[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Rocky Mountain Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble[/alert]
Isabel and Diego have had a long road to love. They first got together years ago but broke up because of fear and doubt. They meet again years later and, following a terrorist attack, get back together. Things go smoothly until Diego is taken to help the government determine why his name is in an alien device. It is eventually determined that our universe will end unless Diego goes to a parallel universe in order to stabilize his relationship with Isabel. For reasons unknown, their relationship is the key to survival. When things go awry, it is Isabel who time travels to the other universe to try to change things with Diego before it’s too late for the world.
Crossing in Time: The First Disaster by author D.L. Orton is a unique book about time travel that poses an interesting question: can people change, or are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over, even across time and space? This question is explored through Isabel and Diego’s relationship in both their original universe and the other to which Isabel eventually travels. Their story is intertwined with the story of the government agencies working on finding a solution for the upcoming apocalypse, which serves nicely to build suspense. Diego is a fun character – charming, attractive, and sincere. Where the story falters is with Isabel’s character. She is written as a woman who is perpetually waiting for someone to save her even as she is pushing that person away. She doesn’t trust in Diego’s love for her, and comes off as highly needy. It makes the reader wonder why Diego would want to have a relationship with her in the first place. The dynamic of their relationship becomes more frustrating when Isabel goes back in time and the book turns into couple’s therapy for the pair. While its premise was an interesting one, my growing frustration with and dislike for Isabel made this book a chore to finish. Readers who want a good sci-fi book about time travel should look elsewhere.
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