My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 highly deserved hearts!!!
"Please let me go."
"I can't." He tugged her knapsack and her coat out of her hands and dropped them on the floor."I don't trust you.""I know.""You'll shatter me, Gabriel, and that will be the end of me.""Never."
Gaaaaaaaahhhh!!!
This book is a masterpiece!
The way it was written was just out of this world. I don't think I've ever read anything written like it is.
Every line was lyrical. Every word said was magical.
I can't believe I put this book down twice without finishing...
I just couldn't contain my joy when I finally put this book to a close.
I was satisfied.
I was fulfilled.
It felt so damn good.
It was soo freakin' good.
Oh Professor Emerson!!
I love you... I'm smittened by you.
*Sigh*
THE GIST
Julia fell in love with an older man when she was younger. And for a while, she thought he loved him too.
They shared one special night in the orchard.
They slept.
But when she woke up...
Julia never thought she'd see him again.
Gabriel Emerson.
Six years ago, he was just the brother of her best friend and now... He's her professor in one of her graduate student classes..
They had a past but she was the only one who could remember.
He acted as if he hated her. As if he doesn't know her.
She was finally convinced that the Gabriel she now know is not the same Gabriel who she shared a past with.
That Gabriel was gone forever.
He only existed now in her dreams.
Gabriel's life was filled with sin.
His past is tainted and would only want to forget.
The only good thing that he could remember was that night with his Beatrice. His Beatrice. He thought she was a daze. A figment of his imagination.
But she wasn't.
His Beatrice was real.
Only that isn't really her name.
And she was close. Closer to him than he could ever imagine.
If only he could remember.
INTIAL REACTION
I actually thought I wasn't going to finish this book again. This was the third freakin' time I've had to read this book and I am thankful that I didn't give up on it.
First time I've read it. I got really really bored. Didn't get past chapter 1.
Second time I've read it. I still got bored. Didn't get past chapter 5. I think. LOL.
Third time.. Oh.My.Gosh!!! I loved it. Not sure what happened but hell I was happy I finished it!
It was the best book ever!! :)
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Julia Mitchell
*note: she should have brown eyes*
Oh Julia. I love her to bits. She has to be one of my favorite heroines ever.
Julia wasn't priviliged. She wasn't rich. She didn't grow up in a very good family. She has an alcoholic mother and a father who knows not how to take care of her. She had an ex-boyfriend who was an ass. She did however, have some sort of a adoptive family who had been good to her. The Clarks.
The thing I love most about Julia is how positive she was. Of course there were times when she just gave up all together on Gabriel (his own fault really...) because she waited far too long and she felt that she wasn't treated the way she should be treated.
There were times that I get really upset because of how Julia rejected help from people who really want to help her. She gets really angry when she feels that people are trying to help her because they feel sorry for her because she's poor or something like that.
"I don't think this is very professional, Professor Emerson. You're passing me thousands of dollars through bursary, however you managed to do it. It looks like you're trying to buy me."
I mean I get that she doesn't want to accept help because she doesn't want to owe anyone but still. She knew she needed that bursary. She could barely feed herself and that apartment of hers is no good either. That bursary was given to her because she deserved it not because Gabriel wanted her. Well he does but like I said, she deserved it because she was smart.
Professor Gabriel Emerson
Oh Hail the Professor of Hotness!!
I seriously didn't get what all the fuss was about this guy at first. Everyone seems to be crazy over him but during the first two times I've read this.. I was just rolling my eyes. I saw him as nothing but a hot-headed Dante professor who like to pick on new students. He may be a good looking professor but I didn't like that he embarassed Julia on the first day of class. As you read through the book you'll know why he had to do it though. LOL. A very funny reason too.
Okay. So what's so special about Gabriel? Well. He's damaged and I just totally adore stunning, damaged and redeemable characters. Oh boy! Did Gabriel really redeem himself!! I was swept away. I was head over heels. I was in cloud nine! Geez this guy. I just couldn't explain in words how absolutely amazing he is.
At first, yes, he was a total asshole. A total douche. I hated his perfectly molded gluteus! I hated that he was perfect but very rude, arrogant and condescending. I seriously didn't know what everyone saw in this guy!! One minute he was all serious and moody and BOOOOMMM.. He'll sweep you off your feet and take you to Paradise!!
"Being without you, Julianne, is like enduring an endless night without stars."
The way he chooses and uses words.. Oh dear God!
"When I am an old man and I can remember nothing else, I will remember this moment. The first time my eyes beheld an angel in the flesh."
THE ROMANCE
Julia + Gabriel= Steamy and Hot without even trying
What I like about Julia and Gabriel's relationship is that it was sexy without it being too much. The magic between them is very evident. Mind you, there wasn't really that much sex on this book until towards the end but for some reason how they talk to each other, how they thik about each other was erotic as it is so just imagine when you really get to the steamy parts.. It's even more erogenous.. gosh i don't even know how to describe it. LOL.
Both Julia and Gabriel had their fair share of secrets and past experiences that they'd rather forget. They also had their own trials to overcome. The good thing about this pair was that the other was willing to understand the other. They were willing to help each other grow.
But of course it was rough start for both of them.
"What was I supposed to do? You're an emotional rollercoaster, and I wanted to climb off. I never know whether you're going to be sweet and whisper something that takes my breath away or say something so fucking mean it breaks my..." She stopped herself.
Gabriel cleared his throat. "I apologize for being mean. There's no excuse for that."
They had their ups and downs. Their twists and turns. But in the end, what they had was real and they both knew it.
FINAL VERDICT
I just loved it. I will repeat it again and again and again! I have no shame in declaring my love for this wonderful novel. I have to say though that the writing is not for everyone. Some may grow tired of it after a while and may just drop the book at some point which is what happened to me.. Twice. You'll have to invest some time on this book but in the end you'll be glad you did.
So the things I loved are the characters. Definitely the characters because they were well defined and they developed too. They weren't one dimensional like some books nowadays. You'll see all sides of them: the good, the bad and the beautiful. LOL. yeah the ugly too.
I would have to comment though on the length of the book. It was too lengthy for me. I am the type of reader who gets bored easily and if the book doesn't go the way I want it to, I'll definitely put it down and read another book that would have a faster and more upfront plot line. This one had a slow-moderate-slow pacing. The beginning of the book was dragged on a bit. The mid part was actually where all the revelations and swoony part comes in. I was okay with its pace right there. Towards the end, it went back to being a bit too slow for my taste but then I get why it has to be that way.
It was like the author was making you crave knowing the ending. Like I said, it was a very sensual read without too much sex. I think the very pace of the book itself was like making love. You start it out slow, then you hasten your pace a bit and then go back slow. Of course not everyone makes love the same way but you guys get what I mean right? With the whole pace and stuff? Yes? No? LOL.
Oh and another thing, I've always been entralled by the story of Dante's Inferno. It's a favorite of mine. And its mixture to the story is what added its appeal to me. The feel of the literature in the pages of another literature amazes me.
I loved how this book ended. You know that there is a sequel but then the book didn't made you feel that it has. It didn't end with a cliffhanger "THANK GOD FOR BEING SO GOOD!". Honestly, cliffhangers are just annoying which is why I usually have problems finishing series. It annoys me that I have to wait for the next book to come out sometimes and that it will take months or years sometimes for the next book. Cheers to you Sylvain Reynard for not being a killjoy and making a good ending for this!
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