Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Heated Rivalry
SERIES: Game Changers #2
AUTHOR: Rachel Reid
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
LENGTH: 310 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2019
BLURB:
Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great.
As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…
REVIEW:
Last year, I discovered that I sort of enjoy sports romances, though I’ve never been a sports fan myself. And I also discovered that Rachel Reid can write a hockey romance that will keep me on the edge of my seat and swooning from the first page to the last. If an author can make me pay attention to a sport in any capacity, they are doing something right! But seriously, this book is special. This romance feels raw, authentic, and explosive from the second the two men meet and hate each other—yes, readers, this is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn, so strap in and enjoy it as much as I did.
In the first book of this series, Game Changer, we met veteran hockey player Scott Hunter, who struggles with a secret relationship with his new boyfriend, Kip. We get a glimpse into professional hockey politics to see how the game, the players, and the corporations behind it all would react to an openly gay player, especially when that player’s reputation has always been squeaky-clean. It was a slightly more dramatic read than this one in that sense, in that the main focus always seemed to be the game, but in this book, the star-crossed romance between rival players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander takes center stage. When the two meet in their rookie season, their clashing good boy/bad boy personalities make for an instant media sensation, but they are attracted to each other almost instantly. For nearly six years, they must navigate a tricky hook-up relationship while maintaining their façade and, of course, falling head over heels for each other.
I could write an entire essay about how much I like Ilya and Shane together. Hockey’s Russian rock star and Canadian golden boy, covertly meeting up a few times a year to have sex and ignore their growing feelings—it just feels too perfect, like this book has existed before but was never this good. I like the differences in the ways they speak and think, how they relate to hockey and to their team members, how they view home and family. I like how they are the same age but Shane is happy to let Ilya take the wheel and show him a few things. Shane is such a sweet character—not your average delicate flower, but just a good guy, one who is used to following the rules, working hard, and making his parents proud. Having Ilya, a man who doesn’t owe anything to his family or country, be the one to bring him out of his comfort zone is perfect.
Though I loved the first book in this series as well, I thought the hopelessness was a little too heavy in some parts. Before the ending (which occurs about halfway through this book’s timeline), Scott Hunter never even saw coming out as a possibility. It felt pretty bleak, even if we did get an eventual happy ending. But in this book, the angst involving keeping Ilya and Shane’s relationship a secret is oddly rewarding, because the bond between them is much more dynamic and feels more fated, like them not being together is impossible. They have such intense chemistry that even the drama never feels like tension between them—all of the tension comes from outside forces. They bicker and argue, but they always come back to each other. They just can’t help it.
And if you’re looking for your steamy read of the spring, this is your pick. While Game Changer had some great love scenes, this book doubles the heat while still maintaining a good storyline. The love scenes may be too frequent for some, but as a reader who doesn’t like too many sex scenes herself, this book felt perfect in all its porny glory. After all, Shane and Ilya were strictly “just sex” from the very beginning, so seeing them develop further as they continually can’t get enough of each other works really well.
This is very nearly a perfect romance. It’s slow and steady and steamy, the characters are unique and easy to empathize with, and there’s enough angst-ridden pining to have you swooning for a week. It’s a romance that doesn’t have to rewrite the rules of storytelling to be absolutely excellent. You have to read this series right now!
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