Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno)

(Please note: there are spoilers in this review, so if you haven’t read the book yet, you may want to skip it!) There are books you read, and then there are books that capture your mind and heart so thoroughly that you want to live in them forever. When a beloved series ends, it can be a painful thing. We thought we’d seen the end of the story of Gabriel Emerson and Julia Mitchell with the close of “Gabriel’s Rapture.” Fortunately, author Sylvain Reynard came to our rescue when he announced he was writing “Gabriel’s Redemption,” the third and now likely final (sob!) installment in the Gabriel series. So though parting is very sweet sorrow, the book provides answers to questions that remained open at the end of the second book while giving us a wonderful look at how the couple embarks on their life together. At the end of “Gabriel’s Rapture,” The Professor and Julia had just wed and are celebrating their honeymoon. When we reconnect with them in “Gabriel’s Redemption,” they’ve been married almost a year. Gabriel has settled into his new position as a professor at Boston University, but Julia is having a hard time adjusting to the workload and the expectations put upon a PhD student at Harvard. Julia has just completed a paper which analyzes a particular canto of Dante’s “Inferno.” The high quality of her work has earned her an invitation, through the inimitable Professor Katherine Picton, to present the paper at a conference at Oxford University. Gabriel is very proud and excited for her, until she tells him that the paper’s conclusions conflict with some of his own research. Slipping into “Gabriel is an ass” mode, her husband is infuriated – and, very likely, threatened. We’d read several times throughout the series that Julia was often worried about being consumed by Gabriel, and the reader here sees one of the ways in which that can happen. But instead of being intimidated by Gabriel’s expertise and knowledge, Julia sticks to her own theory about the canto, which discusses Guido de Montefeltro and the possible role of St. Francis in saving his soul. Once Gabriel lets his anger blow past – a lesson in patience that’s encouraged by his father, Richard – he rereads Julia’s paper and acknowledges that her theory is plausible and backed up by solid research. It’s quite a departure for Gabriel, who’s know to be stubborn and arrogant in many ways, especially when it comes to his professional expertise. As I read his admission that Julia was probably right and had done fine work on her paper, I realized she had truly effected a sea change in her husband. He’d reconsidered not just for the sake of his marriage, but for the sake of research and scholarly advancement. Smart move, Gabriel. Supporting your wife helps your marriage and the annals of Dante research. As the Snarky Narrator might say, “Now, was that so difficult, Professor?” They depart for the conference in Oxford, where Julia will present her paper to an audience of Dante specialists from around the world. She’s naturally nervous but shored up by the encouragement of Professors Emerson and Picton. The scene where she discusses her findings, and then fields questions from experts with years of experience ahead of her own, is one of my favorite in the book. It’s a joy to see Julia’s strength and confidence as she more than holds her own in a roomful of intimidating tweed jackets...and an obnoxious enemy from the past. While at Oxford, Julia and Gabriel run into their old nemeses, Christa Peterson and Professor Giuseppe Pacciani. The two are still involved with each other, a relationship fueled by the need for sex and revenge. Deluded as ever, Christa is determined to seduce Gabriel in spite of his marriage to Julia. The reader will note gratefully that she is no more successful this time than she was in the prior 24,389 times she attempted to lure him since she’d shown up in his classes at the University of Toronto. All joking aside, Christa is relentless in her determination to have The Professor for herself. She could be the most disliked person in the Gabriel series. And while readers may get satisfaction from the scene where she is publicly embarrassed at the conference in England, she is later the victim of an assault. It’s an upsetting event; for all Christa’s hard-heartedness, we know she must be deeply wounded and traumatized when she is raped by her lover. I have a lot of sympathy for Christa because of what happened to her. Sad to say, women are victims of vicious and cruel crimes, and Sylvain Reynard shows that anyone – male or female, wealthy or poor, educated or not – can fall prey to a predator. It’s a cautionary tale which emphasizes that victims come from all backgrounds and circumstances. (Julia was nearly raped and probably would have died at the hands of Simon in “Gabriel’s Inferno” if Gabriel hadn’t arrived when he did.) The blame for this incident should be rightfully put on the perpetrators of such acts – here, the twisted, duplicitous Pacciani. There are also many joys in the series, and one of the greatest is witnessing the personal growth of both The Professor and Julia. That’s something that continues in “Gabriel’s Redemption.” Through his love for his wife, Gabriel learns to become more vulnerable, more forgiving and patient, and less in control – all lessons that Julia teaches him, gently and by example. And he, in turn supports her work and her devotion to her scholarly pursuits while reaffirming that her character - her compassion and charity - are among the qualities that make her highly desirable. She learns to have more confidence in herself and her choices. I think this is made most evident in the intimacy between Gabriel and Julia. There are a number of love scenes in the book, but as always, Reynard writes them lyrically and sensuously; they are never gratuitous. To me, they underscored how Julia grew in confidence and in her ability to accept that she was physically desirable, and that she deserved the ardor of the man she’d loved for so many years. She has grown past much of her shyness and feelings of inadequacy. I was struck by this most in a scene where Gabriel and Julia are in bed, enjoying a sexual position that recalls one of the famous black and white photographs that Gabriel had in his bedroom in the Manulife Building a lifetime ago. When Julia had first seen the picture, she was repulsed by it, believing that it represented a sexually dominant side of The Professor. Now, however, she welcomes the chance to explore different facets of intimacy with her husband, including activities that might have frightened her before. She trusts Gabriel; she knows he only wants her pleasure and fulfillment, and it’s brought her light years ahead of where she was when they met. It’s wonderful to see how comfortable she is and how their love is expressed so thoroughly (and frequently) together. In spite of the progress and their ability to work through the professional disagreement, Julia and Gabriel face another obstacle: his strong desire to become a father. While Julia wants a family too, she and Gabriel are not in sync over the timing. She’s worried that a child would derail her schooling and her research for her PhD. It’s a difficult situation which inspires the reader’s sympathy: this is one difference for which there is no compromise. Mother Nature takes the situation in her own hands, as it turns out, and while it may have been a shock to Gabriel and Julia, it’s immensely satisfying to the reader. The question of children in the Emersons’ future is also tied to what I think is a major theme of “Gabriel’s Redemption:” the importance of family. From the start of their marriage, Gabriel finds his home with Julia; they are already family together. Some of the most significant events in the book involve Gabriel’s discoveries about his biological family: his mother, his father and his half-siblings; and a grandfather whose academic, religious and charitable achievements were well known to The Professor, even as he never knew they were directly related. Julia’s father remarries, and he and his wife give her a baby brother. Paul, who has returned to Vermont to be with his parents and recover from his broken heart, reconnects with an old love; that flame, it seems, didn’t completely go out. Simon finds true love and redemption only to see it snatched away by a past girlfriend and family ties that place political advancement above matters of the heart. And the wonderful Richard, Gabriel’s true father, finds peace through a magnificent dream about his late wife that helps him keep going and again be a loving participant in his own family. I will never tire of these characters, but if “Gabriel’s Redemption” is really the last book in this series, it’s the perfect way to end it. Thank you, Sylvain Reynard.

