesively--book 2 seemed like it moved into some kind of dystopic parallel universe.
I think I honestly may have been able to really enjoy this book had it featured new characters and hadn't tried to totally change existing characters/relationships/situations that were previously introduced. For me, this combination just didn't work and left me pretty disappointed. There are things to love for sure, but I was so distracted by the total 180 this book took from the first that I just couldn't ever get my bearings or sink into the story.
===
I wanted to love this one, but sadly, it was a miss. :/
It's pretty clear that Cooper doesn't have a team of editors/betas, because not only were there a number of SpaG and formatting issues, but goddamn this book was way too fucking long. At least a third of it should have been cut out. It dragged and got repetitive, and I really do think this author needs somebody to reign them in a bit, as this is not an uncommon issue for them.
But honestly, my biggest gripe here is that I'm not entirely sure what the audience was here. It felt like the author wanted to tell two stories: 1. Ray & Cal revisited and 2. a critique of the criminal justice system through the Beings lens. I think both of those are great! But I don't think the combination here worked for me. The author says this can be read as a standalone, and I'm not sure I entirely agree--events from the first books are heavily referenced and seen as a catalyst, to the point where I feel like a reader is missing a lot of context if they don't read it. On the other hand, having literally just read that book, I felt like this was an entirely different book in a way that honestly left me feeling really discombobulated. Because the author really (IMO) did not set up any of the criminal justice/policing critiques in book 1, the sudden focus on them here really didn't feel cohesive and seemed entirely out of left field. There are comments and reframes of things we saw in book 1 that make sense if you squint, but mostly just felt like retconning to me. And even the evolution of Cal & Ray's relationship felt really odd and disconnected from the first book--why the fuck is Ray having sex with Benny?? How does that at all make sense for the characters that have been laid out? I can get into a sort of poly situation for sure, but again, this felt like the author wanting to make a point and not like it was authentic to the characters that had originally been presented, particularly Ray. To me, this felt like the author wanted to fundamentally change book 1, and instead of rewriting it, she created a sequel to try and fix the things she personally wanted to change, but that just left me feeling really confused, because I just don't feel like they read cohesively--book 2 seemed like it moved into some kind of dystopic parallel universe.
I think I honestly may have been able to really enjoy this book had it featured new characters and hadn't tried to totally change existing characters/relationships/situations that were previously introduced. For me, this combination just didn't work and left me pretty disappointed. There are things to love for sure, but I was so distracted by the total 180 this book took from the first that I just couldn't ever get my bearings or sink into the story.
March 22, 2026
I like the Ray and the supporting characters a lot and I think there was the potential for a really compelling plot here. The themes of marginalization and sense of community also hit really close to home especially considering current events, but somehow everything felt like it was not quite developed enough.
Despite this, the book meandered and went on for way too long, and especially considering the length, I felt very unsatisfied with how little things felt resolved at the end.
Despite this, the book meandered and went on for way too long, and especially considering the length, I felt very unsatisfied with how little things felt resolved at the end.
October 10, 2022
3.5 stars
That's 4-ish stars for the writing & the great plot: Ray wakes up having lost all memory both of his mate Cal, and of the details of an investigation that's approaching a climax.
I'm a huge fan of the way Cooper's characters say a great deal by saying very little, or by answering questions that haven't (quite) been asked. As a reader, I'm drawn into the characters, trying to parse the emotions thrumming below the surface. Here's emotionally-constipated Ray, sort-of wooing flighty Cal with a doughnut.
I've checked the acknowledgements but can't see an editor credited (and as I think this is a self-pubbed book, that's maybe not unusual). I do think though that an affectionately critical sharpening up would let "Forget-Me-Not" shine more brightly.
NB - if anyone is new to Cooper, Play It Again, Charlie is in my DIK top 10, and the short story Checking Out Love is delightful.
That's 4-ish stars for the writing & the great plot: Ray wakes up having lost all memory both of his mate Cal, and of the details of an investigation that's approaching a climax.
I'm a huge fan of the way Cooper's characters say a great deal by saying very little, or by answering questions that haven't (quite) been asked. As a reader, I'm drawn into the characters, trying to parse the emotions thrumming below the surface. Here's emotionally-constipated Ray, sort-of wooing flighty Cal with a doughnut.
Cal finally crinkled the paper bag to take out his treat. “A donut with sprinkles,” he exhaled in a tone that was eerily close to the contentment in Ray’s chest at the idea of Cal eating his food.Forget-Me-Not is also a much angrier book than Cooper's early "Beings in Love" stories. Here the plot centres on the way non-humans are being systematically targetted in a way that is not at all accidentally like real-life institutional racism.
Ray opened his eyes and turned around to look at him. Cal was eyeing the mini donut with wonder.
“You like sprinkles?” Ray asked gruffly, and didn’t understand or appreciate Cal’s tiny, giddy laugh.
But Cal went solemn when he broke the already small donut in half to hand a piece to Ray. “It’s a strange thing to find hope in a sprinkled donut.”
“So that’s a yes?” Ray pressed, accepting the piece and then wiping a bit of frosting from his lip after he ate it.
Cal leaned back, picking off each sprinkle and one by one putting them in his mouth, clearly reveling in Ray’s rapt attention.
“It’s always a yes, Ray.”
