Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

I adored this story!
Things I am here for:
Landon not knowing his sexuality, and not caring if there is a label.
Casey owning his bisexuality and his libido.
True acceptance from this NHL team. Nothing is sexier than acceptance.
NHL players going to Costco 😂😂😂😂
Casey is the sweetest ADHD hero, he's totally like a golden retriever in human form. He loves everyone, wants to meet everyone, genuinely cares, is fantastically curious, and has the biggest heart.
Landon is a 24 year old virgin. I love stories with older virgins!
Casey shows Landon that sex doesn't have to mean penetration. ❤️
Casey and Landon deal with big fears, big emotions, big events and they do it together.
Dragons, grapes, food cooking time, Christmas Cap N Crunch, and all of Casey's Operations

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love a Rachel Reid hockey romance! TIME TO SHINE felt less global than GAME CHANGERS series installments, which isn't a criticism--it was cozy and close and lovely.

This was a sweet story very much in line with Rachel Reid's popular Game Changers series. It took me a while to feel invested in Landon specifically, but he won me over in the end. Fans of sports romance should definitely check this one out.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🏒 Slow-burn romance
🏒 dual POV
🏒 Roommates to lovers
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒Grumpy/Sunshine ☀️
🏒 Mental Health rep (themes of grief/anxiety/phobias)
🏒 spicy 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️
🏒 LGBT rep (Bi, Demisexual) 🏳️‍🌈

Time to Shine is a heartwarming, slow-burn M/M romance about Landon, a reserved and quiet hockey player who gets the call to temporarily play for the NHL big leagues. While there he meets Casey, an outspoken and bubbly teammate who asks Landon to move in with him for the season. As they get to know each other, feelings develop between them. However, Landon's time on the team is limited, and just as things start taking off with Landon and Casey, Landon is sent back home.
The characters in the story are unique and well-developed. I empathized with Landon’s thoughts, even when I disagreed with them. I also enjoyed Casey's bubbly personality and thought he was the perfect person for Landon. The main conflict in the story was a little underwhelming, but overall I enjoyed the romance.
If you are a fan of the M/M romance genre, I would recommend this book. It has similarities to other M/M novels I have read such as The Charmed Offensive and Him/Us. It is a heartwarming story with well-developed characters and some spice thrown in.

Sometimes there's just nothing like a good hockey romance novel to scratch an itch. Especially when it's so engaging that you all but stay up all night to finish it.

There's something cozy about Reid's characters and dynamics, the setup of the teams and the situation like sinking into a warm bath, with dialogue that you can't help but smile at. Casey and Landon balance each other out well with a chatty/silent dynamic, with Landon getting to borrow some of Casey's confidence as he finds his footing in the NHL and learns to fight for his place in it.

I do wish Landon had learned to fight for what he wanted a little sooner, as it did feel like Casey was doing a lot of the emotional intelligence lifting, but since that also works for their dynamic, it really didn't drag it down too much. I just really enjoyed this and it was nice immersing myself in a great hockey romance again.

MY RATING 4,25/5 STARS

“Landon followed, and tried but failed to not notice how great Casey’s ass and thighs looked wrapped snugly in green velvet. Checking out butts wasn’t even Landon’s thing, usually, but he’d been having a lot of new thoughts when it came to Casey.”

I have absolutely adored every book Rachel Reid has written so far, and this was no exception. Time to Shine takes place in a world similar to Game Changers, while still showcasing a more queernormative world where everyone is more accepting which was great to read. Casey has been openly out as bi to his teammates for a while, and it was great to see all of them be supportive and accepting.

Through the book we see Casey and Landon slowly forming a friendship together after becoming roommates. Landon had a hard time opening up initially, so it was lovely to see him come out of his shell. Seeing the two of them go from friends to lovers was really great, and I especially love the talk about consent, and how Casey asked if he could kiss Landon.

Additionally, the book also deals with mental health, and it was done really well.

If you love some of the following tropes then you’ll probably love this book too:
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Friends to lovers
- Mutual pining
- Only one bed/sharing a bed

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is perfect for romance and sport fans. Personally I do not usually read books about hockey (although I have some on the list), but the cover of this is beautiful and I could not resist. It was the right decision.
The two protagonists, Landon and Casey, are the epitome of the phrase "opposites attract" because despite their marked differences they find a way to fit perfectly. Landon is a lonely one who is caught in a very sad family situation and is an expert in maintaining distance with everyone. While Casey is so in need of attention and they are so afraid of loneliness that it costs a lot of work to live with yourself in everyday life. In addition, his phobia to darkness complicates everything.
History guides us through their friendship and subsequent romance, in addition to telling us their way as professional hockey players. The book has a narrative that immerses you in history, allowing you to fully enjoy the plot. Although the strong point of the book is obviously the relationship of the protagonists, I really liked the approach that was given to the sport and the way the athletes live.
Both protagonists are very complete, their way of relating is natural and I liked that the dramas surrounding their relationship did not fall into exaggeration, they remained realistic and organic. There were no misunderstanding forced or situations that lengthened without any reason.
In addition, I think this is the first book that I read in which one of the characters is -Side- (for those who do not know, are men who maintain homosexual relationships, but do not practice anal penetration under any circumstances). It is an issue that really did not know until I recently saw him in a Thai drama and I learned of his existence.
Anyway, we are facing a very fun book, which generates many feelings and which is undoubtedly worth giving it a chance.

