I'm more of a Jane Austen fan than a HM one, so I was interested in this series of HM films, but didn't expect much - and so far, HM did not disappoint - it was the traditional Hallmark formulaic script and C-list casting...until now. I'm American, so I feel like a bit of a traitor in saying this, but I suspect it's because this production would be more appropriately called "A Brit in Austen" - and not just bc the one "American" is actually a British actress, but bc it appears the whole thing was shot across the pond, and the Brits did do HM better, from the script to the costumes to the sets to the cast, this was elevated HM fare. Enough so that I wished it had had a slightly longer runtime, to flesh out some of the side stories more fully....so my only criticism would be that it was a bit too short and that the bookstore ending was a return to HM cliche, and felt a little bit like a letdown after having reached a higher level of film-making. If the budget works for British productions, HM should do more of these, but...give the writers/directors an extra hour of run time. Carry on with the royal cameos, though! That's hilarious and unexpected!
