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From national bestselling author Sylvain Reynard comes the haunting, unforgettable tale of one man’s salvation and one woman’s sensual awakening . . .
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.
OMG, this book was beyond AMAZING. When I was told how fantastic this book was I was skeptical because you just never know. I read the blurb and I was interested. When I started reading it I so know what my friend meant. I had such a hard time putting it down. I was so desperate to keep reading it that when I was at my 3 year old niece's birthday party I pulled out my iPod so I could keep reading it. THAT is how HOOKED I was....LOL. Gabriel's Inferno is so hard to put into words because I am having a hard time trying to make you all understand just how much this book is A MUST READ. My friend described it as EPIC and I can't tell you how much I agree with her. Gabriel is such a complex character that, at first, you want to write him off as a BIG TIME jerk but upon further inspection you realize he is just an extremely self-tortured soul. I say self-tortured because Gabriel doesn't allow himself any room for forgiveness, therefore, he is always consumed by what he perceives to be a nonredeemable soul. Julianne, is just a young girl at heart, with a crush that never went away but she is also a woman with, what she believes, to be a shameful secret. Julia has loved Gabriel since the first time she ever saw him, but circumstances beyond either of their control has kept them apart for 6 years. When Julia comes face to face with her secret crush she is devastated to realize he doesn't even remember who she is, let alone what she means to his family. Gabriel, for his part, is almost blind to what is right in front of him. To him, miss Mitchell is, nothing more than a bothersome grad student who happens to be in his Dante Seminar class. BUT, the more time he spends around her the more he starts to feel things he never thought possible. When he learns that Julia is his long lost "Beatrice", Gabriel pulls out all the stops to make Julianne see how much they belong together. Even though both character's are struggling with their own inner turmoil they are determined to not let the other one see for fear that it will ruin their fragile serenity. Julia's innocence and Gabriel's jaded past is what makes these two such captivating characters. This book is PHENOMENAL, I can't stress that enough. To me, this series (yes, there is going to be a book 2) is right up there with The Twilight Saga and The Harry Potter Series (in my humble opinion). On a scale from 1-10 I give Gabriel's Inferno a 20. Yes, it is off the scale because this book is just that incredible. I can't think up enough creative words to say how amazing this book is. Everyone needs to pick up a copy of this book.
56 out of 59 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 23, 2011
Sylvain Reynard's writing is like no other I have ever experienced. A sense of hope, together with his wisdom and kindness shine through each chapter as this beautiful romantic love story unfolds. This is a journey where I have learned to appreciate poetry, art, music and literature. The characters have become loved friends who I care about deeply and want good things to happen to. Thank you SR. Just thank you.
30 out of 31 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 31, 2012
If you are looking for a follow-up book, this one it is not. It started strong; seemed like there would be a lot of content. But then...fell flat. The hero changes his personality overnight. There were some good moments, definitely, but not enought to sit through the whole book. You will be particularly disappointed if you are looking for hot sex scenes. Let me tell you, you wait a VERY long time for it and it is so uncomfortable to read! May I also add, the whole virgin storyline got old quick. Yes, the heroine is a virgin. I don't want to hear about it for 200 pages! And how he will be her first...ugh! To sum up, it had potential, not awful but it didn't deliver.
25 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 23, 2011
This is a wonderful book. The Professor is a man I would love to meet. His uncanny ability to love so strong will leave you wanting. The Author's writing style is great and the knowledge base of the book is like no other. I can't wait for more books by him!
19 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 19, 2011
This is not a book you read once and walk away not caring anymore. These words will live inside of you. This is one to give a chance of the thousands of books out there. The author is a fine writer, who writes fluidly and keeps you intrigued every step of the way.
MissRMD
19 out of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Exciting and well written. finished it in half a day because I cared about the characters.
16 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 24, 2012
I dont know what to make of this book. It is NOTHING like the shades series by E.L.im a little disappointed and im half way through the book and im feeling forced to read it because i paid 6.99 and i feel somewhat cheated by the reviews and blurb. Its all too proper and im annoyed by the innocence so far. Its boring.i have only gotten one real glimpse of passion so far. Ive already found myself shopping for a new book.
