Review: Slightly Better than 2 Stars
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 03 10, 2012
The cover of "Kissing Mr. Bellamy" informs the reader that it features characters from "Whispers in Time."  I'm usually hesitant to pick up a book that's second in a series if I haven't read the first.  Will it stand on it's own or will I be lost if I haven't read the first?  As an author, your goal is to intrigue the reader enough to go back and read the previous book without giving everything away.Emily Templeton has hired investigator Roger Bellamy to uncover who has murdered her Uncle Tobias.  Although the authorities believe Tobias' death to be from natural causes, Emily is convinced he met with foul play.  A small puncture wound on his neck and the disappearance of the only item of value her uncle owned leads her to this conclusion.  The item is a gold medallion her uncle found in an unmarked Egyptian tomb.  The investigation is in the very early stages when Gabriella and Damon from the previous book enter the story and it becomes apparent that the two novels overlap.What happens next can only be described as a whirlwind recap of "Whispers in Time."  Imagine catching the second episode of a new television show only to have it play in fast forward 15 minutes into your viewing.  During that fast foward you get to see the second half of episode one and it has absolutely nothing to do with an Egyptian medallion or finding Uncle Tobias' murderer.  You get pulled into a story of time travel, clandestine meetings, ladies disguised as boys, a carriage accident and a near drowning.  All in fast forward!  Why?  It turns out that Emily was kissing Mr. Bellamy well before Lori Villarreal decided to write a novel with that title.  I'm pretty sure I suffered whiplash when the author slammed on the brakes to pick up the plotline already in progress.You're more than halfway through the book before the storyline gets back to actually investigating the missing medallion and murder.  The investigation takes all of five minutes since Emily overhears a conversation which reveals the possible murderer and the location of the medallion."Kissing Mr. Bellamy" had a plot in loosest of terms, but was actually just a string of sexual encounters between Emily and Roger.  I found myself skimming large portions because they amounted to nothing more than segues between sex scenes designed to show their voracious appetite for each other.  By the time the plot reared its head again, I really didn't care how it was resolved.Skim it for the sex scenes (which are well written) because the plot is nearly non-existent.  As for "Whispers in Time," the recap in this book gave away enough that I don't feel the need to read it.