Sylvain ReynardRezensionen

Beautiful!

This is the second time I’ve read this book and I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I loved the build up between Julia and Gabriel. The sensuality between them.

While I usually read steamier romances, the flow and sensualness of this book is just as appealing to me.

Gabriel's Inferno was a sexy, sophisticated read and I am desperate for the next novel!

When I went to the book store and I wanted a Sylvain Reynard read (after reading The Raven) the book store associate warned me this was a "Fifty Shades of Grey-like novel". Man, was that associate wrong!

This novel is far from Fifty Shades of Grey! The only comparisons I could find is that: they are both not short novellas, they are full length novels. They are also both romance novels, but many novels are romance novels.

Gabriel's Inferno follows Gabriel and Julia (Or Julianne, a la Gabriel). Julia is shy and inexperienced in the land of boys. Gabriel is her professor. When Julia and Gabriel realize they know each other from a long time ago, their history brings them together and intertwines them.

The novel starts off rather slow, but once I was into it I was hooked! The novel is very sexy and seductive! If anything, this novel could have improved on throwing more romance and drama in before the finale of the novel. The secrets characters hold are revealed at a good pace, and the characters are not one note. Each character has many layers to them, which makes this read thoroughly addicting.

I'm hooked! Five out of five stars! Sylvain Reynard can do no wrong in my books!

The Raven was a fantastic novel that kept me hooked at every turn! Sylvain Reynard made a wonderfully addictive novel I would suggest to anyone who loves fantasy, supernatural, romance and action/adventure!

The Raven follows a young girl named Raven and a hero and interest in her life: a vampire prince. At first the novel appears to be some form of YA novel, but it is very dark and twisted. I see this novel as more of a New Adult or older novel, but is still just as intriguing as many YA novels.

The novel proves to be a new take on vampire novels, at least in my eyes. A young girl who is a spitting image of someone William (our vampire prince) used to know, who affected him greatly, is saved by the vampire and suddenly feels very different. Instead of being a vampire like what happens in most novels, the girl has lost some of her memory and must struggle to remember what happened. With the help of William she discovers some of her memories and reveals some of her troubling past.

Together, the pair are an interesting and perfect set of characters. They both have very distinct personalities that are not your typical novel characters. They have obvious flaws and are not afraid of them.

I really appreciated this novel. With the many references to art, the interesting characters and a unique plot, this novel is one of the best I've ever read!

Three out of five stars! I'd recommend this book to everyone!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Sylvain Reynard has another incredible novel in The Shadow.

This is the sequel to The Raven, and it doesn't disappoint. While this novel doesn't seem to move as fast as the first one, it is still delicious and intriguing.

I liked this novel, but I didn't exactly love it. Yes, I was obsessed with knowing what would happen with the characters but I felt like it was missing something. There was a good amount of romance in it, and the action lacked a little. I felt like this book was more of a set up, since it explained a lot of the vampire politics involved in the story.

This series does have at least one more book (I heard a rumour it was two) so this book ended at the perfect little cliffhanger. It wasn't a cliffhanger that left me angry at Sylvain for making me wait, but it was just enough - leaving me desperate for the next book but willing to wait.

Overall, I did enjoy this book! The first book was so incredible (and so was the Gabriel's series) that I had really high expectations for this book, perhaps too high.

Four out of five stars. I can't wait for the next book, I want it now!

Gabriel's Redemption is the third book in the Gabriel's Inferno series by Sylvain Reynard.

The first two books in this series were real hits - they were dramatic, full of suspense and tension, and romantic. This book, on the other hand, was mostly full of sex scenes and Gabriel demanding that Julia have a baby.

In all honesty, I really wanted to like this book. I love Sylvain's writing style and have fallen in love with his words. His stories are smooth as silk and feel like a master class in writing. But, this time around I felt like Gabriel was a giant jerk and Julia was putting up with it. Gabriel wanted a child and Julia didn't, so they had a child. A woman was hitting on Gabriel and tried to woo him away, and that story line just... ended? I wanted to see more than it just suddenly end. It felt like it could have not been included and the story would have ended the same. Paul pining after Julia was also a story line that didn't go very far. Rachel wanting a baby also felt like it was cut short. The entire ending felt suddenly rushed too! It felt like there was a lot of wasted potential.