A sweet and cozy holiday read about two professional hockey players. There’s a lovely progression from strangers to friends to lovers, and great demisexuality representation.

This review is going to be separated into the good and the not so good. To begin with the good, I adore Casey. He was a ball of pure sunshine and I loved him since his very first appearance. He was the nicest and purest and I kind of hate that everyone treated him like he was dumb. I do like his friendship with the rest of his teammates, but I still feel like he deserved better from everyone.

The not so good is very related to that point. The romance felt totally one sided for me. The first half of the book was sloooow. I struggled a lot with it. It was like Landon had zero interest in anything, Casey included. When they finally started to do things together I could see more movement on his part, but I still felt like Casey was carrying the entire book on his back.

TW: Death of a loved one

Rating: 3/5
Steam level: Open door, +5 scenes, high level of detail

ARC provided by Carina Press and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

Super cute MLM hockey contemporary romance.

Do I like hockey, a little. Do I like this book, a lot.

This is about Landon who gets called up to be a backup goalie for Calgary and their star player is Casey. Landon and Casey have a fun dynamic, with some great banter and exchanges. Casey is openly Bi and Landon is still figuring out what he likes, so no labels are put on him. I found this refreshing, as most romances especially like to label everything. It felt realistic and the story was interesting watching them get to know each other with lots of open communication. I loved Reid's writing and how she made the team comfortable being emotional towards each other. There was absolutely no homophobic or derogatory language used towards the characters which made you love all the side characters just at much as our MCs. It was nice to see such a great group dynamic and this book has some funny scenes too. I thought this was a great sports romance, that felt like a romcom you would see on TV with some added spice. The spice was full of communication and really emphasised the emotional connection between them. Rachel Reid is a great author and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Landon Stackhouse just got called up to Calgary and the NHL. He is a quiet, reserved, self-deprecating goalie who works hard but is kind of a loner. He has pain in his past that still casts a shadow on him. He just wants to do well with what time he has on this NHL team figuring it will not last long.

Casey Hicks is a left winger and son of a hockey legend. He is outgoing, peppy, unfiltered, talkative, social, and tries hard to keep the team entertained and doing activities together. But he hates being alone especially at home in the dark.

So the perfect solution for Casey is to ask the new guy to move in. They are such opposites. Casey is just so needy for attention and Landon likes his space. Casey is a very sexual being and Landon is still figuring things out and is totally inexperienced. Their friendship, companionship, and feelings just kind of sneak up on them. Their crushes on each other are sweet. and they truly like to make the other happy. And the care and trust they show each other is very significant for both of them.

This is a super slow burn, heartfelt, grumpy-sunshine, opposites-attract, roommates-to-lovers, hockey romance. The characters have layers to them. and some personal issues to deal with. Landon especially has some personal growth and healing to do and his future is the most unpredictable. And they are in a situation that is out of their control. My heart just broke for these guys at times, but there are sweet, fun, and tender times too. But all along I was rooting for them to win on and off the ice.

This began unpromisingly, with clunky exposition (" 'They need you in Calgary,' his team's general manager, Chris Ferguson, said" -- it is possible to introduce characters and their roles economically without clogging up your sentences; this is not how), and we even get the dread "protagonist conveniently looks in a mirror" scene as a pretext for physical description. This is a portent of things to come: the prose is consistently flat and competent. <-- Damning with faint praise.

Oh yeah, also lazy: "He [the coach] kept his words brief, reading out the lines for the game and reminding his players of a few key things about the L.A. team."

On to characterization and emotion. Here's an exchange during the scene where Landon tells Casey about his sister's death and expresses guilt about leaving home to play hockey shortly afterward:

“I’m a terrible son.”

“You’re not. You’re just…” Casey searched for the right words. “You’re just dealing with something really fucking terrible in whatever way you can.”

"Badly."

"No. Like someone who needed to figure out a way to keep going.”

It's not that what Casey says is incorrect, exactly; it's that he's responding to an emotional statement by contradicting it, offering platitudes like an inspirational poster. (I thought wistfully of Tean's anti-motivational posters in Greg Ashe's Lion and the Lamb series.) The result is emotionally insufficient, inauthentic, cheap, even dishonest.

