Reviews of the “Game Changers” Series and Bonus Material
I came to Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series backwards – starting with the TV adaptation of “Heated Rivalry” and then working my way through the books and every piece of bonus content I could find. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a full two-week binge.
Here’s my take on the world Rachel Reid created and Jacob Tierney perfected.
Game Changer (Game Changers #1)
Since I came to the novel backwards after watching the TV adaptation, Scott and Kip were already firmly established in my head. In fact, one of the first things that struck me was how different the physical descriptions in the book are from the actors, but it didn’t matter. At this point, they’ll always look like those characters to me.
What surprised me most was how effectively the adaptation streamlined the story. Seeing how Jacob Tierney managed to condense the entire novel into a single episode highlights that the book itself is a little overstuffed. There’s quite a bit of repetition in the push and pull around Scott staying closeted. But the core relationship between Scott and Kip is so damn enjoyable that I didn’t mind.
If anything, the book gives Kip more room to breathe. We spend more time seeing how he processes the relationship and what it means to be involved with a closeted superstar. Some of Scott’s attempts to show care – like paying off Kip’s student loans – land in ways Scott clearly didn’t intend, which adds an interesting layer to their dynamic.
I also liked getting more of Kip’s family. In the book his mother and sister remain active in his life, and seeing Scott navigate that loud, affectionate family dynamic adds some warmth to the story. Scott also comes out to a few teammates and his coach before the public reveal, which creates some genuinely sweet moments of support.
Fans of the show will recognize the key beats, but the book fills in a little more context around what happens afterward, including a celebratory night at a gay bar in Las Vegas that a certain Russian player attends.
The sex scenes are a mixed bag. I found most of them to be a little campy, but what really works is the tenderness between Scott and Kip. Reid clearly loves these characters, and that comes through.
The audiobook, unfortunately, is rough. Tor Thom absolutely massacres Kip’s Brooklyn accent — it drifts between mobster, Hungarian and occasionally Australian — and Ilya’s Russian accent is equally questionable (though it improves slightly in “Heated Rivalry”). Some scenes that should feel sexy end up unintentionally funny.
Still, even with the uneven narration, the emotional payoff works. My heart leapt the same way it did watching the series when Scott and Kip finally get to be together.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 1/5 stars
Dates read: March 5 - 6, 2026
Merry Christmas, Scott & Kip (Game Changers #1.5)
Completely unnecessary, but sweet.
This short epilogue basically just lets us spend a little more time with Scott and Kip about six months after the events of “Game Changer.” They’re living together, celebrating Christmas with the Grady family and settling into life now that Scott is out.
Most of the appeal comes from watching Scott experience Kip’s family and realizing how much he enjoys feeling like part of it. There’s a small misunderstanding built around a big gesture, but the story isn’t really interested in drama – it’s just a quick happily-ever-after post-script.
This used to be available to download on Reid’s website and can still be found online with a little digging. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but for the half hour it takes to read, it’s a nice little bonus if you like these characters.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Date read: March 9, 2026
Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2)
At this point you’d have to be living under a rock not to know what “Heated Rivalry” is about, so there’s no reason to recap the premise. If you’re here, you’re here for Shane and Ilya.
Like the first book in the series, this one was adapted extremely well for television. Fans of the show will mostly come to the novel for extra context – small emotional beats and bits of backstory that the series streamlined or skipped.
The beginning is honestly a little slow. The early years of clandestine hookups can feel repetitive, and Ilya in particular doesn’t get much interiority at first. Once the relationship starts deepening, especially around the Las Vegas awards and All-Star weekend, the story shifts from a rivalry-with-benefits situation into something much more sentimental and romantic.
Like the first novel, what made this work for me isn’t the sex, but the strange tenderness underneath the rivalry. Shane and Ilya spend years trying to beat each other on the ice while quietly becoming the one person the other trusts most off it. Their competitiveness never disappears, it just slowly becomes another way they express affection.
That dynamic ends up revealing something interesting about masculinity in sports. These are two hyper-competitive elite athletes who push each other relentlessly but are also capable of deep loyalty, emotional dependence and genuine care. Reid lets those contradictions exist.
The book also spends more time than the adaptation on Shane’s internal struggle. We see him trying – and failing – to build a life that fits the expectations around him, including attempts to date women before finally accepting that he’s gay. Ilya’s bisexuality is discussed more openly as well, which adds some nuance to how each character experiences the closet differently.