I still loved the writing and I felt connected to this story. I like Gabriel and Julia's story so I felt like I needed to know how it ended. There's going to be another book in this series so I'm curious to see how Sylvain will make that story go. This book literally felt like Sylvain was answering some reader's prayer to continue the story, but didn't pack the punch that the last two books did. It was just a very long epilogue.

The highlights of this book are as followed: Julia's Dad's story arc, Julia's lecture, the beautiful scenery described and the love story continuing.

That being said, I still liked it. All of the hype built up for this book was probably why it fell so hard for me. My expectations were way too high. This book is the honeymoon for Gabriel and Julia, not the finale. I truly hope the next book finishes off some of the storyline Sylvain opened up. Especially since this book was just one giant cliffhanger.

Three out of five stars.

P.S. The Superman and Lois Lane comments were really funny but felt out of place. I came for the love story and stayed for the comic book references.

**La recensione contiene blandi spoiler**

Sono arrivata in fondo al libro. E' stata una faticaccia, ma alla fine ce l'ho fatta. E sinceramente non riesco a capire il fascino di questa coppia, Gabriel e Julia, il professore e la sua ormai ex studentessa.

Questo secondo volume prende avvio da dove li avevamo lasciati, cioè al risveglio dalla loro prima notte di sesso. E dopo che Gabriel ci ha fatto una testa così nel rassicurarsi delle condizioni di Julia, cosa fa? La porta a zonzo per Firenze, mettendola in bella mostra di fronte all'ambiente accademico. E la cosa assurda è che poi si stupiscono pure quando qualcuno li denuncia per aver infranto il regolamento universitario.

Si rischia lo scandalo, la fine delle loro carriere, etc... I piccioncini (anche se sarei tentata da definirli in ben altro modo... magari con un toscanismo...) sono costretti a separarsi (dopo una dettagliatissima e oltremodo noiosa parte in cui Reynard ci descrive tutta l'indagine interna, dove i brutti e cattivi professori attentano al loro sacro amore).

Gabriel fa il martire. Julia si crogiola nella disperazione perché pensa che Gabriel abbia smesso di amarla. Lui certo non le facilita il compito: dato che i brutti e cattivi professori erano in ascolto (Ah, sì? A me sembrava che i due stessero in un corridoio vuoto in compagnia dei rispettivi avvocati...), non poteva dirle come stavano davvero le cose. E poi è un modo così dozzinale di separarsi dalla propria fidanzata in un momento così drammatico! Il professor Emerson se ne scappa quindi fuori con qualche citazione - che strano, l'avreste mai detto? - della quale Julia deve scoprire il significato.

Ovvio che la poveretta non capisce niente. E quel gran genio di Emerson se ne stupisce pure quando avverrà la provvidenziale riconciliazione. Seriamente, una donna dovrebbe sognare di stare con un uomo così cogl***e?

E credetemi, la riconciliazione non è meno assurda della separazione. Julia gli rimprovera di prendere le decisioni anche per lei, senza tener conto delle sue opinioni. Verissimo. Gabriel fa tutto il contrito, il carino&coccoloso e poi? Se ne esce fuori che non faranno più sesso finché non si sposeranno, perché - secondo lui, ovviamente - non possono andare a letto insieme finché Julia non ha di nuovo completa fiducia in lui.

Quindi, morale della favola, si sposano perché Gabriel non glielo dà e Julia è fuori di sé dalla voglia e non vuole nessun'altro che lui. E' così romantico che mi si è davvero sciolto il cuore.

Avete notato qualcosa in tutto questo? La solita, patetica e irritante somiglianza con Twilight (o forse dovrei specificare... New Moon ed Eclipse). Se questo non è abbastanza, posso dirvi che l'amico Paul consolerà la povera Julia dal cuore spezzato e - ovviamente - verrà respinto perché la ragazza non è in grado di dargli quell'amore totale che lui merita. Bla, bla, bla.

E altrettanto ovviamente, nel mezzo di tutto questo, ci sono citazioni e riferimenti a questo e a quest'altro (incluso il povero Dante). Per fortuna le scene di sesso sono pochissime: sono ancora traumatizzata da quella del primo volume. Non ho riscontrato neanche tutta questa eleganza: per esserlo non basta citare grandi autori o far vestire i propri personaggi con completi di Armani.

