Heated Rivalry: 2 (Game Changers)

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I know many of us care more about characters than plot, and usually, a plot is irrelevant to me in a romance book. They were the only way the author seemed to be able to show the guys were starting to care for each other. Reid's depiction of their immediate physical combustion contrasted with a satisfying emotional slow-burn is masterful. This is a reason why enemies to lovers is not something I read a lot because the trope feels so loosely marketed all the time. They were only 17 back when they first met and they are already 26 when they finally take a real chance at falling in love with each other.

The start of an epic enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Rachel Reid --book two in her fan-favorite Game Changers series. I'm not saying this isn't realistic for two professional hockey players, but I prefer more gooey HEAs. I liked seeing how it began and how the relationship developed throughout their teens into their late 20's. Shane often abstained from alcohol because he didn’t want to do anything that might compromise his performance on the ice.

If the author can give them 10 minutes to fuck, why can’t those 10 minutes be replaced with domesticity? Tor does such a great job with the narration, the characters have a distinctive voice and the accent is well done. The evolution of their sexual feelings parallels their emotional growth—as each man slowly comes to understand that he is in love with the other.

It focuses on the romance (and rivalry) between two star forwards and team captains, Shane Hollander of the Montreal Voyageurs and Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Bears. The story starts in a series of events set months or event years apart, describing the various meetings between the main characters.So to put it short, Heated Rivalry follows Canadian hockey player Shane Holland and Russian player Ilya Rozanov who are two idiots always horny for each other.

Some technical information for those - like me - who would want to know that: the story is divided into four parts with the first two parts going back in time from first meeting to secret-lovers status, but as a time sequence, not flashbacks and part III starts where the Prologue ended. I have already purchased the next book in this series, and I will be probably keep reading/listening as long as the characters are still engaging. The fourth and fifth books in the series will be Ilya and Shane’s second book, and Kyle’s book (you remember Kyle the bartender from Game Changer? Not just because they're such promising young players but their hatred for each other becomes legendary. I think this was pretty poor rep and an example of an author only doing the minimum to make their series “diverse.And that even though I’m not a fan of stories jumping between the past and the present, but it somehow works with Shane and Ilya’s story. Reid artfully takes us through Shane and Ilya's individual realizations of what each means to the other, but in a thoughtful, poignant, and often humorous way. Hate sex is usually a deal breaker for me, but your description of the dynamic in this book makes me want to read it. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable.

I understand this is rivals with benefits to lovers, but sex being the primary plot device for the actual 50% of the story and later being used in between scenes for the rest of the story makes it weak. It was heartbreaking to see all how much Ilya had to lose to be able to be with Shane but it know it was worth it. I was surprised how much I liked the way that story was structured and the angst was what I like nothing OTT.What nobody knows is that Shane and Ilya have been meeting in secret for over six years to fuck each other senseless.