Time to Shine by Rachel Reid is the wintery, holiday hockey romance your TBR needs.
Casey Hicks is an exuberant and excitable NHL star. Landon Stackhouse is a sweet (but guarded) AHL star getting his shot in the big leagues. These two connect despite, being on the surface, polar opposites. From the beginning, Stackhouse is protective of Casey who is sometimes too often the punchline of jokes. Casey, sees Landon and early on recognizes and respects his boundaries regarding touch and intimacy. We recommend this one if you enjoy: cute holiday romances, slow burn romances, a golden retriever MMC, hockey player shenanigans in Costco, and HEAs.

Rachel Reid has become a must-buy for me, and she does not disappoint in this latest. This was a soft, low-angst romance (which I have to admit are my favorite kind so I'm biased). You will immediately adore Casey, just an absolutely charming Cole Caulfied-esque (hockey reference for those who get it!) ball of sunshine. Then Landon creeps in, all serious and lovely. The way Reid builds their relationship in the subtle moments, in the quiet ones, is so beautiful and quintessentially Rachel Reid that anyone who loves her, her writing, or romance in general will fall in love. As usual, she fleshes out these characters in a thoughtful, careful manner that lets them explore their own flaws and trauma without them trying to fix each other. Settle in with this warm cup of tea and blanket of a book--no matter what the weather is outside--you won't regret it.

Are you looking for a grumpy/sunshine, golden retriever MMC, gay hockey romance? Then boy do I have the book for you!! Time to Shine follow Landon, a goalie who is called up to the NHL team in Calgary after their backup goalie gets hurt. Landon is a quiet loaner who knows he won’t be in Calgary long so has no intention of making friends. However superstar player Casey Hicks is somehow immune to Landon’s standoffishness. Once it becomes apparent that Landon’s stay in Calgary will be a bit longer than he anticipated, he moves in to Casey’s huge house. That forced proximity soon leads to a romance, though both know that Landon’s time in Calgary could be over at any point.
This book, while a different tone from the Game Changers series, is everything that I’ve come to expect in a Rachel Reid novel! She is without a doubt an autobuy author for me. This book is a holiday hockey rom-com and is everything I wanted. I devoured it and it is one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given.
I loved both MMCs equally – Casey is the literal epitome of a golden retriever and was SO endearing. I connected a lot with Landon’s character too, and thought they balanced each other so well. Casey is Bi and Landon is demisexual (or at least reads so to me, he never explicitly refers to himself as such) and the fact that their sexualities are so accepted by their community was honestly so lovely to see (and as it should be!!). I will without a doubt be rereading this before it gets published and will be preordering ASAP (really crossing my fingers for some sort of preorder campaign?)
I could not recommend this book enough – if you can’t get your hands on it yet I also wholeheartedly recommend the Game Changers Series also by Rachel. Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for the eARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily

This book is so cute & heartwarming & inspiring. Also, it attacks me in a very personal way. As an Asian girl who hates exercise, I have no business relating to a gay, ice hockey player character this much. But I did, and it made me shed tears a few times.

The story: Landon is an aspec introvert with some traumatic past, a complicated relationship with his parents, and an opportunity to play for a new team in a higher league that he doesn't fully believe he has a place in. Casey, his sunshine of a teammate, has a serious phobia of being alone in the dark, and so he invites Landon to share his too-big house while he's with the team. Slowly, they go from being strangers to friends, and then to mutually pining friends who are horny for each other. But to become something more substantial than that, they will have to get over some of their personal issues and win a few hockey games first.

This book has everything I expect from Rachel Reid's romances: lovable main characters, lovable supporting characters, healthy communications, but also colorful collision of opposing but complimentary personalities of the main couple. I really love how I can trust the characters that I root for to eventually do right by themselves, even if sometimes it takes a moment to get there. I was looking for a book that will just take me on an enjoyable ride without annoying me or stressing me out, and I got exactly that. I did cry a bit anyway, as I mentioned, and it's mostly because I relate to Landon too much. The way that his lack of self-confidence is tied to his guilt to his parents and, not to spoil anything, the way he and his parents view themselves hit very close to home for me. Getting to know Landon and seeing him getting his happy ending is very meaningful to me.

The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because I usually want a romance to make me squeal a little bit more. A little tension, especially in the sexy scenes, would be nice. But tension kind of goes against Casey's characterization by definition, so I personally wasn't feeling the smut much. It's still very enjoyable, though, just slightly off from my personal taste.

Got an ARC of this and loved it! This was a very sweet slow burn between a socially awkward goalie and a super-outgoing chaotic star teammate. I truly enjoyed their journey and cheered when they finally admitted how they felt. Casey so respectfully and carefully nudged Landon out of his shell, it felt very soft and loving. It was also great to see demisexual rep, as well as non-penetrative sex.

