Rachel Reid

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… One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! This book is approximately 66,000 words

Heated Rivalry

This is my 6th time reading this book and I still cry and get heart eyes. Shane and Ilya are perfection. Love this book with all of my heart. 

Murphy-Ann Craig

I'm crying just thinking about it, I love Ilya and Shane so much

Alina

Aishling

2nd read 04/02/22: This read felt more emotional that the first time, probably because I knew how in love they’d end up being so all the small moments at the start hit my heart so much more. I cannot wait for the sequel 😭


1st read 29/09/20:
I’d give this like a high 3 star/low 4 star rating if that makes any sense. It was good, I enjoyed it. Minimal angst and suffering, pretty hot at times. Didn’t blow me out of the water but definitely enjoyable.

Jasmine

How has it taken me so long to read this book that's the real question?
Ilya & Shane sigh* have moved their way up into my favorite couples, I could write several paragraphs about how much I love them!! It's been a long time I fallen this hard for a book couple or even got so much enjoyment from reading this year! Ahh I love them so much and their banter gave me serious Jamie & Wes vibes which for me is the best of the best in m-m romances.

Molly Morgan

MM hockey romances are my kryptonite. I love the tension between these two, their heat with eachother I could feel through the pages. I wish there were a little less "I hate myself because I'm gay" happening, but also that is realistic.

Andrea Rodriguez

Oh. My. GOD. I can't even begin to describe how much I freaking loved this book. I completely devoured it in just a few hours.

This was my first MM romance and oh man, it did not disappoint. At all. I've had on my tbr for a while and I am silently cursing myself for not reading it sooner. 

Where to begin?!

This was an enemies-to-lovers that was done so well. This was definitely a slow-burn, but ugh when they finally admit their love to each other it was *chef's kiss. 

Their character development over the years was also done really well. Ilya's growth was everything and it made me so freaking proud of him. 

One of my favorite things about the story was the way Shane and Ilya would tease each other. It was damn cute and had me giggling out loud with the shit they'd say to each other. I loved that it was basically Ilya roasting Shane and him eventually just telling him to "shut up" or "fuck off". 

Shane was such a goddamn cutie pie - I could not handle him!!! I adored how shy he was at times and how innocent he came off. Omg and his blushing. It was adorable and obviously Ilya thought so as well with all of the times he purposely tried to make him blush. I was 100000% behind it. 

Ilya was such a treat to read. On the outside, he really was a dick, but I loved that overtime, Shane was able to see that different side of him. I just about died at Shane's reaction when Ilya called Shane by his name for the first time. Ugh. His point of view was my favorite because had we not had it, I would never have guessed he was feeling the way he was feeling. It honestly felt like Ilya was the one that fell first, way before Shane, but he played it off so well, Mr. Cool and Collected.

Some of my favorite Ilya moments:

"Hollander had bought them a fucking building." (he was lowkey so happy about this and I died.)

"'I'm so fucked," he murmured in Russian. "I am so fucking in love and it's horrible."'

Also, once they did admit their love, it was just too adorable how they kept saying "I love you" to each other. I feel like more often than not, once this happens in books, they don't really say it again? But these boys were saying it like their lives depended on it and it made me grin like an idiot. 

I don't want to say much else except that this book was sweet, heartwarming, and had me in tears at the end. It will take me a while to get over how damn precious it all was. Oh and if you're wondering, it's also super spicy and plenty of sex scenes which were fire.

lindsey

WOW. ok. this was so incredibly wonderful and i am so glad i read it !!!!! it may even be a favourite for this entire year, i loved it so much. i’ll admit, when i first decided to read this book i didn’t know if i would like it. i thought, if anything, it would be a fun, steamy and angsty read, but i was not expecting the amount of emotion i had while reading this book. not to be a sappy bitch, but this cannot be described as anything other than an epic love story. limiting it to just some MM enemies to lovers story would be an injustice. the journey we went on year after year with Shane and Ilya, going from enemies, to enemies with benefits, to forming such an endearing love and appreciation for one another was SO beautiful. the storytelling in this was also exquisite, so much better than i had anticipated. i adored the writing so much and it never felt cheesy or ridiculous, it felt natural and raw while keeping a great sense of humor and lightness. i felt every single emotion that these characters were going through because i empathized with their situation so much. it was bittersweet and moving to the point that their pain was my own. the absolute yearning, the pure anguish, this forbidden love that need not be forbidden in the first place, made my heart hurt for them. so much so that i got pretty teary eyed multiple times, and when a book can move me to tears, it's a win for me! i believe that this is a love story that will stick with me for quite a while. believe the hype !!!!! i am over the moon happy to give this 5 stars :)

Read the whole review onThe Queer Bookish


I’ve already read it twice.

So obviously enjoy Heated Rivalry a great deal. And that even though I’m not a fan of stories jumping between the past and the present, but it somehow works with Shane and Ilya’s story.

Although to be honest… I didn’t really had a chance, did I? Grumpy, Russian Ice Hockey player with an unhappy childhood… Seems like I’ve got a thing for these characters.

