For me and probably a lot of romance book readers who love Reid’s Game Changers series, I jumped at the chance to read another MM hockey romance from Reid. Unfortunately, this one didn’t hit the mark.

I honestly kept asking myself whether Reid really wrote this book because it just seemed so different from the other books I’ve read by her. I was looking for the intense chemistry, the great banter, and a storyline that you cannot put down that I’m used to but this book didn’t seem to match what I’ve loved in her prior work.

I am a fan of slow burn romance books but I had a hard time staying engaged with this book because nothing was really happening between Landon and Casey.

The set up of the story is great – Landon is finally called up to the NFL and he meets Casey, the star rookie who offers him a room in his large house so Landon doesn’t have to live in a hotel.

The forced proximity aspect was super cute for these apparent opposites but boy did it take awhile for things to finally cross the line for these two.

While I did like their characterization and found them to be unlike any romance heroes I’ve read before, the story just couldn’t capture my attention and I found myself skimming the end.

I adore MM hockey romance books so I will continue to read Reid’s books but this one didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Omg from the first page I loved this book. I’m all in for a MM romance plus I love winter sports and snow. I grew up in a snow storm of a town so I was always around it and it just reminded me of that time in my life. Their romance was so sweet and also a little dirty and it just made me love it. Also I’m getting into hockey so this was fun for me on that level as well

“What Casey did was fill some of the emptiness inside Landon with something… nice. He made Landon feel like someone worth knowing.”


I adored this book and these characters so much! Casey is sunshine personified, leans into everything he does, is great at reading people and very much an extrovert. Landon has made hockey his world, particularly as a way to deal with the grief of a tremendous loss, and has a hard time letting himself just enjoy life and generally just keeps to himself. They’re the perfect combination, bringing different, new feelings to the surface in each other and giving one another a safe space to learn and grow.


I loved the bi rep with Casey, there was no homophobia to be found among his team or this book at all. Despite never labeling himself in any way (which I also loved), I really loved and appreciated the aspec/demi rep with Landon. I felt very seen and attacked by both of them individually but particularly when it came to Landon. I loved how slow their slow burn was and how considerate Casey was of Landon. Sexuality is a journey and self-discovery doesn’t have an age limit — there’s no deadline on knowing who or what you like.


I was very excited to get approved for this arc, and while I hadn’t planned to be reading a cozy winter holiday story in the middle of a heatwave, it was the perfect way to close out my August (by being personally reflected and called out via both guys, laughing often and even crying at one point). I also love that Rachel really knows her hockey, it helped make this a perfect hockey fix during this offseason (and anytime really).


Thank you to Carina Adores and NetGalley for this arc!

I love Rachel Reid and her Game Changers series, I was so happy to receive this advanced copy. Thank you, thank you.
This novel has everything! It is a cute lgbtq sports romance set on Christmas/winter! I think that is ideal to read it in the cold season I will recommend it.
I just had some trouble with the beginning. It felt too slow and I had a hard time liking the characters. After the 20% I really enjoyed. The end seemed a little bit rushed but I ended up liking the story. 3.5/5

Thank your for the ARC.

I’ve been a fan of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series for the cozy comfort, supportive partners, and journey of discovery, but I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book since her previous, The Long Game, struck a different tone with the disordered eating and shaming a partner for their eating habits, ongoing depression and loneliness, and the forced outing. I’m happy that Time to Shine was back to what I loved but with even more queer joy, featuring an openly bi player and a hopeful hockey world with no queermisia in their bubble.

What really stood out for me was the inclusion of the sibling grief storyline, showing the importance of dealing with those feelings and communicating them (Landon has an important conversation with his parents after they hadn’t talked much about their grief for about 8 years), but also how the grief will continue to be there in different ways. I liked that we saw Landon missing his sister, thinking about what his sister might say, and talking to her now and again.

I was a little disappointed that through Landon’s exploring his sexuality that there wasn’t any discussion he might be asexual or demisexual (“Most of the time he felt…not very sexual. But sometimes he crushed hard on someone, and those someones had always been male. That could be more of a proximity thing because he only really got to know other men. The getting-to-know-someone part was important to Landon.”), but I’m still happy to see varied experiences of sexuality and particularly shifting the focus off of penetrative sex as the only or ideal kind of sex.

I loved the supportive relationship between the goalies who are inherently also in competition with each other, and I also got one of my most-loved and rarely seen tropes, “sleep better with you”, as Landon and Casey realize there doesn’t have to be anything weird about sharing a bed as friends when it means they can sleep more soundly at night. With supportive parents, no major angst in their relationship, and the cozy winter vibes, this is going to become one of my comfort re-reads for sure.

This was my first Rachel Reid book after seeing so much praise for her online and she definitely did not disappoint! The characters were well developed, the storyline was both heartfelt and hilarious, and there were genuinely so many times I laughed out loud while reading it. Both main characters are absolute himbos in their own ways and I love them SO much for it. I will be promptly listing this as my staff rec, that’s for sure!

Rachel Reid did it again. Hands down she is an instant read author and she knows what she is doing.

This was a beautiful MM hockey romance with dual POV. Our two main characters are Casey and Landon. Casey a left winger is already in the NHL and is the life of the party. He is energetic and always tries to include his teammates in outings. Casey does not like to be alone and that shows in his interactions with people. Landon is an AHL goalie that has been called up due to Calgary’s backup goaltender being injured. Landon is very reserved but is also still dealing with past guilt of his sister passing away.

Casey tries very hard to include Landon. Eventually Landon accepts the friendship that Casey is offering and so beings their journey. I loved how they interacted with one another. Casey could easily pick up when Landon was uncomfortable and would be his anchor. Landon let Casey be his true self and also leveled him out.

This was a story where EVERYONE could tell they were oblivious to one another’s feelings. Casey was gentle with Landon in being a virgin and taking things at the pace he felt comfortable with. The beauty of the story is that there was none of the typical misogyny of players in out. That wasn’t the focus of Casey and Landon’s story. It went beyond that. This story focused on personal growth from both characters and it could be seen throughout the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I didn’t really read the blurb, I saw hockey romance and a cute cover and was instantly intrigued.

This was such a cosy read and I kinda wish I saved it for my Christmas vacation instead of August … but maybe I’ll just have to reread it!

Landon and Casey are so loveable and cute and I loved following them as they went from friends to more. I enjoyed the plot and all of the side characters that came with it.

I’ll definitely be reading more by Rachel Reid!
Thank you to Harper Collins CA & NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Time to Shine was another perfect Rachel Reid book - but this time containing a himbo character in the form of Casey Hicks aka my new favourite! I don't think I can appropriately put into words how much I ADORED this story - from Landon slowly opening up to Casey, exploring his sexuality (aces UNITE!), falling in love, Casey turning to Landon like a sunflower to the sun, all of it! It was a perfect hockey romance novel with sprinkles of holiday cheer, queer joy, and himbo shenanigans!

In Time to Shine we follow Landon Stackhouse who is pulled from his AHL team to replace an injured NHL goalie for the Calgary Outlaws. There he forms a quick (if at first careful) friendship with their star winger, Casey Hicks. Casey is a superstar, constantly on the go and endlessly happy and hyped. And he loves to have people around, so his offer of a room at his massive house to Stacks seems only logical. As the two roommates' bond gets tighter, they realize there might be more than friendship between them. But what happens to them after the holidays, when Landon will have to return to his AHL team? Can they keep their newfound love going or is the distance and tight schedules just not worth the hassle?

BASICALLY, Time to Shine is another Rachel Reid win. I will be returning to this one again and again for the soft love story that grew from friendship, the acceptance and love that permeated the team when it came to their queer teammates, for Landon and Casey - awkward, adorable, relatable, ours.

4 Star review of Time To Shine by Rachel Reid

Rachel Reid is a relatively new author to me and this MM story ticked numerous boxes for me. This is Landon Stackhouse and Casey Hicks’s story and was an entertaining, at times emotional story.

Landon has finally been called up to play for Calgary and is known as a bit of a loner. When Casey offers him a place to stay, he accepts, not knowing how that decision will change his life.

Landon and Casey could not be more different, they have nothing in common other than hockey and yet there is a connection between them that refuses to be ignored. I loved how Casey refused to give up, chipping away at the walls Landon has surrounded himself with, one brock at a time. Both have baggage and their own reasons to be careful but as love slowly blossoms it was wonderful to see them both come into their own.

Could the magic of the holiday season bring a miracle for both Landon and Casey? One click and find out.
I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

This one started off really slow for me. I just couldn’t get a great handle on who the characters were, and the second half of the book felt like they were completely different people. I’m not usually a fan of a slow burn and this one was a SLOW burn. I think others will love more than I did.

