Tag: #hallmarkmoviesandmysteries

HMM Review: Christmas Bedtime Stories

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/christmas-bedtime-stories

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Where did the magic come from?! I didn’t know this movie had a bit of Christmas magic! I thought it was just a Mom reading her daughter bedtime stories. I’m so glad it was much more than that! Here’s a quick recap and my two cents 😉 

Quick Recap

Danielle’s marine husband, Colby, died while deployed. They never found his body. Danielle and her daughter moved on with their lives. Eventually Danielle’s daughter starts asking questions about her father. Danielle tells her stories about her father at bedtime and the stories start coming true. At the same time, Danielle accepts her boyfriend’s proposal and begins to question if there’s a higher reason for these miracles and if Colby could still be alive.

My Two Cents

Why is it always the movies I’m not looking forward to that keep me captivated from the first moment?! This was a bracket movie that I wouldn’t have watched if it wasn’t in my Hallmark Christmas Movie Bracket, because I usually don’t seek out military movies. They usually make me cry.

This one wasn’t any different. I found myself on the edge of tears every ten minutes. It’s so hard watching a movie where the husband dies and leaves behind a wife and child. Especially when the child is young and doesn’t remember her Dad.

But this movie is magic. I loved how Danielle’s stories kept coming real. Running into old friends, finding missing ornaments, freak snow storms, and more. I LOVE movies with this kind of magic! Somehow, it kept it just light enough that I didn’t cry the entire time.

But I wanted to cry every time I saw Danielle hurt poor Pierce’s feelings. I wondered how long he would last before he ended things with her or she finally figured out what she really wanted and stopped hurting him. I was glad when things worked out the way they did.

**SPOILER ALERT**

I almost died the last 5 minutes of the movie. Have your tissues ready! Colby’s reappearance gives the perfect Hallmark movie ending, but dang did it hit me right in the feels. I really really wanted this ending and I’m so happy Hallmark ended it this way! Is it realistic? Absolutely not, but that’s not why I watch Hallmark. I watch it to see the happily ever after that doesn’t always happen in the real world.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries movies always hits me right in the feels. I swear I wind up ugly crying on 75% of these movies. I’m super glad I watched this movie tonight. Military movies are always hard for me to watch, but this was definitely worth it! Give it a try!

Did you watch this movie? Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Review: Groundswell

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/groundswell

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WOW! I can see why everyone has been raving about this movie! I wish I could have seen it sooner, but my schedule and the movies play times haven’t aligned before tonight. Here’s a quick recap and my full two cents. 😉 

Quick Recap

Emma is an amazing chef at a high end restaurant. When a renown food critic praises her work, her boyfriend/boss refuses to admit Emma cooked the food he ate, she quits. Emma escapes to Hawaii where she decides to take surf lessons from Ben.

My Two Cents

Definitely a must see! There is so much to love about this movie. I know I won’t capture it all here, but I will try my best 😊

First, I need to throw a little love to Lacey…She is an amazing and beautiful actress. She was the perfect lead for this movie. Plus, she had great chemistry with all the other actors/actresses!

Moving on to the movie…

I 100% support Emma’s decision for leaving Garrett’s restaurant! He was treating her terribly and she deserved recognition for her awesome work. I’ve been fortunate in my own life to never experience someone trying to take credit for my work. It would make me so mad. I would leave too!

A girl can only dream to quit her job and escape to Hawaii. Hawaii was so beautiful! The green/blue water, hills and mountains, and so much more. Every time I watch one of these movies, I want to escape to someplace tropical and lay on a beach for a few weeks with no plans.

But Emma didn’t lay on the beach with no plans. She met Ben and hired him for surfing lessons. Then met his brother and became a contestant in a cooking contest. Super fun!!

Speaking of Ben…I loved everything about Ben! He was handsome, sweet, and always supported Emma. He was insightful, wise, and taught Emma how to relax a little with surf board yoga. Plus, he listened when Emma gave him advice about moving on after Estraya’s death.