Gabriel Emerson = Christian Grey = Edward Cullen
Julianne Mitchell = Anastasia Steel = Bella Swan

La recensione potrebbe terminare qui. Chi ha orecchie per intendere intenda.

Ma dopo giorni di noiosissima lettura ho voglia di infierire un po'.

Gabriel Emerson. Bello, ricco, intelligente. Oh, e con tante di quelle ombre da poter far avere un orgasmo multiplo a uno psichiatra. La solita zuppa... no! Peggio! Perché il prof è pure un dantista che pensa di aver trovato la sua Beatrice... e che quindi si sente in dovere di infarcire i suoi discorsi di citazioni prese a destra e a manca.

Julianne Mitchell. Bella ma incompresa, imbranata patologica (seriamente... Bella e Ana erano delle dilettanti in confronto), vergine casta e pura, reduce da uno str**** di fidanzato, fragile e delicata. In poche parole, noiosa e inutile. Più andavo avanti nella lettura e più pensavo: "Ma che m'importa di questa?". E' un personaggio talmente piatto e insignificante da non far incuriosire nemmeno sul suo passato tormentato.

Dante, Sommo Poeta! Che sofferenza vederti violentato e abusato in tale bassezza. Mentre leggevo, mi risuonavano nella mente i versi de L'alluvione di R. Marasco:

Dante di marmo,
poeta divino,
mira sdegnato
l'immane casino

e pensavo al volto accigliato di Dante in Santa Croce...

... e pensavo che sarebbe stata proprio questa la faccia di Dante davanti a questo romanzo...

Ultimo appunto: la tana di hobbit. Sono un'amante di Tolkien e credo che anche lui di offenderebbe leggendo questo libro. Tolkien non sarebbe stato per niente d'accordo nell'accostare un fatiscente appartamento da studentessa universitaria spiantata con un'abitazione hobbit. Incipit de Lo Hobbit:

In una caverna sotto terra viveva uno Hobbit. Non era una caverna brutta, sporca, umida, piena di resti di vermi e di trasudo fetido, e neanche una caverna arida, spoglia, sabbiosa, con dentro niente per sedersi o da mangiare: era una caverna hobbit, cioè comodissima.

Niente a che vedere con l'appartamento dove vive Julia. A proposito di citazioni a vanvera...

It's difficult to put words around my thoughts on this one. It's somewhat dark in that both characters carry baggage. It tries to be very (to use his over-used word) chaste... Not sure I would really call it that though. It is sweet overall. The play on literary figures was interesting. While I did not like the female lead, I did think the author did a decent job of unfolding the characters. The plot itself is pretty canned and predictable... The naive and innocent girl tames the bad boy. Even though secrets were divulged, I wasn't sure I felt that the characters had dealt with how those flaws might affect them and their relationship.

Worth the read. However, it seems to attempt to go deep, but pulls back before really exploring the underlying character flaws... 3 stars.

Hard to give this 5 stars, because we have yet another 50 Shades remix with a vapid, fatuous, annoying, clumsy, self doubting, no-pain-tolerance, oh-so-sweet lead female character. Oh, and she's a VIRGIN!!!!! So while Gabriel is burning up with desire, she just does her version of "Oh, my" and yes, bites her lip (stop me if you've read this before), sighs, and tells him that he is worthy of her love.

Gabriel is hott, sensuous, troubled, and intense. Of course, he is also perfect, rich, and awfully smart (stop me if you've heard THIS before). In fact, everyone in this story is smarter than you. Different languages trip off their tongues, they can quote from all sorts of Italian literature, and still drink like fish.

Annoying? Yes.
Hott n' steamy? Yes, that too. Not as much sex as 50 Shades, but a lot more intelligent. Don't worry, everyone is broken and it takes FOREVER to sort it out. This book could've been shorter by about 30% and still gotten the job done.

I'll probably be reading the sequel, because I'd like to know if Julianne/Beatrice gets any less vacuous. Stay tuned.

This book is a slow seduction, not only of the two main characters, but of the reader. The more I read the more I wanted.

