Once we finished watching Heated Rivalry and then reheated our rivalry with another binge... and kept that process going for a few weeks, what were we to do during the long wait for season 2? Naturally, it was time to lock in and read Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series from start to finish.
While a lot of fans had already been fans of the books, Heated Rivalry came to a lot of people as a pleasant surprise. Suddenly, there was a treasure trove of content to discover, characters and love stories to escape into, and a full universe of thrilling hockey romance to tug on our heartstrings all over again. But which of the books hits the hardest when it comes to fiery chemistry?
Before Reid releases Unrivaled, the final book in the Game Changers series, and delivers the final chapter of Hollanov's love story, we're taking a look back at the six current books in the saga and ranking them worst to best, though that's subjective — and there's not a bad book in the bunch!
6. Tough Guy
It's not fair to call Tough Guy the "worst" book in the series because that's simply not true. The book centers on troubled defenseman Ryan Price, who's frequently traded and recently reached a breaking point with his anxiety. Now in Toronto, he reunites with his teenage crush Fabian Salah, a musician who loathes hockey, and sparks begin to fly between them.
Tough Guy has the unfortunate task of following up the one-two punch of Game Changer and Heated Rivalry. If you're reading the books after watching the show, the third book feels like falling off a cliff. It's a whole new world, but there's still so much to love about Ryan and Fabian. The book has themes of second chance romance, opposites attract, and friends to lovers, which are unique for the series.
We also get to meet Wyatt Hayes and get to know his friendship with Ryan, which is honestly one of the biggest highlights of the book. Ryan and Fabian's romance is plenty spicy, so Tough Guy isn't lacking in that department. It's a fun read, we get to briefly catch up with Ilya, and it's by far the sweetest relationship in the saga. However, the other books win out when it comes to yearning.
5. Common Goal
Please know that ranking Common Goal fifth out of six books is more of a matter of numbers than quality. For me, it's almost interchangeable with Game Changer since it's theoretically a sequel in some regards (those regards being frequent appearances by Scott and Kip). The book centers on Scott's teammate, goalie Eric Bennett, as he moves on from his divorce and explores his bisexuality.
He strikes up a friends-with-benefits arrangement with Kip's friend and Kingfisher bartender Kyle Swift (who we have already met onscreen!) to ease his way into intimacy with men. Obviously, Eric and Kyle are immediately attracted to each other and catch feelings, but their 15-year age gap holds them back from completely going all in on an official relationship... at first.
Common Goal might be the objectively hottest book in Reid's series and the most successful instance of slow-burn romance. You know it's effective because at times, their instance to remain apart is maddening to the degree of screaming right at the pages. Personally, Eric Bennett might be my favorite character in the books aside from Shane and Ilya. Yeah, I said it!
4. Game Changer
The placement of Game Changer will be controversial for the Skip shippers among us, but for me, it can't be higher than fourth place, and it's only ahead of Common Goal by a small margin. If you watched the show, then you're familiar with Scott and Kip's love story: They meet while Kip's working at a smoothie shop and get hot and heavy fast. Ultimately, Scott comes out publicly on the ice.
Honestly, it's hard to beat this book! Scott and Kip's romance takes off like a rocket and doesn't let up until the last page. Reading Game Changer is completely different experience than watching Heated Rivalry season 1 episode 3 because there's so much more to the story in the book. The television episode sums it up very well, but there's a lot more nuance (and steamy scenes!) in these pages.
One of my least favorite aspects of the story has to do with the financial power imbalance that causes a lot of tension between Scott and Kip. Scott has a lot of money, and Kip doesn't have a lot of money. But the real stuff, like Scott coming to terms with his sexuality and bravely being the one to come out in the unwelcoming hockey culture, will leave your heart fluttering and hopeful.
3. Heated Rivalry
There might be some book rankings out there that place Heated Rivalry lower than third, but for this reader, Shane and Ilya are the main event. The only reason it's not in second place is because Role Model exists, but we'll get to that. Shane and Ilya's first book is just as addictive and amazing as the show. Really, there's not much left in the book that wasn't brought to life onscreen.
For me, that's a lot of the reason why it's not ranked higher: Because we have the experience of being able to see the pages in 3D and elevated with action, music, and Emmy-worthy performances from Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The book and show work together so well, one of the rare television adaptations that respects and honors its source material.
While Shane and Ilya's origin story could have dug deeper into certain characterizations of Shane, it's a beautiful introduction to their love story. You fully understand why they love each other and how they arrived at that destination, as long as it might have taken them. The series ends right after their coming out moment, but there's some extra fun to be had at the cottage in the book!
2. Role Model
Objectively, Role Model is the best Game Changers book that doesn't involve Skip or Hollanov. It just is! And it's not only because Ilya is a recurring character and plays a large role in the story. It's not because it's the B-side to The Long Game. It's because Troy and Harris' love story is probably the most unique out of the five other stories that don't involve two professional hockey rivals.
Troy Barrett gets traded from the Toronto Guardians to the Ottawa Centaurs after publicly denouncing his former best friend and Toronto teammate Dallas Kent in the wake of Kent's sexual assault allegations. Now on a team that's deemed lesser in the league, Troy grapples with the secret that he's gay while confronting his past homophobic behavior he took part in with Dallas Kent.
He becomes close with the Centaurs' social media manager Harris Drover, who's proudly out and welcoming to Troy despite his icy exterior. Theirs might be the slowest burn in the series, but it's by far among the fieriest sparks that's worth the wait. Reid also does some incredible character work with Troy, taking him from someone we could hate to someone who changes for the better.
1. The Long Game
The first time you read The Long Game, you will be stressed out. But it's a good kind of stressed out because Shane and Ilya are going through the natural pangs and pressures of being in a secret relationship in spite of how much they love each other. They bicker and argue and seem on the brink of collapse, but thankfully, they never give up on each other.
The Long Game finds Shane and Ilya navigating the next chapter of their relationship together, now on the other side of the plan Shane came up with in Heated Rivalry. It's hard to read at times given the ways their situation gnaws at them: Shane's disordered eating, Ilya's worsening depression, a near-death experience, and being outed to the public before they're ready.
However, it's a nuanced and rewarding read that allows Shane and Ilya to reclaim their narrative, lives, and love. We see them (spoiler!) get married and officially start their future together in complete defiance of what other people think about them. Like the first time around, Heated Rivalry season 2 will one thousand percent elevate the experience of reading this story, and I can't wait.