I breezed through this in a little over twenty-four hours!

Despite the fact that the romantic relationship moved really fast timeline-wise (they're madly in love with each other after only a few weeks), this absolutely felt like a massive slow-burn, there were so many moments where I was sure they would finally kiss and then nothing happened.

The characters were great (Landon in particular, though I also really liked Casey), the romance was adorable, the conflict was well-drawn and believable. I was rooting for both protagonists throughout the entire story, both together as a couple and apart as individuals.

Absolutely recommended for anyone in the mood for a well-written, funny, (mostly) light-hearted hockey romance!

Rachel Reid is a fairly new author to me but after reading her latest MM hockey romance, Time to Shine I’m asking myself why I haven’t read more from this very talented author. This is Landon and Casey’s entertaining, slow burn romance and it will certainly appeal to a wide range of audiences.
Landon has been patiently waiting in the farm team for a call up to the NHL and he is excited to become the starting goalie for Calgary. He is a very private person and he is dealing with personal struggles after the loss of his older sister at a young age so when Casey comes bounding into his life he really doesn’t know what to make of his teammate.
Casey is the complete opposite of Landon, he is loud, hates his own company and cracks jokes whenever he can so inviting Landon to share his large house seems like a recipe for disaster. But we all know opposites attract and sometimes we need someone to pull us out of our shell so will Casey be the man Landon needs…….
These two guys bring out the best in each other and I loved watching them go from strangers to friends and eventually to lovers. Their journey touched me on so many levels, it’s well written, it’s witty, it scorching hot and it’s heartwarming as well as heartbreaking. I’m excited to read more from the very talented Ms Reid.
I was given this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.

I love this book! Rachel Reid’s Time To Shine is a wonderful hockey romance. As an avid fan of Rachel’s writing, it comes as no surprise that I love this story.
The characters are great, both well developed and lovable. The author does a fabulous job of bringing them to life
And their romance is just fantastic. It’s swoon worthy, hot, and so damn sweet. I enjoy that there are so many firsts and the sex lives of the two men are vastly different.
Overall, this is a must read for anyone looking for a good hockey romance. And it’s a perfect read for someone looking for opposites attract or a story with someone exploring their sexual preferences.
I can’t recommend this one enough!

[arc review]
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Time to Shine releases September 26, 2023

- m/m hockey romance
- dual pov
- roommates
- opposites attract
- forced proximity
- working through grief/guilt
- Canadian setting
- one bed
- virgin
- bisexual + asexual/demisexual (not stated but is implied)

Landon has been recruited to the NHL’s Calgary Outlaws team as a backup goalie after theirs was injured. He soon finds himself presented with the opportunity to become roommates with left winger, Casey.

Landon and Casey are polar opposites personality wise — Landon being more timid and reserved, and Casey being very outgoing.

Casey happens to be afraid of the dark and being alone, hence why he offered to house Landon since Casey just bought a huge house and isn’t used to living without roommates.

The first few chapters I struggled with because it felt like Casey was written to be a caricature of himself (I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he had undiagnosed ADHD). His extreme lengths of interacting with his teammates had me feeling like my social battery was quickly depleting, but as I kept on reading, the more this portrayal made sense to painting a picture of how/why Casey has some of the fears that he does, and I quickly warmed up to how charming and adorable he really is.

Casey handled the topic of sex in such a delicate way, and it really won me over with how he assured Landon in specific scenarios of how it was okay to not want to do things he wasn’t comfortable with, or that he was allowed to try things in the future that he previously said was off the table for him. As well as <u>reiterating the fact that sex doesn’t have to be defined solely by penetration</u>, that as long as they both feel good, that’s what counts.
Casey always respected Landon’s boundaries with his aversion to touch and it warmed my heart seeing them both grow with their personal insecurities and mental health battles, as well as Landon’s progress with his parents and their grief.

Another thing I loved was how we got to experience the adrenaline of multiple games from on the ice (instead of from a spectators pov), and were invested in their season/journey to the playoffs.
The blend of hockey and romance was really well done.

The only thing I didn’t really like was how Casey, all the other guys on the team (excluding Landon), and his family all portrayed him as such a “stupid dumb blonde” caricature throughout the whole book. Something about it rubbed me the wrong way.

