Chances are that if you're currently on any major social media platform and have access to HBO Max, you have heard about the hot new series Heated Rivalry. After the show's premiere in late November, it skyrocketed to overnight success and obsession for millions of fans around the world. Thanks to its uniquely steamy scenes and nudity, the show gone viral and dropped many jaws.
The romantic sports drama focuses on rival professional hockey captains Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). As their stars rise, so does their competitive spirit on the ice. However, their tension soon heats up behind closed doors as they engage in a years-long secret sexual and personal relationship that's as hot as it is heavy.
Heated Rivalry, which comes from creator, writer, and director Jacob Tierney, was inspired by the book of the same name by Canadian author Rachel Reid. It's the second book in Reid's Game Changers book series. While many viewers have likely already read the books or are in the process of reading the books, some might still be wondering where to start with the book series.
Here's the correct reading order for the Game Changers books:
- Game Changer (2018)
- Heated Rivalry (2019)
- Tough Guy (2020)
- Common Goal (2020)
- Role Model (2021)
- The Long Game (2022)
As most avid book readers are inclined to do, it's certainly recommended to read all six of Rachel Reid's Game Changers in publication order for the full, uninterrupted effect as the author intended. However, it's not exclusively imperative to read the books in exact order since it's mostly an anthology series with six interconnected standalone books, not unlike Bridgerton. Currently, because of their popularity, physical copies are hard to come by, but audio and eBooks are available.
Which books are about Shane and Ilya?
For those watching Heated Rivalry who want more Shane and Ilya in their lives, you can get their full story in books 2 and 6, titled Heated Rivalry and The Long Game. Those are the only two books in the Game Changers series that are solely centered on Shane and Ilya. They might pop up in other books, but their love story is explored as the main focus of two books (so far).
The television series has adapted a lot of book 2 so far, and season 1 episode 3 was a bottle episode that diverted attention away from Shane and Ilya to shine a light on the whirlwind romance between American hockey player Scott Hunter (François Arnuad) and smoothie barista Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.). "Skip" fans can started reading from book 1, Game Changer.
So far, the main characters featured in the third, fourth, and fifth books — Tough Guy, Common Goal, and Role Model — haven't been introduced in the television series. Tough Guy centers on hockey player Ryan Price and musician Fabian Salah, Common Goal focuses on the age-gap relationship between hockey player Eric Bennett and bartender Kyle Swift, and Role Model finds hockey star Troy Barrett falling for social media manager Harris Drover.
Some fans will surely only read Heated Rivalry and The Long Game for Shane and Ilya, and maybe Game Changer for Scott and Kip, but it's recommended to read the whole series to understand the full scope of the series' story. While Shane and Ilya might not be the main characters of every book, it's worth reading the other love stories in the series, no matter the order!