Gabriel's Inferno

Written by Sylvain Reynard

Narrated by John Michael Morgan

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard, read by John Michael Morgan.

Gabriel's Inferno is the first in this intoxicating trilogy featuring Gabriel and Julia, following their sensual journey of forbidden love - with all the obsessive yearning of Twilight with the intensity of Fifty Shades of Grey.

One man's salvation, one woman's sensual awakening . . .

Gabriel Emerson is a man tortured by his dark past. A highly respected university professor, Gabriel uses his notorious good looks and charm to lead a secret life of pleasure where nothing is out of bounds.

Sweet and innocent, Julia Mitchell enrols as Gabriel's graduate student and his immediate attraction to her, and their powerful and strange connection, threatens to derail his career. Wildly passionate and sinful, Gabriel's Inferno is an exploration of the intense power of forbidden love.

Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin UK Audio
• Release date: Jan 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781405932240

Reviews for Gabriel's Inferno

[chaoticbooklover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Going in I will say that I have not read any other reviews on this book and requested it based on the summary alone. And I am so glad that I did. Although the book has been labeled as Erotic Romance, it was tastefully done and left me fanning myself even though the only "real" sex was at the end of the book.
I was immedietly sucked in on the first page, Julia is a college student and while you really want to hate Professor Emerson in the beginning, he does redeem himself early on.
Gabriel Emerson is a 30ish Professor that while extremely sexy, from just his description alone, is kind of an ass. He seems to belittle Julia at first, which made me almost put the book down, but I stuck with it, knowing that something good had to come from it. We meet Paul a fellow student and he tries to make Julia laugh after her "dressing down" from Professor Emerson.
The story slowly progresses from there and while Gabriel is a royal pain to Julia for most of the first half of the book, he soon realizes why she keeps coming back.
Julia has been in love with Gabriel since she was 17, even before she actually met him. They spent a wonderful night together, without any sexual contact besides kissing, and she has pretty much compared every other guy in her life to him and that one night. However, Gabriel doesn't even really remember that night, he believes that she was a dream or an Angel sent to him; his drug induced hallucination' since she was gone when he returned after waking up earlier than her.
Throughout the book, both Julia and Gabriel are keeping secrets from each other, guarding their past faults and horrors from the one they love. This book has so much, death, abuse, drug addiction and even "murder". My heart broke for Julia each time that Gabriel pushed her way and I cried along with Gabriel when he finally revealed his most shameful secret.
I can not wait to start on the second book.

[icecream18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The novel begins with a poet deeply in love with a woman he apparently can't have or approach. The reader is then taken into the present to meet Gabriel and Julianne, two people who should never have such an exceptional romance. These two characters have an unusual love story, they meet in different circumstances than the typical romance and have a unique relationship. The reader will enjoy following their romance throughout the novel. These characters will become friends to the reader, the reader will feel as if he/she understands and knows the characters. The characters are not "perfect" by any means, they have flaws, however, this is the mark of a good author; characters shouldn't be picture perfect, they won't appear real if they are.Gabriel's affection for Julianne is very apparent to the reader. He carefully woos her and his subtleties is perfect in this novel. The reader will feel as if the characters' interactions, dialogues, and feelings are genuine. The events in this novel are evenly paced, slowed down in the correct places while faster in others. The author's style of writing is so smooth and level; the reader will not feel rushed through this novel, he/she will have the time to enjoy it. This novel contains pain, forgiveness, hard edges and love. The author writes wish such care that every chapter holds at least one important scene or lesson that evokes feeling in the reader, the mark of a good writer. The reader will understand the characters and their actions at the end of this novel. This novel is reminiscent of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. Romance and fiction readers would enjoy this novel.

[girlmisanthrope · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book appeared to have the makings of an enjoyable stew:A handsome, wealthy, but troubled professor of DanteA tentative young woman coming in to her ownGorgeous TorontoAllusions to Dante's life and worksTo create Gabriel, one could fill up a hat with topics that have created this troubled man. You pull out "drugs", "abandonment", "self-loathing", "abuse", etcetera. In two other current high profile books it kind of works. Here, I could feel the artifice; the author did not make me believe. He's an angry, brooding jerk and then he's cooing and nibbling on his student. And the most maudlin, melodramatic self-talk. "I have no soul". "I am a magnet for sin." BleckAnd Julia? A one-dimensional character that I would smack in real life. She's mousy, she's shy, she looks at her feet or her wringing hands constantly. She indulges in similar self-talk; she is "unloveable" and wearing a tight black dress and Loubitans, she still fails to see her sex appeal. She quivers and mewls and forgets to eat. And she bites her lip. This little mouse is supposed to redeem or renew this brilliant hunk of a man (who claims he is like a virgin because he's only f**ked, never made love?)??The way the author explains their attraction is flimsy. I kept thinking, "That's IT?!!?"For Julia, I am prescribing a sit-down with Eva Tramell and a krav maga session at CrossFit gym.We'll let Gabriel sit down with Christian and Gideon. After a giggle over their biblical names, they can compare notes on methods of seduction. And then I think a wet t-shirt contest is in order.This story is not sexy. It is not erotic. Stick with Sylvia Day and Megan Hart for your erotica with a plot and believable characters.

