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Shifter For The Holidays #1
A Shifter for Christmas
Kieran Dunne isn’t worried about the holidays. They will come and go, and he will be left with a big property tax bill from the estate he inherited. His brother finds a newly-listed job in the paper that could match Kieran’s unique abilities. A woman has put an ad out for a shifter for Christmas, and the pay would cover his bills. She’s asked for a non-predator shifter, but he can lie just a little. What could it hurt? He’s just supposed to babysit a crazy lady during the holidays, and then collect his pay and move on with his life. But when he meets Leslie, it’s clear this job is more complicated than he’d anticipated. She isn’t what he thought at all. And the more he understands of her life, the more he doesn’t want to leave her at the conclusion of Christmas Day, as their contract requires.
Leslie Wilson wants to bring a man home for the holidays. She’s tired of ruining her family’s annual parties with her single-ness. She wants a teammate this year to face the Wilson family with her. All her life, her last name has cast a long shadow over her life. All she wants is a simple life, but her family has different plans for her. And what better rebellion than bringing a date to the holiday celebrations than hiring a real-life shifter? Her sister’s fancy husbands might be rich, but they don’t turn into animals. It’s a simple contract, but when Kieran shows up at her door, she realizes fast that there is nothing simple about her feelings for him. Now she must walk the line this holiday season—pretend to be in love without actually falling in love.
And if she can accomplish that? She just might make it to New Years still human.
Leslie Wilson wants to bring a man home for the holidays. She’s tired of ruining her family’s annual parties with her single-ness. She wants a teammate this year to face the Wilson family with her. All her life, her last name has cast a long shadow over her life. All she wants is a simple life, but her family has different plans for her. And what better rebellion than bringing a date to the holiday celebrations than hiring a real-life shifter? Her sister’s fancy husbands might be rich, but they don’t turn into animals. It’s a simple contract, but when Kieran shows up at her door, she realizes fast that there is nothing simple about her feelings for him. Now she must walk the line this holiday season—pretend to be in love without actually falling in love.
And if she can accomplish that? She just might make it to New Years still human.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2020
796 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
T.S. Joyce
160 books3,449 followersT.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. She werebear swears there'll be no swooning heroines in her books. It takes tough-as-nails women to handle the shifters of Bear Valley.
She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.
Bear Shifters? Check
Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check
Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it's gonna to be a wild ride.
She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.
Bear Shifters? Check
Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check
Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it's gonna to be a wild ride.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
December 16, 2020
Aaaaaaa, ok.
Deep sigh.
Wasn’t bad but I wasn’t feeling it at all. Wouldn’t recommend.
That sounds awful I know.
And I’m sorry fi4 that. No, I’m not apologizing for my feelings . I’m just saying I’m sorry I didn’t like it more. I can’t recommend something like didn’t enjoy. That said ,if you are a long standing T.S. Joyce maybe you’ll see something I missed.
⚠️ There will be spoilers ⚠️
I mean as usual you have Ms. Joyce’s clunky and often stunted characters ,but sometimes the characters meet you where you are and they work fir you. They and the story work and make sense to you. This . Did. Not.
Now I kinda found Leslie’s approach to the holidays ,of hiring a “pretend date” ,tired and very cliched ,yet her personality and her asking for a shifter helped put at least a slightly different twist on things.
Soo I was curious
But this was some how too slow and too fast for where it ended up .
Leslie seems to take one look at Kieran and goes from ,” Hello Hot boy,!” To making you,an excuse to go spend the day with a guy she just met. He doesn’t seem to want her around but says yes to her anyway.
They spend the day together and then that night at a party. He sees her the next day,kisses her that night and then starts to pull back and doesn’t show for the next event. Hurts her feelings. I think maybe another day passes ,father has a go at him,says he knows daughter seemed happy with him,she’s usually miserable during holidays . Suddenly that matters to a man that’s ignored her feelings for years. Next night Kieran does show up,takes her to his place. Shows her his animal . She freaks out like an idiot .but they make up and have a short uninteresting sex scene and suddenly she’s decided he’s it for her. She wakes up next day and suddenly her family is willing to try and be nice and play on her terms because suddenly her feelings matter.
Huh? SMH 🤦♀️?!?!?!
Kieran had a chat to her shifter disliking parents and now Leslie’s feelings matter ,for some reason.
And after barely knowing this guy a week and having only spent a few days with him as he ran cold and hit and cold and hot with her supposedly Leslie is in “love” is planning to become a lioness.
Sometimes the writers vision just doesn’t work for you. If this s her vision fulfilled and makes others happy too,then that’s great.
