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Game Changers #1
逆转攻陷
“逆转攻势”系列之一
一次偶然的光顾，冰球运动员斯科特对果昔店店员基普产生了好感。通过频频光顾，斯科特终于换来基普的回应，两人顺利展开了甜蜜的交往。但有一个问题——在此之前，从没有过现役的NHL运动员公开出柜，而斯科特更是万众瞩目的纽约队明星队长。另一边，基普自认只是个大学毕业后求职不顺的啃老打工仔，身份悬殊的两个人，真的能安心在一起吗？
一次偶然的光顾，冰球运动员斯科特对果昔店店员基普产生了好感。通过频频光顾，斯科特终于换来基普的回应，两人顺利展开了甜蜜的交往。但有一个问题——在此之前，从没有过现役的NHL运动员公开出柜，而斯科特更是万众瞩目的纽约队明星队长。另一边，基普自认只是个大学毕业后求职不顺的啃老打工仔，身份悬殊的两个人，真的能安心在一起吗？
ebook
First published October 22, 2018
About the author
Rachel Reid
17 books13k followersRachel Reid is the pen name of Rachelle Goguen. She chose it because it is much easier to say, spell and remember than Rachelle Goguen!
Rachel writes cute, romantic smut, mostly about hockey players. Her Game Changers m/m hockey romance series is available from Carina Press.
Rachel/Rachelle lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has always lived there, and it's looking like she probably always will. She has two boring degrees and two interesting kids.
Rachel writes cute, romantic smut, mostly about hockey players. Her Game Changers m/m hockey romance series is available from Carina Press.
Rachel/Rachelle lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has always lived there, and it's looking like she probably always will. She has two boring degrees and two interesting kids.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,939 reviews
August 6, 2018
*2.5 stars*
I almost rounded up with this one because the ending was 1000% better than the first half, but I remembered how much I didn't enjoy the first 50% of the story and I couldn't do it.
Look, I think a ton of people are going to love this one. It's a cute story about a closeted hockey player (automatic bonus points because HOCKEY) and his smoothie-making love interest. There is a lot of sex (more on that later), and I know the story will find its fan base. However, this wasn't the kind of story I typically enjoy.
I have certain requirements when it comes to my romances, and it's really important for me to have a slow burn. If the book is exceptionally good, I can do a quickie and insta-love at first meeting, but that's like a once-a-year exception for me.
Game Changer had such a rapid turn from meeting to love that my head was spinning. I really don't like when we get hook-ups and lovey dovey stuff in the first portion of the story, and it was just too fast for me to feel like any of it was real.
Plus, those non-stop sex scenes. I actually skimmed all of them after the first two because constant sex without that sexual tension build-up does nearly nothing for me. It was excessive for my tastes, and I just wasn't into it at all.
The first part of the story felt superficial, repetitive, and formulaic to me. However, after the 50% mark things started to turn around.
I honestly was happy at the sappy last 25% of the story. I'm a romance reader, so gestures of romance make my heart happy. Though I still don't believe that someone with as much on the line as Scott would move so fast after just a few months of dating, the last portion of the story was much better for me and nearly bumped my rating to 3-stars.
I'm sure this book will do really well, and I'm happy for the author for getting her first book out there (no small thing!), but I don't think I'm the audience for this kind of story, hockey MC aside. Though I'd tune back in if the author went with an enemies-to-lovers or slow-burn theme for her next book in the series...
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
I almost rounded up with this one because the ending was 1000% better than the first half, but I remembered how much I didn't enjoy the first 50% of the story and I couldn't do it.
Look, I think a ton of people are going to love this one. It's a cute story about a closeted hockey player (automatic bonus points because HOCKEY) and his smoothie-making love interest. There is a lot of sex (more on that later), and I know the story will find its fan base. However, this wasn't the kind of story I typically enjoy.
I have certain requirements when it comes to my romances, and it's really important for me to have a slow burn. If the book is exceptionally good, I can do a quickie and insta-love at first meeting, but that's like a once-a-year exception for me.
Game Changer had such a rapid turn from meeting to love that my head was spinning. I really don't like when we get hook-ups and lovey dovey stuff in the first portion of the story, and it was just too fast for me to feel like any of it was real.
Plus, those non-stop sex scenes. I actually skimmed all of them after the first two because constant sex without that sexual tension build-up does nearly nothing for me. It was excessive for my tastes, and I just wasn't into it at all.
The first part of the story felt superficial, repetitive, and formulaic to me. However, after the 50% mark things started to turn around.
I honestly was happy at the sappy last 25% of the story. I'm a romance reader, so gestures of romance make my heart happy. Though I still don't believe that someone with as much on the line as Scott would move so fast after just a few months of dating, the last portion of the story was much better for me and nearly bumped my rating to 3-stars.
I'm sure this book will do really well, and I'm happy for the author for getting her first book out there (no small thing!), but I don't think I'm the audience for this kind of story, hockey MC aside. Though I'd tune back in if the author went with an enemies-to-lovers or slow-burn theme for her next book in the series...
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
December 2, 2025
If my millionaire boy toy offered to pay off my student debt I would cash that check so fast idgaf
December 5, 2025
3.5⭐️ Kip and Scott are truly so wholesome! This book was like a warm hug. I’m so excited to see them come to life in the tv show. Truly the cutest couple I can’t!! And the Ilya crumbs >>>>>>>> of course like that was my favorite part because that man is everything to me. I will say though like the insta love got to be a bit much at points and I felt like Kip weirdly just “got over” a lot of his issues sooooo fast it caught me off guard. Could have also done with a little less spice I was skipping it at the end but it was still a light fun read!
November 9, 2019
Audio - 1.5 Star
All I can say is that the narrator's performance, though not perfect, improves in the second book. His performance as Kip was painful to listen to. Like I stated in my update, to me, it sounded like either Kip had a speech impediment or like he was doing a bad impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Story - 3.5 Stars
Not as good as book 2 but still quite enjoyable.
All I can say is that the narrator's performance, though not perfect, improves in the second book. His performance as Kip was painful to listen to. Like I stated in my update, to me, it sounded like either Kip had a speech impediment or like he was doing a bad impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Story - 3.5 Stars
Not as good as book 2 but still quite enjoyable.
July 27, 2024
2.5 stars
I swear to God the next book better live up to the hype or I'm not trusting any of you ever again.
I swear to God the next book better live up to the hype or I'm not trusting any of you ever again.
July 9, 2018
I've never watched a hockey game in my life, but I love books about hockey players. Because HOCKEY PLAYERS. No explanation required.
Scott Hunter is a closeted star hockey player, team captain, and a minor celebrity in New York. His team is having an amazing season, but he's not bringing his A game. One day, he stops by a smoothie shop and orders a blueberry concoction. The smoothie is good, but the guy who makes it is even better.
Kip is 25 and has an undergrad degree in history. He has no real direction and hates his menial job, but doesn't seem motivated to do much else. Kip is a cutie: sweet, snarky, and utterly obsessed with the hot hockey player who keeps coming round to Straw+Berry.
Scott and Kip jump into a relationship very quickly and have out-of-this-world chemistry. The conflict stems from Scott's unwillingness to come out. Kip doesn't push, not initially, but once Scott's team makes the playoffs, he starts to feel like an accessory to Scott's life, especially when Scott doesn't even consider bringing him as a date to the team's dinner banquet.
I became frustrated with both MCs as the story progressed: Scott adores Kip, but his fear of coming out makes Kip feel like a dirty secret. Kip, on the other hand, gives Scott all his time and attention without asking for anything in return, and when it becomes too much, he runs instead of sitting Scott down and sharing his grievances.
I have to admit that the first half of Game Changer dragged a little for me. The MCs jump into bed almost immediately and never come up for air. I scream for steam, so it pains me to say this, but *whispers* there was perhaps too much sex in this story. At times, it felt like filler.
The story picked up in the second half, as I became more invested in the men's relationship, which doesn't exist in a vacuum. There's an actual world outside of Scott's bedroom.
The secondary characters are very well sketched, and the camaraderie Scott has with his team is heartwarming. I loved Scott's best friend Carter who teases relentlessly because he cares, as well as Kip's friends Elena and Maria, who are hilarious.
The angst is fairly minimal. At one point, Scott has to deal with a destructive teammate, but that story line doesn't go anywhere. Kip's family is super supportive (Kip's dad for the win!), as are Scott's close friends.
Some readers might find Scott and Kip's interactions to be sugar-coma inducing, but I (not so secretly) love that kind of stuff. Close-to-perfect relationships do exist in real life, and it's nice to see two well adjusted men who don't shy away from commitment.
Includes: romantic dinners, lots of dirty talk, a public kiss that changes everything, humour, and a hopeful HEA. I see the potential for a fun series (hello, Finnish god of hockey!) and would definitely read another book by Rachel Reid in the future.
Scott Hunter is a closeted star hockey player, team captain, and a minor celebrity in New York. His team is having an amazing season, but he's not bringing his A game. One day, he stops by a smoothie shop and orders a blueberry concoction. The smoothie is good, but the guy who makes it is even better.