Ray looked at the map again, the dots for stops all over town, thought of fairies and elves and poorer humans taking the bus from the village to City Hall so they could pay fines or apply for permits or go to the courthouse and then hopping on the bus again to get groceries or to go to work and then go home. The trip was a pain in the ass, and an expense, and was not quick. No one who took the bus was in any sort of position of authority anywhere around City Hall, except possibly a store manager or two. Travel by any way but car kept the parts of the city separate.But I'm bumping this down to 3.5 stars because, at 160k words, this is just too long. Yes, it's a complex situation; yes, the relationship between the MCs isn't straightforward, but Cooper does let things wallow. She can also take "oblique" just over the line into "mildly incomprehensible" and the half-communication between Ray & Cal becomes seriously frustrating after a bit. The last few Beings books have suffered from the same "over-played strengths"—I don't want to call them weaknesses, because they really do come from aspects of Cooper's style I admire.
I've checked the acknowledgements but can't see an editor credited (and as I think this is a self-pubbed book, that's maybe not unusual). I do think though that an affectionately critical sharpening up would let "Forget-Me-Not" shine more brightly.
NB - if anyone is new to Cooper, Play It Again, Charlie is in my DIK top 10, and the short story Checking Out Love is delightful.
January 10, 2025
4⭐
Ooh, what to say...
I love R. Cooper with all the rambling inner monologues and talking around things, and especially the angst, it's exquisite. I was a bit afraid to dive into this book because forgetting a love is an instant tear-jerk for me, sometimes I'm bordering on panic on how sad I find it. But surprisingly this wasn't an angst-fest of mourning lost love. There was a quite a lot of hope of rebuilding the love again, and it was beautiful.
But the book is still sad and heavy. It's about discrimination, social injustice, corruption in police force. And while the romance parts weren't quite as hard I thought they'd be, the truth is that Ray and Cal struggled through two years in the first book, and here they've already been struggling again, and maybe their relationship will now be in a good place, but they wont be able to stop struggling with the societal issues. I'm sad.
I re-read Some Kind of Magic before this and I think one can see the improvement in writing. It's more corehent and flows better even with some bloating. And I do think this couple needed to be revisited. I don't recommend reading this as a stand-alone story. One probably could, but in my opinion should not. This book is also at least partly concurrent with Sweet Clematis.
I enjoyed the callbacks to earlier books, especially the excellent The Firebird and Other Stories. Everything was woven in quite organically, with short meetings or mentions, even easter eggs that people wont pick up on if they haven't read the books. I hate when authors build in sales pitches in their works and this was done well. I even had to stop to re-read a novella from Firebird, and was tempted to read more.
This is another lenghty book. I like Cooper's slower pace, but many of their longer books are still a bit too long. I can be totally engaged and captivated to the story, but there are several books where I still find the reading suddenly a bit of a slog when I get 3/4 in. I feel things should be wrapped up already and then become frustrated when they don't. I'm a bit conflicted as there isn't a lot of thing here I'd be ready to cut, like I just mentioned how much I enjoyed all the callbacks. But this is a recurring issue, and an editor meaner than myself would be a good thing.
There is some repetition to going around same ideas, especially when "new characters" enter the scene, for example when meeting Cal's parents. I loved seeing them though, their story was definitely something to get back to. But some of the ideas were unnecessarily repeated with them.
I also thought the small twist towards polyamory was a bit out of place here. Not because it wasn't an interesting idea or would be objectionable. I just think it would have needed to be explored more to really add something, and everything was already a bit too much.
For those fearing what this polyamorous twist means and if it's a deal-breaker for them, a little more detail in spoilers:
The book has so many things going on with it. It's a love story and a mystery and a commentary on societal issues. It also feels like a wrap up to the series, maybe not the final conclusion, but it's encompassing all the earlier works. It's bursting. It started out as 5 star story but closely avoided bursting to pieces.
Ooh, what to say...
I love R. Cooper with all the rambling inner monologues and talking around things, and especially the angst, it's exquisite. I was a bit afraid to dive into this book because forgetting a love is an instant tear-jerk for me, sometimes I'm bordering on panic on how sad I find it. But surprisingly this wasn't an angst-fest of mourning lost love. There was a quite a lot of hope of rebuilding the love again, and it was beautiful.
But the book is still sad and heavy. It's about discrimination, social injustice, corruption in police force. And while the romance parts weren't quite as hard I thought they'd be, the truth is that Ray and Cal struggled through two years in the first book, and here they've already been struggling again, and maybe their relationship will now be in a good place, but they wont be able to stop struggling with the societal issues. I'm sad.
I re-read Some Kind of Magic before this and I think one can see the improvement in writing. It's more corehent and flows better even with some bloating. And I do think this couple needed to be revisited. I don't recommend reading this as a stand-alone story. One probably could, but in my opinion should not. This book is also at least partly concurrent with Sweet Clematis.
I enjoyed the callbacks to earlier books, especially the excellent The Firebird and Other Stories. Everything was woven in quite organically, with short meetings or mentions, even easter eggs that people wont pick up on if they haven't read the books. I hate when authors build in sales pitches in their works and this was done well. I even had to stop to re-read a novella from Firebird, and was tempted to read more.
