A profoundly touching story of love, acceptance, and self-forgiveness in Napoleonic Paris! It’s been a long time since a historical romance has captured me so completely. This story made me feel such a wide range of emotions. It was quite a journey and one I won’t forget!

For me, the centerpiece of this book was the characters. Ariah and Gabriel were impressively developed with rich histories full of pain and hurt. I couldn’t help but despair for them, laugh with them, cry for them, and long for their much deserved happy ending!

Ariah is optimistic, compassionate, generous, and has a will of iron. She chooses to see the light and embraces hope even though she and her family have lost so much. Gabriel on the other hand, is cynical, isolated, toughened by war and his past, and sees the world through a dark veil …. which is not surprising, considering his terrible history!

It’s a twist of fate – and Ariah’s compassion – that thrusts these two tormented people together. Throughout the pages, they rescue each other emotionally and physically…. they heal each other …. and they each “find” themselves as well as a beautiful and everlasting love.

Ariah gives Gabriel hope and warmth ….. Gabriel removes Ariah’s fears and draws her into his darker side. Their bond was amazing ….. so real and heartfelt. They were such a passionate and wonderful couple, and so much was put against them.

Highly recommended. This book will haunt you and touch your heart. I rooted for Ariah and Gabriel from start to finish and sighed when they finally got their happy ending!

Really good story and plot I really didn't think some of the characters had to die but im not the writer.

"Gabriel de Laurent was far from a superstitious or spiritual man. And yet the feeling he had was unshakable. Ariah Larochelle had found him for a reason."

So let me just start off by saying this- I have never really been a fan of historical romances. For some reason, I just couldn't get into a lot of them. But, thanks to Rachel L. Demeter, I do believe I can now call myself a historical romance fan! This is the second book I have read from her, and I have loved both of them.

Her writing is just beautiful; it's pure poetry. The book completely immerses you into Gabriel and Ariah's world and you truly feel like you are living in the early 1800's right along with them. You feel the emotions they feel and your heart aches for ALL of the characters in the story, even the secondary ones!

Gabriel is a former soldier who can no longer deal with the ghosts of his past. Hoping for a way out, he puts a pistol in his mouth and watches as his world fades to black. Ariah happens upon him half submerged in the Siene and bleeding profusely from what she later finds out to be a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Ariah is a young woman whose past demons haunt her as well. A wife to a soldier whom she hasn't seen in years in no easy feat, especially since she alone is left to take care of her ill daughter and her half sister, Miriam.

Gabriel is none too happy with Ariah when he awakens due to the fact that he was certain he had killed himself. "Reality set in at full force. This was no angel. She was a burden, a barrier, a naive child. She was an unwanted interference in his life- an intruder who'd stolen his chance for peace." Bitter and resentful, Gabriel does his best to push Ariah away, but she is more strong-willed than he could have ever imagined. Can these two lost souls find solace in each other or will their demons eventually be their downfall?

I TOTALLY recommend this book to all of my fellow lovers of romance novels! I absolutely LOVED this book I cannot wait to read more from this author!

ps: Miriams story needs to happen... ::hint hint Rachel L. Demeter!!!

Finding Gabriel is the third novel by the talented new author Rachel L.Demeter and in my opinion she is one to watch. Having never heard of her, I was initially attracted to the novel by its unusual premise, classy cover and intriguing title, and I was not disappointed. Set in 19th century Paris, we are privy to the fallout of the Napoleonic wars and the poverty and turmoil of France during these tumultuous times. Interesting also, is this war seen from a different PoV; normally Napoleon is depicted as a villain, but here we see a different man, one who is highly thought of by his men, which makes for a refreshing insight.

Colonel Gabriel de Laurens has been fighting for Napoleon for a decade and has been on a mission to die following extremely traumatic events in his life for which he holds himself responsible. He sets out to punish himself in a highly destructive way, but no matter what foolhardy risks he takes, every bullet misses it’s mark. After Napoleon’s defeat, Gabriel returns to Paris, utterly desolate and still plagued by the inner demons that sent him on this ‘hiding to nothing’ in the first place.

