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A review by imme_van_gorp
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
5.0
I feel like I am the last person on the planet to read this book, and I honestly feel like an absolute idiot for waiting so long.
I suppose I was scared it wouldn't live up to the hype, and if I hadn't been continually persecuted by Gloria and Kati to read this, I'm afraid I might have never even dared take the leap (especially since I disliked the first book in this series quite a lot). So, I suppose this is like my official thank you to these two girls to push me into reading this <3
Anyway, back to the actual book: obviously I loved it. I don't even know what makes this book so special, but somehow it just is.
In theory this shouldn't have been a book I love this much; I like rivals-to-lovers, but a relationship that starts with and is built entirely on sex? That's usually not really my thing at all.
But, somehow, everything just works brilliantly here. This had me hooked from start to finish and my interest did not waver for even a single second. Every page had me enthralled, and I was reading the whole thing with a big ass smile on my face.
I think the reason this book works so well is due to three things:
1) The book is spread out over seven years. Things that usually feel rushed or superficial somehow become believable when it is put in the mindset that these two have been hooking up with and pining for each other for years. It really gives everything so much more of an emotional punch, raises the stakes a lot higher and gives us the opportunity to grow with the relationship as well as the characters during a very long journey.
2) These characters. I love them. Ilya and Shane are so different from each other, but each have such a likableness to them in their own way. We spend 7 years with these characters, and thus not only see them grow, but also see the little things that make these two so special. This is not a book that is very heavy on the characterization by any means, yet I felt a true connection to them both, and I think that's pretty special considering the little amount of time that is actually spend on this.
3) THE RELATIONSHIP!! Oh. My. God. The chemistry??? Jeez, it was absolutely scorching. If you manage to have as much sex in a book as this one did, and not have me be bored at least once? Then you've really done something, because I'm truly not the biggest smut fan. Somehow every interaction Ilya and Shane had together just felt intimate. They had this.. connection, which resulted in amazing banter but also a very pure kind of love. I can't even really explain it, but their pairing was just brilliant and I couldn't get enough of them. The longing each of them felt to be together? My heart couldn't take it!
But well, I don't want to make this review all too long, especially since everyone has either already read this, is planning on reading it, or has somehow decided they just don't want to, and I doubt my review will make a lick of difference.
So. I'll end this by saying I loved this book so much, I enjoyed it immensely, this relationship will go into my books as one of the best and most swoon-worthy ones I've had the pleasure of reading about, and I genuinely wish I could have the experience of reading this for the first time all over again.
Oh, and can someone please tell me if I can read 'The Long Game' right after this, or do I need to read the entire series before that?
I suppose I was scared it wouldn't live up to the hype, and if I hadn't been continually persecuted by Gloria and Kati to read this, I'm afraid I might have never even dared take the leap (especially since I disliked the first book in this series quite a lot). So, I suppose this is like my official thank you to these two girls to push me into reading this <3
Anyway, back to the actual book: obviously I loved it. I don't even know what makes this book so special, but somehow it just is.
In theory this shouldn't have been a book I love this much; I like rivals-to-lovers, but a relationship that starts with and is built entirely on sex? That's usually not really my thing at all.
But, somehow, everything just works brilliantly here. This had me hooked from start to finish and my interest did not waver for even a single second. Every page had me enthralled, and I was reading the whole thing with a big ass smile on my face.
I think the reason this book works so well is due to three things:
1) The book is spread out over seven years. Things that usually feel rushed or superficial somehow become believable when it is put in the mindset that these two have been hooking up with and pining for each other for years. It really gives everything so much more of an emotional punch, raises the stakes a lot higher and gives us the opportunity to grow with the relationship as well as the characters during a very long journey.
2) These characters. I love them. Ilya and Shane are so different from each other, but each have such a likableness to them in their own way. We spend 7 years with these characters, and thus not only see them grow, but also see the little things that make these two so special. This is not a book that is very heavy on the characterization by any means, yet I felt a true connection to them both, and I think that's pretty special considering the little amount of time that is actually spend on this.
3) THE RELATIONSHIP!! Oh. My. God. The chemistry??? Jeez, it was absolutely scorching. If you manage to have as much sex in a book as this one did, and not have me be bored at least once? Then you've really done something, because I'm truly not the biggest smut fan. Somehow every interaction Ilya and Shane had together just felt intimate. They had this.. connection, which resulted in amazing banter but also a very pure kind of love. I can't even really explain it, but their pairing was just brilliant and I couldn't get enough of them. The longing each of them felt to be together? My heart couldn't take it!
But well, I don't want to make this review all too long, especially since everyone has either already read this, is planning on reading it, or has somehow decided they just don't want to, and I doubt my review will make a lick of difference.
So. I'll end this by saying I loved this book so much, I enjoyed it immensely, this relationship will go into my books as one of the best and most swoon-worthy ones I've had the pleasure of reading about, and I genuinely wish I could have the experience of reading this for the first time all over again.
Oh, and can someone please tell me if I can read 'The Long Game' right after this, or do I need to read the entire series before that?