Tag Archives: HM Movies and Mysteries Reviews

Our Christmas Journey

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?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 1642896150.png

Enjoy this blog post? Subscribe to CECELIA DOWDY’S Hallmark Movie Blog!

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS BOOK LINK

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

Leave a reply

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!

Every Time A Bell Rings

Leave a reply

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Every Time A Bell Rings, then you MUST READ Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY at ceceliadowdy.com/books. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle, an identical twin who lost his mother when he was three. As an adult, Kyle learns his mother was adopted. Kyle has always felt part of his life was missing – since his mom died when he was young. Should he find his maternal grandmother? What will happen if/when he finds her? Will she accept him, or will she refuse to make him a part of her life? The book link for Rocky Road Dreams is also at the end of this blog post.

Do you know anybody who was adopted?

Every Time A Bell Rings is about three estranged adopted sisters. When the three sisters were children they would get on their bikes and do scavenger hunts orchestrated by their dad. As adults the siblings are not as close as they used to be. Their father is now deceased. His dying wish was for the three of them to come back together for one last scavenger hunt. The hunt leads to a bell which they will ring when they find it.

Charlotte, Emily and Nora are the names of the sisters. Charlotte has found her birth mother. She hesitates to tell her mom and her sisters about connecting with her birth mom because she believes they will not approve. Instead, she confides in Liam. Liam is a childhood friend and he remembers when the sisters used to go on scavenger hunts when they were kids. Liam understands Charlotte’s hesitation. She pushes Liam away – not sure if she’s ready to have romance in her life.

Emily is married. She struggles with telling her husband that she is not ready to start a family. Her husband wants them to have a baby. It’s frustrating for Emily since she wants to further her career and having a family right now might prevent her from doing that.

Nora is currently jobless. Her business flopped and now she’s back at home with her mom. She’s assisting her mother with the woodshop – which is the family business.

The sisters bond as they fulfill their dad’s wish and go on one last scavenger hunt.

I totally understood Charlotte’s desire to find her birth mother. I’d imagine, if I were adopted, I’d want to find my birth mother. I’d be plagued with how she looked – did I look just like her? I’d wonder if she had other children and if I had siblings and other relatives. I’d want to connect with these people. But attempting to connect with a birth parent is a risk – what if the birth parent wants to have no contact with the child that they gave up for adoption?

I also understood Emily’s desire to put her business first. She has a start-up company and I know first hand how hard it can be to start a new business. She wants to be sure her business is up and running before she starts a family and that makes perfect sense. She just needs to convince her husband that waiting to start a family is the best plan for her right now.

Nora is embarrassed because her business flopped. I think she feels like a failure since she had to move back home and she’s now living with her mom. It can be embarrassing when one starts a business and it fails. She learns to focus on new beginnings, which was good.

I enjoyed this Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Christmas film.

So, are you adopted? Do you know anybody who was adopted?

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS BOOK LINK

Angels and Ornaments

2 Replies

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Angels and Ornaments, then you MUST READ The Bakery Romance Series by Cecelia Dowdy at ceceliadowdy.com/books. The Bakery Romance Series is a heartwarming Amazon bestselling romance series. The book link is also at the end of this blog post.

Have you ever seen an angel?

Corrine works in a music store with her good friend Dave. Dave is the owner of the music store. Dave has a crush on Corrine but has never acted on it. A Help Wanted sign is placed in the window and Harold, a mysterious man, is hired as a new employee of the music store.

Harold tries to orchestrate the romance between Corrine and Dave. He tells Dave that he must show Corrine his romantic side. Harold also instructs Dave to dress in better clothing and to compliment Corrine. Harold believes if Dave does these things, then Corrine will fall in love with him.

Corrine has a wonderful singing voice. She is dealing with Tim, her cheating ex-boyfriend. Tim’s a jerk and she shouldn’t consider giving him another chance. But she considers giving him a chance when he reconnects with her. Harold stresses that Tim will hurt her again and that she should not give him a second chance.

Corrine is skeptical about Harold. Who is he? She can’t find any information about him on the internet.

Corrine is mesmerized about the lovestory between her deceased grandparents. Her grandfather was deployed and during his absence, he wrote a song for Corrine’s grandmother. He sent her the sheet music, piece by piece. The last piece of music was received by Corrine’s grandmother on Christmas Eve. Corrine is later granted the wonderful opportunity to sing her grandfather’s Christmas song solo at a community center fundraiser.

