Heated Rivalry: A Gay Hockey Romance (Game Changers, 2) Mass Market Paperback – April 18, 2023

I loved this book so much! I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. Heated Rivalry has been on my TBR forever and has been recommended to me countless times. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this fantastic book, but here are a few highlights/notes:- Even though this is book 2 in the series, I jumped right in with this book and didn't feel lost at all. I'm sure I missed some Easter eggs and it was a bit spoilery for book 1, but this can definitely be enjoyed without reading the first book.- I didn't realize this story would span so many years. Ilya and Shane meet when they're teenagers and though it's instalust/attraction, it's very much a slow burn for them to realize they want much more than the occasional convenient hook up. They actually spend the majority of the book living in different cities/apart. I did find the dates at the start of the chapters a little distracting because my brain had to know how much time had elapsed between chapters. LOL- The tropes! Rivals/enemies to lovers, forbidden, sexual instruction/lessons, virgin MC*, cinnamon roll MC, grumpy + sunshine, opposites attract, sports romance, slow burn, and just a hook up all make appearances in this book.- The vulnerability and sexual exploration. I loved Shane's character arc and seeing him come into his own. His fears and feelings were so relatable and felt so authentic. Ilya was the grump with a gooey soft center. I loved seeing him humbled and laid bare. These two don't make sense on paper, but their connection from the start is undeniable.- The spice. Holy moly this book is hot. Like absolutely melt your kindle inferno levels. I haven't quite recovered yet ;) LOL- The angst! Oh my heart. Like I said, I didn't realize just how epic Shane and Ilya's story would be, but I will say that I appreciated the shift in the last quarter or so of the book. Readers had already gone through so much that I was glad there wasn't any push away/unnecessary drama at the end. Seeing them happy and *finally* together was everything <3This is my first book by Rachel Reid, but I'm already looking forward to continuing the series. Especially because we get more Shane and Ilya in The Long Game.* The MC has had sexual experiences with women, but not men.CW: death of parents (mentions of Alzheimers, depression, suicide - overdose), homophobia, grief

Heated Rivalry follows the relationship between the Montreal Voyagers Shane Hollander and his arch-rival Boston Bears Ilya Rozanov. The rivalry between their two teams is nearly a century old; and the rivalry between the two up and coming young athletes is really played up by the press. Shane and Ilya first meet at 17 when they are both eligible for the NHL entry draft and already considered to be the number one and two overall picks. They do start off as enemies to a degree, or at least rivals. Shane is a sweet, good-natured kid who just wants to be sportsmanlike and friendly. His first conversation with the more jaded, “bad boy” Russian Ilya, has him confiding in his parents afterwards, that Ilya is “kind of a jerk”.The attraction between the two is almost instantaneous but nothing happens for a couple of years. And then the hook ups begin. Shadowy, secretive hook ups that no one can ever find out about. For the longest time it’s just all about sex between the more experienced bisexual “rock star” Rozanov and the somewhat inexperienced, realizing he might just be gay “good boy” Hollander. From hook up to hook up, there’s decent banter and the on-page sex is not blow your socks off, but it’s realistic and well done. If you look for it, it’s clear early on that their attraction to each other is more than just physical and you can see the emotional connection building. Shane and Ilya can see it….and then they freak out…because sex is one thing, but they can’t actually like each other….or God Forbid….the other L-word. They’re supposed to hate each other. They’re respective careers sort of…depend on it.Heated Rivalry unfolds over 10 years. Shane and Ilya date and have sex with other people. They met at 17, they both need life experiences. They both need to grow up. But their connection remains a constant through the years and it matures as do they. When they finally do accept their feelings for each other and realize they need to find a way to have a real – if not completely public – personal relationship – they unfortunately turn into complete saps. Seriously. They make up for almost 10 years of never explicitly stating their feelings with near constant “I love you”s. Although it was kind of sweet as well; and it was only the last 15%. Shane coming out to his parents, not just about his orientation but about his real relationship with his “arch-rival” was a combination of funny and heartwarming. Shane’s Mom was a character – wish we could have seen more of her. All in all a decent hockey romance.

I don’t have words to explain how perfect and amazing this book is. Top 5 of favorite book I have EVER read. Shane & Ilya forever.

This is a must read for every MM hockey romance fan 💕 Ilya and Shane were everything and are definitely amongst my favourite fictional couples now. My heart broke for them throughout most of the book. Being a gay high profile athlete can’t be easy, even in this day and age. I can’t imagine having to hide the way I feel about my partner for the better part of ten years. I hesitated to read this one because it is written in 3rd person, but I absolutely shouldn’t have. This book was so good, I barely noticed the fact that it wasn’t written in my preferred POV. If I had one teensy-weensy complaint, it’s that the ending felt a little abrupt. Having read about their struggles for so long, I would’ve liked an ending that showed them living the life they’d worked towards for so many years. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a neatly wrapped up HEA 💕 But I’ll just have to use my imagination instead and believe that both of them eventually got to live their dream, and that their love was one for the ages. If you haven’t met Ilya and Shane yet, you’re missing out. This one left me with a bit of a book hangover, and I know I’ll be thinking about these boys for quite some time.

Lo mucho que me encanto este libro no es normal. Tenía expectativas altas porque había visto que era bueno y las superó todas; Ilya y Shane se ganaron mi corazón completamente, ese rivals to lovers combinado con un poco de forbidden love y sport romance fue perfecto. El nivel de inglés es un B1, así que no fue nada complicado de leer. Ahora leeré los demás de la serie para llegar al sexto que es la continuación de está maravillosa historia. <3

Non leggo quasi mai in inglese ma questo romanzo... wow. Il migliore libro del 2023 per me. Shane e soprattutto Ilya sono due personaggi meravigliosi, così veri, con i loro dubbi e i loro battibecchi. I dialoghi poi sono la parte migliore, divertenti, sarcastici ma anche così intensi certe volte da farti venire gli occhi a cuore e commuoverti. Ho preso ovviamente anche il seguito. Mi stupisco che ancora non sia stato portato in Italia. Uno sport romance mm meraviglioso, che narra la storia di due ragazzi che nell'arco di 8 anni si frequentano, ma la loro non è propriamente una relazione, ma solo un insieme di incontri fugaci, di pochi momenti rubati. Leggere di come il loro rapporto evolve, fino ai capitoli finali, è stato così coinvolgente che non vedevo l'ora di finirlo. Scritto benissimo, uno di quei romanzi in cui tutto è perfetto, storia, dialoghi, personaggi. Consigliatissimo 😍

Eine einzigartige Liebesgeschichte mit zwei wunderbaren Protagonisten und einer unglaublich tollen Beziehungsentwicklung, die sich über einen Zeitraum von 10 Jahren erstreckt ❤️! Wahnsinnig gefühlvoll 🥰, authentisch, erotisch 🔥 und ein herzerwärmendes Happy End 🥲!! Werde das Buch definitiv wieder lesen und bin gespannt auf den nächsten Teil dieser fantastischen Reihe🥰