But Leslie was just a bit over the top on the sweet,goofy,clunky character traits Ms, Joyce admires soo much. These two felt too rushed ,the chemistry too forced and the suddenness of these two getting together after them barely starting before Kieran pulling away felt very forced.
For her parents and extended family to supposedly treat this free sprinted sweetie like an unneeded burden fir almost a decade and then to suddenly change and care just because some random shifter says this odd to say the least .
Like if you go from Scrooge treating everyone like crap to repenting on Christmas morning and skipping all the parts with the ghosts and spirits and it supposed to make sense to you. That’s what this felt like, starting off rather awkwardly and before it’s really had a chance to pull itself together your suddenly at the end and everything is “ok” but it doesn’t really make sense.
So no this didn’t work for me ,I didn’t like it and it just isn’t make sense. Not really.
But if you want to ,try it . Maybe it will work for you and that’s what’s important l
Happy reading
And
Merry Christmas.
Deep sigh.
Wasn’t bad but I wasn’t feeling it at all. Wouldn’t recommend.
That sounds awful I know.
And I’m sorry fi4 that. No, I’m not apologizing for my feelings . I’m just saying I’m sorry I didn’t like it more. I can’t recommend something like didn’t enjoy. That said ,if you are a long standing T.S. Joyce maybe you’ll see something I missed.
⚠️ There will be spoilers ⚠️
I mean as usual you have Ms. Joyce’s clunky and often stunted characters ,but sometimes the characters meet you where you are and they work fir you. They and the story work and make sense to you. This . Did. Not.
Now I kinda found Leslie’s approach to the holidays ,of hiring a “pretend date” ,tired and very cliched ,yet her personality and her asking for a shifter helped put at least a slightly different twist on things.
Soo I was curious
But this was some how too slow and too fast for where it ended up .
Leslie seems to take one look at Kieran and goes from ,” Hello Hot boy,!” To making you,an excuse to go spend the day with a guy she just met. He doesn’t seem to want her around but says yes to her anyway.
They spend the day together and then that night at a party. He sees her the next day,kisses her that night and then starts to pull back and doesn’t show for the next event. Hurts her feelings. I think maybe another day passes ,father has a go at him,says he knows daughter seemed happy with him,she’s usually miserable during holidays . Suddenly that matters to a man that’s ignored her feelings for years. Next night Kieran does show up,takes her to his place. Shows her his animal . She freaks out like an idiot .but they make up and have a short uninteresting sex scene and suddenly she’s decided he’s it for her. She wakes up next day and suddenly her family is willing to try and be nice and play on her terms because suddenly her feelings matter.
Huh? SMH 🤦♀️?!?!?!
Kieran had a chat to her shifter disliking parents and now Leslie’s feelings matter ,for some reason.
And after barely knowing this guy a week and having only spent a few days with him as he ran cold and hit and cold and hot with her supposedly Leslie is in “love” is planning to become a lioness.
Sometimes the writers vision just doesn’t work for you. If this s her vision fulfilled and makes others happy too,then that’s great.
But Leslie was just a bit over the top on the sweet,goofy,clunky character traits Ms, Joyce admires soo much. These two felt too rushed ,the chemistry too forced and the suddenness of these two getting together after them barely starting before Kieran pulling away felt very forced.
For her parents and extended family to supposedly treat this free sprinted sweetie like an unneeded burden fir almost a decade and then to suddenly change and care just because some random shifter says this odd to say the least .
Like if you go from Scrooge treating everyone like crap to repenting on Christmas morning and skipping all the parts with the ghosts and spirits and it supposed to make sense to you. That’s what this felt like, starting off rather awkwardly and before it’s really had a chance to pull itself together your suddenly at the end and everything is “ok” but it doesn’t really make sense.
So no this didn’t work for me ,I didn’t like it and it just isn’t make sense. Not really.
But if you want to ,try it . Maybe it will work for you and that’s what’s important l
Happy reading
And
Merry Christmas.
June 29, 2025
Reread 2025: 3 stars. This didn't hold up quite as well as the 2020 read. I still love TSJ but this wasn't one that held up the test of time. My original comments on lying still holds true.
Original review:
What a sweet Christmassy romance! I loved Leslie's striking out on her own from her ridiculously snobby family and being true to herself. I also liked that Kieran had her back from the very beginning. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star read for me is
Otherwise, this is a fabulous read as always. 4.5 stars
Original review:
What a sweet Christmassy romance! I loved Leslie's striking out on her own from her ridiculously snobby family and being true to herself. I also liked that Kieran had her back from the very beginning. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star read for me is
Otherwise, this is a fabulous read as always. 4.5 stars
January 20, 2021
This is my first T.S. Joyce book and I’m so glad that I read it! It’s beyond sweet! I teared up a little which is a beautiful thing that doesn’t happen to me often. There’s also some steam. I’ll be honest and say I expected a tiny bit more steam from such a short story - we novella readers love our smut - but there was still a nice hotness factor! Plus, the story itself was very strong. I was right there with these characters the whole way through! And as a black sheep myself, I couldn’t help but relate. I’ll definitely be looking more into Ms. Joyce’s back catalog. And I’m already stoked for Burke’s story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 24, 2020
This was an entertaining and sweet novella story. I enjoyed it very much.
