Category Archives: Hallmark Movie Reviews

Father Christmas

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***This is a movie discussion not a review. This blog post is written from the mind-set that blog readers have seen the movie – so it contains spoilers.

Can you imagine, searching for your father, for the very first time, as an adult?

The Father Christmas film series includes the following three movies:

Finding Father Christmas

Engaging Father Christmas

Marrying Father Christmas

Miranda’s mom was an actress. Her mom died when Miranda was only a child. Since her mother died during Christmas, Miranda, now an adult, hates Christmas. Her life changes when she’s contacted by an old friend of her mom’s – an elderly gentleman who works in theater. He’s found an old suitcase belonging to Miranda’s mom, and has gifted it to Miranda.

The suitcase contains clues – clues that might lead to Miranda’s dad. Her mom has never told her the identity of her father, so Miranda, who has no family, is anxious to find him.

You’ll love these movies set in a small Vermont town. As Miranda searches for her father, she discovers other family members – as well as love. Ian works at the inn where Miranda is staying and he helps her with her search.

These were charming Christmas mystery movies, and they showed just how tenuous family dynamics can be. These movies also showed that – before getting married – one needs to know the baggage/problems that your future mate may have. Miranda’s life is somewhat complicated since she has no family. Ian came from a different background – so he needs to understand why it’s so important for Miranda to cling to the new family members which suddenly appear in her life.

Not only does she find family related to her father, but, an elderly gentleman, claiming to be her deceased mom’s brother, also enters the picture. Ian is skeptical and Miranda struggles to accept her long-lost uncle. She doesn’t know if he’s really her mom’s brother, or, if he’s a media person, after her for a story. Her biological father was a famous actor, so, initially she’s unclear about her “uncle’s” motives.

These are charming Christmas movies. It’s best to watch all three of them, in order, to get the full scope of the story.

These movies were based upon the novels by Robin Jones Gunn:

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Kissing Father Christmas (Father Christmas #3)

Finding Father Christmas & Engaging Father Christmas

Kissing Father Christmas

I highly encourage you to read these books and let me know how they compare to the movies.

So, have you ever searched for a lost relative? If so, were you able to find that person?

Jingle Bell Bride

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Have you ever been stranded, and there was nothing you could do about it?

Wedding planner Jessica travels to a small Alaskan town to get rare, highly specialized bridal flowers for her high-maintenance client. When she arrives, she finds herself in a town that has an extremely low population, limited cell phone service, and archaic airplane service.

Due to a series of mishaps, she’s stranded, and it doesn’t appear as if she’s going to make it back home in time for the wedding. Her client is frantically awaiting these special Jingle Bell flowers and Jessica is anxious to deliver them. She has to. Her job depends on it.

Charming Matt grows the Jingle Bell flowers in his greenhouse. Matt shows Jessica around town, and even encourages her to enter the Jingle Bell Pageant.

Time is ticking and Jessica really needs to make it back with the flowers, and her colleague swoops in, trying to steal Jessica’s client away since Jessica is stranded in Alaska.

Can Matt and Jessica make their relationship work, especially since they live far away from each other? Of course they do! This is a Hallmark movie after all!

It was refreshing to see an inter-racial couple. Hallmark has really been working hard on their diversity, which is a good thing.

I’ve never seen the actor playing Matt (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) on a Hallmark movie before. Although Matt and Jessica looked cute together, I didn’t really see a strong attraction between them.

So, have you ever been stranded? If so, where, and for how long, were you stranded?

Chateau Christmas

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Have you ever taken a second chance on love?

It’s Christmas, and due to a mishap, Margot, a famous pianist, is now able to spend the holidays with her family – at the Christmas Chateau. Coincidentally, during her stay, she runs into Jackson, who assists the chateau with their annual Christmas concert. This is a Hallmark Movie, so, you know that Jackson will need Margot’s musical talent to contribute to the concert’s repertoire.

Jackson is also a musician. He has his PHD in music and he’s awaiting news about a fellowship for which he’s applied. Jackson and Margot broke up years ago so that they could pursue their dreams.

