Written in the Waves

by Michal Guter

"When the end draws near, and life leaves you,
I’ll be here, waiting to save you."

When Logan Vaughn nearly drowned off the coast of Hawaii, fate intervened in the form of a stranger named Adrian. A former Navy lieutenant, Adrian gave Logan more than just the gift of breath renewed; he offered him a heart filled with love and unlocked a profound happiness that Logan had never before dared to dream.

Brought together by fate and united through an inexplicable, illogical true love, Logan and Adrian set off on an unforgettable journey across continents. As Adrian embraces a fearless truth, Logan remains ensnared in a life of denial.

On a fateful night, everything vanished. Time stood still, and the lives of both transformed from a sweet dream into a horrific nightmare, pulling them back to a dark place they both feared to return. Yet now, they find themselves alone, living a colorless existence, with only a bracelet wrapped around Logan’s wrist, giving him the strength to breathe when the air has all run out.

"Maybe, in the place where endings fold into beginnings, where time is soft and love is not something to be lost—maybe there, I will find you again."

Written in the Waves is the first book in The Streams of Water Duet, a lyrical, heart-wrenching MM love story of soulmates who meet at the edge of death, fall in love across oceans, and learn that the current of true love never stops pulling.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers

689 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2026

About the author

Dr. Michal Guter is a criminologist, victimologist, academic, and author with a deep passion for exploring masculinity, trauma, male sexual assault victimization and rape and resilience. She is also a dedicated teacher and researcher, often found at her computer working on either a book or an academic article, it really depends on the day. Addicted to coffee and in love with words, Michal has published in peer-reviewed journals and finds joy in reading dictionaries and grammar books just for fun, and occasionally turns to graphic design as another form of storytelling. But most of all, she loves to read stories, and you’ll rarely find her without a novel or audiobook close at hand.

Reviews

[patrícia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve spend the last 3 days breathing Adrian and Logan. They lived in me even when I wasn’t reading, I’ve dream of them, of their love, their connection, their waves… I’ve been completely immersed in this book, the writing it’s a work of art, it flows, it keeps you captive, which means you smile, swoon, but you rage, cry, hate, want to murder, strangle and hug with the same intensity.

It’s not over, and I’m glad because I need the next book, that those 676 pages be pure, unadulterated, premium groveling, because Logan you were…. I have no words for you at the moment.

Thank u Sarah for important inputs, this has op drama that may keep readers away, it’s hard and it hurts, it served a purpose, but it hurts.

I’m rating this 5 stars, because how could I not? Im removing my original rating and wait until the end of book 2 ... But it a temporary rating, I need book 2 to fix me, because friends, I’m wrecked…

“Together, they were thalassic, carrying in their veins the same ancient tides, the same saltwater that bound them inseparably to each other—the same currents that spoiled and sanctified them in a single rhythm. And when Logan left, it was in vain; for the blood in his body would keep dragging him back toward the ocean of his existence, only now his ocean had a name: Adrian.”

Content warnings include, but are not limited to:
Mild depression
Mild dissociation
Mild isolation
Cheating (not between main characters)
Minimal intense emotional conflict
Coming out
Mild internalized homophobia
Repression and living closeted
Mild use of alcohol as an emotional escape
Death of a parent (off-page, in childhood)
Explicit sexual content

❣️Book Safety & Content
Other Person Drama: Yes, while they are separated Logan marries a woman, and hookups several times with a man.
Third-Act Breakup: Yes, 2 years
Role Dynamics: Versatile
POV: dual POV in close third person, so the narration follows both MC and goes very deeply into their thoughts and emotions.
Format: Duet, this is book 1
Ending: Open-ended
Angst Level: High
Spice Level: Medium
Communication: Some miscommunication
Pining: Intense

[Danielle M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of the year. No question.