This is another lenghty book. I like Cooper's slower pace, but many of their longer books are still a bit too long. I can be totally engaged and captivated to the story, but there are several books where I still find the reading suddenly a bit of a slog when I get 3/4 in. I feel things should be wrapped up already and then become frustrated when they don't. I'm a bit conflicted as there isn't a lot of thing here I'd be ready to cut, like I just mentioned how much I enjoyed all the callbacks. But this is a recurring issue, and an editor meaner than myself would be a good thing.
There is some repetition to going around same ideas, especially when "new characters" enter the scene, for example when meeting Cal's parents. I loved seeing them though, their story was definitely something to get back to. But some of the ideas were unnecessarily repeated with them.
I also thought the small twist towards polyamory was a bit out of place here. Not because it wasn't an interesting idea or would be objectionable. I just think it would have needed to be explored more to really add something, and everything was already a bit too much.
For those fearing what this polyamorous twist means and if it's a deal-breaker for them, a little more detail in spoilers:
The book has so many things going on with it. It's a love story and a mystery and a commentary on societal issues. It also feels like a wrap up to the series, maybe not the final conclusion, but it's encompassing all the earlier works. It's bursting. It started out as 5 star story but closely avoided bursting to pieces.
August 28, 2022
Oh Ray, sweetwolf for sure. I get real rambly and incoherent below so sorry, but in summary, this is great and I loved it and I teared up a ton (literal pages in to start with). Which is a positive reccomendation, in case you were unsure.
You dont Need to have read any of the previous books in the series to get a lot out of this story, but if you did read only one, go for Some Kind of Magic, which is Ray and Cal The Mating part One. Worth doing for the foreknowledge of the characters, if only because this one feels like, not a redemption, but a recalibration (maybe?) of Ray and what his core being means in terms of the way he relates to the world. A lot changes for Ray but never the core of his personality, and every change feels Right to me.
You dont Need to have read any of the previous books in the series to get a lot out of this story, but if you did read only one, go for Some Kind of Magic, which is Ray and Cal The Mating part One. Worth doing for the foreknowledge of the characters, if only because this one feels like, not a redemption, but a recalibration (maybe?) of Ray and what his core being means in terms of the way he relates to the world. A lot changes for Ray but never the core of his personality, and every change feels Right to me.
September 15, 2022
I am not quite sure what to make of this book. I loved the idea of visiting a beloved couple from a great series. And re-reading book 1 was lovely. However the book was long and a bit boring. Cal and Ray were great, but there wasn't a good plot. Despite the length the story felt unfinished. Why write an incomplete story about these two characters?
I like the part of Ray forgetting his mate and re-doing that relationship, that was in interesting plot point. But the reason behind it was too big and too far fetched and in the end left unfinished.
It felt like I devoted a lot of time to read nothing.
I like the part of Ray forgetting his mate and re-doing that relationship, that was in interesting plot point. But the reason behind it was too big and too far fetched and in the end left unfinished.
It felt like I devoted a lot of time to read nothing.
September 24, 2022
I've read many of these, and I enjoyed this one, but it did not get the line-edit it needed, which makes it a little hard to follow. There are a lot of spare word and missing word typos. I could ignore all but the one I left in the highlights; wrong name typos are the worst. Also, the tracking of memories shared or not yet shared is not very good. Maybe some day it will get a better edit. The resolution is very good. The epilogue is sweet. I don't regret reading it, but I hope some day to get an updated version so that, when I re-read this series, it's not quite so messy.
September 4, 2022
This new addition to the ‘Beings in love’ series is the darkest yet. In ‘Sweet Clematis’ we see some of the prejudice the beings are being faced with and in this book it becomes clear something is really wrong.
This book goes back to the first couple, the werewolf Ray and his mate, the half fairy Cal. Ray wakes up in an alley and can’t remember his mate Cal or anything that has to do with him. He has also no idea what happened to him. It has to be magic, but what magic and why? His self-made pack tries to answer these questions: Benny the wizard, Cal’s parents Calvin and Lis and Penn, Ray’s partner. It’s nice that a lot of characters from other books are being mentioned. I would have loved it even more if they would actually made an appearance, but unfortunately we only really meet Cassandra, the witch from ‘The firebird and other stories’. But it was still a nice touch.
The pack finds out that Ray was researching something before he was attacked, something big that had to do with the Village, were most of the beings live. Slowly they discover what is going on and it isn’t good. The police department where Ray and Penn work is connected somehow. And there has to be someone higher up who pulls the strings.
There are a lot of things in this book that you recognize from the real world around us. The world of ‘Beings in love’ isn’t a fairytale world. Bad things happens to good people. I don’t think this is the last book, it feels like the story of the Beings isn’t over yet. But I do hope we get a happy ending for them all somewhere, because we need happy endings, especially right now! And this book made me wish for a book where the couples from different books meet and work together. They are connected, so who knows what will happen…
I would really start at the beginning of this series, because the world building is great and it just is a lovely series! And like I said, a lot of characters from other books are being mentioned, and it is much nicer to know them when you read this book. My favorites of the series are still ‘His mossy boy’ and ‘Sweet Clematis’ but this was a good one too.
