Hard Core: A Broken Veteran Protector Romance

Claiming her might be the one war he can’t survive.

Ex-Marine Axel Jackson returned home carrying blood on his hands and ghosts in his head. Violence comes easily. Peace does not.

When a dark force from his past offers him a job, Axel wonders if taking it will be his salvation—or his final fall.

Then he meets Alyssa.

Alyssa is a waitress working at a strip club, beautiful and untouched by the darkness that clings to him. Axel steps in just in time to save her, and something inside him shifts. He needs to protect her, but he can’t love her.

She’s too good.

Too innocent.

Too pure.

As threats resurface and danger closes in, Axel must decide whether saving Alyssa means walking away or embracing the man he’s tried to leave behind.

All he wants is to claim her—body and soul—and now it’s his heart that’s willing to risk everything.

A sexy, emotionally charged dark romance about protection, redemption, and choosing love over self-destruction.

About the Hard as Nails Series

Hard as Nails is a dark contemporary romance series featuring dangerous heroes seeking redemption through fierce love and loyalty. Each story delivers intense emotion, protective devotion, and hard-won happily-ever-afters.

⭐ What readers are saying

“If you’re looking for a hot, sexy, emotional read, Virna DePaul delivers!”

“This is an author whose work continues to delight.”

“…intense, intricate, and insomnia-inducing.”

“Steamy, heart-warming, and action-packed!”

“The twists and turns of the fast-paced plot are delightful.” 

--Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

📚 Hard as Nails Series

Each book can be read as a standalone, but the series is best enjoyed in order.

Hard Time

Hard Case

Hard Core

Hard Place

Hard Act