I have so much to say about this beautiful story. I will try to keep it cohesive, it’s all such a jumble in my mind right now. I’ll start out by telling you I received my ARC of this book in the beginning of February and I just couldn’t bring myself to read it because I knew I’d have a major book hangover when I was done. And I was right. I just adore this couple’s first book, Heated Rivalry, and have been a very vocal fan of Ilya (who we see a lot more than Shane) in the books that followed. I also knew I would want to tune out the world once I started this book.

Sometimes when a couple gets set into a sort of rhythm, they stop paying attention to the small details. Shane and Ilya both have fears about their plan for their relationship, but neither wants to rock the boat. They love each other so deeply and know they are loved in turn, yet they know the precarious situation they are both in with their careers if they veer off course. As much as I love Shane, he is often blind to what Ilya needs. He’s so used to Ilya being in charge and confident, he doubts himself when he glimpses the chinks in the armor. Not to mention he’s never really thought in depth about what Ilya has given up in order to make their arrangement work, where Shane hasn’t given up much at all.

Ilya makes me laugh one moment and breaks my heart the next. His journey is so incredibly touching and real. His struggle with depression is written so elegantly. It’s not something that can be “fixed” overnight, as much as he wishes it was. Until he is ready to talk about his thoughts, feelings, and fears he will not start to heal. I don’t want to give away too much here so I’ll just say, as someone who has depression, the author did a spot-on job and had me aching for Ilya.

In my review of Heated Rivalry, I said the HEA for that story is what worked for this couple. But relationships evolve and grow as time goes on. It’s been a few years now and it’s obvious Shane and Ilya need to evolve their long-term plan or they’ll be miserable. As much as I believed the initial HEA was correct for that time, I like this HEA so much more. It’s not all roses; it’s not like every person in the NHL is going to accept a relationship between rivals. It’s unfair, quite frankly. But when all is said and done both Ilya and Shane are where they want to be and, most importantly, together.

ILYA AND SHANE BACK!!! I've been obsessed over them since I read Heated Rivalry and we finally have their happily ever after!!!!!

This sequel is everything I could ask for and more. There really couldn't be a better conclusion to their story. It was beautiful to see them grow, both individually and together as a couple. They aren't perfect but just very real.

While the situations they face aren't easy, I love that there isn't any over dramatic scenes or drama just for the sake of it. Ilya is one the best characters I've come across and I love him so much!!! Ilya's discussion about mental health and his decision to get help hit me deeply.

We get to see little cameos of the couples from the previous books and new characters that you'll fall in love with. I absolutely adored Troy, Harris and the little puppy Chiron. And of course Anya deserves everything! That whole scene with Hayden's kids was swoony!

This is an epic love story than spanned across thirteen years and where they would choose each other over everything else. If you loved Heated Rivalry and has been waiting for the sequel like me, The Long Game is perfect for you!

*ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Thank you so, so much to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing an e-arc of this!! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Will I ever get enough of Iyla and Shane? No. Absolutely not. I would read 100 more books about their love story. They may very well be my favorite couple of all time and I adore them with my entire heart.

This takes place a couple of years after Heated Rivalry and follows Iyla and Shane while they're still hiding their relationship. Despite them working through a lot of obstacles, they are still unsure about bringing this relationship public while still playing hockey.

And the secret is starting to weigh on them.

I loved how Rachel Reid explored the mental and emotional impact this secret could cause. Iyla has sacrificed so much for this relationship and you experience the toll that takes on him. Major content warnings for homophobia, depression, and mentions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

While Iyla is battling his personal demons, Shane is experiencing homophobic remarks and actions from the people he's closest to - his teammates, coach, and the NHL commissioner.

I'm so glad we got this follow up story for this couple. I cried, I laughed, I swooned, and every emotion in between. Definitely one of my all time favorites.

