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thereadingoutlaw's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Shane and Ilya immediately placed in my top 5 m/m OTPs of all time. Period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent
sucralose's review
emotional
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
minus one star because the cover
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
cluckieduck's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
Well, this certainly lived up to the hype (possibly surpassed) for me! I found Game Changer just OK but had heard so many good reviews about Book 2 and the absolute hotness that is Ilya & Shane...I am in love.
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 spoilerthe impact of Scott coming out . It's not a typical romantic HEA ending, but I'm so excited that Shane & Ilya's relationship gets a second entry with The Long Game.
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
Content Warnings
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
antonique_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Mental illness
frantic_vampire's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Y’all. This book. It just about broke my heart. I loved the secrets, the pining, the rivals/enemies to lovers, the emotions. It just…this book has everything that you could ever need in a romance book.
I absolutely adored Shane and Ilya. They may not have started their relationship with the intention of catching feelings or ever falling in love, but damn did they. And when they fell, they fell hard. The there was something so vulnerable about the way this story was told. From the time that they first met all the way through to finally admitting their feelings. It was just amazing.
Honestly this book just about gutted me. It was so emotional with these characters clashing and catching feelings and almost breaking up that I just wanted to scream. I was just so fucking invested in them that I almost cried when they finally figured their shit out. If it’s not super clear, I loved these two stubborn assholes with my whole heart and I can’t wait to see where their story ends up. Heated Rivalry is getting a solid five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Homophobia, and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
The suicide, mental illness and death of a parent tags are for mentions of Ilya’s mother who struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts.anil's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Listen. Not to accuse anyone of anything here. And honestly *I* find it a GOOD thing. But. The Sid/Ovi vibes are strong. Sure a number of facts don't match up but COME ON!
I wanna call it the perfect enemies to lovers but that would actually be short changing the complexity of their relationship from the start. It is incredibly intense and beautiful and so sad sometimes and 100% worth your time.
I wanna call it the perfect enemies to lovers but that would actually be short changing the complexity of their relationship from the start. It is incredibly intense and beautiful and so sad sometimes and 100% worth your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Mental illness
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