Leslie Wilson comes from a rich background. All her life Leslie has been told how to behave and how to fit in by her rich parents and sisters but the truth is that Leslie isn’t like her mother or her older and perfect sisters. She is different, she doesn’t fit in. She’s an artist, she loves doing pottery, she’s clumsy, curvy, her dressing code is everything that is colourful and easy to wear. So the Christmas season isn’t easy for her. But this year things will be different, this year she will bring home a (pretend) shifter boyfriend, even if she has to paid some shifter to do it.
The only 2 reasons that Kieran reacts on that crazed ad is because this brother dares him to do it and because he needs the money. But from the first glance on Leslie, he knows that he is in trouble. And the more time he spends with her, the more he falls for her. But he has two problems, one her father is his boss and two, he lied to her about something very important. He told her that he is an otter shifter but he isn’t. He is something far more dangerous! Soon he will have to tell her what kind of shifter he really is and the chance is very big that he will lose her forever!
This was a great Christmas story. It may be a novella short story but it was perfect for a winter afternoon. You got both POV’s in the story. Leslie was such a lovely character, she’s clumsy, artistic, kind-hearted, very curious and although she grew up rich, she only wanted a simple life, she didn’t need much.
Kieran was also a wonderful character, he’s hardworking, grumpy, not very social but if he wanted he could be very attentive and social. I loved how he behaved towards Leslie. He was very protective of her. The interaction between them was sweet. I liked how Kieran had her back with her parents.
The only thing that I missed a little bit was an epilogue. I had loved to see how their future was like, especially after Leslie’s big decision.
Leslie Wilson comes from a rich background. All her life Leslie has been told how to behave and how to fit in by her rich parents and sisters but the truth is that Leslie isn’t like her mother or her older and perfect sisters. She is different, she doesn’t fit in. She’s an artist, she loves doing pottery, she’s clumsy, curvy, her dressing code is everything that is colourful and easy to wear. So the Christmas season isn’t easy for her. But this year things will be different, this year she will bring home a (pretend) shifter boyfriend, even if she has to paid some shifter to do it.
The only 2 reasons that Kieran reacts on that crazed ad is because this brother dares him to do it and because he needs the money. But from the first glance on Leslie, he knows that he is in trouble. And the more time he spends with her, the more he falls for her. But he has two problems, one her father is his boss and two, he lied to her about something very important. He told her that he is an otter shifter but he isn’t. He is something far more dangerous! Soon he will have to tell her what kind of shifter he really is and the chance is very big that he will lose her forever!
This was a great Christmas story. It may be a novella short story but it was perfect for a winter afternoon. You got both POV’s in the story. Leslie was such a lovely character, she’s clumsy, artistic, kind-hearted, very curious and although she grew up rich, she only wanted a simple life, she didn’t need much.
Kieran was also a wonderful character, he’s hardworking, grumpy, not very social but if he wanted he could be very attentive and social. I loved how he behaved towards Leslie. He was very protective of her. The interaction between them was sweet. I liked how Kieran had her back with her parents.
The only thing that I missed a little bit was an epilogue. I had loved to see how their future was like, especially after Leslie’s big decision.
September 6, 2022
I'm giving this a 5-star because it was really good for what it was. I wish I had read it at Christmas time as I think I would have really gotten so much more out of it if I had. But for a super short romance, it was highly enjoyable and I found Leslie to be wonderful. She had a super fun personality and it complimented Kieran's grumpy personality really well. Just a beautiful little story.
December 15, 2020
Christmas fun
Another great book! Can’t wait for book two. I highly recommend everything this lady has ever written or will write!
Another great book! Can’t wait for book two. I highly recommend everything this lady has ever written or will write!
December 17, 2020
3.5 Stars
December 30, 2020
Just what I needed for this Covid 19 Christmas...silly fun and sexy
November 27, 2025
I dinged two books this week because they were “sweet,” but what I meant was “so sweet they’re unbelievable,” or “all sugar and no spice,” or “so sweet it was boring.”
This book (novelette) is a good kind of sweet. It was funny, quirky, and the perfect thing for this afternoon.
I appreciate Joyce’s way with quick, snappy, poignant dialog; it’s especially well-suited to her hunky shifters and their lovers.
