I was doing SOOO good at not requesting too many ARCs and getting overwhelmed and reading them at the very last minute..and here we are. Even though I requested this MONTHS ago...oops. Here's Rachel Reid's "The Shots You Take."

["After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning."]

Blown away. What else can I say about Rachel Reid. She's done yet another masterpiece.

Did I cry? Yes, hell yes. Did I mind it? Not so much. Not when these two got their HEA (finally).

Was it an easy HEA? Ha! Hell, no. Especially since this was a second-chance romance. It already started with angst and heartbreak. Add in more angst and pining and more heartbreak? Yeah...

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This was a great queer hockey romance full of longing and second chances. I loved seeing Riley and Adam together again and getting to talk through their feelings from years ago. There is so much tension between them and I loved the dual pov and seeing them both yearn for each other and what could have been.

I received this book from the Publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review .... downloaded it quite a few months ago, read it .... and then set it aside for a while to let it marinate in my mind, and then I re-read it.

Honestly, in my first read, I did not like the characters. I felt the pace of the book was way too slow, and then once we got the end, it all wraps up in a HEA. With a second read, I was perhaps a tiny bit more forgiving and understanding, but bottom-line, this book did not work for me.

Adam and Riley were best friends, an amazing duo on the ice for nine seasons, winning the Stanley Cup. But along the way, they had a sexual relationship which usually started with Adam getting drunk, them having sex, and then "usually, within two minutes of coming, he [Adam] would be laughing nervously and saying stuff like "Wow, shit. That was crazy" and "see you tomorrow, Riles."

After 12 years apart, Adam comes to the funeral of Riley's beloved father, and tries to make amends. And in my mean, unforgiving heart, there is nothing that Adam could say or do that would ever be enough to make amends to Riley, much less result in a charming happy every after. And yes, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, but in the end while Adam and Riley have come to a resolution, there's not enough in the book (at least for me) that makes that resolution feel right and true.

I hold several of Rachel Reid's books deeply in my heart (Heated Rivalry I'm sending a chef's kiss your way) but I miss the level of character development shown in the Game Changers series and the careful plotting that leads us readers to a conclusion - no matter how unlikely in the beginning - that works so well. In comparison, The Shots you Take is an abbreviated take on a story that definitely needs the level of development and care. 3.5 stars.

I would drain my savings to read anything Rachel Reid writes, the most perfect romances with alllll the feelings and swoony worthy moments.

We get an amazing slow burn, second chance romance with older MCs that have life experience behind them that only adds to their beautiful story. But be prepared for tears and high emotional moments that will drain you but piece you back together (i promise).
Riley’s grief is felt deep in your bones, Adam’s growth over time is palpable on the page and they come back together strong together. There are suck tender, soft moments that truly show a love that wasn’t meant to be before, but has finally found its way back home

THANK YOU I LOVED THIS ARC!
for an Ilya and Shane enthusiast I appreciated the differences and the nuance in their relationship. Im forever in love with Rachel Reid's writing and the way she makes you invested in her characters, never fails to amaze me her way with words and above all her portrayal of pining and yearning. Love her books so much.
Thank you thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC I thoroughly enjoyed it

I really liked this one. I liked the full second chance for both men. I felt the emotions radiating off of Riley. Not just his grief but his anxiety as well. The thing about the novel is the tenderness. The tenderness between family members as each grieves in their own way, but doesn’t abandon each other. The tenderness that Riley’s friends have for him, and then for Adam after knowing his past with Riley. The tenderness Adam has to patiently wait for Riley to forgive him, but to know what Riley needs as well. And then Riley’s tenderness to know that Adam was trying. It just made the novel more real for me.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

I was expecting a little more hockey but this takes place after both men are retired. While I understand Adam had a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality he still treated Riley abysmally. He does redeem himself in Riley’s eyes but he’s still awful. I normally enjoy second chance but this was just ok.

I really enjoyed Rachel Reid’s novel Time to Shine when I read it in spring 2024. So much so that I had my romance book club read it last November. I was, not surprisingly, very much looking forward to Reid’s latest, The Shots You Take - another M/M hockey romance. Perhaps it was high expectations but this one let me down in the end.

Here’s the book’s description:

After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.

I think I can see what Reid was trying to do with part of this story - show how the toxic masculinity of professional men’s hockey leaves no space for mental health issues or homosexuality. These are huge problems that continue to this day and it’s not surprising to anyone who pays at least a little bit of attention to pro hockey. Even though this is an important discussion and something that still needs a lot of work in the hockey world, it was sometimes hard to read about. Harder, I think, than I expected in a romance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that romances are diving into deeper issues but sometimes, like in this case, it just doesn’t quite land as I think Reid intended. At least, not for me.

The other heavy thing, that was also way more than I was expecting, was how Adam dealt with being gay. Now, I’m straight. I have no idea how hard it is to come to terms with being gay, especially not in a pro hockey environment. I don’t really blame him for how he approached *waves arms* everything. What was hard for me to read was how brutally he hurt Riley. I don’t know if I could have forgiven Adam for how he acted. He treated Riley like absolute garbage. But, of course, I’m not in love with Adam myself and love makes us do silly things sometimes. So, the first part of the book wasn’t really working for me. There was a ton of grief and pain that I was absolutely feeling through the characters but it wasn’t what I wanted to be feeling in this romance.

The book is mostly told in the present day but there are multiple chapters that hop back in time to tell how Riley and Adam got to the point they’re at today. I think this was probably the best choice so the reader gets to really be in the story with the guys. But that also meant the emotions were way more intense.

Trigger warnings abound. The book starts at the funeral of Riley’s father. There’s much discussion about being gay, being closeted, coming out, and being gay in pro sports. There’s also a lot of talk about mental health and Riley’s struggles are discussed in some detail.

I did like the small town vibes and how close Riley was to his remaining family members (though, as is common in a romance, they didn’t really have as much page time as one might want). I wanted to be friends with Adam’s ex-wife because she seemed like such an amazing woman.

I wanted to love The Shots You Take but Rachel Reid’s latest novel left a lot to be desired. There may be romance readers out there who love it but I’m not one of them.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, Carina Adores (Harlequin), via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Hockey+MM romance+Rachel Reid? Instaread and WHAT A RIDE! While this book was HOTHOTHOT, it also delicately navigated shame and grief and learning to communicate which is rare in a book so spicy!

I love Rachel Reid and her fictional hockey players. Did I love The Shots You Take? No, I didn't. But I liked it. The characters are compelling, the setting is different from what we've read in the past, and the secondish chance plot is convincing but needed a bit more space to develop. I didn't like how Adam treated Riley in their past or the much too quick resumption of their friendship and romance once Riley forgave him. I think many readers will feel the same. I just don't think a novel of this length allows for enough groveling to satisfy readers - even ones who like the second chance premise. And I would argue this isn't really a second chance, anyway. This is Adam's first chance at being the person Riley deserved from the start.

I liked it and I would recommend it - especially if you are a Rachel Reid fan, but with reservations if you aren't..

I was very excited to get this ARC. I have only read one other book by this author and I enjoyed that one quite a bit but I kept hearing such great things about her other books, that I wanted to read more. This book did not disappoint. It was even better than the previous one I read.

It was wonderful to see a second chance romance with older protagonists--both Adam and Riley are in their early 40s and I can't tell you how much I loved that. This book explores not only identity but also grief, finding ones place in the world, relationships. growing into who you are, and becoming comfortable with that person. It was warm and romantic, both funny and profoundly sad. The exploration of grief and loss--loss not only of a loved one but also of ones preconceived notions, ones family, ones sense of self, ones control of life and lived experiences, truly resonated. I ached so much for both the MCs at various parts of the story and I couldn't keep the smile off my face at other moments. The story has a maturity and depth to it, layered and complicated. I loved the dual narrative and the moving back and forth in time, following Adam and Riley's relationship from its early days. I loved that it followed a non linear progression that revealed more as the story progressed.
Absolutely beautiful storytelling. First love, forever love, second chances, family, home, and comfort all deliberated on in this book. The grief and mental health issues were deftly handled.

Highly recommended.

What I enjoyed the most about this story was how realistic and complicated the emotional journeys were for each character. Big feelings are weird and confusing! I didn't love how we got to the resolution but the characters were likeable.

Alright, well I sobbed through this entire book. And let me tell you, Adam is one heck of a lucky guy because if a man laughed in my face when I told him I loved him, it certainly wouldn’t be me letting him come back time and time again.
That being said, Adam definitely redeemed himself, and I’m glad Riley didn’t give in when he showed up at his Dad’s funeral.
Overall, The Shots You Take was such a bittersweet read.

In some ways, this feels like the what-if version of other Rachel Reid books: what if these characters didn't work out their feelings in time; what if life got in the way and separated them; what if they had to spend time apart and learning who they are on their own? With a slight twist on the kinds of stories she explored in her Game Changers series, Reid creates an emotional, memorable relationship between two men who have just never been able to stay away from each other.

In many ways, this is a story about loss: the loss of Riley's father, the loss of who Adam spent his life pretending he was, and, of course, the loss of their friendship for over a decade. But all that loss makes their love story feel so earned; after all this time, after everything they've been through, they're both still at their best when they're together.

Adam and Riley were best friends and teammates who played for the same NHL team. The two had a complicated friends with benefits relationship, but they haven’t seen or talked to each other in 12 years. Adam shows up in Riley’s hometown on the worst day of his life determined to be there for him and wanting to make amends for how things ended between them years ago.

I really enjoyed this one! Adam definitely made some really rough decisions in the past, and my heart broke for Riley in both timelines. But- I feel like I could empathize with where Adam was coming from, and I was really rooting for them to reconnect.

I love a good second chance romance, and this one has quickly become a favourite.

That being said, even though this book does deal with some heavier emotions, it doesn’t feel like a sad book. It felt very hopeful to me, and some parts even had me cracking up.

Adam and Riley played professional hockey together over a decade ago, were best friends and roommates but they were also a bit more than that. After having a falling out and not talking for 12 years, they find each other in the same place at the same time when Adam comes to see Riley after the death of his father. Will Riley be able to make amends with the man who broke his heart, or will his fear of living through it all over again stop him from giving Adam the chance he desperately wants?

I was so excited when I saw that Rachel Reid was coming out with a new book and I really enjoyed this one. Riley and Adam are so great together and I really love how complex and realistic their feelings are, how their relationship is with each other, and with the other members of Riley’s small town. The imagery was great and felt like I could actually picture the town, the the shop, and Riley’s very thoughtfully decorated house. Overall, loved this story and would definitely recommend! Perfect for fans of many tropes including: small town, sports, and second chance.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes because I love the history, there's no insta-love and you can often see how much characters have grown.

I definitely enjoyed this, but throughout the entire book I just felt really put off by the timing of Adam reappearing in Riley's life.

Had it been literally anything other than a parent's funeral, I may have been more accepting, but to not speak to someone for YEARS after laughing in their face when they told you they loved you and then confessing your love when they are at their most vulnerable and broken felt wrong.

Another winner from Rachel Reid!

This book was such a breath of fresh air, which says a lot considering its yet another MM Hockey Romance (which isn't a bad thing!)

I devoured this one in a couple of sittings. This was such an easy read with just the right amount of angst, fluff and spice - hehe. I loved it!

4 stars rounded up from 3.5, I was very conflicted on my feelings about Adam and how he treated Riley in the past. My heart went out to Riley the entire time, we meet him right as he’s laying his dad to rest and then Adam shows up for the first time in over a decade and I don’t blame Riley for being pissed at all. I appreciate the growth Adam had but man it was hard to read some of it, I found myself commiserating with Riley, who is a better person than me because I don’t think I would have been able to forgive Adam. Anyway, second chance at first love for both of them, hockey romance though the hockey was more in flashbacks since both MMCs are in their early 40s. I did find myself smiling at the epilogue.

This is a second chance romance about retired NHL players, and it’s set in small town Nova Scotia!!

This was frustrating at first because of the way Adam hurt Riley in the past, I wasn’t sure if I could forgive him. However I found myself rooting for them and I especially wanted Riley to find his happiness. Adam definitely had character growth but I wanted more acknowledgment of the pain he caused Riley and how much that affected him. I felt the ending was super quick but I liked the epilogue to see how they ended up. Overall I did find their romance to be super sweet and I enjoyed the small town aspects and side characters.