[becksdakex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was very exited about this book, thinking it would be another intense erotic romance like fifty shades or something like that. Turns out it wasn't. It's superlooong, repetitive and made me long for something else. I finished the book though, all along hoping for some twist and turns, secrets to come out and so on. In the end I felt disappointed.I gave this book 3 stars, I think SR did a very good research job on Dante and I'm always happy to learn something when I read a book, even if it's just a boring romance.

[chibineko_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book took me an awfully long time to finish, part of it because the heroine and her love interest weren't really the most likable of people. Julianne starts this book as a spineless fish that sort of just goes along with everything and Gabriel, well... he's a jerk. Plain and simple. Now in Julianne's defense, this is somewhat explained later on as to why she's so willing to be led by the hand everywhere. As far as Gabriel goes, he's not really truly redeemed as far as his character goes. He's a jerk up until a certain point in the book, where his character seems to go through an instant transformation into everyone's dream lover: sweet, sensitive, and oh-so-willing to please. It's like someone flipped a switch and is pretty much the epitome of wish fulfillment literature that you have this guy that is almost completely changed by having his dream woman's attentions. This might be a little bit of a spoiler, mentioning this part, but this happens relatively early on in the book and it's pretty much a given that at some point he and Julianne get together. I was fully prepared to dislike this book. I was expecting it to be something along the lines of Fifty Shades of Grey, a book that relied far too heavily on the reader bringing along the personalities (or the lack thereof) from the Twilight books and that love for the series. What surprised me is that Reynard actually does try to make the characters in Gabriel's Inferno their own people. Oh sure, there are definite points to where you can see this book's origins as original fanfiction, but this really is fanfiction in the loosest sense of the term. I'd go so far as to say that if I wasn't already aware of its origins, I probably never would have guessed this was originally fanfiction. This isn't the best book out there, but I think that people dismissing it offhand as "another Fifty Shades" are really doing it a disservice. I can't guarantee they'd like it, but this book is far, far, FAR better than Fifty Shades. Fifty Shades was sort of written as a way to see the two main characters of Twilight getting it on in naughty-ish positions. (Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that.) Gabriel's Inferno actually tries to tell a story. As long as you can look past some of the lightening quick and at times rather unbelievable character personality switches, as well as the fact that this is almost a perfect textbook example of Mary Sue wish-fulfillment, this actually isn't a bad book to pass the time with. Again, it's not perfect and it won't ever be on the top of Oprah's "required reading" list, but it's fun and I didn't always feel like taking my shoe off and beating the bejeebers out of the main characters. I just wish that this had gotten the same amount of publicity that Fifty Shades did. It's better written and would be much more interesting film than FSOG would be. Yes this is sort of along the lines of "bodice rippers" at times, but it tries to be more than that and I couldn't help but find it quickly becoming a guilty pleasure as the later parts of the book took hold of me.

[einfachmich-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Let's set aside the unethical practices that lead to this book (aka Twilight Fan Fiction) being published and just focus on the story. This is a giant turd-nugget of misogyny wrapped in romance stereotypes and sprinkled with the most basic understanding of classic literature. No literally, if you read Dante's Inferno for Dummies you will walk away with a better comprehension of that classic work than the author of this humongous joke of a novel.

The sad part is the author is skilled at manipulating readers into believing that a story about a young college coed being mentally, emotionally and intellectually manipulated by her professors is sexually arousing, and laughably romantic. No seriously, the overwhelming amount of agency that is given up by our leading female is so devastating that every time I see a female reader give this book anything more than two stars I feel the woman's movement take a full step backwards.

It would be refreshing to read a book with literary themes that didn't show a female heroine who has to use her vagina to win love and respect from her male counterpart, but alas Gabriel's Inferno is not it. Not by a long shot.

Additional note: I have a theory that part of why many readers (who have no experience or knowledge of classic literature) love this book has a lot to do with effort justification. See my comments below.

[aklibgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. Think of this as romance for the educated. The characters are well developed, there is a clear storyline. And if you are turned off by all the explicit sex in the Fifty Shades books, you'll be happily surprised that this book has very little and what little there is, it's tasteful and realistic. Read them, you'll love them.

