Iron & Heartstrings

By Arden Hale

He's built a life out of iron and grease.
She's built hers out of words and dreams.

Gunnar Hale is fifty-two, broad-shouldered, silver-bearded, and carved from decades of discipline and sacrifice. A retired military veteran and former firefighter forced into early retirement by damaged lungs, he now owns a body shop that smells like oil, metal, and hard-earned survival. Love was something he gave up when his body did.

Maren Calloway is twenty-six, curvy, confident, and quietly strong. A romance author who breeds Clydesdale draft ponies, she spends her days balancing ink-stained fingers and muddy boots. When her truck breaks down outside Gunnar's shop, she doesn't expect kindness-much less the pull she feels toward the man with tired eyes and steady hands.

Their connection is slow. Intentional. Dangerous.

Gunnar knows the age gap is a line he shouldn't cross.
Maren knows her heart doesn't care.

As past wounds resurface and fears collide, they must decide if love is worth the risk-or if they'll retreat to the lives they built alone.

Iron & Heartstrings is a steamy, emotional, age-gap romance featuring a protective older hero, a grounded heroine, found family, slow-burn intimacy, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Stand-alone
Third person POV
HEA guaranteed

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GHRZYV19
• ISBN13: 9798244713817
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"