This book redefined MM romance for me. I feel like calling it an MM Romance would not be enough to describe what this book is. This is an epic. This is almost cinematic!
I went into this book completely blind, and I’m honestly still recovering. This is a debut novel, but you would never guess it. Not for a second.
The story follows Logan and Adrian, and we meet Logan after he has already run away. The narrative moves back and forth in time, which I’ll admit is usually not my favorite structure, but here it works. More than works. It adds tension, depth, and emotional weight, and it slowly peels back the reasons behind Logan’s disappearance in a way that makes you understand, as the chapters progressed, the emotional reasons behind it.
What truly sets this book apart is the writing. It’s rare to come across writing like this anymore, especially in romance. Yes, the book is long, and yes, it could technically be shorter, but I didn’t mind at all. The length creates an atmosphere. It lets you live inside the story instead of rushing through it. The pacing matches the emotional journey, and that’s something so rare today. The writing is phenomenal. Intimate, lyrical, and so immersive. I didn’t just read Logan, I was Logan. I felt his turmoil, his fear, his longing. I sobbed, I ached, I laughed, and I cried, by the middle I was completely wrecked. I felt like I was spiraling with him, I could actually feel how much he missed Adrian. And in the chapters, they are together? I was them. I was absolutely and madly in love.
The love story itself feels incredibly unique. Logan and Adrian are deeply intertwined in a way that feels rare and honest. When they’re apart, Adrian writes letters, poems, and songs to Logan, and those parts nearly broke me (take this for example: “My heart, it hasn’t beat the same since you left”.) Reading them felt invasive in the most beautiful way. Some of those passages were genuinely painful to get through because of how real and raw they felt.
The separation is brutal. It’s lonely, suffocating, and heartbreakingly authentic. In the present timeline, we follow Logan, who is utterly lost, living a closeted, miserable life, while Adrian exists mostly through memory and through his writing. That contrast is devastating and incredibly well done.
I have never read a love like this. I have never felt this kind of emotional intensity from a book. This story didn’t just hurt, it consumed me. I’m honestly grateful the second book is already out, because I bought it after the first ten pages of book one. It was that good.
This isn’t just a romance. It’s an experience. And it will ruin you in the best possible way.
100% recommend!

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

”From the first moment?”
”From the first moment, ahuv sheli.”

Logan, WHYY. After all that, after everything??? How could you 😭 You didn't just break Adrian's heart—you broke all of ours.

Logan is exactly the kind of character whose actions frustrate me so much in MM books but luckily this book has so much else to offer that I didn't feel like burning it at the stake. And luckily, we also have Adrian 🥹💙

This is truly beautiful; the writing is deeply meaningful and we see and almost can feel every moment as Logan and Adrian fall in love. There are so many beautiful passages in this book. This is the slowest of slow burns—and I love it.

But, this book was also a lot. At one point, I even wondered if I'd be able to finish reading this or if I should just give up. For me, that "can't stop reading" feeling didn't really kick in until more towards the end of the book, but I saw the potential and significance earlier—it just took a while for me to get in, get used to the writing.

I also struggled with the third person writing style and the fact that the POVs aren’t separated—instead, it's more sentence by sentence type of telling. But at the same time, we get a sense of how both of them are feeling in every moment, which is good for the depth.

I don’t want to be that person who says "tHe BoOk wAs tOo LoNg", but I guess I am, because: this didn’t have to be so long 😬 I’m not saying I would like to cut out any actual moments between Adrian and Logan (or anyone else) but some of the content/inner monologue in between. It is clear that this is a lyrical story, and I kept that in mind, but at times, this was too repetitive, and there were several parts I wanted to skim -or where my attention began to wander.

For example, I feel like the following sentence or something like it was repeated like a million times in the book:

”Their connection was an endless ocean—immense and resolute, each moment a lively dance like the cresting waves they rode side by side.”

So many ocean references that I was like, ’their love is like an ocean, we get it already!!’ 😂

Even though I liked this, it was a bit of a tiring read, so I feel like I need to take a little break before I move on to the second part so that I can give it the attention it deserves—but I wouldn't miss it for the world.


🌊🌊🌊🌊


”And maybe, in the place where endings fold into beginnings, where time is soft and love is not something to be lost—maybe there, I will find you again.”


”He was prepared to offer Logan his heart, fully aware of its impending shatter. When the moment arrived, Adrian would make it effortless for Logan to break his heart, for he would do anything—absolutely anything—for him. Logan possessed his heart wholly, each bruised and battered fragment of it, and Adrian had no desire to reclaim it.”

[AnnaKitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It was either take me to you or take my life. I’ve left that decision to be made by the waves.”

It was the first book in the Streams of Water duet, but I guess I already know both are going to stay with me.
It’s long.
And probably under normal circumstances, I’d call it a 4⭐ read because of that.
But I can’t.
Because this isn’t “long” in a wasteful way.
It’s long because of how deeply it immerses you. Because of the level of detail, the care and the intention behind every single word.
This book feels like a poem.
Honestly, I could probably quote half of it.
The writing, especially when it comes to emotions, is just on another level.
I don’t think I’ve ever read love described like this before. Not just told, but explored in so many layers, in so many different ways.
It’s all-consuming, big, overwhelming.
And at the same time it is made up of the smallest, most precise feelings. You’re not just reading it, you’re living it.

“Even a moment without Adrian’s lips on him felt like a crime against nature, something that should be outlawed, condemned, erased from the possibility of existence.” 


What also stood out to me was the narrative style. It’s third person, but not in the usual way where chapters belong to one character or the other. Instead, it flows between them, like you’re inside both of them at once.
It’s very close, very intimate third-person POV, and I don’t think I’ve experienced it quite like this before. It worked beautifully.


The shifts between past and present were also handled really well, and again, ridiculously poetic, fluid, and never overwhelming, even though the emotional intensity is high throughout.

The atmosphere is just crazy.. You can feel it. The humidity in the air, the salt, the sun on your skin. The level of sensory detail is honestly insane.


But what stayed with me the most was the emotional depth - the longing, the yearning, the way every feeling is stretched, examined, and felt to its fullest extent.
So yes, it’s slow.
But it’s also devastatingly beautiful.

“Sometimes I wish I could go back… back before I knew you. Just to find some way to cross paths sooner. To change the wind, the waves, anything… just to reach you earlier.”

I loved it. I loved them both.
Still, I will say this: Logan. I don’t understand him.
Maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe I don’t fully grasp the weight of his fear and pressure. But to me, a love this big should overpower everything, and I struggled with ALL his choices because of that.
So now I’m waiting for the redemption!!

And ZACK!
I did not see that coming. At all. Respect.

[James Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a book, it is a masterpiece.
An easy 10-star read.

I was in a horrible reading slump, the kind where nothing held my attention, and I devoured this in a few days. I just couldn’t put it down.
This is a romance, and also a poetic journey. The writing is so emotional, and almost every page felt like it meant something. The slow burn is done so beautifully. This isn’t a romance like the ones I’m used to, I felt how deep the connection between them was, how intertwined they became.
We meet Adrian and Logan in Hawaii. Logan is alone and struggling, and he nearly drowns. Adrian, who has a military background, runs to save him. From there, they slowly become friends, and then something more. There is so much tension between them, emotional and physical, and it builds in a way that feels natural and real.
The story moves between two timelines: the past, when they are together, and the present, when they are not. The past felt like an endless summer, surfing, laughing, falling in love. It was warm and tender and honestly made my heart ache in the best way. Their chemistry was there from the start, with dialogue felt genuine, moving between a beautiful banter of them fighting and joking, and emotional, deep conversation up until the awaited “I love you” (that I nearly threw my phone from how excited I was at that part!).
The present timeline was really hard to read. In a good way, but still painful. Adrian isn’t fully there in the present, but you still feel his longing through memory and reflection. Knowing what they were, and seeing where they are now, hurt. Seeing Logan with Adrian versus Logan without him, especially through the back-and-forth timelines, added a layer of depth that really hurt. One moment you’re in this warm summer of surfing and kissing and falling in love, and the next you’re sitting in Logan’s loneliness. The contrast was devastating.
The book is written in third person, which usually isn’t my favorite, but it worked surprisingly well here. The openings of each chapter give you such an intimate look into their emotions that it never felt distant.
The pacing is slow, but in a way that lets you really live with the characters. You get time to sit with their pain, their love, their fear. I felt completely inside their emotional world. It’s marketed as a slow burn, but it doesn’t feel like a typical one. Because the story moves between past and present, you already know they end up separated, and that makes the memories of their time together even harder. When you finally get their full summer romance, it feels almost cruel, in the best storytelling way.
Logan absolutely broke me. He felt so human, so flawed, so scared and confused. I cried with him more than once. His reactions felt messy and real, and that made him incredibly relatable.
The plot also surprised me. I’d never read a surfing romance before, and a lot of the things I expected to happen just… didn’t. The story kept going in directions I didn’t see coming.
And the poetry. There are so many poems and songs throughout the book, not just one or two. Usually that wouldn’t work, but here it completely did. They added so much emotional depth, and I honestly don’t see writing like this very often anymore.
If you like emotional romance, especially if you enjoy Tal Bauer’s style, I really think you’ll love this.

[Emmalee Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start with this review without just giving blatant spoilers. I’ll just say this, this duet hurt me, the amount of times I cried should be studied. I think I will think about Logan and Adrian until the end of time. What an incredible 6 star duet. I am still speechless and will probably come back to write a proper thought out review.

Incredible. Just….incredible.

