I was provided by NetGalley of an advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

This one was kinda of bland, I think that some of the stories can be really cool, but I couldn't find it enough to buy the full volumes. I'll wait for more reviews before deciding.

This is just the few chapters of The Long Game and I am hooked. I loved Shane and Ilya in the Heated Rivalry and always wanted more. I can't wait for the rest of this book as I know it is going to be a roller-coaster of emotions.

I enjoyed both samples of these books. There is a big group of stans who are loving the M/M hockey romance right now, and from what I read so far I think both these books will do well.

For me, I was more into the second book sampler Seasons Change. I liked the follow of that story more, and I’m excited to get to finish that one when it releases in February.

Overall both samples were enjoyable.

This sampler includes the first three chapters of two different books. Both were excellent and I will definitely purchase both books.

THE LONG GAME
Ever since Rachel Reid’s first book came out and I read the 1st chapter sample for Heated Rivalry at the end, I’ve been completely obsessed with Shane and Ilya. They are magical, top tier characters individually and together. So of course I found this chapter sampler to be the greatest thing ever. I love seeing them as an established couple!!! And I absolutely love the diversity of the camp coaches!!!!!!!! I’m especially SO excited to get to know the new characters!!!!! Seeing Shane and Ilya with Shane’s mom made them seem younger to me in the best way. The double date was wonderful. Overall this was perfection and even though it’ll break my heart to see Shane and Ilya struggle to deal with their love for each other while trying to maintain their secret and privacy and the conflict of Ilya being ready to tell the world while Shane isn’t, I cannot wait for this book ahhhh!!!!!


SEASON’S CHANGE
It’s hard to say much about this after reading THE LONG GAME snippet first since I’ve know Shane and Ilya for several years now and read their book a bunch of times (definitely a comfort read), whereas I don’t know much about these characters yet and we only got a few chapters. That being said, I’ve had this book preordered since before starting the SEASON’S CHANGE snippet, and after reading it I’m really looking forward to it being published! I’m very intrigued to see where the plot will take us and looking forward to learning more about Olly’s past and seeing him bond with and fall in love with Benji and get happier as he gets help. So far I like both of them as main characters, and I think the sunshine/grumpy roommate & teammates tropes will make for a really great book!!!

It was a game of do I download this sample or not? And I've been eager for any snippet of Ilya and Shane's story, so it won. And ugh, my heart. I need their story now especially after this sample.

You can tell how much it weighs on them to hide their relationship and it had a very solemn mood.

Gosh, I need to know what's going to happen. The Long Game is one of my highly anticipated releases for this year, I'm ready for it.

5/5

I'm quite intrigued in the second book in this sample, The characters are opposities, which is a trope that I love. I'll be adding this one to my TBR.

Like many reviewers I got this sampler for the Long Game, but was pleased to also get a teaser to a debut. Disclaimer, I don't know shit about hockey so I do not judge on anything realistic.

The Long Game: I stumbled upon Heated Rivalry awhile ago and it was such a surprise but so good! Rachel created some truly special characters, and I couldn't wait to have a chance to read them again. We ended the last book with them in a committed relationship, out to a small group, with a short term solution to being together and a lot of uncertainty in the future. We've gotten short scenes, featuring mostly Illya, in Rachel's other books, and I am so ready to see Shane and Illya together again. In these chapters the conflicts are laid out pretty quickly, Shane is still really scared of coming out and Illya is having insecurities that Shane cares enough to want to truly be out and together. These do seem like realistic strains in a closeted relationship, even if it stresses me out to see them upset! It has only made me more excited to see them get to be open to the whole world, even if we have to have some conflict on the way.

Season's Change: We start out following Olly, an apparently veteran player even though he's only played a couple seasons. He's recently changed teams due to an alluded trauma at his old team, and he's having a hard time letting himself trust his teammates and his own abilities. He's definitely a different type of "grump" and I like knowing why he has these feelings and it feels more realistic. Then we meet his new flatmate Benji, a new played who's still in the happy-go-lucky new to professional hockey phase. He seems sweet, if a little underdeveloped, and I can immediately see why they would be good for each other. Coming after Rachel's chapters, the dialogue and characters are not quite as strong, but it's a promising start for a debut.

Frühling 2022: hockey romances zum Verlieben

Als großer Fan von hockey romances und vor allem auch m/m hockey romances, ist der Frühling 2022 eine spannende Zeit. Denn es erscheinen gleich zwei hockey romances, die vielen Leser:innen gut gefallen sollten.

The Long Game - Rachel Reid

Endlich bekommen Shane und Ilya aus „Heated Rivalry“ ein richtiges Ende. Seitdem das Buch im Herbst 2021 angekündigt wurde, habe ich praktisch die Tage gezählt, da ich die gesamte Game Changers Reihe von Rachel Reid liebe und ich nicht genug von ihr bekommen kann.