Kip is 25 and has an undergrad degree in history. He has no real direction and hates his menial job, but doesn't seem motivated to do much else. Kip is a cutie: sweet, snarky, and utterly obsessed with the hot hockey player who keeps coming round to Straw+Berry.
Scott and Kip jump into a relationship very quickly and have out-of-this-world chemistry. The conflict stems from Scott's unwillingness to come out. Kip doesn't push, not initially, but once Scott's team makes the playoffs, he starts to feel like an accessory to Scott's life, especially when Scott doesn't even consider bringing him as a date to the team's dinner banquet.
I became frustrated with both MCs as the story progressed: Scott adores Kip, but his fear of coming out makes Kip feel like a dirty secret. Kip, on the other hand, gives Scott all his time and attention without asking for anything in return, and when it becomes too much, he runs instead of sitting Scott down and sharing his grievances.
I have to admit that the first half of Game Changer dragged a little for me. The MCs jump into bed almost immediately and never come up for air. I scream for steam, so it pains me to say this, but *whispers* there was perhaps too much sex in this story. At times, it felt like filler.
The story picked up in the second half, as I became more invested in the men's relationship, which doesn't exist in a vacuum. There's an actual world outside of Scott's bedroom.
The secondary characters are very well sketched, and the camaraderie Scott has with his team is heartwarming. I loved Scott's best friend Carter who teases relentlessly because he cares, as well as Kip's friends Elena and Maria, who are hilarious.
The angst is fairly minimal. At one point, Scott has to deal with a destructive teammate, but that story line doesn't go anywhere. Kip's family is super supportive (Kip's dad for the win!), as are Scott's close friends.
Some readers might find Scott and Kip's interactions to be sugar-coma inducing, but I (not so secretly) love that kind of stuff. Close-to-perfect relationships do exist in real life, and it's nice to see two well adjusted men who don't shy away from commitment.
Includes: romantic dinners, lots of dirty talk, a public kiss that changes everything, humour, and a hopeful HEA. I see the potential for a fun series (hello, Finnish god of hockey!) and would definitely read another book by Rachel Reid in the future.
December 16, 2025
Like, the book was okay?
Kip and Scott are kinda mid and you can’t change my mind.
As I mentioned in my updates, this was kinda the most generic plotted, basic bitch snooze fest 😴😴😴😴 …
and not a single smidge of brain processing power was needed in the creation of this book… so that could be a positive or negative depending on what you want?
Kip and Scott were cute enough, the ending actually had a cute moment that made me squeeeeeee, they smashed a lot (I supported that) but they got together very early and then it felt like…
Uhhhh…. How is there 82% of book left to go…?
What could possibly happen?….
The answer….? Literally nothing.
Also, lowkey felt like.. a word limit was hit…. because the amount of times the letter ‘i’ was cut out of a sentence WAS INFURIATING.
Yes it’s a me problem, but I couldn’t stop hyper focussing on it. I get it meant to be breathy or sexy or something but I don’t know why it annoys me so much.
“Wanna feel you”
“Need you”
“Wanna see it”
🤢😡💢
please stop doing that.👏
Kip and Scott are kinda mid and you can’t change my mind.
As I mentioned in my updates, this was kinda the most generic plotted, basic bitch snooze fest 😴😴😴😴 …
and not a single smidge of brain processing power was needed in the creation of this book… so that could be a positive or negative depending on what you want?
Kip and Scott were cute enough, the ending actually had a cute moment that made me squeeeeeee, they smashed a lot (I supported that) but they got together very early and then it felt like…
Uhhhh…. How is there 82% of book left to go…?
What could possibly happen?….
The answer….? Literally nothing.
Also, lowkey felt like.. a word limit was hit…. because the amount of times the letter ‘i’ was cut out of a sentence WAS INFURIATING.
Yes it’s a me problem, but I couldn’t stop hyper focussing on it. I get it meant to be breathy or sexy or something but I don’t know why it annoys me so much.
“Wanna feel you”
“Need you”
“Wanna see it”
🤢😡💢
please stop doing that.👏
May 25, 2026
"What’s wrong with the closet? It’s a wonderful place crammed full of professional athletes."Scott Hunter - star hockey player - has hit a slump. He's still training hard, eating right, the whole shebang but he can't perform on the ice.
Enter Kip, a worker at a smoothie store, who serves Scott a blueberry-pineapple-kale smoothie and (seemingly) miraculously fixes Scott's game.
"It’s the playoffs. I don’t know if you get how big a deal that is. I’ve got a team—a city—depending on me. It’s everything to me."
Scott claims it's the smoothie...but deep down, he really knows what's made the difference.
But in a world so closed off, how will he ever find the courage to come out?
Soooooo....Let's just say there was a lot of spice that carried this book. I think the entirety of this plot could be condensed into 2 chapters, maybe 3 if you stretch it...
“Kip was speechless. And Scott looked absolutely tortured. His eyes were pleading with Kip to understand him. To not make him spell it out.”
But did I read the whole thing immediately? Yes.
When my mom asked what I was reading, did I shriek like a teenager and hide the book under a pillow? Also yes.
Did I learn anything about hockey? Absolutely not.
But honestly, hockey wasn't the point at all. It was fun and light-hearted.
And sometimes you just need a book where you know what's going to happen, you know where everyone is going, and you're just along for the ride.
Ps listening to the audiobook was rough. The Brooklyn accent on Kip was horrendous enough that I swapped it for a real book. Ugh. I really hope the accent is turned down for future books.
February 3, 2026
Trying to keep it cool but THAT WAS SO GOOD?! WHAT?! I understand the hype entirely. This was such a good story I was kicking my feet, giggling and crying throughout this. I think it does such a good job of highlighting how stigmatised being gay/queer in stereotypically ‘masculine’ line of work/sport is still. One of the things I appreciate about MM romance is that we often get main male characters that are emotionally complex, capable of being vulnerable unlike the one dimensional ‘alpha’ male stereotype characters we sometimes get in straight romance stories.
December 13, 2021
1.5 stars
My rating for this book does not reflect my enjoyment of the entire book, but rather one plot point that I just didn’t like and that I think is problematic in the way it was shown.
This was a buddy read with my dear Candy, thank you for the moral support bestie, it really was needed for this one.
Brief summary
Kip works at a smoothie shop and Scott goes to get something there. Scott is a big time hockey player thats not having a good season. They end up falling in love but run into issues because Scott doesn’t want to come out and Kip does not feel comfortable hidding their relationship.
I will be honest, I was loving this book before the 71% mark. I was well on my way to a book I really loved. I was loving the banter, the super sweet romance, how everything was kind of awkward at first and then super sweet in their relationship and Scott, who is one of the best main character of all time and now a favourite of mine. Also the hockey parts were super lovely and as a hockey fan, I really appreciated them, a lot. And Scott’s teamates were such a good group of guys and I loved them.
But at 70%, they get into an argument because Kip wants Scott to come out and Scott does not want to. They go their separate way, but they are not broken up, they never say anything about being broken up, they just had a fight, but it wasn’t a break up. And after that, another guy kisses Kip and Kip kisses him back. They stop at that but considering that Scott and Kip hadn’t broken up, that is cheating. No amount of excuses and the fact that they had fought makes it any better to me, it’s still cheating in the situation they were in. Even if Kip stoped the kiss, he still kissed the other dude back. And then no one talked about it being cheating or anything, and Kip did not even tell Scott or apologize about it. Which really rubed me the wrong way, I just wish they talked about it atleast. It’s not a good sign if you’re hiding things like kissing someone else from your partner. But it was still cheating and I just cannot get behind a romance in which one of the character cheats because they get in a little fight. Expecially since they just got in a fight and hadn’t broken up. And it’s even worst for me if that character doesn’t tell his character what happened, I just cannot see a romance working with that event as a fundation.
Also, I didn’t like how it was Scott who had to apologize and come out to be with Kip (after Kip had pressured him into it) when in this situation, it was Kip was seemed to be in the wrong and should have been the one apologizing. I really don’t like the trope of the wrong person apologizing and I don’t like the pressuring someone into coming out thing, at all, so those parts didn’t work for me either.
There were many sweet scenes after that and I did really love the start of the book but sadly I just couldn’t enjoy the book knowing that one of the main character is ready to cheat on his partner any time they have a small disagreement.
My rating for this book does not reflect my enjoyment of the entire book, but rather one plot point that I just didn’t like and that I think is problematic in the way it was shown.
This was a buddy read with my dear Candy, thank you for the moral support bestie, it really was needed for this one.
Brief summary
Kip works at a smoothie shop and Scott goes to get something there. Scott is a big time hockey player thats not having a good season. They end up falling in love but run into issues because Scott doesn’t want to come out and Kip does not feel comfortable hidding their relationship.
I will be honest, I was loving this book before the 71% mark. I was well on my way to a book I really loved. I was loving the banter, the super sweet romance, how everything was kind of awkward at first and then super sweet in their relationship and Scott, who is one of the best main character of all time and now a favourite of mine. Also the hockey parts were super lovely and as a hockey fan, I really appreciated them, a lot. And Scott’s teamates were such a good group of guys and I loved them.
