His Last Christmas Gift by Debra Borchert | Book Review
His Last Christmas Gift by Debra Borchert
Genres: Holiday Romance, Later in Life Romance
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.
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I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
my review
This was my first book by Debra Borchert, and I have to say, Claire won me over almost immediately.
Within the first few chapters, I was laughing so hard that my husband looked at me like I’d lost my mind. There were moments that were genuinely funny, and Claire’s knack for finding herself in one impossible situation after another made it easy to keep turning the pages.
Claire has spent more than twenty years designing swimwear while chasing one big idea that never quite works the way she hopes. After one spectacular failure finally costs her the job she’s held for decades, life throws another surprise her way. She discovers that her late husband, David, had a son she never knew existed.
That revelation sends her to France with one goal in mind, but once she arrives, the trip becomes about much more than delivering difficult news. Watching Claire get to know Luca was one of my favorite parts of the book. Their growing relationship felt genuine, and I enjoyed seeing her slowly step into a role she never imagined for herself.
Gilbert was another standout character for me. He brought warmth to the story and balanced Claire’s tendency to overthink everything. Their interactions were some of my favorite scenes because they felt natural instead of forced.
The emotional side of the story surprised me. Claire spends a lot of time looking back at her marriage, questioning old decisions, and trying to understand why David kept such a life-changing secret from her. Those moments gave the story much more depth than I expected.
The only reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me was the pacing. There were sections where the story slowed down enough that I found myself wanting it to move a little faster. Nothing about the plot lost my interest, but I did feel like a few scenes lingered longer than they needed to.
Even with that, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It made me laugh, pulled at my heart a few times, and introduced me to an author I’ll happily read again.
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About Debra Borchert
One of Debra Borchert’s first jobs was as an Elf for Santa breakfasts where she served juice and cookies to tiny tots all aglow, so it makes sense her first romance novel, His Last Christmas Gift, takes place during this festive season. She is the author of the award-winning Château de Verzat series (Her Own Legacy, Her Own Revolution, Her Own War), and its companion cookbook, Soups of Château de Verzat. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Costco Connection, and The Writer.