There’s also a side romance between two violinists. This movie was full of music and wonderful Christmas scenery.

As mentioned in other blog posts, Luke Macfarlane is one of my favorite Hallmark actors. He’s so cute! He’s got such a nice, engaging smile, too. When he grins, he almost looks like he’s hiding a secret or something.

I thought this was a sweet movie to kick off the Christmas season.

So, have you ever taken a second chance on love? If so, were you glad that you did?

Speaking of second chances, if you like second-chance romance then try Loving Luke! It’s only 99 cents and is available as an e-book and as a paperback! Loving Luke is a sweet, second-chance romance that will lift your holiday spirits! If you’ve already read it, consider leaving a sweet review on Amazon and gifting a copy to a friend for Christmas!

Mystery Woman

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Have you ever watched the Mystery Woman movies?

The Mystery Woman series features actress Kellie Martin.

Although the Mystery Woman series is old, I recently discovered these gems while searching through the UP Channel movie selections on Amazon Prime. You can also view Mystery Woman movies on Hallmark Movies Now.

Hold on a second. Do you like wholesome mystery stories that remind you of Hallmark Movies and Mysteries? If so, you must try my novel, Shades of Chocolate. It’s a sweet romance mystery that you’ll enjoy! Tell your friends by sharing this link. Now, back to Mystery woman!

I did some sleuthing and discovered that there were several Mystery Woman movies. I was not able to find all of them for viewing. Below is a complete list – the bolded ones are the ones which I was able to watch.

Mystery Woman: Pilot

Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend

Mystery Woman: Snapshot

Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder

Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder

Mystery Woman: Game Time

Mystery Woman: At First Sight

Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery

Mystery Woman: Oh Baby

Mystery Woman: Redemption

Mystery Woman: In the Shadows

If you have any suggestions as to how I might access the un-bolded titles, I’d be very appreciative! I can’t seem to find them available.

I really enjoyed these movies because of the strong female lead character. Samantha is brave and she stops at nothing to find the answers to her questions. For example, when her friend is murdered, she doesn’t back down from questioning family members, and other people, even when her life is in danger.

Sam is smart and she also owns a bookstore! A mystery bookstore is the perfect backdrop for these movies. Sam has a helper, Philby, who assists in the bookstore. Philby uses his secret knowledge to unlock the clues that are needed to solve Sam’s mysteries.

Sam is also a photographer. Her picture taking skills help her to solve some of her mysteries. She spends a lot of time developing pictures in her dark room, which is inside her bookstore.

Each of these mysteries are cozy – meaning that there is a murder as the catalyst for each story.

I sensed that Sam would’ve been a strong character as a real detective. When I say real detective, I’m referring to someone who is actually paid to solve mysteries. The way Sam is portrayed in these movies – kind of reminds me of the old Nancy Drew stories I read as a kid. Nancy was also smart, but, like Sam, she didn’t get paid for her detective skills.

I felt that the police commissioner should have been fired. He was totally inept at his job, and he was irritating.

I really liked Sam’s friend, Cassie, who is the police commissioner’s assistant. Like Sam, Cassie is intelligent, and she assists Sam with solving mysteries.

So, have you ever watched Hallmark’s Mystery Woman movies? If so, which ones did you watch? Do you have any favorites?

If you like mysteries, then you should check out my novels, Caramel Kisses and Shades of Chocolate. Both of these books contain strong mystery elements that you are guaranteed to enjoy. Happy reading!

Cedar Cove – The Series – 3

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This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you enjoy The Cedar Cove Series then you MUST READ The Candy Beach Series. The Candy Beach Series are wonderful wholesome, emotional stories with a lot of drama and sweetness. Each novel is set on a beach – there’s also a candy theme. These stories will make you laugh, cry, and feel wonderful. The Candy Beach Series is available on Amazon.com. You may also find these engaging stories on ceceliadowdy.com/books, or, simply go to the link at the end of this blog post. Now, lets chat about Cedar Cove.

Justine, Luke and Seth – did you like them?

