Rise And Shine, Benedict Stone: The most charming, uplifting and feel-good novel of summer 2021 from the bestselling author of The Library of Lost and Found

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Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.

Then Gemma comes into his life. The daughter of his brother, the only living family members he has left. And, things begin to change.In the present, Benedict obtains Charlie’s phone number from Gemma’s phone and calls Charlie. Within hours, Charlie is in England. He had not known Gemma’s whereabouts. He and Benedict get into a fistfight, letting loose years of anger. After overseeing the fight, Gemma wanders off alone into the moors above the town. When she does not come home, Benedict and Charlie, along with Estelle, put their differences behind them and set out to find her. Into this dreary life of Benedict's comes his precocious teenage niece, Gemma. Slowly this odd pair grow close of their shared loved of the gem stones and the family traditions. Gemma's vitality and the secret pain he sees in her awakens Benedict and he is ready to make drastic changes and fight for what he really needs. Is it possible for a sixteen-year-old teen to inspire others? Especially adults? You will see the influence of this teen and her interest in gemstones on others in the village. Acting is good. There is chemistry between Mía Maestro and Tom Everett Scott. Despite the separation, Gemma's line that they are hopelessly in love (or just hopeless) is accurate even from the beginning. Emilia's character has been too much taken for granted and she needed far more comfort from her husband through their failed efforts at conceiving a child. That's where Gemma comes in. All of this is laid out fairly early in the story. The gem stones are a major part of the story, literally and symbolically, as they help catalogue Benedict and Gemma's journeys. Each chapter is introduced by a different gem from Benedict's dad's journal with its properties and the significance attached to the gems. I spent a great deal of time curious about what was really going on with Gemma and what dreadful thing Benedict did to cause his brother to leave and cut him off. I suspected on both counts and I was mostly right. The author was not afraid to present a flawed hero, but I loved her Benedict and I was rooting hard for him to succeed on all counts.

There are so many good themes in this movie that I wish they were all explored a bit more. While Benedict and Emelia deciding that they are happy without children was a bit rushed, at least that storyline saw a fulfilling end. However, Gemma and Charlie’s respective storylines were a bit unfinished. I would have liked to see Charlie learn to be a bit more understanding of the difficult situation Benedict was in raising his little brother at 18. Hallmark has covered broken marriages before, but I don’t think that there has ever been a Hallmark movie that covered a married couple who was separated because they disagreed on continuing to try to have children. The way the story and central conflict are set up in a way that makes both Benedict and Emilia sympathetic characters. With Hallmark’s history of demonizing women who don’t fit in a certain narrative, this was definitely refreshing to see.The story then took a new twist with Gemma learning and teaching about the meaning of gemstones and handing them out to people with hopes to better their lives. Gemma is hiding a huge secret, but then so is Benedict. Even Estelle doesn't know Benedict's secret and she knows everything about him.

Canadian actress, Ella Ballentine was born in 2001, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is the recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (2018), Runner-up of the Fangoria Chainsaw Award (2017), Honourable Mention of the Whistler Film Festival (2020). In the middle of storm one night a stranger appears on his doorstep, who turns out to be the niece of his estranged brother Charlie in America. Charlie and Benedict haven't spoken in 18 years. His niece Gemma claims she lost her passport and phone in the airport, and has explanations for every one of Benedict's questions, and though none are very believable, Benedict falls for them all the same. Much to his surprise, it wasn't Estelle, but Gemma who announced that she was his niece from America and she had lost her purse, her passport, and her phone. She wanted to stay with Uncle Ben. What else could he say but yes? There are some wonderfully endearing hilarious scenes that result from Gemma’s romantic advice. But there’s quite a bit of serious drama as well. It seems that Benedict isn’t the only Stone family member who is good at running away from problems rather than facing them. And sprinkled throughout is a bit of the mythology and meaning of gemstones.It's a feel-good story about family relationships. Benedict wants to reconcile with his wife and find a way to move forward in his mundane life. His niece from America helps him in his quest by showing him how to update his gemstone shop as well as his way of thinking. Gemma has a gift for helping him as well as the townspeople come out of their comfort zones and grow, while using the mysterious properties of various gemstones to do so. Okay, so it's also a mystical kind of story, which I usually enjoy. An amazingly intricate and ambitious first novel - ten years in the making - that puts an engrossing new spin on the traditional haunted-house tale. I loved The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and her latest book is another winner. The author has the ability to write about relationships in a heartwarming way that just pulls you into the story and the lives of these characters. As with the first story, a man has reached a crisis point in his life and must now go on a personal journey to recover something that has been lost. Benedict Stone is a caregiver and a provider. He knows no other way and his biggest dream is to have his own children so as a family they can carry on tradition. His parents died hunting their precious gemstones when he was a very young man and he took on the care of his brother and the running of the family jewelry making shop. Mia Maestro (Emilia) has appeared in several projects including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 & 2 and The Motorcycle Diaries, and she has appeared in a number of TV series including The Strain and Mayans M.C.

Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone' will premiere on September 26, Sunday, at 9/8 c, on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Spoilers Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone is a story of broken dreams, fractured family, and the power of belief. One lonely night, Benedict Stone is woken by banging on his door. On the other side is a young woman named Gemma, who claims to be his niece from America. Gemma is traveling alone and says her purse with phone and passport were stolen at the airport. Grudgingly, Benedict lets Gemma stay with him while he attempts to reach his estranged brother, Charlie.

Ella's television experience includes roles in the historical fantasy Reign (2013) and on the medical drama series Saving Hope. She played a guest starring role in It Takes a Village (2018). Her role as the iconic character of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: Fire and Dew (2017) earned Ella her first award, the Canadian Screen Award in 2018. Perhaps I should have expected the conflict because something from that direction was inevitable, but it caught me a little by surprise in how it played out. I thoroughly enjoyed Benedict and felt sorry for him as he worked through living without his wife. His jewelry shop and their love just hadn't been enough for them after they were unable to have children after eight years. The general outcome is predictable as is Gemma's role in it. Even so Ella Ballentine's energy as Gemma, and how she infects Benedict with it, is a joy to watch. Maestro is immediately sympathetic as Emilia. She has a elegant beauty and a appealing personality. The story of the film centers around Benedict Stone, who runs his family's business: A jewelry shop specializing in gemstones. The unexpected arrival of his niece Gemma turns his life around. Gemma is the daughter of his estranged brother. Will life ever be the same for Benedict?