The opposites of Gabrielle, the Rake, and Julia, the innocent, worked so well together and that they both had demons in their past added to the drama. The plot was on the slow side but was offset with fabulous prose. I enjoyed the character of Gabrielle the most. He is arrogant and pretentious and in ways felt like he was right out of the 17th century. I rolled my eyes numerous times at him and I wanted to tell him to get over himself.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series. For more I my reviews, please visit my book blog at www.thespineview.com.

OMG, i can't even begin to describe my reaction to this book. First of all i can only rate in whole stars. I would have given it 2 ½ stars mainly because the story line itself kept me interested throughout. I was reading every word on every page until about halfway through. Then i started to get annoyed. I am glad the book is over, i would like to know what happens in the sequels but if the author continues to write in that inexperienced past century female writing style, i pass. Julia is the female lead character and if she was a real life person I would categorize her as "out there, in the clouds, not in the real world". So, Julia, at age 17 has a crush on her friends older brother who is in his mid-late 20's. Goes to college and studies the same subject he did. ( yes i am sure we all have done something similar), but she gets upset that he does not recognize her. She is shy, inexperienced, too much of a dante lover to see the real world. Gabriel, what can i say, his character started out very interesting, a very flawed complex individual with a past. Intersting. After he finally realizes that Julia is his beatrice, he turns into a soppy story and his character becomes flat and stale. The last 20% of the book i just skipped and skimmed the pages. This book had a lot of potential and fell very short of it. At times i ma not sure of the age and gender of the author. Maybe the author itself is a bit disillusioned. lets face it ladies, we all want a guy with old fashioned qualities, but he should not talk like a shakespearan character. that is extremely off putting.I guess I am more upset, that i am not going to continue the series, because i am interested in Dante, but following that stale story of boring Julia is too much

Gabriel’s Promise
Gabriel’s Inferno, Book 4

I Picked Up This Book Because: Finish the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: LV-CC Public Library
Dates Read: 3/29/23 - 4/1/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Robertson Dean

The Characters:

Gabriel Emmerson:
Julia Emmerson:
Clair Emmerson, Various Family and Friends

The Story:

This reads like a long epilogue. Gabriel and Julia are learning to navigate life as new parents while still pursuing their academic and career goals. Julia faces particular challenges with a petty and jealous professor who impedes her finishing her degree. There is a bit of a mystery left open that could result in a 5th book, but it's been 13 years since this book was published, so I guess it's not happening.

The Random Thoughts:

This was quite an interesting read, about the chase for stolen art.

The story starts with an insight into Acacia's role as a concierge at an upscale hotel in Paris. She is Brazilian and has a mysterious and dangerous past, but she's put the latter behind her and given her life to the very proper, very discreet role of a professional concierge.

Nicholas Cassirer is an intriguing character. Especially in the hands of narrator Robertson Dean who has a beautiful baritone voice.

This is one of those romances where the man knows what he wants, and that's Acacia. He wins her over, and he goes to every length to keep her safe when she falls into the clutches of her baddy dad. It's like he's met the one and she's the overwhelming, never to be shaken love of his life.

Such simplistic romances can be true to life I'm sure. It's a feel-good extreme but there is something missing, something unrelatable, a little daydreamy. But I don't mean to put anyone off - escapism, from an enticing concoction of romance and adventure is never to be sneezed at.

Thank you for your comments below NW Moors, which I read after I posted - you've put into words what I couldn't put my finger on - I agree with the lot of what you say.

El profesor Gabriel Emerson ha dejado su plaza en la Universidad de Toronto para iniciar una nueva vida junto a su amada Julianne. Está seguro de que juntos podrán enfrentarse a cualquier desafío, incluso a su deseo de ser padre. Pero el programa de doctorado de la joven pondrá a prueba los planes de Gabriel, ya que la dura vida de estudiante le roba demasiado tiempo. Cuando Julianne recibe el honor de dar una conferencia en Oxford, éste se muestra reacio, pues ambos tienen opiniones encontradas sobre la materia. Para complicar un poco más la relación, aparecen varios personajes del pasado empeñados en humillar a Julia y en sacar a la luz uno de los secretos más oscuros de Gabriel. Obligado una vez más a luchar contra sus propios demonios, éste iniciará una cruzada en busca de sus padres biológicos, lo que desencadenará una serie de acontecimientos que repercutirán en ambos y en los anhelos del profesor por formar una familia.

