Jamie's Two Cents Title

Movie Review: Christmas by Starlight

 5/5

Oh the feels! This cute remake of Two Weeks Notice had me smiling from beginning to end. There were so many funny quips and quotes! Let’s review the movie and then I’ll dive into details!

Annie, a family lawyer, goes to Holt Enterprises to force them to let her parents keep their Cafe’s lease. While there, she runs into Will Holt, who’s busy trying to escape his Dad’s expectation for him to hire a lawyer. Will and Annie eventually come to an agreement for her to work for him for 1 week and he will have the lease extended. Let the fun begin!

I watched this movie with my family over Thanksgiving and my Dad instantly noticed the Two Weeks Notice similarities. I definitely agree, there are many! The big difference…this has been Hallmark Christmastized (it’s a new word – USE IT!).

I’ve loved Paul since he was in Surprised by Love in 2015. He’s since teamed up with Kimberley Sustand several times. They are a great romcom team!

Kimberley plays Annie, who’s character is one I always go for – she was strong, independent, and intelligent, but also kind, caring, and funny. I loved all her little digs at Will. Plus, some of her lines like “buy the skates, land the twirl,” which is her take on “if you build it, they will come.” Or there was the “it didn’t feel like they were going for the razzle or the dazzle.” I truly enjoyed her character!

Then there’s Paul’s character Will. I was a little unsure about Will. He gave the initial impression of a goof off, but then he was serious when he was trying to land his deal with Gene and when he quoted Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Despite this goofy/serious confusion, he still made me laugh often. So, I’ll chalk it up to him wanting to be the goofy guy, but accepting his role within Holt Enterprises and succumbing to his role’s demands.

Besides Annie and Will, I really enjoyed the supporting characters.

- Lyle had me cracking up with his lines like, “[I’m] younger, smarter, better looking [than Will].” Plus the running joke that he doesn’t have a job title.
- Annie’s Mom and Dad were the kind of parents everyone wants (and some of us are lucky to have). They always support Annie and help her any way they can.
- Gene and Pat Parker with the terriers were great too! I loved Gene asking Annie for a granola bar when they were in the middle of the uptight French restaurant.

Overall, this movie was great! The ending made me tear up a little even though I knew it was coming it was still so sweet. So, I’m giving this movie 5 stars for all the laughs and fun. Watch it and let me know what you think! Happy movie watching y’all!

Please follow & like me 🙂

Movie Review: Heart of the Holidays

Movie Review:

 4/5

This is a solid movie. Okay, review over. Haha! Kidding!

Movie re-cap:
Sam is starting a job at a new company and when she shows up, she finds out her boyfriend, Will, took over the new company and terminated many employees, but kept her.

Sam decided she doesn’t want to work for him. Instead, she heads home for the holidays to regroup.

At home, Sam reconnects with her past boyfriend Noah. Sam and Noah start a project to help people in need.

This movie had so much that I love! Second chance romance, small town location, great supporting cast, and helping other people were a few of my favorite things.

Beyond that, these two leads were adorable together, and that final kiss…W-O-W! I’m giving it an extra half star just for that kiss.

I wish I could have given this movie a full 5 stars, but there was a lot of sadness in it. I felt sad for Sam and Noah’s past. Also, the premise of the town losing so many businesses due to a recession hurt my heart for all those people without jobs. I prefer when Hallmark stays light and uplifting. There were too many underlying sad themes here.

Also, the last scene with Sam and Noah running was giving me flashbacks to 50 Shades of Grey, but they had better music. At least this running culminated in that kiss. Best part of the whole movie!

If this movie is on, give it a try. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it though. Happy movie watching y’all!

Please follow & like me 🙂

Product Review: Schmidt’s Deodorant

Rating:

 2.75/5

I’ve been using this deodorant for several months. I’ve gone through two tubes of it. I wanted to make sure the first one wasn’t defective…it wasn’t. Then I was too cheap/stubborn to throw it away.

