as if i needed another reason to highly anticipate rachel reid’s next book!!

this taste of the first five chapters gave me everything i love about rachel’s game changers series: a varied cast of fun characters, the backdrop of professional hockey, and, best of all, instant chemistry and intrigue between our two main love interests (also dual pov!!!! is the best!!!!).

both casey and landon inspire immediate sympathy and have so much room to grow, and i truly cannot WAIT to see how their story plays out. this could be a five star romance book for sure.

4 stars - I received the first 6 chapters to preview of Time to Shine by Rachel Reid. This was my first time reading this author’s work. In this brief intro, I found the characters to be very likeable and the hockey knowledge top notch! I could tell that there will be some good MM romance happening and some angst as well with the relationship between Landon and his parents and their healing over Erin’s death. The only thing that was bothering me as I read was the young age of the MCs and how that will play out with the older, mature hocky team members.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley and Carina Press for providing me with an advance copy in return for an independent, honest review.

Really enjoyed this. It's well written as always, and I'm excited to see what Rachel does with characters outside of the game changers series. Both MCs were immediately interesting to me and I felt for their personal struggles even in a short preview of their story. Excited to read the full thing.

I adored this and it pulled me right into the stories and the characters. I'm a big fan of Rachel Reid and have been excited for this since it was announced and these six chapters have made me even more so. I can't wait until I get to read this in its entirety.

I love that we got a few sample chapters of this! I’m living my hockey romance life right now and can’t wait to read the rest of this book! Sample chapters are great but I always want more!

I really enjoyed this preview of Time to Shine and immediately added it to my TBR! I can’t wait to see what happens next, as hockey player Landon moves in with all-star Casey after being unexpectedly called up to the NHL. I love the dynamic so far between Casey and Landon; Casey is so eager and Landon is so tightly locked-down. I’m looking forward to them both getting to know each other more! Landon has been given the intimidating chance of a lifetime, while outwardly sunny Casey appears to be fighting his own battle with loneliness. Thank you to Rachel Reid, Carina Adores, and Netgalley for a free preview in exchange for honest feedback.

LOVED!! I can’t wait for the whole book, Rachel Reid is always an automatic read. I just know that this one is going to be so great

After reading these 6 chapters now I'm even more excited to read this book.
It has the RR magic and I'm really to fall in love with these two!!

After this preview, I can see myself easily devouring this book. I want to wrap up Landon and Casey in a big hug.

It looks like this one will be such a lovable MM, hockey, opposites-attract, roommates, holiday romance.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Auf die neue m/m sports romance von Rachel Reid habe ich mich sehr gefreut, denn ich liebe alle ihre bisherigen Liebesromane. Glücklicherweise konnte mich auch das neue Buch der Autorin begeistern. “Time to shine” enthält eine schöne, humorvolle und größtenteils süße Liebesgeschichte zwischen zwei Helden, die ich beim Lesen ins Herz geschlossen habe.

In Bezug auf die beiden Helden ist es sehr spannend, dass Casey und Landon recht unterschiedlich sind. Sie gehen ihr Leben und vor allem zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen ganz unterschiedlich an, gleich sympathisch waren mir beide interessanterweise von Anfang an. Es war faszinierend zu sehen, wie sie zunächst als Freunde und später als Paar zusammengekommen sind und ihre Unterschiede überwinden konnten.

Das Buch ist genauso einnehmend geschrieben wie die anderen Liebesromane der Autorin und es brachte mich oft zum Lachen und Lächeln. Zusätzlich konnte mich die Beziehung berühren, da ich die Gefühle zwischen den Helden spüren konnte.

Der Grundton in der Liebesgeschichte ist größtenteils locker und leicht. Es werden allerdings auch ernste Themen angesprochen, diese liegen aber nicht wie eine dunkle Wolke über dem Roman. Das hat für mich sehr gut gepasst.

Am Ende des Buches hätte ich gerne noch mehr über das Leben der beiden Helden als Paar gelesen und vor allem mehr von ihnen in ihrem Alltag gesehen. Einen längeren Epilog hätte ich daher super gefunden. Davon abgesehen hatte ich mit der Geschichte eine schöne Zeit.

🖤🖤🖤🖤1/4

Für wen?

Wer schöne, eher ruhige Liebesromane mag, in denen sich Menschen mit ziemlich unterschiedlichen Charakteren ineinander verlieben, sollte sich das Buch unbedingt näher anschauen.

This was so fun! I loved seeing this glimpse into Casey and Landon's story, and I'll look forward to reading the full book when it's out. Based on what I've read so far, I would definitely recommend this book to our MM hockey-loving patrons!

I really liked the chapters that i’ve read, the plot was interesting and so were the characters! i will definitely read the book when it comes out as i found it interesting!

I absolutely loved this preview. The characters are great! Casey is hilarious and I'm already weirdly attached to Landon. I can't wait for the release!

Well - it was hard to have to stop at the end of the preview. The characters are delightful and the vibes are just right! Keeping my fingers crossed to get the full ARC or develop patience for the September release!

Review based on the first 6 chapters:

I love Casey and Landon already!!! Which is to be expected in a Rachel Reid book. Do I miss the Game Changers squad? Do I wish there was an Ilya Rozanov cameo? Yes, of course. But in the beautiful world of Time to Shine, there appears to be no homophobia in hockey, and it's just a normal thing that a guy on the team talks about hooking up with another guy. It's wonderful!! We’ve got talkative golden retriever Casey with his easy smiles, absolutely no filter, and super friendly attitude, and then there’s quiet Landon with his mysterious tragic backstory and huge loner vibes, but he has a squeaky giggle that is Casey’s new favourite sound. Now they’re roommates, and I’m so looking forward to seeing them become friends, and then become more. And it’s set over the holidays! So fun!!!

I'm rounding up from 3.5. This is my first time reading Rachel Reid, as well as my first adult hockey romance. The only sport I watch is figure skating and I was worried that knowledge of hockey might be required to understand some things; but aside from a few unfamiliar terms, which were easy to figure out in context, I had no trouble following. Landon and Casey were both interesting characters and I’m curious to see how their relationship develops. I thought the dialogue felt a bit forced at times, mostly when outdated slang like “chill” and “dope” was used. Maybe that’s a regional thing; I just haven’t heard anyone under 40 say “dope” in years. The part with the AI ignoring Casey had me laughing, though. It was a short scene, but I loved the humor and relatability. I haven’t decided if the author’s writing style is to my taste yet, but I’m hooked enough after reading these six chapters to want more and I'm thinking about checking out the Game Changers series.

The first six chapters immediately pull you in and do a great job establishing team and and character dynamics. In 42 pages, you already come to know and cheer for Casey and Landon. As always with a Rachel Reid book, I cannot wait to read the rest!

I need more! I can’t believe how fast I read these six chapters! There’s no way I’m going to be able to wait until September for the rest of the story! I’m already in love!

These first few chapters were definitely enough to get me excited about reading this book when it comes out in the fall. I wasn't always super clear on which perspective we were getting, Landon's or Casey's, but it feels like they'll merge soon anyway, so that's okay. Both characters clearly like each other and clearly have some darkness in their past that they're trying to escape. So far those pasts are still murky, but I'm hopeful that more will be revealed as the book progresses. Already the team camaraderie amongst all the characters was so much fun, and I'm eager to learn more about the hockey team (although I also won't be super surprised if the rest of the characters stay pretty flat and we focus on the obvious romantic interest).

I loved Rachel Reid’s Game Changer series, so when she mentioned she had a new standalone coming out, I was like, “Yes, please,”.
Landon. Oh my. Sweet, introverted, grieving Landon. I want to give him a hug in the worst way. I’m a sucker for men who try hard to do better. Watching him struggle hurt my heart. But he was such a good man, deflecting Casey when he called himself stupid, and giving him proof that dragons are real (in a way).
And Casey, sigh…. Someone that relentlessly upbeat is usually hiding something. He seems to have led a charmed life, and I want to discover his secrets: Why is he afraid to be alone? What’s sleeping with the lights on all about?
If I know Rachel Reid, these characters are going to be magical. Close-ish (it’s a big house!) proximity is one of my favorite tropes.
The preview I read of Time to Shine wasn’t enough! I can’t wait to read The whole thing,