[cynditefft · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the first quarter of the book, Gabriel acts like a complete jackass and Julia comes across as pathetic and weak. I had a hard time really connecting with her because she didn't seem to have much of a spine and I knew there was *something* in her past that made her so withdrawn, but there wasn't enough detail on that for me to really understand her character.

Once Gabriel does an about-face and decides that Julia walks on water, the book improved. I enjoyed the middle of the book, though I must say that the resemblance to Fifty Shades is pretty stark. I learned that they were both Twilight fan fics at one time, which I didn't know (about this book, anyway). The prose in Gabriel's Inferno was far superior to Fifty Shades, but the character development was not as strong. And, I'll be honest, I missed the sex. I found myself wishing they would just get on with it! LOL

The last quarter of the book had some beautiful moments, but it went on too long for my taste. It was a little over the top in the gushy "I want to worship you" language, which made me start skimming.

It was good, but not as good as I hoped it would be.

[channellingcloretta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was slow in the beginning but intriguing. In the end I truly loved the book and felt as though I was getting an educational lesson about all things Italy and Dante! I look forward to reading his next book.

[mt256 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard is a contemporary romance that is very sensual and hot. Julia Mitchell has moved to Canada to complete her degree on Dante. Her professor, Gabriel Emerson, is well respected and at the top of his field. He's also an arrogant jerk at times. He's also very hot. They have met before but Gabriel doesn't remember her. In fact he treats her very badly. He's also very attracted to her and overprotective of her as well. He must fight his internal urges or be forced to pay a heavy price.This book is very hot and steamy but without a lot of sex. Reynard has a gift for building up anticipation that leaves you wanting more. Gabriel and Julia have fantastic chemistry. They both have troubled pasts that binds them together. Gabriel thinks of Julia as an angel but loathes himself. He thinks once she knows the truth about him she'll leave him so he keeps her at a distance. He can't stay away from her. Gabriel's love for poetry as well as music lure Julia to him.This is a great book. The story line as well as the characters, suck you in. I loved every minute of this book. I was intrigued from the first page. I didn't want to stop reading it until I was done. If you haven't checked out Gabriel's Inferno yet, you need to. You will thank me for it!

[erinhill01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book because it was recommended to me after reading the 50 shades of Grey trilogy. I will start off by saying it is NOT similar. While the basic story line was good the writing was too wordy and descriptive for me. The book had a slow start and took me a while to get into. I will be interested to see where the story goes from here as it is going to be a trilogy. I would recommend this to someone who enjoys a good predictable romance novel.

[sboyte_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall I really liked this book, and in fact, I read it in less than 24 hours (that's saying a lot, because I have a toddler). The author built the tension really well and it kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen next.I had just two issues with the characters. First, they were a bit stereotypical of romance novel characters... damaged, rich, handsome man meets timid, insecure, beautiful woman. And secondly, there was this huge build up to the revealing of the events that had "damaged" these two in the past. Lots of hints and enticing clues as to what made Julia so scarred and Gabriel so angry and self-loathing. But when it all came out, it felt a bit anti-climatic. But, definitely better than 50 Shades of Grey!

[gwendolyngrace · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointed! Definitely not what I was expecting. I had such high hopes based on the reviews. I felt like it dragged on for way too long. He was too much of a gentleman and not the bodice-ripper that I wanted him to be. He was artsy, and a little snobby. Do women really want to romanced to death all the time or is it OK sometimes to just get down to business without it looking cheap. Maybe it's just me...! I didn't hate the book but it just wasn't my style!

[sandra.k.heinzman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I admit it, I kinda liked this book. I liked the love story. I will read the other two books n the trilogy, too. I see resemblances to Fifty Shades, but no sex ( until the very end of the book).

[olongbourn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book and a must reread as the third installment, Gabriel's Redemption comes out this December. Fantastic "history" to the H and h -- a romance ten years in the making. Love that there's much more than sex -- actually, I love that they held off, even if they are sticking to the letter of the rule though not the intent.

This romance is more than about a broken wealthy man (of the FSoG and CrossFire variety), but is also of a broken woman rebuilt, who is strong and vulnerable, though not quite fitting a cliche. She's smart; he's smart. She's sensible, not flighty or unsure of herself and doesn't give in to the whims of emotion.

With so many references to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, I want to read it to understand better the references made in this story, though still feel a bit intimidated by it. Funny how a well-structured, well thought out romance can spark such an interest.