So, what caused me to wonder if the first tube was defective? It feels like I’m wiping my armpits with sandpaper! Are you sitting there thinking I’m just sensitive? Maybe, but I’ve never had this issue before with any other deodorants. Plus, when you look at it, you can see it’s a grainy texture. This grainy texture also makes it very messy. When you’re putting it on, small bits will come off and fall on the floor or counter or whatever surface is closest.

If you can get past the texture, it works okay. If you’re highly active or someone who smells a bit more than others, then I wouldn’t suggest this. Have you ever considered how stinky you are? I consider myself averagely stinky, but I can’t get through an entire workout without being noticeably stinky wearing this deodorant. Aside from workouts, it’ll usually last me all day, but not all night. If I want to be smell free when I wake up, I need to reapply at night before bed.

I feel like it’s important to note that this isn’t an antiperspirant, so if you’re afraid of sweaty armpits, this isn’t the right product. Keep searching.

Overall, this product is okay. It depends on your needs and how sensitive your pits are. I’m going to try Native next, so look for a review on that in a few months!

Please follow & like me 🙂

Movie Review: Good Morning Christmas!

 5/5

There was so much about this movie that made me say “awww…” From the hotel room decorations to the tv show’s name, “Bright and Merry,” (another Hallmark Christmas movie) I couldn’t get enough!

A quick movie re-cap before I fawn over this movie more:
Melissa Merry and Brian Bright are co-hosts on a TV show. Brian wants to quit and the network finally gave him the okay after several attempts. For their final week taping, Melissa and Brian go onsite in Mistletoe. While in Mistletoe, they participate in local holiday events and realize there’s more to their relationship than just being co-hosts.

This is a great movie. It’s probably going to hold a place in my heart next to some of my other favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. I loved soooo much about this movie!

I could spend hours talking about the decorations alone. The decorations in the hotel, around the town, etc. I wish my bedroom looked like Melissa and Brian’s rooms!

Beyond the decorations, I enjoyed that Hallmark did this as a friends to lovers romance. I don’t think they were quite friends, but there were definitely a lot of feelings between them from the beginning.

The producer must have seen the tension building and the feelings that were under it, because she orchestrated Brian and Melissa finally coming together. She signed them up for all the events and was overseeing their budding relationship to the end. Smart woman!

Did I mention there was a horse drawn carriage? I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough…I LOVE HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES! This carriage ride was instrumental in the ending that hit me hard in the feels. Seeing these two stubborn people come together was a delight.

Give this movie a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! Happy movie watching y’all!

PS: I feel like I need to mention this…I’m not taking off a star for it, because I feel like it’s petty, but I prefer when they do filming in actual cities/towns and it looked like most of this movie was done on a set. I would have liked to see them spend more money on the set or do more on scene filming.

Please follow & like me 🙂

Movie Review: A Godwink Christmas

 3.5/5

I’m really frustrated with this movie. I wanted to love it, but I just couldn’t. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. I have a feeling that if I don’t write this review right now, I’ll forget most of this movie by morning.

So, let’s start with a quick synopsis. Pat is a divorced Dad who returns to his hometown of Boise from Hawaii. Margie is the woman he left behind about twenty years ago.

That was quick, right? Haha, it’s late and I want to tell you all my thoughts before I go to sleep.

I’ve mentioned before that I LOVE second chance romance movies. Pat and Margie are exactly the type of couple that makes my romantic heart say “aaawwww…” They broke up when they graduated, because Pat got a job in Hawaii and Margie wanted to go to college and stay local. Now they’re both in the same city at the same time.

Next, I LOVE fate movie themes. I consider godwinks a form of fate. The thought is that God keeps giving you a nudge in the right direction. Pat and Margie keep accidentally meeting where ever they go. Also, Pat keeps finding Margie’s jewelry like he’s a jewelry magnet/metal detector. Pat and Margie just can’t help being together.

Finally, I loved all the actors and actresses in this movie, but I really loved the two leads. Sam Page, who plays Pat is handsome and delicious. They could keep showing him in his pajamas (or shirtless) all day please! Let’s not forget Brook D’Orsay. She’s beautiful and played Margie with such sincerity. She was fantastic.

With all these wonderful things, I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t LOVE this movie? This is going to sound nitpicky, but the godwink sound really annoyed me. I don’t remember watching the other godwink movies, so I don’t know if this is a thing or if it’s new to this movie? Either way, it wasn’t for me.

