Review: Heated Rivalry

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Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander’s game.

Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.

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. Publicly, they’re enemies. Privately, they can’t stop touching each other.

The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option…

Genre: contemporary romance

Publication date: April 2023

Mature content: yes

Review: I picked up Heated Rivalry (book 2 in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid) before reading the rest of the books because I was curious after watching the TV adaptation (which I loved, by the way). And even though this is technically a second book, it works perfectly well as a standalone, and I never felt lost. Also, I can confirm that there is very little difference between the book and the TV series - some dialogues are even exactly the same. 

What I enjoyed most was the way the romance develops over several years. Instead of rushing the relationship, the author lets the characters grow, mature, and evolve, making their connection feel earned and believable. Watching Shane and Ilya change both individually and together was easily the strongest part of the book.

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That said, the writing style didn't always work for me. At times it's very curt, relying on short, almost telegraphic sentences that interrupted the flow of the story. I also found the POV switches a little confusing on occasion, as the transitions weren't always as clear as they could have been.

Overall, I can definitely see why this book has such a devoted fanbase. The slow-burn romance and emotional payoff are excellent, even if the writing style wasn't entirely to my taste and I could have done with some less graphical sex scenes. I'm glad I started here, though, and it has made me curious to read the rest of the series.

Happy readings!

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