Justine is Olivia’s daughter. She’s close to her mom, and a bit estranged from her dad. Her family has been deeply hurt by the death of her twin brother, Jordan. Because of her twin’s death, her mom and dad got a divorce. Justine still thinks about her twin brother. When she’s got something on her mind, she’ll watch old videos of she and Jordan, reminiscing.

I liked Justine. There were a few things that she did…well…things to which I didn’t agree. However, she’s young and when one is young, so that explains a lot about her decisions.

Justine dated Seth. They were pretty serious. In the books, I recall Justine dated Seth after dating Warren – just like the series. However in the Cedar Cove books, Justine and Seth actually got married. They bought a restaurant and they actually open the restaurant and run it before it’s burned down. In the series, Justine and Seth never marry and the restaurant burns down before they can even open for business.

Justine couldn’t be honest with Seth about her feelings. I really felt bad for Seth. He’s willing to give up his dream – returning to his fisherman job with a large salary – just to open the restaurant with Justine. He even proposes to Justine and she doesn’t accept his ring. When Seth leaves for his long-term fishing job – I felt it would’ve been best for them to break up.

Once Seth is gone, Justine starts spending time with Luke. She develops feelings for Luke and when Seth unexpectedly returns and finds them on a date, he’s extremely upset.

I didn’t blame him. Seth still thought they were a couple, even though she didn’t accept his engagement ring. Seth even gives Justine a heartfelt speech – giving her an ultimatum. He reminds her of the sacrifices he’s made for their relationship:

  1. He sold is fishing boat so that he could stay in Cedar Cove to be with Justine.
  2. He bought a restaurant so that they could make a living together.
  3. He asked her to be his wife.

It’s obvious that Seth is just tired since Justine won’t make a clean break with him. He holds a torch for her, and that torch is not reciprocated by Justine. He tells her that she needs to do something for a change since he’s made all of the sacrifices. He demands that she move to Alaska with him, if she wants them to stay together.

Justine ends up choosing Luke over Seth.

I thought Luke was a good man with a lot of problems. His PTSD makes it hard for him to deal with anger. His life is a bit of a mess and Justine wants to fix him. Justine needs to understand that she can’t just fix anybody.

I think if Justine knew herself better, then a lot of the drama between this threesome could’ve been avoided. But, as already stated, she’s young, so that could somewhat explain her actions.

I don’t believe Luke was a character in the Cedar Cove books? If he was in the books, then I’ve forgotten all about him! I read the books so long ago that the details are somewhat sketchy.

So, what’s your opinion about Justine, Seth and Luke? Did you like them? Did you agree with their decisions?

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you enjoy The Cedar Cove Series then you MUST READ The Candy Beach Series. The Candy Beach Series are wonderful wholesome, emotional stories with a lot of drama and sweetness. Each novel set on a beach – there’s also a candy theme. These stories will make you laugh, cry, and feel wonderful. The Candy Beach Series is available on Amazon.com. You may also find these engaging stories on ceceliadowdy.com/books, or, simply go to the link at the end of this blog post.

SUBSCRIBE TO CECELIA DOWDY’S HALLMARK MOVIE BLOG

THE CANDY BEACH SERIES LINK

Cedar Cove – The Series – 2

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What are your thoughts about Grace and Cliff?

Grace is Olivia’s best friend. They’ve been friends since grade school. Grace has just gone through a painful divorce. In Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 novels, Grace’s backstory was much darker. In the books, her husband had committed suicide. I believe since Hallmark stories are light and uplifting, they felt the need to change Grace’s background.

I had mixed feelings about Grace. In both the book and the TV series, Grace is close to her daughter, Mary Ellen. I thought she was a good mom. She worried about her daughter. Grace was especially concerned when her daughter was dating John Bowman. (The romance between John and Mary Ellen will be covered in another blog post.)

Hold on a second. Do you like to read wholesome romances that remind of you Hallmark movies? Hallmark movie viewers love The Bakery Romance Series and The Candy Beach Series. Download today! Tell your friends about my books! Now, back to Cedar Cove!