This book should not be lumped with Twilight, FSoG or Crossfire.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed those three series. This is a step beyond. If you enjoyed those other series, I expect you'll enjoy this one. If you didn't enjoy those because you felt depth of character was missing, you'll also enjoy this one. Much like Twilight, sex was not a part of this first book, per se. The development of the relationship, development of a romance, the revelation of the back story takes center stage in this first book.

[angie.arciba · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've heard so many things about this book I had to give it a try and im glad I did. I thought the book was going to be similar to Fifty Shades but it wasnt. I liked the love story the Dante references the strugles of the characters and I like that they both had their own secrets. I liked the character of Julia she was shy but yet she will make herself speak out and let Gabriel know at moments what she was feeling. Of course Profesor Emmerson was a complicated character, he was very selfish and had a lot of poblems a very angry person but he softens as we go through the book. overall I really liked it.

[msralways · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Weird writing, the characters were not that great, the pairing didn't do it for me, Julia is very whiney and then all of a sudden she gets a streak of boldness. Like I said, weird. The first 150 pages were so very good, but the book should've ended there. Not sure if I'll read the second.

[bodagirl · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Awful. Horribly written. I couldn't even get 20 pages because of the disconnected plot points and indistinct point of view.

[nevong_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intense. Gabriel is deeply flawed. Arrogant, self-important and bitter, with a sex drive that makes a dog in heat seem like it's having a dry spell, It's hard to believe Gabriel is so well respected in his knowledge of all things Dante. When his private life is anything but respectable. Enter Julia Mitchell. A post-graduate studying Dante and one of Gabriel's students. As the story unfolds we find that Gabriel and Julia's lives are just as much of a tragedy Dante's and Beatrice.

[sunshine22222 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The writing was wonderful. I lived reading about Dante's & Gabriel''s inferno and how the two stories intertwined.

I thought the novel was a bit long and thought about putting it down a couple of times. Since I did not know anything about Dante's Inferno, I had to break away from this book, so I could learn about the tale Dante's Inferno.

I love, love, loved Gabriel. Juliane, not so much. Paul/Virgil was just creepy..

With all of the hype, I was looking forward to finally reading this book. I wanted to love it, but I didn't.

3.5 stars

[breena31 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ok, so I had to take a couple days and really think about what I wanted to say, since I obviously did not like this book as much as everyone else did. I wanted to really be clear in my own head about what it was that bothered me so much that I could barely finish the story. I also wanted to remind myself that there were some things that I liked too.

I liked Gabriel from the very beginning. I adore tortured hero types, and he fit the bill from the start. Plus he was a much needed antidote to Julia's sickeningly sweet personality. Unfortunately, Gabriel seemed to become infected by Julia's "sweetness" virus about half-way thru the story, which was a bummer.

I liked the information about Dante that was introduced in the beginning. But then, again about half-way thru, I started to feel like I was being bludgeoned to death with the comparisons between Dante and Beatrice and Gabriel and Julia. Enough already!

I had a lot of problems with the POV. I felt like I was being jerked around from one character to the next, then outside of the characters totally, then back inside a character's head. It was confusing and disorienting. I didn't like it.

I've already mentioned Julia's sickeningly sweet personality, but it bears mentioning again. She was portrayed as this epitome of innocence and purity, kind of like Cinderella. I didn't mind at first, but about a third of the way thru, it went beyond boring into torture. I couldn't tolerate her at all by the end of the book.

So obviously I won't be reading the sequel to this one.

[stolives_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't sum up my feelings on this book better than breena31 did in her review. I listened to the audio version of this book and barely made it to the end. The narration probably didn't help my perception of the overly saccharin yet vapid dialogue. I read many reviews before purchasing this book and was excited for a meaty, sexy romance, but got so frustrated and intolerant of the cliche prose that I lost sight of anything I enjoyed. I also had such difficulty believing the instant connection between the characters at ages 17 and 27. What does a 17 year old girl have to offer intellectually or emotionally to a 27 year old broken man?

[danielle4montgomery · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think the intensity and constant character activity of the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy ruinned me slightly for this series. The action in this book was slower and throughout the whole book, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak, in regard to Gabriel's past female companions. I kept thinking his past would come and ruin his and Julianne's relationship so I was nervous the whole time! The story itself was good, and I really enjoyed that Sylvain portrayed Gabriel as a fallen man who believes himself to be forever damned but with the love of Julianne, he may be forgiven and together, they strive for Paradise.

[daydreambooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Sylvain Reynard captured both Gabriel and Julia's thoughts and passed them onto the reader seamlessly. Will be purchasing the sequel at the weekend.

