My buddy read partners and I all read the entire story in less than 24 hours, and it kept me up until nearly 4 am today. Shane might anger some readers at times, but I thought, though he was inexcusably self-absorbed, he loves Ilya with all of his heart and will always be team #ilyaandshane in his soul. He is unwavering in his love for Shane, and coming to terms with his own buried feelings and unacknowledged needs. Reading his sections, I laughed, and I literally cried buckets of tears. My favorite part of the book is Ilya, because of course, ILYA. However, for me, the book straddled all the lines perfectly, and though we feel some extreme highs and lows emotionally, ultimately, the book was a joyful reading experience. ( Trigger warning: depression) You will absolutely be near tears for Ilya at times, and I guarantee you will want to knock some sense into Shane on more than one occasion. That being said, this book isn't without some heart-wrenching pain and more than a little frustration. It was painful to imagine this author not doing Shane and Ilya justice with their sequel, and I'm beyond pleased to report that she told the next part of their journey beautifully. Rachel Reid has written a lot of stellar books in the Game Changers series, but none have the humor, passion, intensity, and the emotional range of Heated Rivalry.

I can't tell you how badly I wanted this book to be amazing. In fact, you'll be downright thrilled with The Long Game. moment.įor those super-fans of Ilya and Shane, you won't be disappointed. I went through the ENTIRE range of emotions with The Long Game, the long-awaited sequel to one of my all-time favorite books, Heated Rivalry.

It’s time for them to decide what’s most important-hockey or love. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?

If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret.

From friends, from family…from the league. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything. The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.

Heated rivalry a gay sports romance