This book goes back to the first couple, the werewolf Ray and his mate, the half fairy Cal. Ray wakes up in an alley and can’t remember his mate Cal or anything that has to do with him. He has also no idea what happened to him. It has to be magic, but what magic and why? His self-made pack tries to answer these questions: Benny the wizard, Cal’s parents Calvin and Lis and Penn, Ray’s partner. It’s nice that a lot of characters from other books are being mentioned. I would have loved it even more if they would actually made an appearance, but unfortunately we only really meet Cassandra, the witch from ‘The firebird and other stories’. But it was still a nice touch.
The pack finds out that Ray was researching something before he was attacked, something big that had to do with the Village, were most of the beings live. Slowly they discover what is going on and it isn’t good. The police department where Ray and Penn work is connected somehow. And there has to be someone higher up who pulls the strings.
There are a lot of things in this book that you recognize from the real world around us. The world of ‘Beings in love’ isn’t a fairytale world. Bad things happens to good people. I don’t think this is the last book, it feels like the story of the Beings isn’t over yet. But I do hope we get a happy ending for them all somewhere, because we need happy endings, especially right now! And this book made me wish for a book where the couples from different books meet and work together. They are connected, so who knows what will happen…
I would really start at the beginning of this series, because the world building is great and it just is a lovely series! And like I said, a lot of characters from other books are being mentioned, and it is much nicer to know them when you read this book. My favorites of the series are still ‘His mossy boy’ and ‘Sweet Clematis’ but this was a good one too.
December 27, 2022
Forget-Me-Not, by R. Cooper
Being(s) in Love, Book 10
★★★★★
551 Pages
3rd person, single character POV
Genre: MM, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Shifter, Police, Fated Mates
Triggers: homophobia, being-phobia, corrupt police, conspiracy, off-page poly/sharing, discrimination, mild violence, guns
~
I re-read the entire series before reading this, and I'm glad I did, because that made Ray and Cal more fresh in my mind, before delving back into their relationship. Sadly, my paperback began falling apart around the halfway mark, with pages falling out like petals. I was gutted, but this is a nearly 600-page book.
It was great revisiting Ray and Cal, but with a new dynamic. I wasn't sure how I'd like it, and I delayed reading it for a few days until I could get myself in the right mindset. I'm *really* glad it started immediately with Ray waking from an attack, with amnesia, unable to recognise Cal or their mate bond, and having been attacked by magic. It meant that there was so much ease believing Ray couldn't recognise or remember his previous life. I'm not sure that would have been the same, if we'd seen how their relationship had been since our last visit with them.
It was sad to see Ray struggling, but also interesting to see Cal trying so hard to be the strong mate, while realising he's been forgotten. Cal is so protective of Ray, taking his time helping Ray remember what matters, without forcing their relationship on him when he's not ready. Anything related to Cal is gone from Ray's mind, and that's hard for Cal, which really hit the feels hard. Yet, at the same time, it was interesting to see how their relationship has evolved since their last story together. Things are great, but there are also secrets being kept, things swept under the rug, never talked about or confronted. To see how much Cal has sacrificed, and how much Ray has let slip by, was sad but realistic. Relationships change and evolve over time.
The police, even the ones Ray thought of as friends, have proven untrustworthy, and have been slagging off Cal and their mate bond. Ray is just realising how many problems existed in their relationship, that they didn't address and that they need to resolve. It also covers how Ray started to see an escalation in crime – something that could severely affect his “pack” of the town, and his mate – that worried him enough to set precautions, including telling Cal what to do, hiding a USB of “proof”, and amping up security at home.
I utterly LOVE how gentle and careful and hopeful Cal is around Ray. Their dynamics are changing, but in the best and healthier way. They both see new things in their relationship that they've been blind to, or avoiding, until now. I also loved that, despite the amnesia, no one kept secrets from Ray or ignored it as if it didn't matter. Instead, they carefully reintegrate him and go slow, to leave room for old memories to resurface, without needlessly leaving him confused and in the dark about important events.
It was nice to see Cal's parents reappearing. That Lis kept her promise to Clematis, that she and Calvin got back together, and that they were there for Cal when he desperately needed them. It was also great to see Teo reappearing. I loved that they weren't alone, but even if Carmelo wasn't around anymore, they had family around them, probably of Carmelo's lineage and ability. I also loved that they knew exactly how to handle Ray, in his werewolf mode, without any fear or hesitation, and were still taking care of their community the way Carmelo had. I would LOVE to see if Carmelo was still around or not, and maybe see another story involving the same kind of Beast as he was. Maybe one of the teens? Maybe in Albert's story? (which I'm dying for!)
I was a bit surprised by the inclusion of a poly scene, but it was off-page, and kind of made sense, emotionally, within the dynamics of how it came about. I think I prefer it that way, because although it happened, it wasn't like it was romantic or permanent, which was easier to cope with.
~
In the end, while I loved the story, I can't say much about the plot because it would feel like anything important I have to say would be a spoiler. But, I was a bit disappointed that the HUGE conspiracy wasn't really resolved at the end. It felt more like something had been started that would finish in a later book. However, that's quite common in this series, with some plots linking between multiple books, such as how Zarrin's attack is still being discussed in future books. I'll be interested to know if *this* plot is also resolved later, in another novel, and who gets to be part of that. I also REALLY want to read Albert's story.
Saying that, I loved the change of dynamics within Ray and Cal's relationship. I love that you get hints of how their relationship evolved since their last story, and that Ray and Cal both work harder to make sure things are different, the second time around.