This book (novelette) is a good kind of sweet. It was funny, quirky, and the perfect thing for this afternoon.
I appreciate Joyce’s way with quick, snappy, poignant dialog; it’s especially well-suited to her hunky shifters and their lovers.
December 15, 2020
Perfect Shifter Holiday Romance
T.S. Joyce is my go to author for PNR. I always know that when I finish one of her books I will have been thoroughly entertained. Her characters, though shifters, are relatable. Leslie and Kiernan are the perfect holiday treat and fans will not be disappointed.
T.S. Joyce is my go to author for PNR. I always know that when I finish one of her books I will have been thoroughly entertained. Her characters, though shifters, are relatable. Leslie and Kiernan are the perfect holiday treat and fans will not be disappointed.
November 24, 2022
I adored this book. Read as part of a buddy read. I won’t give anything away, but throw in a hot shifter, an amazing, cute, funny clumsy women who loves tie dyed leggings add in some Christmas cheer and you have a great read! Enjoyed it from start to finish and Leslie is one of my new favourite main characters.
The only complaint I have is I wish it was longer.
The only complaint I have is I wish it was longer.
December 16, 2022
Cute
I’m not a huge holiday novel person, so if you are, you might like this story even more.
Leslie & Kieran are a good couple and though I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a sweet romance, their relationship is pretty sweet, though in a gruff way.
There’s found holiday spirit, if that’s your thing.
I’m not a huge holiday novel person, so if you are, you might like this story even more.
Leslie & Kieran are a good couple and though I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a sweet romance, their relationship is pretty sweet, though in a gruff way.
There’s found holiday spirit, if that’s your thing.
December 17, 2024
Funny, Quirky, and swoon worthy
Leslie she was funny and quirky but pretty much the black sheep of her rich family. She puts an ad out for a non predator shifter to be her fake boyfriend for Christmas. Kieran takes the challenge.
This book had me laughing and going aww plenty of times. Can't wait to see what's next in this serues.
Leslie she was funny and quirky but pretty much the black sheep of her rich family. She puts an ad out for a non predator shifter to be her fake boyfriend for Christmas. Kieran takes the challenge.
This book had me laughing and going aww plenty of times. Can't wait to see what's next in this serues.
December 17, 2021
This was a fun pnr Christmas novella.
If you like a bit of banter and holiday vibes with a lion shifter thrown in, then give this one a go.
If you like a bit of banter and holiday vibes with a lion shifter thrown in, then give this one a go.
December 15, 2022
A woman who hires a pretend boyfriend for the Christmas season gets way more than she expected. So does the pretend boyfriend. This was a short, fun read.
December 16, 2022
A Perfect Holiday Story
This book brought tons of smiles to my heart and even made me tear up a bit at the end. Super sweet!
This book brought tons of smiles to my heart and even made me tear up a bit at the end. Super sweet!
December 19, 2020
This one was so cute! I liked that Leslie marched to the beat of her own drummer, loved it that Kieran liked her weirdness and that together both of them remembered their love of the holiday season. I especially liked the choice that Leslie made at the end, think it was the right one for her.
December 9, 2021
I absolutely LOVED this story so so much. it surprised me how much i enjoyed it!
read this if you like:
- shifter romance
-Fake dating
-banter for days
read this if you like:
- shifter romance
-Fake dating
-banter for days
December 17, 2020
I don't know what it is about T.S. Joyce's writing but it makes me happy. A Shifter for Christmas was exactly what I expected from one of her books. This fake boyfriend shifter holiday romance put a smile on my face.
December 11, 2023
This heart warming story was just what I needed.
3 yrs later...I listened via Audible Plus narrated by Virtual Voice as a test of the quality of the narration. I found it reasonably good.
3 yrs later...I listened via Audible Plus narrated by Virtual Voice as a test of the quality of the narration. I found it reasonably good.
December 23, 2020
Reviewed at Shifter Haven
A Shifter for Christmas starts off the Shifter for the Holidays series with a fun romance between one broody lion shifter with a heavy debt hanging over his head and a klutzy, family outcast of a human who needs a fake boyfriend for the Christmas season. Their relationship was supposed to be all pretend — until it wasn’t.
One of the things that I enjoy most about T.S. Joyce’s series is that I never know exactly what I’m diving into when starting a new series – what type of shifter/animal – what kind of family (pack/den/pride) dynamic – there really isn’t a tried and true pattern, and I happen to like that. Some are more serious than others, some I simply sit back and chuckle throughout –
…and that’s kind of what A Shifter for Christmas was for me. I was captured by Leslie’s personality, the total klutz, the really square peg in a round hole kind of family, and the underlying vulnerability of not fitting in brought to her life even if she hid it well behind laughter and simply being herself no matter what. Kieran allowed the death of his parents to overshadow so much in his life, even to the point of holding onto a house that was drowning him in debt every single year to hold on to a piece, a tangible piece of his parents, of their family history. One woman full of giggles – one man full of scowls. They shouldn’t have worked… but they certainly did.
