This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Gabriel's Inferno on my blog, here.
Once again I am back into this series after not being able to shake it -- the movies are enjoyable and nearly exactly like the books, so I had no surprises coming my way in this book as I have already watched the three parts to Gabriel's Rapture. Compared to the first three movies, I found myself enjoying the plot of the second book a little bit more, even though there were not as many "conflicts" compared to Gabriel's Inferno.
As I mentioned in my review for Gabriel's Inferno, I have watched all movies for Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture prior to starting this series, so the events were of no surprise to me. I actually found that watching the movie before reading the books does not take away from the story, and it was nice to read what was not included in the movie adaptations -- which was few and far between, as the movies are basically scene for scene taken from the books.
I enjoyed diving deeper into Gabriel's character and inner turmoil that continues to follow him as he and Julia work on their relationship and discover more about each other. We get to see a lot of personal development for Gabriel, which was definitely beneficial for him, especially because he continues to be his biggest critic when it comes to romantic relationships and how he treats and views Julia in their own relationship.
Meanwhile, we get to see Julia's own development and finally start to see her stray from her timid nature and become more confident in herself and defending her relationship to a number of people that seem to be constantly interfering at every turn. She is still quite the wallflower, but I think the author did a significantly better job at personifying her in this book compared to the first -- we see a lot less misogyny in this installment, which was a welcomed change, since it was one of my biggest peeves during my read of Gabriel's Inferno.
The author continues to give the readers little glimpses into the side character's perspectives, which add to the story in the sense of being able to view Julia and Gabriel through an outsider's eyes while not straying from our main characters. Paul appears to us once again, along with a number of Rabbit references that continue to drive me up a wall in annoyance. However, the references were significantly less compared to the first book, so I will take it as a win and hope that the references do not follow us to the third book.
Julia and Gabriel go through a number of personal conflicts, along with a major issue that puts a strain on their relationship and tests their love for one another. Outside forces are working against them in hopes that their relationship crumbles just as quickly as it was built, and it seems that Julia continues to get the short end of the stick when it comes with coping with constant blows. Gabriel, while still suffering, seems to be able to find solace and realization much quicker than Julia, but not without having to retreat à la Edward Cullen-style in New Moon.
The sex scenes were on the same levels as the ones in the first book -- we get more scenes, but they are on the more sensual side rather than in the erotic style as seen in Fifty Shades of Grey. You can tell that the author uses the scenes more to development the characters and explore their vulnerabilities, rather than solely to add a sex scene when the plot needs a little boost.
Reynard does not tread lightly when it comes to sprinkling in classics references whenever he can, and it certainly has followed Julia and Gabriel's story in this book as well. Exploring more references through paintings and poems compared to stories, the author enhances their relationship by showing the similarities between Beatrice and Dante that are mirrored in Julia and Gabriel's relationship. The pretentiousness was taken down a notch, but still present enough that you need to pay just a little bit of attention as the references are made if you want to be able to predict where the story is headed.
I am really finding myself becoming attached to these characters, and am even more excited to dive into the third book without having seen a movie adaptation. Gabriel's Redemption: Part I will be available to stream on Passionflix on June 22nd.
Gabriel's Inferno Parts I, II, and III, along with Gabriel's Rapture Parts I, II, and III are now available to watch through streaming on Passionflix.
You can add Gabriel's Rapture and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.
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