It’s later determined that Harold is actually Corrine’s grandfather – returning as an ‘angel’. Harold is reunited with his wife, in death, after his angelic assignment is over.

The plot for Angels and Ornaments was similar to the Hallmark movie Five More Minutes. The elements that are in both movies are:

The Help Wanted sign to hire someone for the business.
The angel who shows up as the new hire.
The angel is actually a deceased grandparent.
The angel guides the characters in the movie and assists them in solving their problems.

You may see my views about angels being portrayed as deceased friends or family members by listening to my post about Five More Minutes.

I thought Angels and Ornaments was a good movie. I didn’t think that the chemistry between Corrine and Dave was very strong. I didn’t pick up on Dave having a crush on Corrine until Harold came along and said something about it. Maybe the chemistry wasn’t strong because Dave worked hard to hide his feelings since he didn’t want to lose Corrine as a friend.

So, have you ever seen an angel? If the answer is ‘yes’ then leave a comment and tell me more about it.

THE BAKERY ROMANCE SERIES BOOK LINK

Five More Minutes

Leave a reply

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Five More Minutes, then you MUST READ The Candy Beach Series by Cecelia Dowdy at ceceliadowdy.com/books. The Candy Beach Series are heartwarming romance stories which are centered around candy-themed plots. The book link is also at the end of this blog post.

Have you ever wished for five more minutes with a deceased friend or relative?

Clara and her mom (Bonnie) are running the family’s confectionary shop alone. The reason they are running the business by themselves is because Clara’s grandfather has recently died. This is Bonnie’s and Clara’s first Christmas without him.

Things get interesting when Clara puts up a Help Wanted sign. Her advertisement is answered by a peculiar and quirky young man named Jay. Jay is a perfect fit for their candy shop. He knows how to run the business and proves to be a great asset to Clara and Bonnie.

Clara wishes she had five more minutes with her grandfather. Her wish is granted when she finds her grandfather’s old journal. When Clara reconnects with her old boyfriend (Logan), they read the journal together and discover that her grandfather had a great first love. He was never able to marry his first sweetheart. Together, they are able to find her grandfather’s first girlfriend – discovering the shocking reason why she was never able to respond to her grandfather’s numerous love letters.

Logan feels bad about the way he’s hurt Clara in the past. He apologizes and their feelings blossom as they read through her grandfather’s journal.

We discover the identity of mysterious Jay at the end. Her grandfather has been with them throughout the entire Christmas season.

I liked this movie but thought it odd that they didn’t know that Jay was really her deceased grandfather as a young man. What I mean to say is, didn’t they know what her grandfather looked like when he was younger? I’d imagine that they would have at least thought that Jay was a long-lost relative or something, considering he looks just like their grandfather.

I’ve noticed in books and movies that they have a dead person to appear as an angel, a helper, to a friend, family member, or some other person in need. Actually, angels are beings that are created by God. They are not dead people who reappear later. I believe to see those who are dead kind of bleeds into the realm of ghosts, not angels.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe people go to Heaven. I just don’t think that those who die, and then go to Heaven, should be referred to as angels. Angelic beings are not the same as deceased humans who go to heaven.

Angels can appear in human form and they bring messages from God. They can also assist us humans. They can stay with us for periods of time and they can even eat food. Just kind of interesting how movies and books portray angels as lost/deceased loved ones so often.

Five More Minutes is a wonderful movie that your entire family can enjoy for Christmas.

So, have you ever wished for five more minutes with a deceased friend or relative?

CANDY BEACH SERIES BOOK LINK

My Family Christmas Tree

Leave a reply

My Christmas Family Tree

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as My Family Christmas Tree 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. You may purchase Caramel Kisses, a best-selling novel, from Amazon. Go to https://ceceliadowdy.com/caramel-kisses/ or simply click on the link at the end of this blog post.

Do you know anybody who has searched for a biological parent?

My Christmas Family Tree is about a woman named Vanessa. Her mom is dead and she’s never known the identity of her biological father. Vanessa lives alone. She celebrates the holidays by herself, along with her dog. It’s nice to see that she does have a good friend, Dee Dee, since she has no family of her own.

Using a DNA service, she’s matched with Richard. Richard is her biological father.

