A Beginner's Guide to Wooing Your Mate

Being(s) in Love, Book 3

By: R. Cooper

Narrated by: Robert Nieman

Zeki Janowitz has returned to his hometown of Wolf's Paw to start his wizarding career. Unfortunately, Wolf's Paw, a werewolf refuge, follows centuries of tradition and shuns human magic and a very human Zeki. He knows he's in for a struggle, but a part of him has always belonged in the mountain town, or rather belonged to Theo Greenleaf. Years away at school haven't lessened Zeki's crush on the quiet werewolf. When town gossip informs him Theo still suffers from his mate's rejection and does not date, it does little to ease Zeki's embarrassing feelings. He decides now's the time to get the man he's always wanted.

Werewolves usually don't recover from losing their mates, and Theo barely pulled through by focusing on his love of baking. It's a daily struggle, and Zeki's return to Wolf's Paw shatters his peace. Theo doesn't know what to think when Zeki attempts to woo him, talking about his wizarding business and settling in town for good. It's like Zeki doesn't have a clue how his words years before left Theo a shell of a werewolf.

Beginners in love, Theo and Zeki must seduce each other with a bit of heavenly baking and magic.

©2015 R. Coper (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

One of my favorit love stories

First of all, I have to say I love all of R. Cooper's books but I have never had a chance to listen to them. I went into this wondering if listening to someone read it would do it justice. Zeki and Theo needed empathy, needed a voice that brought the emotions that they were leaking all over to life. So I was nervous. Bad narrators can turn even brilliant books bad and I had never listened to anything Robert Nieman had done.

But I was so happy!! He did a great job. Sometimes it is hard, when you have already read a book, to let go of how it sounds in your head but there were no conflicts.

Now the story. R. Cooper's books always have these curving, slow, emotional rollouts of storyline. They are an exercise in empathy and frustration. Frustration that you can't give hugs to fictional characters. Or eat their cookies. We all know this is a happy ever-after romance so no spoilers in saying Zeki and Theo get together. You just want to shake and hug them. Again fictional characters so you can't, but you can keep reading the other Being(s) books and learn more about Wolf's Paw. I want to go to spring thaw! Wouldn't mind a werewolf lover either.

Narration

Story: 8
First MC: 8
Second MC: 8
Secondary characters: 6
Mystery: 5
Sexual tension: 6
Humor: 6
Hotness: 5
Product placement: 3
Ridiculousness: 2
Annoying: 3
Audio: 5
To re-read: 8

lots of rambling, but I liked it. It was sweet, maybe because they were 21. Shifter story but without the snarling.
This book makes me want to consume all the cookies in the world.

Been waiting!

I love this story and Cooper's way of twisting stereotypes. This is the best "fated mates" story I've ever read and hearing it narrated was awesome.

Another great romance!

I love R Cooper’s writing. I’m very happy that I put in money for the audible version, even though I’d read the story a long time ago. The main characters are wonderfully clueless in the beginning. However the story progressed, allowing for them to do enough inner reflection and communication for them to lose some of their naïveté. Very enjoyable.

Love this book

I've read this book many times but this was my first time listening to the audiobook and it was worth it. This is a fated mates and second chance romance that reminds you finding true love to soon can sometimes hurt, but when you're ready anything is possible.

magical romance

I enjoyed this sweet story of romance between a werewolf and a magical human. It's also a great introduction to R Copper's Beings in Love series.

Fans of the series will be happy!

This is book three in the series and it’s a bit different (to me) than than the first two. For one, though it is still written in a way that’s very rich, it doesn’t feel as convoluted as the first two.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I hate the fact that the MCs are separated until the 70% point by a simple MISUNDERSTANDING. Gah! I hate that. Everyone – literally – knows these guys are mates, but Zeki. I don’t understand why he wasn’t told and it made me crazy that this was the central “hurdle”.

I think there was enough between them, beyond that knowledge, that they could have worked through, without the big secret.

If you ignore that fact, you get a sweet story of two members of a different “race” trying to find a connection and bridge gaps of prejudice and ignorance, and that, is enough of a story to be compelling.

R. Cooper is a gifted writer, but sometimes I feel like the stories just drag a bit in the middle. Things that could be resolved quickly tend to take a long time.

I love the magical elements, and the emotions being poured into the baking, and sweetness of each of the characters. I don’t love how long everything drags out.

For fans of the author and this series, this is highly recommended. For fans of shifter novels, I’d read some reviews and decide if it’s for you based on a few of those. It’s not a “typical” shifter story, and though there is a mate pull it’s not the urgent “got to have it now” kind of thing you might be looking for.


3.5 of 5 stars

Audio

Robert Nieman is a narrator that I’ve always enjoyed. He doesn’t do a lot to give us unique voices or anything, but his voice is easy to listen to and he’s good with timing and emotions. I don’t know that the narration really adds a lot to this story but it definitely doesn’t detract.

4 of 5 stars

Overall 3.75 (rounded to 4) of 5 stars

Great story but average performance

I love this book but the narrator didn't really add anything to it. He wasn't bad but he didn't really distinguish the different characters or put much emotion in

Much better narrator than the first two

I was hesitant to get this because I really love this series and the first two books has bad narrators.... But I think they found a winner with Robert Nieman. This book, with Mr Nieman’s narration, was as good, if not better, than when I read it myself on kindle. I truly do love this series, and for me, it was important for them not to screw up the narration of this book because this is the first book of the series I read.

i lovd it

it was so good it made me want the book to not end it is definitely one to get