Really enjoyed this book! Fast paced and super cute. Both the main characters were interesting and the romance wasn’t cringey, which I always appreciate in a book.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc! 4/5 stars, I'm mildly convinced rachel reid puts like, crack in her hockey romances

first and foremost, I am not usually a second chance romance reader, mostly because I think there's not enough grovelling going on in order to lead to forgiveness. but whoo BOY, was adam put through the wringer and deservedly so!! not just everything he did to riley, but showing up at riley's dad's funeral after years of no contact? oh I was ready to SWING. but I'm infinitely glad to see how much work adam put in, not just for reconciliation with riley but with himself too, being honest about who he is and facing up to all the mistakes he made and people he hurt - it's something that I think was absolutely necessary for their relationship to rekindle but also just made me like adam so much more despite his initial failings. riley is going through so much this entire book and reid really makes you feel every single heart wrenching second of it, both the sad and the good. she's just so good at not only writing romantic relationships that feel genuine, but also just writing characters who are going through the worst times of their lives and are able to make it through by doing the hard things they need to do. I think reid's writing has grown immensely since her first game changers book and every new release makes me excited to have my heart lovingly punched by how much I adore her characters. overall, a wonderful and emotional read that is definitely not easy from all the emotions you'll be feeling but is absolutely worth every second!

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for the early copy of this book!

I think this one was a 3.5 ⭐️ for me, sadly. The premise is good, second chance romance after 20 years of being apart, reunited after a family tragedy for Riley. Both Riley and Adam have everything to be interesting characters but I didn’t really connect with either of them. I found their humor kind of lame and everything a little too generic. I read about 60% of this book back in September and just fell out of interest. I picked it back up today and finished it super quickly which was good for me because I wasn’t loving it, but kinda sad for the story bc it means it was rushed as hell at the end. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay. It’s just… boring
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Reid’s sweet hockey romance brings former best friend with benefits hockey player Adam Sheppard back into Riley Tuck’s life in a moment of almost insurmountable grief at his father’s funeral. The pair have a long history—not all of it bad—but can Riley ever trust Adam again? Adam’s determined to make up for his past fear and mistakes and win back one of the most important people in his life. It’s a heartfelt take on overcoming fear, grief, and mental health struggles.

Oh I loved this. This was quiet and sad and angry and beautiful. What an enduring and lasting lifetime love.

Riley and Adam’s story was what I needed to get out of my book funk. Their bond, their history, their friendship? It was amazing. I love a hockey romance and their story didn’t disappoint. Watching Adam win over Riley and proving he was in it for the right reasons was swoon worthy on so many levels. Riley was hesitating for all the right reasons, but when he let Adam in and let him show he was in it for real? It was beautiful.

Once this book gets to about 75%, it's so much lighter. There's a lot of dark, sometimes depressing, real, middle aged life with real problems for our mmcs. About 3/4 of the way through it starts to look like there's gonna be a great HEA for these guys- and there is, for sure. Rachel Reid is a fantastic writer as always.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

The shots you take had me hooked from the start. The present day grief, the flashbacks, my heart broke for Riley, then shattered a little more for Adam. To say this book put me deep in my emotions is an understatement. The two MC’s were so full and weighted, I was invested immediately. And the hurt Reid put me through along the way made their happily ever after that much sweeter. This book is loaded with grief and hurt but also so so soft and tender. Reid easily maintains her queen of hockey romance postion with the shots you take.

I think I'll read anything by Rachel Reid. What we don't typically get, is two MC's in their 40's. And let me tell you, I'm here for it....

Riley is put through the wringer. We're introduced to his character at one of his lowest points. I adored his journey and the way he deals with emotions.

Adam was a little tougher to swallow. I understand his reasons, but I didn't love the way he treated Riley when they were younger. There's a lot of groveling and pining, and in the end, I was very much rooting for these two.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC read this story!

First of all - thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I requested this book simply because I saw that it was another MM hockey book - and didn’t look into anything else about the book or author… I received the ARC, and then just let it sit there, to the point that I actually had to renew my copy through Netgalley. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I finally opened this up and discovered it was set in Nova Scotia! As I was reading, I figured out that it was set in a fictionalized town close to where Tatamagouche actually is - which the author confirmed in the acknowledgments.

As a born and bred Maritimer who now lives on the other side of the country, the setting of this book was like a hug from home ❤️. It made me way too excited when Riley’s mom said “Go on!” (Although in my opinion it should have been spelled “g’wann” hahaha).

This book was good - although I do think Riley was too good for Adam. That epilogue was so good though!

I will be checking out more by this author - especially after reading in the acknowledgments that she lived “10 minutes across the Nova Scotia border in New Brunswick for university” - because that means we went to the same school!

I really enjoyed this. I love gay hockey romances and reading one where the main characters are older was a nice change in what I normally read. I’m not one who tends to like second chance romances but this one was so good!! I’ll definitely be recommending this book when it comes out!

After previously loving Time To Shine, I was so excited to get a chance to read The Shots You Take, and I'm happy to say I absolutely loved this book as well!

The Shots You Take follows Adam and Riley, former hockey teammates who are now in their 40s. They haven't talked in over a decade, but both still have deep feelings for each other. They have a complicated past (and future) to work through and have to learn how they fit into each other's lives now that hockey isn't the main factor tying them together.

Rachel Reid does an incredible job writing angsty, slow burn romance with realistic, complex characters. I love that despite Adam and Riley already having a long history, Rachel Reid still makes time for the readers to learn them as individuals before throwing us into the romance.

This book is great for anyone who loves sports romance, but also just romance in general! The sports content is not overwhelming if that's not your style. There are some heavier topics covered, so this isn't a light romance, but they are tackled in a sensitive way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for this eARC!

I enjoyed this one! I think this is probably my second favorite book by this author. I liked the characters and side characters and really liked how the romance unfolded. I sometimes dislike time jumps, but I thought they were well done here. The whole vibe worked for me. There were a couple of lines that made me laugh out loud, which I especially appreciate. I'd definitely recommend this one!

With all the positive reviews and feedback I was sure I was going to enjoy it. I have had a hard time connecting with MM romances, I don't know why, I do love FF. This one was no different for me it just did not work or keep me hooked, the relationship for me felt awkward and I didn't feel compelled to pick it up. I had to stop reading. Might try it again another time!

I have never read anything by this author, but I will definitely be looking out for this author! The pace was great and I was hooked from just a few pages in!

Second chance, slow burn with MC's in their 40's?? Give it to me
This book was just so sweet and I cried a lot.

I didn't expected that much grief but it's OK, because the story justify it and it helps with the general development of the story.

I want to read everything Rachel Reid writes.

Thanks to Harlequin Romance and NetGalley for the eArc

The Shots You Take is a second chance romance between former hockey teammates and ex best friends. They rekindle their relationship after an unexpected tragedy brings them to the same place for the first time in years. There are a lot of wounds between them that they have to work through and I really liked how the story handled those issues. It was real and messy but also beautiful.

I’m a huge fan of Rachel Reid and this book is no exception! It has all of the same heart that her other hockey romances have.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Reid does it again. God, this is beautiful. Such a harrowing and raw exploration of grief, longing, and finding oneself in the darkness. Riley and Adam are beautifully crafted characters who feel real - you sense their pain and loneliness and just how much they need each other. This hit all of the right notes for me - the way that Reid wove all of their pain and longing into this story is just beautiful and all encompassing. I also love the steps that Adam took to understand his sexuality - how we got to see them in the past and how those decisions and actions impacted their future. I already know that this is going to be something that I reread over and over - just like all of Reid's books. Just...beautiful.

If there's two things Rachel Reid can write, it's Hockey and Romance. This was a sweet, second chance romance with slightly older characters than you usually see in the genre.

I'd say Rachel Reid really trod the line between condemning Hockey culture and trading on the suffering of gay men. It's a fine line and in my opinion she trod it well, I'm sure other people will disagree. She wrote a story that was an engaging love story about second chances and growing up, about loss and love and all the things in between.

It was a nice read, if scattered with a few more heteronormative vibes than I like!

I truly enjoyed this book and the story of the characters that found their way back to one another after so much time. The first chapter gets you in your feels with the heaviness of the situation. I loved how no matter how much Riley pushed Adam away he stayed and tried. He knew what he wanted and was not stopping until he proved a point. There were many different things addressed being gay, mental illness, stereotypes of "jocks". I started the book and was unable to put it down. It was very a very well written love story and was not raunchy in any way. Well Done!