But at 70%, they get into an argument because Kip wants Scott to come out and Scott does not want to. They go their separate way, but they are not broken up, they never say anything about being broken up, they just had a fight, but it wasn’t a break up. And after that, another guy kisses Kip and Kip kisses him back. They stop at that but considering that Scott and Kip hadn’t broken up, that is cheating. No amount of excuses and the fact that they had fought makes it any better to me, it’s still cheating in the situation they were in. Even if Kip stoped the kiss, he still kissed the other dude back. And then no one talked about it being cheating or anything, and Kip did not even tell Scott or apologize about it. Which really rubed me the wrong way, I just wish they talked about it atleast. It’s not a good sign if you’re hiding things like kissing someone else from your partner. But it was still cheating and I just cannot get behind a romance in which one of the character cheats because they get in a little fight. Expecially since they just got in a fight and hadn’t broken up. And it’s even worst for me if that character doesn’t tell his character what happened, I just cannot see a romance working with that event as a fundation.
Also, I didn’t like how it was Scott who had to apologize and come out to be with Kip (after Kip had pressured him into it) when in this situation, it was Kip was seemed to be in the wrong and should have been the one apologizing. I really don’t like the trope of the wrong person apologizing and I don’t like the pressuring someone into coming out thing, at all, so those parts didn’t work for me either.
There were many sweet scenes after that and I did really love the start of the book but sadly I just couldn’t enjoy the book knowing that one of the main character is ready to cheat on his partner any time they have a small disagreement.
October 20, 2018
3.5 cute sugar coma stars
This was me while reading this book!
M C 1: Kip! Like Carter, I like that name- Kip is an out and proud smoothie maker at Straw+Berry place, with a History degree that he has no idea how to use. I loved Kip, he is so adorable, loving, cute.
MC 2: Scott is a closeted hockey star and a sports celebrity. I liked Scott, he is charming, a great hockey player, and so cute. But at some point I wanted to slap him hard for dragging Kip back into the closet.
These two meet when Scott stops by Straw+Berry, to order a smoothie and is served by Kip. The connection is instant. These two stupid fools jump into a relationship faster than a speeding bullet. Although it is Insta lust/love, I felt the chemistry between Kip and Scott from the get go. They were too cute for my taste but I have to admit once in while I like to bathe in sugar and honey and these two gave me that.
The first half of the story was sweet and hot! it focused on Scott and Kip getting to know each other, this part had A LOT of Sex! that became repetitive. I like sex in my books, but here it was just too much, it felt like the sex scenes were used as page fillers. I hope book 2 rectifies that.
The second part is where it all comes together, after the honeymoon sex-fest bliss fades; Kip is really hit with the downside of dating a closeted athlete. I got frustrated with both Kip and Scott. They love each other deeply but Scott is reluctant to come out of the closet and treats Kip like his dirty little secret and Kip is afraid to push, yet he wants to do normal couple things. I just wanted to shake them both.
For a debut book this is well written and a feel good story, we have enough dose of banter. It is cute without being cheesy and the author got me invested enough to continue with this series. The MCs are so likable and the other supporting characters are amazing too.
I would like to believe this is not the final copy, there was a problem with formatting that affected the POV changes.
Overall I really did have a good time with this book.
Recommended when you are in the mood for some sugar rush, cuteness overload, low angst read.
ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This was me while reading this book!
M C 1: Kip! Like Carter, I like that name- Kip is an out and proud smoothie maker at Straw+Berry place, with a History degree that he has no idea how to use. I loved Kip, he is so adorable, loving, cute.
MC 2: Scott is a closeted hockey star and a sports celebrity. I liked Scott, he is charming, a great hockey player, and so cute. But at some point I wanted to slap him hard for dragging Kip back into the closet.
These two meet when Scott stops by Straw+Berry, to order a smoothie and is served by Kip. The connection is instant. These two stupid fools jump into a relationship faster than a speeding bullet. Although it is Insta lust/love, I felt the chemistry between Kip and Scott from the get go. They were too cute for my taste but I have to admit once in while I like to bathe in sugar and honey and these two gave me that.
The first half of the story was sweet and hot! it focused on Scott and Kip getting to know each other, this part had A LOT of Sex! that became repetitive. I like sex in my books, but here it was just too much, it felt like the sex scenes were used as page fillers. I hope book 2 rectifies that.
The second part is where it all comes together, after the honeymoon sex-fest bliss fades; Kip is really hit with the downside of dating a closeted athlete. I got frustrated with both Kip and Scott. They love each other deeply but Scott is reluctant to come out of the closet and treats Kip like his dirty little secret and Kip is afraid to push, yet he wants to do normal couple things. I just wanted to shake them both.
For a debut book this is well written and a feel good story, we have enough dose of banter. It is cute without being cheesy and the author got me invested enough to continue with this series. The MCs are so likable and the other supporting characters are amazing too.
I would like to believe this is not the final copy, there was a problem with formatting that affected the POV changes.
Overall I really did have a good time with this book.
Recommended when you are in the mood for some sugar rush, cuteness overload, low angst read.
ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
December 29, 2025
It got a *bit* repetitive about halfway thru, but I had a great time with this!! It’s cute, raunchy, and the perfect way to end the year. On to book 2 🫡
***edited to add- this is my first ever gay romance series, and if I didn’t love the show so much I probably wouldn’t have ever picked this up, but seeing how I loved the adaptation I just had to have more, and yeah no this was pretty much what i was wanting! Admittedly, the writing could be better, but I honestly didn’t care bc I was having a good time 😂
***edited to add- this is my first ever gay romance series, and if I didn’t love the show so much I probably wouldn’t have ever picked this up, but seeing how I loved the adaptation I just had to have more, and yeah no this was pretty much what i was wanting! Admittedly, the writing could be better, but I honestly didn’t care bc I was having a good time 😂
July 2, 2025
1.5 stars
I don't think a book has ever simultaneously bored me to tears and then proceeded to piss me off as much as this one did.
I didn't DNF as I wanted to in the first half because I did pay 4 bucks for this and I did see reviews that said it got better.
It did not get better for me.
It at least got less boring, which is why I gave it 1.5 stars, but then while it kept my attention it just started to piss me the fuck off. More accurately, Kip did.
The first half was basically this:
- They meet, barely talk, but like each other
- They dance around not doing much until a few weeks later
- They have sex, and then some more sex. All the dialogue is pretty boring and it just says "they talked and laughed" for what I bet was the interesting, getting to know you shit.
- Kit is actually likable, and sweet and that was one plus
- I actually didn't mind Scott
- But Kit & Scott being somewhat likable did not save me from the boredom. I started skimming a lot of parts - which didn't stop in the second half, but that was more skipping because I was pissed off - and did not care for the long, drawn out sex scenes. Like usually I hate when there is barely any detail...but then I guess there is also TOO much detail, too many times. I don't need each sex scene written out in like 5, 6 page long detail.
The second half, while it had less sex (but still had those drawn out sex scenes regardless), instead of bored me, it:
- Caused drama for drama's sake.
- I get being annoyed and frustrated and not wanting to be closeted, and I get not liking have to hide, but Kip didn't last one fucking month before he was done with the sneaking around.
- At two months, he just couldn't handle it anymore, got into a fight with Scott and walked out. Real fucking mature.
- OH! Oh, but then - and I don't care about spoiling this even, although I guess this is warning enough for a spoiler - but then after he walks out, he goes and gets drunk and kisses another guy. Well, the guy kisses him, but then he kisses back. Which I wouldn't have minded, seeing as he pulls back and doesn't go further, but then he doesn't tell Scott about it at all. AT ALL. Yeah, what a great relationship these two have, lying about shit - on Kip's part mainly.
- Which reminds me that he never tells Scott about his job interview, because he doesn't want to feel like a failure in Scott's eyes. Which isn't even trusting Scott or giving him the benefit of the doubt, but okay. Also, he never tells Scott about that failed job interview either. And Kip eventually tells Scott about getting into Grad School.
I'm sorry, but I couldn't get behind Kip's asshole behavior, and then of COURSE - I fucking knew it was coming - it was Scott apologizing, it was Scott reaching out, it was Scott saying he was going to fix things. Look, not to say that Scott always handled things the best - he didn't, and he wasn't always the nicest to Kip. But Kip didn't tell Scott any of what was bothering him, and then even as he's thinking "i'm not gonna pressure Scott" he goes and pressures Scott, and has the gall to not even try and empathize with what Scott is going through, as if it's just that easy for Scott to come out.
Right, so that's why there are no out players in the major sports in America (And the one who did - in Football - faded into obscurity). Makes SO much sense.
Kip was not cute, he was not sweet and he was a major asshole. Not understanding at all, and PLUS the whole thing with Kyle and that kiss and not telling Scott about it - and I realize Kip was drunk and I blame Kyle more for the kiss itself, because he knew Kip was drunk, but Kip still should have told Scott - or telling him about his life much, really, and then acting like the victim and going along and not taking responsibility for his shit, or letting Scott in and trusting him.
God, I don't know why I hated this book so much - I've read other hockey books with closeted characters, read one recently where a situation was similar to this...but it just handled it SO much better! For one, neither MC's acted like Kip, so that's a plus, and also they talked and made it work.
