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book notes
title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Yearauthor: Beth Moran
published: 8.6.2025
publisher: self-published
genre(s): holiday/seasonal, romance
pages: 357
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BookBub | BookHype | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating:
the blurb
Mary never planned to stop running.
With a past she’s desperate to leave behind and a baby on the way, she’s found a new home, deep in the forest, hidden from the world. But when the time comes to go to the hospital, she has no idea that Beckett, the quiet, steady taxi driver who braves the blizzard to reach her, will change everything.
As Mary adjusts to life with her newborn, she finds herself drawn into a local close-knit community she never expected to be part of. Beckett is always there – dependable, patient and offering a friendship she doesn’t know how to accept but slowly comes to rely on.
In a place she thought she’d only ever be passing through, Mary finally learns what it truly means to belong. And as Christmas approaches, she begins to believe that maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t have to do this alone, and that this could be the start of something wonderful...
a few notes
POV: 1st & 3rd
setting: Sherwood Forest, Scotland
keywords/phrases: family dysfunction, loss, friendship, family
tropes: dysfunctional relationships, happy endings
spice: 0/5
language: 0/5
mood reading: in the mood for a cozy seasonal read with a lot of emotion and soul.
bonus points: the relationship between Beckett and his grandfather, the good and the bad
my review
This is a beautiful story set in snowy Sherwood Forest, Scotland. It’s a book with themes that are deeply emotional and very relatable. Mary has lost virtually everything, finding herself alone in a barely habitable cottage in the middle of the forest, alone and very pregnant. For much of the book, her journey to that place is shrouded in secrecy, her pain and hurt too raw to explore it. Beckett gave up his career to care for his beloved grandfather, but that has been anything but easy as the two men struggle to adjust the switched roles of caregiver and needing care. Their individual stories, as well as their shared story, kept me turning the pages. As did the community of characters that surrounded them. This is an emotional book, hitting all the feels from sadness and hurt and pain to love and trust and second chances. Highly recommend!
About Beth Moran
Beth Moran initially worked as a biochemist and then taught antenatal classes before becoming an author. She loves to write contemporary women`s fiction set in and around Sherwood Forest, where she lives with her family.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Christmas Reading Challenge
- 2025 PopSugar Reading Challenge
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