Can a cynical fashion editor in modern-day Manhattan find true love in Victorian-era London?

Welcome to book 1 in the phenomenal new series Lost in Time by the bestselling author Belle Ami.

Emily Christie, a British ex-pat fashion editor in NYC, yearns for the kind of love depicted in literature and art. When Emily and her two “besties”, Jenee and Gabriella, attend an exhibition of Renaissance artist Marco Allegretto at the Met, Emily can’t help but be drawn into the ethereal beauty of his trio of paintings, The Three Stages of Love. Each painting features Allegretto with his muse and lover, a beautiful and mysterious woman with long red hair. Although her identity was lost to the winds of time, she was the inspiration for the heroine in The Time Traveler’s Lover.

The bestselling novel devoured by Emily and her friends in their book club tells the heartrending story of Iris Bellerose, a young woman in World War II Paris who is flung back in time to Renaissance Florence where she meets and falls in love with Allegretto.

If only the novel were true!

When Allegretto suddenly comes to life in the first painting and takes Emily’s hand, she’s stunned right down to her Manolos. But Emily is shocked beyond imagination when Allegretto flings her back in time to Victorian-era London, where she quite literally lands at the feet of Colin Remington, the heir to the Marquess of Danbury.

Colin is investigating a series of grisly murders of young women, one of whom was his fiancée, Daphne Carmichael. Emily, who bears a striking resemblance to Daphne, is shaken by this strange coincidence. Desperate to unravel her predicament and desperate to stop the murders, she and Colin join forces.

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Ooh, one of the victorian murder mystery romance books that I actually enjoy reading! I love our main character, Emily. I just love all the cast of characters here. All of them are very likable. Love them all! I will read the next books by the author too!
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Time Travel Romance with Suspense

Emily finds herself back in Victorian London, where she falls in love with a man investigating brutal murders. How does a painting take her back in time, and are the murders connected to her journey? Then, there was the woman in the painting; what is her story? This is a fascinating tale, full of mystery, suspense, and romance. It is a story of good and evil. Will good triumph in the end? Evil is determined to win, and it’s pulling all the stops. If you like unique time travel stories with a twist, you might like this intriguing tale. I look forward to what comes next in this series.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

OK, this is a time travel romance that takes a young ex-pat British woman from modern day New York and thrusts her into Victorian England.

Emily Christie is a single magazine editor living in Manhattan, visiting an art gallery while having a girl's weekend with her two best friends. She is visiting an exhibit that she is enthralled with, and that is a focus of a novel that she and her friends love, about the Renaissance artist Marco Allegretto and his unnamed muse. While she is contemplating a tryptich of paintings of his, which show the three stages of love, Marco reaches out to her and as she takes his hand, she is drawn into one of the paintings and suddenly materializes on a road, about to be run down by a coach.

She is confused and feigns amnesia and is taken in by the older couple in the carriage, Sir Arthur and Lady Helen, who are also accompanied by a close friend, Colin, Lord Remington.

This was an interesting tale that was fun, but only if you just suspend all belief, because there is several stories that cross over, and there were far to many details that were quite over the top.

First - there is the tale of Marco and his muse, Iris in 1500 Florence and their love affair and posing for his paintings. Then there is Emily and her friends in modern New York as single besties enthralled by Marco and his story. Then there is the mysterious book written anonymously and found in a trunk in France about Marco and his time travelling lover/muse, Iris Bellerose that is such a hit that Emily and her friends read about, thinking it is fictional. Then there is Emily, Collin, and Sir Arthur and Lady Helen in 1892 England. Then there is time-travelling Iris and Marcus, who are being pursued by an evil Renaissance countess, and her bully boy who is a time travelling Nazi. Iris by the way is a Jew who time travelled from Paris during WW2 - after her parents were killed by that same Nazi. Iris also shows up during 1892 as well...

Confused yet?