Then there was the cooking competition! Frankie and Emma were an amazing team. They problem solved issues without being mean to each other, bounced ideas off each other, and forgave each other for mistakes. It normally takes time to develop that level of teamwork, but it’s a Hallmark movie, so we’ll go with the flow here. 😊

I thought I was going to get through this movie without crying. Enter Estraya’s letter. SO. MANY. TEARS. You’ve been warned! Find a tissue before the last hour.

I definitely understand why all the Hallmark groups were going crazy about this movie. It is really good. Definitely see it if you haven’t!

Did you watch this movie? Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Review: Love’s Portrait

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/loves-portrait

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don’t normally watch the Movies and Mysteries premieres, because they’re late at night on a work night. I know that sounds pathetic, but I need my sleep and I don’t have a DVR or anything like that. I know, it’s surprising someone doesn’t have one these days, but I’m pretty cheap with spending money on media services. Anyhow, Monday is a holiday and I don’t work! So, I put this movie on tonight and boy am I glad I did! 1,000,000% yes to this movie! Here’s a quick recap and my full two cents. 😉 

Quick Recap

Lily works for a museum that receives a donated painting. When her and her coworkers open the painting, they discover it’s a painting of her. Not just a doppelganger, but it’s actually her. Wanting to discover the story behind the painting (and hoping to find Lily a husband), Lily’s boss sends her to Ireland to find out the truth about the painting.

My Two Cents

OMG! I was a puddle of goo watching this movie. I LOVE FATE ROMANCES. Add a bit of mystical magic and Ireland and I’m ALL IN. Let’s dive into this fate romance 😁

It kills my heart when someone doesn’t believe in soul mates. I feel like if you don’t believe, it’s because you haven’t found yours. I could see how it would be hard to believe in something you haven’t felt. I have faith, so I’m a believer. I could also understand Lily being mad with fate at taking away her first husband.

Then she met William. What did you think of the meet cute?! Not the run off the road meet cute, but the one where they meet face to face. Did you see the way William looked at Lily? I just about died. That’s true love. That’s when William realized why he was having dreams about a woman he’s never met.

I gotta say, if you aren’t use to Irish brogue, you might struggle sometimes. The movie does a pretty good job of explaining most of the unfamiliar words, but I’m glad I’ve read a lot of Irish romance books. It definitely helped!

I loved Lily and William going around Ireland looking for the person who sent the picture. I loved even more when they found him and the story he had about it. I cried a little. Maybe a lot, but hey, it’s was super sweet.

Definitely keep some tissues on hand. Maybe I’m super emotional tonight or maybe this was tear provoking movie. It caught me a few times.

If you have the opportunity, definitely watch this movie. I loved pretty much every part of it. Including Lily’s boss and coworkers and the fact that Lily knew how to sign so she could speak with her deaf coworker. Honestly, I loved it all. I really wish this had been the Hallmark Channel premiere last night. I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Did you watch this movie? Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/time-for-them-to-come-home-for-christmas

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m torn on the rating for this movie. I’d call it a solid 3.5, but since half stars are a pain in the butt and I can’t do them for books, I’ve rounded up for this. Here’s a quick re-cap and my two cents. 🙂

Quick Re-Cap

“Jane” is involved in an accident that causes amnesia. She has one clue to who she might be on a newspaper article for a tree lighting ceremony in Charleston. So, she decides to drive across country to see if she can find the person she was suppose to meet there. Paul, the nurse watching Jane, decides to assist her on the trip while he visits family in Georgia.

My Two Cents

This morning I caught Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas on TV and realized this is kind of a series. Of course, I’ve seen them all before. So, I’m not sure why I didn’t notice this. The names are all super similar and it seems like they’re doing one every year.

As a tribute to Time for You to Come Home for Christmas, they did an Alison Sweeney cameo! There was another Jamie screaming at the TV moment. I’m glad y’all weren’t here to hear that tonight! It’s just me and the puppies, but they don’t even bother looking at me anymore when I scream at the TV. I guess it’s too regular of an occurrence. Haha.

