I have a friend, Renae Brumbaugh, who has written several books. Her latest is For Love or Money. I was flattered when she asked me to read it and to let her know what I thought of it. I don’t read many romance books. I don’t have anything against romance stories, as you would see if you were to visit my home where I have an assortment of romance books on my bookshelves. Read them all – they are not for show. But this genre is not my first choice in books. Her story I will re-read and recommend.

Why do I recommend it? There are several reasons; first it is a well-written story with interesting characters. I’ve met people like the characters in her story. (We should all have an Aunt Doris in our lives.) A good story line and great characters make it easy to get into the story.

Second, it is a historical fiction, which is one of my favorite genre of books. The setting is Chicago after the great fire, before the World’s Fair, electricity is being introduced and questioned (do you really need it?), and the Moody College is a hub of activity with D. L. Moody participating in the education of ministers and missionaries.

The time is a time of manners and propriety in how we deal with each other. Not so much class but the correct and respectful way to address each other, expectations of how you are treated, and such.

The story revolves around a young lady, Grace, who comes to the aid of a sick (dying) friend who single-handedly runs an orphanage. There are seventeen children from babies in a crib to young teenagers old enough to work but with no place to stay. During this time in history, orphanages were common, and conditions were never very good. But Grace’s lifelong friend, Anne, was trying to make a difference in the children’s lives that came into her orphanage, even though the building is crumbling around them. The building is in the area of Chicago that was devasted by the fire and has been ignored by the city and neighboring community.

But an important thing about this book is that it is a Christian romance. You will find the gentle expressions of the Christian faith throughout the story, but not preachy. Don’t expect pages and pages of heated explicit sex scenes. Expect a great story and you will not be disappointed.

You have a book club looking for a book, put For Love or Money on the list to be reviewed.