I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book. It was so enjoyable and I ended up crying at the end. It was one of the books I never wanted to finish. I got attached to the characters.

This might be my favorite Rachel Reid book ever--And I LOVE Rachel Reid. Casey and Landon are opposites in the best way and I absolutely love how much they both grow during this book. This book had me laughing, crying, and swooning. Landon carries so much, it was lovely to see him lay some of it down. And Casey loves everything and everyone so much, he has such a big heart. I just LOVED it!

This was a really lovely hockey romance about an introvert and a sunshine-y extrovert thrown together. Mental health and discovery of sexuality are handled with with empathy and sensitivity, and the main characters demonstrate really beautiful and, importantly, believable growth over the course of the book. The broad cast of background characters enriches the book, both in how the characters are supported in their development and by bringing humor and charm to the story.

It was a beautiful, sometimes difficult, but absolutely amazing read that I've already returned to twice because I just loved these characters and their story.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and cute read, but it lacked something.
Their relationship was very soft, and I never felt much chemistry while reading.
I absolutely loved the asexual/demisexual representation through Landon and how Casey never tried to fix him despite being a very sexual person.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After I got past the first like 50% of this I did enjoy it. I liked Casey’s golden retriever personality and some of the conversations that happened between the characters. And there was some decent banter.

But I was very turned off in the beginning and then through the rest of the book as one of the characters is referred to as stupid. I think it could have been presented differently if it was going to be used as one of the characters internal struggles with their self identity and perception of others, but it never really went that deep.

Everything just seemed really glanced over. Like there were some good ideas and characters to work with but maybe they never really got fully flushed out.

It was a cute read but I think there were definitely some places to clean it up.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Time To Shine was a super cute and fun sports romance, definitely worth the read!

This was such a fun hockey romance, I really enjoyed it. Rachel’s writing is so witty and I loved the characters and premise. Very cute!

i enjoyed it! it wasn’t my favorite book i’ve ever read, but it wasn’t bad at all! i’m a sucker for hockey romances and rachel did the hockey parts really well! i’m also SO obsessed with the cover!

something i really loved about this was that landon & casey were able to have uncomfortable conversations and handle them with care, honesty, and openness. they were supportive of each other & their needs

overall, it was a good book and i would definitely recommend it!

This is one you're not going to want to miss! I love a good romance, especially when its set in Canada, not to mention in the mountains where my heart will always be!

I literally couldn't put this one down! It brought on a full range of emotions, a few tears, but mostly had me laughing out loud! You don't have to be a hockey fan to understand this one either. You can feel the excitement and build up through Reid's words. With strong character development, you'll love these two characters and be rooting for them the whole time! Not only just to win the game, but also to win at life.

The first thing I knew about Time to Shine by Rachel Reid was that it's a Christmas hockey romance, which already had my attention because 1. I love Christmas. 2. I've loved every book by Rachel Reid (and I've read almost all of them). But I wasn't prepared that the book would give me that and so much more.

It follows Landon as he moves to Calgary and joins their infamous hockey team - that's where he meets Casey, who treats him as if they've known each other forever and melts his tough exterior. It has amazing grumpy/sunshine vibes and opposites attract, but the two of them are perfect for each other. Not only are they now on the same team but Landon also moves in with Casey (for convenience)!!! If you haven't heard me say it yet - I am OBSESSED with the roommates trope, and the way it's done here? *chef's kiss*

So Landon and Casey become friends, find a safehaven together, so much comfort and safety, and then it slowly blooms into more. They both think their crush is unrequited, of course, while pining for each other so hard it hurts.

Their chemistry is off the charts but what's even better about this book are the emotions. It goes so deep into their minds, hearts, and the connection between them. It explores themes of depression and grief in Landon's case, and other things surrounding mental health. The way that they take care of each other literally made me cry at some points. I knew they were right for each other from the start, and it was so beautiful to watch them fall in love.

So if you'd like to read a queer adult sports romance that hits you in the feels but also wraps you in a hug, will also knock your socks off with the sexiness, and charm you with the small town cozy vibes, you HAVE TO pick up this book. It is the perfect read for Christmas time, winter, and honestly any other time as well. As you can tell, I adored it, and I will re-read it every year. One of my new favorites 100% - I will never get over how amazing Rachel Reid's books are.

Oh and also, I listened to the audiobook without stopping for hours, so... go read this right now.

really really cute book, obsessed w the whole hockey vibe at the moment and this was perfect for that. very cute and just overall a nice read

Cute

I found this to be an overall cute story but there were a few things in this that took away from the story for me.