OH MY!!! Signing up for this tour was a dream and all I can say is that I was beyond excited to be able to participate. First off, it pushed me to finally....FINALLY read the books... (yes, I know....CrAzY....) So, I picked up Gabriel's Inferno and suffice it to say I kicked myself in the rear for not reading this book earlier. OH MY FREAKIN GOODNESS that book was so awesome...I could not put it down...it was fantastic....*sighs* Well, I wrapped it up and dove right in to Gabriel's Rapture and again...BAM...caught up and knew I would forever love these books... So, here I am riding on this book hangover high and knew that I would be starting book 3, Gabriel's Redemption, and ultimately have to say goodbye to my beloved Gabriel and Julianne. *takes a deep breath* Ok...I am going to try my hardest to write a review letting you know how FAN-FREAKIN-TABULOUS this series and book is without giving any spoilers. It will be hard because I am reviewing the third book.. So, here goes... I open Gabriel's Redemption and it picks up right where Gabriel's Rapture leaves us. We are following the happy couple and things seem to be moving along quite well for them. I am trying my hardest to figure out exactly where this book is going to go, but truthfully, there isn't any use. Sylvain Reynard never once took me on the path that I thought he would. Yes, there were close calls on my guesses, but he does such a wonderful job creating a storyline that keeps you so engrossed that your guesses just don't hit the mark. That....That is a REMARKABLY AMAZING THING!! Love it!! Anyway, just like the books before, we are immersed in the academia world and the eloquent verse in these books are like smooth butter on bread...It is refreshing and stimulating and through every scene I was enchanted. Of course I was also spellbound to the one and only Professor Gabriel. OH MY STARS!!! That man...HOT DAYUM!!!! I may have to take a timeout because my heart is just a fluttering and it is getting HOTTTTT in here...*takes a deep breath to regain composure* Ok...OK...I am back to normal... From book 1 until now the transformation that we see Gabriel go through as well as Julianne is awe-inspiring. There were so many moments in which I felt my heart and chest swell with such adoration and respect for these two characters. Their love truly did conquer their fears and brought out better individuals because of it. And to say that they had a healthy sexual relationship would be putting in mildly. These two could heat up the Arctic and cause Global warming with how SCORCHIN their passionate encounters were. *fans self thinking of those juicy flaming moments* WHEW!!!! Ok...so we definitely see that they have journeyed through some tough weather, but Gabriel's Redemption doesn't let up on these two and we find that even though they tried to leave the past in the past, it kept popping up in their present. What will this couple do to cope?? What major things are going to interfere to disrupt their lives this time?? To say the least, I was surprised and elated at how things progressed in Gabriel's Redemption. It is a beautiful tale of spiritual growth that warmed my heart exponentially. My stomach was in knots worrying as well as it was filled with butterflies at awesome discoveries. If this is a series you haven't started....DON"T WAIT any longer...Believe me...It is a brilliant piece of literature. It is mind blowing and I am truly going to miss this alluring and enticing series.... A DEFINITE MUST READ!!!

