Gabriel's Rapture

Summary (from the publisher): Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.

Review: Oh snap, Gabriel Emerson is still the ish. Everything is perfect between Julia and Gabriel when they return from their romantic trip to Italy over Christmas break, but a jealous Christa Peterson decides to screw the couple over by alerting the university.

The whole investigation of the university into the inappropriate relationship between Julia and Gabriel was really stressful and dragged on way too long. Honestly, why did these two not see this all coming? They knew they were breaking the rules and endangering both Gabriel's career and Julia's academic studies. Despite how upsetting their ordeal was, really, they had it coming for flagrantly disregarding university policy. (Slight spoiler alert) I also found the whole Gabriel "I had to disappear and break your heart to protect and save your future" thing a bit much. It seemed very contrived and was just a way to create plot tension between the happy couple.

That being said, I still love this couple and I was very pleased by the conclusion. I also loved that they reunited as more equal partners. This couple is very cognizant that they're not perfect, and I like that the book shows them dealing with their problems and going to therapy. I like to imagine them as academic equals after Julia finishes her phd at Harvard. In spite of the silly professor/student dynamic of the storyline, I think Reynard has created a fairly realistic depiction of real people, struggling to compromise and find happiness with the person they love.

Stars: 4