That being said, the ending came together a bit too easily for me and the epilogue was too much. These two felt very young, and that’s not bad, but it’s a book where I would have felt better about a happy-for-now with some space left for both to learn and grow more.

Content warning for grief and loss of a close family member, which is noted at the beginning of the book.

Genre: hockey romance

Landon Stackhouse has his first shot in the NHL when he’s called up from the Saskatoon AHL team to fill in for Calgary’s injured backup goalie. He’s a quiet guy, and he’s been emotionally closed off since his sister died eight years ago, so while he’s excited for his chance at the NHL, he’s also nervous. Enter Casey Hicks, young star winger and social butterfly of the team, who really doesn’t like living alone and offers Landon a place to live rent-free while he’s playing with the team. And while Casey and Landon could not be more different, they learn they have a lot in common, too, including that they’ve both been pretty lonely.

Before I continue this review, please note that The Long Game is one of my favorite books, and the Game Changers series is my favorite contemporary romance series. I knew that Time to Shine was going to be a different vibe, because I heard Rachel Reid speak about it at an event for the paperback release of Heated Rivalry. This isn’t as much about managing expectations as it is to let you know the energy is very different, but this is also still very much Rachel Reid bringing us loveable hockey players with all of their baggage and all of their queerness. Where Game Changers tackles toxic hockey culture, Time to Shine focuses on individual character struggles and allows Landon and Casey to each be queer without question.

Now, on to the rest of it. I adored this book. Like, will read my ARC copy at least once more between now (Stanley Cup Game 4) and the start of the next hockey season.

I was in love with Casey’s golden retriever energy the first sentence I saw him on the page. His teammates clearly think he is “a lot,” but lovingly accept him for everything he is, including his bisexuality. His lack of filter and openness about everything made for the sunniest of sunshines, and all the sweeter when he starts to open up about his vulnerabilities.

I was also in love with Landon’s reserve and back-up goalie focus. Goalies are a special brand of hockey player, and Reid nails Landon’s personality as it appears to others (goalie-focus) and as it appears to himself (extremely unsure of everything other than his hockey skills). Landon is a demisexual virgin who doesn’t really let himself get close to anyone. A little forced proximity never hurt anyone though, especially when both parties are gentle and sweet good-listeners.

Credit to Rachel Reid for writing such totally different characters from her Game Changers series. Landon and Casey are both young and a bit restless, and while the challenges they face have similarities to the Game Changers, the best part of their story is that they never fear coming out.

Time to Shine is laugh out loud hysterical and I giggled through basically the entire book.
Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Time to Shine is available 9/26/23, which gives me more time to write slightly more coherent thoughts as well as for you all to get excited about this book!

*Swoons* I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's a slow burn MM hockey romance with zero angst and a lot of heart.

Casey Hicks was a joy to meet on these pages. I really like the affirming way that non-normative experiences of /slash/ relationships to sex and sexuality were handled in this book. Landon's ambiguous sexuality was not treated as a puzzle to be solved but was accepted as a valid way to be, without any need for explanations or rationalisations. Also, I quite enjoyed the fact that homophobia was not a thing in this hockey universe.

A very satisfying and pleasurable read. I recommend picking this up in September when it's released.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for sending me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid isn't a bad book, and I did have some modicum of fun while reading it. It just simply wasn't the book for me. I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it immensely. But personally I prefer a little bit more angst in my romance novels.

Ah I love this book. What a cute m/m love story. Casey was a ray of sunshine. He was an amazing and beautiful character. And Landon was precious. Grief was hard for him but over time and Casey, he slowly forgave himself. And as a couple, they were adorable. I definitely recommend this book,
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my review.

My review contains spoilers, which I cannot mark here. The review with spoiler bars can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5607137911

I already knew I was going to love this book going into it because one it's about hockey players and two books with athletes falling in love with each other is so in right now, but I did not anticipate that this was going to be a devour in one sitting and staying up until 3 am to finish it kind of read. This book is beyond phenomenal and I will be recommending it to probably every single person I encounter. Wow!

My first Rachel Reid story and I absolutely loved it.
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid is a spectacular queer hockey romance novel.
The atmosphere of the book was filled with such love, warmth, and light.
Her writing style was magnificent. Reid sucked me into this whirlwind and kept me engaged till the end.
This story is captivating, the pacing was perfect.
I enjoyed everything about this book.
It was truly a great story with phenomenal characters.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Carina Adores for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

LOVED!! I’ve read a handful of m/m hockey romances (why is this an entire subgenre lol) and this was one of my favorites. Right off the bat I felt like I had read Landon’s character before in a different story… but I couldn’t place the book so I guess it doesn’t matter. I loved how Landon and Casey balanced each other out and worked so well together. Their development together and separately was very well written.