More than the godwink sound, there wasn’t really a climax per se. Yes there was a part where it sounds like things aren’t going to work out, but you can tell from the very very beginning of the movie how much Pat and Margie like each other. They literally could have stopped the movie when they reconnected for the first time. The looks they gave each other made it clear where that relationship was headed. And that first hug?! Did you all see that?? In real life they would have ran for a hotel room.

Overall, this is a decent movie. It stresses the importance of finding the person you can’t live without and not settling for someone, which definitely connects with my romantic heart. If you watch it, I hope you enjoy it. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: The Christmas House

 4/5

Wow! This movie had so much going on! There’s a few minorish spoilers listed, so read at your own risk. I try not to give away too much, but for this review, I need to give you some details to explain myself.

I feel like Hallmark tried to do too much in one movie.

- Mom and Dad selling childhood home
- Mom and Dad potentially separating
- Mom retiring
- Mike possibly losing his job
- Mike’s love interest in Andi
- Brandon and Jake trying to adopt
- Brandon and Jake are opening a bakery

Is it real life? Yes. Do I get why they did it? Yes. But do I want real life in a Hallmark Christmas movie? Not really.

Don’t get me wrong. They did this really well. All of it, except for maybe Marvelous Jim, was real. You know, because he was magical. Haha! – We will blame this lame attempt at humor on the late hour I wrote this.

There was so much to enjoy about this movie.

- The brothers little contests. Racing to the rental car. Racing to get the most boxes into the moving truck. They perfectly captured sibling contests.
- Mike’s promotional video for Andi’s business with Noah. It was sweet that Mike embraced Noah so openly.
- Mom with the whistle going over the plans for the Christmas House – this made my type A heart pitter-patter.
- The Dynamic Duo of Majestic Mike and Awesome Andi. It was sweet watching the flashbacks with the magic scenes.
- The Dad jokes!
  - What do you call a spruce tree that knows kung fu? Spruce Lee!
  - Here today, gone tamale
- The final Christmas House. It was so amazing! It’s like every child’s Christmas dream come to life. I wish every town had a house that did this. Maybe even a travelling Christmas House, so each family could put their own spin on it.
- That ending! Oh man, the ending is like waking up on Christmas morning and having all your wishes come true. It’s Hallmark Gold.

This movie took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I was feeling really glum around the middle of the movie when it felt like everything was going down hill for everyone, but this is Hallmark! I should know by now, it’ll all work out.

I’m giving this 4 out of 5 stars because I really felt like Hallmark tried too hard to put too much into one movie and they tried to hide too much, e.g. selling the house, parents separating, the adoption, etc. This is still a great movie and I think it’s well worth watching. Give it a try! Happy movie watching y’all

Book Review: How to Wife Your Nanny

How To Wife Your Nanny by Melinda Minx
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute fast read

If you’re looking for a sweet and fast read, choose this book!

Noah and Lacey kind of have a history together. Noah’s company is the publisher for Lacey’s books, but his company hasn’t been very fair to her. When his daughter starts reading and enjoying the books, he sets out to meet Lacey and convince her to write more books. But it’s not as easy as just asking and soon Noah needs a nanny too. So, Noah convinces Lacey to be his daughter’s Nanny and write more books for $1 million dollars.

This book is cute and sweet, so don’t expect an action packed adventure. There are a few funny parts to enjoy and a small climax where the characters need to prove their relationship. I really liked the Chance Charter rip off of Harry Potter parts.

There were a few small sex scenes that were solid. They weren’t so great that you’ll need relief, but they were well done.

Give this book a try. It’s a good romance that’ll have you saying awwww. Happy reading y’all!

View all my reviews

Movie Review: The Angel Tree

 5/5

Oh Angel Tree, Oh Angel Tree, let me sing about how much I love you…

You should all be happy you can’t actually hear me singing! Haha!

Instead of singing and making up some really bad rhymes – honestly worse than Matthew’s dad/uncle jokes – I need to start by saying that Matthew continuously scaring Rebecca was by far my favorite part of the entire movie. I cracked up every time.

