Out of the Ashes is the first book in a series of stories about characters who survived the Great Chicago fire.

Its two main characters, Nathaniel and Amelia have a chance meeting in their youth, when he is destitute and she gives him money for new clothes. We find them having swapped roles later in life. Amelia has been left behind with no money by her louse of a father and Nathaniel has the means to care for her.

Not only that, he’s never forgotten the girl who gave him her purse full of money and blew him a kiss. He found her name stitched inside the bag and has been searching for her with the intent to marry her.

The book begins with their shotgun wedding and then immediately takes readers back to learn how they came to be married. Ms. Rog tugs on the heartstrings as we learn of an Amelia who believes this man would be disappointed in being forced to marry her and a Nathaniel who’s scared to tell her that he was the boy from long ago.

It’s a sweet, clean romance that reinforces the belief that kindness is always rewarded in the end. The ending is left open for the stories of Nathaniel’s siblings who have been lost to him since youth.

It’s available on Amazon, with a rating of 4.4 stars if you’d like to check it out.