Monthly Archives: December 2021

Love Hard

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Love Hard, then you MUST READ The Bakery Romance Series by Cecelia Dowdy. The Bakery Romance Series is an Amazon bestselling series. Visit ceceliadowdy.com/books. The link is at the end of this blog post.

Have you ever participated in online dating? If so, what happened? Did any of your dates turn into a long-term relationship?

I saw this movie on Netflix and LOVED it! Natalie has had a lot of disastrous dates. She talks about these awful dates on her dating column. She meets Josh on a dating app. Natalie and Josh bond via long phone conversations. The story takes an interesting turn when she decides to surprise Josh by making the long-distance trip to visit him for Christmas. When she arrives at his home, she realizes that people don’t always portray themselves in a truthful manner.

What I most loved about this movie is that it shows how Josh needed to boost his self-confidence. He is working at a job that he hates just so that he can please his dad. Josh also lives in the shadow of his favored older brother. Josh knows what he’d like to do for a living – but he just needs to find the courage to pursue his dreams. He shows Natalie his true self – what I mean is Josh shows Natalie aspects of himself that he’s not had the courage to share with his own family.

This movie really resonated with me because I dated online decades ago. I recall speaking to one man who said that he no longer participated in online dating. He said that women were not truthful in their ads and he was wasting his time.

When I met one of the men from the dating app in person for the first time – he stated that he was surprised. He said that I was the first person who truthfully portrayed how I looked. He claimed that although the ads had photos, the pics only displayed the person’s face. He said that women would lie about their weight – as well as other aspects about themselves.

Love Hard makes the point that looks aren’t everything. Just because a man is good-looking, doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s actually a good man. Josh proved his kindness. He was nice to Natalie and helped her out. It takes Natalie awhile warm up to Josh. She returns Josh’s kindness as both of them learn their lesson about love, romance and relationships.

So, have you ever participated in online dating? If so, what happened? Did any of your dates turn into a long-term relationship?

THE BAKERY ROMANCE SERIES

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber

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Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy books by Debbie Macomber then you should try Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is a wholesome, heartwarming Amazon-bestselling love story! Go to LOVING LUKE the link is also at the end of this blog post.

When you were a kid did you ever write a letter to Santa? Did Santa grant your wish?

Dear Santa was a heartwarming Christmas story. Heartbroken Lindy is returning to her hometown over Christmas break. She’s discovered that her best friend has been secretly having an affair with her (Lindy’s) boyfriend.

The breakup is hard for Lindy, so when she returns home for Christmas she’s looking for some downtime – some time for rest and relaxation.

Things take an interesting turn when she finds an old letter that she wrote to Santa. Intrigued, she writes a letter to Santa telling him of her hopes and dreams.

I loved how Lindy’s trip turned interesting when she encounters Peggy, her childhood best friend. The two reconnect and their friendship is revived. She also runs into Billy – a boy that didn’t hold good memories for her.

As the story unfolds you see a romance blossoming and Lindy is forced with making an important decision. She struggles with this decision and considers how her actions may affect her family and friends.

One part of the story that really resonated with me was when Peggy and Lindy were talking about how they first met. Peggy reminded Lindy that when she first arrived in their neighborhood she was the only Black person in their class. Peggy ate lunch alone and Lindy joined her and asked if she had rollerblades. Lindy then invited Peggy to her house so that they could play.

I could relate to that because when my family moved to a new neighborhood when I was ten I was the only person of color in my class. Folks were mean and used racial slurs. It was awful and to this day, I wish we’d never moved. I did make friends in my new neighborhood but I still preferred our old home. My family used to live on a military base and there were more people of different races. I missed living in that environment.

Dear Santa is a delightful book to read over the holidays. It will also make you question if Santa really exists.

So, when you were a kid did you ever write a letter to Santa? Did Santa grant your wish?

LOVING LUKE BOOK LINK