~
Favourite Quote
“Fairies don't like sadness." Ray inhaled deeply to give himself a moment to revel in sugar. He did not know Callalily. He would bleed for him. He would die for him. He would sleep at Callalily's feet if Callalily allowed it. He felt like he was dreaming except for the pounding in his head and the roil in his stomach. "Fairies hate ugly things. Everyone knows that. If you leave me, don't stay around. You won't like me. You won't like what I will become.”
Being(s) in Love, Book 10
★★★★★
551 Pages
3rd person, single character POV
Genre: MM, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Shifter, Police, Fated Mates
Triggers: homophobia, being-phobia, corrupt police, conspiracy, off-page poly/sharing, discrimination, mild violence, guns
~
I re-read the entire series before reading this, and I'm glad I did, because that made Ray and Cal more fresh in my mind, before delving back into their relationship. Sadly, my paperback began falling apart around the halfway mark, with pages falling out like petals. I was gutted, but this is a nearly 600-page book.
It was great revisiting Ray and Cal, but with a new dynamic. I wasn't sure how I'd like it, and I delayed reading it for a few days until I could get myself in the right mindset. I'm *really* glad it started immediately with Ray waking from an attack, with amnesia, unable to recognise Cal or their mate bond, and having been attacked by magic. It meant that there was so much ease believing Ray couldn't recognise or remember his previous life. I'm not sure that would have been the same, if we'd seen how their relationship had been since our last visit with them.
It was sad to see Ray struggling, but also interesting to see Cal trying so hard to be the strong mate, while realising he's been forgotten. Cal is so protective of Ray, taking his time helping Ray remember what matters, without forcing their relationship on him when he's not ready. Anything related to Cal is gone from Ray's mind, and that's hard for Cal, which really hit the feels hard. Yet, at the same time, it was interesting to see how their relationship has evolved since their last story together. Things are great, but there are also secrets being kept, things swept under the rug, never talked about or confronted. To see how much Cal has sacrificed, and how much Ray has let slip by, was sad but realistic. Relationships change and evolve over time.
The police, even the ones Ray thought of as friends, have proven untrustworthy, and have been slagging off Cal and their mate bond. Ray is just realising how many problems existed in their relationship, that they didn't address and that they need to resolve. It also covers how Ray started to see an escalation in crime – something that could severely affect his “pack” of the town, and his mate – that worried him enough to set precautions, including telling Cal what to do, hiding a USB of “proof”, and amping up security at home.
I utterly LOVE how gentle and careful and hopeful Cal is around Ray. Their dynamics are changing, but in the best and healthier way. They both see new things in their relationship that they've been blind to, or avoiding, until now. I also loved that, despite the amnesia, no one kept secrets from Ray or ignored it as if it didn't matter. Instead, they carefully reintegrate him and go slow, to leave room for old memories to resurface, without needlessly leaving him confused and in the dark about important events.
It was nice to see Cal's parents reappearing. That Lis kept her promise to Clematis, that she and Calvin got back together, and that they were there for Cal when he desperately needed them. It was also great to see Teo reappearing. I loved that they weren't alone, but even if Carmelo wasn't around anymore, they had family around them, probably of Carmelo's lineage and ability. I also loved that they knew exactly how to handle Ray, in his werewolf mode, without any fear or hesitation, and were still taking care of their community the way Carmelo had. I would LOVE to see if Carmelo was still around or not, and maybe see another story involving the same kind of Beast as he was. Maybe one of the teens? Maybe in Albert's story? (which I'm dying for!)
I was a bit surprised by the inclusion of a poly scene, but it was off-page, and kind of made sense, emotionally, within the dynamics of how it came about. I think I prefer it that way, because although it happened, it wasn't like it was romantic or permanent, which was easier to cope with.
~
In the end, while I loved the story, I can't say much about the plot because it would feel like anything important I have to say would be a spoiler. But, I was a bit disappointed that the HUGE conspiracy wasn't really resolved at the end. It felt more like something had been started that would finish in a later book. However, that's quite common in this series, with some plots linking between multiple books, such as how Zarrin's attack is still being discussed in future books. I'll be interested to know if *this* plot is also resolved later, in another novel, and who gets to be part of that. I also REALLY want to read Albert's story.
Saying that, I loved the change of dynamics within Ray and Cal's relationship. I love that you get hints of how their relationship evolved since their last story, and that Ray and Cal both work harder to make sure things are different, the second time around.
~
Favourite Quote
“Fairies don't like sadness." Ray inhaled deeply to give himself a moment to revel in sugar. He did not know Callalily. He would bleed for him. He would die for him. He would sleep at Callalily's feet if Callalily allowed it. He felt like he was dreaming except for the pounding in his head and the roil in his stomach. "Fairies hate ugly things. Everyone knows that. If you leave me, don't stay around. You won't like me. You won't like what I will become.”
September 20, 2022
Forget Me Not (Beings In Love book 10)
R. Cooper
Published by the author, 2022
Five stars
The world of R. Cooper’s Being(s) in Love series comes full circle with its tenth book, “Forget Me Not.” As always, Cooper’s beautiful world-building takes us to a familiar-yet-alien place, a place where humans live alongside magical creatures—known as beings--as a result of a cataclysm unleashed by World War I.
