Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Four years ago geneticist Jayce Harper lost the love of his life. Now every Christmas Jayce returns to his cabin in the woods to celebrate Christmas. Alone. Every year he sets an extra place at the table and bakes a full Christmas dinner, including peppermint cookies, knowing those cookies are the one scent his lost lover can never resist.

Four years ago Crane found out who, and what, he was, without understanding why. Thinking his lover had betrayed him, Crane shifted to reindeer form and took off running. He's been running loose in the forest around the lake as a reindeer for the last four years, almost forgetting he's ever been anything else. Now he's been gone so long, he has no clue how to get back.

 

When the scent of peppermint reaches his nose, Crane suddenly knows he has to remember, or lose it all, forever. When he finds Jayce, the author of the scents that have lured him back, he has to decide if he wants a past he can barely remember, or what he's found in the woods. Whoever he was, whatever they had, Crane knows the scent of his lover may be his last chance to remember.

 

If the hunters don't find him first...

 

Book Review

A shifter story with a twist, ‘White Stag’ is about the dangers of unilateral decisions, lost lovers, and second chances. Jayce may have been able to save Crane’s life, but he made that decision by himself, never asking for Crane’s permission. Crane didn’t understand why Jayce saved him or how he did it, shifted into his reindeer form, and doesn’t remember much of when he was a human. But there is one thing Jayce is good at, other than being a geneticist, and that is not giving up. Every Christmas he returns to his cabin in the woods and makes a full dinner, including Crane’s favorite peppermint cookies, hoping that the scent will entice Crane back to him.

I am pretty sure that Jayce didn’t realize the consequences of what he was doing when he used genetics to save Crane’s life. Something, by the way, I would love to find out about in a lot more detail. Jayce, being a scientist and a worried lover, probably focused on making sure Crane didn’t die and didn’t spend any time thinking about how it would make Crane feel to suddenly be a reindeer shifter. Four years later, Jayce has had plenty of time to think about it and regret his actions. The fact that he always cooks a full dinner and sets the table for more people than himself says a lot about his hopes and regrets. It also tells me how lonely he is.

Crane has become more animal than human in those four years, but something draws him back to the cabin. The scents are attractive, but before he can get inside the hunters find and wound him. Crane isn’t one for giving up either, but even though Jayce takes him in, Crane’s memories don’t return easily. And when they do? The old feelings of not having been asked about what he wanted still need to be dealt with, as does the lack of Crane’s memories.

If you like shifter stories with a difference, if you think that two men, who love each other yet have lost touch, deserve a second chance, and if you’re looking for a wintery tale of a difficult reunion, then you might like this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Changeling Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 31 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-December-2015
Price	$3.49 ebook
Buy Link	http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2441