SO much to say and of course I am up until the wee hours of the morning. I am the biggest believer of St Francis of Assisi and this touched me when Julia held him to such high regard. He always welcomes good and bad and all creatures big and small.I think the university sanctions were awful. I know I was so sad for Julia. Most actually I felt for Gabriel. He knew what he planned on and what messages he tried to get to her and she had no idea. The process of the University and the procedures were very hard to read. You just felt angst for them both. They worked entirely too hard to lose it all. Without one another they were lost and needed to find the broken pieces. It was not easy to read and worse to imagine her pain. Gabriel had demons ad that was also a concern, could he rise above or would he fall into a previous Gabriel version of purgatory?
Like the other book the side story of Julianne’s dissertation and the Dante story were completely ruined for a long while. I had my doubts about the way they were able to come together and how Katherine was able to guide her and have her succeed. Knowing the worst day would have been the doctorate without Gabriel being there was destroying her. The Julianne character grew a tremendous amount.
Although it took a little push from Paul, Julianne did manage to grow a little more and became a little tougher than I could have imagined her. She managed the correct amount of grief and stopped at the point where most of us would have done some things. This Carrie Underwood Before he Cheats.
For a while I wondered where Paul would be and how he would close his story. The Christa **tch got know where with her claims, that was good.
I see a few openings for a third book. Again I applaud the author for using the religion and the promise of celibacy before marriage in the case of the reconciliation. I believe that Grace made herself visible with Maia to guide Julianne and that was back to accepting Gabriel.
Another beautiful love story guided by Dante and who knows maybe Virgil did play a role. We can examine Virgil as Paul for that one. Could have been divine logistics. I do believe!!
“Love is doing a kindness for someone else, not expecting to receive anything in return.”
“She is not my equal; she is my better. She is my sticky little leaf.”
“Truth sets one free, but love casts out fear.”
“Everyone wants to know where evil comes from and why the world is riddled with it. Why doesn’t anyone ask where goodness comes from?”
“I wandered in the darkness looking for something better, something real. I found you, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose you.”
“Grace isn’t something we deserve, Gabriel,” Julia said softly. “It comes from love. And God wraps the world in second chances and sticky little leaves and mercy, even though some people don’t want them.”
“You are my sticky little leaf. My beautiful, sad, sticky little leaf, and I want to see you happy and whole.”
“I would have done whatever it took to save you.’ His voice and his expression were grave. ‘Even if that meant I had to spend eternity in Hell.”
―
“I want to be your first and your last. I love you, Julianne. I offer you my heart and my life.”
“Never Leave.” His voice dropped, and he turned to face her.
“I’m more worried about losing you.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Then you have nothing to worry about”
“You’re the only one who has ever been my lover in the true sense.”
“Who’s the Angelfucker now?”
“My dad is here,” She hissed, hoping to give Gabriel enough of a head start so he could make it to the elevators before Tom took out one of his hunting rifles and shot him.
“I know, I called him.”
She turned to Gabriel in wide-eyed disbelief. “Why would you do that? He wants to kill you.”
The Professor pulled himself up to his full height. “I want to marry you. That means that I need to make amends with your father. I want to be able to be in the same room without him attempting to shoot me. Or castrate me.”
“This was part of the divine comedy-God’s sense of humor undergirding the inner workings of the universe. Sinners participated in the redemption of other sinners; faith, hope and charity triumphed over disbelief, despair, and hatred, while the One who called all creatures to Himself watched and smiled.”
“She was his as surely as if he’d branded his name on her skin.”
“It isn’t God who’s evil-it’s us…….Everyone wants to know where evil comes from and why the world is riddle with it. Why doesn’t anyone ask where goodness comes from? Human beings have a tremendous capacity for cruelty. Why is there any goodness at all? Why are people like Grace and Richard so kind? Because there’s a God, and he hasn’t allowed the earth to be entirely corrupted. There are sticky like leaves, if you look for them. And when you recognize them, you can feel his presence.”
“Many people fail to see how modesty and sweetness of temper compound erotic appeal.”
“No relationship is absolutely reciprocal. Sometimes, when couples try to split everything in half, they discover that the relationship is not a partnership but a bean counting exercise. Striving for reciprocity in a relationship can be unhealthy.”
“Dark blue, heavy with emotion, gazed up unblinkingly into wide chestnut. Every movement, every yearning was reflected between the couple’s eyes.”
“She was sweetness and light, gentleness and goodness, and the burning and searing goal of all his earthly hunts and fascinations.”
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a family,’ thought Julia, as she watched Rachel and Scott hug their father. ‘Where love and forgiveness replace tears and suffering”
“He was like a lion, eager to feed but still stalking his prey. He didn’t want to scare her off. But she was helpless in her own desire for him.”
“The blue sky blushed to see such passionate lovemaking, while the Florentine sun smiled down, warming the lovers despite the gentle breeze.”
―
“She felt him through the fabric of her dress, hearing the silk taffeta rustle like a breathless woman. The dress clearly wanted more.”
“Gabriel noticed with satisfaction the way Julia intentionally fingered one of her diamond earrings, as if she understood his revelations and received them gladly. As if she knew he was revealing his love for her through art. His heart swelled.”
“In a perfect world, there would always be communication and consultation between partners. But we don’t live in that world. There are emergencies and dangerous, vindictive people.”
“No relationship is absolutely reciprocal. Sometimes, when couples try to split everything in half, they discover that the relationship is not a partnership but a bean counting exercise. Striving for reciprocity in a relationship can be unhealthy. On the other hand, striving to have a partnership in which each partner is valued equally and shares both burdens and responsibilities can be healthy.”
“Instead of standing around and watching Christa’s ugliness, we need to fight her with something stronger, like charity.”
“You are my water. Making love with you is all I need to quench my thirst. Why would I throw this away for water from the ocean?”
“I have become a great many things since you made me your lover.”
“This was the joy that the world sought–sacred and pagan all at once. A union between two dissimilars into a seamless one. A picture of love and deep satisfaction. An ecstatic glimpse of the beatific vision.”
Reading Renee 