NightWere at Christmas

by Jason R. Davis

Beware…
Werewolves are prowling around in the woods.

When Roger is called on duty to investigate strange animal attacks in the woods, he’s already in a bad mood. It’s his wife’s first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and his family is in town for the festivities. He had no idea when he kissed his wife goodbye that it would be their last.

In the woods, he is attacked and just barely survives. When he wakes up, he finds that his life is no longer the same. Not when there is a monster hiding inside him, and every day becomes a constant struggle to keep it locked away.

Will he be able to control the beast, or will there be a Nightwere at Christmas…

Genres: Horror

257 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2025

About the author

Jason R. Davis is an Alumni of Columbia College Chicago who has continued on to be an author, event organizer and filmmaker. He is the founder of The Chicago Horror Film Festival and author of the zombie apocalypse series, "Invisible Spiders." Jason spends much of his time promoting and working to develop independent artists and hosts a weekly podcast, "Shriek Speak." For more information please visit jasonrdavis.net

Reviews

[Ga.selle (Semi-hiatus) Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All that was left was rage…
...He could feel so much inside him, the pot boiling over what his sane mind couldn’t comprehend, which was fine as the other voice kept ripping it away anyway, pushing it down so that there was no rationality in control."

Another horror novella for fans of dark holiday tales.
After surviving an animal attack and waking from a coma on Christmas Day, a police officer named Roger brings a "nightmare" home. He discovers a savage monster—a werewolf—is born within him, turning the festive season into a hunt for survival.

This is fast-paced, brutal, visceral and intense read with detailed imagery and suspenseful twists. It is recommended for fans of "awesome" werewolves rather than romance-focused versions. Book 1 of 8 episodes in the Nightware series, will check-out for the next one which is New Were's eve.



I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Peter Topside]

3.5 stars. Ok, so a few things here…as a very basic, standard werewolf story, this was fine. Typical lore, nothing necessarily unique, but it would appease any fan of the hairy beast subgenre of horror. The pacing was fairly slow and really dragged early on, as we jumped past to present with our lead, Roger. And even the more action-packed scenes, later on, just felt off with their flow, too. The biggest mark against this story was the title and premise promising some heavy holiday themes, which were not delivered. Yes, Christmas and Thanksgiving were noted, but were glorified afterthoughts. That also hurt my interest going through, as this was a bit misleading. Overall, it was a good experience, just not a great one. Again, nothing was done badly here, but just don’t expect anything groundbreaking. The quality of the writing was the runaway star for me.

[NOLA Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Somewhat Different Take on the Werewolf

Jason R. Davis is a local author in the central WI area. It’s clear from his author photos and the t-shirt he is wearing, Davis is a fan of Svengoolie! Being local and a Svengoolie fan, makes him a horror writer I had to read. He was a founder of different horror movie festivals in Chicago and Madison, WI before moving to writing full time.

I’m giving Nightwere at Christmas 3 out of 5 stars. I think the big thing that struck me while reading it was that it feels padded for a short novel (page count 132 pages). I read it quickly, so the prose is written in a fairly modern, straightforward style. But I really think the overall story could be told in a shorter form, maybe a novelette.

I’m also a little unsure of the internal monologue of the main character. He seems to take some brutal experiences too lightly, but people react in different ways, and horror stories often have characters get over things more quickly than real life in order to move the story along. But I think there is too much internal monologue—that padding I’m talking about.

I also didn’t really understand the dynamics between the monsters in the story. Davis has already written a sequel to this novel—another short novel, New Were’s Eve, again playing on the holiday timing. So, I imagine more of this dynamic will be revealed in further stories.

The best part of the novel is that there are some brutal and gory action scenes. I really enjoyed those chapters. The novel starts out much too slow, with too much backstory (unnecessary padding) before you get to the first real scene of horror. Pacing like that is really important in a horror story. Horror readers generally want the horror to be revealed to some degree early on and with regularity throughout a novel.

I will give the next installment a shot to see if more of the werewolf lore gets explained.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC REVIEW*
When Roger is called away from his family on Thanksgiving, he expects he'll be home in no time. He and his partner end up in the woods looking for the animal responsible for killing rangers. He assumes its a bear. But it's so much worse. When he wakes up a month later, he's naked and alone in the woods. And now he has an insatiable hunger.