Cathy

oh this book is absolutely That Bitch and i love it … im happy i found it this year cause waiting 3 years for the sequel would drive me insane 😩

Ella Patterson

This book has the worst type of slow burn, in that it just feels dull and repetitive. I never really grew attached to the main characters and the plot felt kind of weak. At least this convinced me to stop reading romances and finally finish Gone Girl?

Sahi K

Probably a 4.5.

My love for hockey romances is not hidden and I don’t miss any opportunity to read more of these books. When I read Game Changer last year, I found it very sweet and nice and while it wasn’t going to be a favorite, I still wanted to checkout what the author came up with next. And wow was I pleasantly surprised by this book. Heated Rivalry is a completely different kind of book and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

Shane and Ilya are pitted as rivals right from their teenage years, even before they are up for the draft and once they sign for arch rival teams, the publicity just keeps on. Both of them are amazing hockey players and their rivalry definitely brings out their best and they enjoy it. But their personalities off the ice can’t be more different - Shane is much more reserved, close to his family, sometimes unsure and confused and despite realizing that he is definitely not completely straight, can’t bring himself to utter the word gay. On the other hand, Ilya is cocky, confident, very charming, loves getting a rise out of Shane, while also dealing with family issues and knows that he maybe bisexual but logically, his only choice is to ultimately be with a woman. Whatever their issues with their sexualities, they can’t stop being with each other and though their encounters are quite sporadic, I loved their almost enemies with benefits relationship and it’s slow progression to something more. It takes a long time for them to realize that they are friends, they like talking to each other and spending time together and I thought this whole arc was done brilliantly. I absolutely loved how they fell in love and how they came to some decisions about their future.

I loved the way the author decided to tell this story. In the prologue itself, we realize that Shane and Ilya have been in a sexual relationship for around 6 years; then the author proceeds to tell us their story from the beginning - how they met, the heating up of their rivalry, the push and pull they feel towards each other and how it proceeds for almost a decade. This method of unraveling the story hooked me right from the start and I couldn’t put the book down. Because of their perceived relationship on the ice, all emotions and even the intimate scenes felt very very intense and heightened and I think that was definitely a reason why I loved this book much more than the previous installment. While it’s always awesome to see the endings of these romances to be about the players coming out publicly and being supported by their teams, I applaud the author for taking a very different route and staying true to the two characters. It’s a very realistic choice and while it may not feel like the usual HEA, there is never any doubt about whether Shane and Ilya will be together forever.

This book works excellently as a standalone, so if sweet saccharine love stories are not your jam, you can check this book out without reading the first book. However, the events in Game Changer play a significant role in the choices the two characters make for their future and I loved how the author integrated the two storylines. This is a wonderful slow burn and intense rivals to lovers romance that takes place over a decade and I completely fell in love. I highly recommend this book to all sports romance lovers and can’t wait to see if there will be another book in this series.

Kate

b.andherbooks

Heated Rivalry has come HIGHLY recommended to me from many trusted Romancelandians, so I was excited to listen to it. AND WOW did I ever enjoy watching these two hockey idiots fall in love over a series of years. The story turned out to be the softest with the most banging which is a combo I really needed right now. The ultimate ending was also very gentle which I also appreciated.

I will need to re-read this one very soon because I had to gradually listen and have problems finding the time/focus to listen to audio books right now.

Highly recommend!

CWs: parental death (suicide, in the past and discussed), homophobia discussed, fear of coming out, fear of being outed and fearing for one's life and livelihood due to being outed, medical injury

Abi Baker

why would anyone else even bother writing a m/m hockey story when this masterpiece exists?

Michelle Vasquez

Loved Shane & Ilya!

“We were supposed to stand alone at the top, but we will always be there together. We will keep climbing until no one else can reach us, but it will always be together.”

Shane is the golden boy. Canada’s hometown hero. He is as good on the ice as he is in everything he does. His only indiscretion is the feelings he’s fighting towards his nemesis on the ice.

Ilya is known for his prowess and his hard work. He is held to high expectations coming from his motherland, Russia- and he has one goal in mind. To beat Shane in everything he does.

“Heated Rivalry,” by Rachel Reid is book two in her Game Changers Series. It is an MM Enemies to Lovers sports romance, and is centered around the larger than life rivalry between Shane and Ilya. I loved that this story captured their past and went in a timeline of sorts to present- it showed how their arrangement started out as curiosity; to scratch an itch and how it stemmed into something more. It was hot and emotionally charged between the chemistry that they shared. I enjoyed this hockey romance and the banter that they had back and forth throughout the book. I also loved that through their language barrier that they were able to express an understanding between one another in other ways.

Lacey

I kinda feel bad that I didn't give this 5 stars like everyone else did? I really was expecting to, but I think the back and forth and the YEARS in between Shane and Ilya first meeting to their random hookups to their HFN was just too much for me. I still really enjoyed it though and wouldn't mind another book about them, because there's definitely more to be told!

Heated Rivalry

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