I really enjoyed Time to Shine!
It was actually the first book I've read by Rachel Reid and if I'm being honest it was also my first ever hockey romance. It definitely won't be my last as this was really good!

I loved both Landon and Casey! They were such great characters and I adored their romance. It was slow burn, steamy and just so good!

I definitely highly recommend this book especially if you are looking for a new queer hockey romance book.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I gave this book 3.5 stars rounding up to a 4. Firstly, the reading experience was really good. I found it to be very well written, the flow was nice, and I generally enjoyed it.

I really had a fun time with this book. I loved the lack of toxic masculinity in our 2 main characters, because especially in hockey romance, that is hard to find. Casey was confident, but also vulnerable and I really enjoyed his character, but the real draw for me was Landon, this rookie who is so sure that he is not good enough to play with some of his heroes, and his journey both to accepting his first relationship and accepting his value as a goalie. I found him incredibly endearing, cute, and he really made the book for me. Their relationship was cute, the sexy times were decently well written and I found them to be cute at the very least, and I found their conflicts realistic and not too romance-breaking. Overall, the romance part of this story was really great.

However, where I had some complaints is the hockey. I wanted more hockey. I wanted to watch Landon grow as a player, and there were some times that I just felt that the focus being wholly on the relationship really took away some of the moments I wanted to see with the hockey.

Overall, a fully enjoyable book, with only minor complaints, most of which are probably just me.

Absolutely loved this book! Landon and Casey are officially one of my favorite hockey couples. Their opposites attract, calm to the storm personalities went so well together. I loved that they each brought out the best in the other.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veonica – ☆☆☆☆☆
We meet hockey goalie Landon when he is called up from the AHL to the NHL after an injury to a player in the senior team. Landon is a serious guy who wants to keep to himself. He is dealing with grief over the death of his beloved sister and estrangement from his parents. Then we meet Casey and he is gregarious, friendly with everyone and always looking for a good time, and a successful member of the NHL team.

The very first time we met Casey, I thought he was a bit much to deal. Then I saw a few team members making fun of him for being stupid, it had my heart going out to him. It didn’t sit right with me, and I wanted to protect him. And it wasn’t long before it became obvious that Casey is pretty lonely. So I wasn’t surprised when Casey invited Landon to live in one of his spare rooms while he is playing in the NHL.

Landon and Casey are such different men and I was captivated by their growing friendship and romance. I wasn’t sure how two such different men were going to manage but they complement each other and are good for each other. I was so emotionally invested in their lives I broke down in uncontrollable tears at least three times. Coping with a new relationship while the future of Landon’s career is unknown adds a bit of stress to their lives and my heart felt every bit of joy and difficulty the men experienced.

I’m a big fan of m/m Ice Hockey romances and TIME TO SHINE is one of my new favourites. I particularly enjoyed seeing the struggles of a player trying to establish himself in the NHL team. I really loved Casey and Landon and I didn’t want their story to end. I know that TIME TO SHINE is a book that I’m going to read again and again.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really lovely read, with a great mix of hockey and a romance which is delicious in its slow burn.

Casey is such a loving, friendly guy, so when Landon is called up to his NHL team, Casey is more than happy to be welcoming. As we soon learn, he also hates living alone, so as he admits to his attraction to Landon, he also offers him the guest room until he gets settled.

Landon has some deep scars about why he plays hockey, and his lack of self confidence in his ability to stay in the NHL and his natural introversion is in stark contrast to Casey's joviality. But Casey definitely affects him and makes him feel new emotions, unexpected, confusing, and ill timed, but impossible to ignore. I love how his awakening feelings are written – it is subtle, loving, and intense, and Casey is incredibly patient and caring. Really lovely to read and get really invested in the future of these two very likeable guys.

There are lots of important subplots too, which I found brought much to our understanding of their sport, their families, and their teammates – I recommend this to you!


Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

As a fan of slow-burn romance, I did not find the pacing for this novel to hold my interests, which is one of the most important factors in a slow-burn romance. I read this book over almost two weeks, a chapter here or there, as after the initial half of the novel, I was no longer hooked as it dragged onward. Keep in mind, I am a Rachel Reid fan, rereading novels dozens of times, one or two novels in a day.

Landon is a lovely character, sweet, kind, and compassionate, while holding onto survivor's guilt. He and his parents love one another but there seems to be an unbridgeable gap between them. The goalie is brought up from the farm league to the NHL when the backup goalie is injured. Awestruck and starstruck, Landon is now playing with hockey titans. The fact that he feels as if there is a time limit to his being in the NHL has Landon keeping a firm boundary between himself and his new teammates.