But after all the drama and how Kip acted, it was pretty easy after all for Scott to come out. Which wouldn't bother me too much - stories don't always have to be realistic - except I was already pissed and annoyed by this story and Scott being so sweet to Kip when frankly, Kip didn't deserve it.
Also, an aside, the writing wasn't the best. It wasn't bad, but it had problems. My biggest pet peeve throughout was the straight dialogue we'd get so many times, without any qualifiers, emotions, etc. Like I get writing classes say not to use qualifiers excessively, I get that, but also having big chunks of dialogue throughout with anything around it just loses a lot of the emotions between the characters, because we can't always get the inflections or meanings behind what they're saying. I think that contributed to what made it so boring at first - I wasn't getting much of anything from the characters.
Also, Kip and Scott didn't have great chemistry, I wondered why they were interested in each other beyond the physical when we didn't get much of anything else besides sex, and when they did do things beside sex it was almost sugary sweet without the payoff of getting to that sugary sweetness. They said "I love you" way too soon and I didn't buy it.
There were also so many conversations and so on that could have either been cut down or cut out. This was way too long and I would get to 28,29,30 percent and felt like I read 50 pages in that span. It was draggginnng until it wasn't, but then it was pissing me off.
Kip and Scott was a little bit promising at first...but then they bored me. And then Kip pissed me off. There were a few lines that made me laugh and as I said, it at least got less boring, so I'm giving this .5 up from 1 star. But that's all I'm giving to this. I considered giving it two stars, but then I just couldn't, with how little I liked and how much I disliked.
And I'm bummed too, because the sneak peek for the next book actually interested me and those guys actually had chemistry....but I read this and while there was chemistry, it was already quite dragged out and I just knew I would probably be skipping parts in that one as well.
This author was not a good match for me, I'm afraid. I rarely dislike books this much, but this one got to me, I guess.
Do NOT recommend.
I don't think a book has ever simultaneously bored me to tears and then proceeded to piss me off as much as this one did.
I didn't DNF as I wanted to in the first half because I did pay 4 bucks for this and I did see reviews that said it got better.
It did not get better for me.
It at least got less boring, which is why I gave it 1.5 stars, but then while it kept my attention it just started to piss me the fuck off. More accurately, Kip did.
The first half was basically this:
- They meet, barely talk, but like each other
- They dance around not doing much until a few weeks later
- They have sex, and then some more sex. All the dialogue is pretty boring and it just says "they talked and laughed" for what I bet was the interesting, getting to know you shit.
- Kit is actually likable, and sweet and that was one plus
- I actually didn't mind Scott
- But Kit & Scott being somewhat likable did not save me from the boredom. I started skimming a lot of parts - which didn't stop in the second half, but that was more skipping because I was pissed off - and did not care for the long, drawn out sex scenes. Like usually I hate when there is barely any detail...but then I guess there is also TOO much detail, too many times. I don't need each sex scene written out in like 5, 6 page long detail.
The second half, while it had less sex (but still had those drawn out sex scenes regardless), instead of bored me, it:
- Caused drama for drama's sake.
- I get being annoyed and frustrated and not wanting to be closeted, and I get not liking have to hide, but Kip didn't last one fucking month before he was done with the sneaking around.
- At two months, he just couldn't handle it anymore, got into a fight with Scott and walked out. Real fucking mature.
- OH! Oh, but then - and I don't care about spoiling this even, although I guess this is warning enough for a spoiler - but then after he walks out, he goes and gets drunk and kisses another guy. Well, the guy kisses him, but then he kisses back. Which I wouldn't have minded, seeing as he pulls back and doesn't go further, but then he doesn't tell Scott about it at all. AT ALL. Yeah, what a great relationship these two have, lying about shit - on Kip's part mainly.
- Which reminds me that he never tells Scott about his job interview, because he doesn't want to feel like a failure in Scott's eyes. Which isn't even trusting Scott or giving him the benefit of the doubt, but okay. Also, he never tells Scott about that failed job interview either. And Kip eventually tells Scott about getting into Grad School.
I'm sorry, but I couldn't get behind Kip's asshole behavior, and then of COURSE - I fucking knew it was coming - it was Scott apologizing, it was Scott reaching out, it was Scott saying he was going to fix things. Look, not to say that Scott always handled things the best - he didn't, and he wasn't always the nicest to Kip. But Kip didn't tell Scott any of what was bothering him, and then even as he's thinking "i'm not gonna pressure Scott" he goes and pressures Scott, and has the gall to not even try and empathize with what Scott is going through, as if it's just that easy for Scott to come out.
Right, so that's why there are no out players in the major sports in America (And the one who did - in Football - faded into obscurity). Makes SO much sense.
Kip was not cute, he was not sweet and he was a major asshole. Not understanding at all, and PLUS the whole thing with Kyle and that kiss and not telling Scott about it - and I realize Kip was drunk and I blame Kyle more for the kiss itself, because he knew Kip was drunk, but Kip still should have told Scott - or telling him about his life much, really, and then acting like the victim and going along and not taking responsibility for his shit, or letting Scott in and trusting him.
God, I don't know why I hated this book so much - I've read other hockey books with closeted characters, read one recently where a situation was similar to this...but it just handled it SO much better! For one, neither MC's acted like Kip, so that's a plus, and also they talked and made it work.
But after all the drama and how Kip acted, it was pretty easy after all for Scott to come out. Which wouldn't bother me too much - stories don't always have to be realistic - except I was already pissed and annoyed by this story and Scott being so sweet to Kip when frankly, Kip didn't deserve it.
Also, an aside, the writing wasn't the best. It wasn't bad, but it had problems. My biggest pet peeve throughout was the straight dialogue we'd get so many times, without any qualifiers, emotions, etc. Like I get writing classes say not to use qualifiers excessively, I get that, but also having big chunks of dialogue throughout with anything around it just loses a lot of the emotions between the characters, because we can't always get the inflections or meanings behind what they're saying. I think that contributed to what made it so boring at first - I wasn't getting much of anything from the characters.
Also, Kip and Scott didn't have great chemistry, I wondered why they were interested in each other beyond the physical when we didn't get much of anything else besides sex, and when they did do things beside sex it was almost sugary sweet without the payoff of getting to that sugary sweetness. They said "I love you" way too soon and I didn't buy it.
There were also so many conversations and so on that could have either been cut down or cut out. This was way too long and I would get to 28,29,30 percent and felt like I read 50 pages in that span. It was draggginnng until it wasn't, but then it was pissing me off.
Kip and Scott was a little bit promising at first...but then they bored me. And then Kip pissed me off. There were a few lines that made me laugh and as I said, it at least got less boring, so I'm giving this .5 up from 1 star. But that's all I'm giving to this. I considered giving it two stars, but then I just couldn't, with how little I liked and how much I disliked.
And I'm bummed too, because the sneak peek for the next book actually interested me and those guys actually had chemistry....but I read this and while there was chemistry, it was already quite dragged out and I just knew I would probably be skipping parts in that one as well.
This author was not a good match for me, I'm afraid. I rarely dislike books this much, but this one got to me, I guess.
Do NOT recommend.
December 27, 2025
give me your eyes, i need sunshine ❤️
this was sweet. i think the instalove was a little strong for my taste, especially considering we never really got relationship development/shared interests beyond fucking. but rachel reid writes the hell out of a sex scene and i was still endeared to these characters and the way this book ends.
what i found really interesting as a heated rivalry stan was how many story moments are shared between this book and HR. like... a lot. the word "agony" comes to mind. the seeing each other in public and knowing we're going to fuck in private later. the "show me how you jerk it" moment. the hickeys. the use of the term "sweetheart." i could go on. it wasn't bothersome to me, more just an observation. it's cool to see how those were reused and in a way that resonated with me more, in heated rivalry.
anyway, super glad i read this. excited to read the whole series back to back. also pray 4 my sanity because the long game is gonna kill me again lol.
this was sweet. i think the instalove was a little strong for my taste, especially considering we never really got relationship development/shared interests beyond fucking. but rachel reid writes the hell out of a sex scene and i was still endeared to these characters and the way this book ends.
what i found really interesting as a heated rivalry stan was how many story moments are shared between this book and HR. like... a lot. the word "agony" comes to mind. the seeing each other in public and knowing we're going to fuck in private later. the "show me how you jerk it" moment. the hickeys. the use of the term "sweetheart." i could go on. it wasn't bothersome to me, more just an observation. it's cool to see how those were reused and in a way that resonated with me more, in heated rivalry.
anyway, super glad i read this. excited to read the whole series back to back. also pray 4 my sanity because the long game is gonna kill me again lol.
