Sin of Omission by Charmaine Gordon

Sin of Omission

By Charmaine Gordon

ISBN 13: 9781937227654, paperback $13.95; Kindle ASIN B007XA9V2I, $4.99, NOOKbook 294003184477, $4.99, also available from Smashwords $4.99

I had a mixed, though mostly positive reaction to Charmaine Gordon’s Sin of Omission. There are things about the book that I loved, like the fact the heroine is an African American and that she is quite capable of taking care of herself. I liked the fact that she was well educated and in a good job. I like the fact the book broke a lot of stereotypes.

I liked the hero, Jimmy Costigan, a lasso-wielding cowboy, getting an education in architecture. I like that he was also drawn outside of the lines. He was the boy from the bad home life who was making it good. He was strong, but also sensitive and he fell for our heroine, Shelley Jackson hard and fast.

I didn’t care for a  decision Shelley made – true it contributed to the interesting plot, but I didn’t care for the reasoning behind it, although it is one typical to romances, that the hero of the story simply is too busy with his own life, or too immature, or has different priorities, so the heroine makes a foolish decision.  I realize that once again, this is what drove the storyline a lot, but there was so much more the story could have chosen to focus on that I felt this was a bit cliché and an easy out.

I liked the fact that Sin of Omission was an action-based romance. There was action happening almost all the time and these crises were what drove the plot forward in an interesting way. They showed the strength and capability of both the heroine and the hero and I really enjoyed this interesting aspect of the book. Both characters were mature, responsible, able adults. There was no character that needed protecting or saving, but rather two equals who recognized the value of one another. It was nice to see this kind of healthy relationship portrayed in a romance.

Overall, I think Sin of Omission is an interesting book. I would recommend reading it. It is a novella of only 84 pages so it is easy to read in one night and it is different and interesting in all the ways that count in a romance.