When the yearly property taxes come due and Kieran is still short one unusual ad might be the answer to his dilemma – a pretend shifter boyfriend just for the holiday week. He could do that, reluctantly. What he didn’t expect was to like the lady with the wild hair, and over the top personality or to begin to wish for a lifetime together, even if that was on the very edge of forbidden to his type of shifter. Leslie filled a space in his heart, one he didn’t realize was empty, and if she could get past his small lie and was willing to take a chance on a life with him, Kieran would have all his dreams come true.
I enjoyed Leslie and Kieran so much. I have a friend who is very much like Leslie, totally unique in personality and actions (and if I thought of her while reading that was between me and my book *wink*). I chuckled throughout A Shifter for Christmas but was also very aware of the serious issues being faced as well. I had a blast, and I cannot ask for more than that from any book. Now, on to Kieran’s brother, Burke’s story up next in A Shifter for New Years.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
A Shifter for Christmas starts off the Shifter for the Holidays series with a fun romance between one broody lion shifter with a heavy debt hanging over his head and a klutzy, family outcast of a human who needs a fake boyfriend for the Christmas season. Their relationship was supposed to be all pretend — until it wasn’t.
One of the things that I enjoy most about T.S. Joyce’s series is that I never know exactly what I’m diving into when starting a new series – what type of shifter/animal – what kind of family (pack/den/pride) dynamic – there really isn’t a tried and true pattern, and I happen to like that. Some are more serious than others, some I simply sit back and chuckle throughout –
…and that’s kind of what A Shifter for Christmas was for me. I was captured by Leslie’s personality, the total klutz, the really square peg in a round hole kind of family, and the underlying vulnerability of not fitting in brought to her life even if she hid it well behind laughter and simply being herself no matter what. Kieran allowed the death of his parents to overshadow so much in his life, even to the point of holding onto a house that was drowning him in debt every single year to hold on to a piece, a tangible piece of his parents, of their family history. One woman full of giggles – one man full of scowls. They shouldn’t have worked… but they certainly did.
When the yearly property taxes come due and Kieran is still short one unusual ad might be the answer to his dilemma – a pretend shifter boyfriend just for the holiday week. He could do that, reluctantly. What he didn’t expect was to like the lady with the wild hair, and over the top personality or to begin to wish for a lifetime together, even if that was on the very edge of forbidden to his type of shifter. Leslie filled a space in his heart, one he didn’t realize was empty, and if she could get past his small lie and was willing to take a chance on a life with him, Kieran would have all his dreams come true.
I enjoyed Leslie and Kieran so much. I have a friend who is very much like Leslie, totally unique in personality and actions (and if I thought of her while reading that was between me and my book *wink*). I chuckled throughout A Shifter for Christmas but was also very aware of the serious issues being faced as well. I had a blast, and I cannot ask for more than that from any book. Now, on to Kieran’s brother, Burke’s story up next in A Shifter for New Years.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
December 16, 2020
Okay, as per usual, I’m in love with T.S. Joyce’s latest release. I promise I’m not T.S. Joyce in disguise. I have my own shifter novels that are definitely not hers.
The beautiful thing about reviewing Joyce’s books is they’re all so original that I never have an issue making the review different from the others. They’re all hilarious, and they all have that rugged mountain man archetype (or swamp man, that one time, but very similar), and they all rely on some of my favorite tropes, but somehow they’re all unique.
Mountain man with his shit together but struggling with an unexpected financial burden. Train wreck of a girl who doesn’t have anything together but is happy with her life, except this is Christmas, and she comes from a wealthy, traditional, very expectant family. And she’s chronically single.
You know this one. You know what trope comes next.
Slight twist on it: Leslie WANTS a shifter for a fake-boyfriend. She thinks it will impress her family. It doesn’t. Also, she specifically requests a non-predatory shifter, and Kieran lies. He’s the most predatory of predatory. But he figures it doesn’t matter. It’s just a gig. It won’t matter that predator shifters can’t take human mates because she’s not really his mate.
Again, you know this one. That becomes a problem.
Leslie is perfect. She’s painfully awkward, forever tripping and saying the wrong thing, but not in a cringey way. This isn’t a girl you’d avoid because you felt uncomfortable around her. She’s the one who you’d invite to everything because she’s guaranteed to entertain. Kieran is laidback, easygoing, and fits in wherever he is. Not a chameleon, but no matter where he is, he fits, even if it’s in that black sheep sort of way.
