Why Heated Rivalry Works: A Love Story Done Right
Like so many others, I am completely in love with Heated Rivalry. Today, I want to break it down and figure out what makes it so good. I’ll look briefly at the books and the show, and then dig into why I think it’s resonating so strongly with audiences.
Potential spoilers ahead.
Heated Rivalry is a hockey romance, currently airing on HBO Max, based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid. It follows Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov as they rise through the hockey ranks as elite players and fierce rivals, all while hiding a secret relationship.
It’s often described as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but honestly, the “enemies” part mostly comes from the hockey world constantly pitting them against each other. The feelings between them run far too deep, far too fast, for it to ever feel truly antagonistic.
There are six books in the Game Changers series, with books two and six focusing on Shane and Ilya. Season one of the show largely follows book two, Heated Rivalry, with the exception of episode three, which adapts book one and tells Scott Hunter and Kip Grady’s story.
The Books
Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s start with the books.
I saw the trailer for Heated Rivalry and immediately knew I wanted to watch the show, but I decided to read the books first. And honestly? Game Changer, the first book, left me underwhelmed.
I usually love this kind of romance. But this story felt oddly hollow. The characters were good, Scott Hunter and Kip Grady are complex and intriguing characters, the conflict was engaging enough that I didn’t want to put it down, but every intimate moment felt the same. Like the dialogue had been copied and pasted into each scene. I also felt like the characters didn't communicate properly with each other. We would learn what they were thinking and feeling but they never seemed to express it to each other.
At that point, I genuinely wondered why this series was so highly praised.
But the show trailer still had me hooked, so I pushed on to Heated Rivalry, and I am so glad I did. The difference between the first two books is almost night and day. Rachel Reid takes everything that worked in book one and fixes most of what didn’t. The result is a story I fell in love with.
Shane and Ilya’s dynamic is genuinely beautiful. Their relationship grows and changes over years, not days, and you can feel how much they affect each other. If I’m being picky, there’s one thing I would have liked more of: quiet moments where they just talk and really get to know each other. And like book one I feel they don't communicate with each other about the important stuff. Sometimes it feels like the relationship jumps from sex to love very quickly without enough on-page transition.
That said, this is me nitpicking. The emotional core is there, and it works extremely well.
That leap in quality kept me reading the rest of the series, and I fell in love with the characters again and again. I plan to do proper book-by-book reviews later, because I want to celebrate them and honestly, I just want an excuse to reread them. For now, though, the first two books are the only ones that matter since they’re the foundation of season one.
The Show
Season one of Heated Rivalry adapts books one and two. I’ll keep this section brief, as I plan to do full episode breakdowns later.
Episode One introduces Shane and Ilya meeting for the first time, getting drafted, and hooking up. They both know it’s a terrible idea, but neither of them can stop. Ilya even engineers more time together by suggesting they shoot a commercial. Their competitiveness makes for a rocky start, made worse when Shane wins Rookie of the Year and publicly calls Ilya out for being a sore loser.
Episode Two focuses on distance, both physical and emotional. Ilya struggles being back in Russia with his sick father, his failing team, and the very real danger of being discovered due to Russian laws. Shane, meanwhile, is trying to make sense of his feelings after waiting two years to sleep with Ilya, only to be ignored for six months afterwards. When they finally reconnect, it does not go the way either of them hoped.
Episode Three shifts to Scott Hunter and Kip Grady. In my opinion, it’s the weakest episode. Not because it’s bad, but because it has to do too much. It introduces them, their relationship, explores Scott’s inability to come out, shows the emotional toll on Kip, and then breaks them apart. That’s an entire book condensed into 48 minutes. As a result, it tells more than it shows, and everything feels rushed.
That said, this episode needed to exist. Without it, the moment in episode five would not hit nearly as hard. I’m glad we saw this story, even if it moves at breakneck speed.
Episode Four returns to Shane and Ilya, and it’s both beautiful and heartbreaking. After years of casual hookups, things finally slow down. Shane spends an afternoon with Ilya without rushing off. They’re more open, more domestic. Ilya makes Shane a tuna melt. Shane is there for Ilya after a difficult call home.
And then Shane panics.
He runs straight into a very public relationship with actress Rose Landry, something he and Ilya could never have. The jealousy, the contrast, and the emotional fallout is devastating.
Episode Five is, quite simply, incredible. Every scene is packed with emotion, growth, and genuine connection. Rose helps Shane realise he’s gay, and they remain friends. Shane and Ilya reconnect during the All-Star game and finally talk honestly about where they stand. Ilya goes home for his father’s funeral and reaches out to Shane, confessing in Russian that he loves him and doesn’t know what to do.
Then Shane is seriously injured during a game, terrifying Ilya. A drugged-up Shane invites Ilya to his cottage. Ilya hesitates, knowing how hard it would be to spend that much time alone with him.
And then the moment that still takes my breath away every single time: Scott wins the Cup, invites Kip onto the ice, and kisses him in front of everyone. A public coming out. That act gives Ilya the courage to accept Shane’s invitation.
Episode Six isn’t out as I write this, but based on the books, we can safely assume some big things are coming. Most notably, Shane’s parents finding out. I cannot wait. And yes, season two is confirmed. Thank you, universe.
Why the Hype?
So why is Heated Rivalry doing so well with audiences and critics?
Because it’s a genuinely well-crafted romance, and we are not homophobic.
I don’t usually like to draw attention to the genders of the couples I watch. I honestly don’t care, as long as the story is good. But I do think this matters. Romance between a man and a woman has become surprisingly rare in film and television lately, at least in terms of well-written, emotionally satisfying stories. A lot of us are just craving romance in any form.
But Heated Rivalry isn’t just filling a gap. It has depth. The characters have flaws and strengths. They change. They grow. They support each other. They are proud of each other. And most importantly, they genuinely like being together.
When I look at the shows I’ve loved recently, they’re all romances. Heartstopper. Red, White & Royal Blue. Shadowhunters. Yes, most of them centre queer relationships, but that’s not the point. The point is that they are doing romance well, and we are starving for it.
People want love stories with compelling characters and an engaging backdrop. In this case, it just happens to be hockey.
For me
I think part of why these books and the show hit me so hard is that I didn’t realise how much I missed watching people choose each other. No games. No cruelty disguised as banter. No undercutting the emotion. Just two people trying, failing, and trying again.
There’s something about these stories that lingers. I finished them and didn’t immediately move on to the next thing. The characters stayed with me, and I wanted to watch and read it all over again. That usually only happens when a relationship feels emotionally coherent, not just exciting in the moment.
The feelings from the books carried through into the show and were magnified. I found myself crying more than once, not because it was tragic, well not most of the time, but because it felt so genuine. It reminded me how rare it is to see a romance that doesn’t flinch away from sincerity.
Conclusion
Heated Rivalry feels like a show made with care, and you can feel that in every scene and every interview the cast has done. I cannot wait for episode six and for season two. It’s shaping up to be something really special.
Have you watched the show or read the books? What was your favourite moment?
And as always, thank you for reading, and let’s see what other secrets we can uncover next time on Nerdy Investigations.