![Profile Image for edie-may ౨ৎ [exams hiatus].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1773465478i/155866964._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
April 7, 2026
𓂃⋆˚࿔
3.00 stars .ᐟ
⋮ ❛ “It is a big deal, Scott! It’s a very big deal! You can’t just... change my whole life!” “Why not?” Scott said softly. “You changed mine.” ❜
— review journal ⸝⸝ 005 ⟡
⤿ started jan 11 ⋮ finished jan 26
buddy read with alyssa ᰔ
⌗ ⋮ ꒰⛸️꒱ i. what to expect ⟢ ⸝⸝
⤿ hockey player x barista
⤿ insta-love
⤿ mm romance
⤿ secret relationship
⌗ ⋮ ꒰ 🫐 ꒱ ii. thoughts ⟢ ⸝⸝
i wish i could say i was in love with this, but honestly, i’m not. that’s not to say i didn’t enjoy it, because duh, of course i did, i love scott and kip so much. while i completely adore hollanov, skip being the first couple to come out was, to me, completely the right choice. i just didn’t love the way the story was executed.
the end was a huge dopamine boost—i mean seriously, i was smiling ear to ear—but it feels like i spent a fair portion of the book just reading the same sex scenes over and over again. i’m literate enough to understand the importance of intimacy and its relevance to a growing relationship, especially a closeted one, but sometimes it was just smut back-to-back-to-back, which felt a little overwhelming.
i’m also incredibly passionate about my distaste for insta-love, which this book absolutely was. every time i started to forget about their instantaneous relationship, they reminded me. however, i do love this couple, and i am invested in them. i totally believe they’ll go the distance, and i’ll defend them with my life.
⌗ ⋮ ꒰🧦꒱ iii. characters ⟢ ⸝⸝
— scott & kip .ᐟ ⸝⸝
• ⋮ these men are incredibly important to me. i will say that i have an eensy preference for kip, but i really do love them both. overall, their communication was really quite good, excluding a couple of occasions, and they were so well matched. they are the game changers.
ᯓ divorce .ᐣ ⸝⸝
• ⋮ absolutely not. they’re so endgame coded it’s crazy. they’re such a comfort couple for me.
⌗ ⋮ ꒰🏒꒱ iv. series overview ⟢ ⸝⸝
⤿ #1. game changer ; 3.00 ★
⤿ #2. heated rivalry ; 4.25 ★
⤿ #3. tough guy ; ? ★
⤿ #4. common goal ; ? ★
⤿ #5. role model ; ? ★
⤿ #6. the long game ; ? ★
⤿ #7. unrivaled ; ? ★
⌗ ⋮ . pre-read ⟢ ⸝⸝
it is no secret that i am unhealthily devoted to the heated rivalry tv show—it has triggered many a mental breakdown—so i’m locking tf in with my irl day one: alyssa. ♡ — ( prediction ; 3.50 ☆ )
જ⁀➴ ₊˚⊹ ࿔
— review journal ⸝⸝ 005 ⟡
⤿ started jan 11 ⋮ finished jan 26
buddy read with alyssa ᰔ
⌗ ⋮ ꒰⛸️꒱ i. what to expect ⟢ ⸝⸝
⤿ hockey player x barista
⤿ insta-love
⤿ mm romance
⤿ secret relationship
⌗ ⋮ ꒰ 🫐 ꒱ ii. thoughts ⟢ ⸝⸝
i wish i could say i was in love with this, but honestly, i’m not. that’s not to say i didn’t enjoy it, because duh, of course i did, i love scott and kip so much. while i completely adore hollanov, skip being the first couple to come out was, to me, completely the right choice. i just didn’t love the way the story was executed.
the end was a huge dopamine boost—i mean seriously, i was smiling ear to ear—but it feels like i spent a fair portion of the book just reading the same sex scenes over and over again. i’m literate enough to understand the importance of intimacy and its relevance to a growing relationship, especially a closeted one, but sometimes it was just smut back-to-back-to-back, which felt a little overwhelming.
i’m also incredibly passionate about my distaste for insta-love, which this book absolutely was. every time i started to forget about their instantaneous relationship, they reminded me. however, i do love this couple, and i am invested in them. i totally believe they’ll go the distance, and i’ll defend them with my life.
⌗ ⋮ ꒰🧦꒱ iii. characters ⟢ ⸝⸝
— scott & kip .ᐟ ⸝⸝
• ⋮ these men are incredibly important to me. i will say that i have an eensy preference for kip, but i really do love them both. overall, their communication was really quite good, excluding a couple of occasions, and they were so well matched. they are the game changers.
ᯓ divorce .ᐣ ⸝⸝
• ⋮ absolutely not. they’re so endgame coded it’s crazy. they’re such a comfort couple for me.
⌗ ⋮ ꒰🏒꒱ iv. series overview ⟢ ⸝⸝
⤿ #1. game changer ; 3.00 ★
⤿ #2. heated rivalry ; 4.25 ★
⤿ #3. tough guy ; ? ★
⤿ #4. common goal ; ? ★
⤿ #5. role model ; ? ★
⤿ #6. the long game ; ? ★
⤿ #7. unrivaled ; ? ★
⌗ ⋮ . pre-read ⟢ ⸝⸝
it is no secret that i am unhealthily devoted to the heated rivalry tv show—it has triggered many a mental breakdown—so i’m locking tf in with my irl day one: alyssa. ♡ — ( prediction ; 3.50 ☆ )
જ⁀➴ ₊˚⊹ ࿔
![Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1626057011i/10717098._UX200_CR0,33,200,200_.jpg)
August 5, 2021
Game Changer is book one in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. I’ve been reading this series all out of order. First, I read book two, then skipped to book five. Now I went back to book one. This is Kip and Scott’s book and I loved it so much!!
Scott Hunter is twenty eight years old and plays professional hockey for the New York Admirals. He is team captain, huge and full of muscles, insanely good looking, and secretly gay. He’s known this about himself since he was a teenager. But about the same time he began to realize that hockey was something more to him, a possible career. And that’s just how it turned out. There has never been a gay man come out in the sport of hockey. In fact, their taunts on the ice included plenty of taunts regarding sexuality. So Scott lived his life in complete secrecy. He had no family, only his friends on his team. No one knew, and he was so lonely. To the outside world, he had it all. But behind closed doors, he had nothing.
Scott was in a slump on the ice. Nothing seemed to go right. On this particular morning, while on a morning run, he decided to stop in to a smoothie shop for a smoothie. That’s the morning his life was forever changed.
Kip Grady is twenty five years old and works at Straw + Berry smoothie shop. Did Kip think he’d be twenty five with a college degree in history, working at a smoothie shop and living with his parents? No he did not. But he hasn’t been able to find work in his field and he has a heap of student loans to pay. Kip is also a gay man that lives his life out in the open, with a loving and accepting family and friends. The morning Scott Hunter walked into the shop, all Kip saw was a gorgeous man who stole his ability to speak! It wasn’t until later that he realized who he was. Much to his surprise, Scott showed up again, and then again! And it seems that the blueberry kale smoothies might just be improving Scott’s luck on the ice! Or, maybe it has something to do with Kip?!
This is kind of an insta-lust story. These two were intensely attracted to each other. Neither really had much skill at flirting so they were so cute. And let me tell you that those initial sparks between them turned into fireworks. They…were…HOT!!! Kip just can’t understand what someone like Scott would see in him. And Scott sees Kip as everything that has been missing from his life. The only rule is, that no one can know. Their blooming relationship can be behind the doors of Scott’s penthouse apartment and no where else. For a while, the newness of their relationship and the added thrill of a secret was enough. But as Scott and his team approached the playoffs, and his life got much busier, the isolation became harder to take. Is this a life Kip is willing to live just to be with Scott? Or were they always destined to just be a fling? With no hope for forever?
I loved this book! I love this series! Since I have been reading the series out of order, I did know one thing that was going to happen at the end and I was afraid it would take away from the whole moment for me but it didn’t at all. It was still just as wonderful. And the epilogue was so fantastic. Such a great series. Since I’ve already read book two, Heated Rivalry, Shane and Ilya’s book, next I’ll be reading book three, Tough Guy, Ryan Price’s book. I can’t wait.
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
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December 27, 2025Aaaand that’s a series wrap! I’ve officially read every book in this series.
The season is finished. I’ve read all the books. Maybe I can finally have my mind back from these hockey boys 😭
The season is finished. I’ve read all the books. Maybe I can finally have my mind back from these hockey boys 😭
March 24, 2026
|| 2.0 stars ||
Yikesssss. Well, then.. This was unfortunately surprisingly underwhelming. Often times even boring.
I'm going to start this out by saying that I think there was way too much sex in this book. Especially considering how bland said sex was. Like, after a few times... I got it, you know? No need for the million other sex scenes that followed. It just got boring really damn fast. Sorry not sorry.
Same thing could be said about them constantly saying "I love you" to each other. Like..... We KNOWWW, okkk? Now maybe finally say something else to each other that actually shows me that you love each other?? Because that would mean that, you know, you two are actually able to hold a conversation with each other that isn't awkward as all hell? Yea. That'd be great. Thanks.
And okay, okay. I am probably being a bit harsh, because there were a few sweet and cute moments between them. There honestly were. Really. The truth is, though.. I just quite frankly couldn't be bothered with it most of the time.
I think a big part of the reason for that is that I deadass did not even feel like it was the best thing for Kip to be with Scott. So why would I be rooting for them, then? Kip's life was literally miserable because of their relationship, and Scott did not seem to care about that for the longeeeest time. Hell, Scott was not only keeping Kip a secret, he was, at a certain point, also completely emotionally unavailable. Not listening to Kip's problems, not taking his issues seriously. I mean, come onnnn now. Scott was a nice guy and all, and I think he had all the right intentions, but this was not a good relationship for Kip.
