Trust Issues: A Slow Burn Romance About Love, Trauma, and Letting Go

by Gary Balanoff

What if the one person who could heal your heart is the one you’re afraid to trust?

Dr. Melissa Montgomery has spent her life chasing the impossible. As a brilliant scientist dedicated to groundbreaking space propulsion research, she is focused on getting humanity to Mars. Relationships feel like distractions, and trust seems dangerous. Her past has taught her that letting someone get too close can cost her everything.

Then, a sudden summer storm introduces Derek Royal into her life.

Derek is not the type of man Melissa ever expected to meet. He's part firefighter, part paramedic, part real estate agent, and completely devoted to helping others. When he rescues her during a rain-soaked accident on campus, a simple act of kindness sparks a connection neither of them anticipated.

But Melissa carries scars that success and intelligence cannot erase.

As their unlikely relationship blossoms through coffee dates, chaotic adventures, and quiet moments of honesty, Derek begins to understand the walls Melissa has spent years building. And Melissa must confront a terrifying

Can she risk trusting someone with her heart when trust has already let her down before?

"Trust Issues" is a powerful, slow-burn contemporary romance that explores emotional depth, unforgettable characters, and the delicate journey of learning to love again.

Perfect for readers who ❤️ Firefighter romance❤️ A brilliant scientist heroine❤️ Slow-burn relationships❤️ Emotional healing and trauma recovery❤️ Character-driven romantic suspense❤️ Opposites-attract love stories
If you appreciate heartfelt romances where love must triumph over the past, "Trust Issues" will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Sometimes the greatest leap of faith isn’t about going to Mars; it’s about learning to trust again.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2026

About the author

Gary Balanoff is an accomplished author known for his captivating romance novels that resonate with readers. Game Night follows four successful friends--a doctor, TV news reporter, engineer and teacher--who gather for poker nights and cannot figure out why they're all still single in their 30's. What follows is a hilarious and heartfelt journey through online dating disasters, unexpected sparks, and the kind of friendships that make every heartbreak survivable.
Game Night is available on all Amazon formats including Kindle.

Too Soon for Love? A heartfelt romantic novel about timing, devotion, and unbreakable love

What happens when you meet the love of your life… but life has other plans?

When college student Drew Harrison locks eyes with Samantha Langston, the connection is instant ⚡ deep, emotional, and impossible to ignore. Drew falls fast ❤️. Samantha, cautious and healing from past heartbreak, asks for time. What follows is a tender, passionate journey of slow-burn romance, emotional growth, and unwavering devotion.

Just as their love finally aligns, an unexpected diagnosis changes everything.

Too Soon for Love? is a deeply emotional romance novel that explores:
*True love vs. lust
*Patience in relationships
* Faith during life’s hardest trials
*Standing by the one you love no matter the cost

This romantic love story is filled with heartfelt moments, deep conversations, and raw emotion that will stay with you long after the final page. Perfect for readers who love emotional romance books, college romance novels, and inspirational love stories with real-life stakes.

🌹 If you believe in soulmates
🌹 If you believe love is worth fighting for
🌹 If you believe timing doesn’t define destiny
Then this book is for you ❤️
Available in all formats including Kindle Unlimited.

Trust Issues
Melissa Montgomery and Derek Royal have trust issues stemming from the past. Most people share a degree of those divisions, but for these two, the slow burn after their chance meeting seems to take forever.
What's holding her back? Will she ever tell him, even when he tries to show his love in daily expressions?
Their jobs wrap them tight, and the danger in his firefighting leads to injuries that bring her to feel emotions she’s never felt. What will it take to bring two complete opposites to loving each other completely? Or will the pains of long ago persist and drive them apart?

This book peels back human layers to discover the core of what makes Melissa and Derek tick. Each chapter will surprise you but make you want more; just as each passing day
makes them long for each other.
Trust Issue is available in all formats including Kindle Unlimited.