Wait, there's more! Landon has zero sexual experience when he and Casey meet; he's also averse to most touch, and even after they're sexually involved matters proceed slowly -- that is, they spend quite a long time doing things like kissing and rubbing off. Which, fine. But here's the thing. Casey's very sexual: he loves sex and he's had a lot of it with lots of people before he meets Landon. He's a decent person, so of course he doesn't pressure Landon to move faster than Landon is ready for, but we only see him being a little disappointed when Landon refuses to sleep with him or have sex when others are in the house.

Surely in Casey's shoes most people would feel -- not express, just feel -- a bit of specifically sexual frustration and annoyance. It seems that in Reid's world, if Casey's a good person, then Casey must not experience such feelings. The upshot is that in spite of the sex Casey and Landon have and enjoy, including some (mild, mild, mild) exhibitionist/voyeur kink, there's a subtle devaluation of sex here.

But what really undid this book for me is that I came to detest Landon, specifically at the point where he breaks up with Casey and then more or less ghosts him because he (Landon) is so sure they can't manage a long-distance relationship that he's not even willing to try. And then boo-hoo-hoo, Landon is sad. Well, Casey is not only sad but deeply wounded, yet it's Casey who brings them back together again, because somehow he's responsible for Landon bailing because he didn't tell Landon he loves him. Where, I want to know, is the abject apology from Landon? *taps foot repeatedly* Well? Well???

Ugh. Casey, you deserved better.

I had so much fun with this oh my goodness! I found Rachel Reid after my bestie kept pushing me to read the masterpiece that is Heated Rivalry. I was HOOKED and needed to read more of Rachel Reid’s queer (gay) hockey romances and they have filled the best void in my soul. This was so much fun and I loved every bit of it. Casey and Landon were incredible and I loved their genuine friendship that slowly fed into one of the best romances ever. The slow burn vibes were perfection and was steamy but also so soft and cozy. This romance was literally a cinnamon roll!

Absolutely perfect! Rachel Reid is one of my favorite romance writers and Heated Rivalry and The Long Game are two of my all time favorite books. I’m always hesitant to get my hopes up when a favorite author releases a new book, but those hopes deserved to be up, baby!!!

I love hockey romances and Time to Shine was such a joy to read. This story is so wholesome and sweet with the perfect amount of spice.

Landon was such a great character. His journey through grief was raw and genuine and I loved getting to watch him find himself and figure out what makes him happy.

Casey, oh Casey. What an absolute sweetheart! This guy had me giggling and swooning and cracking up. He’s adorable and so much fun and I couldn’t get enough of this darling goofball.

Five shining stars for this slow burn, MM hockey romance that was as sugary sweet as Christmas Cap’n Crunch!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own!

maybe it's just because I'm not into hockey? idk but I was very bored by the second half of the book and I felt like there were some missed opportunities for character arc growth to happen before the end and the inevitable HEA

When Landon Stackhouse temporarily leaves his AHL team to go to the NHL as backup goalie, he doesn’t know whether to be happy or crushed for all the bench time he’s about to endure. Being hopeful isn’t in his nature, but Landon knows it’s time to make sure not to pass any possible opportunity. What he isn’t expecting is to have to put his heart also on the line.


Casey hates living alone in a very big house that was ‘a good investment’ but has too many windows to be able to sleep at night. When he discovers that the new backup goalie is living in a hotel, Casey is more than happy to let him crash there. But handsome Landon seems to be already tired of him, always staying in his room and avoiding his gaze. Casey knows he’s a handful, but there is something about Landon’s action that makes him wonder: is there any chance his crush is not so unrequited after all?


Everything started with my obsession for pretty covers; I couldn’t help but click and read the blurb. Something was telling me maybe Rachel Reid could be the one making a sports romance that finally made me feel the warmth and happiness that reading the subgenre used to bring me. Not only was I not disappointed, but this ended my new favorite book by the author.


If you asked me what’s Reid’s biggest strength, I'd say creating a new set of characters for every book she writes. This may sound very logical, but I’m sure you are tired of seeing authors who can only create the same three characters and recycle them in every single book they release. This has its downside: every book she writes seems to have a different kind of reader in mind. What I’m trying to say it’s that you shouldn’t try Time to Shine if you are looking for a copy of Heated Rivalry, because you will be disappointed. I didn’t like Heated Rivalry-it had too much smut too soon for me-, so that may be why I adored how they took their time here. In part it was because Landon’s feelings towards sex, while I don’t think he actually labeled himself, hinted he may be demi.


I have loads of highlights of just me smiling, sighing, crushing and breaking into tiny pieces because I was feeling along with them. Casey was such a sweetheart to follow; he only wanted people around him but he always felt like he was too much. Too loud, too chatty, too energetic. I loved how shy Landon loved being around him especially for that, how he never had the right words yet he always managed to show Casey those thoughts. I also appreciated how the author didn’t create a traumatic experience for Casey’s fear of being alone at night. I was dreading the terrible story so I was extremely glad when it didn’t come!


