Tag Archives: Hallmark Movie Reviews

Just in Time For Christmas

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like sweet, emotional Christmas love stories such as Just in Time for Christmas then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke is on Amazon – purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

Just in Time for Christmas

Have you ever made a big, life-changing decision and then later regretted it? Did you wish that you’d made a different choice?

When Lindsay’s childhood friend, Jason, asks her to marry him, she’s initially ecstatic. However, a phone call from a university creates a roadmap to her changing plans. She’s been made an offer to publish her book, and to possibly teach at a high-ranking university. She’s excited about this news! However, when she shares her plans with Jason, she’s forced to choose: marry him, or accept the university’s offer. Her book publication deal would require her to move far away. Jason has a bakery – he loves his business and doesn’t want to be forced to relocate.

Lindsay is filled with a plethora of emotions after Jason’s proposal. Should she turn down the book deal, or, should she marry her childhood sweetheart? Her world changes when a stranger older man arrives at a deserted park and offers her a carriage ride. This carriage ride takes her into the future!

I loved how this movie shows how life would’ve been like if Lindsay accepts the university’s offer and turns down Jason’s proposal. After the carriage ride, Lindsay discovers in a few years’ time that she’s a famous author and Jason is engaged to someone else! What’s weird about this is that she doesn’t remember the chain of events that lead to her national stardom! After traveling into the future, the last memory she has is the night that she takes the carriage ride. It’s almost as if a few years of living have been erased from her mind, kind of like amnesia.

I think this movie shows that when we make big, life-changing decisions, that we need to stop and think about what we are doing. Lindsay obviously loved Jason, so, they should’ve talked about alternatives to making their relationship work. Of course, since this is a Hallmark movie, you know that they work out everything in the end, and live happily ever after.

On a personal note, I can relate to Lindsay’s desire to be a famous published author. I’m a romance writer, and when I see my books on the shelves of places like Barnes and Noble, Target, and Walmart, I get a buzz! It’s wonderful for an author to have her work to be admired by those all around the world. I just wish that I’d been able to make my writing business as financially lucrative as Lindsay’s! It’s always been my dream to make a full-time salary for my writing, but, alas, that’s not happened. I still daydream about that, though.

So, have you seen Just in Time for Christmas? Did you like it?

Have you ever made a big, life-changing decision and then later regretted it? Did you wish that you’d made a different choice?

This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like sweet, emotional Christmas love stories such as Just in Time for Christmas then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke is on Amazon – purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

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LOVING LUKE

Feeling Butterflies

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This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Want to read an awesome springtime romance? Try Raspberry Kisses! This sweet romance has over 300 Amazon rave reviews! Raspberry Kisses is about Rhea a grieving widow who is struggling to cope with her husband’s death. When she attends a singles retreat, her life changes forever. Read Raspberry Kisses today! Tell a friend by sharing this blog post!

Now, let’s talk about Feeling Butterflies.

Do you like butterflies?

I liked the premise of this movie. Emily, as well as her nemesis, Mandy, own similar companies. Their businesses specialize in releasing butterflies at special events such as weddings, birthday parties, etc.

Things get heated between these two enemies when a superstar celebrity makes them compete for the honor of doing her wedding. I thought that they’re being rivals colored their perception of how to do business. They do join forces later, but, I would’ve thought that Mandy and Emily would have joined forces when the superstar first approached them to do the wedding. Both of them struggled with having enough butterflies to release at this bridezilla’s wedding event.

This is a Hallmark movie, so, you know romance was involved. Emily meets Garrett when she releases butterflies at his daughter, Amanda’s, birthday party. Garrett is a confused man. A widower, he’s dated a woman, Jill, who continues to run his life. She does some drastic things, such as enrolling Amanda in a fancy out-of-town school, without consulting with him first.

Emily likes Garrett, but Garrett doesn’t seem to know if he likes Emily.

What bothered me about this movie was that Garrett and Emily were “in like”, not in love. The reason I say this is because after Jill arranges for Amanda to attend a fancy school in another state – Garrett doesn’t seem to get very angry about it. He even sells his car (and I’m assuming his home) to follow Jill to a new area. Those are drastic steps for someone to take if they are not in love with somebody. I realize he felt it was best for Amanda, but, well…he seemed like such a wuss.

He had no backbone. He just allowed Jill to take charge and do what she wanted, and they were not even dating anymore. He was ready to leave the area when he miraculously changes his mind and shows up at the wedding where Emily is working. I would’ve thought he would have figured this out before he sold his car (and house?). He even told Emily that he was leaving.

