Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rosanov are two of the hottest young prospects in professional hockey. They’re first and second in the draft to division rival teams, and the narrative is born: rivals, always competing against each other for records, for wins, for cups. But behind the rivalry is a shared secret: they can’t keep away from one another. As their relationship transforms from casual hookups to something far more serious, they have to figure out how to navigate their careers, their rivalry, and their very real feelings for one another.
Ok, wow. Like seemingly the entire Western Hemisphere, I watched Heated Rivalry over my winter vacation and became obsessed with Ilya Rosanov and Shane Hollander’s story. So of course I had to read the book! If you think that the show was steamy, whew. The book is incredible. The sex scenes are so well written, and not just for the smut – Shane and Ilya’s inner thoughts are conveyed so well, and you really understand what’s keeping them so deeply in the closet. Shane spends a lot of the book thinking that he just hasn’t found “the right girl” yet, and that’s why the sex with Ilya is so good. Ilya is facing pressure from his family, fear of what his life would be like if he were exposed as queer, and frustration at his inability to get over Shane. Even while you want to grab these two and shake them until they see sense, you also feel deeply for them. The scene with Shane’s parents near the end is just lovely, especially with Ilya thinking afterwards that while Shane was still high-strung and nervous, today had been the best day of Ilya’s life. My heart!
Back to the sex scenes – if you are new to romance with spice, brace yourself! Even as a veteran to spice, there were times when I could not believe I was listening to this audiobook in public. So, be warned. In a fun way!
Heated Rivalry was my first venture into the very popular M/M Hockey Romance genre, and I am not regretting it! I already checked out the first book in the series so I can get Scott and Kip’s full story, and I look forward to reading the other books in the series afterwards.
