Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2)
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
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First finished book of 2021!
OVERALL: 4.5 stars. This was a slow-burn emotional journey full of steamy sexy times! To me this was a fun, banter-y, HOTT sports romance with a believable rivals-to-lovers trope.
Definitely want to check out the other books in this series!
Content Warnings: sports 'violence', explicit sex, profanity, homophobia discussions
(barely on page: family/previous alcoholism, depression, suicide, abuse, homophobia)
I listened to this book on audio, and the narrator I thought did a good job! The Russian accent sometimes came out a little robotic/had less emotion than Shane's voice, but I certainly can't do a Russian accent, so props to Tor Thom!
For the first ~35% I was a little nervous with where this story was going, it seemed like they didn't like each other so much that I was doubting a believable turn-around. Especially since in the prologue and around 40% they were each kind of miserable about it. Shane in particular was feeling a lot of self-loathing and disgust, shame...
But by the 45% each of the main characters are starting to have feelings, and it is so cute to read! And by the time we were at 60 then 85% it was clear how they'd both fallen for the other, and were really there for the other, while also still being believably competitive and on-ice rivals.
I loved reading Shane's slow coming to grips with his identity and what that meant for him.
I loved having Shane's parents being so supportive when they found out! Nearing the end, I was scared for what the 3rd act drama/conflict/bleak moment was going to be, and I was so happy when it wasn't something harmful, like one of them denying the other if suspicions happened, or for Shane's parents to be unaccepting, etc.
A tiny tiny part of me was grumpy that in the epilogue they hadn't come out/were out publicly yet, but also I felt like that was realistic, and it was great to see them as boyfriends and be committed and having a plan for their careers and safety.
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