It’s awkward for Richard to tell his family about Vanessa. His kids are puzzled as to how he can have a biological daughter whom they’ve never met.

Since this is a Hallmark Movie you know they MUST have a romance. While visiting her biological father and his family Vanessa bonds with Kris. Kris is a close friend of Richard’s family.

Vanessa does not initially get along with Richard’s children. They are skeptical about her presence in their home.

Questions arise from the DNA service – they wonder if they’ve given Vanessa the correct information. Is she really a match, or, did they make a mistake?

Vanessa feels torn about telling her new family about the phone call from the DNA service. She’s grown to love them – plus she’s fallen in love with Kris – how can she tell them that she might not be a part of their family? She has to find the courage to tell them that the DNA family matching service may have made a mistake.

I really liked this movie because I’ve often wondered what it would be like not to know the identity of one, or both, of your parents. If I’d grown up not knowing who my dad was, I’d feel as if a huge part of myself would be missing. I’d wonder about my dad’s identity and since I’m naturally a curious person, I probably would have done the same as Vanessa. I would have tried to find my dad and reached out to him.

So, do you know anybody who has searched for a biological parent?

CARAMEL KISSES BOOK LINK

CARAMEL KISSES AMAZON LINK

Boyfriends of Christmas Past

Leave a reply

Boyfriends of Christmas Past Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Come and check out our Christmas romance titles. If you like wholesome, old-fashioned love stories then you will enjoy our books!

Have you ever wondered about your past boyfriends? Ever wonder what would have happened if the two of you had stayed together?

Lauren has been friends with Nate for a long time. She’s always had a hard time with love. She’s been in a number of romantic relationships. Her relationships always end when her significant other expresses his true feelings for her. Whenever one of her past boyfriends say “I love you” Lauren ends the relationship.

In a plot reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, Lauren is taken on a journey to her past relationships. Throughout these breakups, Nate has been there for her. He’s her go-to friend for support. But, Nate is hiding a huge secret. He’s in love with Lauren, but, he’s never found the courage to tell her his feelings. I think he sees that Lauren is scared, too scared to commit to love, and Nate doesn’t want to spoil their friendship by telling her the truth.

Lauren has feelings for Nate and when she is faced with a huge decision, she doesn’t like the feeling of seeing Nate with another woman.

Lauren’s fear stems from her childhood. A long time ago, her mom abandoned her and her dad at Christmas, as a result, Lauren is fearful of romantic commitments. Just stop and think about that for a minute. Can you imagine being abandoned by your mom as a youngster, and never seeing her again? It’s one thing when your mom dies, but, when your mom willingly abandons you? Can you imagine how that’d make you feel? It’s possible that Lauren didn’t feel worthy of love, which is why she pulled away from her past relationships.

Nate has been patient with Lauren for years, but, he reaches a breaking point. He’s tired of being Lauren’s “safe” supportive friend. He wants something more, and Lauren bravely finds the courage to accept Nate’s love.

This movie shows how hard it is to let go of past pains and learn to embrace the future. This movie was a good, heartwarming Christmas story.

So, have you ever wondered about past relationships? Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d stayed with one of your former boyfriends? Leave a comment!

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like good wholesome movies like Boyfriends of Christmas Past then try our Christmas romance novels. Tell your friends by sharing this blog post! Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS BOOK LINK

The Good Witch Movies 1-7

Leave a reply

THE GOOD WITCH MOVIES 1-7 – A PODCAST

If you like wholesome shows like The Good Witch Movies then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. It’s a warm, wonderful wholesome Christmas romance! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the hero! See the purchase link at the end of this podcast!

What’s your favorite Good Witch Movie?

I really enjoyed The Good Witch Movies. There were little quirks and idiosyncrasies that bothered me, I must admit.

I love watching Cassie in the kitchen, baking up some wonderful stuff for her friends. I can relate to Cassie’s character since I love making cookies as well as other treats for friends and family.

I enjoyed seeing the first GW movie because it gave some background to Cassie’s character. She rescues and befriends the police chief’s children (Brandon and Lori). The three of them bond and I liked how Cassie helps the children to heal both physically and emotionally.

Just as I was annoyed with Martha in The Good Witch Series, I was also annoyed with her in these movies. Martha, who is the mayor’s wife, is a busybody who objects to Cassie’s presence in their small town. Martha believes that Cassie practices black magic. I found it interesting that Martha and her husband have 2 misbehaved young adult boys. I don’t recall Martha’s children being included in The Good Witch series?