Nun hatte ich die Gelegenheit die ersten drei Kapitel des Liebesromans zu lesen und wow, sie versprechen eine intensive Geschichte, die einen auf eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt mitnehmen wird. Es sieht so aus, als wird der Weg zum endgültigen Happy End ein steiniger werden. Beim Lesen wird mir das Buch bestimmt das Herz brechen, nur um es danach wieder zusammen zu setzen.

„The Long Game“ ist auch nach dem Lesen der ersten drei Kapitel immer noch das Buch 2022, auf das ich mich am meisten freue. Ich kann sein Erscheinen nicht erwarten.

Wenn ihr die Reihe noch nicht kennt, empfehle ich mit „Game Changer“, dem ersten Teil, zu beginnen. So verpasst man nichts und das Buch ist zugleich sehr lesenswert und unterhaltsam.

Season’s Change - Cait Nary

Das Buch von Cait Nary habe ich bereits als Rezensionsexemplar gelesen und für gut befunden. Die Liebesgeschichte ist intensiv, es gibt komplexe Charaktere und ein schönes Happy End. Also all das, was ich an Liebesromanen schätze.

Das Buch ist das erste der Autorin, das ich gelesen habe und ich plane auch ihr nächstes Buch zu lesen. Denn als Leser:in von sports romances wisst ihr bestimmt nur zu gut, dass Liebesromane dieser Art nicht immer vielschichtige Charaktere und interessante Geschichten zu bieten haben. Da freut man sich über Bücher wie „Season’s Change“.

Für das Buch gibt es daher eine klare Leseempfehlung von mir, auch wenn der Roman nicht ganz an meine Lieblings des Genres heranreicht.

A little teaser of two forthcoming MM hockey romances.

The Long Game is the much awaited sequel to Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry. HR has a deeply passionate fan-base who are VERY committed to Shane and Ilya (who were left in a good but tenuous place at the end of HR -- solidly together and in love but still hiding both their sexualities and their relationship), so to say that anticipation is running high is an understatement. These first three teaser chapters are promising: the teasing rapport between Ilya and Shane is intact, their bond and love for each other is very clear but (thankfully) there are no puppy eyes, "I love you most, no I love YOU most" drippy dialogue that often takes over when couples finally get together, and that can be eye-rolling and deadly dull to read. Reid is laying the groundwork for the main tension or conflict in the book - if and when Shane and Ilya go public with their relationship. The blurb makes it seem clear cut, like Ilya is the one keen to go public and Shane is the one resisting; the teaser chapters nuance this somewhat, as Ilya seems more comfortable owning their relationship to a slighter wider circle of people, but still is reticent to get further out of the closet. So it will be interesting to see how this develops. Lovely to see Ryan and Fabian again, and to integrate them into Ilya and Shane's story as accidental secret-keepers and a kind of gay support group. Shane is Shane-ing hard in these chapters, which is fun; while Ilya's been a constant presence in the books since HR, and especially Role Model, we've actually seen very little Shane, so it's good to get a reminder of his somewhat neurotic side. All in all, a promising start for a book that has very big shoes to fill.

Season's Change by Cait Nary - Based on these teaser chapters, this book is going to be great and is going to go hard at the feels. Olly is a veteran player (although it seems "veteran" here refers to only 3-4 seasons; he's still quite young), and he is coming off a traumatic experience with his previous team that is somewhat explained but not fully laid out in the teaser chapters. Benji is a rookie, a sweet, determined, generous, big yummy cinnamon bun. They are assigned to share an apartment when they turn up for pre-season training, so that's the set-up. The teaser chapters are basically just character-building, establishing the dynamic for the story and the relationship, and they do a really good job. I'm already invested in Olly and Benji, is what I'm saying.

One thing that is a bit distracting is what level these hockey teams are supposed to be. It is stated repeatedly that the league they play for is the North American Hockey Association, which, ok, that does not exist. But is the fictional North American Hockey Association supposed to be the equivalent of the real-life NHL, that is, the top league? Or is it supposed to be one of the lower leagues? I assume it's supposed to be the NHL equivalent, since there are references to some of the other players having swanky houses and cars and WAGs that are Instagram influencers. But on the other hand, Olly is supposed to have been playing in this league for a few years, and he has a nice car but was sharing an apartment when he played for his former team, and has almost no other possessions. And it makes sense that players would get put in a shared apartment during the pre-season when they don't know if they'll make the roster, but once they're on the team, wouldn't they get their own place with their big NHL money (in other words, how does the premise of shared apartment stay believable once Benji and Olly are both signed)? This is a quibble, but it would be useful with an author's note in the beginning to situate us in terms of the hockey world the book is taking place in.

But pedantry aside, this book looks great. Just pre-ordered so, mission accomplished teaser chapters.

I am super excited for these, but especially for The Long Game! Heated Rivalry was a surprise when I first read it, and I'm so happy that we get to see more into Ilya & Shane's relationship. These can't come soon enough!

Heated Rivalry is my favourite m/my hockey romance and the Long Game is one of my highly anticipated reads of this year! I re-read HR before this sample, which was a great teaser for what's to come in the Long Game! I'm 100% looking forward to this release!

