This book specifically is focused on two gay men (MM)
Other genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance
"I'd rather struggle to do what I love than devote myself to something I hate"
They have nothing in common. Ryan Price is a big, strong hockey goon whose role on the Toronto Guardians is to fight. Fabian Salah is a loud and proud gay man living in Toronto's dynamic LGBTQ Village. He is an aspiring musician who hates hockey and everything to do with it.
Until Ryan Price walks back into his life. It's a shock to say the least, but when the burly, gingered defenseman pops up one day at the pharmacy Fabian is working at, they both can't help but think of the chemistry they once shared.
Ryan used to billet with Fabian's family when he was growing up. While Fabian assumed Ryan would be like all the other hockey players that lived with his family, he was different. The two almost kissed one night after one of Fabian's performances for school. But both pulled away.
Now, they are in close proximity for the first time since, and things are heating up. Everything that should keep them apart means nothing as anxious Ryan battles the ultimate question about who he is and what his future in hockey looks like.
The Review
I wonder if I was too excited for this book. If I loved Game Changer and Heated Rivalry so much that I expected this book to be as good as those. And it simply wasn't. To be fair, if someone asked me, I would tell them to skip this one and go to the next one. Not that it is terrible, it's just disappointing in comparison.
Ryan and Fabian do make a cute couple, and it is nice to see them grow into each other. It is a bit more like Scott and Kip's story. They are finding each other again. Struggling to find where they fit in each other's lives without making serious life changes. I think in the end everything works out okay, but the getting there leaves something to be desired.
SPOILER ALERT
I hate Fabien. I haven't hated a character this much in a long time. He is so hypocritical. He is selfish, he is judgmental, he is biased. And he is self-obsessed. Ryan can't see himself fitting in with Fabian's friends, but he tries (in fact, he changes his whole life to fit into Fabian's life), but Fabian can't even imagine anything to do with hockey.
They are from two different worlds, that is true. But Ryan is trying to be a part of Fabian's world, where Fabian doesn't seem to try at all. He watches one hockey game where Ryan gets hurt, mostly because of Fabian, and then he freaks out. He even knows it is selfish of him to want Ryan to give up hockey, and yet he throws a tantrum until Ryan does.
Of course, it is just a story. But I can't help thinking that if it were real life, Fabian would be a manipulative boyfriend. Ryan would probably feel like he had to quit hockey and follow him around like a lost puppy (which he kind of does). It seems like Ryan didn't really choose to quit hockey, but was given an ultimatum, and hockey didn't win. And that doesn't sit right with me. Ryan's decision should have been his alone, and I think in real life this would have led to resentment between the two.
I listened to this book through my local library (via Libby).
The audiobook of Tough Guy was narrated by Tor Thom. He narrated the first three books of the Game Changer series. As I said previously, I didn't have a problem with his narration. I enjoyed it even in the first one, until the TV show came out. But I understand some did not like him.
Tor Thom was replaced by Cooper North for the next books. Some fans are hoping Cooper will rerecord the first three books.
Rating and Recommendation
I loved Ryan, I felt for him, and I could see myself in him. Fabian killed this book for me. While I came around to him, I love that he could help Ryan deal with his mental health. It just took too much away. I felt like both Ryan and Fabian weren't as well developed as Ilya and Shane were or even Kip and Scott. Something just felt missing in this story.
For me, the highlight was that Ilya made an appearance. Which really shouldn't be the case.
After listening to this Heated Rivalry, I bought it (and the whole series) from Indigo online. I also pre-ordered the next book in the series.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of sports romance novels, of hockey, or just a fan of MM stories, you will love the Game Changer Series. Keep in mind, there are a lot of sexual scenes that are very detailed. If you offend easily or are under the age of majority, a different series may be better suited for you.
You can find Tough Guy in its respective mediums below:
You can find Heated Rivalry (2025, directed by Jacob Tierney),Season 1, on Crave (CAN) or HBO Max (USA).
* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. * All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley). * Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.
Other genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Hockey, Fake Dating, Friends to Lovers (though probably more like Enemy to Lovers).
Trigger Warning: This novel discusses and deals with Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault (SA) Trauma, and reliving SA events. This blog will also touch on SA trauma and experiences. This review will also have foul language.
One Unexpected Kiss Leads to the Wildest Sex of Both Their Lives
Hannah Wells has baggage. She is smart and confident in most areas of her life, she is doing well in her courses, and she is perfecting her performance for the upcoming concert. But her baggage makes her less confident in the area of sex and seduction. After the ordeal she has been through, Hannah doesn't drink, doesn't like partying and rarely finds a man worth dealing with. Until she laid eyes on Justin.
Justin, a football jock, was a recent transfer to their University. And the moment she laid eyes on him, Hannah was smitten. Due to her sexual assault, she doesn't typically crush on men, let alone get turned on by them. But Justin changed all that. Now all she has to do is get him to notice her.
Garrett Graham has baggage of his own. His father was a professional hockey player, and he has been trying to live up to his expectations his whole life. The plan is and has always been to play hockey after graduation. But with his GPA plummeting, all his hard work is about to go down the drain. Unless he can convince the smartest girl in his class to tutor him.
Hannah Wells, or "Wellsy" as he calls her, is not thrilled to be tutoring him. In fact, she downright refuses, over and over. . . it isn't until Garrett has a proposition for her that she can't refuse. Fake Date? Will that really work? If Hannah tutors him, Garrett will pretend to date her to try to make Justin jealous. But as things progress, Garrett realises that he may be the jealous one every time he thinks of Hannah with someone else.
The Review
I'll be honest, I usually listen to new books at regular speed. Books I have already read, I "re-read" at 1.5x speed. But I got so fed up with this book that I switched to 1.3x speed around chapter 17. This book is SLOW. Ironically, just as I sped it up, it started to pick up a little bit.
If you're coming here from Heated Rivalry, you're going to be disappointed. I think that "Hockey Romance" is a loose tag for this book. It doesn't really matter that Garrett is the captain of the Hockey team. The only role that it plays in the plot is a reason why Garrett needs Hannah's help.
Not for the first time, I wonder if I am simply too old for "New Adult". It has the vibe of 90s movies where the enemies-to-lovers trope was huge! But unfortunately for me, I felt it fell short of being one of those classics. The book did get better as it went on, thankfully.
SPOILER ALERT
I wasn't through the first chapter, and already I hated Hannah Wells. She just came off cold, and like a bitch. It was obvious she was bitter and jaded, and it really came across like she was mad at the world. One of the first things mentioned about Hannah is that she was raped. But it is just thrown out there, and then the chapter moves along without any real comment about it beyond that. And yet, it is always brought up when it is convenient for the storyline. We learn that Hannah hates parties, she doesn't trust people, and she won't drink anything anyone hands her, even her friends. And she doesn't drink because she was raped. And that is why Justin will never notice her. But this isn't explained any further. I think it would help the story and the Hannah character if we heard a little about why. Even something as simple as, "Last time I was at a party. . . ." or "That's how he got the upper hand, he handed me a drink, and I hadn't noticed. . ." Anything that alludes to why this is such a big deal. While you can assume that's what happened, it would be nice to know more.
And this happens often in the novel. Hannah has 9-1-1 dialled until she gets home, just in case, but she gets in the car with Garrett. Hannah even says she spent a lot of time in therapy to get over her trauma, but she still has these habits that she insists will probably never go away. She also goes to Garrett's house, a frat house basically, instead of insisting they meet somewhere in public. Which probably isn't realistic for a survivor of sexual assault and a guy she barely knows.
I think this may be why I don't like Hannah; I don't think it's the character per se, but it's the lack of explanation as to why she is like this. And it feels forced for the storyline. Even when she talks about Thanksgiving with her parents, it's just a few "shocking" statements and no details about what happened. It also feels like she is judgmental when it comes to men because of her experiences, but again, there is no explanation. If inner dialogue were to say that Garrett reminds Hannah in any way of her abuser and that's why she has a low opinion of him (or athletes in general - which wouldn't work anyway because Justin is an athlete), then maybe it would sit better. But again, she just comes off as judgmental.
By today's standards, I can understand why some feel like Garrett is an egotistical jerk. But I think this is by design because of the parallels to 90s movies with the same enemy-to-lover trope (think A Walk to Remember, The Duff, and She's All That). But I think if you look beyond how annoying he is when it comes to begging her to tutor him, you can see the scared little boy who just wants to make his dad proud.
I listened to this book on Audible.
On Audible, this book is narrated by Lorelei Avalon (as Hannah) and Christian Fox (as Garrett). I wonder if this is another reason why I don't like Hannah. Lorelei's voice is so deadpan. She sounds like a bored teenager forced to read her diary or complaining to a friend. I am not sure if that is just Lorelei's voice in general or style in general, or if that is her interpretation of the character. Either way, I think that reading the book myself may have helped my opinion of Hannah, though probably not by much.
Christian Fox is better. But something about his voice doesn't click with me. It's not bad. But it doesn't scream University Jock. He has a lot of steamy titles under his belt, which may play a part in it. But he doesn't seem to really embody Garrett.
Also, as a side note, I hated that to start each chapter, they said the character's name. "Chapter 8 - Hannah", I really don't think that was necessary.
Rating and Recommendation
I started by giving this book only two and a half stars. But it did get better as the book went along. So I changed my rating at the last minute.
This book is a "New Adult" book, which means its target audience is college-aged kids (which makes sense since that's what it is about. Maybe I am a little too old for it. But I just couldn't enjoy it. As I said previously, I think it is the Hannah character that threw me off. And her lack of depth. I felt like the author had a real chance at showing what challenges someone who has been sexually assaulted can face as they try to process their trauma and learn to cope with it. But it felt like she dropped the ball at every turn.
If you like hockey romances and enemy-to-lovers, you may like this book. I like those things, but couldn't get past the character holes. Maybe I am just too old-fashioned.
I paid for Audible so I could listen to this book. When I tell you I regret it, I say that with seething rage. I wanted to get this review in close to the show's Amazon Prime premiere. So I paid for Audible and got this book with the free credit. At least I didn't actually spend money on it. It would have been my first DNF, but I refused to give up on it because of the price I paid for Audible.
Conclusion
Even though the trailer for the TV show is just a few seconds long, it already seems better than the book. I recommend watching the TV series. If you enjoy it, you may want to try reading the book. (If you like the series, you may be more determined to finish the book.) If you didn't finish the book or didn't like the book, I would recommend giving the TV show a try. Already, the Hannah character seems different, more relatable. Maybe I just prefer drunk Hannah instead of regular Hannah.
I am not sure "Hot" is the word for it, really. There is sex in the book. And it is described, but it isn't what I would say "hot". Again, it is a reminder that this book is aimed at "New Adults". So that may play into it a little, also. But it is definitely not PG-13 by any means.
Sexual Assault (Trigger Warning)
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Canadian women experience sexual assault in some form annually. Though we will never truly know this exact number because of severe underreporting, it is safe to say that Canada has a sexual assault problem. According to an infographic on the Government of Canada's website, only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to police. Of that six percent only about 1 in 19 cases lead to an accused person being sentenced to custody. It is also believed that of that six per cent of sexual assaults, 89% are women or girls, and 97% of the accused are men or boys.
According to another infographic, "Sexual assault" is any unwanted sexual activity (e.g. sexual touching, kissing someone without consent, rape). It also goes on to say that 1 in 3 women experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in public, which includes unwanted sexual attention or unwanted physical contact.
