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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 ...

Revenge on the Rye by Alice Castle #Review #Giveaway #LondonMurderMysteries#5

We are returning to the London Murder Mysteries today with the 5th in the series, Revenge on the Rye. You can read a review of the 1st in the series, Death in Dulwich here , a book spotlight on the 2nd , The Girl in the Gallery, here, a review on Calamity in Camberwell, the 3rd in the series here, and a review on the 4th, Homicide in Herne Hill, here.
You can also win a signed copy of Revenge on the Rye - details on how to enter the Giveaway are at the foot of the post. 


Beth Haldane, SE21’s answer to Miss Marple, thinks she is going for a carefree stroll on Peckham Rye with her best friend, Katie, and her annoying new puppy, Teddy. But before Beth knows it, she is embroiled in her most perplexing mystery yet.


Strange events from her family’s past, present-day skulduggery in the art world, and the pressures of moving school in south London threaten to overwhelm Beth. Will she be able to piece together the puzzle before her son’s crucial interview at Wyatt’s? Or will Beth’s insatiable curiosity finally drag down all her dreams for the future?

Join Beth, her irascible on-off boyfriend, Detective Inspector Harry York of the Metropolitan Police, and the dog walkers of Peckham Rye in a tale of murder, mayhem – and bloody revenge.


                                                                                     My Thoughts
Alice Castle is really hitting her stride with this London Murder Mystery series. She is establishing her characters, particularly Beth, and it is lovely to find out more about her growing relationship with Harry and her friendship with Katie. Katie in particularly adds a lot of humour to this book with her impersonations of famous sleuths and the canine capers which set the whole mystery off. Talking of canine capers, Colin does rather steal the show.

    It is easy to empathise with Beth as she goes through agonies over her son's forthcoming interview to Wyatt's. There is plenty of scope her for some of the more extreme mothers to show just how insecure they all are. All the wry observations on life in Dulwich are present in this novel as in its predecessors and which set it apart for me. Beth's curiosity and intelligent thinking sparkle as ever. For cosy crime with a touch of humour, this is a series to recommend.

In short: Clever writing in death strewn South London.
                                                                             About the Author 




Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks. 

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, was published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill following in October 2018. Alice is currently working on the sixth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a top mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website.
 

You can also follow Alice here: FacebookTwitter  |  Website 
 


Thanks to Alice Castle and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resource  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 


Follow the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (International) 


To win a signed copy of Revenge on the Rye (Open Internationally)just follow the link below and good luck!


*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. Hi Marianne, just wanted to say thank you so much for your lovely review, I'm so glad you're enjoying the series! I'll give Colin a big pat from you :) Hope you'll like the next one too, The Body in Belair Park, coming soon x

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