Customer Reviews

Gabriels Woman

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Where I found Michael sexy in her previous book The Lover, I did not really like Gabriel at all. I can see he has had a hard life, but that is no excuse for what he does-he is driven solely by revenge. Angry, mistrustful, and most certainly capable of betraying anyone and everyone, Victoria is thrust into his clutches and treated apallingly.

Also appalling in the book are sentences like 'Gabriel could even make rape pleasureable' as he does exactly that to her in a back door scene which would make any reader of romance cringe, and even himself cringes as he tried to doctor her tuch after he is done with her!

Aslo cringeworthy: the graphically detailed description of his last female lover, and what he did to her (fisted). There is also the lesbian modiste who fits her for dresses and does the most fascinating things with a tape measure and a feather. There is substantial same sex content in this book considering it is supposed to be a romance. Those who also are not interested in voyeurism in a brothel would like to give his book a miss.

His explanation for why he is like that and the reasons for it do not make sense at all. The timetable and explanations are all wrong. That and the appallingly weak ending, are just a few more let downs in this generally bleak and grim book.

Gabriel's only redeeming feature was his friendship for Michael and even that is basically destroyed, or given a sexual component which make Gabriel even more selfish than he already is.

I can't see anyone as tame as Victoria redeeming a man like him, nor would she really want to. Redeeming him by allowing him full sexual licence to treat her like a sex object does not really ring true. Sorry, but there is a difference between consensual sex and sensuality, and exploring boundaries, and the exploitation of every human being in this book. It is erotica, certainly, if you like that sort of thing, but not romance. A happy ever after ending for this couple or Michael and Anne? I don't think so!

This is the story of Gabriel a proprietor of a house of pleasure(the house of Gabriel). Gabriel is a former male prostitute who has become successful in the seedy world of prostitution but is haunted by is childhood poverty, his whoring, and being raped.

He is caught up in the search for the man who raped him and the mystery of the woman (Victoria) who sold her virginity to him. Victoria is a woman of former position and education who has through poor circumstances ended up on the streets with only her virginity as her sole most valuble possession and sells it to Gabriel so she may survive.

This story is intertwind with several other plots that I could write for days so you should read the book and experience them for yourself. You won't get bored I didn't. I read this book in two days and hated for it to end.

You journey with Gabriel and Victoria as the mystery of both Gabriel and Victoria unviels it's self.

this is a wonderful intimate book full of sensual and erotic pleasure but like Robin Schones writing style extremely personal and intimate. It's like being in the room with the characters.....A fly on the wall. You can almost feel the silk of the bed sheets and smell the perfume the characters use.

If you liked 'The Lover' you will enjoy the story of the Angel Gabriel.

and if that's what you're looking for go for it. Explicit sex scenes and confusing writing make this sequel a stilted read.
The book is a sequel to another book (The Lover) which I have yet to read and the writer makes no effort to cover what happened in the first book to clarify what is happening in the second! Besides being confusing (and the writing style attempts to be poetically vague!) the sex is also quite shocking. I haven't ever read a description of sodomy in romance writing but this one has it in all the detail you could want. The only other book by Schone I have read is "The Lady's Tutor" which was a much better read.

I get very disappointed when authors include characters from other stories but don't explain these previous characters or other story properly in their current story, and assume the reader has read the previous book. I was confused during the first half of the book just trying to piece together Michael's and Gabriel's relationship. I had no idea what happened to Michael, but it seemed to be very crucial to understanding Gabriel and "Gabriel's Woman". I had no real history about Gabriel's relationship with Micheal or what really happened that precipated the situation with the "first" & "second" man.
Though I'm familiar with Schone's erotic writing style, it was hard to accept Victoria getting anally raped during only her 2nd sexual experience with Gabriel. The phrase "a boy who wanted to be an angel" also begins to grate after the 20th time it's written and begins to lose it's meaning.
The story was decent (when I knew what was going on) and I loved the ending, but parts did seem to drag, and though filled with erotic setting, I didn't get as wrapped up in it as I did in The Tutor.

After reading "The Lover" I just KNEW I had to read Gabriels story. Wow. This was better than I had expected. It was heartstoppingly erotic of course, but then its a Robin Schone..so thats to be expected. While I enjoyed all of the characters, Gabriel, to me, was the books attraction. Watching Victoria break thru his feigned indifference was spellbinding. However much I was captivated by this tale, I couldnt give it 5 stars... Some of the crudeness was just a bit much for me, but I loved the book regardless. In my mind any flaw that was within this story was glossed over by the absolutely EXQUISITE last page.This is a book that is going forever on my keepers shelf.