Although the locales of the Being(s) in Love are fictional, the culture that marginalizes all those who are different is all too familiar. The world has come a long way since magical beings joined the human race—but in some ways not far enough. Cooper chooses to focus the narrative of this book on that unhappy truth, and thus echoes the social issues around us in the real world today.
We are back in book 1, checking in on werewolf police detective Ray Branigan, and the redoubtable half-fairy Cal Parker. It was the story of their meeting that drew me into Cooper’s literary world, and this book enlarges on the themes of that first book—pushing deeper, delving into darker corners of the city of Los Cerros’s polyglot society.
The plot starts abruptly and shockingly with Ray waking up from some sort of attack, finding himself sick and confused. The bigger shock arrives with Cal Parker and his friend Oscar Benedict. Ray has no idea who Cal is. Whatever happened to him eliminated all memory of the man who is his mate, and with it any clue as to what could have made that happen.
Cooper explores the complex social world of Los Cerros’s bohemian community known as The Village—an obvious reference to NY’s Greenwich Village, but also to neighborhoods like The Castro in San Francisco. It is not just LGBTQ folks who seek community and safety in The Village, but magical humans, fairies, trolls and all manner of beings.
As Ray gets to know Cal all over again, we get to see a very different dynamic, given how much Ray has evolved and developed emotionally since that first book. Cal, too, is a different person—and his backstory is dug into with some surprising results.
At the core of Cooper’s story—which is action-packed and very romantic—is the steady notion that marginalized people are underestimated by the powers-that-be. The strength of Ray’s “pack,” who are not wolves, offers its own kind of magic that the prejudices of the dominant culture are blinded to.
I’ve loved all these books, but this one had an especially rich story, both in terms of action and in emotional power. Cooper takes the reader beyond the magical quirks of her characters, and lets us understand them as people, who want nothing more or less than the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness each of us is supposed to share.
R. Cooper
Published by the author, 2022
Five stars
The world of R. Cooper’s Being(s) in Love series comes full circle with its tenth book, “Forget Me Not.” As always, Cooper’s beautiful world-building takes us to a familiar-yet-alien place, a place where humans live alongside magical creatures—known as beings--as a result of a cataclysm unleashed by World War I.
Although the locales of the Being(s) in Love are fictional, the culture that marginalizes all those who are different is all too familiar. The world has come a long way since magical beings joined the human race—but in some ways not far enough. Cooper chooses to focus the narrative of this book on that unhappy truth, and thus echoes the social issues around us in the real world today.
We are back in book 1, checking in on werewolf police detective Ray Branigan, and the redoubtable half-fairy Cal Parker. It was the story of their meeting that drew me into Cooper’s literary world, and this book enlarges on the themes of that first book—pushing deeper, delving into darker corners of the city of Los Cerros’s polyglot society.
The plot starts abruptly and shockingly with Ray waking up from some sort of attack, finding himself sick and confused. The bigger shock arrives with Cal Parker and his friend Oscar Benedict. Ray has no idea who Cal is. Whatever happened to him eliminated all memory of the man who is his mate, and with it any clue as to what could have made that happen.
Cooper explores the complex social world of Los Cerros’s bohemian community known as The Village—an obvious reference to NY’s Greenwich Village, but also to neighborhoods like The Castro in San Francisco. It is not just LGBTQ folks who seek community and safety in The Village, but magical humans, fairies, trolls and all manner of beings.
As Ray gets to know Cal all over again, we get to see a very different dynamic, given how much Ray has evolved and developed emotionally since that first book. Cal, too, is a different person—and his backstory is dug into with some surprising results.
At the core of Cooper’s story—which is action-packed and very romantic—is the steady notion that marginalized people are underestimated by the powers-that-be. The strength of Ray’s “pack,” who are not wolves, offers its own kind of magic that the prejudices of the dominant culture are blinded to.
I’ve loved all these books, but this one had an especially rich story, both in terms of action and in emotional power. Cooper takes the reader beyond the magical quirks of her characters, and lets us understand them as people, who want nothing more or less than the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness each of us is supposed to share.
September 22, 2025
Confused
This review might contain spoilers.
I've read and own most of R. Copper's titles and loved them. I'm just not sure what was really missing from the first book that we needed this one. Honestly the main characters seemed so different and there are so many places in the story where things start to happen but no follow through. I mean even the main story of the bad guys doesn't really lead anywhere, it just disappears. All the trouble they went to to destroy Ray and Cal and then nothing. They no longer need to worry about their safety because they stopped the spell? Nothing really changed and honestly they should be in more danger not less so why are they safe now?
There have been times in other R. Cooper books where I've wondered if I really got the whole context of what was written but I've still always enjoyed the story and loved the love that was always at the heart of every book. This book feels different. Why did Ray need to keep proving to Cal that he loved him? It seemed like Ray went out of his way to protect Cal and to show him love even in small ways like always having snacks on hand or reminding him to stay warm. He even broke his mate bond to protect Cal.
Also why do you need to share your lover with someone else "to keep" them and why is that wonderful? Are you not enough? Are they? I just don't feel like these are the same characters as the other book, maybe it's me and I'm sure other people might not feel that way but they seem too different.
I just don't really see the point of this story. I think I'll just remember their story in the first book.
This review might contain spoilers.
I've read and own most of R. Copper's titles and loved them. I'm just not sure what was really missing from the first book that we needed this one. Honestly the main characters seemed so different and there are so many places in the story where things start to happen but no follow through. I mean even the main story of the bad guys doesn't really lead anywhere, it just disappears. All the trouble they went to to destroy Ray and Cal and then nothing. They no longer need to worry about their safety because they stopped the spell? Nothing really changed and honestly they should be in more danger not less so why are they safe now?
There have been times in other R. Cooper books where I've wondered if I really got the whole context of what was written but I've still always enjoyed the story and loved the love that was always at the heart of every book. This book feels different. Why did Ray need to keep proving to Cal that he loved him? It seemed like Ray went out of his way to protect Cal and to show him love even in small ways like always having snacks on hand or reminding him to stay warm. He even broke his mate bond to protect Cal.
Also why do you need to share your lover with someone else "to keep" them and why is that wonderful? Are you not enough? Are they? I just don't feel like these are the same characters as the other book, maybe it's me and I'm sure other people might not feel that way but they seem too different.
I just don't really see the point of this story. I think I'll just remember their story in the first book.
March 29, 2024
I ❤️ love ❤️ this book. I am so delighted with it that I am writing this review despite being not quite halfway through with it. LOVE IT. I am loving the way Cal and Ray are with each other. I’m looking forward to rereading their first book. I do recommend starting with that one - Some Kind of Magic - but it’s not completely necessary. Also The Firebird and Other Stories.
And frankly, I recommend every book in the Being(s) series. In order is great but not critical. And, well, every R. Cooper book and story available. Ok, there’s one I don’t really care for but I’m not going to say which one, because there’s nothing wrong with it, just not to my taste. But everything else, hell yeah, read and reread.
Ok, back to my original point which was to review Forget Me Not. It is just completely beautiful to see Ray being Ray and Cal being Cal and Ray and Cal being Ray and Cal together. Whatever happens, however the plot evolves, I know I’m going to love the whole book, not just the almost-half I’ve read so far.
And frankly, I recommend every book in the Being(s) series. In order is great but not critical. And, well, every R. Cooper book and story available. Ok, there’s one I don’t really care for but I’m not going to say which one, because there’s nothing wrong with it, just not to my taste. But everything else, hell yeah, read and reread.
Ok, back to my original point which was to review Forget Me Not. It is just completely beautiful to see Ray being Ray and Cal being Cal and Ray and Cal being Ray and Cal together. Whatever happens, however the plot evolves, I know I’m going to love the whole book, not just the almost-half I’ve read so far.
September 12, 2022
I was excited for another installment of "Beings in Love," this one a further visit with werewolf cop Ray and half-human half-fairy Cal.
Unfortunately, this book was much too long and vague. I ended up skimming a lot. A crime is committed, but even by the end it was not totally clear as to what, who, why, and how. Did Ray fully recover? Were the perpetrators ever caught or punished? Was any restitution or penalty paid?
Typos: lots of stray or missing minor words, mixing up of Cal and Calvin. Commas are routinely and wrongly used as all-purpose punctuation, replacing dashes, periods, and semicolons.
Unfortunately, this book was much too long and vague. I ended up skimming a lot. A crime is committed, but even by the end it was not totally clear as to what, who, why, and how. Did Ray fully recover? Were the perpetrators ever caught or punished? Was any restitution or penalty paid?
Typos: lots of stray or missing minor words, mixing up of Cal and Calvin. Commas are routinely and wrongly used as all-purpose punctuation, replacing dashes, periods, and semicolons.
April 21, 2023
I like when an author goes back to a story but allows the story to grow over time. In Some Kind of Magic we got non-human cops solving problems. In Forget Me Not, the story broadens to show the problems cops, and policing in general, can cause communities. The characters reflect on that and also attempt to address some of the harms, while also being constrained within the systemic, embedded nature of corruption and indifference in law enforcement. I think in some places it was perhaps a little heavy-handed, but it's something I can respect an author doing that kind of course correction on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2024
I adore R Cooper but these books are KILLING ME.
This isn’t really a standalone and I love these books, you can really see the development of the author through the years and I’m always here for a good HEART WRENCHING SOB but holy fucking god I am so sad after reading this one.
It was a hea for the pair but not even really hfn for the city/world.
I loved the cameos from characters in the Firebird stories, and I loved Ray, and I loved them getting a second chance to write their love story.
This isn’t really a standalone and I love these books, you can really see the development of the author through the years and I’m always here for a good HEART WRENCHING SOB but holy fucking god I am so sad after reading this one.
It was a hea for the pair but not even really hfn for the city/world.
I loved the cameos from characters in the Firebird stories, and I loved Ray, and I loved them getting a second chance to write their love story.
January 30, 2026
I am not happy with how my favorite characters ended up. First of all, why Second of all, the communication or more specifically, how the characters talked made it so hard to follow/read/understand. On the other hand, I cannot complain much about this, since real people almost never communicate really well..... Lastly, it dragged a lot, the book could have been a little shorter for the amount of story that actually happened.
October 1, 2022
Love, politics and self sacrifice collide in Cooper’s best book yet.
