Breaking the Surface: A contemporary sports m/m romance

By Roman Thorne

Six months. One pool. Zero privacy.

Miles Kowalski is the golden boy of freestyle swimming. He's the pride of the Midwest, disciplined, and carrying the weight of his family's financial future on his broad shoulders. He has one goal at the Tidewater Elite Training Center: make the Olympic team. He has a plan: follow the rules, swim fast, and be the perfect image his sponsors want.

Knox Sterling is the glitch in that plan. Arrogant, wealthy, and infuriatingly talented, Knox treats the pool like a playground and rules like suggestions. He's a trust fund brat with a rebellious streak as loud as the Metallica he blasts at 8:00 AM. He is everything Miles despises-and the only person who sees the cracks in Miles's armor.

When a documentary crew films their every move 24/7, the pressure at Tidewater hits a boiling point. But as the rivalry between Miles and Knox heats up, it ignites a searing passion that neither of them can control. Stolen kisses in equipment closets and late-night whispers in the dark threaten to destroy the image Miles has spent his life building.

With a funding crisis looming and cameras capturing every glance, Miles must decide what he wants more: the gold medal, or the man who finally makes him feel real.

Breaking the Surface is a high heat, 50,000 word m/m contemporary sports romance, with the following tropes: M/M sports romance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, secret relationships, awakening/coming out

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GNKXS1ZK
• ISBN13: 9798248107612
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"