Groundswell : Book 3: Romance at the Break - A Coastal College Surf Team Series

She’s drowning on dry land. He’s the only one who can help her breathe.

Fierce competitor Marisol Reyes hasn't been the same since the wipeout. Last season's viral footage of her body ragdolling through a twelve-foot wave should be behind her, but opportunistic commentator Damon Rourke has resurrected the traumatic clip for the Australia competition. He is framing her return as a "redemption narrative" for ratings, turning every heat into a battle against a body that remembers drowning.
To make matters worse, program budget cuts force Marisol to share a cramped beach cottage—and a single bed—with Kai Nakamura, the one teammate whose quiet presence she can't ignore.
Kai learned young that silence is survival. Raised between cultures, he has perfected the art of being present without demanding space. Rooming with Marisol should be simple, but boundaries dissolve when you hear someone fighting nightmares through a thin wall. Instead of pushing her to talk or forcing her to confront her trauma, Kai simply stays steady—making her tea before sunrise, checking her board without comment, and being the calm water she needs when everything else is chaos.
As the Australia competition intensifies and Damon's commentary weaponizes Marisol's trauma for ratings, the tiny cottage becomes the only space where performance isn't required. Slowly, the walls between them dissolve, and late-night vulnerability gives way to accidental touches in the tiny kitchen and an undeniable, slow-burn heat. But Marisol has built her reputation on never showing weakness, and letting someone witness her fear terrifies her. When buried footage threatens to expose the team's fractures, she must decide whether healing is something she has to do alone, or whether the bravest thing of all is letting someone hold her steady while she learns to breathe underwater again.

Tropes You'll Trauma Recovery & A deeply emotional journey of overcoming PTSD and anxiety around big waves.🛏️ One Bed / Forced Budget cuts mean sharing a tiny Australian beach cottage and a single bed where trust is built over weeks.Quiet, Steady A fiercely observant hero who never tries to fix the heroine, but creates a safe space through consistent, quiet actions.Slow Burn to High Intimacy built on deep emotional safety, leading to hard-earned passion later in the book.Collegiate Sports High-stakes surf competition testing recovery against intense, exploitative media scrutiny.Perfect for fans Becka Mack – for readers who love sports romance featuring deep emotional healing and a hero who is endlessly patient and supportive.Liz Tomforde – for a quiet, swoon-worthy hero who sees past the heroine's fierce, defensive exterior to the vulnerable woman beneath.Chloe Liese – for realistic anxiety representation, slow-burn intimacy, and a romance grounded in safety, proximity, and mutual care.