I want to be completely honest, I think most of us (ladies) have experienced some kind of sexual assault, violence, abuse, harassment, etc. And I think, depending on when and how you were raised, a lot of us learned to shrug it off. "Oh, Uncle John grabbed my ass? It's okay, he's just drunk." But it's not okay. Those are lies we were told or tell ourselves to minimise what has happened to us.
I've done it myself. Someone grabbed my ass at a party, and I just let it go because he was drunk and everyone was having a good time. And in reality, he probably didn't mean anything by it. But it was still inappropriate. I think part of the problem with sexual assault is that everyone thinks of rape. Sexual assault doesn't always mean rape. Sexual assault doesn't always mean legal issues. That story, for example, I didn't want the guy to go to jail. He had never done it before, never did it since, and he was drunk. Was it an accident? Maybe. But it was still sexual assault. And even though I didn't want anything to come of it, I still had to recognise it and validate myself and the situation. It's really a mindset we need to break.
A sexual assault victim never HAS to do anything. You never HAVE to report, you never HAVE to tell someone. But you do need to validate yourself. Oftentimes, that comes with talking to a therapist, sharing with a friend or family member, or calling the police. Whatever you choose, it is up to you. And it is NEVER too late.
You can find The Deal in its respective mediums below:
You can find Off Campus(2026, directed by Silver Tree, Samantha Bailey, Erica Dunton, and Dawn Wilkinson),Season 1, on Amazon Prime. You can watch the trailer below via Amazon Prime's YouTube Channel.
* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. * All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley). * Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.
This book specifically is focused on one gay man and one bisexual man (MM)
Other genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance
Canada's Shane Hollander and Russia's Ilya Rozanov!
Jane and Lilly, finally! Heated Rivalry is book number 2 in Rachel Reid's Game Changer Series. Gaining popularity, thanks to the Crave adaptation, the Game Changer Series has become an international phenomenon!
Shane Hollander is the poster child for the league. He is an amazing player, and he is squeaky clean. Everything the league would want to showcase and more. The Captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, Shane, is at the top of his game - an amazing young talent, ready to make it big.
Enter, Ilya Rozanov. He is the exact opposite of Shane. The Captain of the Boston Bears is the self-proclaimed king of the ice. His cockiness is backed by his talent. Since their junior years, the two have been rivals.
Who is the best? The only person who can beat Ilya Rozanov is Shane Hollander, and it seems the opposite may also be true. But rivals aren't the only thing that Shane and Ilya have been since the rookie season. The two captains have a secret.
Drawn to each other by fate and freckles, Shane and Ilya struggle to find a balance between their emotional bond and the reality of being gay (or bi) hockey players. How long can they keep their hookups a secret?
The Review
I can't say anything bad about Heated Rivalry (partially because I think people with pitchforks would show up at my door), mostly because it's such a feel-good book. Two young kids, finding love and the joy of a first love, exploring each other, getting to know each other. It's all a little wonky for Shane and Ilya, but I think that adds to their relationship. Sometimes relationships are tough like that. Not getting much time together, working too hard, too late, too much, it puts strain on a relationship. But the boys understand it because they are alike in that regard, even though personality-wise they are so different.
For Shane, hockey was always something he was good at. I spiked his competitiveness, and he thrived. For Ilya, hockey was an escape, away from his dad, away from his brother, away from Russia. The tension behind that alone is hard to imagine, but then add in being gay and bisexual, and it's sad to think how much harder that made things for both of them. It's unfortunate that even in 2026, this type of narrative is still prominent.
I think Rachel Reid does a great job of really capturing the hardships that Shane and Ilya go through both together and apart. It is a much different type of story than Kip and Scott, though we see Scott struggle a lot with the idea that his hockey career may be over if he comes out.
SPOILER ALERT
Unlike Scott and Kip, Ilya and Shane don't really get the "pretty-bow" happy ending. They come up with a plan. They do have some closure. They do have each other. But they still have to hide. Even with the press conference announcing the Irina Foundation and the hockey camps, they still don't get to be themselves. Or together. They still don't get the happily-ever-after they deserve. It's unfinished in that way, which is no doubt why they get two more books covering their story. (We also get glimpses of Ilya and Shane throughout the next few books as we wait for The Long Game.