I enjoyed reading more about Gabriel and Julia. This book was long, sometimes too long. I loved all of the parts when they were together, building a life together, even when they got into arguments. I was happy that certain people got what was coming to them. I felt terrible about what was going on with Rachel, it broke my heart. I have to say though that I got bored with the Dante stuff, the constant quotes, the St. Francis stuff, it just seemed like too much. At times Julia got on my nerves in this book, at times she was self righteous and selfish. It was interesting to learn more about Gabriel's father's family, that was nice. I was happy that Julia and her father were talking and that he met someone. The whole Paul storyline was boring and I was ready for it to be over before it even started. I will say one thing though he was right about Julia not having any friends, it does seem like she only has Rachel, not sure why she did not make any other friends except maybe because all she does is work non stop. I did not like how Julia acted when they got some news, understood being shocked but she was mean and uncaring. I did like how things got better and how they got even closer if that is possible and I could not wait to see how Gabriel would be. What happened in the hospital tore my heart out, I could not believe it, all within a few pages my heart shattered then my heart melted. I loved the ending but I have to admit I wish there would be a novella or something because I would have loved to read how Gabriel interacted with Claire and how he would do day in day out, the funny pompous things he would say would be great to read. I also would love to read more about how Julia settles into everything because she was so happy at the end, plus I don't like not knowing what ends up happening to Rachel. This series is a must read.

This novel was brilliant and enlightened. It was a perfect addition to the previous two installments. I highly recommend this series for several reasons. The plot is excellent and builds up in such a way that you can't help but admire it. The narration is flawless and captivating, and the characters are well-rounded, profound and passionate. They either make mistakes and learn from them, mature, or (not-so-)simply thread through the hardships paving their lives trying to remain faithful to their ideals and compassion. This has been a utterly enlightening and at the same time entertaining read, and this is worth mentioning since it is not often the case when you read a lot.

Sylvain Reynard your a genious!.... I loved this book. The first two were amazing as well, but I just felt like this book gave so much closure to the story line. I loved that Gabriel's character seemed to grow thoughout the trilogy and wasnt an overnight change (more realistic) However I did feel that some of it was a bit repetative, but overall it was a beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy! I have read this series a couple of times now and I love Gabriel more and more each time. I love a man of intellect and I love how that is portrayed in this book. He is for sure top 3 on my Book boyfriend list. Thank you Sylvain. Also I love that this is a canadian author and a lot of the first two books had a lot of Toronto (my home town) references in it. its rare that you see Canadian references in books, so that was nice to see as well. If you are looking for a great triology that is smart, passionate and HOT!... then look no further.

The book was in excellent condition and it was very good value for money

Letto in inglese e non vedo l'ora che esca in italiano nel 2014. Gabriel's Redemption, terzo e ultimo libro della serie Gabriel's Inferno, è semplicemente fantastico! Sylvain Reynard non delude mai. Tutti coloro che si sono appassionati alla storia d'amore di Gabriel e Julia ameranno quest'ultimo volume. Un finale che rimane nel cuore.

OMG loved it so much! Intense and lovely and heartbreaking and funny Gabriel's Redemption was worth the waiting. It was great to see how they both developed and grew in their marriage. But also how their past still defines their present. With the first mention of people from their past, the feeling that something bad happens is all around and won't let you go til the end. Great end to this series!