And yea, when Scott did decide to come out, I'm not going to lie: It was cute. Damn adorable, even. Not just the actual coming out, but the whole vibe before and after. I liked how Scott's friends reacted, how Kip's friends messaged him, how Scott was truly out and proud. Yup. Cute. Cute. Cute. For sure.
Not enough to save the overall book, though. No. Unfortunately that was still quite the miss for me.
And okay, this might be the most insignificant and ridiculous thing to complain about, but omggg, I could not get over the name KIP. I know that some might think this name is absolutely adorable (*cough* Carter *cough*), but... To me? To me Kip means chicken. No, literally. Kip means CHICKEN in my native language. So every damn sentence, in my head it was like "chicken does this", "chicken does that", "chicken has SEX". And.. Just.. No. No. Not cute. Really not.
Anyway, that little side note aside, I just wasn't a big fan of this book. It had its moments, but overall it was nothing special or noteworthy, often boring, and it never truly gripped me. I wasn't invested and I was kind of hoping the entire time that the book would be over soon. Which is.. Not a good sign. Obviously.
'Game Changers' series:
1. Game Changer - 2.0 stars
2. Heated Rivalry - 5.0 stars
3. Tough Guy - 3.5 stars
4. Common Goal - 2.5 stars
5. Role Model - 3.5 stars
6. The Long Game - 4.0 stars
Yikesssss. Well, then.. This was unfortunately surprisingly underwhelming. Often times even boring.
I'm going to start this out by saying that I think there was way too much sex in this book. Especially considering how bland said sex was. Like, after a few times... I got it, you know? No need for the million other sex scenes that followed. It just got boring really damn fast. Sorry not sorry.
Same thing could be said about them constantly saying "I love you" to each other. Like..... We KNOWWW, okkk? Now maybe finally say something else to each other that actually shows me that you love each other?? Because that would mean that, you know, you two are actually able to hold a conversation with each other that isn't awkward as all hell? Yea. That'd be great. Thanks.
And okay, okay. I am probably being a bit harsh, because there were a few sweet and cute moments between them. There honestly were. Really. The truth is, though.. I just quite frankly couldn't be bothered with it most of the time.
I think a big part of the reason for that is that I deadass did not even feel like it was the best thing for Kip to be with Scott. So why would I be rooting for them, then? Kip's life was literally miserable because of their relationship, and Scott did not seem to care about that for the longeeeest time. Hell, Scott was not only keeping Kip a secret, he was, at a certain point, also completely emotionally unavailable. Not listening to Kip's problems, not taking his issues seriously. I mean, come onnnn now. Scott was a nice guy and all, and I think he had all the right intentions, but this was not a good relationship for Kip.
And yea, when Scott did decide to come out, I'm not going to lie: It was cute. Damn adorable, even. Not just the actual coming out, but the whole vibe before and after. I liked how Scott's friends reacted, how Kip's friends messaged him, how Scott was truly out and proud. Yup. Cute. Cute. Cute. For sure.
Not enough to save the overall book, though. No. Unfortunately that was still quite the miss for me.
And okay, this might be the most insignificant and ridiculous thing to complain about, but omggg, I could not get over the name KIP. I know that some might think this name is absolutely adorable (*cough* Carter *cough*), but... To me? To me Kip means chicken. No, literally. Kip means CHICKEN in my native language. So every damn sentence, in my head it was like "chicken does this", "chicken does that", "chicken has SEX". And.. Just.. No. No. Not cute. Really not.
Anyway, that little side note aside, I just wasn't a big fan of this book. It had its moments, but overall it was nothing special or noteworthy, often boring, and it never truly gripped me. I wasn't invested and I was kind of hoping the entire time that the book would be over soon. Which is.. Not a good sign. Obviously.
'Game Changers' series:
1. Game Changer - 2.0 stars
2. Heated Rivalry - 5.0 stars
3. Tough Guy - 3.5 stars
4. Common Goal - 2.5 stars
5. Role Model - 3.5 stars
6. The Long Game - 4.0 stars
December 8, 2025
enjoying this series so much but WOW are the audiobooks bad
February 11, 2026
“Being with Kip was the only time Scott felt like… Scott.”
You guys! I sighed with happiness at the end. The banter, the romance, the hockey element and the team? 10/10! I’m fuckin’ mush. 🥹😭
Alright, over and out.
You guys! I sighed with happiness at the end. The banter, the romance, the hockey element and the team? 10/10! I’m fuckin’ mush. 🥹😭
Alright, over and out.
January 22, 2026
5 Stars
I unashamedly adored Scott and Kip’s story, my 104 kindle highlights are proof of that.
Granted, as a new reader of this book series, I’ve already watched the Heated Rivalry show a borderline unhealthy number of times in the past month, and I was that person who absolutely ATE UP episode three (Scott and Kip’s POV episode), so I kind of knew what to expect and was already primed to love reading their story in all its full, juicy glory.
The complaints I’ve read from the low star rating and DNF reviews are pretty much exactly what I loved about the story. How sugary sweet and sappily romantic Scott and Kip were. How domestic/slice of life the plot felt. How much sex was in the book. How the conflict was solely around Scott’s battle with coming out as a public figure. How Kip felt having to keep his new relationship with Scott a secret from everyone he knew. How quickly they fell and fell hard, and how all in they were, after only a matter of weeks.
...Yeah, I loved it all, ngl. It was deliciously cheesy and excessively smutty and grossly romantic, and I’d do it all again in a fucking heartbeat. Zero regrets.
I’m sure my enjoyment is tinged with a bit of bias because of how much I’ve enjoyed the phenomenon of the show and its success, but I don’t really care. I think it probably helped that I had the shows’ actors (Francois and Robbie) squarely playing the roles in my mind while reading; and it also probably helped that I avoided the audiobook, whose sample made me deeply cringe with how bad/wrong Kip’s voice was performed (honestly, I’m not surprised people who predominantly listened to the audio DNF’d or didn’t like Kip, because a voice can change the likability of a character so intensely in a narration for me).
I may have had a ball with this one, but I will admit I’m (still) nervous about finally reading Heated Rivalry. Where I was confident that my love of TV Scott and Kip would be enhanced by reading the source material, I’m worried that reading the finer details of Shane and Ilya’s story (i.e. all the other sexual partners) will diminish my love of their story as it was depicted in the show. Honestly, it could go either way for me, and I guess I’m about to find out.
I unashamedly adored Scott and Kip’s story, my 104 kindle highlights are proof of that.
Granted, as a new reader of this book series, I’ve already watched the Heated Rivalry show a borderline unhealthy number of times in the past month, and I was that person who absolutely ATE UP episode three (Scott and Kip’s POV episode), so I kind of knew what to expect and was already primed to love reading their story in all its full, juicy glory.
The complaints I’ve read from the low star rating and DNF reviews are pretty much exactly what I loved about the story. How sugary sweet and sappily romantic Scott and Kip were. How domestic/slice of life the plot felt. How much sex was in the book. How the conflict was solely around Scott’s battle with coming out as a public figure. How Kip felt having to keep his new relationship with Scott a secret from everyone he knew. How quickly they fell and fell hard, and how all in they were, after only a matter of weeks.
...Yeah, I loved it all, ngl. It was deliciously cheesy and excessively smutty and grossly romantic, and I’d do it all again in a fucking heartbeat. Zero regrets.
I’m sure my enjoyment is tinged with a bit of bias because of how much I’ve enjoyed the phenomenon of the show and its success, but I don’t really care. I think it probably helped that I had the shows’ actors (Francois and Robbie) squarely playing the roles in my mind while reading; and it also probably helped that I avoided the audiobook, whose sample made me deeply cringe with how bad/wrong Kip’s voice was performed (honestly, I’m not surprised people who predominantly listened to the audio DNF’d or didn’t like Kip, because a voice can change the likability of a character so intensely in a narration for me).
I may have had a ball with this one, but I will admit I’m (still) nervous about finally reading Heated Rivalry. Where I was confident that my love of TV Scott and Kip would be enhanced by reading the source material, I’m worried that reading the finer details of Shane and Ilya’s story (i.e. all the other sexual partners) will diminish my love of their story as it was depicted in the show. Honestly, it could go either way for me, and I guess I’m about to find out.
December 29, 2025
my gay sports pioneer babies ❤️🩹
March 11, 2026
3.5 ⭐️s!
This was sweet but the narration style definitely took a bit to get used to. The 3rd person felt sooo clunky at first, especially with insta-love. I just couldn’t connect to the emotions for a bit. But the last half was precious 🥹 I am so excited to watch the show and see these pookies on screen. Every scene where Ilya was mentioned he was just being a menace and I can’t WAIT to start his story 😂
*Obviously I have to binge this series so I can binge the tv show so I can binge all the fan edits on TikTok 🤷♀️*
This was sweet but the narration style definitely took a bit to get used to. The 3rd person felt sooo clunky at first, especially with insta-love. I just couldn’t connect to the emotions for a bit. But the last half was precious 🥹 I am so excited to watch the show and see these pookies on screen. Every scene where Ilya was mentioned he was just being a menace and I can’t WAIT to start his story 😂
*Obviously I have to binge this series so I can binge the tv show so I can binge all the fan edits on TikTok 🤷♀️*
February 10, 2026
2⭐
Once again, the characters are stronger than their actual story ☹️
⋆˚꩜｡ Thoughts:
⤿ what I didn't like
To cut to the chase, I was SO BORED. This story was just smut, smut, smut literally from chapter 6. Which is...manageable I guess - I still enjoyed (to an extent) Heated Rivalry despite the constant smut - but there was nothing else to keep me invested. They are the plot.
