Ugh...this movie surpassed my expectations until the conclusion. The acting was better than expected; the sets were interesting and appealing; the storyline was unique and intriguing; and the genre-bending was pitch perfect....and then the last 10 minutes happened.

Spoiler Alert: if the writer wanted to end the story as he/she did, there were at least two obvious ways to accomplish this: 1) Lily dies BEFORE Daniel (and preferably with her communicating to him her wish he find happiness again) OR 2) Lily turns out to be somehow partially responsible for Daniel's death which she truly regrets and "gifts" him the life that was stolen. If either of these elements is added, the ending works: Daniel chooses to be alive again (chalk it up to a Xmas miracle I suppose) and rides off into the sunset with Kate! As the story was actually presented, Daniel comes across like a selfish louse who apparently never really loved Lily as she obviously loved him. I know it's not my story, but how the writer was unable to see the way this ending plays to the audience baffles me! You cannot have your cake and eat it too (i.e. Daniel truly loved Lily and she loved him and they both died too soon, robbed of a happy life together...but he also truly loves Kate and should now be with her even though he clearly could choose to be with Lily....wtf?!?!)

Sorry, but as this story unfolded, the only appropriate ending would have been Daniel "teaching" the work-consumed, ununable-to-be-close-with-anyone Kate she is indeed capable of love; he reunites in the afterlife with his true love, Lily, finally free of the inn; and Kate has a future meet-cute with a promising beau; perhaps even played by the same actor (a previously unknown relative perhaps?)

Let's get one thing straight. I am not a sentimental woman. I simply watch Hallmark movies to laugh at how bad they are. So can you imagine my surprise when this film presented itself as--not only a Christmas romance--but a MURDER MYSTERY? Granted, there are still the usual trademark Hallmark parts: cheesy dialogue, emotional piano playing, flubbed lines that somehow made the final cut, etc. But if you give this movie a chance, you will not be 100% disappointed.