Heated Rivalry book review

In reality, to find someone you're attracted to, someone you want to talk to, someone you want to see naked, and someone you actually like being around...and they happen to love the thing you love, which is playing hockey?

I think you need to lean into that.

I've been to exactly one hockey game. I was so hyper-present the entire time because the arena is massive, the space is cold, the people are loud, and the food was delicious. I was completely focused on watching this little puck fly around the ice.

It never occurred to me that every player out there was somebody's son, brother, cousin, or nephew.

It never crossed my mind that they'd been in love or had their hearts broken.

I don't watch sports for that.

I watch sports to be entertained.

Then I read Heated Rivalry.

A good friend told me about the television series and said, "Oh my God, you have to watch it."

I looked it up, saw it was based on the Game Changers books, and immediately decided I wasn't watching anything until I'd read the books first.

I read the books.

I loved the books.

Then I watched the show.

It was phenomenal.

If you've watched Heated Rivalry, then you already know Shane and Ilya.

Their love story begins when they're teenagers, meeting at hockey competitions around nineteen years old. The league builds this rivalry between them, putting them on opposite teams and encouraging everyone to see them as competitors.

What's fun is that if you've read Game Changers first, Shane and Ilya are just names in the background. Scott gets mentioned all the time too.

You don't realize every character has their own story until you start reading the series.

Then suddenly everything connects.

Shane and Ilya's relationship is so beautiful because they genuinely enjoy each other.

They laugh.

They joke.

They tease each other.

Ilya already knows he's bisexual and is attracted to both men and women.

Shane has only dated women, but something has always felt off. He keeps thinking he just hasn't met the right woman yet.

Then they meet each other.

What starts as casual hookups slowly becomes something much deeper.

Not every hookup becomes a love story.

This one does.

"Falling in love is not something that you should take for granted."

Their biggest obstacle is that the hockey league has made them rivals.

At first, that sounds like a weak reason to stay apart.

But then you remember what's actually at stake.

If your father is sick and your NHL career is supporting your family, you're not going to throw away millions of dollars.

If your parents sacrificed everything to get you there, and you've signed sponsorship deals and major contracts, you're not going to casually risk all of that.

It's more complicated than simply choosing love.

But love is rare.

Finding someone you're physically attracted to, emotionally connected with, and genuinely enjoy spending time with?

That's rare.

If they also happen to love the same thing you love, I think that's worth protecting.

That's one of the reasons this story works so well.

It's about realizing that love isn't something you should automatically sacrifice for your career.

The television series is excellent.

But this book?

The book is about 368 pages.

Game Changers is another 300-plus pages.

That's over 600 pages of story squeezed into six episodes.

There's so much you simply can't include.

The yearning between Shane and Ilya feels deeper in the novel.

Their longing lasts longer.

You understand Shane's friendship with Rose so much better.

The book spends more time showing Shane trying to convince himself that Ilya is the exception instead of admitting the truth about who he is.

Rose becomes such an important part of that journey.

She isn't just a failed relationship.

She's someone he genuinely enjoys being around and respects, even if the romantic attraction isn't there.

That nuance really comes through in the book.

Get your copy of Heated Rivalry. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I also loved comparing the characters in my head with the actors on the show.

The casting for Shane was phenomenal.

Ilya's banter, sarcasm, and confidence translated perfectly onscreen.

Now, whenever I reread the book, I automatically picture the actors, even though they don't exactly match the descriptions.

The books and the show complement each other really well.

If you've watched the series and loved it, I absolutely recommend reading Game Changers and Heated Rivalry.

If you're not much of a reader, try the audiobooks.

The narrators are fantastic, and you'll get so much more of the story than the television adaptation could ever include.

Competing with someone shouldn't automatically mean you can't fall in love with them.

I still don't get that.

https://youtu.be/ynUuuNZsrSs?si=x6vYbnCObCughGhP

Until the next book review, 

Kyla