The town continues to object to Cassie’s presence, and as she continues to date Jake (the police chief), a stranger (Nick) appears stating that Grey House, the home which Cassie owns, is legally his. I found this story thread a bit over the top. Lori is able to find out the truth about Nick from a research project she’s doing for school. She’s able to prove that his claim to ownership is totally false. I found this implausible. An entire town believes this stranger – and Cassie is about to lose her house – but a child finds out the truth about everything from a school project? Bizarre! Seems like Nick should be brushing up on his investigative skills! Or, maybe the town lawyer could’ve cracked this case?

A lot happens during these movies. Cassie and Jake marry and Brandon and Lori grow up and go to college. What I found fascinating was that Cassie becomes mayor and Martha Tinsdale is a councilwoman. Later, Martha becomes mayor. In The Good Witch Series Cassie’s cousin Abigail becomes mayor for a little while. Strange how the mayor-ship is passed on to these three women.

I liked seeing Brandon and Lori bond with Cassie. Brandon is bothered by a bully, and Cassie helps him to conquer the situation in a touching and unusual way. Since they don’t have a mom, Cassie fits in perfectly with their family. When Brandon announces his engagement, Cassie helps to plan his wedding.

Cassie also gives birth to her daughter Grace. I wished that the same actress who plays Grace on the series, could have been used in the movie. The actress who portrays Grace as a young child doesn’t resemble the teenaged Grace.

I felt that Martha’s mayoral power was a bit over the top. I thought it was downright ridiculous when she made the entire police department wear uniforms with bow ties. Who does that? I felt that it was implausible. I’d imagine the mayor would have more important things to worry about than bow-tied policemen.

In spite of the implausible plot threads, I thought the movies were good, clean stories that families can watch together.

Have you seen The Good Witch movies? Which one is your favorite?

If you like wholesome shows like The Good Witch Movies then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. It’s a warm, wonderful wholesome Christmas romance! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the hero! See the purchase link at the end of this podcast!

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS PURCHASE LINK!

A Little Christmas Charm

Leave a reply

Have you ever owned a charm bracelet?

Holly, a jewelry designer, and Greg a reporter are on a race against time, trying to find the owner of a charm bracelet.

I thought this movie was whimsical and kind of cute. After Holly finds a mysterious, expensive charm bracelet in the pocket of a donated coat, she’s determined to find the owner. She figures the bracelet was left in the donated coat pocket by mistake.

Greg is a reporter and he’s struggling with his career. He made a big mistake on a news story some time ago, and he’s never forgiven himself. Now, he needs a great, breaking story to salvage his career.

He literally bumps into Holly and the twosome join forces as they search for clues – hoping to find the owner of the bracelet by December 23rd – just in time for Greg’s deadline. He wants to feature the charm bracelet story in the next edition of the newspaper.

I thought the clues were so contrived. I mean, if this were a real mystery, I find it hard to believe that Greg and Holly would’ve been able to solve it using the clues that were in the movie. Some of the clues made sense and some of them didn’t.

So, have you ever owned a charm bracelet? Was the bracelet sentimental?

A Gift of Miracles

Leave a reply

Have you ever felt as if a dead relative were speaking to you from their grave?

When Darcy, a PHD candidate, writes an important paper, her mentor advises that her paper is too clinical. It needs more heart, depth, and emotion. As a result Darcy is assigned to an advisor, Nathan. Nathan must help Darcy with her writing. How can Darcy put more warmth and emotion into her paper?

A raging storm causes a tree to crash through Darcy’s window. When Darcy helps her dad to clean up after the storm, she finds some of her mom’s belongings. Her findings take her on a journey, a journey that appears to be orchestrated by her mom, from up above.

A plethora of things happening brings Darcy into contact with people who are connected with her mom. These connections are not necessarily obvious. After random encounters with strangers – she’ll later discover how these strangers – these events – are linked to her mother. Nathan is behind her, encouraging her. Darcy is more science-minded and skeptical. She wants things to make sense. But Nathan draws her in, helps her to defy logic and just let events happen without finding a rhyme or reason to it.

This was a super mystery. I loved how it ended! The romance between Nathan and Darcy wasn’t as strong as current Hallmark movies, but, it was still enjoyable!

So, have you ever felt that a dead relative was speaking to you from their grave?