To simplify things, the main focus here is Emily in Victorian England, and Colin. Colin is a private investigator of sorts and is working on solving the mystery of a series of grotesque murders. Including that of his fiancee, Daphne. Daphne was also the only child of Sir Arthur and Lady Helen. Oddly enough (wink wink), Emily is shocked to discover that she resembles Daphne enough to be her twin.

Anyways, I think I am exhausted just thinking about all the various links, connections, and coincidences... it is all a lot to take in. But regardless, the contained story in this book is about Emily and Colin's growing relationship, and solving those murders, while also being drawn into the larger overarching story of Marcus and Iris, and helping them with their problem as they are lost and separated through time, as they are fighting off the evil mechanisms of the Countess and the Nazi. Emily and Colin's story is an HEA and contained, but Marcus and Iris's story is left to continue. What I wonder is, considering there were three women, Emily and her two friends, in modern Manhattan, and the exhibit featured Marcus's tryptich of the three stages of love - does that mean this is a trilogy and the other two stories involve the other two friends?

2.75 stars out of 5.

I really enjoy time travel stories, and Belle Ami has really given us a unique twist with this story.
Emily Christie was in present day NYC enjoying a trip to an art gallery with two of her friends, when she suddenly finds herself in Victorian England. Her world is turned upside down and sideways, and Emily has no idea how to get home or how to explain her situation! Fortunately Sir Arthur and Lady Helena find her and take her into their home.
This is the first book by Belle Ami I have read, and it definitely won't be my last. A wonderful group of charaters, suspense, an evil villian, and so much more.

Time travel through a painting and to London. Emily gets to know her detective rescuer and we find out about the flower girl serial killer that has been causing distress throughout the city.

I really like the characters in this book, especially Emily. She is a strong modern woman and starts to bring her views to late 1800s London, but has to be creative about it. Colin is just an overall nice guy that likes Emily for her witty and strong traits. Of course the Carmichaels after losing their own daughter welcome Emily like family which creates the wholesome feeling to the story.

Some things I would have liked a bit more of would have been more accidental slip ups by Emily that would have increased the suspense of her being a time traveler. I felt like it took a bit to get to the time travel part and the whole painting business purpose was confusing until later in the book.

This is a first book in the series, so I am curious on what time travel continuation comes next from one of the other paintings. I definitely want to read the next book.

Thank you to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

This author is a gem and if you haven't read her books you are missing out. Very well written with no errors that I could detect. An excellent excellent story. Engaging unique and compelling.

Thank you Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the chance to read an advance copy of London time by Belle Ami. This is a new author for me, and while I did enjoy the story overall, I found the beginning very hard to get into. Three online friends meet to discuss their favourite romance book, a long lost manuscript which tells a time travel romance highlighting three paintings done by artist Marco Allegretto. The three attend an art show featuring these paintings, and when the artist comes alive from the painting he throws Emily back to Victorian England, where she is swept up into a murder mystery. London time is the first of a time travel romance series. 21/2 stars rounded up to 3.

Emily Christie is a journalist who moved from the UK to New York for a marvelous job. Her, and two of her on-line friends are really interested in a book that tells the story of a time traveler and the three paintings it references. A trip to the art gallery changes Emily's life forever.

Colin Remington is investigating a series of murders in Victorian London. An unusual woman who appears out of nowhere must be viewed with suspicion.

This is a complicated time-travel romance that starts slowly but gets a lot more exciting later in the book. The historic characters are lots of fun and draw us in to the tragic tale. The truely evil villain is much more than he first appears to be. I very much look forward to reading the other two books that must come in the series.

Good fun.

DNF I tried. Too many tropes. I sense author has good voice. Needed that 1 special hook idea. Books, pottery, birds,

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋

An enjoyable read that’s full of great characters and a very entertaining storyline.

A time travel romance with chemistry and love interests that will keep you glued to the pages.

My first from this author, I hope to read more.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review