They basically speed-ran their relationship. I wish I was kidding when I say that they were already dating by 40% 😔 This constant smut and immediate dating made their chemistry feel so weak. They would say something like “I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you” and they’ve only known each other for a week??? They’d say something profound along those lines and I’d think: no you don’t, be so fr 🤨 And sure their chemistry wasn't invisible, there just wasn't any building up to anything.
╰┈➤ They’re…cute. But I didn’t feel anything. They could've broken up and I wouldn't have cared. 😬
Lastly, the writing. I can't pinpoint how but I'm really not vibing with the author's writing and storytelling. There were lots of scenes that felt off and (I am in no way a talented or experienced author) I couldn't help but think of how I would've written something completely differently if I wrote it.
⤿ what I liked
I wouldn't say I'm particularly attached to Scott and Kip but they are definitely likeable characters! Even though this read was rather boring, I still cared about them enough to want to push through to the end. And although I'm settling on a 2-star rating for this book, they are very cute!
Again, even though I was mostly bored the...healthiness I guess? of their relationship and lack of toxicity was great to read about! I also loved the message that it’s okay to be 'different' ❤️🩹
Shoutout to the Ilya cameo <3
⋆˙⟡
Overall, boring and not memorable but still cute and worth the read ONLY IF you're interested in watching the show.
╰┈➤ In my humble opinion, I truly believe the show is a BIG ASPECT as to why I'm enjoying this series even a little bit.
───────୨ৎ───────
ᯓ★ Pre-read
Finally reading Scott and Kip’s story 🥹
I’m not gonna lie, after reading heated rivalry, my hopes aren’t particularly high so we’ll see how this goes. Also I know on the cover he’s blonde but I will be picturing François Arnaud 🤭
Once again, the characters are stronger than their actual story ☹️
⋆˚꩜｡ Thoughts:
⤿ what I didn't like
To cut to the chase, I was SO BORED. This story was just smut, smut, smut literally from chapter 6. Which is...manageable I guess - I still enjoyed (to an extent) Heated Rivalry despite the constant smut - but there was nothing else to keep me invested. They are the plot.
They basically speed-ran their relationship. I wish I was kidding when I say that they were already dating by 40% 😔 This constant smut and immediate dating made their chemistry feel so weak. They would say something like “I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you” and they’ve only known each other for a week??? They’d say something profound along those lines and I’d think: no you don’t, be so fr 🤨 And sure their chemistry wasn't invisible, there just wasn't any building up to anything.
╰┈➤ They’re…cute. But I didn’t feel anything. They could've broken up and I wouldn't have cared. 😬
Lastly, the writing. I can't pinpoint how but I'm really not vibing with the author's writing and storytelling. There were lots of scenes that felt off and (I am in no way a talented or experienced author) I couldn't help but think of how I would've written something completely differently if I wrote it.
⤿ what I liked
I wouldn't say I'm particularly attached to Scott and Kip but they are definitely likeable characters! Even though this read was rather boring, I still cared about them enough to want to push through to the end. And although I'm settling on a 2-star rating for this book, they are very cute!
Again, even though I was mostly bored the...healthiness I guess? of their relationship and lack of toxicity was great to read about! I also loved the message that it’s okay to be 'different' ❤️🩹
Shoutout to the Ilya cameo <3
⋆˙⟡
Overall, boring and not memorable but still cute and worth the read ONLY IF you're interested in watching the show.
╰┈➤ In my humble opinion, I truly believe the show is a BIG ASPECT as to why I'm enjoying this series even a little bit.
───────୨ৎ───────
ᯓ★ Pre-read
Finally reading Scott and Kip’s story 🥹
I’m not gonna lie, after reading heated rivalry, my hopes aren’t particularly high so we’ll see how this goes. Also I know on the cover he’s blonde but I will be picturing François Arnaud 🤭
January 9, 2026
love love love.
Long story short: Scott is a hockey star and Kip works at a smoothie store. When Scott orders a blueberry smoothie from Kip and wins his first game in weeks, he makes it a ritual that blossoms into a hard and fast relationship.
This had every element of every hockey romance, but more. Which I loved. The only ick was how fast they fell for each other and started saying I love you. But I REALLY appreciated the depth we saw from Kip when it came to the struggle of dating someone closeted in the public eye.
The deep dive internal monologue was the best part about the book. In every hockey romance, a similar storyline plays out - the hockey star can’t be the first one in the NHL to come out as gay, and the (usually out) boyfriend has to keep things quiet and lie to friends and family, which Kip experienced in this book too. But after reading this one, I’ve realised the other books only just scratch the surface of the issue, whereas with Game Changer, we got a detailed look into Kip’s brain and the effects that truly had on him, which was really eye opening.
I was warned this book was super spicy, although there’s spice in literally EVERY chapter, it’s really digestible and at times tame. I’ve read books with one or two spicy chapters that seemed way more explicit than this. It didn’t really hit the way other books have and at times felt like overkill but didn’t make me lose interest in the slightest.
Overall I really really enjoyed this and was able to speed through it. Continuing the series immediately!!
Long story short: Scott is a hockey star and Kip works at a smoothie store. When Scott orders a blueberry smoothie from Kip and wins his first game in weeks, he makes it a ritual that blossoms into a hard and fast relationship.
This had every element of every hockey romance, but more. Which I loved. The only ick was how fast they fell for each other and started saying I love you. But I REALLY appreciated the depth we saw from Kip when it came to the struggle of dating someone closeted in the public eye.
The deep dive internal monologue was the best part about the book. In every hockey romance, a similar storyline plays out - the hockey star can’t be the first one in the NHL to come out as gay, and the (usually out) boyfriend has to keep things quiet and lie to friends and family, which Kip experienced in this book too. But after reading this one, I’ve realised the other books only just scratch the surface of the issue, whereas with Game Changer, we got a detailed look into Kip’s brain and the effects that truly had on him, which was really eye opening.
I was warned this book was super spicy, although there’s spice in literally EVERY chapter, it’s really digestible and at times tame. I’ve read books with one or two spicy chapters that seemed way more explicit than this. It didn’t really hit the way other books have and at times felt like overkill but didn’t make me lose interest in the slightest.
Overall I really really enjoyed this and was able to speed through it. Continuing the series immediately!!
January 25, 2026
3-ish Stars
It has been ages since I last read a sporty MM, and in all honesty, I haven't missed it much except for the hotness of such athletic fit characters. Forgive me. I’m old and just not cut out for all of the angsty back and forth that this trope typically brings which is always about hiding and secrets and the fear of coming out.
Of course, one must live under a rock if you haven’t seen or heard of the wildly popular TV adaptation that has shook the world on its axis, so it’s only natural to see where it all starts.
Overall, sweet and syrupy with lots of smex (perhaps too much?), this was super insta that negated for me, what could’ve been a really thoughtful, impactful story about the two protagonists. However, Scott and Kip surely do have a few moments of tender emotional impact, and they surely do their best to give the reader a proper amount of cavities.
I will say that the three glimpses of Ilya give me hope that the titular book of interest will deliver the goods, and I look forward to a better paced and well thought out smart romance. If what the show hints at is any indication, then I don’t think I have too much to worry about!
It has been ages since I last read a sporty MM, and in all honesty, I haven't missed it much except for the hotness of such athletic fit characters. Forgive me. I’m old and just not cut out for all of the angsty back and forth that this trope typically brings which is always about hiding and secrets and the fear of coming out.
Of course, one must live under a rock if you haven’t seen or heard of the wildly popular TV adaptation that has shook the world on its axis, so it’s only natural to see where it all starts.
Overall, sweet and syrupy with lots of smex (perhaps too much?), this was super insta that negated for me, what could’ve been a really thoughtful, impactful story about the two protagonists. However, Scott and Kip surely do have a few moments of tender emotional impact, and they surely do their best to give the reader a proper amount of cavities.
I will say that the three glimpses of Ilya give me hope that the titular book of interest will deliver the goods, and I look forward to a better paced and well thought out smart romance. If what the show hints at is any indication, then I don’t think I have too much to worry about!
Read
November 13, 2025"in front of god and ilya rozanov" is now a permanent part of my vocabulary
February 2, 2026
So, I hate sports.
I caved, you just can't escape it, and since I want to watch it at some point, I thought I'd read it first.
Well...
It's a string of sex scenes, a predictable "plot", and clichés.
Yes, I liked some things, especially the way Kip's character was portrayed, super cute. But that's about it.
I'll at least read book two, because I'm obviously still curious.
What killed the book for me: The whole thing with Kyle and that kiss, and that he didn't tell Scott about it...
