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Rachel Reid

Time To Shine by Rachel Reid: New Release Review

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For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.

Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.

As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.

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Audible

A hockey book, by Rachel Reid, without ILYA??? Gasp!

But a different team brings us new players, new characters, new chances at love. This time we are in Calgary with a farm team back up goalie temporarily replacing the regular back up goalie who was hurt. Landon is a VERY quiet guy. Like, painfully quiet. And then Casey, a temporary teammate he met once before, latches onto him like a koala bear. Casey is the COMPLETE opposite of Landon. Loud, friendly, never stops moving and hates to be alone.

What comes next is two guys, each with their own issues and trauma, who are completely opposite from each other, trying not to fall in love. Because once the back up goalie is healthy, Landon will be sent back down.

So Casey OBVIOUSLY has ADHD and I can’t believe it isn’t mentioned. Like at all. You’d think his friends and teammates would even joke about it, as friends and teammates are wont to do. I found that odd. Add in the actual joking he gets about being “stupid”, I wonder if anyone has actually paid attention.

Moving on. Landon’s trauma is so much deeper. A fractured family that he emotionally and physically distanced himself from after his sister died. He doesn’t have any close connections. Is that because he is so withdrawn and quiet or is he so withdrawn and quiet because he doesn’t have any close connections? He isn’t that guy who obviously has walls up, if that makes sense. He is just pretty much accepted for being a quiet loner. Casey doesn’t accept it though.

I love how settled down Casey gets with Landon. Like he is his own personal Ritalin. He is so tender and sweet and loving with Landon. And while it takes Landon a bit to open up enough, it’s so worth it.

Landon and his family begin to heal as well. Parents admitting they were wrong, how novel. But so amazing.

So yes, another winner here from Rachel Reid. I can’t wait for more.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

The Long Game (Game Changers book 6) by Rachel Reid: New Release Review

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The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.

“Everything you could want from this magnetic couple! A passionate, sexy, emotional sequel that grips your heart! Shane and Ilya forever!” —#1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely, author of Hopelessly Bromantic

To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.

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.

Amazon

Game Changers
Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal
Book 5: Role Model
Book 6: The Long Game

Who has been waiting since the end of book 2 to see Shane and Ilya’s happily ever after? We fell in love with these guys in Heated Rivalry and then got glimpses of them for the next 3 books, just whetting our appetites. And this is our payoff.

Something I really loved was the overlap between this book and the one just prior, Role Model. It was fun realizing that book 6 was happening while book 5 was happening. Well, book 5 would have ended about halfway through book 6. But still. Nicely done.

Ilya is still Ilya, but in this book he is vulnerable. Like with a capital V. He is hiding from everyone- especially Shane- that depression has creeped in. Even though he is terrified of ending up like his mother, he also doesn’t believe he would end up like his mother. And wow, the portrayal of his depression and how he goes about hiding it and faking it are so SO spot on. It broke my heart.

Their differing personalities are so evident in this installment. Ilya, the tough guy, the jokester who lets everything roll off his back because his ego is the size of Canada is just done. He wants his happily every after. He wants to tell the world how much he loves Shane. He has the confidence to say “if you don’t like it too bad”. But Shane isn’t there. He just wants to play hockey and win more Cups and not be the poster boy for being an out hockey player. Obviously there are others, but that only means he has seen the scrutiny on them since they came out. He is willing to tough out their original plan of waiting. Ilya isn’t happy with that, but he is also quiet about it.

Their journey includes fights and disagreements and dipping their toes in safe waters of hanging out as a couple when it is safe and of course hockey and a commissioner who gives Shane some veiled threats. And then Shane and Ilya some not so veiled threats.

But they do get their happily ever after and I kind of loved it. A lot. And while their story is, by romance book standards, complete, I would love more. Even as background characters supporting new main characters. I want to see them playing hockey as out players. I want to see them become dads.

I’m not ready to let them go.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Role Model (Game Changers Book 5) by Rachel Reid: Quick Review

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The highly anticipated fifth novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series sees a grumpy professional hockey player meet his match in an out-and-proud social media manager…

The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.

Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.

Amazon

Harlequin/Carina Press

Game Changers

Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal

The Long Game (Game Changers Book 6) preorder

I’ve really enjoyed all of these books in this series. But this one is definitely among my favorites.

We have Troy, former BFF to the league’s bad boy Dallas Kent. Former because after allegations of sexual assault came out against Dallas, Troy believed the women. And called him out on it, during practice, which was recorded and shared. And it a male dominated sport, they always protect the men. So Troy is immediately ostracized and then traded. To the league’s worst team.