The final third of the novel, especially the cabin stretch, still hit just as hard for me reading it as it did watching it. Even knowing exactly where the story was going, it was impossible not to feel that sense of relief when they finally stopped pretending this is just about hockey or hookups.
Reid isn’t the most technically polished writer I’ve ever read, but she has a real instinct for character attachment. She knows how to build people you want to root for, and that’s what carries these books.
I also liked the little connections to the broader series. Scott Hunter getting repeatedly referenced as an almost comically wholesome goody-two-shoes made me laugh – especially the joke about him filling the Stanley Cup with tea – and Ilya mentioning that he met Kip and liked him is a fun crossover moment.
One thing I did wish for was more development for Shane’s teammate Hayden, who felt thinner than some of the supporting characters in the first book. The story also touches briefly on how Scott’s coming out affects the hockey world, and I would have liked to see Shane and Ilya discuss that more openly.
The audiobook narration from Tor Thom unfortunately remains rough. His Russian accent improves slightly here, but Shane’s parents sound borderline cartoonish, with his dad, David, perpetually mopey and half-drunk, his mom, Yuna, an exaggerated busybody.
Still, narration issues aside, the story works. While I came to these books because I loved the series, I’m starting to see why Shane and Ilya became the center of the entire franchise. Their relationship is messy, competitive, secretive and occasionally ridiculous – but it’s also deeply sincere.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 1/5 stars
Dates read: March 8 - 9, 2026
My Dinner with Hayden (Game Changers #2.5)
This short story takes place shortly before the epilogue of “Heated Rivalry,” so that’s where I read it before finishing the novel. In the introduction on her blog, Reid mentions this was originally considered as the ending for the novel. Honestly, I’m glad she changed course.
The story mostly exists to expand on the tension between Hayden and Ilya that surfaces during the press conference near the end of “Heated Rivalry.” Unfortunately, the extra context doesn’t really improve the dynamic. Instead, both of them come across as oddly petulant, with Shane and Jackie largely stuck watching the situation unfold.
That’s particularly frustrating because it slightly undermines the emotion of the coming-out chapter. Rather than building on that momentum, this scene feels like a step backward in terms of character growth.
It’s very short – maybe fifteen minutes to read – and if you’re trying to track every piece of bonus material in the series it adds a bit of continuity. But beyond that, it doesn’t add much to the story and arguably weakens the tone Reid ultimately chose for the real ending.
Probably best viewed as a discarded alternate scene rather than essential reading.
Rating (story): 2/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Date read: March 9, 2026
Halloween with Ilya (blog only)
It’s his first Halloween in Ottawa, and he goes all in decorating for trick-or-treaters. Naturally, Ilya being Ilya, he decides to dress as Shane – Montreal jersey, hat and Sharpie freckles included.
The story works because it highlights the side of Ilya that Shane always saw but that Ilya himself struggled to believe in: sweet, attentive and genuinely good with people. Watching him interact with neighborhood kids and their parents is unexpectedly charming, and it quietly reinforces something hinted at earlier in the series – that Ilya might actually want a family and kids someday.
It’s short, but it captures Ilya at his most happy, and that alone makes it worth reading. It might be one of the most unguarded glimpses of Ilya we get anywhere in the series that doesn’t involve sex.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Dates read: March 9, 2026
Heated Rivalry: Some Deleted Scenes (blog only)
These scenes are meant to be read alongside “Heated Rivalry” and mostly expand on the budding relationship between Shane and Ilya rather than adding new plots.
The most interesting section takes place in January 2014 and leans heavily into Shane’s self-disgust as he tries to reconcile his feelings for Ilya with the life he thinks he’s supposed to have. It adds some texture to that phase of their relationship where Shane is still fighting himself as much as the situation.
Another fun moment jumps to the 2018 Olympics, when NHL players weren’t allowed to compete. Shane and Ilya end up watching Canada vs. Russia from home with their respective teammates while texting each other increasingly snarky commentary throughout the game.
The final scene offers an alternate epilogue where Shane and Yuna help Ilya move into his Ottawa house. It’s another glimpse of Ilya’s softer side, and Yuna slowly warming up to him – even buying him a rotisserie chicken (!!!) and some starter supplies from Walmart. We also learn she’s directing their foundation, which is a nice little detail for the future.