The Long Game is a m/m sports romance and the sixth in the Game Changers Series. This book is a true sequel the second in the series Heated Rivalry. It continues the story of Ilya and Shane who are both are professional hockey players in Canada. Shane is in top form and his Montreal based team is coming off of winning the Stanley cup. Ilya is a great player who plays for a less successful team in Ottawa. The two are in a solid but secreted monogamous couple. The book begins in summer and follows them through the year. Ilya is struggling with some depression and seeks help for his mental health issues. I thought this was realistically depicted. I love that his therapist realizes that that he needs his own support above and beyond his partner.

I’ve been referred to this series before and I regret it has taken me this long to read one of the books. The writing is smart and on point. There are concerns over career implications, and reactions from teammates, family and friends. The relationship between the two men is loving and steamy hot with several intimate scenes. And even thought they are together they still make mistakes in communication and assumptions. I don’t read a lot of m/m romances but I will definitely read more from Rachel Reid. Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Press, and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is everything I want!!! I loved Shane and Ilya in Heated Rivalry and so happy to see them again in this story.

Their chemistry continues to be off the charts. We see both of them struggling with coming out as a couple and how it impacts their hockey career.

Their banter makes this book so fun and this book we see Ilya being so vulnerable and learning to deal with it.

Of course, it was nice to see the other hockey players from the previous books. I am so glad the story has come full circle with Shane and Ilya's HEA.

So full disclosure I got this book as an arc without realizing it was the sixth book in a series with an established relationship at the start. Despite all of that it really wasn’t a problem picking this book up first in case you want to do that. This book had some really fun and heartfelt moments I loved the breakdown of toxic masculinity and homophobia in sports. The relationship between Shane and Ilya was super adorable from the start and I really enjoyed just getting right into it.

My biggest complaint with this book however is all of the food shaming! It felt completely unnecessary to make Shane so insufferable when it comes to food especially when he shamed those around him about their food choices. I have no idea why that was included in this book.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book!

First thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request for the ARC.

I’ve always said if a book makes me cry, it gets 5 stars. Well, this book made me cry quite a few times. It gave me all the feels. I am so happy that the author gave Shane and Ilya the happiness they so desperately deserved.
This book was so incredible. So raw, and beautiful and emotional, and sexy, and sad, and happy, and just absolutely amazing. I loved it. I loved Shane and Ilya…Gawd, these boys will stay with me for a long time. Their story was just so touching and exciting. I just loved it so much. I’m so glad the author did such a fantastic job writing this sequel and giving these loved characters the beautiful story they deserved.

And lastly, Ezi if it wasn’t for you recommending Heated Rivalry I would have never known about this incredible duet. And I’m so so glad that I read the books so close together. I still feel so giddy and happy and gosh I just can’t stop smiling. These characters are absolutely unforgettable.

I made the poor decision of requesting this without having read the first novel to which this is the successor of. I thought I would love it due to how much praise and love there is online for this series, but unfortunately I couldn't get into it due to the writing style which just isn't to my taste. I tried moving directly onto this novel without having read the first, but unfortunately I couldn't get into this one either. Super sorry, and will be leaving a 3 star review so as to not mess up the average rating. I'm sure many will enjoy this book, I'm just not one of them!

i was SO happy to be back with shane and ilya that i devoured this book in one (1) singular sitting. i loved this one more than their first book i think, it had a really good balance of sweet and tender moments, versus some more painful angsty ones that kept me turning the page because i needed to know they were going to be ok!!

i was keeping my fingers crossed for them the whole book and i was so delighted to see them finally get their happy ending. i hope we get to see more of them in domestic bliss in the future!

Stayed up all night reading this and am no longer capable of coherent thought — I adore these two ding dongs so much. I’m so glad we got this sequel. This was everything I wanted for Shane and Ilya after Heated Rivalry — my heart feels like it’s going to burst ❤️ A magnetic, powerful, and lovable continuation of their established rivals to lovers romance. I hope we get to check in on these characters in future books, but if not, I’m perfectly content with where things wrapped up.

