The Perils of Rereading

So I'm reading this book. It's a book I've read in the past and loved, and I decided to reread it and the two that come after it in the trilogy. I'm not going to name it or any of the characters in it, because the last thing I want to do is spoil an excellent series for someone.

But I feel the need for a little grumble. It's only a very little one and really more of a reflection than anything else, or maybe a vent. I’m not exactly sure.

It is very rare for the fact I'm rereading a book to have a negative impact on my enjoyment of it. For one thing, thanks to CFS my memory is so poor I often can barely remember what happened anyway. (This is great for rereading mysteries as I can get through the whole book without a clue about who did it, no matter how many times I’ve read it before.) But I don’t forget absolutely everything, and sometimes knowing stuff ahead of time is great and sometimes it’s a (small) problem.

So, this book…

There’s this hero – a yummy, brooding, wonderful hero – and two women have been introduced into the story, both of whom could be a love interest for him. One is quiet and solid and perfect, and indeed she is who he ends up with in the finish and they are great together. The other is willful, fiery, fascinating and, when push comes to shove, rather a bitch. Since I’m halfway through book one, the hero is, of course, attracted to the latter. I, as the rereader, know she isn’t worthy of him. I know she’s going to fail him when he needs her and I know she is going to show her true nature before even the first book is over.

The problem is, he doesn’t. He’s in love with her – or thinks he’s in love with her – and I know how much she’s going to hurt him. I want to yell, “Not her! Not her!” at the hero and point out how much better the other woman is. Unfortunately, however real he is to me, the man is still words on a page and he isn’t going to listen to me.

I know it will be okay in the end, but first I have to read the last half of this volume where he’s investing so much in her and she’s going to throw it all in his face. And that’s making it hard for me to keep reading, as much as I love the books and want to enjoy the story all over again. I guess I’m too invested in the hero and I know how much pain the rest of the plot is going to cause him, without him wasting his emotions on a woman who isn’t worthy of spit.

As wonderful as it is rediscovering a great series – and that’s what these books are – sometimes rereading is hard on the emotions.