Heated Rivalry (novel)
2019 novel by Rachel Reid

Heated Rivalry
First edition cover
AuthorRachel Reid
LanguageEnglish
SeriesGame Changers
GenreGay sports romance
Set in2008–2018 Canada, Russia and the U.S.
PublisherCarina Press
Publication date
March 25, 2019 (2019-03-25)
Publication placeCanada
Media type
  • Print (softcover)
  • eBook
  • Audiobook
Pages371
ISBN9781488051241
Preceded byGame Changer 
Followed byTough Guy 

Heated Rivalry is a 2019 gay sports romance novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid. It follows a secret romantic relationship between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. The novel is the second in Reid's Game Changers series of gay-themed ice hockey romance novels. A television series based on the novel was released in November 2025.

Development and release

Rachel Reid's Game Changer was published by Carina Press, an LGBTQ+ imprint of Harlequin, in 2018. It was followed by Heated Rivalry (2019), Tough Guy (2020), Common Goal (2020), Role Model (2021) and The Long Game (2022).[1] Hockey fan Reid said in 2023, "Game Changer came from a place of me being angry at hockey culture and how clearly homophobic it was and is, and all the other things that made me really ashamed to be a hockey fan. That whole series attacks the NHL and hockey culture quite a bit."[2] Writing the series, Reid questioned what would it mean to be a closeted player in a league with such a homophobic culture. "I thought a lot about what it would feel like to come out. And then I started thinking about the ripple effect—what would happen to the other players?"[3]

Reid drew inspiration from the real-life rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for the book. In the novel's afterword, she credited HBO's reality television series 24/7, which had followed the 2011 NHL Winter Classic between Ovechkin's Washington Capitals and Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins.[4] She further cited Jaromír Jágr, Teemu Selänne, and Ilya Kovalchuk as inspirations for the character of Ilya Rozanov, and Wayne Gretzky and Paul Kariya for the character of Shane Hollander. However, she noted: "I never directly base my characters on any real people ... I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes."[5]

Plot summary

Star hockey players drafted in the same year, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov play for rival hockey teams, the Montreal Voyageurs and the Boston Bears, and are often compared to one another. Canadian Shane is serious and introverted, and is known for his focus and discipline. Russian Ilya is a cocky party boy famed for both his talent and charisma. Shane has a close and supportive relationship with his parents, but Ilya's mother passed away when he was young, and he has a tense relationship with his family in Russia.

Shane and Ilya first meet as junior players, leading the teams of their respective nations. During the MLH draft, they meet again by chance and begin to feel a mutual sense of rivalry and attraction. After filming a sponsor video together, they hook up in Ilya's hotel room. Over the course of several years, Shane and Ilya continue to secretly meet for sexual encounters when their teams are in the same city. Both feel as though their relationship cannot go beyond casual sex, given their ongoing rivalry, and homophobia within their sport.

After a hookup, Ilya asks Shane to stay at his home and spend time with him. Shane realizes that Ilya feels romantically towards him, and is alarmed by his own realization that he himself would like more from their relationship. Shane has not yet come to terms with his attraction to men, and he fears that a relationship between himself and Ilya would conflict with their careers. While Ilya is bisexual and frequently engages in casual relationships with women, Shane recognizes that he is gay after briefly dating Rose Landry, a famous actress with whom he remains friends.

Shane and Ilya are assigned as teammates at an All-Star Game and reconcile, agreeing to be friends. Later that year, Ilya suddenly withdraws from a game, and Shane reaches out to him, learning that Ilya's abusive father has died after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Both are forced to confront their deepening feelings for each other. Ilya contemplates ending their relationship, fearing that the romantic relationship they want is incompatible with their careers.

Shane invites Ilya to spend two weeks together at Shane's remote summer cottage in Ontario, which would give them the privacy they need to spend time together. While Ilya is initially hesitant, he accepts after Scott Hunter, another famous MLH player, wins the Stanley Cup and publicly announces his relationship with another man.[a] During their time together, Shane and Ilya confess their mutual love for each other and agree to start a romantic relationship. Ilya also reveals that his mother had severe depression and died by suicide. The two are accidentally discovered together by Shane's parents, who are surprised, but ultimately accept Shane's sexuality and his relationship with Ilya.

To make their relationship easier, Ilya signs a contract with the MLH team in Ottawa. Ilya and Shane also plan to create a joint charity, a mental health organization named in honor of Ilya's mother, both to use their wealth for a cause that matters to them, and to provide a pretext for the end of their public rivalry. They agree to eventually announce their relationship to the public after they both retire from the MLH. In the meantime, they publicly announce their joint charity and friendship, to the surprise of the press.