Also, he has a brother, and I’m already waiting on that sequel.
My one complain in this: otters are obligate carnivores. They are adorable to us because they can’t eat us, but they are terrors to aquatic animals, and they use tools, so they will fuck up some shellfish.
The beautiful thing about reviewing Joyce’s books is they’re all so original that I never have an issue making the review different from the others. They’re all hilarious, and they all have that rugged mountain man archetype (or swamp man, that one time, but very similar), and they all rely on some of my favorite tropes, but somehow they’re all unique.
Mountain man with his shit together but struggling with an unexpected financial burden. Train wreck of a girl who doesn’t have anything together but is happy with her life, except this is Christmas, and she comes from a wealthy, traditional, very expectant family. And she’s chronically single.
You know this one. You know what trope comes next.
Slight twist on it: Leslie WANTS a shifter for a fake-boyfriend. She thinks it will impress her family. It doesn’t. Also, she specifically requests a non-predatory shifter, and Kieran lies. He’s the most predatory of predatory. But he figures it doesn’t matter. It’s just a gig. It won’t matter that predator shifters can’t take human mates because she’s not really his mate.
Again, you know this one. That becomes a problem.
Leslie is perfect. She’s painfully awkward, forever tripping and saying the wrong thing, but not in a cringey way. This isn’t a girl you’d avoid because you felt uncomfortable around her. She’s the one who you’d invite to everything because she’s guaranteed to entertain. Kieran is laidback, easygoing, and fits in wherever he is. Not a chameleon, but no matter where he is, he fits, even if it’s in that black sheep sort of way.
Also, he has a brother, and I’m already waiting on that sequel.
My one complain in this: otters are obligate carnivores. They are adorable to us because they can’t eat us, but they are terrors to aquatic animals, and they use tools, so they will fuck up some shellfish.
December 16, 2020
Such Unexpected Gift!!!
Kieran Dunne wasn't worried about the holidays. He'd inherited an estate from his late parents but he had a huge property tax bill to pay. He needed a job and fast. His brother Burke found him a job that suited his abilities. A woman was looking for a non-predator shifter for the holidays, he needed the job so a little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone, right!? His world tilted on its axis when he met the woman he was supposed to be spending his time with.
Leslie Wilson was tired of ruining her family's annual festivities always being the only single one there. This year she wanted a partner to help her face the Wilson family and she the found the perfect way to do it. Bring a date and not any date, a shifter. She just never imagined that she could lose more than she'd bargained for.
Both Kieran and Leslie fell for each other, I liked how her father smoothly gave them his blessings. So happy to see that Leslie finally found someone who understood her completely and still loved her for her uniqueness.
A SHIFTER FOR CHRISTMAS is the first installment in T. S. Joyce's SHIFTERS FOR THE HOLIDAYS series. What a phenomenal, intoxicating and amazing journey T. S. Joyce did a amazingly stunning job. Can't get enough of her books! 👏🏾💗👏🏾💗👏🏾💗
Kieran Dunne wasn't worried about the holidays. He'd inherited an estate from his late parents but he had a huge property tax bill to pay. He needed a job and fast. His brother Burke found him a job that suited his abilities. A woman was looking for a non-predator shifter for the holidays, he needed the job so a little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone, right!? His world tilted on its axis when he met the woman he was supposed to be spending his time with.
Leslie Wilson was tired of ruining her family's annual festivities always being the only single one there. This year she wanted a partner to help her face the Wilson family and she the found the perfect way to do it. Bring a date and not any date, a shifter. She just never imagined that she could lose more than she'd bargained for.
Both Kieran and Leslie fell for each other, I liked how her father smoothly gave them his blessings. So happy to see that Leslie finally found someone who understood her completely and still loved her for her uniqueness.
A SHIFTER FOR CHRISTMAS is the first installment in T. S. Joyce's SHIFTERS FOR THE HOLIDAYS series. What a phenomenal, intoxicating and amazing journey T. S. Joyce did a amazingly stunning job. Can't get enough of her books! 👏🏾💗👏🏾💗👏🏾💗
December 25, 2020
This is the first book in a new short holiday romance series by T.S. Joyce. Kieran Dunne needs money to pay the land taxes on property his parents left him. His brother says he should sell and that’s what their parents wanted him to when they left it for him. But Kieran can’t do that. He can’t sell the last piece of his parents. Leslie is tired of being the only single person at her family’s holidays get togethers. So, she puts out an ad to hire a shifter for the holidays to pretend to be her boyfriend. No romance needed and she is offering a good deal of money. Kieran isn’t sure about this. He doesn’t even fit the requirements of the ad. He does it anyway he can fake it through a couple parties, she will never figure out what he is. Neither of them expected to feel things for each other. Kieran hates the way her family treats her and the way they make her feel. Leslie knows he is only in it for the money. Things get interesting. Turns out Leslie is connected to his job and then there is the fact that Leslie doesn’t really know what Kieran is. This was a great short read. Funny and steamy. I felt for Leslie so much. Her family makes her feel so small and like an outcast because she is happy with her small life. Kieran is great. He always seems to know what Leslie needs and makes her feel like she is enough. Great job T.S. Joyce. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
February 7, 2021
Lion shifters are the best!