El misterioso y atractivo profesor Gabriel Emerson, reconocido especialista en Dante, es un hombre torturado por su pasado y orgulloso del prestigio que ha conseguido, aunque también es consciente de que es un imán para el pecado y, especialmente, para la lujuria. Cuando la virtuosa Julia Mitchell se matricula en el máster que Gabriel imparte en la Universidad de Toronto, la vida de éste cambia irrevocablemente. La relación que mantiene con su nueva alumna lo obligará a enfrentarse a sus demonios personales y lo conducirá a una fascinante exploración del sexo, el amor y la redención.

Tras varios meses de espera, el profesor Gabriel Emerson y Julia Mitchell, su alumna, acaban consumando su amor e inician una apasionada relación en la clandestinidad. Apartados del mundo durante unas románticas vacaciones en Italia, Gabriel la instruye en las delicias del cuerpo y en el éxtasis de la sensualidad. Pero a su regreso, su felicidad se ve amenazada por las estrictas normas académicas y por una ex amante celosa. Tras ser descubiertos, el consejo universitario exonera a la joven de toda responsabilidad, con la única condición de que no vuelva a tener contacto con el profesor hasta que se gradúe... ¿Volverán a caer en la tentación?

This novel follows seamlessly from Gabriel's Inferno.

I'm only about 1/4 the way in so far but I like this Gabriel more than the one in the first book. He seems to have found himself.

I picked up this book because I saw that it was being made into a movie or TV series - perhaps by Passionflix.

At first I thought it was one of those slightly weird, overly dramatic, intense love affair type books, around damaged people. I know a few have impressed me but the only name that comes to mind now is Lick by Kylie Scott.

The audiobook got better as I ploughed through it. Maybe by better, I mean that I was able to suspend disbelief and get involved in it, as we got to know the characters more deeply.

I know nothing about Dante but loved that part. Professor Gabriel Emerson is an unforgettable protagonist. Julia I'm not sure about. I found it implausible that she did not respond when he prostrated himself with apology after apology - and explain his behaviour to her - about half way through the book.

I have to confess an affection for this series, despite it being fairly sexist (of the "benevolent sexism" stripe), homophobic, and twee as hell. I think it's the focus on academia and the ways in which prissy Gabriel does remind me of myself. Although he is an ass.

At any rate, I was shocked when this book was announced, as totally unnecessary as it was (I thought Gabriel's prayers in Florence/etc. were his redemption?) and was overall fairly disappointed with the plot.

I did find it interesting how characters that were very one-dimensional caricatures in the past--Christa, Simon, Natalie, Paulina--did have softer sides, even Simon. I felt this was potentially in response to criticism, and it wasn't great, but I did like to see, say, Christa's feelings reconsidered (although she still gets punished by the narrative; ditto Simon).

I take back any irritation I had at Gabriel's Inferno that they didn't have sex until practically the last page, because here it was on every page. I am definitely not opposed to sex scenes, I was just BORED.

Overall, the book introduced tons of new plots/new twists to old plot threads (Paulina, Paul, Tom, Natalie, etc.) but never really wrapped them up.

And I won't be specific, but after spending the first 50% of the book in a battle of wills where Julia wants X and Gabriel wants Y, doesn't it just figure that at the end Gabriel gets exactly what he wants, and Julia will just have to make it work?

I liked the story of Julia and Gabriel. The only problem I have with the story is that the two main characters are extreme stereotypes. She's the sweet innocent student and he is the worldly older professor that falls in love with her. Other than the characterization, the story was interesting and did delve into real world problems that married couples face.

This is the story of two tortured souls who meet in youth and unwittingly hurt each other badly. They once again meet after they are both older and wiser, but are still hurting desperately. The story is their struggle to find a way to heal.

It's like Interview with the Vampire retold in the most lifeless soporific way possible. Bleh

It's like Interview with the Vampire retold in the most lifeless soporific way possible. Bleh

I did not enjoy this book.. I don't like the way it is written at all, the characters annoy me to no end *sigh*

I didn't know this was written by a man until after I read it, but that makes sense now. Many people have said it was misogynistic, and I would say that's an accurate description. I really liked what the story was about, and I think it is a great idea for a story, but the narration was odd, and sometimes seemed to be trying to hard to be witty. The characters seemed real though, and I think the way they were written made them seem real.