Reception

Rachel Kurzius of The Washington Post praised Heated Rivalry and credited it with getting her "hooked" on the gay hockey romance genre.[2][6] Rolling Stone Philippines called the novel "steamy" and a "prose masterpiece", noting that "There is nothing subtle about Reid’s style of writing".[7] In a review of The Long Game, Publishers Weekly: Reid's characters ... are all charming and sexy, and she mixes humor, hockey, and positive messaging with aplomb.[8]

It took nearly a year after publication for Heated Rivalry to gain traction. Then romance novelist Cat Sebastian recommended the novel on social media, which Reid called "a real turning point" in attracting readers.[3] The Sydney Morning Herald described the Game Changers series as "hugely popular".[9] Heated Rivalry had been a popular bestseller since its debut, but sales increased exponentially with the sudden popularity of the television series,[10][11] which also attracted a new readership to Heated Rivalry and the hockey romance subgenre.[12] Several of Reid's novels subsequently appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.[3] As of December 2025, Harlequin had sold more than 650,000 books in the Game Changers series.[3]

Sequels

Heated Rivalry is the second book in Reid's Game Changers series. In 2022, she released The Long Game, a sequel to Heated Rivalry and the sixth book in the series.[1] In that novel, Shane and Ilya have been secretly dating for ten years, but face challenges as Ilya wants to finally go public with their relationship.[8][13] In 2023, The Long Game made the USA Today Best Seller list.[3][14]

On January 10, 2026, a third Shane and Ilya novel, Unrivaled, appeared on Barnes & Noble's website, to be released on September 29, 2026.[15] The release was officially confirmed by Reid on January 12.[16]

In addition to the novel sequels, Reid also shared a short story on her blog, "My Dinner with Hayden" (2019), which is set in Montreal in November 2018, before the epilogue of Heated Rivalry.[17]

Television adaptation

The novel was adapted into the Crave television series Heated Rivalry, which debuted on November 28, 2025.[18] Created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney, it stars Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov.[19] Season one also partially adapts Reid's 2018 novel Game Changer, which depicts closeted American hockey player Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) falling for barista Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.).[20] Season two will adapt The Long Game, Reid's sequel to Heated Rivalry.[21][22]

Notes

  1. ^ As shown in Game Changer (2018)

References

  1. ^ a b Gallucci, Nicole (December 26, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Season 2: Premiere Date, The Long Game Book Info, and Season 3 Talk". Decider. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Kurzius, Rachel (August 6, 2023). "Hockey romance novels are in the news. Here's why they're so popular". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mazza, Angelina (December 19, 2025). "She Put the Heat in Heated Rivalry". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  4. ^ Reid, Rachel (2019). "Acknowledgements". Heated Rivalry. Carina Press. ISBN 9781488051241.
  5. ^ Messman-Rucker, Ariel (December 8, 2025). "Is Heated Rivalry Based on a True Story? Yes ... sort of". Out. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  6. ^ Simon, Scott (June 8, 2024). "A Surprising Genre of Romance Novels Is Gaining Popularity". NPR. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  7. ^ Wang, Mel (December 4, 2025). "The Heated Rivalry Book Matches the TV Series' Horniness". Rolling Stone Philippines. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "The Long Game by Rachel Reid". Publishers Weekly. 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  9. ^ Northover, Kylie (December 3, 2025). "I don't like ice hockey or romance, but this very steamy gay sports drama is great fun". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  10. ^ Mendez II, Moises. "How Heated Rivalry Went from the Page to the Screen". Out. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  11. ^ Wickman, Kase (December 23, 2025). "Heated Rivalry and the Big Business of Hockey Romance Novels". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  12. ^ McBride, Carrie (December 3, 2025). "What to Read While You Wait for Steamy Hockey Sensation Heated Rivalry". New York Public Library. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  13. ^ Ingram, Hunter (December 26, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Creator on That Romantic Finale, Why Women Love the Show and How the Sex Might Evolve in Season 2: 'They Can't Always Be F—ing. God Knows, That's Just Exhausting!'". Variety. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Long Game (First Time Trade) #14". USA Today. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  15. ^ Chan, Tim (January 10, 2026). "A New Heated Rivalry Book Pops Up for Pre-Order: Here's Where to Read and Buy Unrivaled Online". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  16. ^ Wayman, Sasha (January 12, 2026). "Rachel Reid Announces Heated Rivalry Book Sequel". E! News. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  17. ^ Reid, Rachel (October 2, 2019). "My Dinner with Hayden: A Heated Rivalry Short Story". Rachel Reid Writes Romance. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  18. ^ Sampson, Andrew (October 9, 2025). "Crave Breaks the Ice with Trailer and Debut Date for its New Original Series Heated Rivalry, Premiering November 28". Bell Media. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  19. ^ Whittock, Jesse (June 5, 2025). "Bell Upfront: Elliot Page-Produced Comedy, Tom Green And Jared Keeso Shows & U.S. Acquisitions Set For Crave; Slate Also Includes First Co-Order with Versant's USA Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  20. ^ Sim, Bernardo (December 23, 2025). "Heated Rivalry: Scott Hunter and Kip Grady's Dating Timeline". Out. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Ukiomogbe, Juliana (December 12, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Is Officially Returning for Season 2". Elle. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  22. ^ Bonner, Mehera (December 12, 2025). "Can't Focus on Anything but the Fact That Heated Rivalry Has Been Renewed for Season 2". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
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