Heat Factor: It’s sexy (like the rest of the series), but unlike in Heated Rivalry, most of the sex is at home, so it’s heavy on their emotional connection this time, and less about the tittilation of sexual awakening and sneaking around
Character Chemistry: Shane likes to be *rewarded* (wink) for the discipline of never letting on that he’s in love with Ilya, while all Ilya wants is affection
Plot: Shane and Ilya have been secretly in a monogamous relationship for three years, and it was all going fine…until a confluence of components of Ilya’s life make it not so fine anymore
Overall: A relationship in trouble in which both parties really want to make it work, but are fearful that they won’t be able to

I’m going to go ahead and say don’t read this book if you haven’t read Heated Rivalry. And if you haven’t read Heated Rivalry, you should. If I’d been asked to do literary analysis of Heated Rivalry in high school, I might not have hated English. (Not that they would have let us read a book with that much sex in high school, which is a shame.) And if you’re going to read Heated Rivalry, stop reading this review now.

[SEPARATOR]

Heated Rivalry has one of the best HFN endings I’ve ever read, and it doesn’t involve a coming out. Typically in M/M sports romance in particular, part of the conflict is that at least one party is closeted and the couple can’t live their truth and be happy until everyone is out, the relationship is acknowledged, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. But not everyone feels safe coming out, and sometimes it would legitimately harm someone’s career to come out, even if it’s technically illegal to discriminate against an employee based on sexual orientation. With Shane and Ilya both being professional athletes and also rivals playing on rival teams, there’s more at stake for them than what we find in the usual M/M sports romance. So they’re committed, but still closeted.

But things can be fine until they’re not fine anymore, so even though Shane and Ilya have a whole plan that will give them their hockey career dreams and eventually the marriage they want, and even though they’ve been living that plan for three years, it’s not really a surprise that it turns into Not the Life Ilya Wants as the book opens. If ever there were A Thing to strain a relationship, it’s an agreement between partners that one partner later decides doesn’t work for them anymore. For Shane and Ilya, there are several points, including differences between their personalities, that eventually come to the breaking point that becomes the conflict of The Long Game.

One thing that struck me about Heated Rivalry is that, while Shane feels very alone for much of the book, it is Ilya, the life of the party, who actually is alone. Shane’s friends and family are everywhere. Ilya is estranged from his family and is never shown to have any deep friendships during the story like Shane has with Hayden and later Rose. One of the reasons that Shane and Ilya connect so beautifully even though they spend so much time apart is because Shane knows and understands that Ilya is struggling when no one else does. Even in subsequent books, Ilya keeps himself apart from the other queer players he’s (antagonistically) befriended. So the fact that in The Long Game we finally see just how much Ilya is emotionally struggling is addressing a thread left dangling in Heated Rivalry.

At the end of Heated Rivalry, Ilya’s moved from the team he signed with as a rookie, the team that won him the Stanley Cup, to a struggling team in Ottawa so that he can live closer to Shane. As a result, he’s largely given up his hockey superstardom for his relationship. Shane is still with the team he’s always been with, the team that’s just won the Stanley Cup. Beyond that, Ilya is in a position of constantly choosing Shane, which means he has to keep a huge secret; whereas Shane has made Ilya conveniently fit into his life, and he gets off on keeping the secret. What we’ve seen in prior books in the series is made explicit here: Ilya has befriended other queer players in the league, while Shane might be out to his team but is still very much living the life he did before he was out (thereby not forcing anyone to confront his otherness). While deep personal connection isn’t really Ilya’s wheelhouse, it’s pretty clear that, if his relationship were not a reason for him to hide, he would be much more open and engaged with the ever-growing queer NHL community. But he does have to hide.

