Christmas Shift

by Neil S. Plakcy

Love often means sacrifice—but what if you might have to give up a commitment to be one of Santa’s reindeer and deliver holiday toys to kids to be with the one you love?

Peter McGuire is an EMT with a secret: he’s a reindeer shifter, a Prancer on Santa’s team. His holiday obligations often require him to make excuses for his absences, and even downright lie. That makes it almost impossible to develop a real relationship.
But the secret isn’t his alone, and if he opens up to too many people, he could destroy Christmas.

Jonny Santos is a ski bum distancing himself from being the family caregiver. He knows that his mother’s MS is going to require him to devote himself to her someday, but in the meantime he’s sticking to the slopes and staying single.

Then a pre-Christmas hike goes wrong, and Peter is forced to shift into reindeer form in order to rescue Jonny from a wilderness trail. The sparks between them are real—but are they enough to overcome the obstacles that keep them apart?

Contains Prancers, Vixens and other reindeer, and smoking hot shifter sex!

A Reindeer Shifter Holiday MM Romance Novella.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Christmas, Holiday, M M Romance

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2019

About the author

I have been a voracious reader all my life, mostly in mystery, romance, and science fiction/fantasy, though a college degree in English did push a lot of literary works into my list of favorites.

Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.

I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.

It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.

I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.

My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.

I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.

When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.

Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.

My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.

I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhm, I liked the idea of reindeer shifter. I liked the logistic that came with it; it was unique.

I didn't like all the sex parts (sex acts, sex thoughts, sex talks). I was bored with it -- especially since all these sexual things happened very early. I mean, Peter licked Jonny's di*k when Jonny was still in hospital as a patient and Peter was helping Jonny got into his clothes? And they were only met one time because Peter saved Jonny. Yeah, I found that a distasteful scene. Ruined my mood all the way through. Sorry, book.

I got this novella for free when it was offered for few days for Neil Plakcy's newsletter subscriber

[Tex Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 - Cute, Fun M/M Reindeer Fantasy
Neil Plakcy's novella was a fun read, fulfilling my fantasy of flying, in this as one of Santa's reindeers, and a gay romance to boot. I'm not a big fan of shorter stories, in this case pretty predictable with not enough depth for me to get into the full fantasy of Christmas reindeer, nor the romance, but it was enough for me to enjoy it and get to know the two likable MCs. And Plakcy has a way of putting things that authentically reflect what a guy says, thinks and feels, including during sex. So it all worked as a good, quick Christmas romance.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute and somewhat different than most other shifter stories, but there were too many things that bugged me. There were quite a few errors that a good proofreading would catch: missing words, switched names (Peter for Jonny, Jonny for Peter), etc. The initial breakup was ridiculous. So Jonny and Peter) meet, really really really like each other but cannot be together on Christmas because Peter has to work, so Jonny calls to wish him a Merry Christmas (rather than an impersonal text), and suddenly he (Jonny) is acting “overly possessive” so Peter just acts like a douchebag and breaks Jonny’s heart. But what I really disliked about the storyline was Jonny’s selfish family. He gave up most of his teen years to care for his mother while his sisters did nothing. Then he’s expected to give up his adult life - his relationship, his home, his job - so he can move to Florida to take care of his mother, again, for the rest of her life because his sisters are “too busy” with their lives to help take care of their mother? Oh. Hell. No! I’m glad Jonny and Peter found their happiness but they had to give up way too much for those selfish hens.