None of these scenes are essential, but they add some color that fans will appreciate.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Dates read: March 9, 2026
Heated Rivalry: Las Vegas Remix (blog only)
This short piece revisits one of the most memorable moments in the series – the NHL Awards in Las Vegas – and answers the question of where Ilya was while Shane was waiting for him backstage.
Structurally it’s mostly the same scene readers already know, from the onstage banter to the charged encounter afterward, just with a few added lines and glimpses into Ilya’s mindset at the time.
The most interesting part is seeing hints of Ilya realizing his feelings for Shane are becoming something much bigger than their usual hookups. This moment is really the point of no return in their relationship.
That said, it’s still fairly light on Ilya’s perspective and reads more like a slightly expanded retelling than a fully new scene. I wanted more.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Dates read: March 9, 2026
Tough Guy (Game Changers #3)
After the emotional intensity of the first two books in the “Game Changers” series, “Tough Guy” feels like a deliberate swing in a different direction, and I’ll give Reid credit for taking it.
Ryan Price briefly appeared earlier in the series (memorably sitting next to Ilya on that very awkward plane ride), and here he becomes one of the most interesting characters Reid has written so far. On the ice he’s a massive enforcer, but off it he’s anxious, awkward and constantly second-guessing himself. Watching a 6’7 ginger bear quietly panic his way through social interactions in Toronto’s gay village is honestly pretty endearing.
Ryan’s anxiety, body dysmorphia and likely demisexuality also make him a very different kind of romance lead than the hyper-confident hockey stars in the earlier books. There’s a tenderness to his character that gives the story a softer tone – almost YA at times – especially since the relationship develops slowly and the physical side of things doesn’t really show up until well past the halfway point.
Fabian, on the other hand, never quite worked for me. He’s easily the most traditionally queer character Reid has written so far – an artsy musician surrounded by a group of urban creative friends – but the characterization often felt a little shallow. Some of that might be the audiobook narration (Tor Thom continues to struggle), but even on the page Fabian and his circle sometimes come across as oddly immature for thirty-somethings.
What I did appreciate was how much of the story isn’t really about hockey at all. Ryan is deeply disillusioned with the sport, stuck playing alongside teammates he doesn’t respect while feeling guilty for having achieved something so many people dream about. Fabian doesn’t push him to quit, but he does give Ryan permission to imagine a life outside the rink for the first time. That dynamic creates an unusual power imbalance for the series: the NHL star is actually the more vulnerable partner.
The book also includes a few nice connections to the broader series. Ryan ultimately comes out to his teammates after hearing a homophobic remark about Shane Hollander during Shane and Ilya’s press conference, and Ilya himself makes a brief cameo when Toronto plays Ottawa. Moments like that help ground the story within the larger world Reid has built.
I didn’t love the possible drug-addiction subplot, and I’m still not entirely convinced Ryan and Fabian are a couple built to last in the way Scott/Kip or Shane/Ilya clearly are, but I do respect the patience Reid shows with Ryan’s journey. When the intimacy between them finally happens, it’s slower and more realistic than anything in the earlier books.
The real standout character for me, though, was Wyatt Hayes – Ryan’s teammate who becomes an unexpectedly supportive friend. I’d happily read an entire book about him now that he’s the goalie in Ottawa.
The epilogue, which briefly drops Ryan into Shane and Ilya’s orbit again at their hockey camp, is a nice touch. It also adds a bit more dimension to Ilya, who is revealed to be one of the few players who showed up to support another enforcer who died by suicide.
Overall, this is messier than the first two books, but also more introspective. It’s a quieter story about anxiety, masculinity and figuring out what kind of life you actually want once the dream you chased stops feeling like one.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 2/5 stars
Dates read: March 9 - 11, 2026
Common Goal (Game Changers #4)
“Common Goal” almost feels like a quiet sequel to “Game Changer.” Set a couple of years after Scott Hunter comes out, it gives readers a glimpse of how that moment actually rippled through the league, both the progress and the subtle pushback that followed.