16 out of 28 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2012
The dialog was sappy and boring, and the whole plot fell flat on it's face. I wasn't sure who I disliked more, Julianne for being a meek, spineless, clumsy girl who (like Anastasia) is prone to fainting, swooning, and lip biting. Or Gabriel, the un-original male protagonist who (like Christian) becomes obsessed with the virginal Julianne and showers her with designer clothes that she repeatedly refuses but then eventually accepts. Shocker! We get it, she's a virgin and Gabriel is "her first." She's nervous about Gabriel being "her first", and Gabriel is honored that he will be "her first." Ugh! Do we really need 200 pages of dialog on that? I got so irritated with the characters that by the end I couldn't care less what became of them.
15 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 7, 2012
Just read the 50shades of grey series which was awesome so maybe expecting too much . I ,iked the book but agree with previous review. It gets pretty sappy and many parts of story seem to go nowhere
15 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 21, 2011
Excellent story. Excellent writer.
13 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 10, 2012
Boring unlikeable characters. SLOOOOOOW moving. Just plain boring.
11 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book was GREAT!! I only struggled to keep attention when the main couples relationship started making patterns and the same events kept occurring in different ways (from ABOUT page 100-250). Keeping my attention is important for a 5 star review. After that, I couldn't put the book down! It was a great read and definitely a ROMANCE instead of an erotica. Although, I feel more sex could have been added, I am pleased with how Sylvain Reynard finished this novel. Wonderful!! I love how SR was inspired by Dante, and kept this theme strong throughout the whole book.
9 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 24, 2011
I couldn't put this down! I bought it based on the cover alone and the title, both of which drew me right in. I can't praise this story enough and I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I have mixed feeling about this book. Like some others, I hate to give it a bad review since it seems to be a favorite among other reader. In fact it wasn’t a bad read, it was just a bit sugary and to sweet for my taste.
I was impressed with the writing style and I really liked the story. Gabriel was a conflicted male lead who’s petulant attitude and commanding personality shined in the authors telling of him. I really liked the Dante and Beatrice theme and I was pleasantly educated with the diversity of literary references, wines, foods and music throughout the book. However, here’s my main quibble and where my review slants. The main female character, Julia was way too cowed and too much of a wilting flower. She broke easily and at one point I just set the book down and rolled my eyes because I was tired of all her tears. The first half of the book was really good, taking the reader in with Gabriel and Julia’s first meeting inside his classroom. I was absorbed in the conflict between these two characters, trying to decipher the mystery behind their pasts both individually and together. But then after the initial conflict, the dialogue became unbelievably trite with all the “I love you..” “you’re to precious for this world..” talk. Uggg! And in the last few chapters, I kept expecting something to happen, some sort of fallout. But what we got instead was an incredibly slow seduction that seemed to have sizzled out half way through the book, at least for me.
I did like the background story though. I thought Rachel was a great best friend and I loved the conflict with Julia and the ex-boyfriend. I also liked Gabriel’s past story. It really pulled at my heartstrings and explained why he was so out of sorts. I also liked Paul’s friendship as well as the Clark family.
All in all, the story was interesting and most of the characters were likable as well as relatable. I just hated all the sappy crying, shrinking violet, dizzying love fest I had to endure to get to the good parts.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 6, 2012
I don't get it. Everyone goes on and on about how divine this book is... and yet it left me cold. The storyline is ridiculously contrived, far too long and poorly executed. Terrible. The "heroine" is a giant snooze fest & the Professor is an idiot. I'm sorry I bought it.
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 16, 2012
Loved this book. I read it after the Fifty Shades trilogy and while they are very different, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a much deeper story and the writing is beautiful. I hope there will be a sequel soon.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Laurab68
Posted September 1, 2012
I know that this type of book is outside of my comfort zone in regards to reviewing, but I've been expanding my reading lists and wanted to include some books that I think are great crossovers for the YA market. With the expanding of New Adult and Mature Young Adult, I can't see ignoring these stories. Especially where all these authors are getting huge publishing deals. Sylvain Reynard is one of them.
