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A review by aromarrie
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
it hasn’t been since january that i even touched this series, so completely attached to kip & scott’s story that it was difficult for me to read this much more popular book in the series without their pov’s. alas, though, i finally made that leap and i can see why so many people love shane & ilya.
their rivals to lovers dynamic is actually pretty surprising because the first half of the story seems to delve into their shifting dynamic over the years since their rookie season as they developed a much closer relationship way earlier than i expected, with a lot of secrets held under wraps. it wasn’t until the midpoint of the story that i really started to enjoy their romance, as we saw these two act more soft with each other and share such playful banter that made their competitive natures on the ice so much more thrilling. of course, there were some downturns due to the heavy weight that the hockey media has as they’ve created this story where this pair absolutely hate each other, and so it’s not easy for them to embrace their growing love for each other so publicly.
despite that hurdle,though, it doesn’t stop them from expressing so much vulnerability with each other in private, that development quite literally stunning me beyond words because at the beginning of this story, there genuinely were no sweet feelings they had for each other. yes, there was this immediate physical attraction but it did feel like a slow-burn of sorts as we were gradually seeing them act more comfortable with each other and like lovers; especially shane, who for some reason, just seeing the way he fell in love with ilya, completely wrecked something inside of me because it felt like he had the most trouble letting those barriers come free.
a part of me wishes we could’ve seen more outside of their relationship, only really getting to witness glimpses of shane’s friendship with one of his Montreal teammates, hayden, and then also the tense relationship ilya shares with his family from back in Russia. there were some mentions of shane’s parents, and seeing how close of a relationship he has with them warmed my heart, as much as it probably warms ilya for someone who never got to know what a loving family could be like after the loss of his mother way back when.
i was so hesitant in my dive into this second book but it exceeded my expectations and a little more, and i’m just so completely thrilled with how shane & ilya’s relationship has developed. i’m excited to see more of these players in the NHL find this happiness that they never thought they could have for themselves, kip & scott + now shane & ilya proving otherwise.
their rivals to lovers dynamic is actually pretty surprising because the first half of the story seems to delve into their shifting dynamic over the years since their rookie season as they developed a much closer relationship way earlier than i expected, with a lot of secrets held under wraps. it wasn’t until the midpoint of the story that i really started to enjoy their romance, as we saw these two act more soft with each other and share such playful banter that made their competitive natures on the ice so much more thrilling. of course, there were some downturns due to the heavy weight that the hockey media has as they’ve created this story where this pair absolutely hate each other, and so it’s not easy for them to embrace their growing love for each other so publicly.
despite that hurdle,though, it doesn’t stop them from expressing so much vulnerability with each other in private, that development quite literally stunning me beyond words because at the beginning of this story, there genuinely were no sweet feelings they had for each other. yes, there was this immediate physical attraction but it did feel like a slow-burn of sorts as we were gradually seeing them act more comfortable with each other and like lovers; especially shane, who for some reason, just seeing the way he fell in love with ilya, completely wrecked something inside of me because it felt like he had the most trouble letting those barriers come free.
a part of me wishes we could’ve seen more outside of their relationship, only really getting to witness glimpses of shane’s friendship with one of his Montreal teammates, hayden, and then also the tense relationship ilya shares with his family from back in Russia. there were some mentions of shane’s parents, and seeing how close of a relationship he has with them warmed my heart, as much as it probably warms ilya for someone who never got to know what a loving family could be like after the loss of his mother way back when.
i was so hesitant in my dive into this second book but it exceeded my expectations and a little more, and i’m just so completely thrilled with how shane & ilya’s relationship has developed. i’m excited to see more of these players in the NHL find this happiness that they never thought they could have for themselves, kip & scott + now shane & ilya proving otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide