Heated Rivalry : Review
The MM Hockey Romance EVERYONE is talking about!
Icy and very spicy!!
There’s so much hype surrounding this book (and the series it belongs to) that I couldn’t resist seeing what it was all about…
I unashamedly enjoyed this so much!
The story surrounds two ice hockey players from rival teams who are drawn to one another despite feeling they must remain closeted due to their careers within the NHL (oh and the fact that it’s hate at first sight).
There’s plenty of strings attached and their hook ups are top secret to an extreme degree. It’s an extremely slow burn (emotionally) spanning years, so if YEARNING is your thing, then you’ll probably love this.
It’s hard not to fall in love with Ilya and Shane, they are both so real, so vulnerable and I loved the character development of them as individuals as we watch them grow up on the ice, particularly Ilya who might not be quite the bad boy we meet before his rookie year. These boys are funny too, with Ilya often making me laugh out loud.
If you’re a serious hockey fan than you might be left a little disappointed if you’re looking forward to the sport element of this book – hockey is very much the setting but doesn’t feature heavily in terms of airtime. If you’re worried you don’t know enough about the sport to enjoy it – don’t! You’ll be fine!
I usually read romance for a bit of light relief in between heavier books, or if I’m in a reading slump – you know what you’re getting and how your getting to your happy ever after, but with Shane and Ilya their story is so complex that I was living in fear that maybe they wouldn’t get the romance genre assured ending of living happily ever after, and I found that level of anxiety refreshing!
If you’re wondering if I’ve now watched the TV show (yes, of course I have!) and how it compares, then I can ensure you that the creator Justin Tierney has really looked after the original text – it’s very true to the book with the plot and vast majority of the dialogue remains unchanged! Ilya and Shane have been perfectly cast with next level chemistry and if I was Rachel Reid I’d be thrilled to see my characters and story being brought to life and loved.
So, is Heated Rivalry worth the hype? In my opinion, yes! I gave it 5 stars and am now skating (geddit?!) into the rest of the series!
Want to check it out for yourself? Get it here. (PS It comes with a bookmark).
Its technically the second in the series but you can start straight with this one if you’re wanting to start with Shane and Ilya’s story.
*Warnings and triggers: Sweary and Spicy – don’t let the cute cartoon cover fool you, this isn’t one for kids!
Homophobia is discussed throughout as is talk of suicide.