Okay, going back to this movie…I always love Jessy Schram!! She is adorable in everything she does. I love her when she has funny/comedic roles, but this was good too. Even in this serious movie, she managed to bring a smile to my face and make me laugh.

Which was needed when they started talking about Paul’s brother, Ben. That hit too close to home and I understand where Paul was coming from. Everyone grieves in their own way.

Overall, I liked this movie. I don’t think it belongs on my Countdown to Christmas must see list, but it’s a solid romance. It might make you tear up at the end and at a few spots in between. Give it a try! Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Five More Minutes

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/five-more-minutes

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh the feels! Have your tissues handy for the end of this movie!! It may have you bawling your eyes out, but it is so darned good! Here’s a quick re-cap and my two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Clara returns home to help with the family Confectionary store after losing her job and wanting to run from her boyfriend who is about to propose. Feeling a little lost in her life, Clara makes a wish on a shooting star to have 5 more minutes with her Grandpa who died. After the wish, she comes across Grandpa Jerry’s journal and explores it with Logan, her high school ex-boyfriend who helps her rediscover who she really is.

My Two Cents

I have a thing for second chance romances. There’s something special about reconnecting with someone you’ve lost. I don’t think the pain of losing someone ever goes away completely, but I really liked the message in this movie that your first love opens your heart to future love.

In Clara’s case, reconnecting with Logan led her through a journey of self-discovery to teach her many lessons. Most importantly, she discovered her own self-worth and why it’s important to embrace every minute. You never know when this goodbye will be the last, so make it matter. I love these reminders/lessons!

Okay, moving away from the heavy stuff…

Did anyone else notice the old blue car? I’m pretty sure it’s the same car that was in A Mrs. Miracle Christmas!! I like when Hallmark does that 🙂 It made me smile every time I saw it!

Then I’d frown every time I had to figure out the family relationships. Honestly though, I’ve started a new book and it has me completely distracted. I can’t put the darn thing down!

So, I have to admit that I might have missed an explanation, but I was a little confused about who was married to Grandpa Jerry and who’s Grandpa he was? And why did the little girls call Clara their Aunt? I thought she was an only sibling? Oh well, I’m going to leave all of that in the pile of “it doesn’t actually matter,” but I wanted to throw that out there in case you felt the same.

While the family relationships were confusing, I’m happy to say that the ending was not (unlike My Christmas Family Tree). I made a prediction to Jeff in the very beginning of the movie about how this movie would end. My prediction was correct, but it didn’t stop the sobbing tears! Don’t worry though, they were the happy/good kind of tears.

Definitely give this movie a try. It’s not a romcom that’ll have you laughing, but it is a hit you in the feels romance. Maybe it’ll have you hugging your loved ones extra the next time you see them 😉

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Christmas in my Heart

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/christmas-in-my-heart

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Sorry y’all, I wasn’t feeling this movie. If you’ve read other reviews, you’ll know I love Luke MacFarlane!! I liked Heather Hemmens and the other cast members in this movie too. So, I was pretty upset when the movie fell flat. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Katie, the daughter of former country music star, Sean, wants violin lessons. She convinces Beth to give her lessons unbeknownst to her Dad. Beth is a musician on break from New York and is only planning on being in town until after the holidays. Beth and Sean become close 😉

My Two Cents

I had high hopes for this movie! Unfortunately, it fell flat. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I LOVE romcoms and/or movies that make you say awwwww. This whole movie had a sad feel to it. I was depressed watching it.

I felt so sorry for Katie, who lost her Mom. Then her Dad completely shut down and wouldn’t allow anyone close to them. The moment Beth starts to get close, of course he pushes her away.

This is Hallmark, so of course I was expecting that and there is a super sweet and cute ending. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more joy, fun, and love for the first movie of the season. I didn’t feel enough of any of those emotions throughout the movie.

If you have other movie options, I would definitely skip this movie. It’s sad, depressing, and missing serious amounts of Hallmark Christmas cheer. Keep reading my blog for more Christmas movie reviews this season!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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