A Shifter for Christmas: Shifter for the Holidays Book 1
By T. S. Joyce
Kindle unlimited purchase
Kieran is strapped for money. When he took on the responsibility of his family home after the deaths of his parents, he never thought the taxes In the house and land would be so difficult to come up with. Now it's that time of year again and it's taking away his Christmas spirit. When his brother sees an ad in the newspaper he knew that he was just the man for the job.
Leslie has it all, everything she needs. She has money. But the one thing she wants is a Christmas to remember. So she puts out an ad she asked for a "prey" shifter.
I love this book, already rented book 2. Lions are my favorite animal. if I go to the zoo I will not leave until I go to the big cat. That being said I never pass up a lion shifter book. Now yes I have read some terrible lion shifter books before, but this book is not one of them. Lions to me are strong, more alpha (even above dragons), they know how to treat a woman, and will protect her with their own life. And, Kieran did just that. I did not want to stop reading their story.
There seems to be only 2 books in the series. I wish there was more.
Shifter for the Holidays
A Shifter for Christmas
A Shifter for New Years
A Shifter for Christmas: Shifter for the Holidays Book 1
By T. S. Joyce
Kindle unlimited purchase
Kieran is strapped for money. When he took on the responsibility of his family home after the deaths of his parents, he never thought the taxes In the house and land would be so difficult to come up with. Now it's that time of year again and it's taking away his Christmas spirit. When his brother sees an ad in the newspaper he knew that he was just the man for the job.
Leslie has it all, everything she needs. She has money. But the one thing she wants is a Christmas to remember. So she puts out an ad she asked for a "prey" shifter.
I love this book, already rented book 2. Lions are my favorite animal. if I go to the zoo I will not leave until I go to the big cat. That being said I never pass up a lion shifter book. Now yes I have read some terrible lion shifter books before, but this book is not one of them. Lions to me are strong, more alpha (even above dragons), they know how to treat a woman, and will protect her with their own life. And, Kieran did just that. I did not want to stop reading their story.
There seems to be only 2 books in the series. I wish there was more.
Shifter for the Holidays
A Shifter for Christmas
A Shifter for New Years
December 27, 2020
This is a quick little holiday romance in the fast-paced Shifter universe.
This one could be divisive, depending on how you feel about the heroine, Leslie. I personally loved her, she's like if you took:
and for sweetness melded her with:
Seriously, Jane is the Best Girl and the star of that movie. We all love you, Jane! You can come be weird with all of the Queer Kids over here. We'd love to hear about the minutiae of your high fantasy project.
The minor downgrade on this one was for the lack of expected hot sexy times in it. Blink, and you'll miss it in this one. So that was a bit of a let down, since you have to wait so long in this story to hit that point. And. We do not get a little epilogue explaining how the final hurdle to the relationship went. We just have to assume it ended well and will hear about it in the next book, I guess?
That aside, this was a read that went down well with several out loud laughing moments. Perfect for a holiday quickie.
This one could be divisive, depending on how you feel about the heroine, Leslie. I personally loved her, she's like if you took:
and for sweetness melded her with:
Seriously, Jane is the Best Girl and the star of that movie. We all love you, Jane! You can come be weird with all of the Queer Kids over here. We'd love to hear about the minutiae of your high fantasy project.
The minor downgrade on this one was for the lack of expected hot sexy times in it. Blink, and you'll miss it in this one. So that was a bit of a let down, since you have to wait so long in this story to hit that point. And. We do not get a little epilogue explaining how the final hurdle to the relationship went. We just have to assume it ended well and will hear about it in the next book, I guess?
That aside, this was a read that went down well with several out loud laughing moments. Perfect for a holiday quickie.
December 26, 2020
Warm and fuzzy
Leslie White is the youngest of her family and she’s also the most different. She’s artistic and flamboyant,none of which her wealthy family approve. She’s so fed up with not being accepted, of being the butt of her sisters’ jokes and of being a wallflower at her mother’s fancy parties that she decides to hire a ‘pretend-boyfriend’. So she advertises for one and decides that a shifter would be great but not a predator because ‘you MFers are scary’.