I listened to this book through my local library (via Libby).
As with Game Changer, Heated Rivalry was also narrated by Tor Thom. Again, I didn't have a problem with the narration. Obviously, it wasn't the perfect accent for Ilya, but it wasn't that bad. I enjoyed that he actually attempted to make different voices for each character. While not perfect, it came across as different people from different backgrounds. And I think that's the best a voice actor/narrator can do.
Because of the pushback, there are talks of the audiobooks recorded by Tor Thom being rerecorded. The most popular choice would be to have the actors (Hudson Williams and Connor Storie) read the book. While others would be happy just to have Cooper North (the person who took over narrating the series), rerecord them.
Rating and Recommendation
I love Ilya and Shane, I love Heated Rivalry. But I loved Game Changer more. To me, Scott and Kip's story had more "bones", more of a story. Ilya and Shane's story was more about sex. Which, don't get me wrong, I enjoy that part too. But, personally, I like a little more meat. Now that is just a personal preference. That doesn't take anything away from Heated Rivalry or the series as a whole. I have read all the other storylines, and I think that Shane and Ilya eventually become the best couple. I think it just takes some time because their story is unfinished. With that being said, I can't wait to start The Long Game and Unrivaled next year.
After listening to Game Changer (the first book), I bought it (and the whole series) from Indigo online. I also pre-ordered the next book in the series (Unrivaled).
Conclusion
If you enjoyed the TV show, or if you like Scott and Kip's story, or if you just enjoy two hot hockey players getting together on and off the ice. You will love Heated Rivalry. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will make you hate the world and yet love how beautiful it can be. Ilya and Shane's story is hot and heavy, whereas Scott and Kip's was more romance-based. Both are great dynamics and wonderful in their own way. It just depends on what you're in the mood for. So keep that in mind if you are coming to Heated Rivalry after Game Changer.
If you are a fan of sports romance novels, of hockey, or just a fan of MM stories, you will love the Game Changer Series. Keep in mind, there are a lot of sexual scenes that are very detailed. If you offend easily or are under the age of majority, a different series may be better suited for you.
Homophobia in Hockey
Heated Rivalry and Rachel Reid's description and depiction of the trials and tribulations that Shane and Ilya have to go through are very eye-opening. I think we (straight people) don't necessarily think about certain implications of being "different" or how that may affect a person. If you don't have a problem with gay people, I think it's easy to overlook certain things. My initial reaction to both Heated Rivalry and Game Changer was, "So what? Come out... who cares?" But the reality is a lot of people do. A lot of people don't want to hear about their idols being anything less than the "epitome of masculinity". (Note, I am using quotes because I don't think anyone is less masculine or feminine for being gay.) Which is unfortunate. I think the best thing we could ask for and want for our idols is to be happy, a good person, a good player, and a good teammate.
"If you can play, you can play." That was the slogan for "You Can Play" a campaign started by Patrick Burke (an NHL scout and son of Brian Burke), Brian Kitts and Glen Witman, in March of 2012.
The inspiration for the campaign, now turned organisation, was Brendan Burke, Patrick's brother. Brendan was the closest relation to someone in the NHL coming out as gay. He played hockey for Miami University and found the strength to come out to his teammates as gay. He was one of the first players in the hockey world to do so. Brendan Burke passed away at the age of 21 from a tragic car accident. But his legacy still lives on in his brother's and father's dedication to eliminating homophobia in sports.
For more information about You Can Play, its founding, and its partnership with the National Hockey League, visit their website youcanplay.org.
You can find Heated Rivalry in its respective mediums below:
You can find Heated Rivalry (2025, directed by Jacob Tierney),Season 1, on Crave (CAN) or HBO Max (USA). You can watch the trailer below via Crave's YouTube Channel.
* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. * All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley). * Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.
