Finding Gabriel
was my first read by Rachel L. Dementer and it certainly won't be my last from her. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy her story and characters, I loved how she made it a story of redemption about two broken people finding love in the darkest of times. What truly stood out to me however were Rachel’s beautiful prose and descriptive writing as well as the development of her characters.Set after the destructive Napoleonic wars, Finding Gabriel tells the story of two characters, Ariah and Gabriel, and their journey to heal each other. The book starts out with Gabriel trying to kill himself and even manages to commit the deed until our kind heroine, Ariah, finds him in the river and drags him back to her home. Once he wakes up, Gabriel angrily lashes out at Ariah for ruining his plans but eventually comes to respect her as time goes by. Of course, that respect is also tinged with some form attraction between the two and both characters seem to feel it. However, it appears that Ariah fears this more than Gabriel does. As the book continues on, it becomes rather obvious that Ariah has experienced something traumatic in her life.
In the end, I found myself invested in these two characters and their happiness and wanted them come out of this okay. It was also super romantic—which I loved. Finding Gabriel had passion, intrigue, mystery, action, and PLENTY of heartbreak! Touching on various subjects from suicide, disfiguration, victims of tragedies, and so much more, Rachel’s book made for a very emotional read! I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a different type of historical romance to read.
This arc was kindly provided by Rachel L. Dementer and Momentum in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: ★★★★☆