[Ashlynn Elizabeth]

I won't rate since I didnt finish it but this book is full of very flowery language and long repetitive descriptions. Just an FYI for readers incase that isn't your preferred . very very slow start, descriptive but no plot

[Ava Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

If yearning were a book, it would be this book. Adrian saving Logan's life was the start of so much more. Michal writes with such a beautifully poetic style that you can feel every ache, every kiss, every missed opportunity & every unspoken desire. It is written with clever phrasing and lots of lyrical similes.

What is just as tragic as nearly dying at the start is the denial involved by Logan; I ended up feeling so sorry for his wife. How devastating that he was scared to be himself and had to shut down his emotions to be the man he was expected to be. Yet clearly, it was gnawing away at him internally.

By contrast, when he opens up, the warmth and love he has to share is both all-consuming and powerful. Watching love unfurl will always be beautiful in books but Michal has an elegant writing style I really adore; anyone who loves poetic/lyrical words will too.

This really is a beautiful love story full of yearning and ache and if you like those 2 things, along with a long slow build MM romance you will really enjoy this.

[Maltida · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stood out to me most about Streams of Water is how soft yet powerful it sounds. A simple act of saving a life turns into an unexpected love that stretches across continents and that’s the kind of slow-burn emotional story I adore. The idea of Logan holding onto a bracelet because it’s the only piece of Adrian he has left? That hit me right in the chest. There’s an ache to this story, but also so much hope like love isn’t gone, just waiting to rise again like waves returning to the shore. If the full book carries the same depth and poetic tone as the description, it’s going to break hearts in the most beautiful way.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Streams of Water sounds like such a beautifully emotional story the kind you can already tell will hurt in a good way. I love that it begins with a rescue at sea and grows into something deep and life-changing for both characters. Logan and Adrian’s relationship feels like it’s built on gratitude, vulnerability, and a kind of soul-level connection you don’t see every day. The idea that fate brought them together only to pull them apart makes the story even more compelling. It sounds like a love that never really lets go, even when life gets messy and painful. Honestly, I’m already invested and the book isn’t even out yet.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh and powerful masterpiece.
I honestly have no words for how breathtaking this book was. Just… wow.
It’s written so beautifully, it broke something inside me. This felt like a genuinely fresh take on MM romance. There’s something almost Shakespearean about it, the intensity of the emotions, the way love and longing, and loss present in the story and the devotion the MCs have for each other. I was a little intimidated by the length at first, but the pages flew by. I never once felt how long it was because I simply couldn’t stop reading. And honestly, this book should be long. The poems, the songs, the depth, it all adds layers that completely pulled me in and tore my heart apart in the best way. It was painful and beautiful and overwhelming all at once.
The emotional delivery, the poetic and lyrical writing, they just don’t make books like this anymore. I’ve never read a gay love story with this level of depth. I was an emotional wreck by the end. This book absolutely shattered me, and it far exceeded every expectation I had. The characters are so compelling, they grab you immediately, make you love them, make you root for them, and then take you on a brutal emotional rollercoaster. I cried so much reading this.
And oh… my Adrian. He was the first to fall in love with Logan, and seeing how he fell, was breathtaking. He was so deeply attuned to Logan, so connected to him, it felt almost otherworldly. He literally said: “I’ll take a breath just to give you mine.” This is soulmate-level love and companionship!!!
What made this even more powerful is the way the story unfolds across different points in time. When they’re together, their love feels cosmic, they are soulmates. And when they’re apart, you’re forced to be in darkness and watch Logan fall apart. Logan is such a fascinating character, deeply complex, but presenting himself as emotionally flat. He’s utterly captivated by Adrian, even though he believes he shouldn’t be. At first, it might seem like Logan doesn’t love Adrian enough, but on some level, I think he may love him even more. He’s terrified of that love, and that fear shapes everything he does.
Watching Logan try to live a life without Adrian, seeing his grief, the way he shatters and struggles, makes it painfully clear just how deeply he loved him. There’s such a strong dissonance between what he feels and how he acts, and it’s handled incredibly well. You see him constantly battling himself, fighting his demons, trying and failing to adapt to a world without Adrian. His family, his upbringing, the expectations placed on him, all of these forces collide and push him toward the choices he makes, even when they destroy him.
I’m so excited that there’s a second book, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to this story or these characters. I’m really excited to see what book two brings, especially knowing it focuses on their reunion. After all the heartbreak, distance, and emotional devastation, I can’t wait to see how they find their way back to each other.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

∞⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️∞

The first most important thing to say is run fast and read this duet. You haven’t fully lived your reading journey until you’ve experienced this story.

Where do I begin to describe this masterpiece that I read? Cause yes, this is not just a book or a duet; this is a MASTERPIECE!! I don’t think there are enough or right words to convey how raw, powerful, and beautiful this story is.

