Let me tell you, I am completely enamored with the Grumpy x Sunshine romance in this book. And when that sunny character happens to be an adorable Golden Retriever, like Casey, it's the icing on the cake. The main character, Landon, is brooding and searching for himself, including exploring his sexuality. Rachel's holiday tale was a joy to read, although I did not anticipate the slow-burning romance. However, this is Rachel's forte and I should have seen it coming. With hockey players, roommates, and a forced closeness, it sets the perfect stage for a heartwarming love story.

3.5

I really enjoyed this book but I think I was expecting more more. This is my first hockey romance, so I’m not sure how this book would feel if you are an avid hockey, romance reader.

The first half of the book I was not vibing with. I found Casey to be very annoying and I felt like the feelings were growing a little too quickly. The second half of the book however, I thoroughly enjoyed. Once the characters started to be more romantically involved with each other, I felt like the banter and dialogue was enjoyable. The smut was well written, and detailed and their romance enhanced the overall plot of the story.

This is my first book I’ve ever read by this author, so I’m not sure how her writing is with other books. But I can tell that this author does know her hockey. There are a lot of dialogue that related to the hockey world and I really enjoy those little tidbits.

As an addition, I loved the scenes with the family. The family was so heartwarming and loving. And it was really nice to read an LGBTQAI+ book where are the family was accepting.

I think if the buildup in the first half of the book was more enjoyable for me, this would’ve easily been a four-star for me. Nonetheless, I’m glad I stuck with it and glad it picked up in the second half of the book.

I've read nearly all of Rachel Reid's hockey romance books and I thought this one was very cute. It was not as heavy as her Game Changers series, but it made for a lighter read in more ways than one. Really love the queer characters and their development as they grow closer throughout the book. Would recommend to any readers of the queer hockey genre.

Love Canadian content especially if it revolves around hockey. As if one hockey player wasn’t enough we get two and they catch feels for each other.

One is established and the other player needs to prove himself and earn his place on the team.

A great romance read. A perfect happily ever after by an author who never fails to leave a smile on my face.

This was a cute little story, a quick read. I thought it flowed well and I liked the characters. I would read another book by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this so much more than I expected to. Casey and Landon almost feel like The Odd Couple, but I truly adored seeing them become more close, watching them open up to each other, and fall for one another. It was slow burn, but the slow burn was incredibly well done.

Casey took me a while to warm to, I initially wrote him off as the typical jock character, but he turned out to be so much more than that. He was warm, friendly, and truly a golden retriever character.

The discussions of sibling loss, phobias, and grief were well written and handled so well.

Also, the spice was incredible. Rachel Reid, you'll see me again.

Ah, a hidden gem (and it's queer too)! The representation, plot, characters, and setting really worked together to bring forth magic, love, and a wonderful book. I hope you try to find a place for this one in your 2024 reads!

Time to Shine was fun of romance and laughs. I always like a Hockey romance book because when the camaraderie among the team is usually hysterical and this time I was not disappointed. Casey is energetic and intuitive, but definitely has undiagnosed ADHD. He struggles with anxiety/fears of loneliness. Along comes Landon who is a complement to Casey where is wants to be alone to deal with his own demons in his head. Each of them help each other deal with their issues in a kind gentle way which touched my heart. Overall the story is touching, joyful, a bit sad, and funny. I enjoyed reading it.

Oh, what a great book! It’s a sweet story between two very differents characters that fits together perfecly. There’s really no tension but there’s no need, you fall in love with tham and feel their insecurities.
It’s my first time with Rachel Reid and it surely won’t be the last.

Okay, deep breath, here we go. I have a lot more to say about this book than I thought I would.

When all is said and done I wouldn’t go back and choose to read this. The highs are high, but the lows are LOW. This felt longer than it probably actually was because of that.

Basically, It felt like reading about what someone THOUGHT two people like this (Introvert/Extrovert. Asexual/Hyper-sexual. Grumpy/Sunshine) would be like in a relationship with each other. The writing was not good. Story was fun at times, but style-wise was so bland! Quippy dialogue please!!!