Kieran Dunne is a lion shifter, a red flagged predator. In fact they aren’t allowed to date humans who are just too fragile! But he needs money badly and the ad says the job pays well. As his brother says, he can pretend to be a ‘prey’ shifter. Huh!
But..... the best laid plans, as Robbie Burns said!
Put these two together and Leslie finds she can be herself and Kieran feels the ice around his heart melting.
And everything is warm and fuzzy until reality smacks them both in the face.
Loved it!
Leslie White is the youngest of her family and she’s also the most different. She’s artistic and flamboyant,none of which her wealthy family approve. She’s so fed up with not being accepted, of being the butt of her sisters’ jokes and of being a wallflower at her mother’s fancy parties that she decides to hire a ‘pretend-boyfriend’. So she advertises for one and decides that a shifter would be great but not a predator because ‘you MFers are scary’.
Kieran Dunne is a lion shifter, a red flagged predator. In fact they aren’t allowed to date humans who are just too fragile! But he needs money badly and the ad says the job pays well. As his brother says, he can pretend to be a ‘prey’ shifter. Huh!
But..... the best laid plans, as Robbie Burns said!
Put these two together and Leslie finds she can be herself and Kieran feels the ice around his heart melting.
And everything is warm and fuzzy until reality smacks them both in the face.
Loved it!
February 1, 2021
This was a cute story, although not my favorite shifter romance by this author. I've read most of her various shifter series and there are so many now that I do wish she would include a brief sentence or subtle clue somewhere in the books to indicate which mini-universe they exist in (Gray Backs universe, Red Dead Mayhem universe, Keepers of the Swamp universe, etc). For example, we know the Saw Bears series is in the same universe as the Fire Bears series because there are references to other characters. I wouldn't want her to change her writing style altogether by including long explanations but I think it would help to understand how the rules for shifters and the story of how they came out to the public seem to change from series to seres (unless they are just all occuring in the same universe at different times with small inconsistencies in the stories).
December 17, 2020
Awesome Christmas Story
Leslie is tired of the holidays. Her family carries on for days with endless traditions and she's the odd person out. Her mother hounds her about being alone so she takes out an ad for a pretend boyfriend. Kiernan is a shifter and works for Leslie's father. He needs money to pay the taxes on his parents' homestead so answers the ad. He's immediately drawn to Leslie. She's cute, quirky, funny and upbeat. He falls for her but he has a problem. He told her he was a harmless otter shifter when in fact he's a deadly lion shifter. In order for them to be together she would have to agree to be turned. In the end Kiernan wins over her entire family and gives her the best Christmas she's ever had. The story is funny and heartwarming. I loved it.
Leslie is tired of the holidays. Her family carries on for days with endless traditions and she's the odd person out. Her mother hounds her about being alone so she takes out an ad for a pretend boyfriend. Kiernan is a shifter and works for Leslie's father. He needs money to pay the taxes on his parents' homestead so answers the ad. He's immediately drawn to Leslie. She's cute, quirky, funny and upbeat. He falls for her but he has a problem. He told her he was a harmless otter shifter when in fact he's a deadly lion shifter. In order for them to be together she would have to agree to be turned. In the end Kiernan wins over her entire family and gives her the best Christmas she's ever had. The story is funny and heartwarming. I loved it.
December 18, 2020
Wasn’t expecting much with the hiring a boyfriend theme but was pleasantly surprised by how quirky, clumsy, cute and likeable Leslie was.
She did have a family of snobs, mainly her mother and sisters but stood firm on her life choices. Living her life the way she wanted.
My only niggle with her was she was slow on not picking up Kieran was not an otter shifter and was insta lusting after one look at Kieran.
This seems to be a different and harsher shifter world from others, with rules to be abided by and being registered if a predator.
Kieran too was likeable but I felt he was overshadowed by Leslie’s attitude at times.
Liked that the brother-in-laws seemed more normal than their wives and the attitude change at the ending was abrupt but acceptable.
Read through Kindle Unlimited.
She did have a family of snobs, mainly her mother and sisters but stood firm on her life choices. Living her life the way she wanted.
My only niggle with her was she was slow on not picking up Kieran was not an otter shifter and was insta lusting after one look at Kieran.
This seems to be a different and harsher shifter world from others, with rules to be abided by and being registered if a predator.
Kieran too was likeable but I felt he was overshadowed by Leslie’s attitude at times.
Liked that the brother-in-laws seemed more normal than their wives and the attitude change at the ending was abrupt but acceptable.
Read through Kindle Unlimited.
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