I won’t say anything about the final problem other than I understood why the characters behaved the way they did. Yes, they were being silly and it was frustrating, but it made sense that Landon’s struggles led him to make those decisions. I was really glad Casey was always ready to save the day, Landon’s POV was breaking my cold heart:


"Tonight his attention kept being drawn to the dance floor, and Landon wished he could be different. He wished he could be fun. He wished he was the one laughing at whatever ridiculous shit Casey was saying.
() He just wanted to be someone who could be happy."


Overall, I really enjoyed my time following Landon and Casey. While the structure wasn’t anything earth-shattering, I had a great time reading this book. I’m so glad that now I can admire the cover while feeling all my heart warm at the memory of them together.


As a side note, there were moments at the beginning where Landon and Casey’s dynamics reminded me a tiny bit of one of my all time favorite couples, Lan Wanji and Wei Wuxian (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), which definitely made me love them even more. I can’t help it, every time I see a shy/social butterfly dynamic I transform into fangirl-mode:

↬Exhibit A: ‘I love you, Stacks,’ Casey finally said. ‘You are hilarious.’
No one had ever accused Landon of that before.</i>


↬Exhibit B: "‘Hicks thinks dragons are real.’

[an hour of teasing later]

Landon began to walk away, then paused. He took a step toward Casey, then bent so their faces were close and quietly said, ‘Dragon lizards exist.’

It took Casey a moment to realize Landon wasn’t making fun of him. Then another moment to get over the shock of learning that Landon had been listening to the whole dragon conversation while seemingly being focused on destroying the treadmill.
Finally, Casey smiled."


they are so beautiful together *screams in chinese*

I.
Adore.
Landon.

Honestly, I could probably stop there and call it enough. Although it's more than just Landon's story (Casey is the absolute perfection of bi energy), it's Landon's growth as a person that really makes this book shine.

I love a good winter romance, and a sports romance too! Even better, there's no homophobia, the teammates and found family are excellently written, and there's a definite focus on the emotional well-being and growth of the characters.

Laughter, yes.
But also tears.

Everything that makes me love a book.

That was here. Outstanding.

○ "Dragon lizards exist." - Landon
○ "I'm not trying to look hot. I just want to go to dinner without looking ridiculous." - Landon
○ "I mean, everyone knows how I feel about you. Don't worry. I won't even talk to you. Won't look at you. Who are you, even?" - Casey
○ "Christmas hot tub is a journey.' - Casey
○ "You make me sweet and weird. That's on you." - Casey

Amazing hockey romance! Great chemistry between the MCs, lots of lovely moments that make you fall in love with the story and the sport

I had a lot of fun reading this book. As a hockey fan sometimes its hard to separate fiction from the sport but this book had enough accuracy that the hockey in the book felt authentic. Both characters were a delight and had some great dialogue between each other. I look forward to reading this book again around the holidays.

When I first requested a copy of this story, after I did my happy dance when accepted for a review copy, I worried that my expectations might be too high. After all, this author’s Heated Rivalry and The Long Game are two of my top 5 favorites of all time. Rachel Reid, whom I follow on social media, cautioned that the story would be nothing like that spicy hockey series. Nevertheless, I found underlying similarities: both feature hockey players and both gave me a happiness factor of 10 out of 10 points. I am in awe of Ms. Reid’s ability to create such rich characterizations, realistic hockey action, believable situations, and disarming and endearing moments with scenes that took me to the depths of despair and rocketed me to the top of the emotional roller coaster.

Landon and Casey’s story grabbed my attention and held on tight. Casey is one of the most outgoing and personable characters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Landon is more like me—an Introvert with a capital I. Sadly, he still carries guilt about the death of his sister years before and finds it hard to allow himself to be happy. He’s a sweetheart with a deep inner core of strength and a heart like a sponge that’s just waiting for Casey to come along and fill it with his overflowing personality and zest for life.

Their story is engaging and Casey’s brightness carries Landon through his darkest times. The romantic scenes between them are definitely worth waiting for as Landon is not only a virgin but he’s never really been sexually attracted to anyone before. And, although he’s inexperienced, he makes up for it in his willingness to learn from Casey and reciprocate.

I have so many favorite moments and quotes that there’s no point in even listing them because my most important message of all is: “Please treat yourself to reading this book.” It is definitely the best of 2023, and if you enjoy reading MM romance, you will love Landon’s and Casey’s story!

A final note: in the acknowledgements section the author thanks fellow authors for “writing books that keep setting the bar higher.” In my opinion, Rachel Reid is among the best at moving that bar upward. Please never stop writing, Ms. Reid.