Game Changers Collection

Game Changers #1-3

by Rachel Reid

All three of Rachel Reid’s scorching M/M hockey romances, now in one volume!

Game Changer

Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. When a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.

Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never imagined being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, nevermind touched everywhere. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors. With playoff season approaching, the spotlight on Scott is suddenly brighter than ever. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

Heated Rivalry

Hockey is Shane Hollander’s life. He’s got a spotless reputation, and now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that--especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.

Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. He’s the self-proclaimed king of the ice, and no one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…

Tough Guy

Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to the Toronto Guardians, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ Village. The last thing he expects to stumble upon in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah.

Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly, ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified.

Male/Male Sports Romance Stories

Genres: Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Fiction, Sports Romance, Hockey, M M Romance

922 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2020

About the author

Rachel 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.

Reviews

[grace sanderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean like cmon I had to read it I needed MORE (I only read heated rivalry but I'm rating this version because the other goodreads cover of heated rivalry is diabolical)

[Claire Coyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is actually just for heated rivalry because I refuse to rate heated rivalry with that cover

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t want any judgement for reading this, let a gay man live…

[OutsideOfTheTrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 Reviews For 3 Different Books

Oh my god yes, that was so cute!

I finally decided to start this series—no idea why it took me so long—because the Heated Rivalry show is coming out, and honestly? I’m mad I waited this long! This was so good! It started a little slow for me, but the second half… the angst, the need, the smoothies! It was adorable, and Kip was especially cute. The audiobook was fantastic too—I loved the NY accent!

A Dirty-Talking Russian Ruined My Life (In the Best Way)

God tier level — I’m dead. Seriously, this book? I can’t even begin to describe the chokehold Ilya and Shane have had on my brain since I picked it up. I tore through this so I’d be ready before the show and I absolutely cannot wait. I read it in one sitting; my Kindle is basically on fire.

It was hot, it was perfect, the yearning was unhinged. I need a dirty-talking Russian who is down bad. Why does every book not have a dirty-talking Russian who is down bad??

Read it.
Read it.
Read it.

A Great MMC Buried in a Not-So-Great Match

Eh, well. I really liked Ryan — his struggle is something I don’t think I’ve ever read from this perspective in a romance, and it ended up being the most (only?) compelling part of the book. He’s a mess and anxious and so deeply unhappy, and every star I’m giving is for him and him alone.

Because I did not like Fabian. At all. He’s full-on obnoxious — an embodiment of the worst anti-sports fans I’ve ever met. I’m different and independent and I don’t like fighting… but I’m going to date a literal enforcer and cry when he fights, please! He was both annoying and exhausting. If this were any other book in any other series, I would’ve DNF’d it entirely, and I probably will skip on future rereads.

Such a letdown — 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for my man Ryan.

[Alexe Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

obsessed

[sophiegae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja hab eigentlich auch den anderen Teil gelesen aber das Cover war echt zu doll hahah

Ähm ja zu dem Buch, das waren echt viel echt explizite Szenen. Ich würde empfehlen das Buch nicht in der Bahn oder an sonstigen öffentlichen Orten zu lesen. Aber ansonsten süßes Ende

[elizabeth :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Hunter you are the gay of all time.

[Abbey Chiavario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this during a sale, never touched it, and then felt the cultural pull to read it before I watched the show.
To start out with them hooking up immediately in the first chapter was tbh a little jarring for me, a typically slow-burn type reader, but I got that eventually in this book too. No notes I’m sad it’s over

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this series so far. All the characters are great. These books bring out the emotions and they are HOT.

[Mila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay I vow to use goodreads properly this year. Read both Shane and Ilya books over the break but I’m going to log them here because their actual covers are too inappropriate and I have a reputation to uphold

I lowkey hate all modern romance literature. ESPECIALLY HOCKEY ROMANCE… but the TV show has put me under a spell so I read them. First one is alright. Second one is comically bad like why is there a plane crash LOL. Actually laughed out loud at that part because it’s so ridiculous. It would’ve been so much funnier if they got stuck in the wilderness and it became Yellowjackets. I would’ve liked that more

Overall the show is miles ahead but whatever the books were passable. Helped me kill some time over Christmas so

[Andyinbookland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect combo

Saw the first episode of the series, it was so good that decided to read the books and I am so glad I did.

Learning about each story definitely gives you the perfect panorama of the whole situation and loving the interaction between each couple!

I can't wait to read them all, Starting today itself.