He then attempts to take his own life in a most horrifying manner, but fate has other plans for Gabriel, and he is discovered near death on the banks of the river Seine. Ariah Larochelle drags him back to her meagre home in one of the poorest districts of Paris, calls a doctor and then literally pulls him back from the brink of death, albeit with Gabriel protesting fiercely; this is powerful stuff.

Gabriel’s injuries are truly horrific and Rachel Demeter is brutally honest and graphic in her descriptions, although I must admit to being slightly sceptical here, because I couldn’t see how anyone could recover from such injuries at all, let alone so quickly as to be going about his daily living within weeks. Nonetheless, I admire the way the author does not pull her punches; Gabriel doesn’t miraculously become super duper handsome again and he fights his inner demons with the help of Ariah, his gentle angel of mercy and her little dysfunctional family, which includes Oliver the old, ugly mongrel, rescued from the streets of Paris; Ariah seems to be the sort of person who collects waifs and strays. There is a point at which Gabriel begins to find the will to live and feels himself possibly able to pick up the threads of his life again – his developing feelings for Ariah helping with this transformation. He removes his bandages and actually looks at himself in a mirror – his reaction is exactly what I would have expected – OMG, what have I done? It’s not just the words but his actions which are highly emotional – as I said, this is powerful stuff.

Ariah suffered a life changing physical and mental attack at age fifteen which has left her deeply suspicious of men in general, so the growing of the love between these two very broken souls is highly emotional and touching; and it shows Ms. Demeter to have a highly developed understanding of human emotions. Rachel Demeter handles Ariah’s emerging love and trust for Gabriel with the utmost sensitivity and his winning of her trust even more impressively. Gabriel is a hunky, reformed bad boy, likeable and honourable and he sounds absolutely delicious in his medal festooned military greatcoat, regardless of his facial appearance. The gentle, much younger Ariah, with her streak of determination and fierce love for everyone she takes under her wing is the perfect angelic foil to Gabriel’s large, dark, and damaged facade.

The story has a traumatic and shocking ending, although Gabriel and Ariah do get their HEA. Perhaps it is all wrapped up rather neatly but I can’t really see how Ms. Demeter could have done otherwise – it is such an emotional storyline, any other outcome would have been a huge disappointment. The writing is compelling and unusual, if a little flowery, but I loved the uniqueness of this fascinating story and can see a very successful future for this author. Finding Gabriel is highly recommended for readers who like their romances dark and angsty as well as historical romances with a difference, and I shall certainly be watching out for more from Rachel L. Demeter.

Rachel L. Demeter always delivers heavy emotion and bold stories, and Finding Gabriel is definitely both of these things: emotional and bold! The story starts off with a bang (no pun intended) when Gabriel, a renowned colonel tormented by past demons, attempts to end his own life. This leads him to Ariah, a beautiful and compassionate mother who ends up becoming his saving grace and light. Ariah and Gabriel are both flawed, imperfect, and impossible not to love and admire. They are polar opposites in many ways, yet they fit together perfectly. The historical backdrop, which is set during the end of the Napoleonic Wars, makes the romance sparkle in breathtaking ways, as we witness Gabriel and Ariah's personal transformations and quests for hope during an era of despair and chaos. The story starts off with an enticing slow-burn pace before building momentum. The unexpected twists and turns kept me engaged all the way through, as well as a cast of very memorable secondary characters.

Demeter's style of writing has a spectacular way of pulling you into the pages. For those who prefer a causal read or more "distance" this may be off-putting. But for those who relish feeling everything the characters feel, who want to see and hear everything in the world and want to lose themselves within the remarkable history of a past time.... this is the author for you.

I am a sucker for a tortured hero, and and even bigger sucker for the beauty and the beast type of story line and I think this novel covers both. Some reviewers have likened it to the Phantom of the Opera. The story is set in France during the period when Napoleon returns to Paris after being exiled to Elba. The main character, Colonel Gabriel Laurent, was a favorite commander of Napoleon, but has lost everything and just wants his life to end (which he attempts by his own hand). When Ariah Larochelle, a woman with a hard, dark past of her own, finds him and nurses him back from the brink of death, the two find a strange attraction and kindred spirit in each other. I loved their story and how they slowly pulled each other from their inner darkness. I liked Demeter's writing style - gritty, graphic, sensual (ahem VERY sensual), but I also thought there was some repetition and inconsistencies in her descriptiveness at times.