[author_andrialarge · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is really bad version of Fifty Shades. It was like the only thing that was different was the background of the characters. I couldn't even finish it, it was so annoying. Julia was so irritating. I actually liked Gabriel. The whole thing with Dante's inferno was irritating. It was just too similar to Fifty Shades with how Gabriel treated Julia. He would get on her about eating. He would buy her things and she would refuse, blah blah blah. I've read it all before. Thank God I didn't buy the book, I borrowed it. It would have definitely been a waste of money.

[anjanipm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Supported by solid details and characters. I feel learning a lot of new things as i read the book.

[ftbooklover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[gogglemiss · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This story was a let down, especially as I had read rave reviews about it. i doggedly read on, after the first hundred pages, hoping it would get better, and I'm glad I finished it. But, I guess, I'm not really interested in tortured souls, as Gabriel was, and for an inteligent woman as Julia was, she really was a wimp. I love a romance, but this didn't win me over at all. 

[bookwhisperer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holy bucket of marbles!!! Glued! That is what I have been to my Kindle as I have read this book. Seriously, the world stopped for me (even though time kept ticking.) Nothing was more important than finishing this book.I honestly don’t know where to start. I am still so caught up in the book it feels like everything that I type might be gibberish. But I will give it a go…I loved the light that Julia brought to the book. Her character displays such an open and loving heart that I, as a reader, got caught up in her emotions. Because of her past, you would think that Julia would be able to be so loving, but she is. It speaks volumes to her character because this is what touches and pries open Gabriel’s heart.One name…Gabriel. I have never hated and loved a character more. Hands down, he made me furious. The way he treated others, the anger that tore out of his mouth, just everything about him in the beginning made me hate him. I was actually rooting for Paul in the first part of the book. And then it happened; my love for his character came and rushed over my heart. How he expressed his love through his words, through poetry, and especially through his actions turned me into a puddle of goo. Once he stopped being a boorish and realized his overwhelming love for Julianne, he stopped at no expense to help her: get over her past, to show her how he saw her through his eyes, who she truly was, and that she really was a light for his world. I marked this quote and I feel like I must share it. Gabriel: “Being without you, Julianne, is like enduring an endless night without stars.” SWOON!An absolute must read! There is so much more to say about this book, but I cannot put it in words. I can only encourage you to read it and hopefully love it as much as I did.~BookWhisperer Reviewer MC~

[rtb_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed by: RachelBook provided by: NetGalleyReview originally posted at Romancing the BookLet me start off by saying that I was halfway through the book when I stopped reading and went online to read other reviews of this book. I thought I was going crazy which I’m going to explain. Clearly watching too much late night Twilight and mention of Fifty Shades of Gray wasn’t any help but was I crazy? This book had a lot of parallels with Twilight as well as Fifty Shades and oddly enough, I enjoyed it more than both books put together. I don’t usually like erotica or books that are overly graphic. I especially don’t like when men are overly rude to women. I’m so pleased that for this book, as a reviewer, I put aside my feelings and just read.Gabriel Emerson is an absolute mess. He’s a tortured, violent, mean, rageaholic, and thinks he’s totally beyond redemption. He doesn’t recognize Juliette when he first sees her but part of his subconscious apparently does for he can’t fight the attraction he feels for her, no matter how hard he tries. Juliette has held a secret crush for Gabriel ever since he gave her her very first kiss when she was seventeen. Imagine her surprise when she shows up for class and sees that he’s her professor, only he pushes her away. He’s rude, condescending, and honestly a complete and total jerk to her.As their student teacher relationship progresses into something much more you can see him fighting his feelings. He’s so protective it borders on crazy and even though he’s mean about it, he wants to feed her, pay her, take care of her. It isn’t until one fateful night that everything clicks and he remembers his “Beatrice.” What follows is a sordid tale of love, redemption, and most of all forgiveness of not just past sins but of past mistakes.The constant talk of Dante and other literature throughout the story nearly had me dizzy but also very thankful I paid attention in all my college lit classes! The way that the author tied in Dantes Inferno was so brilliant that I inwardly applauded her genius as I read.This book is the type that women flock to. Why do I say that? There is nothing more attractive than an alpha male that is so fiercely protective that he would do anything for you. I mean, really, if more men read this story I’m sure there would be happier relationships in this world. Women want to be taken care of, they want to be pursued–preferably by a tall sexy Greek god, but I digress….Books like this are ones that people will pick up again and again, not necessarily because the writing is so incredibly deep that you have to take time to digest it between chapters, but because the plot of the story causes a little stir in your chest.Warning: Graphic sex, but not as much as some erotica, and mostly at the very end. There is a lot of mention of drug usage, drinking, abuse, and lots of graphic language.