RUNNING TOGETHER

by Gary Balanoff

They've spent years running toward their dreams. But can they keep running toward each other?
Emily James has already achieved what most athletes only dream about.

At just eighteen, she is an Olympic runner competing for gold in the 1500 meters, standing on the biggest stage in the world against the fastest women on earth. And waiting for her at the finish line is something even more a future with the man she has loved for years.

Jake Worthington has dreams of his own.

A talented college football player at the University of Florida, Jake is determined to prove himself on the field while building a life with Emily. After years of distance, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion, he has finally proposed to the woman he has always loved.

They should have everything.

But dreams come with a price.

Between Olympic competition, college football, demanding careers, family expectations, injuries, distance, and the pressures of growing up, Emily and Jake discover that loving someone forever is about more than saying the words.
It's about choosing each other when life gets complicated.

It's about standing together when dreams pull them in different directions.

And it's about discovering whether a love that began so young can survive everything the future has in store.

From the excitement of Olympic gold and college athletics to the intimate moments that reveal what really matters, Running Together is an emotional sports romance and contemporary romance about ambition, first love, commitment, family, and finding your person while chasing your dreams.

If you love athlete romance, college romance, football romance, Olympic romance, slow-burn love stories, emotional romance, and couples who refuse to give up on each other, get ready to run alongside Emily and Jake.

Because sometimes the greatest victory isn't crossing the finish line first.

It's finding someone who will keep running beside you.

331 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 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.