Since I don’t think you want me singing anymore or scaring you, let’s recap the movie a bit.

Jill Wagner plays Rebecca, a girl who’s wish to forever stay in Pine River was NOT granted in the same year, Matthew, played by Lucas Bryant, had a gala (super big) wish granted to save his family’s diner. Rebecca wound up moving. Her and Matthew grew apart. Rebecca grew up, became a writer, married, had a daughter, and lost her husband. She wrote an article about the amazing Angel Tree, and asked to write a follow-up article to expose who the wish granting Angel is in Pine River.

In coming back to town, Rebecca reconnects with Matthew and sparks start to ignite. Rebecca realizes that her first article about the Angel tree created more people making wishes and she decides she needs to help Angel grant the wishes.

Recap over, so lets get back to what I loved!

This movie hits you in all the feels. It has helping homeless pets, military families, taking care of elderly, and so much more. But more than all that, it hits deeper with the sentiment that kids have “a magical world, but as adults, we need to make a little magic of our own.”

In the end, we see the magic of Rebecca unknowingly becoming an Angel and helping fulfill a gala wish. Further, we see that Angel’s are all around us. It’s not just one person, nor a group of people. It’s the magic across the world of people doing good and helping others. Angels are everywhere.

I won’t ruin the ending for y’all, but I was in tears. It was so sweet and sentimental. I love movies with Christmas magic and this movie had it in spades. I hope you give this movie a try. Happy movie watching y’all!!

Movie Review: A Nashville Christmas Carol

 4.5/5

I fell in love with Jessy Schram a few years ago in Harvest Moon. Watching her in A Nashville Christmas Carol further cemented her on my favorites list.

I absolutely love how expressive Jessy is by nature. Hallmark loves to put her in roles where she shows these talents. Remember when she fell in the mud in Harvest Moon? There was a similarly expressive moment when Jessy’s character, Vivienne, meets her dead boss, Marilyn. Her shock was palpable! She’s such a joy to watch.

Now that I’ve covered my girl crush on Jessy, let’s go over the movie a little.

Vivienne is a slightly different version of Scrooge who – like most people – needs to learn how wonderful she is. She isn’t a mean person to begin with; she just needed to see what (and who) was right in front of her, but Vivienne is so focused on her career that she was missing the true joy in life…living.

Marilyn is Vivienne’s guide through the past and present. She explained to Vivienne that she requested this intervention because “When it comes time to roll the credits on your life, it’s the names that matter, not the shows.” This is so true in life. Time is fleeting, concentrate on the people in your life and make memories with those you love.

Speaking of those you love…Gavin, played by Wes Brown, was a childhood friend of Vivienne’s. We get to see lots of flashbacks of how Vivienne and Gavin grew together and apart over the years.

In the end, Vivienne learns that it’s the people in her life that matters. She rights the mistakes she’s made and we get a wonderful Country Christmas concert with the perfect ending.

I loved most of this movie. There were some slow parts in the middle, but overall this was very well done. I especially liked the music that was woven throughout the movie and the way it tied to each moment. After all, “every song has a memory,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Thank you Hallmark for finally delivering a kiss under a mistletoe!! I’ve been waiting all Christmas for this scene. This almost makes up for all those other movies missed mistletoe chances.

If you like the Christmas Carol plot, then give this movie a go. It was enjoyable! Happy movie watching y’all!

Product Review: Boka Ela Mint Toothpaste

 4/5

Are you like me and looking for a natural toothpaste that tastes like mint AND cleans your teeth AND reduces sensitivity? This could be a good fit for you.

Plus Stars:

Moderately foaming. It makes it feel like you’re using something more like Colgate.
The flavor is a wonderful refreshing mint.
Reduces sensitivity somewhat. This isn’t an ultra desensitizing toothpaste, but it does help quite a bit. It took a while to work though. So be sure to give it a week or two before you give up on it.
Ingredients. I’m super picky on ingredients and while I don’t 100% approve of every ingredient; I like 99% of these. The other 1%? They’re better than most ingredients out there.

