Purple Hearts: A Novel

Cassie Salazar, a sharp-witted bartender in Austin pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter, is struggling with medical bills following a diabetes diagnosis. Luke Morrow, an Army trainee about to deploy, finds stability in military discipline. When Cassie reconnects with her enlisted friend Frankie, she proposes marriage to access better medical insurance and increased military family benefits. Frankie declines, but Luke volunteers instead—though he has his own undisclosed reasons for wanting to marry. Cassie and Luke, who could hardly be more different, find themselves married within forty-eight hours of their chance encounter at her bar. To secure the benefits they each need, they must maintain the appearance of a genuine marriage. As they navigate this arrangement, the line between performance and reality begins to blur.