Each day dies with night, and every dream fades in the morning. That's what Vincent Rossi knows. His life has been one tough break after another. Even when good things happen, they get destroyed because that's how the universe works. It gives and it takes, but it mostly takes. No matter how terrible today is, there's always the promise of tomorrow. That's what Annalise Cantana knows. She's experienced tragedy and triumph in her life. The tragedy happened to her. It was beyond her control. The triumph is her spirit, which, despite the odds, remains unbroken. When this cynical man is hired to protect the woman who refuses to dwell on the negative, their lives become intertwined. Like opposing forces, Vincent and Annalise repel and attract until he is unable to resist the light she brings to each day. She thaws the ice in his veins and makes him smile. She cares about him in a way he doesn't deserve. But hidden beneath the closeness building between them lies a secret that could extinguish that light forever. It would devastate Annalise if she found out, and would unravel the hope Vincent finally dares to embrace. In the end, he must make an impossible choice: hold tight to the first glimmer of happiness in his life, or forsake it all to save her and watch another dream turn to dust. Harsh is a stand-alone contemporary romance.