Raphael’s Redemptive Rage Ravishment Review

“Chastity will cure Lust.” Raphael

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.” ― 1 Corinthians 13:11 (Bible)

Well, when I was a child, the name Raphael meant one thing. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles though I always thought of myself as more of a Donatello. Until I got clued in, I wasn’t that smart, so my thoughts on Tillie Cole’s book Raphael? I can tell you I liked it, and since I’m not one to waste time, I gave it five stars. Of course, that’s not why you’re here. It’s not for my philosophy on life or art either. So I promise you I’ll do what I can to explain the novel. How dare I, but okay, SIGH.

Raphael is the sequel to Tillie Cole’s novel The Fallen: Genesis. That’s the prequel to the Deadly Virtues series. I take it to mean that each story will be another of the Seven Deadly Sins. I know Ker Dukey is doing something like that too, but that’s neither here nor there. As far as Tillie Cole, I’ve read three of her tales. Sick Fux is still my favorite, but Raphael is in second place, no doubt. If you know my biases, you will understand why. I should add I’m not one for religion even though I am hoping for the second circle if there is a Hell. What guy doesn’t and you’ll have to excuse me, I lost myself in Far Cry 5 for a while. Is that why this review took so long? On that note, Raphael is full of lust with some madness and mayhem that I won’t give away until the end. So the first book in the series covered Gabriel; this is more of Raphael’s story.

“Hardships aged the soul even if the skin your body wore told another story.” Raphael

Now living up to the promises of the first. We see Raphael has come into his own as a man. Doing what seems to come naturally, he has become a proficient killer and is sent on the hunt by his big brother. Again there isn’t much bloodshed until such a point and time. And that’s because he comes face to face with his little rose. Maria, a nun in training who finds herself in the wrong place at the right time. A monster, a miracle, but a must-have for Raphael. Can’t say I fault the man at all because I liked her too. Now, I didn’t like the Brotherhood, which makes them the best kind of villains. If you told me such a group existed in reality, I wouldn’t argue. Oh yeah, they do, they’re called the Catholic Church. I also admire an author that will take a shot at the “faithful” at any time.

I am a fan of the His Dark Materials series of books, well the three I read. Haven’t I come up since then reading these types of stories? I guess you shouldn’t answer that. There are also a few excellent touches of BDSM in Raphael as far as Maria’s neck is concerned. She also comes with quite a dark past that she doesn’t want to look “BACK” on; that’s a hint. It is pretty gruesome. Yet nobody gets into this expecting everything to be sweetness and light. For me, it was another incredible take in an ongoing erotica genre motif.

“What must it be like to live a life of such darkness?” ― Tillie Cole.

For the most part, the novel speaks about Raphael and Maria. The two protagonists, a lust story that turns into a love story. I say lust gets a bad rap, but again it’s the second circle but the first where any punishment gets dealt out. We see that from Raphael and the other Fallen members. And The Brotherhood, as they begin to launch a counterstrike. I was quite excited to see how far this war would go. As anyone could have guessed with Raphael and Maria’s future trials. Their tribulations.

Except for being a killer, Raphael is a pretty decent human being. A man with a fetish for some lengthy hair, a lean neck, and long stem roses. He also frequents sex clubs. For ravishing good times, to reveal his psyche and his revelations. I’m not sure if they received mentions in the first book, but it’s what Gabriel has named his assignments. You see that in Raphael that every target is tailor-made for the brother who goes. I’ve heard of honor amongst thieves. And that was something that disappointed me about his character. I swear I turned lawyer as soon as “it” went down but still for Raphael to pull such a stunt. Yes, ladies, all men are that dumb when it comes to a particular girl. Another way of saying it would be, am I my brother’s keeper. Yes, I am, although I could name a few celebrities I know here or there.

“You have taken everything we are, the blood oath, our brotherhood, our commandments, and turned your back on us. All for a woman.” Tillie Cole

Maria, on the other hand, was portrayed perfectly. The naïve young woman with a past, a promise, and a pact with the Devil to boot. She is Raphael’s fantasy made flesh, and from the moment he sets eyes on her, they were both goners. The only problems she had were all the results of men. From the monsters who handled her to those, she found herself with eventually. Well, maybe not, but that’s for another story, I suppose. Maria made the perfect submissive. How it makes you think about religious women in general. She had daddy issues, but also the rest of the family suffered the same fate. The family issue is better, well no. Could we call it a suspension of disbelief with some of the calls she made in this tale? I’ll say so, but her love for Raphael, I swear if a woman found me so captivating, marriage wouldn’t be far behind.

Still, Raphael swore himself to his brothers and Maria well? There are reasons I don’t trust the church anymore, and no, I was never a catholic. I felt terrible for The Fallen, and it was upsetting that Maria gave in to how she lived such a life for so long. Together though, against the world, well, that’s the sort of love I know we all want. One more reason I read these types of titles, oh, and seeing The Brotherhood and The Fallen face off. Was that a spoiler, well I hope you’re ready for more, or you could stop right here if you like.

“Sin is simply due to the absence of love.” Raphael

Five stars all the way around and not only for sex. Yes, there’s horrific violence. Of course, none of that was aimed at Maria; did I say that out loud. She signed up for it when it came to Raphael, which wasn’t violence but their consensual kink. Right up until the end of the title.

“He was a sinner. He was going to hell. But he was sure this was how heaven would feel. Warmth and bliss and whole-body pleasure.” ― Raphael by Tillie Cole

Okay, OFFICIAL SPOILER WARNING, are you ready, are you? The sex is top-notch, but it’s the last bit when Maria is looking at death in the face. She wants to fulfill Raphael’s most fantastic fantasy. To be honest, I have told women some of mine. 50% of the time, it works every time, haha. Maria lives and “dies” his. If you don’t literally see that scene when you’re reading it, the fight with the Brotherhood. The Fallen standing together, how many movies wish they could set the stage so well. Puts me in The Matrix or John Wick, state of mind. To quote, Keanu Reeves ahem “GUNS, lots of guns” and other assorted hardware. At the very end, when Maria takes her place amongst The Fallen, how I’ve needed a sequel since yesterday. Now, I doubt they will ever make this a movie… did I mention the sex? Anyway, Tillie Cole has an excellent soundtrack.

So seeing as how I’ve given this novel a five-star rating, there can’t be anything wrong with it? Once again, I mention the lack of a sequel, and I’ve only read three titles from this author. Sick Fux will always be my favorite but never say never. Where could the author go with The Fallen? However, I would have thought there would have been more of a trial aspect. When Raphael broke the rules of The Fallen. That’s not a criticism, but I was already getting my arguments set up when it came to how they operated. If anything, it was a tad glossed over, um yep. It would have also been cool to hear about the rest of the Revelations. But again, there was a huge battle. There’s also the fact that it is set up ready for a sequel. I know I’m repeating myself but come on, we’re all still waiting and hoping.

If you’re what I think of as a “Holy Roller,” you’ll hate this book. I’m not one for hymns or spiritual music, but I would never have given it a chance if it wasn’t for this book. Yes, even I will listen to “Abide With Me.” You can even see the scenes in your mind in correlation to the soundtrack. Somehow I remained amazed that women like stories like this? Once again, not a criticism, only being a black man in America and I would never meet a girl like Maria. It’s like women searching for Prince Charming on the Disney Channel. Yes, the narrative is fictional, but one wishes. Interested, I hope so because this is a must-read. The type of story that stays with you and my word, how long has it taken me to get this full review out? I guess I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. My idea of Raphael’s Redemptive Rage Ravishment Review