A review by erika_winters
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-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

Rachel Reid has done it again! I really loved this enemies to lovers tale so very much that I’m still smiling after finishing it a few minutes ago! I liked this book more than the first one in the series (although events in the first book directly relate to how the characters feel and think in this one, so definitely read Game Changer first!) I absolutely loved Ilya and Shane. A bookseller (shoutout to Laynie-Rose from East City Bookshop) once posted about this book on social media and said that Ilya and Shane “invented romance,” and I think she was right in saying this.

Ilya and Shane might be my favorite fictional couple of all time because of their competitive battles with each other on and off the ice, along with their playful banter, all while trying to push away their feelings for each other—when they were most definitely there for a good portion of the hookups—for so long. Their romance was believable and slowly burned throughout every page, even if their sexual attraction was always there. I can’t wait to read the follow-up story involving these two characters (which is the sixth book in the series, so I have a few to tackle until I read about Ilya and Shane again). If you love hockey, and an author who really knows what she’s talking about when it comes to hockey, pick this book up! By far the best hockey romance I’ve read other than her other book (not in this series) called Time to Shine, which I HIGHLY recommend! 
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