Jake Tucker is broken.

At twenty-two, he went in to the Marine Corps a naïve, troubled youth. Nine years and four tours later, Jake finds himself back on US soil, though his mind remains firmly planted in the sands of Afghanistan with the men he left behind. Wounded, chewed up, and spat out by war, Jake has only his dog, Nuke, PTSD, and survivor's guilt to keep him company. He's lived every day for nine years wondering when it will be his last, but there's little comfort in the fact that he's still standing when his platoon isn't.

Ellie Mason doesn't have time for broken.

She's too busy trying to put food on the table. And keeping up with the demands of her autistic son, Spencer is sometimes like fighting behind enemy lines. As if navigating the minefields of single parenthood isn't enough, Ellie finds herself drawn to the quiet Marine who's just as lonely as she is. But she's loved damaged men before, and it left her wounded.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Fairhope, Alabama, Ellie, and Jake find themselves running toward the sound of chaos.

Love is war. Only the strong survive, and surrender is inevitable.

August Cotton shouldn’t be here.

When a tragic accident calls him home to Magnolia Springs, this returned Veteran adds his parents to the list of things he’s lost in recent years, right along with his IED detection dog and his left leg.

As the sole guardian of his four-year-old sister, August must rely on his Marine training in raising a tiny hellion who’s as stubborn as he is.

But the Corps could never prepare him for this.

Nor could they prepare him for Olivia Anders, a woman who’ll stop at nothing to get her way. 

As owner of Paws for Cause, Olivia is no stranger to the broken men and women who return home from war. She’s no stranger to broken dogs either. In fact, she’s made it her mission to pair the two and enrich both of their lives, but pairing ornery and aloof August Cotton will take some work.

The last thing August wants is some pushy southern woman occupying his parents’ bed and breakfast and forcing him to open up about the hell he narrowly escaped, but that’s exactly what Olivia intends.

They complete one another, and yet they can’t stand to be in the same room. 

Can Olivia make this hardened Marine feel again and finally show his heart the way back home?