I liked the way the main story ended abruptly at a climax, instead of dragging on unnecessarily like stories so frequently do. I felt the epilogue took away from the story, instead of enhancing it.

WOW...I am blown away by this amazing novel. What a captivating and gripping story! I loved the characters....Gabriel and Ariah. I became so involved in each of their stories, separately and together. It was quite an emotional ride, at times heartbreaking and torturous and other times so beautifully poignant and enchanting. Love in all its forms are represented here. The love of a child, the love of family, the love of a friend and true deep romantic love that has the power to give hope when there is none and heal the soul. Then there is the rapturous passion that only exists when two people come together who are so deeply in love that they can't take a breath without the other.

I couldn't put this engrossing book down, yet I also didn't want it to end. This is the type of novel I live for ...a deep, dark historical romance that grabs my heart and doesn't let go.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The author contacted me and requested that I read and review this book. Sometimes, I look at a book, I just don’t feel it, and I feel bad declining a review request, but for this one, I took one look at Finding Gabriel and I knew I had to read it. The cover screamed historical romance, which is one of my favorite genres. And the blurb made me want to read it even more. I like the whole two-damaged-people-finding-love thing. And this one kind of took it a step further. He tries to commit suicide, and she finds and saves him? Yes, please! So, my initial thoughts were 100% positive.

WHAT I LIKED

The writing. Rachel L. Demeter is a new author for me, so I didn’t know what to expect. But, I was SO impressed. Pretty much from the first couple pages, I knew she was a fantastic writer. To be honest, a lot of the books I read entertain me, but I feel like I could’ve written them. That definitely wasn’t the case here. The writing style, the descriptive language, everything just seemed so professional yet understandable and relatable at the same time. I never would’ve guessed that she only has a couple published books. It really felt like I was reading a 10-15 year veteran’s book. So, that was an awesome surprise.

The romance. Gabriel and Ariah have both been through the unimaginable. They have each suffered very different tragedies in life, and I think that is one thing that brought them together. They recognize sadness in each other, which draws them to one another. Plus, their relationship gradually grew. There may have been instant attraction, but it wasn’t insta-love, which was great! I really liked that it was hard for both of them, for their own unique reasons, to move on with life and allow themselves to be happy again. It just made the journey and the ending that much more enjoyable.

The plot. I absolutely LOVED THE PLOT! The guy shoots himself in the head, somehow lives, and is rescued by his female knight in shining armor. Doesn’t that sound must-readable?! Plus, I really enjoyed gradually learning their secrets and haunted pasts. It was suspenseful, heartbreaking, and romantic. Loved it, loved it, loved it :)

WHAT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER

Not enough dialogue. While the book was so well-written, I think it was more focused on the content and descriptions that it lacked dialogue. For me, I LOVE dialogue. It just makes the connection between the characters so apparent. It makes me feel all the feels and really care about the relationships. In my opinion, there just wasn’t enough here. I wanted to hear more conversations between Gabriel and Ariah. I wanted to hear him profess his undying devotion to her again and again and again. Okay, that is a little extreme, but you know what I mean :)

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This was such a good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, I wanted more dialogue, but that was really my only complaint. Everything else about it was flawless. I’m so happy I got the chance to read it, and I have to give a big shout out and thank you to Rachel L. Demeter for giving me the opportunity to read and review it!

FAVORITE QUOTES

“…we are limited only by ourselves. Reality is what we make of it – and faith fuels our hope. Nothing more. It is not intended to be a crutch. Neither is it a magical way to wash away our past mistakes and sins. True faith takes time, determination, and courage – and ends with hope.”

“The only journey worth traveling starts from within.”

“Sometimes we must give people the chance to surprise us.”

“We all must chase our destiny. It drives us, fuels our blood, and inevitably defines our character. One’s true measure emerges only from the lengths we will journey to achieve it.”

*I received an eBook copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

A lovely story of two broken people who lean to trust again and find love they never thought was to theirs