Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno, #1)

by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Inferno is the first in this intoxicating trilogy featuring Gabriel and Julia, following their sensual journey of forbidden love - with all the obsessive yearning of Twilight with the intensity of Fifty Shades of Grey.

One man's salvation, one woman's sensual awakening . . .

Gabriel Emerson is a man tortured by his dark past. A highly respected university professor, Gabriel uses his notorious good looks and charm to lead a secret life of pleasure where nothing is out of bounds.

Sweet and innocent, Julia Mitchell enrols as Gabriel's graduate student and his immediate attraction to her, and their powerful and strange connection, threatens to derail his career. Wildly passionate and sinful, Gabriel's Inferno is an exploration of the intense power of forbidden love.

Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence.

Reviewed by Cocktails and Books on

5 of 5 stars

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This is one of those books that I had read a few reviews of and figured I'd get to it when I could. I'm so glad I pushed this one up my TBR pile.

Julia Mitchell has uprooted her life to write her thesis on Dante's Inferno with one of the best professors on the subject at the University of Toronto. What Julia doesn't know, until the first day of class, is her professor is the man she has harbored a crush on for the last six years. Torn between the feelings she has for the Gabriel she had built up in her mind and the reality of Gabriel make things difficult for Julia as she tries to put her life back together. Sometimes reality is not close to what you dream...but sometimes it could be better.

Oh Professor Emerson! He was the absolute biggest ass you have ever met and treated Julia like she wasn't worthy enough to be on the bottom of his shoe, but you slowly find yourself falling for Gabriel despite how we are first introduced to him. He's a very complex man who has lead a very hard life that has jaded him. But Julia colors his dark world, even when he doesn't want her to. He fights with himself over his feelings for Julia and their situation. But when he gives in, nothing stops him for fighting for Julia's love.

Julia, while often times appearing very weak, was just as complex as Gabriel. She herself had led a very hard life and many times appears to be broken by what she's gone through. Gabriel's mouth tends to beat her down even more, but she discovers her backbone with Gabriel at one of his darker moments. It was great to see and made me love Julia's character even more because she makes Gabriel "work" for her.

There is a lot that happens in this book. While it's not an overly erotic read, it is one that is chocked full of emotional upheaval and angst that, at times, can drain you but is so very satisfying when you get to the end. This is definitely one that I highly recommend.

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  • Started reading
  • 22 December, 2012: Finished reading
  • 22 December, 2012: Reviewed