The Long Game starts before Role Model, the prior book in the series, and continues past Role Model’s conclusion, and while there are some overlapping scenes, Reid has really focused the story of Role Model on that story’s protagonists and The Long Game on Shane and Ilya, so while readers of Role Model might have enjoyed some teasers, there’s extremely little redundancy. That said, Reid has crafted Ottawa as almost an ideal workplace, which you probably get a more immersive feel for if you’ve also read Role Model. It’s like Ilya is living in a little oasis of safety while the rest of the world is pretty terrible. The New York Admirals were approaching the supportive and inclusive vibe of the Centaurs, but Ottawa is next level, with a coach that uses positive reinforcement rather than shaming to get results, an out and proud social media manager who feels welcome in the team’s locker room, a team dog that everybody loves, and teammates who cheer each other’s successes and socialize together. So the mood of this book is more aligned with the optimism of Role Model than with the isolation and angst of the other books in the series, but it also forms a central component of Ilya’s conflict, because he could take advantage of his community support network, but not without exposing his relationship with Shane.

Overall, this book is calmer than Heated Rivalry, with a much more contemplative mood. It’s addressing Ilya’s isolation and depression as well as the league’s grudging lip service to activism or diversity and inclusion. It's showing us what we wish for (Ilya's team culture) and what we realistically expect (Shane's team culture).

I was unbelievably excited for this book. I read it the day we got the email notifying us it was available on NetGalley, and then because I binged it so fast and wanted to write a thoughtful review, I read it again a month later. And then I read parts of it again a month after that so I could actually sit down and write this review. The airplane scene and its aftermath that we experienced in Role Model was better than I imagined (I do love a “you almost died!” moment in my romance), and the resolution to Shane and Ilya’s romance that became something that could actually last long term into the future was a gift. But it is a sequel to Heated Rivalry, and its pathos is different.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

The audience for this one is super self-selecting (people who liked Shane and Ilya enough to read another book about them) so it's basically 100% fan service, which is fine! There are fun cameos from couples from the other books and way more fluff than plot. I didn't think certain character issues were fruitfully resolved, like one disordered eating subplot (TW for this throughout the book). It takes a while to get going but it's engrossing beyond that initial slump.

This is the sequel from Heated Rilvary. Ilya and Shane continued love story. Of course it is not plain sailing it has trials and tribulations. They are still adorable together. Ilya, well still Ilya Love him or Hate him. Shane still soft. They have their HEA where all is now out for everyone. A good conclusion for this series.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book and the opinions expressed here are all mine.

Sweet, Uber romantic, and super hot. Hard to choose a favorite!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Team romance is a tough one to attack for an author I would think. The romance is based on secrets and hiding. The team has a certain balance and anything that takes that balance away is suspect and becomes an issue. Such is the issue for these two.

Reid treats us to a story full of passion and intensity. The angst they feel for not being true to friends and each other. The constant hiding and fear of discovery.

But within that, she delivers a fabulous story that pulls at your heartstrings and wraps you tightly in their world full of love and devotion. A story where you find yourself smiling and cheering them on, hoping for the best.

With two awesome characters to love, The Long Game is an intense love story that is truly an experience to remember.

What can I say that hasn't already been said?

If you don't know Ilya and Shane, the only person you're hurting is yourself. That's not very nice of you to you. They will get under your skin and take up residence in your heart. They are just that likable.

Sequels are tricky especially when the original set the bar so high, but Reid deftly blended the chemistry that was its own character in <i>Heated Rivalry</i> with navigating life as hockey superstars who are also a secret couple.

The road is not an easy one but they traverse it together. Sure, they disagree from time to time but that's life and to omit those struggles would've been disingenuous not to mention inauthentic. Besides, it's those struggles and rooting for them to maneuver them that strengthens their relationship and, by extension, our connection to these characters.

So, be prepared to have your heartstrings pulled, to laugh, be touched by some sweet kids, sweet dogs and even sweeter teammates, to want to center-punch a couple people and to put your head into a freezer during the spicy scenes.

Lastly, I will just (eat some previous shade throwing) say if Reid decides to be that author that writes 37 books in this series, I will read them because this series is my happy place.

