FIRST CHRISTMAS by Diana DiRicci

Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
Date published: November 17th,2010
ISBN: 978-1-936-165-64-3
ASIN: B004CYESOE
Contemporary Paranormal M/M
E-book
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Author


When Lyndon, a cougar shifter, finds a hurt wolf near his cabin, he thinks nothing of bringing it back to his cabin to nurse back to health. But Lyndon doesn’t expect the wolf to turn into a beautiful man, one with deep hurts whenever he looks at Lyndon. But Lyndon is patient and kind and soon Jason begins to trust this gentle giant, showing him how healing love can be. Can these two find a way to make their Christmas love last longer than the snow on the ground?

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.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE CHARLIE FACTOR by Diana DiRicci

Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
Date published: March 17th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-936165-84-1
ASIN: B004SPEF1I
Contemporary M/M
E-book
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


Charlie Baker is trying to live his life after a deadly fire almost killed him, set by none other than his boyfriend and his lover. In a blink of an eye, the life he thought he had was changed forever. Alone on the coast of Texas, he doesn’t need pity nor does he want anyone around him. That is until one day on the beach, a chance meeting with a dog and his owner, will pull Charlie back into the land of the living. Will Charlie let Greg and his dog Samson bring him back to life and see that maybe life is what you make of it?

Gregory Anders wasn’t anticipating meeting Charlie, making friends or anything. He worked, walked Samson and missed his friends and family in California. Making a friend in Charlie was a bonus he never anticipated. Greg finds that his feelings for Charlie deepen past friendship into a world where he has no idea what to do. Can Greg find a way to make Charlie see that love with friendship is one you need to grasp with both hands and take on a risk?

Diana DiRicci is a talented writer and one I absolutely adore. THE CHARLIE FACTOR is one of those feel good stories that leaves you with a smile at the end. The writing is tight, the story flowed smoothly and the characters are multi-dimensional. What I loved about this book was the characters. They were life like, enjoyable and relatable. The main character Charlie is a man who is afraid to live life again so he hides away from everyone, seemingly alone in the world and that is just the way he likes it. Meeting Greg and his dog Samson was not on his to do list that day at the beach either. The characters fairly brim with life, so much so they fairly leap off the pages and into your living room. I could really see being friends with them in real life. The sex scenes sizzle at times and at other times were so sweetly romantic; I almost melted in a puddle of goo. This is an author who knows her characters and gets inside their vulnerabilities, their heart and shows the reader their soul.

Charlie & Greg struck a nerve with me. Charlie is hiding-from himself, his future, from life in general. Mourning the life he used to have and thinking no one could ever like him, he is stunned to find this handsome man offering friendship. Greg is seemingly straight and that makes Charlie safe...until he falls for the man and then watch out.....misunderstandings, miscommunications and emotions come into play that leave the reader rooting for Charlie and Greg to work their issues out. Both characters have issues and this author does a great job in communicating them to the reader within the pages of THE CHARLIE FACTOR. There were some wonderful secondary characters that had me giggling over and I am anxious to see if they will get their own story in the future.

Diana DiRicci does a great job in conveying both main characters issues amid the pages of THE CHARLIE FACTOR who takes the topic of a gay man falling for a straight man and breathing new life into it. I loved how Greg woos Charlie and from there two people find a love worth fighting for…if they can get through their issues of course. The story flows nicely, the writing captures the emotions the main characters experience and the reader finds themselves rooting for them to get their happily ever after. If you are looking for the perfect beach read, then THE CHARLIE FACTOR is one you might enjoy. I am eager to see what else this author has in store for her readers in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.