Book Talk | The Long Game

It's been too long since I, and the majority of readers and viewers, first learned about the Heated Rivalry universe. When it came out, I watched all of season one, bought the corresponding book, bought a t-shirt, and joined online forums dedicated to Shane and Ilya. I've been reading quite a few other books and when I found out I would be traveling alone for a work conference (see my Tampa blog), I knew this would be the perfect time to enjoy the second book of the Heated Rivalry series. Here's a little book talk for Rachel Reid's The Long Game.

About the Author

Rachel Reid is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Game Changers hockey romance series, as well as the standalone hockey romance novels Time to Shine and The Shots You Take. She lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has always lived there, and it’s looking like she probably always will. She has two boring degrees and two interesting kids. 

 About the Book

"Ten years. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything? Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all. It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love. It’s time to make a call."

 Book Talk

Heated Rivalry got readers into their feels in a cute and adorable way, and probably some people's gay awakening. The Long Game, however, brings readers into their feels in a deeper way than the first book. The Long Game digs into the psyche of both of our main characters, with a little more on Ilya, and how he is having trouble navigating who he is in a world where he has to keep his boyfriend a secret. Rachel Reid does a great job of diving into the small ways that depression can take form. There are people out there dealing with these emotions and may be in similar situations, and I hope some of those people felt seen through this one scenario.

Our characters are no longer young 20-something people. What they wanted and were okay with in book one, and in the start of their careers, is not who they are or what they want now. It's great to see the growth our characters have had and seeing their personalities morph into people who are a more mature version of who they are while still keeping true to themselves. Sometimes, you can read multiple books on characters and they hardly change, but that's not what you will find with this series. 

 I hated the way our characters were outed and I hate the way they were treated by their teammates and fans. I think if they had gone with the original plan, they would have gotten backlash, but maybe it would sting for them a little less. Either way, I'm happy Shane and Ilya have a happy ending to this book amidst the chaos.

Overall,  I enjoyed my time reading The Long Game and getting back into the Heated Rivalry world. I absolutely love our characters and I'm excited to see what the future holds for them in the upcoming Unrivaled book. I'm also greatly looking forward to seeing how this book is adapted in TV form. Have you read The Long Game? What did you think? Did it have enough spice for you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

 Until next time, Happy Reading!