I love a good reversal of the typical tropes in books, so the plot of this book, which is a corrupted Santa organization that tried to get rid of all the Krampuses and the only remaining Krampus fighting them just really fascinated me. And this book is an enemy to lovers with Santa Claus and a Krampus, which is another trope I just love in books. I was so into the idea of the book and I absolutely loved it. This book was such a fun take on the typical Christmas stories and it just really worked for me. It was also super heartwhelmingly sweet and was just one of the best Christmas reading experiences I have ever had.

Not a typical Christmas love story. This is not my genre but it is Jessica Frances so I gave it a try and was not disappointed. Claw and Caspar are both so very different and unorthodox but they make a great interesting story with action, suspense, unexpected twists, and love.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

Love this book,
Literally could not put it down.
have read and re-read numerous times !
Need more books from this author.

If you need a wee break from sugary sweet, predictable holiday romances, then I’m going to highly recommend Jessica Frances’ A Christmas to Fight For. Don’t worry, of course there’s still a love story here, but this clever author blends it into an exciting, steampunk-esque, thrill ride - the likes of which you’ve never imagined. So get comfy, because once you start reading this one, you’re not going to be able to stop!

As the first out, gay Santa, Caspar has dedicated his life to being the best. Winning every competition where the Santa candidates compete, Caspar believes he has overcome the constant bigotry and prejudice. But he begins to question the dogma he’s been fed his whole life, when he is shaken up to learn he’s merely a pawn, and easily dismissed and forgotten.

Born into a world at war, Claw has grown up isolated from his race and trained endlessly to take down the evil Santa Claus Organization (SCO). As the last krampus, it’s his duty to overthrow the SCO, free the oppressed and enslaved workers, or die trying.

As Caspar and Claw uncover layer after layer of deceit and dirty dealings, these total opposites become allies, then friends, and eventually partners (in every sense of the word). I adore the way their walls slowly come down, and as they begin to trust each other, their mutual attraction can’t be ignored. The message is of accepting our differences: seeing past the social, economical, and physical layers that set us apart. This theme comes through perfectly in the romance between Caspar and Claw.

I’m not going to mince words here, this is a true battle for the ages, and not for the squeamish. But as the story evolves, and the plot thickens, it’s easy to accept Jessica Frances’ brand of violence, a true war between good and evil. Once the lines are clearly drawn, you’ll be cheering as every wicked elf meets his maker.

Jessica Frances hooked me last Christmas when I read A Christmas to Die For, another standalone holiday story based in the North Pole universe. Steeped in fantasy and magic, I’m captivated by how deeply Ms. Frances explores all the aspects of this unique world. Dare I hope for another tale next season? Fingers crossed because I’m addicted!

A Christmas to Fight For
Jessica Frances, 2021
New Release! A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley for the purpose of review.
I was amused enough by the premise of this book to request a copy for review: a romance between a krampus and a Santa Claus (both appear to be magical races in this world).

And on reading it, I was amused by the book and overall enjoyed it, but I need to address a couple problems.

First, the author advertises the fact that the book was professionally edited, but the book needs another edit. Or better editors. The copy I read had enough typos and mistakes in the beginning that I almost stopped reading (and likely would have were I not planning to review it for this site). Missing words, incorrect verb tenses, and awkward phrases all abound early on. The errors drop off at some point, although they did appear occasionally all the way to the end. I did get this from Netgalley - maybe this copy wasn't final? However, the file didn't say advance or uncorrected proof anywhere I could find it.

Second, in my opinion, the author is a coward. This is Krampus, the Christmas demon:
[image included]

Here are some more modern interpretations:
[image included]

Note the generally bestial/furry appearance. On the other hand, this is the devil (as interpreted by Marvel comics):
[image included]

Not the same thing at all! Don't be afraid of more monstrous heroes, author! It felt like a major cop-out for her to describe Claw (the krampus) as essentially just a sexy man who happened to have horns and a tail.
Now, despite all that, this book was pretty fun. Would I have liked more development or explanation of the origins/activities of the evil council running the Santa Claus Organization? Yes, but the very fact that I cared enough about the story to be seeing weaknesses on that level means that the book was pretty good.

Our heroes, Claw and Caspar Santa, are thrown together after Claw tries to assassinate Caspar just as he's been named the new Santa Claus. They each suffer from a bit of insta-lust, but it's put aside as they have to work together to heal from injuries sustained in the fight and later to escape a bunch of elf soldiers. Caspar's painful naivete about the society he grew up in is a bit over-the-top, especially given how quickly he accepts that everything he thought was wrong and Claw is telling him the truth about the leaders' murderous deeds. Claw, for his part, has the ability to sense "goodness," so it's also not a long struggle for him to trust Caspar.

