Directed By: Ron Oliver

Written By: Julie Sherman Wolfe

As Anna travels back to Barcelona, reuniting with Erica to celebrate her engagement to Nico, she meets a charming farmer and accidentally finds herself “engaged” to save his family’s legacy. Starring Alison Sweeney and Ashley Williams.

I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as the first movie, but it was even better. I was immersed in the romance before the first commercial break. Ashley Williams and new-to-me lead Miguel Bracco had sparks from the moment they met and when fate keeps shoving them together in laugh out loud ways, they go on an impromptu date that lasts all night long. The cinematography is gorgeous and the city at night is beautiful. When fate throws them together again in his hometown, Anna is overjoyed and it’s easy to see why she agrees to a fake engagement to make his family happy. Javier’s family is as enchanting as he is and by the end of the movie Anna has fallen in love with them all. At the same time, Erica is having a personal journey of her own as she steps out of her translator’s role to become a novelist and her romance with Nico from the first movie deepens. The cast all works well together and it is nice that Erica and Nico aren’t just faces on Anna’s phone, but have side plots of their own. I would have liked to see more of the gay romance between Josef and Mateo that was hinted at in the first scene, but maybe there will be a third.

Favorite Quote: All the great banter at the beginning:
You are, how do you say, naive?
I feel like you already knew that word.
And later:
You eat like you have just been released from prison.
I prefer the phrase “eating with gusto.”

Favorite Kiss: The “spicy” kiss on the first date, the amount of passion in that kiss is so Anna.