I disliked the way Grace treated Cliff. Cliff owns a ranch. He raises horses. Cliff is attracted to Grace, but he’s a bit shy. It takes him awhile to finally start dating Grace. He’s had his share of romantic hardships, so he’s leery about loving Grace.

Cliff is a nice guy. But, Grace is just so….flighty! Grace had a crush on Olivia’s brother, Will, a long time ago. When Will surprisingly shows up in Cedar Cove, Grace loses her mind! She spends time with Will and Will kisses her! Will even lies to Grace and states he’s getting a divorce.

When Grace finds out about Will’s lies…well…she’s just ashamed of herself. She finally notices that Cliff is a great catch, but, Cliff is upset about Grace’s romance with Will.

Whew.

If you were Cliff, would you have given Grace a second chance?

If I were Cliff, there’s no way I’d give Grace a second chance. She had her chance and she blew it. Grace is also jealous of Alex, Cliff’s newly hired, gorgeous female rancher. (I will talk about Alex more in another blog post).

Although Alex’s presence did cause some disharmony between Cliff and Grace, I still think Grace was mostly at fault for the problems they had in their relationship.

So what are your thoughts about Grace and Cliff? Do you think they are a strong, solid couple?

Wedding Every Weekend

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Have you ever been afraid to pursue your dreams?

Brooke is dissatisfied with her life. She’s a physical therapist. She’s unhappily dating her boss. When she breaks things off with him, things get awkward for them at work. I can imagine that it must be hard to work side by side with someone with whom you’ve recently broken up.

Brooke meets Nate while she’s shopping for a coffee machine for her workplace. Neither Nate or Brooke are interested in dating. Brooke has proclaimed that she’s going to take the summer off from dating. She wants to spend time focusing on herself, doing whatever she needs to do to be happy.

When Nate hurts his knee, he finds himself in need of Brooke’s healing skills. Both of them surprisingly find out that they have a LOT of mutual friends in common as they attend the same weddings during the entire summer.

Since Brooke feels awkward around her boss, she finally decides to pursue her dream, and open her own business. She has some obstacles to overcome before she can make this happen.

The feelings between Brooke and Nate were so vivid … so real.

Nate restores old cars. He’s inherited his business from his dad. He was so supportive of Brooke. He encouraged her to pursue her dream of opening her own physical therapy business. She admitted that she was afraid of failure.

One of the strongest scenes in the movie was when Brooke’s discovers a busted pipe in her home. This is a huge mishap since Brooke had been planning on spending her extra money on opening her new business – not fixing her busted pipe. When Nate arrives, he says, “Brooke, I’m so sorry.” There’s so much depth and emotion in his voice. You know he’s falling for Brooke, especially when she replies, “I’m just glad you’re here.”

He responds, “Me too.” They share a look, a look of, well…a look of two people who are attracted to one another!

After they were thrown together at each wedding, well…their feelings developed even more, in spite of their apprehensions.

I thought it was brave of Brooke to pursue her dreams.

As is typical of Hallmark, Brooke overhears Nate’s conversation – but she doesn’t hear the entire conversation – so she mistakenly thinks that Nate is not romantically interested in her.

I thought this movie would’ve been more realistic if Hallmark hadn’t used the convention of Brooke not hearing Nate’s entire conversation. The reason why I say this is because, well, the movie would’ve been so much STRONGER, if Brooke had simply confronted Nate about what she’d “heard.” I mean the man actually helped her with her dream by restoring her car for her and finding a buyer for it. Brooke needed that money and Nate really came through for her.

The way Brooke’s character was portrayed….well…I think she’d be stronger and more forthcoming near the end. After she “heard” Nate, I would’ve had a heart to heart talk with him that evening. Brooke should’ve said, “I heard what you said earlier about wanting to stay single. Not wanting somebody telling you what to do. What’s up with that?”

Then Nate could’ve told her that she’d not heard the entire conversation! Know what I mean?

It was sweet – Nate purchasing Brooke’s restored car, instead of selling it to the interested buyer.

So have you ever been fearful in pursuing your dreams?