I've been hemming and hawing about changing my rating from a 4 to a 5, because I just loved this book so much. It's almost like I've become addicted to Julianne and Gabriel. There is so much about this book that I love and a few things that I don't love.
First off what I love is that it is literate. Julianne Mitchell is studying Dante at the University of Toronto under a Dante specialist, Professor Gabriel Emerson. He is unlike any professor I've ever had. He's sexy, he's angry and he's pretty much sex on a stick. However, Julia has a secret. A secret that has kept her in love with her professor for six years. However, for Julia, Gabriel doesn't remember her and she is crushed. She's had an extremely horrible relationship with a former boyfriend that has left her submissive and broken. Gabriel's and Julia's first meeting goes horribly awry.
Thankfully she has a savior in a Ph.D candidate in Paul Norris who instantly takes a liking to Julia and tries to protect the frightened rabbit. However, when Julia is called to Professor Emerson's office, she is shocked to hear him crying and talking roughly on the phone. Julia leaves a note that explains nothing.
After a brief Emerson absence (his adoptive mother has passed away), things between the two are strained and volatile at best. Gabriel has no clue who Julia is and Julia is not willing to part with her knowledge because this cannot be the person she met and fell in love with when she was 17 years old. It's not until Gabriel's sister, Julia's best friend, arrives and he starts to put some things together. He's already feeling the pull of Julia, but he doesn't understand. She seems familiar to him, but he can't quite recall why.
So here we find out how Julia and Gabriel met all those years ago. Gabriel, still not remembering and for a good reason, is still oblivious to his first meeting with Julia. Six years ago, Julia arrived at the Clark's home invited for dinner. What she walked into was a mess. Rachel was crying into her boyfriend's shoulder, there was blood on the floor and the glass coffee table was smashed. Julia asks what happens, and Rachel informs Julia that Gabriel happened. He got into an argument with his parents and punched and broke his brother's nose. Who was now on the way to hospital. Julia sought out Grace (Gabriel's mother), but instead she found Gabriel on the back porch sucking on a beer. Waxing philosophically, he mentions to Julia that she is an angel sent to save his soul. Beatrice to his Dante. Julia is transfixed by his beauty, his honesty and his degradation. He invites her to go on a walk to an orchard on the property. He is the first person who treats her like a woman and not a teenager. He kisses her, his fondles her, but he never, ever goes that extra step. They spend the night in the orchard wrapped in each other's arms.
Gabriel six years later is hardened, tougher, softer and seeks out pleasures of the flesh. He has a hunting ground that he goes to often to find what will soothe him carnally. A place that Julia despises. She is his angel, yet he still has no clue. It's not until Julia is summoned by the bouncer at the club where Gabriel hunts, that she is once again brought in to save Gabriel. He has been pounding back doubles of scotch and has one of his graduate students precariously close to consummating their relationship. With the University's non-fraternization policy, this would prove deathly to Gabriel's career. So with the help of a bartender, she is able to extract Gabriel from the floozy and get him home. Unfortunately a drunk Gabriel means a flirty Gabriel and he kisses Julia. Then proceeds to throw up on her. She cleans him up, cleans herself up and tends to him. It's when he opens his eyes, looks at Julia and calls her Beatrice that he remembers who she is.
Again, Julia spends the night, chastely, in his arms.
However, the next morning, with a savage hangover and a fairly naked Julia dancing around his apartment (she's wearing his old clothing), he is furious because he feels that he violated her (Julia is a virgin), yet, he still manages to insult and destroy Julia's sense of well-being. It's not until he reads the note that she left on his breakfast tray, as he finally let's her go that he remembers spending the night with Julia all those years ago. To him it was a dream.
