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Rinse and Repeat
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Rinse and Repeat by Amberly Smith
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I agree this was an excellent book. There has been some discussion of it in the paranormal thread - llike you, I wasn't sure of the best place to put it. I didn't know there is a prequel, I must go and hunt it out.
Mod
This brings up a problem I've recently noticed, in regards to double-posting. In the original instructions for posting on this forum, I told people to use the search function to determine if a book had been previously discussed before posting a review. (Because if a book had already been mentioned on the forum, it only makes sense to file any additional reviews under the original review.)
Well, turns out the search function DOESN'T WORK WELL. I did a search for both "Amberly Smith" and "Rinse and Repeat," and this search did NOT bring up the fact that a review of this book had already appeared on the forum, before I posted my own review.
Anyway---hmmm, should I leave this here under sci-fi or not?
It would be good to have some sort of cross- reference if you do decide to leave it here. That way people finding the book in either section will know there are more posts they may wish to follow up. Posting in two different genres will draw yhe book to the attention of those seeking out a sci fi read and those looking for a paranormal.
After reliving the same day sixty-two times, Repeater Peat Harris is about to give up on his latest case: saving Jake Schwinn. In the past, Peat has solved some seriously twisted crimes, caught the bad guys, and kept an emotional distance. But this time, his heart’s involved, a definite must-never-do on Repeats, and he can’t just walk away—even if that means putting himself into the bullet’s path.
A year ago, Jake’s best friend was gunned down, and Jake has been playing bait to catch the killer. But now a wicked-looking hottie named Peat is warning Jake that he’s about to die—again—unless they can catch the shooter. Yeah, right. Then Jake starts to remember the previous Repeats and how he and Peat hooked up...
It was difficult to choose a category in which to place this novel; it’s one of those stories that covers a number of genres. Another review of this book has been posted in the "Paranormal" folder, but in the end I decided to add it to the "Sci-fi" section as well---though perhaps I should have placed in under "Fantasy"? Argh, decisions, decisions.... Mystery, paranormal, romance, sci-fi---what on earth would you call the book?
Well, I’ll settle for calling it excellent. No mistake---I simply loved this book, and was one of those stories that I couldn't put down once I had started reading. While similar ideas have been used in films and literature before, I’ve not previously seen this exact premise explored as it is here. And I appreciated how the reader is initially left to figure out just what the heck is going on without too much explanation or background being provided. Let’s face it---I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, or the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree; usually I prefer having things spelled out for me. But even I was able to comprehend the gist of the plot before long, though about three-quarters of the way through the book we finally do learn at least a little more about Peat, and what being a Repeater is all about.
I really did feel for Peat, the anguish he feels when time and time again he isn’t able to save Jake, only to have the entire day start over with a fresh chance to figure out what’s going on, what he can do to make things right. Though---to make matters worse, he’s come to genuinely love Jake even as he’s trying to save him, and hoping that the day won’t end once again with the man dying in his arms (or with him taking the bullet for Jake instead). He tries to toughen himself against these feelings---during this Repeat it’s as if he’s known Jake for over two months, and it breaks his heart a little as every day dawns and Jake once again doesn’t know him.
However, this time things start to go differently--- as the Repeat drags on and on, Jake slowly begins to have flashes of memory from the alternate timelines of previous Repeats, something which has never happened before...
The book ends most satisfactorily, and in my opinion provides a good set-up for a continuing series. So far there’s only one short prequel story to this book, titled Closet Case , which is about Peat trying to come out to his mother while simultaneously working on another Repeat, but I haven’t read it yet. I have no idea if the author has any plans to write further novels about these characters, but I would buy them in a heartbeat if she does.
Recommended for fantasy/sci-fi fans!
(Oh, about the cover…. It isn’t terrible, but here’s some advice for artists/graphic designers: enough with the headless naked torso covers! This has absolutely been done to death---you can be more creative than this.)