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! ( )

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. ( )