Troy’s new team is the complete opposite of his former team. The guys are fun, they hang out with each other, there isn’t toxic masculinity running rampant, the coaching is different and they have Ilya Rosanov. It’s just impossible not to love Ilya. And having him play a decent role in this book was perfect. He didn’t take over at all. This was still very much Troy’s story. But Ilya was a familiar face among a team we don’t know yet.

Included in this totally opposite team is Harris, the social media manager who is out and proud. And Troy is shocked to learn that zero people on the team care. They all love Harris and treat him as part of the team. So when deeply in the closet new guy Troy meets Harris, he is immediately drawn to him.

But Troy was bff with Dallas Kent. They guy who threw slurs around constantly. Who was the big tough guy. Who made fun of other players for whatever weakness they could find. And now Troy needs to prove to everyone- including himself- that he isn’t really that guy.

I love that Harris was wary of Troy, but still gave him a chance. He didn’t make demands at all and let troy discover who he was in his own time. Troy ended up opening up so much with Harris- and a not so gentle nudge from Ilya- that he was unrecognizable from the guy he was when he played for Toronto.

This was a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next (last? sobs!) book.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Tough Guy (Game Changers Book 3) by Rachel Reid: New Release Review * 2

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They have nothing in common—so why does Ryan feel most like himself whenever he’s with Fabian?

Pro hockey star Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to the Toronto Guardians, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ Village. The last thing he expects to stumble upon in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah.

Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly, ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified.

Fabian is more than happy to be Ryan’s guide to the gay scene in Toronto. Between dance clubs and art exhibits—and the most amazing sex—Ryan’s starting to feel something he hasn’t experienced in a long time: joy. But playing the role of the heavy on the ice has taken its toll on his body and mind, and a future with Fabian may mean hanging up his skates for good.

Amazon

A while back everyone was raving about Heated Rivalry, book 2 in this series. I finally bought it and I was so glad I did. So when this one came up to be reviewed I was all over it.

Same author. Same theme (hockey). TOTALLY different stories. I loved it.

We met Ryan very briefly in book 2. Enough to know that he gets traded every year and he hates flying. Those things haven’t changed and this time his new team is in Toronto.

On the ice, Ryan is “the enforcer”. His job is technically to defend the other players, but really it is to fight someone on the other team. And he hates it. In reality, he is this anxiety ridden teddy bear who thinks he isn’t worthy of anything. Ugh, he broke my heart.

Many times when there is a character like this who is self deprecating, you kind of want to slap them. How can they not see that they are hot, or talented, or loved or a great person? But not Ryan. I felt his despair and how little he thought of himself. I just wanted to cuddle him and pet him. He broke my heart. He didn’t even hide that he was gay. It’s just that no one seemed to care.

And Fabian, musician who hates hockey- for good reason. I wanted to not like him. But it was impossible. He was so likable! Unapologetically fem without being over the top or throwing it in your face. He was just comfortable with who he was and didn’t care if you didn’t like it. So the total opposite of Ryan.

Watching Fabian really take care of Ryan was just so swoony. Teaching him that sex can be fun. That it is ok to laugh. That it is about only the two of them together and no one else.

There are definitely some laughs- Fabian’s friends are hilarious. And I really loved Ryan finally connecting with a team member and becoming friends with him. This guy needed all the love he could get.

We get a well placed cameo of Ilya (book 2) as well as Ilya and Shane.

After reading these two books, I cannot wait to go back and read book 1. Because even though they are very loosely interconnected, all are stand alones.

4.5 Pieces of Candy

So, I read this for an entirely different reason than Erin. I had not read any of the previous series. In fact, I don’t read hockey books, because as much as I am a sports fan, hockey has never been one of those sports. However, not only did I enjoy the entire book, but I even enjoyed the hockey bits.

Fabian and Ryan were just perfect together. I loved that they had known each other as teenager, and appreciated each other as people before they were separated. Otherwise, the likelihood that they would have been able to connect as adults was pretty slim.

Watching Ryan transition into the man that he wanted to become was great. He wanted to have friends, wanted to connect, and wanted to feel better about himself. He never wanted to be the enforcer. He was a gentle soul, who wanted to enjoy his time playing professional hockey, as much as he did when he played with the kids.

Fabian was a perfect complement to Ryan, and Ryan a perfect complement to Fabian. They just worked really well.

I will absolutely read more of this author’s works, and want to go back and read the first book in the series.

4.5 Pieces of Candy