•With the episodes alone I had in my mind the idea that Hollander was onsided crush for long but so glad that the book gave me so much about Ilya, my little sunshine, you are crazy about your Shane and I will protect you hahaha loving everything for real.

Big thanks to the Author Rachel for gifting us with such heartwarming characters and stories

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 books in one review:

Really, it’s all about Heated Rivalry and the Shane/Ilya cameos in the other 2 books. But book 1 was cute, solid 4 stars. Book 3 wasn’t as great, but again, here for the cameos.

[Amelia Stilwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeeek I loved every second of this audio book. Listening was a must after binging the show and I sincerely love Shane and Ilya even more now.
The cabin scenes?!? I was internally screaming and kicking my feet like a school girl.

[Kathryn Tso]

only read heated rivalry but thank you cami for ruining my life <3

[Beth L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I watched the adaptation. I was happy to see that the series sticks to close to source material!

[Béatrice Lafleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Game Changer : 4 ⭐

Heated Rivalry : 5 ⭐

Tough Guy : 3.5 ⭐

[Sam Reads Books *Just the Highlights* · Rating 4 out of 5]

2026: 3.5 Overall

3.5, 3.5, 3.75 respectively

[Grace Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

yes obviously i read and loved the gay hockey books 🙄

[Barbara Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this whole series. I devoured the first book and loved it so much that I read the entire series in less than a week. (ADHD hyper focus mode)

First of all, if you’re not into super spicy intimacy, these books are not for you… move on.

The mental health representation in each of these books was spot on, not to mention repping social anxieties surrounding sexuality and societal expectations — these issues were so well portrayed. Each book was so well written I breezed through all six of them this week. Absolutely adored these stories and I’m going to miss the characters terribly — may have to reread. Absolutely loved.

#slayed
#extraspicy🌶️🌶️🌶️🔥
#LGBTQ+
#hockeyromance
#MMromance
#TheGameChangersSeries

[Maélie Nadeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honnêtement quand même boring, je l’ai lu pour lire le tome 2 avec Ilya et Shane 💞

[elisa.x · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got to say, Ilya Rozonov's presence in all the books, (im just now on book 4). is so badass! You knowww everytime i see that mans name im gonna squeal and tuck in for some sass!

[Sidharthan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and read these books and I do not regret it! Obviously, I came to them after I started watching the now uber-popular Heated Rivalry series on Crave/HBO.

If you're a fan of smutty romance novels, you're definitely in for a treat. The sex is hot and the characters are well written. You remember each character separately, which is not an easy feat given that all books basically have the same setting. I read all 3 back to back and they do stand out. Even the sex between the lead couples is different in each book.

Normally I am not a huge fan of straight women writing gay men, but Rachel Reid does a good job. She captures some of the nuances of queer life that I sometimes feel straight people miss on, especially in the Tough Guy part. She isn't going for any kind of literary genius with these books. They're just fun, smutty novels that are written well and clearly thought out.

Reading the books definitely adds to the experience of watching the series. I'm able to appreciate the performances and the direction more. Jacob Tierney and the actors have done a good job bringing alive the source material.

I was partial to the second one. There's definitely something about Shane and Ilya that makes you fall in love with them.

I might just go on a roll and read the next 3 books now. I hear Shane and Ilya return for the 6th, and I cannot wait!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful transparency about anxiety

Rachel Reid writes with sensitivity about characters dealing with anxiety, homophobia, and toxic masculinity as they chase their dreams. Sweet, enjoyable, hot as hell. Upgraded my rating on this second reading because I love the courage of her characters.

[Coni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1- 4.5 Stars
Book 2- 5 Stars
Book 3- 4 Stars

[Carmen Insfran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Game Changers Collection

I really enjoyed reading these books. The storylines flowed well and the characters were fantastic.

Grab this boxset. Highly recommended.

[maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok obviously i read this because i can’t wait for the next episode of the show to come out.

love the story and characters and the scale of it all but i don’t think the writing is very good.

the show is very similar to the book, with most of the dialogue directly lifted from the pages, but it is interesting to hear the internal monologues of shane and ilya. i didn’t get that ilya at times comes across as rude because of the language barrier until i read the book, for example.

overall though, i think the show is a much better medium to consume this story. the show is done really well and transforms the source material in a really great way. the show is less repetitive and honestly the performances from the two main actors give the characters a lot more depth.

my main issues with the book, like i said, come down to the writing. one problem i have is that the two POVs are the exact same. it’s hard to keep track of when it’s a shane chapter or an ilya chapter because the narration is not different at all, even though they are completely different people. specifically with ilya, his narration doesn’t match the way he speaks and comes across in his dialogue, which is confusing.