I was super impressed by how the author handled Landon’s demi-ness in this story, and how she wrote about sex. This book was very steamy for something that didn’t actually have a ton of sex. I loved the representation of boundaries and people having different sexual preferences. There aren’t enough book with this representation.

I will be highly recommending this book!! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The second I received this eARC, I started ready, that’s how much I love Rachel Reid and her heart wrenching, tender romances full of yearning and beautifully fleshed out characters. And Time to Shine didn’t disappoint!

Following the story of two hockey players, NHL mainstay and resident extrovert Casey and shy rookie Landon, it’s a tender unfolding of friends to lovers, opposites attract romance. I absolutely adored the dynamic between these two and thought their path to love was both realistic and wonderfully sweet.

When Landon is called up to the big leagues from his Saskatoon farm team, he is nervous beyond belief. Not only to play, but for the social aspect of it. I saw so much of myself in Landon, and loved how his social anxiety and exploration of his sexuality was displayed. He’s nervous and introverted, but still an incredibly detailed, hilarious character and I loved his slow warm to Casey’s exuberance. As the opposite to Landon’s reticence, Casey is an extrovert in the extreme. He loves people, being social, hooking up and being the centre of attention. Despite his golden retriever like character, he was remarkably layered and thoughtful, and I loved the way Rachel used his sunshiney personality to delve into ideas around self worth and standing up for yourself.

This is a SLOW burn (my favourite kind) and I really loved how these two ventured from wary friendship to genuine love and connection. Rachel Reid will always be the master of romance that destroys you and puts your right back together again. I read this book in one go and couldn’t recommend this more!

Another well written and sweet hockey romance by the talented Rachel Reed!

I adore several other books by Rachel Reed and was so excited to read this one. The story is adorable and totally fits the sunshine/grump trope. Casey is talkative and Landon is quiet. Casey is outgoing and Landon is reserved. These contrasts are well written and they help hype some of the funny and heartfelt moments between these two.

I'm not sure what fell a bit flat, but something was missing or didn't land right. I loved the characters, but didn't feel their attraction like I usually do in Reed's books.

I did love how supportive the team and families are. I also loved how the relationship progresses, even if it felt flat to me.

Overall, if you like hockey romance and slow burns, this one is going to be a winner.

Apparently, the only thing I like better than a soccer romance… is a hockey romance. Plus grumpy/sunshine. Plus supportive family and friends. Time to Shine is just such a great story!

From teammates to roommates to friends to more. Landon and Casey both have some issues, but as they build a relationship, they know they can conquer them together.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Time to Shine to come out September 26, 2023.

Rachel Reid DOES NOT MISS! It was an adjustment settling into a hockey world that didn't feature (or at least provide a cameo for) a certain snarky Russian but I adored this story. Honestly, Landon was so relatable to some of my own experiences, if was a little unsettling at first. Casey was a hoot! And I suspect that if he is based on a real player, I 100% know who (looking at you #24!). I hope you all get to enjoy this read as much as I do. My only regret is that I'm pretty sure it's a standalone.. although I was picking up what Ms. Reid was putting down with a few of those lines ;)

Such a cute and fun book! It manages to be adorable and incredibly hot at the same time. I love how Casey and Landon balance each other out. It kept me captivated and I tore through it immediately. A good slow burn that keeps you wanting more but doesn't drag it out too long. I can definitely see myself rereading it come Christmas time. I would recommend reading this book!

I was hooked from page one. Rachel Reid has a way of writing that made me instantly invested in the characters. This was an amazing slow-burn friends to lovers book. It has a perfect flow to it and was a quick and easy read. I really couldn't put it down and finished it in about a day. This story feels unique amongst the horde of Hockey romances that are available. The book is funny, well written and just overall lovely. It was such a good read.
And also the cover for this book is perfect. So glad it's not a shirtless dude!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

Overall this book was a quick and easy read (perfect for the stressfull holiday season) which I really appriciated. We follow Landon, a hockey player who is suddenly called up to work as a back up goalie for a big team. Eventhough this was always his dream the transition isn't easy for him given the fact that he normally keeps to him self. The only person that doesn't seem to notice this is his new teammmate Casey who is pretty much his opposite. And when he invites Landon to live with him things take a interesting turn. It's safe to say that when Rachel Reid writes a hockey romance I will read it. In general I had a good time reading this book, the way it covered a few more sensitive topics was pretty well done. I liked the development of the relationship and the respect they showed for eachother. But I have to say that especially compared to a few of her other books the characters in this book didn't have that great chemistry and I just didn't care enough about them or their relationship (maybe because they felt a bit flat). So not my favourite Rachel Reid book but still enjoyable.

* advertisment unpaid/thanks to netgalley for providing this digital arc