Synopsis (taken from Goodreads.com):
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.
Structure:
I expected this book to be a comparison to Fifty Shades of Grey so I did not think of it much when I started reading it. It could be the hormones or weariness on my part but I soon find myself hooked on the plot. While I cringed at the writing at times (the author's blatant statements got me snickering here and there too), the plot compensates that flaw. Dispelling my initial thoughts on Gabriel's Inferno, the novel has a tangible plot that made sense.
While it is not the best written romance out there, the plot of GI made this book a worthwhile read. It is not ridden with crazy and constant sex, where we often associate with the likes of Fifty Shades, which salvaged the whole book in my opinion. I won't reveal the details but Reynard goes for the extreme. What he will reveal about Gabriel will shock you because you would not expect him to not go there. It made sense though, I must give him that.
I admit I had my "Are you freaking kidding me" moments when I read the book but if you just go with the flow, you won't be entirely disappointed. Keep your judgements and GI will prove to be a gem.
Character:
Julia is your typical virgin maiden. Nothing special about her except her troubled past. Not an entirely annoying character which I appreciate.
Gabriel Emerson puts Christian Grey to shame. Hell, maybe I should just say that Reynard (for being a guy) puts E.L James (a woman, if you didn't know) to shame. While they are both writing different focused topics, they both have heroes that are similar--Reynard illustrates how a man should treat a woman better than E.L James ever could through Gabriel. Despite being trapped by dark past, Gabriel shows repentance by treating Julia with respect rather than Christian who forced his problems and habits onto what's-her-face. So Team Emerson all the way!
Issues:
I'm sure other readers notice this as well but Gabriel's insistence on calling Julia, "Julianne" is unnerving. I don't understand why would any girl would want her man to call her by some other name. And may I point out that the other name is so similar to her real name that I would automatically assume that Gabriel is delusional or on crack. *grin*
Secondly, some of the romantic scenes in this book are so....sappy and lame. The lovers's romantic exchanges in Italian and English are borderline Malay soap opera corny. I find Reynard's romantic instincts a bit off the point but I do hope it gets better in the later books.
Gabriel and Julia are that obnoxious couple that you hate at your friend's dinner party. While it is healthy to be interested or obsessed in the fine arts, Reynard makes the lovers appear obnoxious when they recite their Italian sonnets to each other. In real life I wouldn't want to be around a couple who drop Italian references upon commenting on their food at dinner!
Si odieux! (I know it's French...)
Rating:
Overall Rating: 3/5
Obsession Rating: 4.5/5