This was not the great romance that’s normally part of a Hallmark movie. I believe Garrett’s actions regarding Jill is what soured things for me. He was about to move to be near her – then in a few seconds changes his mind.

What did you think of Garrett? Did you like him?

RASPBERRY KISSES BOOK LINK

Shades of Chocolate is 99¢ for a Limited Time!

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Hallmark Movies and Mysteries fans MUST READ Shades of Chocolate by Cecelia Dowdy! It’s on sale for 99¢ for a LIMITED TIME! Spread the word by sharing this link with all of your friends! GRAB YOUR COPY BEFORE THE PRICE GOES UP! Leave a sweet review on Amazon if you enjoyed the book!

Rocky Road Dreams – A Must-Read for HMM Fans!

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ROCKY ROAD DREAMS

Hallmark and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries fans MUST read Rocky Road Dreams! It’s a Christmas novel that’s full of mystery, intrigue and ROMANCE. Listen, or read, the first few chapters here.

Tell your friends by sharing this link!

Our Christmas Journey

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Our Christmas Journey Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy movies such as Our Christmas Journey then you should try Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. Rocky Road Dreams is about a lawyer named Kyle Baxter. Kyle is on a month-long Christmas hiatus from his job. He rents a house on the Outer Banks for his extended vacation. Melanie Richards, his childhood friend, lives across the street. When they were kids, Melanie had a crush on Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith. Kyle never thought he stood a chance with Melanie since she was smitten with his brother. Keith is now married and both Kyle and Melanie are single.

Will Melanie give him a chance?

Kyle’s mom died when he was three and he barely remembers her. He’s determined to find out more about his mom. As Melanie and Kyle reconnect during the holiday season they take a long road trip during a snowstorm so that Kyle can find answers to his questions about his mother. The road trip is also something that Melanie must do so that she can save her business. See ceceliadowdy.com/books or click on the link at the end of this blog post to purchase Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.

Our Christmas Journey was a bit different than other Hallmark movies. The reason being that they had a major character with a disability. Off the top of my head, the only other Hallmark movie that I can recall that featured a character with a disability was Hats Off to Christmas.

Our Christmas Journey is about a family who is going away for the holidays. Their trip is not for pleasure. Marcus is a boy teenaged boy with autism. His father, Rick, wants to enroll Marcus in a special program. In order to be considered for the program, the family must bring Marcus to the special-program site so that he can be observed over the weekend. Lena, Marcus’s mother, is surprised that she must drop her son off and have no contact with him for a few days.

During their stay at a nearby house Lena reconnects with Rick. Rick is her ex-husband. Their old feelings return. I like that they both bonded over their son. Rick wants his son to be a part of this program because he believes it will help him. Marcus is not verbal and he sometimes uses sign language to communicate with his family.

One scene that resonated with me was when Mia, Marcus’s sister, has a heart-to-heart talk with her mother, Lena. She mentioned that she always felt that Marcus came first in their lives – and she always had to play second fiddle to her brother – and it hurt. She sacrificed an important event – an event that meant a lot to her – in order to go out of town for the weekend. She said that she wished that her parents paid her more attention. She understood that Marcus had special needs, but, she felt that her needs were pushed aside as if she didn’t matter.

Lena is hurt that Mia feels this way. She apologizes for her past actions.

I’ve often heard that when a family has a child with a disability, the other child/children often feel slighted. They feel that the special-needs child gets all of the attention while their needs are not considered. I can imagine it being hard to give equal attention to all of your children when one child requires special care and attention. Just seeing that scene made me stop and think.

I was glad to see the African-American characters and the special-needs child. Hallmark has really stepped up to the plate regarding diversity over the last four years. Our Christmas Journey is a nice, gentle feel-good Hallmark movie which I highly recommend.

Holly Robinson Peete was probably chosen for this role since she has a son who is autistic. You can see more about her, and her family’s personal life on Meet the Peetes, a reality show. I believe it was originally aired on Hallmark Channel. Currently, you can see it on Amazon Prime or Discovery +.

Will Melanie give him a chance?

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ROCKY ROAD DREAMS BOOK LINK

The Wedding Veil

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This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as The Wedding Veil then you MUST READ Loving Luke by CECELIA DOWDY. LOVING LUKE is about Kim Taylor, an unemployed accountant who has returned home to help her dad in the family’s cookie bakery. While in town, she re-encounters Luke, her high school sweetheart. Luke abandoned Kim years ago, and now he’s returned to town, widowed, wanting to give his daughter a better life. When he sees Kim, romantic memories of eating hot chocolate chip cookies and cold glasses of milk with Kim resurface. Luke has a problem and it appears that Kim can help him. Can they overcome the past and look forward to a bright future? Loving Luke can be found at ceceliadowdy.com/books. You may also access the book via Amazon at the link at the end of this blog post.

