Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great.
As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 66,000 words
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🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.5 stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 4.5
A passionate enemies and lovers tale!
I loved this story and there is so much heat, passion and feelings I was hooked from the start.
I felt that this was different from the usual enemies to lovers trope as Shame and Ilya are “enemies” on the ice and in the media but not really enemies of the ice or to each other. While they annoy and frustrate each other, there are feelings and passion there right from the start that for me overruled the enemies side of things for me.
I really enjoyed the journey of their ‘relationship’ and I liked how Rachel approached this and used a timeline style of writing. I loved that it went on for 8+ years and that their feelings grew stronger over time. I liked Rachel’s approach to the NHL world and these players as people. The story follows the hockey seasons and various games but doesn’t bog the story down and as someone who knows next to nothing about hockey, the story came across very balanced.
Now there is so much heat in this book, it’s on FIRE! The chemistry between Shane and Ilya is fantastic and you can feel that chemistry spark at every encounter. I really enjoyed Shane’s progressive self-discovery and eventual acceptance of what he likes and who he is. When he finally accepts his sexuality you can feel the change in the character as Rachel’s writing is so prudent and empathetic. I loved Rachel’s detailed, free-flowing writing style and look forward to reading her other stories. I didn’t realize this was the second book in the series and look forward to going back and reading Scott’s story!
All in all, this is a fantastic enemy to lovers/friends to lovers/coming out/ gay for you story! So much passion, chemistry, and emotions, I loved it!
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