I love every asexual and demisexual rep romance ever written though. So big ups for that. It was also oddly charming sometimes? While I didn’t think the writing was well done, the plot was a really cute idea. And even though the characters ended up being more caricatures, I still like the concept (Again, I love every Ace-spectrum romance ever written)

I also tend to hate reading a ton of scenes where an MC hooks up with someone not the love interest on the page. Once for plot purposes, sure. A jealousy scene here or there, usually worth it. But there’s a lot of it in this book. Like a lot of it. I can honestly say the only reason I DIDN’T mind is that neither of the characters felt super realistic to me anyway.

So yeah *shrugs*

My hopes for this were much higher than they should have been, to be honest. I do think this is a very easy and light read and for some people that’s definitely enough! But for me, I’m giving this one a pass.

Thank you so much to Carina Adores and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Everything that Rachel Reid writes is wonderful. And this was no exception. This was significantly less angsty, but delightful and cozy.

I love an opposites attract romance and these 2 were polar opposites. Casey is a bubbly ball of energy and Landon is quiet and reserved. Mix that with forced proximity/roommates and I was immediately hooked.

Not only was the romance itself delightful, but the teammate relationship and personal growth journey for each of the heroes was also great.

Landon is trying to find self confidence in his ability while Casey struggles to be alone. I loved how their relationship helped them both down these paths without it ever feeling the romance itself was "fixing" them.

While this does take place near the holidays, it's a definitely a romance you could pick up at any time. If you're looking for low angst, forced proximity, and plenty of hockey, definitely check this one out!

I really loved this. The perfect hockey MM romance. Both the characters were so well written. Loved the grumpy x sunshine piece. The ending was amazing and heart warming.

RACHEL REID YOU SLAY EVERY TIME! Her writing is what keeps me coming back and this book was no different. I love how fleshed out her characters are and the amount of research put in is obvious. I loved the sweetness of this story and how it was just a delightful read from beginning to end.

Rachel’s writing is just top tier, there’s just nothing like it. This one is no different! I love how innocent and just a fantastic love story it was from start to finish. The main characters were lovable, the hockey details were well researched and the dialogue felt authentic. Overall it was a delightful read.

I really loved the story between Landon and Casey! They are polar opposites but their relationship works because they are willing to try.

This book was such a quick and cute read! Both Landon and Casey were amazing characters, there was no unnecessary conflicts through miscommunication, all in all a great read for all fans of ice-hockey romances!

This was fun and adorable! I was worried I wouldn't like a hockey romance but I was actually into the descriptions of the games. I liked the relationship between these two though Landon's self sabotaging did get frustrating even if I understood it! I love Casey. He is such a cinnamon roll. What I didn't love was how everyone treated him. He felt like he was looked down on and almost infantilized to the point he felt like a caricature of himself!

Time to Shine is my first Rachel Reid book, but it certainly won't be my last! Firstly, I'm all for diverse romance reads and was super excited to read about an M M sports romance! That was also a first for me, and it did not disappoint. Secondly, I'm also all for Canadian settings, and was super thrilled to see Calgary pop up as the book's Wintery setting. As for the relationship itself, both the male leads were lovely to read about. Landon's heart and soul captivated me from the moment he was introduced, and Casey's personality was practically jumping off the page. Its been a while since I've adored both ends of a couple like this, and I just wanted to hug them both and never let go.

I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but the ambiguity of Landon's sexuality (as maybe being ace) was an element of his character that I, and I'm sure others, really appreciated. The rep Rachel Reid provides in Time to Shine is all around fantastic, though. There was an unconditional acceptance of identity and sexuality by all characters in the book, and as a reader, I felt as if I were a part of a world full of love and acceptance. And even though this novel was a fun read, I appreciated the way in which Rachel Reid expertly navigated more sensitive issues, such as Landon's grief, anxiety, and self-confidence.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for providing me with an electronic copy of Time to Shine by Rachel Reid in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third party.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Roommates to friends to lovers MM hockey romance?! Toys in the bedroom? There are a lot of positives to this 😜

Negatives: I wish Casey would have been less self deprecating… constantly talking down about himself was annoying. And I think for me I didn’t need to hear about every other sexual conquest he had. Might be cool for others but not for me.

I did love how Landon’s relationship with his parents changed over the course of the novel and how they processed their grief. That was a pretty heavy topic to cover during this romance novel but somehow it worked. I found myself tearing up as they had their big talk.

And loved their communication during the intimate scenes ♥️ Overall, a pretty great hockey romance.