Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

 Tuesday, June 11, 2024--San Antonio

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid was mentioned in a story on NPR about the trend of "hockey romance novels" that is occurring.  When identifying a couple of the best, this title was mentioned because of it being unique in that the romance is between two professional hockey players rather than about a woman who is involved romantically with a hockey player.  I decided to give it a try since it was available from Libby.  It has many admirable attributes--well written, interesting story, interesting characters, realistic depictions of all aspects of the story.  It compares well with the best of other non-hockey gay novels while emphasizing descriptions of the sexual interactions more frequently and in more detail. But I generally prefer literature with less coverage of the specifics of the sexual act and especially not as frequently as it was covered in this novel.  The story seemed authentic in terms of the experiences that gay men have and the frustrations they face in life in determining whether they can "afford" to come out versus keeping their relationship a hidden secret.  The fact that the relationship is between two of the top new rookies, one Canadian and the other Russian, who are promoted as bitter enemies and rivals makes it a more interesting story.  Ilya, the Russian, is bisexual but finds that his relationship with Shane, who is gay, has a greater affect on him than any of his relationships with women.  Ilya also is learning English and, therefore, has limited vocabulary and has to think a bit more to construct what he wants to say when speaking in English; the result is very charming for the way he does say things.  He doesn't have enough of an English vocabulary to be more subtle about what comes out of his mouth, and it is often hilarious!  Shane is sweet and caring.  They spend 6 years meeting in secret when they are both in the same cities--when their teams are competing against each other, when there are all-star games or championship playoffs, etc.  The relationship gradually grows from one that they both need because it fulfills a desire that they cannot openly declare without possibly ruining their careers, to one that they cannot live without and must find a way to be together more than they have been.  As a romance novel, it probably deserves a higher rating, but because I felt it overemphasized the sexual act in too much detail too often, I give the book 4 stars out of 5.