Really enjoyed this sampler. Not going to lie I bought this sampler to get the first 3 chapters of Long Game. They do not disappoint. There is the perfect balance of angst, tension, humour and of course Iyla and Shane shenanigans. I am now really intrigued to see what is going to happen next. I was already invested in their story from Heated Rivalry and am now so excited to read the full book. April 26th cannot come soon enough. I know I will love it as I have with rest of the series. Rachel Reid is an awesome author with characters and storyline that you will fall in love with and has now become one of my favourite authors. I am sure I will read and enjoy anything she releases in the future. I am so excited that we can get a paperback copy of Long Game! I have always been quite disappointed that rest of the series is only available in EBook format. I hope I will be able to have the whole set in my bookcase at some point.
Season’s Change by Cait Nary- Interesting start and I really like the characters and plot so far and am looking forward to reading the rest when it is released.

I loved both these previews.
I have read the whole Game Changers series (a few times over now), and am excited for The Long Game. Getting a little taste was both exquisite and torture. I want more! It sets up the story so well. It is the perfect amount of information/set up and still feels like we are moving along and getting a distinct feel for how this story will might be (not in an obvious plot points way, but rather the tone and feelings. All the good stuff!). I cannot wait to read the rest!
Cait's story was completely new to me and I immediately pre-ordered it after reading the synopsis. Absolutely sold!! And then I read those first 4 chapters and am in love with these characters and already feel invested in their story and well being and I love that this doesn't feel like it'll be a "brush things under a rug" type of book. Based on just these first few pieces, I am excited to see if my suspicions are correct and cannot wait to read the rest!

*Reviewing the preview of The Long Game by Rachel Reid because I have an ARC for Season's Change by Cait Nary.

After reading the 3 chapter sample, I am even more excited for this book. Even that preview was just <u>so emotional</u>, and it was so great to see them still being themselves, but in different circumstances. Even though I'm a little sad because it will mean the story is done, I can't wait to see Shane and Ilya get their HEA.
Also, can we have the rest of the series in paperback too?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the preview.

I knew this was a sampler (thank you for making it clear in the title!), but wow was this not enough.

I definitely downloaded this for The Long Game chapters because I love the Game Changers series, and I'm so excited we already got to see some favorites from previous books and Shane and Ilya's first double date in these chapters! You can really see how Reid is setting up the book for Shane and Ilya to come out, and I'm really excited to see how the story plays out and see these two get their HEA.

I was also excited for Season's Change since Cat Sebastian recently recommended it. It was a little slower to get into since I didn't already know the characters and the world of the series, but I really like the mental health journey that's being set up for Olly, and I'm very excited to see how his story with Benji develops.

I loved the excerpt of Rachel Reid's The Long Game and only wish that the entire book was available. Reid's romances are always must reads for me, and her fans, including me, have been eagerly awaiting this sequel to Heated Rivalry. From the couple of chapters we got in this sampler, I'm can't wait to read more of it.

Season's Change by Cait Nary I had more mixed feelings about, but thought it was a promising debut, but I already read and reviewed Season's Change separately.

I have no idea how I am supposed to wait MONTHS before The Long Game is out. I need more Ilya and Shane content now, because the three chapters were not enough. At all.

I loved how we got to read about some old MCs as well (I hope we get lots of scenes with them all) and the excitement for the full book is high!

What more can I say; if you haven't read Heated Rivalry now is the time to do it because soon this masterpiece will be here.

(I have already read and reviewed Season's change as an ARC and I have nothing but good things to say about that story.)

One debut author (Cait Nary), one consistent favorite author (Rachel Reid), and two absolute bangers!

Rachel Reid's books have never let me down and it looks like this one is shaping up to be just as incredible as the rest. I find samplers to be a really indicator of the potential of a book - if something hooks me within a mere couple of chapters, it's probably going to be a great read and this was absolutely the case here.

As for Season's Change by Cait Nary, I was fortunate enough to receive an arc of this and was surprised by how incredible it was. My favorite types of books are those that you go in thinking "oh is going to be a fun read" and then by the end it absolutely knocks it out of the park and you go "oh, I don't just like this, I love it. This is everything." Season's Change is one of those books. This was the most gorgeously written slow burn with one of the best portrayals of mental health that I've seen in a sports book. Season's Change was a delight and a shocker, and I say this very affectionately. I'll be thinking of this one for a long time.

My review is only gonna be for the 3 chapter sampler of The Long Game because it’s one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I’m very excited for it. But I probably shouldn’t have read this one because now I’m too too excited for the book and it’s gonna be a hard 3 months wait. Shane and Ilya are as awesome as ever but it broke my heart to see that they are both struggling a bit about keeping their relationship secret and how it’s taking a toll on them. I can only hope that there will be no third act break up for them because I just can’t bear it and I wish they’ll face everything together. Can’t wait to see their HEA.

read the long game sample and loved it! Very excited to read the sequel and see where Ilya and Shane take their relationship and interaction with hockey from here.