Look at me, reading a (sort of) Christmas book in August. But, I am a sucker for a good werewolf book, and I couldn't pass up the chance to read this. And this one didn't disappoint. It was brutal and at times, heartbreaking. This was a fast paced read that had me desperate to get to the end, but also, not wanting to finish it too soon. I'm just grateful I have the sequel ready to dive into. I'm hoping it will answer the one question I'm left with after reading this one.
If you love werewolves (the awesome kind, not the Twilight kind), this one is for you.

[Rob White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, an interesting take on the werewolf lore. I liked how the first part of the book jumped back and forth in the time line, we got to relive Rogers memories along with him.

The pacing of the story unfolding is spot on, and makes this a hard to put down book as you want to discover the next step in the story.

I got a copy of this from BookSirens, and this is my honest review

[J.D. Crist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly done. I devoured this in one night and couldn't put it down. I am excited for the next part.

[Amanda Jeppeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger’s story in NightWere at Christmas is heartbreaking and unforgettable. The way he faces chaos and loss made me feel for him the whole time, and the ending left me thinking about him long after I finished. This one really stays with you.

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

NightWere at Christmas by Jason R. Davis
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(4.5 rounded up)
Who doesn’t love a good werewolf story? This had some nice twists and turns and lots of suspense!

Roger, a police officer, is called out to check on some strange animal attacks being reported in the woods. He wakes up a month later naked, still in the woods, with no clue a month has past, or what has happened to him.
There are many internal struggles with feelings of wants vs a feeling of needs. The story is full of very detailed imagery! I visualized so much in my head!

This is a fast and very exciting horror novella! There’s a good amount of intensity and gore in the story and I might have had a mini heart attack at the ending!!

I was lucky to get an arc of this entertaining book! It comes out September 23rd and I’m exciting for more stories in this new series to be released!

[Shanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger is a police officer that gets called on duty at Thanksgiving. After surviving a horrible attack he wakes to an insatiable hunger. Can he keep the beast contained or will it be able to roam?
This was a short, fun, fast paced, gorefest. I absolutely loved it. If you're looking for a good werewolf story pick this one up.

[Elizabeth Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, bold and brutal werewolf story that is actually the first of a planned 8 part series. It kept me guessing until the end on where it was going. You will be as out of the loop as our main character Roger, a police officer, who is sent out to investigate a series of killings by some kind of animal. The reader will go through the horrors of him trying to piece together what is currently happening to himself and around him as he gets some of his memories back one after the other.

I am glad the author left a note at the end giving us a glimpse of his thought process. I think this story in it's current form was padded out too much with being in stuck inside Roger's head and getting too much of his spontaneous thoughts, but not his deepest feelings. This would have worked better as a novella or the extra length could have been used wiser. There is lore here that is just hinted at with different types of werewolves existing, but nothing more. I was left with many questions.

I received a copy free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rainbeaux Harvest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took a chance on this book from Jason Davis. I'm a fan of his other books, but not a fan of werewolves and lycans. Did I hate it, no. I stereotype werewolves and lycans so in my head I'm picturing, Twilight, An American Werewolf in London, and Underworld.

It's probably me, but I had a difficult time picturing the characters in my head. At one point I felt they were young but then I'd see they're actually older but then I'd read something else and believe they were younger again. I only could picture, Schmidt. In my head, she was Police Academy's Callahan😂.

This one was not for me, I'm down with trying different genres from favorite authors. I don't have enough werewolf/lycan interest and understanding to enjoy.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger is called on duty on Thanksgiving, leaving his family behind. As he investigates animal attacks, he himself is attacked. Will he change before the next full moon?
This book is written with amazing detail and the feel of old school horror story.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Rogers story and piecing his story together alongside him, from "before" and "after." Great ending as well!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique take on werewolf stories. It kept me entertained, grossed out, eager for where this story goes. I am looking forward to more of the series.

[John Bitsko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. If you like old school monsters this book is it. The story moves at a good pace and there is plenty of action. Definitely recommended.