Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Krampus’s First Christmas Gift
SERIES: An MM Monster Christmas
AUTHOR: Gigi Rivers
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 249 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 19, 2025
BLURB:
A lonely and touch-starved monster. A human dealing with a mysterious illness. A bond that changes everything.
Since the day Jasper nearly died in the forest, a strange sickness has consumed his life. More than that, an ache inside him urges him to find something. Or someone. With his fox familiar, he searches without knowing what or who he’s searching for. Only that he must find them, or the ache inside will never be fulfilled. Sometimes, he feels the weight of unseen eyes on him. But when he turns, no one is there.
Kraghol is not like other krampuses. He despises the fear his kind is meant to inspire. When Kraghol saved Jasper’s life, a bond forged between them. But since that day, Kraghol has hidden from Jasper, watching him from the shadows, unable to bear the thought of Jasper seeing his monstrous face.
Then one day, Jasper collapses in the snow. Unable to stop himself, Kraghol rushes to his aid. And when Jasper awakens, he knows that Kraghol is the one he’s been searching for.
But their worlds could not be more different. Kraghol knows a human and a krampus have no future. Can Jasper help him overcome his doubts? Or will Kraghol condemn them both to a lifetime of loneliness?
The Krampus’s First Christmas Gift is an MM cosy fantasy romance with plenty of spice. It features Christmas vibes, a family of hearth and kitchen witch bakers, a touch-starved krampus, a fox familiar, a very long tongue being used inappropriately, and an HEA. Whilst this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
I feel like we waited a long time for Jasper’s story . He’s a supporting characters in the other books in this series and he’s been a bit of a mystery. His story does not disappoint.
Jasper is the twin brother of Leo, who is mated to a Phoenix. While out hunting for berries, Jasper falls into a pond and almost dies. Nobody knows how it happened, or how he got saved. Jasper knows someone saved him, but he can’t see or remember exactly what happens. The healer can’t explain why he isn’t getting better. In his estimation, Jasper should be well by now. Leo has tried hard to find something to make Jasper better. So has Trent, the youngest brother who is partnered with a Siren. But to no avail.
Kraghol is a krampus who lives outside of town and the adjacent forest. He does not fit in with his family. He doesn’t like scaring children and it somewhat of a black sheep of his family. And he is the one who saved Jasper. Since then, he’s been watching out for Jasper, but because he’s a krampus, he feels like he is not entitled to be loved. He’s sure once Jasper sees him and knows what he is, he will not want anything to do with him. Turns out he’s wrong 😉
When Jasper collapses while out with his fox familiar, Kraghol cannot help going to his aid. Jasper immediately recognizes that Kraghol is the one that saved him and that he’s the one he’s been looking for all this time. When they are together, Jasper feels better. Kraghol takes a lot of convincing that this could work. He is a krampus after all. Thankfully Jaspers isn’t easilyl deterred.
Oh this was a little bit heartbreaking. And then very heartwarming. Poor Kraghol has a lot of self-esteem issues. He feels like an outsider in his own family. He’s touch starved and fearful of rejection. Jasper has been a bit of an enigma through this whole series. Nobody can explain why he isn’t healed. Turns out he just needed his mate 🙂 This whole series has been a revelation. I liked how the author described these “monsters” and gave them full lives and personalities. I was so happy to finally see Jasper happy and well. I really hope there might be some sort of a happy Christmas reunion or something for this family in the future. All the siblings and their mates could have a wonderful holiday party 🙂 Recommended.
RATING: 
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