Xing

I really didn't know what to expect when I started Paradox Lost (PL). I'm a geek for time traveling stories, but I'm also rather picky about it as well. Time traveling straddles a fine line where it easily crosses into the “WTF?!” regions of my mind if not done in a certain way. And of course, it can be confusing as hell if the story gets ahead of itself.

But rest assure that PL is a love story made possible by time travel. It doesn't try to over-complicate things. There are simple rules to follow, and circumstances that result from breaking such natural rules. As such, I don't necessarily feel like you have to be a time traveling fan to enjoy this novel. Just someone who's open to the possibility of it in in fiction and don't over analyze the mechanics of it with a magnifying glass.

But onto the story! PL isn't necessarily a thriller novel, but it is very quickly paced. I was surprised to realize that the majority of the novel happens over the span of two days! So much happens in such a short time that it didn't feel like two days at all. As such, there wasn't really a moment that felt like it dragged with the exception to the last 10% of the book. Our main characters, Saul and Reegan, were constantly on the move. They moved with one another and the world around them. While their attraction for one another was instantaneous, it didn't feel like instalove (even though the time span from strangers status to lovers wasn't very long).

I also enjoyed both main characters. Reegan, the time-traveling tour guide with a Ph.D. in history, might have felt a little more shallow and less developed than ex-Special Forces and ex-cop Saul. But they both didn't really have a quality to dislike. They had good chemistry with one another. The sex was hot and tastefully done without feeling porny. I just wished the story fleshed out Reegan more in terms of his past life growing up.

The book also had a good balance of secondary characters. I just wished they had more spotlight in the story, but understood that it would be difficult to fit them in due to the nature of the story and the pacing issue. The changing POV between Reegan and Saul with each chapter was a nice touch and brought good insight into each characters' head space.

Overall, if you're looking for a fast-paced story involving love, time traveling, and what it means to be a hero, then give Paradox Lost a try.