Gabriel's Inferno: Volume 1

Sylvain Reynard

Jul 2012 · Gabriel's Inferno Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

From New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard comes the first novel in the Gabriel's Inferno series, a haunting, unforgettable tale of one man’s salvation and one woman’s sensual awakening—NOW A FILM FROM PASSIONFLIX!

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.

Ratings and reviews

The story is a bit cliche in my opinion. It's a fun read, but predictable as the author missed to build the suspense. He gives away through the characters' pov's too much and it become obvious what is to happen. Some descriptions are really NOT necessary. It drags for a long time, it can be tiresome at some point of the book as they have already shared what they thought about each other SEVERAL TIMES, we GOT it! I personally DID NOT like the character of Julia. She has a personality disorder. The author does not do her justice by making her so bipolar (Again it was written by a man, and that must be how they see us). It just doesn't work! I like Gabriel and that's the only reason I kept reading the book and why I am going to read the sequel (mostly also because I like to finish what I started). So besides the cheesy love declaration, the overbearing Dante's connection/quotes, the dragging story, and the inadequacy of the female character, I believe this could be a better book if the author was to go STRAIGHT to the point and NOT repeat what was told countless times.

The writing was above average. I would not consider myself particularly well-read, but this book is so full of literary references that went over my head. The characters are the same as every other romance novel: rich, domineering older man and innocent, fashionable blue stocking. I was not super impressed and there is not enough carnality to balance the Dante fluff.

This too, was originally on fan fiction as a different take on Bella and Edward's relationship in Twilight. Much better written than Twilight and far better than the "no research drivel of the "50" series, Sylvain astounded me with his knowledge of Dante. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I don't approve of professor/student relationships, which almost torpedoed both their careers, hers on the brink, his as a highly respected Dante authority.

About the author

Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence. Reynard is the New York Times bestselling author of Gabriel's Inferno, Gabriel's Rapture, Gabriel's Redemption, Gabriel's Promise, The Raven, and The Shadow.