NHL players married young, had a bunch of kids, and took the family to the cottage in the summer. NHL players golfed and drank and played poker and ate steak and went to strip clubs and slept with puck bunnies and used homophobic slurs liberally. 🥺🥺🥺
just having access to that body… What would all those muscles feel like under his hands? What would it be like to have the full weight of Scott covering him, pressing him into a mattress? Or against a wall… 😳😳😳
He was so beautiful, and Kip absolutely loved helping him shed the stress and responsibilities of his job and just lose himself. Every time. 🫠
Scott gestured toward the bedroom. “Long day. And I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”
“Sure. Yeah.” My day sucked, thanks for asking.
Scott disappeared into the bedroom, and Kip sank onto the sofa. He knew he was probably overreacting because he had been in a bad mood to begin with, but in that moment he felt like Scott’s fucking pet. 😭💔😭
Murdock said, “It’s not Rozanov, is it?”
“Jesus. No! Why does everyone—?”
“Good. I don’t need that kind of circus.” 😂😂😂
I caved, you just can't escape it, and since I want to watch it at some point, I thought I'd read it first.
Well...
It's a string of sex scenes, a predictable "plot", and clichés.
Yes, I liked some things, especially the way Kip's character was portrayed, super cute. But that's about it.
I'll at least read book two, because I'm obviously still curious.
What killed the book for me: The whole thing with Kyle and that kiss, and that he didn't tell Scott about it...
NHL players married young, had a bunch of kids, and took the family to the cottage in the summer. NHL players golfed and drank and played poker and ate steak and went to strip clubs and slept with puck bunnies and used homophobic slurs liberally. 🥺🥺🥺
just having access to that body… What would all those muscles feel like under his hands? What would it be like to have the full weight of Scott covering him, pressing him into a mattress? Or against a wall… 😳😳😳
He was so beautiful, and Kip absolutely loved helping him shed the stress and responsibilities of his job and just lose himself. Every time. 🫠
Scott gestured toward the bedroom. “Long day. And I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”
“Sure. Yeah.” My day sucked, thanks for asking.
Scott disappeared into the bedroom, and Kip sank onto the sofa. He knew he was probably overreacting because he had been in a bad mood to begin with, but in that moment he felt like Scott’s fucking pet. 😭💔😭
Murdock said, “It’s not Rozanov, is it?”
“Jesus. No! Why does everyone—?”
“Good. I don’t need that kind of circus.” 😂😂😂
January 26, 2026
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
╰› (⭐4)
⋆｡°✩ 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍
yall i can't help it, i loved this 😭💗
i did NOT expect to enjoy kip and scott's story so much, but i really did. they're so cuteeeee aughhh <3
⋆｡°✩ 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕
while the smut was pretty heavy-handed (we BEEN knowing this guys), i really did feel like there was a good helping of plot. the entire story of scott's acceptance genuinely made me teary-eyed.
the insta-love was pretty fast, but it didn't feel as irritating to me as other insta-love stories do!
i really only read this book so i could get to heated rivalry, but i liked it so much more than i thought. the ilya cameo 😭 UGHHHH I CAN'T i'm sick to my stomach, i need to read the next book WITH HASTE.
i LOVE boykissers😭💖
⋆｡°✩ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝘬𝘪𝘱 ⭑.ᐟ 🧃
kip is SUCH a cutie pie 😭 i love him so much!!! i miss him already.
the way he was so devoted to scott, not giving a single hoot about all his money, omg that just made my heart so full.
kip was surprisingly emotionally mature, and i really loved how he and scott communicated so well. there was no point in which i was frustrated with each of them.
𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 ⭑.ᐟ 🏒
while a little dense, i did love scott too. his whole grand gesture scene just made me SO unbelievably happy.
i didn't love him AS much as kip, but he was still really cute 🥹💗
⋆｡°✩ 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
the writing was pretty basic, which is understandable, but it made it very quick to read! i appreciated how i just devoured the entire book in the span of 24 hours 🙂↕️🙂↕️
the back to back smut scenes were a bit much sometimes, but i believe they did add a layer of emotional intimacy and trust. i did end up appreciating that!
⋆｡°✩ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
now i can read heated rivalry... 😛
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
╰› (⭐4)
⋆｡°✩ 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍
yall i can't help it, i loved this 😭💗
i did NOT expect to enjoy kip and scott's story so much, but i really did. they're so cuteeeee aughhh <3
⋆｡°✩ 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕
while the smut was pretty heavy-handed (we BEEN knowing this guys), i really did feel like there was a good helping of plot. the entire story of scott's acceptance genuinely made me teary-eyed.
the insta-love was pretty fast, but it didn't feel as irritating to me as other insta-love stories do!
i really only read this book so i could get to heated rivalry, but i liked it so much more than i thought. the ilya cameo 😭 UGHHHH I CAN'T i'm sick to my stomach, i need to read the next book WITH HASTE.
i LOVE boykissers😭💖
⋆｡°✩ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝘬𝘪𝘱 ⭑.ᐟ 🧃
kip is SUCH a cutie pie 😭 i love him so much!!! i miss him already.
the way he was so devoted to scott, not giving a single hoot about all his money, omg that just made my heart so full.
kip was surprisingly emotionally mature, and i really loved how he and scott communicated so well. there was no point in which i was frustrated with each of them.
𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 ⭑.ᐟ 🏒
while a little dense, i did love scott too. his whole grand gesture scene just made me SO unbelievably happy.
i didn't love him AS much as kip, but he was still really cute 🥹💗
⋆｡°✩ 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
the writing was pretty basic, which is understandable, but it made it very quick to read! i appreciated how i just devoured the entire book in the span of 24 hours 🙂↕️🙂↕️
the back to back smut scenes were a bit much sometimes, but i believe they did add a layer of emotional intimacy and trust. i did end up appreciating that!
⋆｡°✩ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
now i can read heated rivalry... 😛
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
February 6, 2026
⚠️ for the sake of your sanity and ears, i advise readers to skip the audiobook ⚠️
(you can thank me later)
[2.7] the narrator's fine in a general sense but his voice for Kip, a Brooklyn boy in his mid 20s, was a travesty. i don't know how else to describe it except to say his voice was like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eeyore, Trump and the peasant character from WoW produced a child and that child was half-stoned and trying too hard to go another few notches lower in his already-deep register. not to say that he is because Kip is a good boy, but this interpretation had me thinking his character was a little...slow in the head.
for those who haven't heard the peasant's lines in og warcraft, i leave you with this link: https://youtu.be/PoMhMZZjbGg. for those who have had the misfortune of hearing Kip's voice before, please tell me you can see the connection (okay so i may or may not be slightly exaggerating about the last bit re: the peasant voice but i swear it's there if you listen hard enough 😂).
in terms of the story, it was adorable at the start with their very own superstitious meet-cute and mutual pining, but i'd consider this an instalove story through and through. how fast they fell for each other didn't bother me so much as the sheer page allocation to sexytimes though. i'm sorry but there was just too much bumping uglies and not enough on-page development for me to care and root for these two. the tiptoeing around the topic of hiding their relationship to the world also dragged on long enough for me to lose interest, at least until Scott's grand-ish gesture at the end.
i wish i could say more but brain is still recovering 🤧i'm just going to lie here in wait for my Scribd membership to renew 'cause they keep throttling me for listening to too many audiobooks each month (sorry not sorry heh).
if there's two things you take from my review, please let it be the warning at the top and the ratings below as encouragement to continue with the series because holy smokes does it only go up from here!
ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ
ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ
(you can thank me later)
[2.7] the narrator's fine in a general sense but his voice for Kip, a Brooklyn boy in his mid 20s, was a travesty. i don't know how else to describe it except to say his voice was like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eeyore, Trump and the peasant character from WoW produced a child and that child was half-stoned and trying too hard to go another few notches lower in his already-deep register. not to say that he is because Kip is a good boy, but this interpretation had me thinking his character was a little...slow in the head.
for those who haven't heard the peasant's lines in og warcraft, i leave you with this link: https://youtu.be/PoMhMZZjbGg. for those who have had the misfortune of hearing Kip's voice before, please tell me you can see the connection (okay so i may or may not be slightly exaggerating about the last bit re: the peasant voice but i swear it's there if you listen hard enough 😂).
in terms of the story, it was adorable at the start with their very own superstitious meet-cute and mutual pining, but i'd consider this an instalove story through and through. how fast they fell for each other didn't bother me so much as the sheer page allocation to sexytimes though. i'm sorry but there was just too much bumping uglies and not enough on-page development for me to care and root for these two. the tiptoeing around the topic of hiding their relationship to the world also dragged on long enough for me to lose interest, at least until Scott's grand-ish gesture at the end.
i wish i could say more but brain is still recovering 🤧i'm just going to lie here in wait for my Scribd membership to renew 'cause they keep throttling me for listening to too many audiobooks each month (sorry not sorry heh).
if there's two things you take from my review, please let it be the warning at the top and the ratings below as encouragement to continue with the series because holy smokes does it only go up from here!
ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ
➀ Tough Guy - 4.75⭐
➁ Heated Rivalry - 4.7⭐
➂ The Long Game - 4.4~4.5⭐
➃ Role Model - 4.3⭐
➄ Common Goal - 3.2⭐
➅ Game Changer - 2.7⭐
ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ･｡+☆+｡･ﾟ
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,939 reviews