Minus Stars:

Doesn’t leave my teeth feeling super clean. I need to see the dentist yet to confirm, but I have a feeling this toothpaste doesn’t leave my teeth squeaky clean. I think it’s decent, but not the best out there.
Cost. You can save money by signing up for a subscription and ordering once a month, but in general this paste will cost you more than the off the shelf stuff.

Overall, I’m pleased with this paste. I’m going to the dentist soon, so I’ll update this and let you know what they say! In the mean time, I think it’s worth the price and will continue to use it.

Please follow & like me 🙂

Movie Review: Deliver by Christmas

 2/5

I’m so sorry everyone, I really really tried to get into this movie. I even tried watching it twice, but it’s a no go for me.

Josh and Molly meet on a Christmas tree lot when they’re looking for trees. Their first meeting is where they reach for the same tree, but instead grab each other’s hands.

This is where the story started to go downhill for me. The acting in this particular scene wasn’t that great and it looked like they were purposefully grabbing for each other’s hands. I mean you don’t reach your whole arm into a tree to test the needles. They should have had her trying to pick up the tree or something. It was weird and awkward like several other scenes later on. However, I did enjoy the jokes about splitting the tree only to find out the tree was already sold.

As the movie continues, Josh needs cookies and he arranges to have Molly bake them, but doesn’t know it’s Molly who is the baker. The cookie arrangement was done by website and phone. Don’t you think they would have recognized each other’s voices?

Overall the plot is cute, but there was just something lacking in this movie for me. It just couldn’t keep my interest.

The video at the end of the movie with Charlie reduced me to tears with it’s sweetness. A special shout out to military families and all they do to keep everyone else safe!! Thank you!!

I can’t recommend this movie. There are much better Hallmark movies. See some of my other reviews on here. Happy movie watching y’all!

Book Review: Hate the Player

Hate the Player by Max Monroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love the player!!

This book had me from the moment it started! Max Monroe delivers another solid RomCom book. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Birdie Harris is a country singer who lands a role in a movie with lead actor Andrew Watson. Andrew is Hollywood’s biggest player while Birdie seems to be something of America’s sweetheart. They begin a hate turned love romance that will hit you in all the feels. We even get to see Billie and Luca return in this book with a pregnant Billie!!

Solid sex scenes and sweet romance complete an already great book.

This book is part of a series, but could definitely be read as a stand alone. Whatever you do, make sure you read it! Happy reading y’all!

View all my reviews

Movie Review: A Timeless Christmas

 4.5/5

Oh Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. I could really watch and listen to you all day. We need more summer movies of you on a beach shirtless. And I wouldn’t mind taking that portrait from the Whitley mansion and hang it in my house.

Stop drooling Jamie! Write your review! Ugh, fine…here we go…

Have you ever seen Kate and Leopold? If not, you totally should. It was better than this and has the same concept. A man who was about to marry someone he didn’t love comes to the future to meet his real love.

Ryan plays Charles, our time travelling man, who abandoned his fiance, Eliza. He comes to the future where he meets Megan, played by Erin Cahill.

Charles and Megan had great chemistry throughout the movie. I loved watching them fall in love, because they were so believable. I especially loved that Megan was Rosie’s (Charles’ housekeeper’s) great great grand daughter.

I also need to give a shout out to Megan’s parents. I think Megan’s mom literally swooned when she met Charles. I can totally sympathize with her reaction to him! But beyond her initial reaction, I loved how Megan’s family treated Charles as part of the family immediately.

I would have given this movie 5 stars, but the ending irked me a little. To be honest though, if the ending had been different, it would have probably irked me too. I don’t think there’s ever a perfect way to end a time travel romance movie. I feel like someone always loses. The people in the past will lose Charles without knowing what happened to him or Megan’s family will forever miss her and not be able to see her anymore. I’ll let you watch it to see which way this movie went.

If you’re a Ryan Paevey fan, I think you’ll enjoy this, because he was absolutely swoon worthy with all his 1900’s manners and such.

**SIGH** Ryan kissing my hand as he meets me for the first time, then that blue gaze meets mine…Ryan’s scruff rubbing…JAMIE!! Get back to the review!

