Title: The Sin of Angels
Author: William Winchester Nivin & Jody Riddle
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1491849132
Pages: 534
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance
Reviewed by: Jack Chambers
Hollywood Book Reviews
In the grand scheme of things, love and romance have been two things which have driven some of the world’s greatest stories. Whether it is a Greek tragedy like The Odyssey or a classic Shakespearean play like Romeo & Juliet, romance encompasses so many aspects of life, from tragedy and loss to triumph and joy. The star-crossed lovers’ trope is one of the literary world’s oldest tropes, and yet it speaks to the nature of humanity to take control of who can love one another and who can’t, and highlights man’s desire to break those social constructs and flip them on their heads.
From a historical point of view, authors William Winchester Nivin and Jody Riddle’s The Sin of Angels answers this idea of star crossed lovers from a nineteenth century perspective. The story follows Edward and Sally, two young people in love who come from very different walks of life. In this era of history, Edward is a headstrong young man who falls for Sally, who tragically is one of his father’s slaves on their Illinois farm. Both fear discovery of their love for one another, but they cannot keep apart, and soon their romance is discovered by John, Edward’s manipulative brother, who uses the knowledge to leverage himself against his brother. Can the two lovers find a way of staying safe and being together, or will the world tear them apart?
A powerful and compelling narrative, the authors really lean into the era of history and bring it to life through powerful imagery in the writing which makes the readers feel like they stepped directly into the Midwest farmland where this story takes place. The visceral emotions of the narrative are powerfully felt in this story, from the nearly deadly and vicious relationship between Edward and his brother John, to the level of passion and love Edward has for Sally, and the way Edward inspires similar feelings in others such as Shirley. The story balances out the historical era of the setting well with the drama and the heat of the romance that drives this narrative forward, and keeps the reader invested in the story.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially those with detailed views into the era for which the setting hails with an added element of historical romance and family drama, will absolutely love this story. The romance is quite prevalent in this narrative, but what stands out even more is the family dynamics at play here, not only between Edward and John, but also their cousin Allen and the introduction of the Owens family through Shirley. The scale of the story and the history make it feel epic in nature, and the grounded nature of the story brings equal amounts of tragedy, heartbreak, and desire that readers won’t be able to get enough of.