Synopsis:
Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.
When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.
An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, "Gabriel's Inferno" is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible...forgiveness and love.
Nicky's Review
4 Stars
Characters- I loved Gabriel, despite his asshat ways at times. I also really enjoyed Julianne too, despite her constant need to cry.
Plot/Storyline- This story was very well done and flowed effortlessly. I love how Gabriel and Julia came full circle. Just beautiful.
Steam Factor- STEAMY!!!! Gabriel is a Sex God who puts his woman's needs first. Yes Please!!!
Cover- Perfectly Beautiful.
Cliffhanger- Somewhat, but not really. You feel that the story can grow from there, but it ended nicely. Definitely interested in reading the next book to see the next chapter of their story :)
Overall- I really enjoyed this story. It was a bit over my head at times with it's constant historical literary references but the story of Julianne and Gabriel was worth all of the Googling I had to tire myself with just to make sense of some of the references.
This is the story of Gabriel, a highly educated and rich professor, and his student, Julianne. This sounds like your typical teacher/student romance, but it's not. There is a history between these two complicated characters and the progress of their relationship was fun to watch, but there were some aspects that sort of drove me nuts.
I didn't really enjoy all of the written foreign language, be it Latin or Italian, for I felt it was a bit of a filler in the story. There was a speech that Gabriel gives and it states that he spoke Italian but it was written for the reader in English, to which I felt the Italian and Latin written wording could have been done the same way to save page space and my time. But I am not a follower of historical literature so the written foreign language in the story didn't add anything for me, just extra time skimming over it since I had no idea what it said anyway; unless it was translated as it sometimes was.
To add to the confusion, there were constant Literary Character references that kept me having to stop reading in order to Google the characters and their story in order to understand what the author was trying to convey about Gabriel and Julianne's relationship. Such references were couples such as Beatrice & Dante, Cupid & Phyche, Heloise & Abelard and many more. Yeah, I didn't know Cupid had a love interest, but there you have it. I felt a bit uneducated and at times stupid since I didn't know any of these references. It made the reading a bit laborious and prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story since I'd have to stop and Google references at times.
My last complaint was Julianne's insistence on keeping her identity a secret. It was so frustrating since the circumstances that caused Gabriel's confusion and poor memory just made sense and for Julianne to keep dragging out her and his misery was just frustrating. I wanted to just yell at her and tell her, "Tell him who you are and what he should remember you stupid, stupid girl!! Stop playing memory games with him!!" But that's just me.
Please don't think I didn't enjoy this book because I did. I really did. Once I got past the above issues I really enjoyed this well written and intellectually intriguing story about two lost souls who are living in hell until they find their soul mates again. Sort of a second chance love story with a twist. And despite my dislike for the added literary references, I will say that I have come away from this story with more historical literary knowledge than I would have ever found in another love story. I didn't just walk away from this story with a happy feeling from a love story, I also came away with a bit of an education and that was really neat.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading about a Broken, Haunted, Hot as Hell Alpha male who finds a sweet girl who heals him with her innocence, love, understanding and selflessness. This is a well written story that will stay with me for a long time. Well done Sylvain Reynard! Well done! XOXO
Favorite Quotes:
“Why not think that sometimes—just sometimes—you can overcome evil with silence? And let people hear their hatefulness in their own ears, without distraction. Maybe goodness is enough to expose evil for what it really is, sometimes.”
“Look at me. Look into my eyes." His eyes fixed on hers as they fluttered open."I'll give you anything. My body, my soul, Take them. Take everything.”
“When I am an old man and I can remember nothing else, I will remember this moment. The first time my eyes beheld an angel in the flesh. “I will remember your body and your eyes, your beautiful face and breasts, your curves and this.” He traced his hand around her navel before dragging it lightly to the top of her lower curls. “I will remember your scent and your touch and how it felt to love you. But most of all, I will remember how it felt to gaze at true beauty, both inside and out. For you are fair, my beloved, in soul and in body, generous of spirit and generous of heart. And I will never see anything this side of heaven more beautiful than you.”
“When I told you that I was intending to worship you with my body, I meant it. With all my heart. I will never take from you. I will only give. In my bed and outside of it.”
“Ever had a beer before?" Gabriel grinned.
She shook her head.
"Then I'm glad I'm your first."
...
"Have you ever held a boy's hand before?" She shook her head, and he laughed softly. "Then I'm glad I'm your first."
...
"Have you ever been kissed by a boy?"
She blushed deeply and shook her head.
"Then I'm glad I'm your first."
...
"Have you ever fallen asleep in the arms of a boy before, Beatrice?"
She shook her head.
"Then I'm glad I'm your first."
...
"I haven't really danced like this before," she said wistfully.
"Then I'm glad I'm your first."
...
"Has a man ever asked you to marry him before?"
She shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand."Then I'm glad I'm your first.”
“Then you haven't lost your soul. Only a creature with a soul can tell the difference between right and wrong. Yes, you've made mistakes, but you feel guilt. You feel remorse. And if you still have your soul, you haven't lost your chance at redemption.”
“All believers are hypocrites because none of us live up to our beliefs.”
“Julia never asked herself why bad things happen to good people, for she already knew the answer: bad things happen t everyone. Not that this was an excuse or a justification for wronging another human being. Still, all humans had this shared experience- that of suffering. No human being left this world without shedding a tear,of feeling pain,or wading into the sea of sorrow. Why should her life be any different? Why should she expect special, favoured treatment? Even Mother Teresa suffered, and she was a saint.”
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