Casey is gregarious, infectious, outgoing, and a bit exhausting to read. Casey is sweet, kind, and funny, but I just kept picturing him as a puppy or toddler, and it just exhausted me. While friendly with everyone, he truly has no close friends. He's lonely and gets scared when left alone in his large home. Happy to have Landon on the team and eager to gain a new roommate. Casey is exactly what Landon needed to come out of his shell.

Landon resonated with me because he was introverted, reserved, and a demisexual (that was my take on his sexuality, anyway). I thought Reid did an excellent job with Landon's portrayal early on the in the book, but then he had a character trait lobotomy and started acting differently in the last third. Slightly cruel and selfish, which didn't fit with who he was for the rest of the novel.

Whereas I thought Casey did come off as infantilized, juvenile, to the point that I could not picture him in my mind as a masculine hockey player because he came off as a small child of indeterminate gender. I get where the author was going with Casey, but it didn't mesh with a hockey player. Best way to put it, the characterization didn't fit the character. The fact that he was a player, having nonstop hookups and not considering his hook-ups' feelings just didn't fit any of the other character traits. It was off-putting and out of left-field, and actually unnecessary.

While I love slow-burn romance, and am thrilled when a book isn't a smexy fest, by the time I hit the halfway mark, I felt the book should have been concluded. My eyes kept flicking down to check the percentage read. The pacing dragged since nothing was happening on the pages, and I include character development as important. It was just random, inane things where it wouldn't have made a difference if the reader skipped entire chapters. No drama, no angst, no character development. A laundry list of daily activities. I needed a bit of excitement to escape my list of daily activities.

When there was a bit of drama in the last third, it didn't fit the characters, with Landon acting differently. It was like the character development backslid for both characters, and I do not mean that in a good way.

I struggled to finish. I felt zero chemistry between the characters. No intensity. It felt as if they were adolescents in a young adult romance, and I don't mention this due to a lack of nonstop smexy action. The mindset was super clean, warm and fuzzy, saccharine, sugar sweet, and it comes off as fake with no real connection. As if they were acting or playing a role.

There just needed to be more plot to support the page-length, to push the pacing, and to keep readers' interests. I enjoyed the characters individually but found the journey rather lackluster.

Rachel Reid's Time to Shine was just what I needed this week, especially coming right off of a murder mystery. This is the exact opposite. Comforting, warm, and sweet.

At first, you would think that Casey Hicks is a horrible match for Landon Stackhouse, but over the course of the book as these two teammates become friends, and then lovers, you can see how much the two of them compliment each other and support one another. The hurt/comfort for both of these characters meant they needed someone who would not just look at the surface of their personality but dig in deeper, and the 'forced' proximity of living in Casey's house while Landon subbed as the goalie was perfect for these nice scenes that highlighted their growing love for one another.

My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed - maybe I just wanted more of their HEA. I would have happily read another 25-50 pages to get more of these two.

I'm a big fan of Rachel Reid's Game Changers series and was excited to see her publish another hockrom outside of the series. Time to Shine had lots of the same humour and banter we've come to enjoy from Rachel Reid, along with well written gameplay. Very much enjoyed this book, it's hockey content, it's depiction of familial trauma, and the relationship between Casey and Landon.

reading time to shine was the most joy i've had in a long time! rachel reid's novels are always so full of heart and kindness. if you look up the definition of a warm hug, it's basically this book.

Landon gets called up from the minor leagues to be a backup goalie for Calgary's pro-NHL team. He's excited, but his loner and glass-half-empty nature keep him a little separate from the rest of the team. Except for superstar young winger, Casey Hicks, the son of an NHL legend and the sunshine to Landon's grumpy. Casey sees Landon by himself and quickly takes him under his wing. They form a weird friendship that quickly turns into more even though Landon keeps pushing Casey away because he knows his time with the pros is limited. They both have things to face up to, and the fact that they grow together is the sweetest.
Steam practically rises from this book. Reid outdid herself with the sexy time scenes, making them as hot as they are endearing. It's a weird combination but she makes it work and I am here for it. Landon and Casey are adorable together from their very first meeting and loved seeing it translate into their intimate moments.
There's also so much positivity surrounding their relationship. And the fact that Casey is bi is a non-issue to everyone even before he and Landon start their relationship. It's fantastic.
Overall, it's fun and romantic and sexy as can be. I loved it from beginning to end.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the wonderful read!