Gabriel is damaged goods, yet so is Julia. They are simply made for each other in a way that it could be perfect or destructive. There is one scene in the book that totally blew me away. I love rereading that passage so much. After Gabriel realizes who Julia is, she cuts all contact with him. But she has to attend his seminar if she wants to graduate. When she arrives in his class, he tells her that he needs to speak with her after class, she dismisses him and he takes matters into his own hands. Instead of his original seminar, he will be giving a lecture. A lecture on the second meeting between Beatrice and Dante years after they originally met. Basically, Gabriel is trying to tell Julia what happened and why he didn't remember her. Unfortunately for Gabriel, Julia is angry and the class becomes a hot-headed episode of pure lust and complete jealousy. The class is understandably confused by what is transpiring between Gabriel and his student. He is begging and she is fighting back. She is throwing back all of Dante's sins as he is laying down the gauntlet that Beatrice perhaps never cared enough for Dante. Why should she when Dante would seek any whore he could to bed? And what about a particular one named Paulina? This scene knocked my socks off because the metaphors were flying and nobody knew what the hell was going on. Gabriel and Julia are very much like Dante and Beatrice. Beatrice trying to gather Dante out of hell. But cannot because she is already in paradise and she's not admitted.
After that showing in the seminar, Gabriel and Julia take their relationship further. They are falling in love. However, he is still her professor and she is still a virgin. He will court her and they will not take the relationship any further until after the semester ends. As much as they want each other, they both have secrets that would destroy most relationships and Gabriel refuses to make love to her until she knows everything about him. Of course he is also mortified that he seduced a 17 year old back when he was 27, but he didn't remember Julia because he so strung out on coke that he really did think that what he shared with her was a dream. However, Julia is still angry because he left her alone in the woods the next morning not knowing how to get out of them. What they find was a misunderstanding of sorts, he didn't leave, he went for a piss and a smoke. She thought he'd left. He's only called her Beatrice and never learned her name. Of course his family thought he was crazy when he mentioned meeting Beatrice. From there he went into rehab and then back to Harvard to finish his Ph.D dissertation.
I found some similarities to AS Byatt's Possession and this one. I'm not sure if the author read that book, but there was that same literate quality that I crave from time to time. The writing is superb, the language flows, yes Gabriel can be an ass and yet you want to just hug him and soothe him. Julia can get a bit annoying at times, but she has her reasons. Once she agrees to a relationship with Gabriel she totally blooms. But all is not well with the people around her. Her fellow student Christa Peterson has been trying to bed Gabriel for a while and he refuses to acknowledge her
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kay0
Posted May 21, 2012
Due to my mad rush to finish all work before tomorrow’s release of Gabriel’s Rapture, my review will be succinct. To add context to my validity for recommending this title: I work in 7 different libraries, and have the pleasure of speaking to library members and librarians about books, daily. My life literally revolves around books.
In my opinion… Like many other romance novels, when a reader boils down this story, they are left with a couple, dealing with past mistakes and attempting to overcome them. Unlike other romance authors, Sylvain Reynard builds two eloquent characters, which are easy to fall in love with. Gabriel’s Inferno was able to make me laugh and cry.
I’ve recommended this book to many friends, and they have all enjoyed it just as much.
5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 17, 2012
I read this after fifty shades.....had i have read before i would of gave it 4 stars. This was a romance, unrealistic even some paranormal romances seem more real than this. However it is well written and the characters we introduced and developed throughly. I did enjoh it. But after like 100 pages of Dante "worshiping" Julia it gets old. I reccommend this if u like romance novels. As far as erotica barely present.
5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.How anyone can compare this book to 50 Shades is beyond me. There is absolutely no comparison. I'd have to say this is one of the most boring books I've ever read! It's unbelievable how some reviewers can call this book amazing. It took over 450 pages for this couple to finally have the dullest sex on record. Save your money and read a GOOD fairy tale; this book leaves a lot to be desired. A sequel? Don't think so!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
From national bestselling author Sylvain Reynard comes the haunting, unforgettable tale of one man’s salvation and one woman’s sensual awakening . . .
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 ...