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zoiejanelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
yes i love shane and ilya. no i will not be taking questions.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
potatogrr's review
3.75
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
iamamyyyyy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is a great book - leads each have a unique voice and are complex characters.
It is basically a character study as the leads go from rivals with sexual tension to falling in love over a decade with plenty of spice and very little plot, especially in the first half to two-thirds. With that being said, there is still character development for both leads with solid emotional pay off and it is genuinely funny at times.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Suicide
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
missanniewhimsy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Death of parent, and Homophobia
bnbydwltrs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
fraise's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Dementia, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide
tragicgloom's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Suicide, and Dementia
kharlan3's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Dementia, Outing, Suicide, and Terminal illness
cluckieduck's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After reading the two books, I find her writing definitely tilts smut > story, but Shane & Ilya hooked me in right from the prologue. The fact that this book spans YEARS is absolutely captivating (unlike the 1/2 season of instalove we got with Scott & Kip - not that their story wasn't cute!), and getting to see Shane & Ilya's growing "rivaly" from their first foray in Juniors through their current NHL career was a really smart narrative. It really sells the uneasy infatuation they have with each other and we get to peel back the onion alongside both of them as they grow more and more in love with one another.
While it is a standalone, I liked how it tied into Game Changer with the little tidbits that popped up, like the playoffs, awards night, and Book 1 spoiler
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Dementia
aromarrie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
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.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide