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First Christmas
A stranded wolf. A cougar shifter to the rescue. Can the magic of one Christmas cure both their pain and loneliness?
Exhausted and injured, Jason is driven as a rogue wolf right into the arms of Lyndon, a man that by all he knows, he should never reveal his heart to. Yet when patience and compassion prove size can hide the heart of a gentle giant, a wounded Jason begins to heal. And to love again.
Exhausted and injured, Jason is driven as a rogue wolf right into the arms of Lyndon, a man that by all he knows, he should never reveal his heart to. Yet when patience and compassion prove size can hide the heart of a gentle giant, a wounded Jason begins to heal. And to love again.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2010
About the author
Diana DeRicci
72 books185 followersDiana DeRicci is the sexy, flirty pen name of Diana Castilleja. A romance author at heart, DeRicci’s writing takes you into a saucier spectrum of sensuality and sexual adventure, where a happily-ever-after is still the key to any story.
Diana lives in Central Texas with her husband, one son and a feisty little Chihuahua named Rascal.
Diana lives in Central Texas with her husband, one son and a feisty little Chihuahua named Rascal.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 4, 2011
This is such a sweet story about a lone cougar shifter (who is such a big teddy bear, ironic as it is ^_^), Lyndon, who tends a wounded wolf shifter, Jason. More than just physical, Lyndon is also able to heal Jason's heart and makes the younger shifter able to love again after enduring some hard time in the past.
For a short story, instant love is sometimes unavoidable. HOWEVER, Ms. DeRicci is able to make this feels like the love is going in a perfect pace without being rushed. There is some build-up towards the much expected HEA. The interaction between Lyndon and Jason, when Jason is still in his wolf form is so tender, I can't help to feel my heart squeezed.
It's my first experience with the author, and I must say I'm pretty impressed ...
For a short story, instant love is sometimes unavoidable. HOWEVER, Ms. DeRicci is able to make this feels like the love is going in a perfect pace without being rushed. There is some build-up towards the much expected HEA. The interaction between Lyndon and Jason, when Jason is still in his wolf form is so tender, I can't help to feel my heart squeezed.
It's my first experience with the author, and I must say I'm pretty impressed ...
September 23, 2012
3.5
Lyndon is a cougar shifter and a huge one at that and has lived alone in the rugged wilderness for years.
A week before Christmas he rescues a wolf shifter Jason and the two form a bond, even though it's only about a week they spend together it feels like a longer time and it wasn't the typical shifter-mate-now thing!
Jason has been abused and hurt and now lives with his very overprotective parents and feels very much a prisoner.
His time with Lyndon gives him the push he needs to take back control of his life.
A very sweet story, with a few of the usual tropes.
On a side note, this is one of the few shifter books where the talk of needing a condom and being 'clean' is brought up!
Lyndon is a cougar shifter and a huge one at that and has lived alone in the rugged wilderness for years.
A week before Christmas he rescues a wolf shifter Jason and the two form a bond, even though it's only about a week they spend together it feels like a longer time and it wasn't the typical shifter-mate-now thing!
Jason has been abused and hurt and now lives with his very overprotective parents and feels very much a prisoner.
His time with Lyndon gives him the push he needs to take back control of his life.
A very sweet story, with a few of the usual tropes.
On a side note, this is one of the few shifter books where the talk of needing a condom and being 'clean' is brought up!
December 1, 2010
This book even though short was wonderful, heartbreaking, beautiful, full of tenderness and love. Wish it had been longer.
December 7, 2010
what a cute story! Lyndon is such a sweetheart
December 6, 2010
A Christmas story about shifters, a wounded wolf and a gentle, giant of a cougar. Completely loved it. Jason has been through hell in the past, and his parents keep him in a "gilded cage" to protect him. He only gets away one week of the year, to run as a wolf. When he is injured while being chased by a local pack, it is Lyndon who finds and helps him. Lyndon is 6'7", gentle, kind and absolutely wonderful. The story is sweet and soft, and just loved it.
December 19, 2010
This was a wonderful story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved discovering the characters as the story moved through a beautifully warm and tender, though at times heartbreaking tale of two men who would at first appear to be so very different but end up being just perfect for one another. While short, I felt completely satisfied with Jason and Lyndon's HEA and would definitely recommend it as a good MM winter-warmer for the heart.
December 19, 2010
Very good short paranormal m/m holiday romance about a cougar shifter/wolf researcher who rescues an injured wolf shifter, then provides a safe haven for him to recuperate from not only his physical but also his psychological wounds.
February 3, 2011
Lyndon lives in a cabin in the woods and when winter comes he is stranded there until spring and he likes it that way. As a cougar shifter he doesn’t much care for crowds, and he keeps an eye on the wolves in the area for the rangers. When he sees an injured wolf in the snow he helps it, immediately realizing that the wolf is a shifter. He is patient for several days until Jason feels comfortable to reveal his human self and Lyndon sees why. Jason is pretty to say the least and he can imagine the guy has had issues with how people react to him in the past. Sensing Jason’s fear of men in general, he goes the extra mile to be gentle, especially given his 6’7″ height to Jason’s 5’7″.
I really liked how Lyndon didn’t push Jason in any way. He waited until he was ready to shift, he slowly found out what happened to him by gently prodding and he realized that Jason needed to feel empowered again after his family basically put him in lock-down to protect him after he was attacked by a boyfriend. It was a very sweet romance between the two men, although once Christmas Eve came and Jason’s family came banging at the door, it all seemed to go to hell for Lyndon as Jason left to deal with his parents.
Although the book takes place over less than a week, the pace seemed much slower so the relationship didn’t seem rushed. However once Jason left there was kind of a jump forward in time with a quick HEA and I would have liked to see more of what happened between Christmas Eve and spring. I wanted to know how Jason dealt with his family and although you are told, I guess I wouldn’t have minded if the story was longer (making it illeligible for review here :-) ) with more detail.
So while the story is about two shifters, the mates storyline or even the fact that they can shift is not an integral part of the story. It is used more as a device to get the two together, then it is more of just a fact, and doesn’t influence their relationship development. Those who don’t much care for fuzzy characters don’t have to be concerned about some of the more typical shifter tropes here.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author, or from this publisher which seems to be a small e-press that may be worth exploring for future stories. I’d definitely try something else by this author.
I really liked how Lyndon didn’t push Jason in any way. He waited until he was ready to shift, he slowly found out what happened to him by gently prodding and he realized that Jason needed to feel empowered again after his family basically put him in lock-down to protect him after he was attacked by a boyfriend. It was a very sweet romance between the two men, although once Christmas Eve came and Jason’s family came banging at the door, it all seemed to go to hell for Lyndon as Jason left to deal with his parents.
Although the book takes place over less than a week, the pace seemed much slower so the relationship didn’t seem rushed. However once Jason left there was kind of a jump forward in time with a quick HEA and I would have liked to see more of what happened between Christmas Eve and spring. I wanted to know how Jason dealt with his family and although you are told, I guess I wouldn’t have minded if the story was longer (making it illeligible for review here :-) ) with more detail.
So while the story is about two shifters, the mates storyline or even the fact that they can shift is not an integral part of the story. It is used more as a device to get the two together, then it is more of just a fact, and doesn’t influence their relationship development. Those who don’t much care for fuzzy characters don’t have to be concerned about some of the more typical shifter tropes here.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author, or from this publisher which seems to be a small e-press that may be worth exploring for future stories. I’d definitely try something else by this author.
March 8, 2012
Diana DiRicci pens a tale that will leave you hankering for more. The writing was descriptive, the story flowed nicely and the magic of Christmas comes through as this author tells a tale of a wounded wolf shifter who finds peace and the strength to love again with a cougar shifter. The background was stunning; you could feel the snow on your face as did Jason when he got enough courage to leave the confines of the cabin. The way this author captured the soul deep wounds of Jason will leave tears in your eyes. Jason is a character that had me wanting to cuddle him close, murmuring it’s going to be ok. It is a delight to see the spitfire he is when he banishes the ghosts of his past and lets Lyndon show him how healing love can be.
The characters Lyndon and Jason are well written andcapture your heart and leave you with a smile in the end. Ms. DiRicci knows when to let her characters shine and in FIRST CHRISTMAS, we see how patience, love and Christmas miracles play a part in healing a young man’s heart and soul. Lyndon and Jason are very relatable, even if you are not a shifter, and I found them to be quite charming. Lyndon is a gentle giant of a cougar shifter who knows how to show patience, understanding and love towards Jason, a wounded wolf shifter-both in heart, body and mind. The connection these two forge is strong and very heartening. You could see how Jason opens up, blooms and learns to trust himself and Lyndon while being snowed in together. That alone had me sighing in pleasure and then the sparks that fly between the two once Jason feels comfortable with his rescuer was hot and sweet at the same time. It fit the story perfectly.
FIRST CHRISTMAS is one special holiday story that I hope Ms. DiRicci comes back to in the future. I would love to know more on these characters and their life together. Celebrate the season with FIRST CHRISTMAS and settle in for a few hours of reading pleasure.