<b>It was so refreshing not having to stumble across a single homophobic remark.</b>

Rachel Reid is such a dependable author. Even though dependable might sometimes be seen as synonymous with boring, this is never the case for her writing. I find her hockey books especially great, every time. Exciting and creative and different, because the characters development is always deep and unique. Casey and Landon are no exception! Readers’ hearts are absolutely going to break for Casey and his desperate loneliness.

As usual, the team banter is pure perfection. Rachel Reid always does it like nobody else, and in every single one of her books, I find myself falling in love with the team and it’s dynamic.

Time to Shine gave me all the butterflies that a romance novel should. She never lets me down; her hockey romances are the best of the best.

5 stars was not enough. I absolutely loved it. Landon was so sweet and such an introvert. After his sister died, who he had nothing to do with, he carried this guilt because he was able to live his dreams. He got to the point that he didn’t even want anyone to touch him. While playing for the AHL, NHL minor team, he gets called up to the big leagues and now he gets to play on the same team as one of his all time idols. Casey, OMG he wore me out. The due is like the energizer bunny, constantly on the go. When he meets Landon, he is smitten. And he also knows that he is going to do whatever he can to get him. No I don’t like MF in my MM books, unless it’s an MMF book, which this is not. Casey is bi and he does hook up with a lot of people prior to him offering Landon a place to stay. I loved getting to see some hockey and these Casey pulling Landon out of his shell and and these two fall in love.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5800379081

<i>I would like to thank NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.</i>

So yeah I've been in a mood lately. The one where I just wanna cuddle and daydream about pumpkin spice lattes and my chunky cable knits and the end of my allergy season!

<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DifferentFeistyHatchetfish-max-1mb.gif"/>

to be fair it's gone from once a year to about 3/4 of the year now and counting lawd. So needless to say i'm tired and grumpy like a sleep deprived toddler, but i'd like to think my coping methods might be a tad bit less meltdown and more #treatyoself!

<img src="https://media.tenor.com/ZCVrHrXgaoUAAAAC/treat-yo-self-treat-yourself.gif"/>

therefore to meet every sniffle with a snuggle, it only made sense to turn to my queen Rachel Reid, who is like my number one romance author for <b>go-to mm-loving self-care. </b>

To say i devoured this book in one sitting is an understatement. the heart wants what it wants what can i say?

<img src="https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/707645/screenshots/14961395/media/f93799ef881bf9aae28e18c65974e2f2.gif"/>

and while Time to Shine's Casey and Landon are probs gonna catch some flak for not being Shane and Ilya, tonally this book was on a whole different level, and i thought RR's characterizations were very on point for this sensitive and sweet love story!

Casey was a big old sunshine softie, while quiet giant Landon flexed like Eeyore. and even though these two navigated some very big fears, insecurities and years long trauma, they also shored each other up in all the best ways possible and earned their HEA. Though, if i'm being totally honest, i thought <spoiler>L gave up on C a bit too easily when it came to the long distance thing, and while i can respect that as being true to his character, i would have loved it if he had pursued C more, because i thought C was really precious and he deserved more effort from L i thought at certain times throughout the story. </spoiler> but i get it! Because the hurdles were significant and RR does not write vapid romances and i respect that.

This story was heartwarming and gentle, and if you need something to snuggle with for an afternoon, Time to Shine is a lovely way to give your brain and your heart a bit of a hug and some legit R(&)R, any time of the year, whenever you need a solid love story the most!

I expected quite a lot more from this book. I am not even sure how to rate it.

I really liked Casey. “Dumb” MCs are hard to write without making them a caricature, and Reid managed to write them well. He is charming, he owns who he is and he understands what his strengths are.

I liked Landon until the second part of the book. His behavior was selfish and ignored everything Casey wanted. I don’t like when MCs “martyr” themselves.

I do loved the way Reid handled homophobia/sports in this book.

Sadly this book didn’t work for me as I wanted. I know Reid can write good books that aren’t Ilya dependent. This just wasn’t one of those for me.

