Review - Holly and Oak by R. Cooper
Holly and Oak
by R. Cooper
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Volume 2 of Familiar Spirits
Posted in Book Reviews on 21 June, 2026
Chester has known Will since they both were in their early teens. The two have grown into the small town’s most powerful witches and now personify the two seasonal deities. Chester is the Holly King, ruling the winter months from June to December, while Will is the Oak King. Yet, the two have been kept apart by the coven and their families, because, in Chester’s mind, he is gay and weird. As the winter solstice approaches, and the time for Chester to hand his power back to the Oak King, Will makes his presence known in Chester’s life. It confuses Chester, who can’t believe the supposedly straight Will can be interested in the town’s oddball ice cream maker.
This second book of the Familiar Spirits series feature new characters. There’s no reference to any of the people or events of A Little Familiar, so you can easily read this story without having read the first book. The only common feature is the setting in a small-ish town effectively run by a coven of witches, even though most residents aren’t aware of the existence of magic.
The story is related entirely from Chester’s point of view. He is a curious character, not entirely likable, but over the course of the story we come to understand how homophobia and misunderstandings helped shape Chester into the taciturn introvert he has become. It’s clear that the biggest factor in Chester’s personality is his love for Will, which he always assumed could never be reciprocated.
We only get to know Will through Chester’s point of view. In Chester’s eyes, Will is the man everyone in town likes. He can have his pick of any woman, or man, in town, although Chester is sure Will’s preferences don’t include men. The main plot of the story is Chester’s discovery that the “real” Will is very different than the public persona that’s been built up around him.
“Holly and Oak” is available from Smashwords or see Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookseller.
