Pregnant and alone, Mary Whittington has no one to call when her labour pains start in the middle of a snowstorm. She calls a taxi, but they can’t get to the hospital because of an accident, so the driver takes charge and she ends up giving birth in the local New Life Community Church, assisted by the taxi driver and a local equine vet.
Beckett Bywater is a doctor who gave up medicine six years ago and became a taxi driver so he could take care of the grandfather who raised him. Gramps is getting more and more belligerent, and Beckett has become as isolated as Mary in his own way.
The two form a friendship as Beckett helps Mary with her newborn son, then Mary returns the favour with Gramps. At the same time, both are being befriended by the people of New Life Community Church.
I loved watching Mary and Beckett get involved with the church community (sometimes unwillingly) at the same time as they are falling for each other.
It’s not immediately obvious why Mary is living alone, in an isolated house with no family or friends nearby. That does come out through the course of the story, in short flashbacks from Mary’s past. This means we’re kind of reading two stories at the same time, the present and the past, and they both come to a climax at the same time. This dual storyline makes for a satisfying read.
Beth Moran’s first couple of novels were published as Christian fiction but never quite hit the mark (perhaps because they were and are quintessentially English and therefore didn’t appeal to the US-dominated Christian market). Personally, I loved the Englishness of the writing–the vocabulary, the traditions, the Doctor Who reference.
Moran has since switched to general market romance/rom-com.
I’ve read several and loved them all. Stories like The Most Wonderful Time of the Year are not Christian fiction as such, but they all feature Christian characters or a Christian community, but in a low-key way that brings an authenticity to the stories. They don’t have any on-the-page swearing, sex, or violence. They also don’t mention God, Jesus, or anything even vaguely theological.
They’re simply feel-good stories that show people with problems overcoming those problems with the help of their (often Christian) friends.
I recommend The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (and other Beth Moran titles) as object lessons in how to weave Christianity into a novel without leaving non-Christian readers feeling as though they’re the victim of a bait-and-switch.
If you’re looking for a sweet Christmas novel in a small-town setting, I think you’ll enjoy The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
About Beth Moran
Beth Moran is the award-winning author of women’s fiction, including number one bestseller Let It Snow and top ten bestseller Just the Way You Are. Her books are set in and around Sherwood Forest, where she can be found most mornings walking with her spaniel Murphy. She has the privilege of also being a foster carer to teenagers, and enjoys nothing better than curling up with a pot of tea and a good story.
Find Beth Moran online at:
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About The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
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…