BOOK COUPLES COUNTDOWN | Day 4: Rachel & Gabriel
Today is Day 4 of Book Couples Countdown, and I’ll be writing about one of my newer favorite couples: Rachel and Gabriel from Archangel by Sharon Shinn! Really I could have talked about all of the couples from this series. Equal parts romance, science fiction, and fantasy, Shinn’s Samaria is fantastic! So far I’ve also read Angelica, and I’m currently reading Jovah’s Angel. While existing in the same universe, they skip around in time and each book can stand on its own. Each one also includes a central romance, and on that note, let’s get back to my favorite of them!
Art by Weelcheetza on DeviantArt.
A key element in the evolution of Rachel and Gabriel’s relationship is their conflicting natures. They want different things, and they possess colliding perspectives and opinions. Yet there’s an undeniable attraction, and factors outside of their control have made their union nonnegotiable. They engage in wonderfully biting banter, and their love grows slowly, which I tend to love. And Shinn is skilled at striking the right level of drama, so we get all of this angst with none of the overdone feel romance novels often succumb to!
As with so many of my favorite couples, I also love how they better each other. I think Gabriel, and the new life his circumstances place Rachel in, end up helping her to heal from the hardships she’s endured. She learns to let others in again. Meanwhile, Rachel forces Gabriel to reevaluate his own perspective on the world, his habits of leadership and personal connection, and more. They challenge each other in the best way!
Art by John Jude Palencar. This is from the book’s cover.
Full of tension and unexpected compatibility, Rachel and Gabriel’s relationship builds slowly, one interaction upon the next, with each individual’s thoughts about the other sprinkled in between. It’s definitely high in my most beloved book romances!
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Do you have a favorite element of book romances? Tell me about it in the comments!