Heat Factor: Sexual exploration
Character Chemistry: It’s not really a slow burn, but the pining vibes in the first half have serious slow burn energy
Plot: AHL goalie who is very awkward finally gets called up to the NHL, where he befriends and then unexpectedly falls in love with the star forward. Bummer that his callup is only temporary.
Overall: This is a feel good romance for sure

My friends, we have left the Game Changers series. Though, to be fair, Game Changers is not as interconnected as a lot of other series are, so maybe that doesn’t matter so much, though I know there’s a large contingent who wants as much Shane and Ilya time as possible. But, my fellow readers, BUT! you must believe me when I say that you will not regret the lack of recognizable characters once you have started reading this book! If you’re looking for angst and drama, this is not the book for you; but if you are looking for your heart to grow ten sizes and to laugh and sigh with happiness, then I think you need to buy this book now.

Time to Shine shifts us to the Canadian west and features Landon Stackhouse, a skilled goalie for his winning Saskatoon AHL team, and Casey Hicks, a star forward for Calgary’s NHL team. Landon has been carrying a lot of self doubt for many years, due in no small part to his feelings of guilt about leaving home to play hockey shortly after his sister died in a car crash. He wants to shoot his shot when he gets called up, but years of making himself small make that feel unrealistic. Besides, he won’t even be there that long. One game, maybe two.

Casey Hicks has led a very charmed life, being the child of a famous and wealthy hockey player and making a name for himself as a talented hockey player in Calgary. But Casey has his own fears, and he knows he’s not smart because everyone always teases him about how not smart he is. His characterization might not be quite as overt as a lot of himbo books, but make no mistake, Casey has all your classic himbo qualities. (I think his himboness was also toned down because so much of the book is tightly focused on Casey and Landon, and typically the LI in the book doesn’t make the himbo feel dumb.)

For example: I have read this book twice now, once in May when I was approved for it, and once now closer to release so I can actually process it instead of squeeing like a fangirl. And BOTH TIMES, this scene in the team gym that made me laugh out loud:

“Do you think that we’re the closest thing to knights these days?” Casey wondered aloud. He basically wondered everything aloud.
Lee paused mid-abdominal crunch and stared up at Casey from the floor. “Knights? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“What is he ever talking about,” Clint teased as he picked up a kettle ball.
“Like,” Casey explained, “we wear armor kind of and fight for our cities. Kind of like kingdoms. I know it’s not the same. It’s not like there are dragons to kill anymore.”
“Wait.” Lee sat all the way up. “Did you just say anymore?”

lol

It’s not even the first time I laughed out loud, but it might be the best short illustration of the careful crafting of Casey being exactly the type of person we all probably have met at some point who is a bit of a golden retriever, processes everything out loud, and can laugh when what comes out sounds bananas.

Naturally Casey, with his high EQ and love of people (and extreme dislike of being alone) invites Landon to live with him once it’s clear that Landon will be staying for a while. And we all know what goes from there, right?

In addition to everything else Landon is dealing with, he is also maybe demisexual, maybe gray ace, doesn’t really like to be touched, and has never experienced anything other than uncomfortable crushes—always on men. Maybe he’s gay, but he’s really still trying to figure himself out, and frankly there are other concerns in his life that he feels deserve more attention. Casey, on the other hand, is DTF, and he sure does. So, the first half of the book is a somewhat interesting twist on a slow burn with pining because there’s a real hodge podge of feelings in there from “crushing on a teammate who’s leaving seems like a bad idea” to “is he even into guys” on Casey’s part, and “I couldn’t do a one-night stand, but anything more seems impossible” to “I don’t have any claims but I’m having weird feelings about him going on a date” on Landon’s part. I thought the stomach flopping beats that make for a good slow burn were present and accounted for in this portion, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The second part of the book takes us from the high of their coming together to the low of Landon going back to Saskatoon. It wasn’t a full-blown dark moment, but Landon just can’t help being his Eeyore self, either. The way that they came together and took care of each other in the high portion of the book definitely made me root for them to overcome their obstacles and hangups later on. That’s a chemistry win, right?

Oh, and one note on the sex, since I’ve been paying attention to these things: These guys don’t have penetrative sex. Casey penetrates himself during one interlude, so it’s not completely without penetration, but Landon’s not interested in anal sex, so they don’t do that.

To conclude, yes, I have really enjoyed Rachel Reid’s books (some more than others), so feel free to take this recommendation with a grain of salt. BUT, I have read so many hockey romances (so SO many M/M hockey romances), and this might be one that I would buy a hard copy of so that if the internets all implode, I’d still have it. The reading of it (twice!) brought me that much joy.

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.