Even with those shortcuts built-in, the story does a decent job portraying how they learn to trust each other and become friends. Adventures follow as they prepare for and eventually lead a secret attack to stop the SCO's evil ways and free the worker-class elf slaves.

Is all of this deeply silly on some level? Sure, but it also has a certain charm. I genuinely enjoyed reading this romp. I found the sex scenes fairly cliche and by-the-numbers, but I read a lot of excellent fanfiction, so I'm spoiled by truly excellent sexy writing.

I'm afraid that this review sounds as though I didn't enjoy the book. I did enjoy it! It was a sweet action-packed story of unlikely love triumphing over evil. I just wish the worldbuilding and the editing had been better.

This book had a lot more interesting things to say about corporate greed the commercialization of Christmas that I had anticipated and I really liked that aspect of it. I think overall, however, the romance felt incredibly rushed and I didn't find myself caring about the characters as much as I cared about the world they inhabited. Not a poorly written story, just one that I wish had taken a little more time.

A Christmas to fight for by Jessica Frances.
As the last of my kind, I’ve long lived in the shadows. But, with the death of my father, I have a dying wish to fulfill, and I can no longer keep quiet. I can no longer stand back and watch as the Santa Claus Organization takes everything from us. So, I launch an attack that was doomed from the start. I am but one krampus up against the cruelest organization in the world. I knew it was a long shot. I knew I would likely die.

Then something surprising happens. The most recent Santa Claus comes into my life, and I don’t know what to make of him. He wasn’t what I was expecting. He’s supposed to be a puppet. A heartless, despicable Santa. But he’s not. He’s … a good person?

Do I have things wrong? Have I had them wrong all along? Or am I falling for the biggest con in the world?

Either way, change is coming for North Pole, and this is sure to be the deadliest Christmas on record and a time that no one will ever forget.

I did enjoy this book. I absolutely loved the cover. Casper and Claw were my favourite characters. Great story. 5*.

Short, sweet, and with a plot that includes social justice. A romance that follows a Santa, which is both an elected official and a family name depending on how you use it, and a Krampus. Both are outcasts, both are distrustful of the other. This book answers the age old question, can Santa and Krampus work together to save Christmas and the North Pole from itself? Ok, so maybe that isn't an age old question, but this book is a lot of fun to read on the quest for an answer.

#AChristmastoFightFor #NetGalley

What an unexpected find! I never expected that I would need a Krampus/Santa romance in my life. The author manages to tell a dark and twisted tale of a conspiracy behind the jolliest season of all in a fun and engaging manner. A definite recommendation to anyone who is looking for a Christmas romance with a bit of bite and snark!

4.5 stars
So I don't find Xmas romances that interesting but most of the season/holiday annoys me, but when I read the synopsis for this I had to read it.
Claw is the last Krampus left and his father, before his death, charged him with taking down the evil Santa Claus Organization. Krampus's can tell when people are good/bad or liars and they used to make up the naughty lists but then the SCO wiped them all out so they could profit off Xmas because who cares who's good or bad. After committing xenocide on the Krampus's, they enslaved the workers and only the Santa's and Elves get to live well. When Claw fails in his quest to nail the newly hatted Santa's body to the front gates in revenge and is instead shot during the attack and then saved by said Santa...
Caspar is the only openly gay Santa and after being thrown out of his family after coming out at age 8, he puts all his energy and focus into becoming the next Santa and when he wins he's thrilled till the building falls apart around him followed quickly by everything he thought he knew about his world.
This was a really good political story that made me lol a few times and I adored the shy sunshiny Santa and the grumpy Krampus relationship!
TW: xenocide, racism, homophobia

This is my first book by this author and I got it because the blurb on the back made it a must read for me.

Santa and Krampus. Come on what's not to like.

Claw is the last Krampus and Casper is the newly appointed Santa. He is seriously naive and is kidnapped by Claw.
There's a really cute slow burn romance in there somewhere amongst all the blood.

This book definitely puts a new take on the Santa story. One which I really enjoyed.

Give it a go. Would love to see this as a film. Enjoy!

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. All I had to do was read the description, and I was sold. I didn't know that I needed an enemies to lovers, Santa and Krampus fall in love story, but apparently, this is the holiday romance that my twisted little heart has been waiting for all these years.
A Christmas to Fight For is a story about fighting against oppression, genocide, rampant capitalism, and enslavement, but it is all wrapped up in a tidy little horned bow. It's also a great deal of fun. Casper and Claw had a great deal of animosity in the beginning (for pretty good reasons), but of course they had to fall desperately in love along while fighting the good fight. The only real flaw is that this relationship felt a wee bit rushed; Casper concedes his position much more quickly than I'd expected, but it still felt somewhat realistic. Is this a classic enemies to lovers while at war story? Yes. Did the fact that it was Krampus make it at least 34% better? Also yes. Have fun, and embrace the holiday spirit. Or not, as the case may be.