The pain of real life is everywhere all over this book, but so is the consolation of friends, family, found family, and purpose. The steady step by step making little little chips to make a better world instead of a worse one, and the blinding light of a love so great that nothing and no one can kill it, even when bad people decide to do exactly that.
The pain of real life is everywhere all over this book, but so is the consolation of friends, family, found family, and purpose. The steady step by step making little little chips to make a better world instead of a worse one, and the blinding light of a love so great that nothing and no one can kill it, even when bad people decide to do exactly that.
November 12, 2024
This dragged so much even during the one action scene. I also always feel like I'm missing something big in Cooper's books and this was no exception, it was even exacerbated by the things that I did know and understand being repeated over and over again. I think I finally need to accept that this author isn't for me.
March 24, 2025
Queer PNR. I loved the chemistry between Ray and Cal. There was so much to like about this book - a focus on social justice, good amnesia plot line, etc. It just didn’t stick its landing for the slow plot build up about greater machinations in the city. Very long journey to cover a short amount of ground.
September 21, 2022
Always brilliant
All I can say is I have loved everything she has ever written. I would start at the beginning of the Beings novels before this or you might get a bit confused or overwhelmed.
All I can say is I have loved everything she has ever written. I would start at the beginning of the Beings novels before this or you might get a bit confused or overwhelmed.
February 2, 2023
Started out well but lost me by the end. (I'm Team Dragon anyway :)
March 12, 2023
Review to follow, when I have time to think and maybe can stop crying...
Did Not Finish
October 21, 2025DNF. Couldn’t read past Ch 1. I did not like Cooper’s writing style, especially the dialogue. Might have felt differently had I read more in the series, but alas….
March 10, 2026
Not that Some Kind of Magic was the most pro cop thing I've ever read, but this was DEFINITELY written after the current reckoning with policing.
January 12, 2024
I'm glad I went back a re-read the first book in the series to be reintroduced to these two. It just made reading this novel more fulfilling. Ray and Cal's first trip into matehood was not an easy one by any means, so to now have Ray unable to remember any of it had to be horrendous for Cal. I felt for the boys throughout the whole thing. Ray's whole world is shaken and he is struggling to find the right way up as the pull he feels towards Cal is still there and he's got no explanation for it all.
This story is darker in a lot of ways than others in the series and puts front and center a lot of the issues in the criminal justice system. Ray and his partner Penn run smack up against the prejudices that they've tried to pretend weren't there as the only Beings on the force. This story really pushes the world to a more volatile tipping point than others in the series. There's more political commentary laced through this paranormal story than others in the series.
I still loved the return to Cal and Ray and getting to see them find their relationship all over again. And get a little bit more of what Cal should have gotten the first time around, yet maybe it took Cal starting to grow up a bit to really give them the HEA they deserved. Ray's mate instincts weren't going to allow him to deny his feelings for Cal without all the history being their for him to question. And Cal gets to see he really is Ray's choice and not forced upon him.
This story is darker in a lot of ways than others in the series and puts front and center a lot of the issues in the criminal justice system. Ray and his partner Penn run smack up against the prejudices that they've tried to pretend weren't there as the only Beings on the force. This story really pushes the world to a more volatile tipping point than others in the series. There's more political commentary laced through this paranormal story than others in the series.
I still loved the return to Cal and Ray and getting to see them find their relationship all over again. And get a little bit more of what Cal should have gotten the first time around, yet maybe it took Cal starting to grow up a bit to really give them the HEA they deserved. Ray's mate instincts weren't going to allow him to deny his feelings for Cal without all the history being their for him to question. And Cal gets to see he really is Ray's choice and not forced upon him.
May 23, 2023
What. The. Hell. If you fell in love with Ray and Cal as much as I did in the first book of this series, than do yourself a favour and give this book a miss. It is not a romance novel, it is a didactic rage against the police disguised as a romance novel. Don't get me wrong, I think important issues like appropriate policing are worthy topics to explore and debate...just don't try and market your anti-police treatise as a romance novel, and completely change the individual personalities and couple dynamic of an already established and much-beloved pair from an earlier story in the margins of your diatribe. I wish I had never read this book, and will be only reading new stuff from this author from this point onward after I have a trusted friend read and review it for me first. So disappointed.
August 28, 2022
4.5 stars, rounded up.
This packs an emotional wallop. Ray & Cal's courtship in Some Kind of Magic was full of misunderstandings. In Forget Me Not, Ray suffers a magical attack, & loses his memories of their relationship.
Instead of a second helping of their initial awkwardness, we're treated to a more emotionally aware Ray & Cal. Cal refuses to let Ray shut him out. Ray recognizes Cal's strength quickly.
The plot is compelling, with California noir undertones. The climax puts Ray & Penn back in heroic protector form. The epilogue is charming.
This packs an emotional wallop. Ray & Cal's courtship in Some Kind of Magic was full of misunderstandings. In Forget Me Not, Ray suffers a magical attack, & loses his memories of their relationship.
Instead of a second helping of their initial awkwardness, we're treated to a more emotionally aware Ray & Cal. Cal refuses to let Ray shut him out. Ray recognizes Cal's strength quickly.
The plot is compelling, with California noir undertones. The climax puts Ray & Penn back in heroic protector form. The epilogue is charming.
September 18, 2022
All of R . Cooper’s books are like poetry. Just so beautiful. All the stars! ⭐️❤️
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