The characters Lyndon and Jason are well written andcapture your heart and leave you with a smile in the end. Ms. DiRicci knows when to let her characters shine and in FIRST CHRISTMAS, we see how patience, love and Christmas miracles play a part in healing a young man’s heart and soul. Lyndon and Jason are very relatable, even if you are not a shifter, and I found them to be quite charming. Lyndon is a gentle giant of a cougar shifter who knows how to show patience, understanding and love towards Jason, a wounded wolf shifter-both in heart, body and mind. The connection these two forge is strong and very heartening. You could see how Jason opens up, blooms and learns to trust himself and Lyndon while being snowed in together. That alone had me sighing in pleasure and then the sparks that fly between the two once Jason feels comfortable with his rescuer was hot and sweet at the same time. It fit the story perfectly.
FIRST CHRISTMAS is one special holiday story that I hope Ms. DiRicci comes back to in the future. I would love to know more on these characters and their life together. Celebrate the season with FIRST CHRISTMAS and settle in for a few hours of reading pleasure.
December 13, 2010
This was the story of Lyndon, a cougar shifter, who lives away from society on the borderline of two seperate wolf packs while he studies them. A week out from Christmas, Lyndon discovers an injured wolf outside his place which turns out to be Jason, a wolf shifter. Jason has a past, an abusive one which means he has one week of freedom a year in which to run and be free before returning to the gilded cage his parents keep.
Jason is the result of a human mother and shifter father, and to his disgust and Lyndons delight, takes his dominating genes as far as height and looks are concerned from his mother, being delicately beautiful for a man. Dianas writing allows you to feel the connection between these two from meet cue, but it isn't until the story develops that you really feel the simmering undercurrents of lust and the growing love. A good read, I did enjoy the ease with which I could connect with each character, but I would have liked to see more from Jason when he headed home to deal with things. Nx
Jason is the result of a human mother and shifter father, and to his disgust and Lyndons delight, takes his dominating genes as far as height and looks are concerned from his mother, being delicately beautiful for a man. Dianas writing allows you to feel the connection between these two from meet cue, but it isn't until the story develops that you really feel the simmering undercurrents of lust and the growing love. A good read, I did enjoy the ease with which I could connect with each character, but I would have liked to see more from Jason when he headed home to deal with things. Nx
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2013
After reading a particularly spicy MM book, this story was a lovely change, with a soft sort of feel to it. The story was so much more than the blurb led me to believe; it was the romance of a gentle giant and a emotionally and physically bruised young man. I loved the byplay between the two, their chemistry is very satisfying! The sweetness that Lyndon shows Jason, who was suffering emotionally even before he was hurt and had to accept Lyndon's help just melts Jason's reticence away. It was a short but well paced read, it moves a little fast in some places, they don't even share a kiss before deciding to be intimate, but its certainly forgivable because we get romance, not just sex. I've read other works by this author but had forgotten how much I like her storytelling. I plan to check out more by her, this was a lovely little Christmas story!
December 19, 2012
I'm not a big fan of most shifter stories, but this is a pretty nice tale of a solitary cougar shifter, doing research on wild wolves from a secluded back country cabin, who comes across an injured wolf shifter and brings him in out of the cold. It's got some surprising angst for a Christmas story, including a history of rape and torture -- not to mention overbearing parents -- but all comes out right in the end.
November 17, 2014
Trying to read a Christmas story every day til Christmas...and I was VERY pleased with today's choice!!! My first story by this author...and it was truly a joy to read! Lyndon just makes you want to take him home and cuddle...although, I am pretty sure he prefers to cuddle with Jason! haha Great read...hope I get as lucky with tomorrows choice!!!
December 13, 2011
Very sweet holiday story. I liked the characters and their interaction and how it turned out in the end =)
The scene with Jason coming back Lyndon' and Lyndon in his shifted form (and he's a BIG cougar) is really cute.
The scene with Jason coming back Lyndon' and Lyndon in his shifted form (and he's a BIG cougar) is really cute.
January 10, 2011
3.5 sweet story, though there wasn't much point to them being shape-shifters, since that aspect wasn't developed at all
October 14, 2011
You give the physical appearance of a teenager to your MC, add the personality of a teenager and you finish this with a rape, so you hate him that much?
Just too much.
And everyone wanted him.
Just too much.
And everyone wanted him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2013
Short story about sweet mountain of a guy finding his one and future man. Landon was sweetheart... Jason too. Parents annoyed me, but everything got solved nicely.
September 4, 2016
Just the sort of sweet shorter read I was looking for. Great book for some light-hearted downtime :)
September 2, 2015
Loved this book, brought out great feelings, even with Jason's past, Hopefully will hear more about our Cougar and Wolf
March 1, 2013
Cute story
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews