Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.

Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.

Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great.

As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…

 

Book Review

A classic enemies-to-lovers romance, ‘Heated Rivalry’ has the sparks between both main characters flying from the word go. Shane and Ilya are almost stereotypical tough-guy hockey players, so while their sexual attraction is undeniable, emotions are “not allowed” – at least throughout most of the book. Their situation certainly qualifies as “complicated”, what with hockey careers and the ability to stay in the US for Russian player Ilya at stake. I have to admit that I did not like the fact their relationship does not get resolved completely by the end of the book, but, having read ahead as one can when coming late to a series, they seem to get another chance in volume six. So, hold onto hope for now!

 

Shane Hollander is the captain of the Montreal Voyageurs and determined to have the greatest hockey career imaginable. He has known Ilya as a rival since their rookie training camp and has been sexually attracted to him almost as long. But there are many obstacles in their way. First, Shane cannot admit that he is gay and is desperately ashamed of his “needs” even as he cannot resist acting on them. Second, there is the impossibility of admitting he has feelings that go beyond the physical for Ilya; Shane is in denial so long that I got really impatient with him. And third, there is the impossibility of coming out as gay (or bisexual, in his case) without endangering his professional hockey career – even later, when Scott from book one comes out, Shane cannot see himself doing the same. What a mess!

 

Ilya Rosanov is the captain of the Boston Bears, a sworn rival team of the Voyageurs, and he enjoys being a “bad boy” almost as much as playing hockey. Beating other teams, especially Shane’s, makes him get up in the mornings. He is self-confident, overbearing, a self-proclaimed king of the ice, and were that all there is to him, I would not have been able to like him. However, as the story develops it turns out that there is a lot more under the surface, and the more was revealed about his past and current circumstances, the easier it was for me to like him as well.

 

The way Shane and Ilya maneuver around the issues and manage to build a secret relationship is convoluted and cleverly done, though I found a lot of it frustrating. Even so, they only manage a HFN at the end of the novel and secrets of the romantic kind are still well and truly buried when the curtain comes down. You’ll have to wait until ‘The Long Game’ – or you could always read ahead. The other stories until then stand on their own, though some of the secondary characters do develop over time within the series arc.

 

If you like your hockey romances hot and heavy with lots of sex, if denial between romantic partners is your thing, and if you’re looking for lots of hockey details paired with a little character development, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 309 pages/66000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-March-2019
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5K8SFW