For Love & Honey

This is one of my favorite Hallmark romances. Not only does it feature a good love story, but it shows off the beauty of Malta. And I learned some things about Maltese history and apiology (or mellitology).

Austin (Andrew W. Walker) is an American archaeology professor who visits Malta. There he meets local Eva (Margaret Clunie) who is an apiologist. Circumstances bring them together, then they mutually discover a hidden fresco which might be a map. Thus begins their adventure and their relationship.

For the most part, the relationship develops smoothly, without too much drama. But they both know Austin will be returning to the U. S., so neither foresees anything serious developing, despite their attraction.

Forgive the pun, but this is a sweet story, with an appealing tone. For my money, Margaret Clunie seems like an actress who could handle almost any role. Here, she gives off a pleasant energy that binds the story together.

An American Archeology professor meets a Maltan beekeeper...and they run smack into each other, for a slightly contentious first meeting. This is followed by a second meeting when she discovers he is afraid of bees and he discovers she doesn't revere ancient texts the way he does...but once they discover an ancient fresco, the two work together to solve it's mysteries. The fresco acts as a sort of map that leads them around Malta to some ancient ruins and with gold in the title could it be that they are actually looking for treasure? Lots of interesting facts about honey and bees, which makes them the true star of this Hallmark romance.

I really liked having a more mature female lead and I always enjoy Andrew Walker...I think having him take his shirt off was unnecessary, but I did like that he was mechanically inclined and learned from his father such a practical skill as to be able to fix her vehicle (especially since he was afraid of bees). Overall, this was a cute coming together of two working professionals who had loved and lost in the past. They were well suited for each other and I think romantics will enjoy this film.

" I love finding a piece of history that gives you a window to the past."

What I liked: 1. Hallmark and Malta must have worked out some financial deal, given the number of films set here. And that's fine by me because it is a great location.

2. Andrew Walker does his best to make an otherwise dud of a script watchable. He seems to be their current go to for bad scripts in exotic locations. And he does a nice job here as an archeologist.

What I didn't like: 1. Boring script with a lot of lazy unforced errors. Which is how I'd sum up many recent Hallmark releases. An example of this laziness is the ridiculous "ancient artwork" they discover. They could have put in minimal effort to make it look somewhat believable. But that's Hallmark for you.

2. The acting was pretty rough other than Andrew. The female lead could be good in other roles, but struggled to find chemistry with Andrew. Also, her character (either by design or in her approach to the role) was hard to like.

American professor of archaeology meets a beekeeper on Malta. Who would've guessed archaeologists and beekeepers had so much in common. Except, he doesn't like honey and he's allergic to bees.

There is a treasure map (no, he's not Indiana Jones) and there is a treasure hunt...

I do wonder why Hallmark movies are now putting the first kiss at the one hour point instead of at the end of the movie, but that's probably my personal issue....

This young couple "plays" Indiana Jones and "Indiana Jane". Honeybees are the center of this movie and are parts of all of the clues, so pay attention.

It's Hallmark, so it's the predictable formula; you know they'll be a happy ending.

I suppose , two virtues define this film - the landscapes and the stories first. Second - the younger sister , more careful- inspired crafted.

The sins - the fresco who seems fake from first sight and the few forced scenes and dialogues.

A good, generous idea and, like many other films from same source, essencial remains the publicity for Malta. Sure, familiar romance recipe, so, no expectations and Andrew W. Walker as the familiar- comfortable presence represents one of good points of film. The eulogy of honey is an useful nuance for a story seductive for the effort to save it from supporting cast.