I struggle to rate this hallmark film. I love Hallmark regular Niall Matters and Rachel Lefevre was just fine. I really liked that this was about an apple orchard (and not another vineyard) and I loved the main characters career around antiques...and all of the antiques shown (was that a Parker slag lamp on the desk? And I have that very same brass letter holder!).
The story was VERY loosely based on the Susan Wiggs novel The Apple Orchard. The main character, Tess Delaney, is up for a very coveted position acquiring antiques for the prestigious New York firm of Sotheby's. Meanwhile an unknown gentleman keeps trying to contact her...it turns out she has inherited half of an orchard and estate from a grandfather she never knew and surprise!...she has a half sister that inherited the other half. Then she discovers the estate is in financial trouble...enter the story of their grandmother whose wealthy Jewish family fled the Nazi's during WWII, possibly with some kind of treasure.
The base story was a decent one and could have been well done. Unfortunately, it was just ok.
The part I really didn't like...was the random lesbian storyline that felt out of place to the rest of the story. It's like the put it in out of requirement and made no effort to actually work it in seamlessly with the story. Thus it felt forced and awkward or as some reviewers have commented...like a moral lesson. No issue with a lesbian storyline, but I would prefer to see it done well.
I'm afraid I can't really recommend this hallmark film to loyal hallmark romantics like myself...or fans of mysteries, sorry.