In The Wedding Veil three best friends meet up for their yearly antiquing vacation. They find an antique wedding veil. The history behind the veil is so fascinating that they just can’t pass it up. They split the cost between them and they decide that Avery should first take possession of the veil. She leaves the veil at the front desk of her hotel – she’s leaving soon to return home. She meets Peter and the two strangers hit it off as they go on an impromptu date. After the date, when Peter sees Avery picking up the veil, he overhears the desk clerk ask her if she’s chosen a wedding dress yet.

Peter mistakenly assumes Avery is getting married.

When Avery returns home, she’s surprisingly matched up with Peter to plan a special art-related function. There is disharmony between them. Peter still believes that she’s engaged. However, he can’t help but be attracted to her. Avery is confused because Peter is nice and charming, and then he’s the total opposite – all within a few minutes. Peter struggles with his emotions and we’re led to believe his hot/cold personality is because he’s falling hard for a woman who is “engaged.”

Of course, everything comes to light, and he discovers that Avery is NOT getting married.

As they work together on their art-related event, their feelings for each other escalate, and they end up solving the question behind a mysterious painting.

I enjoyed this movie so much! I especially loved the dresses that Hallmark provided for Avery! The wardrobe was fantastic.

My only gripe about this movie is that for over half of the movie the romantic tension between Peter and Avery hinges upon his mistakenly thinking that she’s engaged. I found this excuse so flimsy! Realistically, if two people were spending so much time together planning an event, and they have chemistry, and they have regular conversations…he would have asked her more about her wedding. Or said something like, “too bad you’re engaged. I’d like to get to know you better.” Or something like that.

I felt that the misunderstanding was a bit contrived and unrealistic. They could have cleared things up at the beginning with a 2-minute conversation!

C’est la vie! It’s a Hallmark movie after all!

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as The Wedding Veil then you MUST READ Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. LOVING LUKE is about Kim Taylor, an unemployed accountant who has returned home to help her dad in the family’s cookie bakery. While in town, she re-encounters Luke, her high school sweetheart. Luke abandoned Kim years ago, and now he’s returned to town, widowed, wanting to give his daughter a better life. When he sees Kim, romantic memories of eating hot chocolate chip cookies and cold glasses of milk with Kim resurface. Luke has a problem and it appears that Kim can help him. Can they overcome the past and look forward to a bright future? Loving Luke can be found at ceceliadowdy.com/books. You may also access the book via Amazon at the link at the end of this blog post.

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LOVING LUKE BOOK LINK

Rocky Road Dreams – Christmas Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Fans Will Love This

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All Hallmark Fans MUST read ROCKY ROAD DREAMS by Cecelia Dowdy! Christmas, romance and mystery all rolled into one incredible story! Download your copy from Amazon! Tell a friend by sharing this blog post!

SNOW on 1/3/2022

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Hallmarkies! We had nine inches of snow to fall in my area in Maryland recently! the snow started late Sunday night and stopped mid afternoon Monday morning. It was so beautiful and wonderful! I’m sharing a few pics that I took.

My Christmas lights were still up and that made it doubly amazing! So pretty!!!

If you like snowy stories then you MUST READ Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is a story with lots of snow and romance and adventure! You’ll love it! Order a copy today and tell a friend! I just HAD to mention that! Have an awesome day! Enjoy yourself!

Entertaining Christmas

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This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as Entertaining Christmas then you MUST READ Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. LOVING LUKE is about Kim Taylor, an unemployed accountant who has returned home to help her dad in the family’s cookie bakery. While in town, she re-encounters Luke, her high school sweetheart. Luke abandoned Kim years ago, and now he’s returned to town, widowed, wanting to give his daughter a better life. When he sees Kim, romantic memories of eating hot chocolate chip cookies and cold glasses of milk with Kim resurface. Luke has a problem and it appears that Kim can help him. Can they overcome the past and look forward to a bright future? Loving Luke can be found at ceceliadowdy.com/books. You may also access the book via Amazon at the link at the end of this blog post.

Entertaining Christmas is a delightful movie about Candace – a woman who is next in line to take over her mom’s (Liz) business empire. Liz’s empire could be compared to a Perfect-Martha-Stewart-Type of company. The only problem is Candace cannot do the perfect home-like things like her mom does: such as cooking, knitting, sewing, baking, creating gingerbread houses, etc.