Anyhow, if you don’t like fantasy / time travel romance, then I don’t think this is the right movie for you. Otherwise, give it a shot! There’s so much more to like than the basics I included here. Happy movie watching y’all!!

Movie Review: Meet Me at Christmas

Movie Rating:

 5/5

You need to know a few things about me.

First, one of my favorite romance plots is the second chance romance. Movies where the whole plot revolves around a romance that started when they were young, but was lost for one reason or another and now has a chance to blossom.

Second, I have always liked Catherine Bell AND Mark Deklin. Together, they are pure Christmas magic. I bet Cassie Nightingale had something to do with this match, but what took Hallmark so long to put these two together?!

Third, I have a strong belief in fate and “Love finds you when it’s suppose to,” which is a large theme in this movie. Joan and Beau were meant to come back together at this time, in this place and in this way.

Okay…Now that we’ve gone over things that make me say awwwww, hopefully you’ll understand a little better when I say, I. LOVED. THIS. MOVIE!! It hit me right in the feels time and time again.

The feels start right away with flashbacks to Joan’s past. I enjoyed seeing young Joan’s history with her husband to be and the man who first took her heart. This was done very well and helped set the stage for Joan and Beau’s reaction to figuring out who each other were, which had ME tearing up.

Be still my heart! This is Hallmark – it’ll all work out. Even at the climax when everything comes crashing down, and two people are acting like stubborn arses, hold onto that hope, because in the end, we get the love we want all along.

If all this sounds like your type of movie, please watch this! It’s such a sweet story of fate, new love, old love, lost love, and found love. I think it’ll hit you in the feels too. Happy watching y’all!

Movie Review: Christmas in Vienna

Movie Rating

 3.5/5

Instead of Christmas in Vienna, this movie could be called Christmas on Rinse & Repeat. The whole movie can be summed up as: Jess and Mark meet in the square, someone asks someone if they speak English, Jess steps out of her comfort zone, Mark shoots her down, Mark asks Jess’ opinion, Jess gives her opinion, Mark gets mad, Mark apologizes…RINSE & REPEAT.

Ahhh!! Christmas in Vienna…I don’t know what to think of you. You’re such a mixed bag, because there is so much I did enjoy, but Jess continuing to put herself out there and open her heart while Mark continued to shut her down got to me after the third or fourth time. She gave him so many opportunities. Granted, he did finally come around, but should it have really taken that many times? I’m just not sure.

Let’s take a minute to talk about the mistletoe scene. A kiss on the hand?! Come on Hallmark! That was a serious missed opportunity. I would have loved at least a kiss on the cheek. It’s mistletoe after all!

Now that you know what really bothered me about the movie, let’s get to some of the good stuff. Despite my frustrations, there was still lots to enjoy with this movie.

I loved Jess’s character! She’s adorable and quirky and, like me, can’t pronounce any German. Sprechen sie English? Yup, that’s about as much as I can say too Jess! I even butcher that.

More than the main story line of Mark and Jess, the story of Vincent and Tory is adorable too. I loved watching their chemistry. And how can you not like someone who references Gremlins in regard to taking care of children?! I’ve done that so many times in my life.

- Don’t feed them after midnight
- Don’t get them wet
- Don’t expose them to light

Speaking of the children. How cute were they?! Jess helped each child grow a little throughout the movie. The youngest learns how to play violin, the son learns to “hang his hat,” and the oldest performs her song at the end.

As you can see, Jess really made this movie shine through her amazing heart. Her speech to Summer was pure gold. I wish I could write down the whole thing and put it here, but it’s really something you need to watch. Plus, the presents she gave at the end of the movie. Each one was so perfect. It proves that cost doesn’t matter with a present – thoughtfulness does.

Without Jess, this movie wouldn’t have even made the 3.5 stars. Mark’s character was just blah. He didn’t make my heart say awww – except for the stocking scene – and I didn’t hold my breath hoping to see him come into the room so I could watch the chemistry. It could have been a movie about Jess and the kids and it might have been better than the romance movie it was suppose to be.

Should you watch it? I’ll leave that in your hands. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than me. Good luck! Happy movie watching y’all!