When I write erotic book reviews, I don’t like to draw similarities between one work and another but there are definitely some echoes of Fifty Shades of Grey in Gabriel’s Inferno. Once again, you’ve got a young virgin who tends to tug on her lower lip and a dominant Alpha male.

But Inferno is totally different in many good ways. It’s a well written story that appeals to thinking women. You’ll find very little explicit sex but lots of eroticism, sensuality and longing.

I was initially intrigued by the main characters in much the same way that I got hooked on Ana and Christian in Fifty Shades. Professor Gabriel Emerson is another dark and troubled Alpha male while Julia Mitchell is victimized, insecure and innocent. Gabriel is a lost, dark, twisted soul looking for redemption but that’s where the parallels with Christian Grey end.

Let me say it again. THIS IS NOT Fifty Shades of Grey!! Instead of graphic sex scenes going on for page after page, there is a detailed story of how two people meet, lose touch, meet again and try to overcome all obstacles to fall in love.

Ready to read Gabriel’s Inferno? Get your copy here!

This IS a dark romance about two people trying to overcome their past tragedies and demons in order to find acceptance and redemption in each other. Gabriel and Julia have a few past connections that ensure that fate will bring them back together. They’re linked by family, friends and, of course, Dante and Beatrice. The professor is a renowned Dante specialist and Julia is a graduate student enrolled in his class. They both suffer in their personal lives during the years they spend apart, and now those are the demons they have to fight in order to be together.

I agree with the readers who suggest that Gabriel’s Inferno serves as an antidote to Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s writing that doesn’t insult your intelligence or make you feel embarrassed about liking it. I especially applaud such an astounding accomplishment for the author’s first venture into fiction. The eroticism is beyond amatory. I could feel my body burn with the rigors of Gabriel’s control. His withholding of sexual gratification was more alluring and provocative then if he indulged heedlessly.

Erotic Romance Novels That Go All Dante On You

Having read Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem the Divine Comedy, including portions of the Purgatorio and Paradiso canticas, I appreciated working the juxtaposition of Middle Age themes into modern erotic romance novels. Still, you don’t have to be a Dante scholar to enjoy the effect. Sylvain Reynard does an astonishing job of illuminating Dante’s journey throughout this story.

Simply put, this book is sensual and romantic. The erotic element is present without being boorish. My only complaint is that the first volume could be a little shorter. But that’s no big deal. I loved reading it and I’m already eagerly awaiting the sequel, Gabriel’s Rapture. If you want dark, rich romantic stories to enjoy, get these books!

Download your copy of Gabriel’s Inferno here.