Despite what other's have written, I thought that this book, by far is the best Schone has ever written. How refreshing to have a mature, true to life sexual encounter spelled out to you with all of the sounds, smells, and senses of real life. Instead of the flights of fancy dreams and dialogue that insult the intelligence of any female over the age of 15, and that are present in most of the other authors within this genre.

Who says sex can't be dark, painful, and still create intense pleasure? I love the way that Schone titillates, even in embarassing ways. Her writing is not "Safe" and that's what I love about it. She makes you squirm a little, and look over your shoulder guiltily as if someone might catch you liking what is presenting itself to you. I agree, her writing is not for everyone...so those people can have their safe, dewy novels...I'll choose Gabriel any day of the week.

This is among the finest romance/erotica novels I've ever read. A truly unusual "tortured" hero and a virginal heroine of amazing courage take you on an emotional journey you'll never forget. I don't think it's an exaggeration to liken Shone to a 21st century D.H. Lawrence, doing for the literary depiction of sexuality and eroticism in our time what Lawrence did in the early 20th century. This lady has talent!

The novel is not for the faint of heart, nor squeamish. It explicitly explores the healing power of sexual intimacy with two people who are falling deeply in love. By far the best of Schone's always interesting work!

Most of the other reviewers have summarized the plot quite well, with the ex-governess Victoria putting her virginity on the auction block at an exclusive men's club, known as the "House of Gabriel", and her subsequent unexpected sexual awakening. Gabriel, a man completely walled off by choice from his own sexuality, has become a sort of "voyeur" in his house of prostitution until Victoria comes into his life under suspicous circumstances. If you are looking for a sweet love story, this is not the book for you. The sex is hot, explicit, touches on the homoerotic and may be too much for some readers to handle . Mostly, the storyline is a mesh of the erotic/romance genre and is a sequel to Schone's previous work, "The Lover". I actually enjoyed "Gabriel's Woman" more than "The Lover", for I felt there was a bit more of a plot and I enjoyed the mystery/suspence aspects. The veiled references to the "second man" may be confusing to readers who haven't read "The Lover", and this is my biggest complaint about the novel.

The relationship that develops between Gabriel and Victoria is something quite refreshing and unusual. Victoria is a virgin who once is awakened, becomes a tigress. This is the one aspect of Schone's novels' I have found a bit repetitive, as does her constant mention of the length of the man's penis size. The relationship shifts then into different sexual realms. However, it is the breaking down of all of Gabriel's sexual walls that make this novel so interesting and different from my usual romance fare. Gabriel's variety of inner demons made me literally cry.

The "friendship" between Michael, the protaganist in "The Lover" and Gabriel seems to be hotly debated. For me, this was not homesexual, but there were shades of homoerotocism. The very existence of this is the essence of Gabriel's torment, so if anything, it really gave me something to ponder after I read this novel. By the end of the book, in my opinion, it is my conclusion they are friends who love each other, but there is a fine line btween homo and heterosexuality both men have resolved.

I am shocked at readers who did not see the love between Gabriel and Victoria. Considering all the changes in Gabriel's life after he became involved with Victoria, and how he became able to recieve love and touch from another human being, their love was clear to me. I'd love to see more of them in Schone's future works. I've read all her novels/novellas and her growth as a novelist is wonderful.

Robin Schone does it again. Gabriel's Woman is the sequel to The Lover. I couldn't put it down. Again, everything just falls in to place. Gabriel is your normal brooding and anguished hero whom the heroine saves with her love. Schone's books are very intense with very little humor in the characters. That's the only thing that could use improvement, but humor wasn't called for in this book.

Previous reviewers put it best but I'll try to contribute. This is without a doubt one of the best novels of any kind I've ever read in my life. If you're looking for something a level or two spicier than Harlequin, this book is not for you. This book is so much more. Unlike any 'standard' romance, the women in this book, Victoria and Anne, display a level of compassion, honesty, and understanding not common to the genre at all. And the relationship between Gabriel and Michael is the hottest, most compelling, and most intriguing part of the entire novel. You ache for these two by the last chapter.

The author skillfully avoids easy stereotypes and categorizing by displaying the entire emotional depth and range of her characters. I love the way this book explores love and desire in all its forms. It sets a standard for what this type of novel can be for mature, sophisticated readers.