<i>An ARC was provided to me by NetGalley. Thank you!</i>

I have finished reading the book. I’m probably going to read it at least once more in between the time that I finish this review and release day. I still can’t believe we actually got a sequel to Heated Rivalry. Sure, Reid treated us to a couple of bonus scenes, and of course, Ilya made a point of popping up in all of the other books, like the malevolent trickster god that he is, but a real life full-length sequel? It still feels too good to be true.

First of all, this is the 6th book in a series, and you don’t necessarily have to read all of the books before this one—although you should—you absolutely have to read Heated Rivalry first. You are simply not going to appreciate the journey that Ilya and Shane have been on to get to this point. You, the reader, need to experience over a decade of “you’re the worst, now kiss me” semi-annual hookups in order to truly understand everything at stake in the sequel.

Oh, you want to know something about the plot? Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, Heated Rivalry ended with Ilya moving to Ottawa to be closer to Shane, who plays for the Montreal team. After a couple of years of that, they decide that it’s not enough, but neither one of them is out publicly, so what are they supposed to do?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, this book was EVERYTHING. It had me absolutely sobbing, something that doesn’t usually happen with books. Sure, I’ll get misty eyed, but Ilya and Shane’s angst had me full-on ugly crying. But don’t get me wrong—this book isn’t a whole Flowers from the Storm angst journey. There are plenty of comedic moments, mostly involving Ilya stealing the show and/or roasting Shane for eating clean.

Speaking of which, those two have some amazing chemistry. I thought their whole secret rivalry enemies to lovers thing worked to their advantage in terms of intensity, but wow, together for over ten years is even better. Trust me.

I would absolutely recommend The Long Game. Fans of the series will not be disappointed by this sequel, and I am looking forward to buying the paperback version of this book… and the Audible… and let’s face it, the Kindle edition so I can see what other people are highlighting. Well done, Rachel Reid!





I received a digital ARC of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley

This was such a fun and beautiful sequel!! I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am absolutely obsessed with this book!! I finished it so quickly and i tried to read it slowly and i still couldnt stop myself. Ilya and shane had me giggling over some of their sweet funny moments and crying over others. I felt insanely horrible for them after they were accidentally outed. Everyone should get the chance to come out on their own terms and the fact that they didn't hurt my heart. I loved that you got to see crucial parts of other books in this series play out from Shane and Ilya's POV. Especially the airplane scene. I was almost sobbing over his DMs to Shane omg. Secret relationships always give me crazy anxiety but i loved this one so much. I want a million more books of them. I was so happy that Ilya finally got his puppy and loved seeing how he absolutely spoiled it rotten. This book was incredible in so many ways.

This was a very fast read, and I’m sure hardcore fans will be very happy with this sequel to Heated Rivalry.

However, upon further thinking, I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to. I wish I didn’t feel compelled to write this review. I don’t like that I have criticisms about this book. And I’m upset that the ARC didn’t contain content warnings for depression, death by suicide, and suicidal ideation.

I wish the story took place after Role Model, instead of alongside it, because some scenes and dialogue were repetitive. It made sense that Troy was the person Ilya came out to about his sexuality and relationship with Shane.

However, telling the same story from Role Model was distracting and didn’t have as much impact because I already knew what happened.

I feel so conflicted about the plane flight too because I know I’m supposed to feel something, like really big feels, because Ilya texts Shane from Instagram with his last words, but the words didn’t move me as much as they’re supposed to.

I disliked how Shane was portrayed as selfish, insensitive, and clueless about Ilya’s depression, wants, and needs. I disliked how Ilya didn’t talk to Shane about what he was going through and that he didn’t tell Shane that he was seeing a therapist.

I disliked that I didn’t know Ilya had found his mother dead by suicide when he was a kid in the first book. In this book, Ilya has recurring nightmares about his mother and worries that he’s going to become as depressed as her. The recurring nightmare unfortunately was a loose plot thread that wasn’t tied up or revisited in the second half of the book. It was such a startling image that it shouldn’t have been left hanging.