Candace’s mom wants to test her to see if she’s ready to take over the family empire. She sends her to a family’s home, out of town, for Christmas. Candace is being sent there as a substitute for her mom. They’ve received a request for Candace’s mom to visit the family home, as an act of goodwill, since the family is expecting their dad home from the military for Christmas. They want to surprise the man of the house with a visit from Candace’s mom – complete with Christmas dinner.

While in this new town, Candace finds it difficult to hide that she’s not adept at homemaking activities. Her assistant, Anna, steps in smoothing things over whenever Candace is asked to demonstrate her perfect homemaking skills, Anna will demonstrate on Candace’s behalf. Anna and Candace believe that their ruse will only need to last during this short trip.

John, a local reporter, needs a hot story so please his boss. When it’s discovered Perfect Homemaker Liz’s daughter, Candace, is in town, he feels that it’s the story that he needs to boost his career. While following Candace around and interviewing her, he discovers she has many talents – but, Candace is not the perfect homemaker like her mom. Candace mistakenly believes that John is going to reveal her farce when he publishes his news story. Instead, John does the opposite, telling of Candace’s good qualities. Since this is a Hallmark movie, you know Candace and John fall in love.

What I found most unbelievable in this movie is that the general public – including her mom Liz – seem to think that Candace can do perfect homemaker things like Liz. The things that Liz does, like making gingerbread houses, and knitting scarves, may require real talent. Liz’s skillset somewhat bleeds into the artistic world. For example, my sister is an artist. A good one. She paints pictures and can craft pop-up homemade cards that are just as good, if not better than store-bought cards. If she were to desire to leave her “empire” to me, or my son, and require us to make creations which are synonymous with hers – it simply would not be possible. My son and I do not have artistic abilities. I can barely draw anything. I doubt if taking art lessons would help me. Artistry requires natural ability and you can’t force somebody to have a natural talent.

I don’t understand how Liz could not know about Candace’s lack of talent. You can’t fake talent for several years.

If Liz and Candace had a better relationship then, years ago, Liz would’ve placed Candace into a position more suited for her talents. Candace should’ve been placed into a CFO or Financial Director or something like that? Candace had confessed to John that she’s good with numbers and spreadsheets. Candace takes after her dad.

I saw this movie awhile ago. I can’t recall if Candace’s dad was dead, or, if her parents were divorced?

This was a feel-good Christmas movie, in spite of his unbelievable aspect.

LOVING LUKE BOOK LINK

A Christmas Together With You

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This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as A Christmas Together With You then you MUST READ Caramel Kisses by Cecelia Dowdy. Caramel Kisses is a novel about Michael Gray, an elderly man who wants to find the biological daughter of his deceased wife. When his wife was on her deathbed, she admitted to having a child, and giving that child up for adoption, before she met Michael. She wants Michael to find her daughter and make sure she’s okay. While searching for his deceased wife’s biological daughter he encounters candymaker Dara Greene. Dara and Michael share a strong attraction. Caramel Kisses is an enjoyable 5-star older-adult romance on Amazon. Go to https://ceceliadowdy.com/caramel-kisses/ or simply click on the link at the end of this blog post.

A Christmas Together With You is about a Frank, an older-aged adult, who goes on a road trip with his young friend, Megan. Megan convinces Frank to go on the road trip to find Claire, his first true love. Frank is a father figure to Megan. I grew irritated with Frank because he wasn’t totally honest with Megan. Megan mistakenly assumes that Claire broke up with Frank. But, she realizes later that Frank broke Claire’s heart years ago. He tells Megan that he asked Claire’s dad if he could marry Claire. Her dad said “no”. The reason Claire’s dad declined was because Frank didn’t have any money and he didn’t think Frank would be a suitable mate for his daughter. So, Frank skipped town after Claire’s dad rejected him.

Megan finds a love interest in this movie. She makes a connection with Steve, a worker at the inn where Megan and Frank are staying during their trip. She uses her culinary skills to help Steve and she’d like to own her own catering business one day.

What I found odd, and truly puzzling about this movie, is that Frank never told Claire about her father’s rejection. After her father rejects him, as already mentioned, Frank leaves town, and Claire never hears the truth about what occurred. If Frank had simply told Claire what happened years ago, she would not have been so bitter against him during the movie. Initially, she’s not willing to accept Frank back into her life because of his abandonment years ago. They were in love. And then Frank left with no good-bye, and with no explanation. It would’ve only taken him a few minutes to tell Claire what had transpired.

Granted, he does reveal all of this to Claire now, when both of them are older adults. I did like that this movie had two older adults falling in love again.

CARAMEL KISSES BOOK LINK