I’ve read many great love stories but this one stands out due to its powerful portrayal of love. It is memorable and moving. It stays with you.

The best way I would describe this duet is that it takes over your being, reaches inside you and squeezes your heart and soul in book 1, and then it squeezes them harder and twists them and completely shatters you in book 2.

The book hooked me on from the beginning. From the prologue, I knew that this book was going to be worth it. And I knew when I was 20% and already crying that this duet would ruin me so beautifully and change my life. And it did. Oh God, it did!

The journey of book 1 bounces between beautiful and heartbreaking. It is the story of Adrian & Logan. Two surfers who meet in Hawaii and form a connection. The book alternates between the past and the present. The past parts tell how Adrian & Logan meet, how they form this special connection and bond, and we witness how their connection evolves into more until it takes the shape of love. Not any love but the all body, mind, heart, soul consuming love. The present parts tell the journey of Logan without Adrian. Without Adrian physically, but Adrian was there in every thought, in every move, in every breath of Logan. To say Logan lived and breathed Adrian is an understatement. God, what a heartbreaking journey Logan goes onto. We witness how much Logan is struggling and shattering, we see him falling apart, dissociating, being completely numb. Because how could he live if his life is Adrian?!

As someone who hates scenes with OP, I have to warn that there are few of those scenes in this book. But also as someone that tends to DNF or give low rating because such scenes, believe me when I say that those scenes actually served the plot. They had a purpose. Also, the way they were written did not feel icky. One scene is Logan with a woman and he cannot perform so they had to put porn and he has to focus on the guy. Two scenes are Logan with another guy. Now in those two scenes, Logan is there physically but mentally and emotionally, he is thinking about Adrian. He is not with the guy for enjoyment or even a release. He is dissociating, struggling, wants to feel something but can't and won't. Throughout those scenes, the physical stuff happening are briefly described while the majority of the description is Adrian dissociating to a place/memory of Aiden and him. Also, him being with the guy was important for him to accept his sexuality. Did the scenes bother me? Yes, of course. But do I understand their importance to the story? Absolutely.

If I want to mention the quotes that I liked most, I can write down almost the whole book, but the most powerful, gut-wrenching quote ever to be written is:

“So when the end draws near, and life leaves you, I’ll be here, waiting to save you.”

[MarieJen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning! Forever in my heart

I just finished Written in the waves. And wow… I spent three days with Adrian and Logan and I am in total awe of this author and the deep, beautiful and emotional book she has written
It is one of those rare, soul-stirring reads that lingers long after the final page, wrapping itself around your heart. Every page is turned into poetry, every description is achingly tender and there is a deep feeling of intimacy that you - the reader - feels privileged to witness, to be part of.
This romance was really heart wrenching and profoundly moving. The author warns you that it isn’t for everyone as it is a long, slow burn book and will end in the second book, Echoes in the tide. This story may indeed have ruined me for any other romances. I fell head over heels into this love story and its exceptionally beautiful writing. Ended up returning the kindle unlimited book and bought it instead. To keep forever.

[MCCAIN MCMURRAY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passionate, engrossing, disturbing

This is not the usual happily ever book. It is intense deeply felt story of desperate love that can’t be because one of the main characters has a lot of family baggage and is not mature enough to deal with it. It is still a hard book to put down. The disturbing part is watch that main character self destruct. And so unnecessary but that’s the story.

[Wil Loves Books! · Rating 5 out of 5]

This duet was simply amazing. The writing is beautiful and it kept me with my heart on my throat the entire time. Oh my god, so many emotions, such a rollercoaster. Beautiful, beautiful! I'm very glad I took a chance on this series. I'm a sucker for angst and hard fought HEAs. Can't wait for what this author writes next!

[Tamera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this duet a couple days ago. It is both a time and an emotional commitment, but oh so so worth it. It’s emotionally rough at times and I found that I periodically had to just step away for a bit which is out of character for me. I think it is a beautiful story, and I thought the writing style was beautiful also. I actually purchased the books on Amazon after reading them as thought if they ever went off of KU I wanted to still have access to them as I’m sure at some point in life it will be a reread. I cannot say enough good words about this duet. 😊

[Iain Joey]

I want to read it and I tried checking out the sample, but it only had a few pages (contents, author’s note, TWs, and a soundtrack). There’s no actual content at all to see if I’m really gonna like it.

[its_a_bookish_life_for_me]

DNF @ 15%
book is beautiful so far but has head hopping without distinct switch so it's throwing me off. i'll try again at a different time