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His Last Christmas Gift by Debra Borchert #Review

    His Last Christmas Gift by Debra Borchert will take you to a different country and season. It was published by Le Vin Press on 1st November 2025. Widowed, fired, and 50, Claire is one hot mess. This later in life romance hits like a snowball packed with grief and hope and mystery and the kind of second-chance that says, “I didn’t think I’d ever feel this again, and now I’m terrified, but… Hi.” Romance that’s frost melting off a windowpane. It’s “I forgot my heart could do this.” It’s love doesn’t have an expiration date. Twinkly lights, mulled wine and flaming crêpes so immerse you in Christmas markets—you’ll book a flight to France before the fares go up. A book club fiction favourite, Claire’s journey of self-discovery is perfect for fans of women’s fiction and stories about strong women over 50 navigating reinvention with inspiration, humour, with a delicious frosting of romance. “Give yourself the gift of a lush, romantic, French adventure and be swept away ...

The Second Love of my Life by Victoria Walters



In The Second Love of my Life, Victoria Walters tells a tale about a fairly recently bereaved young widow, Rose, and her thoughts and feelings as she tries to move on with her life. It starts with her having lost her childhood sweetheart to a drunk driver and she is still gripped by the grief and shock at that traumatic event. An artist, she is finding her creative urge to have stalled.

    Rose has always lived in the town of Talting, a fictional place set in Cornwall. The setting is always present throughout the book and you are always aware of the inhabitants who are so supportive of her. Robert Green, a stranger to the town, appears in the story and unsettles Rose.  Of course there is more to him than meets the eye but he is very interested in her art and is encouraging her to start painting again. A large part of the book centres on Rose being able to articulate her feelings through her art

    The Second Love of my Life is described as women's fiction. Although it is not the genre I have read a lot of, I did find it a very enjoyable read. The pace of the story was well controlled and the plot was believable. As a character, Rose is well drawn and you learn about her through her friendships and relationships with the other characters. You can follow her working through her issues and living with the loss she feels for Lucas, her husband. This is Victoria Walker's debut novel and I would like to read any subsequent books she writes.

In short: A bitter sweet portrayal- a great holiday read.  

Thanks to Frances Gough at the publishers, Headline Review for a copy of the book. 
     
     

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