‘Heated Rivalry’ is not just a love story

“I’m coming to the cottage.” — “Heated Rivalry,” by Rachel Reid

You may have heard about this cultural phenomenon a lot this month, but if you haven’t, let me introduce you. A standout favorite among romance readers, especially sports-romance fiction fans, “Heated Rivalry” has become a major topic of conversation about queer representation in professional sports, and for good reason. Rachel Reid has earned widespread acclaim for her “Game Changers” series, praised for its emotional depth, sharp dialogue and unflinching honesty about life inside elite athletics.

At first glance, “Heated Rivalry” follows a familiar rivals-to-lovers arc. Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are star NHL players on opposing teams, locked in years of fierce competition that spills over into something far more complicated. What begins as a secretive, physical relationship slowly transforms into something deeper, more vulnerable and far more dangerous in a world that is hostile to their truth.

Reid grounds the novel firmly in the realities of professional sports culture. Shane and Ilya’s relationship must remain hidden, not because of shame, but because the consequences of being openly gay in men’s professional hockey are severe. Lost sponsorships, hostile locker rooms, media scrutiny and fan backlash loom in the background. “Heated Rivalry” makes it clear that homophobia in sports is not an abstract idea; it is structural, enforced through silence, fear and the expectation that queer athletes prioritize the comfort of others over their own authenticity.

The novel also confronts the ways racism and xenophobia intersect with homophobia through Ilya’s character. As a Russian player in the NHL, Ilya is already viewed as an outsider, scrutinized, stereotyped and reduced to assumptions about his background and temperament. His queerness further complicates his position, leaving him with even less room to be vulnerable or safe. Reid allows Ilya’s defensiveness and emotional restraint to read not as flaws, but as survival mechanisms shaped by an unforgiving system.

“Heated Rivalry” stands out because beyond a conventional romance is its refusal to sanitize these realities. Reid does not suggest that love alone can dismantle institutional prejudice. Instead, she shows how love exists in spite of it and how costly that resistance can be. Shane’s yearning for openness clashes painfully with Ilya’s learned caution, creating a tension that feels as real as it is devastating.

Reid’s writing is intimate and character-driven, allowing readers to sit with the fear, longing and frustration that define Shane and Ilya’s lives. Yet even amid secrecy and constraint, the novel remains hopeful. Their relationship becomes a quiet act of defiance against a sports culture that insists queerness and masculinity cannot coexist.

Ultimately, “Heated Rivalry” is not just a love story, it is a commentary on who gets to exist safely in the world of professional sports. It challenges the myth that strength requires silence and argues, instead, that vulnerability is its own kind of power. For queer readers, it offers recognition and reclamation. For others, it offers a necessary lens into the human cost of homophobia and racism embedded in athletic institutions.

By placing a deeply human queer love story at the center of one of the most hypermasculine arenas imaginable, Reid delivers a novel that is romantic, political and profoundly resonant. “Heated Rivalry” is not just a favorite read, but a reminder that representation is not optional. It is essential.

Desiree Condit is the co-owner, store manager and web designer of Books on the Bosque, located at 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane, Suite A-2, or at booksonthebosque.com.