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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 ...

Surprises on the Scottish Isle by Lilac Mills #Review

 

We are off to the Isle of Skye for another romance from Lilac Mills. Surprises on the Scottish Isle was published by  Canelo on January 23rd.

 
Will they get a second chance at first love?

When newly divorced Tara McTaigh spots an advert for a studio to let in Coorie Castle’s craft centre, she packs up her Edinburgh life and moves to the Isle of Skye, eager for a fresh start.

Little does she know that the castle’s estate manager, single dad Calan Fraser, is the man who broke her heart back at university. Thoroughly done with romance, Tara decides to ignore Cal and focus on building her business – creating dollhouses to commission. But Duncoorie is a small community, and the two keep bumping into each other…

Just as she is starting to open her heart once more to Cal, a change in his life puts everything on the line. When a surprise storm threatens Tara's safety, will Cal realise in time that love is worth the risk?

An uplifting and feel-good crafty romance for fans of Holly Martin, Sue Moorcroft and Julie Shackman.


 My Thoughts

This escapist read is the perfect antidote to a cold January day. The Isle of Skye shimmers in the background and the environment is never far away. You can absolutely understand how Tara breathes a sigh of relief when she finds this idyllic spot. The surprise in store for her is that she meets up again with her first love, Calan.  They both have baggage from the past but strong memories of their time together.  You also get a sense that time has moved on from their first meeting and attitudes to mental health have moved on.

    There is a great community centred around the Castle with the crafty workshops and the cafe. There is much potential to set further stories here and plenty of lively characters to feature in them. Second chances, moving on are important to the story and you see several characters who have to come to terms with changes in their lives.

In short: a heart-warming romance in a glorious setting

About the Author

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh hillside with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don't get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually).

 She's been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet.

She loves long hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she's usually writing, or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.

You can follow Lilac here:  Instagram |  Twitter  |  Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram
 
 

Thanks to Lilac Mills, Canelo and Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

                                                              Follow the rest of the tour!
 

 


 


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