the book is also very repetitive, the same words and phrases are used over and over, and a lot of things feel over-explained.

it is also kinda frustrating that most of the events of the story just happen because of outside forces making them happen. the characters don’t make their own decisions a lot of the time, it seems like things just happen to them and it isn’t the most satisfying to read.

i also don’t like that the characters aren’t very fleshed out. the only scenes we read are ones that directly include the romance, which is 95% interactions between the two main characters. meaning that they don’t really have a life outside of eachother that we know about, and then later in the book when we do hear about family dynamics and different friendships and relationships it feels jarring. i personally would prefer to see more of each of the characters personal lives, and who they are when they are alone, instead of it feeling like so much happens off the page. i think if it was a different type of narration, like a daisy jones and the six faux documentary type thing, the structure of the story would work better.

so yeah, overall i love the story and characters in a way that might be unhealthy and i can’t wait for more of this story, but for anyone interested i would recommend the show, because the writing in this book falls pretty flat.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all three novels in this volume in not much more than three days. I saw a discussion of the book, Heated Rivalry, on Smart Bitches Trashy Books website, with gifs from the HBO show based on that book. As it was pretty sexy, I went to find the book, and found that I could buy this volume of three books for much, much less than any of the three single books.

This is my third series of hockey books, my second with queer protagonists. Oh my goodness did I love each story. Being gay in the hypermasculine world of hockey is not easy. Interestingly, the three different main hockey players fell in love with different men. In Heated Rivalry, two hockey players from rival teams would hook up. They were both cis or masculine presenting males. Game Changer was a love story between a hockey player and a cis gay man, as well, but this love interest was smaller, so much so that the size difference was significant. He also worked at a smoothy shop and was a server for catering events. The power differential between the two was significant, especially with how closeted the player was. The third story, Tough Guy, fell in love with a fey musician. Much of the difference was body dismorphia, and anxiety for the player, and a gorgeous, feminine presenting love interest.

The men all grew so much during each novel. Reid wrote realistic characters and emotions. Interestingly, all three novels were happening around the same time, so characters from the other books would be mentioned in passing. The books were solid and enjoyable.

[I.H · Rating 3 out of 5]

08.12.25-10.12.25: Game Changers 4 stars - Picked up because, as a lover of both hockey and books, Heated Rivalry is all over my Instagram and I don't want spoilers if I decide to watch eventually! Really cute characters (Scott and Kip), mostly good communication though at times it was a little frustrating however understandable the situation was, would have liked more hockey but it was a good romance and quick, easy read.

10.12.25-12.12.25 Heated Rivalry 3 stars - I loved the characters and some parts for sure, but it didn't feel as much a cohesive story as it did an excuse to write gay smut. No hate to that overall, and I did appreciate the slight increase in hockey content from the last one, but I just wish there had been a bit more domestic and game time scenes going on, especially near the end.

15.12.25-19.12.25 Tough Guy 1 star - This is somehow even less hockey and very intensely focussed on queerness, especially at the start, which obviously is important but I think if and when I wanted that specifically, I'd read a general romance? These aren't hockey romance books so much as they're romance books with hockey players in them. Also Fabian is pathetic and fairly selfish in circumstances not required and I hate him? Ryan is cute though. I know he's supposed to be in love with Fabian but I don't think he has to be, I think he could have done so much better.

[Tatiana Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heated Rivalry takes the cake

But Skip and Ryan and Fabian were lovely, too!

Ngl, Game Changer took me a bit to get into and Tough Guy felt a bit like a journey in the darkness, lol, but I ended up loving all of the characters and the way they navigated their lives and challenges. I was DELIGHTED to see Ilya pop up in each book, and I’m so desperate for The Long Game but also a little wary and scared that it’ll be a tough one! Still, their incorporation into even Tough Guy gave me hope and joy.

Of course, Heated Rivalry is tough to beat, but that perfectly suits our favorite golden boy hockey superstars. I’m so grateful for this series! It’s so important to tell the nuanced stories of under-represented people in this micro culture. I’m learning so much and loving it!

[Dahlia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this collection for being a great dive into the books for a good price value, and overall I enjoyed all three stories. Unfortunately, it feels very easy to get series fatigue and start to see the formula a little too easy to the point that it feels less comforting and more like a flaw thats rushing the story along. I recommend getting this collection, because of the value, but I personally might recommend still taking time to read palate cleansers between the individual titles within.