I disliked how Shane and Ilya didn’t talk about their relationship either. From the blurb, I know that Shane still wants to keep their relationship a secret at the start of the book but Ilya wants more.

But Ilya doesn’t talk to Shane about his wants and needs. If what they have is true, unconditional love, why wouldn’t they talk to each other about their feelings?

Talking is hard and it’s risky, and I wanted Shane and Ilya and this book to take those risks and grow and do the work.

Instead, Shane’s marriage proposal is prompted by a near death experience. The proposal felt like a reaction. It shouldn’t take nearly losing Ilya for Shane to realize how much he wanted Ilya forever in his life.

I liked that Shane came through for Ilya in the end, right. I liked Ilya’s Instagram that captured their love story without words. But I don’t know why Ilya closed off that part of him to Shane. It’s sad that Ilya felt so alone in their relationship.

It’s freaking horrible that Ilya was suffering in silence when he doesn’t have to. In my idea of true love, your partner is the one who has your back.

So, I liked that Shane saw that Ilya was going through something and suggested that Ilya see someone or talk to someone about it. I didn’t like that Ilya didn’t tell Shane that he actually went to see a therapist weeks or months later.

I wanted to see Shane be supportive and tell Ilya he was proud of him. It was so irritating that Ilya had this complex inner life while Shane’s inner life seemed shallow in comparison.

Some of the sex scenes also felt superficial. The sex in the trophy room seemed like a metaphor taken too far. The dialogue was… not sexy. Even Shane thought it was weird. Sometimes you gotta listen to your characters.

I wanted something different from this book. Less sex scenes, more hockey scenes. I wanted to see Shane and Ilya being happy. I didn’t want to just know they would be playing hockey on the same team together. I wanted to see them playing hockey together. I wanted to see them winning together. I wanted to see Shane being out and having gay friends and having all those experiences he missed out on when he was closeted.

So, yeah, I’m disappointed with the sequel all in all. There were some good heartfelt scenes that I really liked—when Ilya comes home to Shane, depressed and tearful, and Shane comforts him. When Shane sees Ilya’s IG was a real standout. And there was Ilya being Ilya, sarcastic and funny, and Ilya loving Shane with all his freckles.

But for this book to work for me, it needed to be able to standalone. It shouldn’t have needed flashbacks to scenes from previous books in this series.

This book is making me rethink what kind of books I want to read. Because I’m getting tired of romance novels where one or both of the main characters hurt their love interest(s) for no good reason except to adhere to a trope or the three-act structure.

Shane and Ilya felt like real people more in Heated Rivalry than in the sequel. In the sequel, there were times when they felt like characters acting out a plot to satisfy fans.

There were also times when Ilya’s depression felt like a plot device that came out of nowhere to cause conflict in their relationship. There could have been hints in the first book. This just makes Ilya seem not self-aware.

I think if Ilya’s depression is real, then this book should have shown what triggered Ilya’s depression. This book could have dug deeper. Does Ilya’s depression come and go or is it triggered by stress? I think this book could have been so much more. It wouldn’t have been easy to write, but I think the payoff would have been more than satisfying. It could have been epic.

I expect the content warnings and the toll free number for the national suicide hotline will be added to the final published version.

Firstly, thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew! I love this series and this latest installment did not disappoint! I reread all the books in the series leading up to this ARC so I'd be fresh on all the details Rachel likes to slip in. In my opinion, Ilya has been the glue that's held this universe together so beautifully. I was so excited to get another story that centered around him (and Shane, I guess, haha!) This series delivers its HEAs but it can really take some angst to get there! Shane and Ilya's story was very character driven, both true to the characters we fell in love with back in book 2. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be mad and frustrated, you'll be on the edge of your seat, and it will all be worth it. I hope this series continues (and I'm hoping a certain artist is it's feature) but even if this is the end, it was a fantastic ride and I can't recommend this enough.