*REVIEW* "Gabriel's Rapture" by Sylvain Reynard

Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.

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My Thoughts

"Gabriel's Rapture" is book #2 in the Gabriel series, and in my opinion, is even better than book 1 (Gabriel's Inferno). After Gabriel and Julia finally get themselves together at the end of Inferno, we get to see where this not-so-new relationship goes after its "allowed" to happen. We delve WAY deeper into the characters, including some more aspects of Gabriel's past. 

But of course, once a relationship starts going, there are bound to be issues. Some of these issues, you could have never guessed were coming, some were obvious, and all in all, it adds so much to their story, to their bond. 

"I love you, Beatrice. I'm not going to leave you. You know that, right? It would hurt so much more to lose you now."

But when certain situations come to light, Gabriel and Julia are severely tested in their relationship. Their hands are forced to do things that test their love, and especially their communication. 

"She is not my equal; she is my better. She is my sticky little leaf."

There is a ton of action, a ton of guessing, in Gabriel's Rapture. It leaves you on edge, and wondering where it is all going to go. And how their relationship can survive the situations being thrown at them. But it also shows their devotion towards each other, how far a lover would go to hold on, keep what they have. But how much is too much for one "new" relationship to survive? 

"When you showed up outside my apartment I didn't know whether to hit you or kiss you."

I definitely felt even more connected with Gabriel and Julia in this book. Not that I didn't connect with them in book 1, but here we watch Julia flourish, and Gabriel soften. We get more sides of their personalities, and I loved that about this one. The first time I read this book was a year ago, and that year long wait for book 3 was a killer haha. I am THRILLED to now have read book 3, Gabriel's Redemption. Check back on December 7th for my blog tour stop and review of Gabriel's Redemption.

Favorite Quote:

"Wait for me..."

*REVIEW* "Gabriel's Inferno" by Sylvain Reynard

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.

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My Thoughts

"Gabriels Inferno" was a pre-blog read for me. I actually read it well over a year ago. But when the opportunity came up to be on the blog tour for Book #3, "Gabriel's Redemption", I jumped on the chance to re-read the first two in the series. These have been, hands down, one of my top 5 series reads since I read them, and definitely one of my go-to books to recommend anyone asking!

This isn't your typical teacher-student book, so get that out of your head right now. There is much more to this story than that. Gabriel, a Dante specialist Professor, is tortured by demons of his past, and Julia, a grad student with a Dante focus, is used to her life of "just so", and not exactly looking for much otherwise, except one thing. She is school-focused, and (somewhat) content as to where her life is currently. But there is once huge secret that she has held on to...

When Gabriel and Julia first lay eyes on each other, sparks fly. But for Gabriel, not used to any sort of feeling, he immediately goes up into defensive mode, and lives up to his "obnoxious professor" status he has earned over the years. But Julia has ways of breaking through, and eventually these two try to fall into whatever type of "friendship" a student and a teacher can have. However, once Gabriel sees the innocence of Julia, he starts erecting his walls right back up. He does not feel worthy of such innocence, when he feels as though he has lived his entire life in sin.

" 'We exist under the red flag of professionalism. Professors can't be friends with their students. And even if we were just Julianne and Gabriel sharing a pizza, you shouldn't want to be friends with me. I am a magnet for sin, and you are not.' He smiled sadly. 'So you see, it's hopeless. Abandon hope all ye who enter.' "

Lines are crossed, secrets come to light, pasts are revealed, and careers could possibly be in the balance. But the pull between Gabriel and Julia might just be too hard to break apart. Now it's a matter of how to handle it, and how far to really let this go. 

" 'Feel my heartbeat.'
He frowned. 'Too fast. Like a hummingbird's wings.'
'This is what happens every time I'm near you. When you touch me. I'm the one who's overcome by you, Gabriel. Don't you know that?' "

This book sucked me in and turned me upside-down after the first chapter, and it had the same effect on me the second time around. Not only is the story intriguing, but the writing is fantastic. Sylvain Reynard has a way with words that just grabs at you. You feel like you are living the story. You hurt for the characters, you laugh with the characters, you feel like you could be one of the characters. And there are always lines in Sylvain's writing that are just beautiful, that stick with you, that makes your heart beat a little bit quicker..

"Two almost-lovers entwined beneath a dark November sky, the stars and moonlight their only illumination."

I'll be back with my review of Book 2, "Gabriel's Rapture", asap. 

Be sure to check back on the blog the first week of December for my tour stop of "Gabriel's Redemption", Book 3.

Quote that gives me chills:

" 'Beatrice?' he whispered. "

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