Eric Bennett is an interesting lead. At 41, divorced and staring down retirement, he’s finally allowing himself to explore parts of his identity he ignored for most of his life. In some ways he echoes Scott from the first book – successful and respected, but realizing how much of himself he kept locked away for the sake of hockey.
The central relationship between Eric and Kyle – bartender and wannabe paramour of Kip in book one – is sweet, but also the most frustrating dynamic in the series so far. Their friends-with-benefits but definitely not feelings arrangement feels like a pretty flimsy excuse to delay the inevitable. Both characters are clearly into each other almost immediately, which makes the stalemate feel more contrived than romantic.
That said, the physical side of their relationship is actually the most interesting in the series so far. Reid leans into a power dynamic where Kyle is the more dominant partner and Eric is a surprisingly eager submissive – not in a full BDSM sense, but through things like dirty talk and Eric discovering that he enjoys surrendering that control.
For a character who spent decades being the composed veteran goalie and traditional husband, that vulnerability ends up being one of the more believable parts of the book. Ironically, despite the friends-with-benefits framing, the sex here feels more intimate than in the first two novels.
Tonally, this is the frothiest entry so far – lighter, less hockey-focused and more about figuring out what life looks like after the sport ends. The resolution is fairly predictable, but the emotional beats still land well enough, especially as the story circles back to Scott and Kip’s wedding.
The audiobook narration shifts to Cooper North, which is an improvement over the previous narrator’s accents, though his interpretation of Kip didn’t quite match the character, from the series or book one. He comes across almost petulant here, which is a disservice to him – and Scott.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Dates read: March 11 - 14, 2026
Role Model (Game Changers #5)
“Role Model” is probably my favorite in the series since the first two, which I didn’t totally expect going in. Reid keeps using the same basic structure, but what she’s actually exploring is pretty consistent: what it looks like when men shaped by hockey culture start to unlearn it.
And that brings us to Troy.
He starts as the exact kind of player you’re meant to roll your eyes at – loud, rude and hiding behind that “I’m just a jerk” persona – then slowly unravels into something much more interesting. His internalized homophobia and instinct to deflect with cruelty feel a little too real at times.
Harris is the perfect counterbalance. He’s openly gay, comfortable in his body, a little chubby and just fine with himself in a way that feels almost radical in this environment. He’s the kind of person who could talk to a wall, and somehow it works against Troy’s personality of mayonnaise. The grumpy/sunshine thing is obvious, but it works.
This is also the first time the Ottawa team really clicks as a setting. Between Ilya (now with a loon tattoo! IYKYK), Wyatt and the general vibe (including puppies at practice), it’s easily the most likable team in the series. The Kingfisher scene with Ilya, Troy, Scott and Eric is one of the best moments in the book, and it feels like the series finally understands itself as a connected world instead of just overlapping stories.
There’s heavier stuff here – MeToo, toxic masculinity, the Dallas Kent rape plot – and I do think Reid could have gone deeper on that. But at the same time, that’s not really what these books are trying to be. They’re romances first, and this one leans more into character emotions versus social commentary.
The relationship itself works because it’s not just physical. There’s real personality-driven attraction here. Troy, who sees himself as an emotional liability, ends up being a surprisingly attentive partner, while Harris can’t quite believe someone like Troy would actually want him. It’s a dynamic that feels more balanced than some of the earlier couples.
The plot is predictable – you can see every major beat coming – but it doesn’t really matter. This is one of those books where the outcome isn’t the point. It’s just…warm. I also think this is probably the best written in the series so far, which helps.
While I didn't love Cooper North’s take on Harris, he is still a huge step up from the earlier audiobooks.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Dates read: March 14 - 16, 2026
The Long Game (Game Changers #6)
This is the book the series was always building toward — and also the one that exposes some of its limits.
Running parallel to “Role Model,” we pick up with Shane and Ilya 10 years into their relationship, three of those fully committed and still hiding. On paper, that’s compelling, but in practice, it’s heavier, more frustrating and a little less satisfying than I expected.
What Reid gets right is the toll of it. The secrecy isn’t romantic anymore – it’s destructive, both individually and collectively. Shane is even more tightly wound than before. Ilya, meanwhile, is quieter but clearly struggling in his own way, carrying the weight of a relationship that only exists in private.
There’s something especially sad about how domestic they’ve become – how normal their life could be – and how little they allow themselves to actually enjoy it. The problem is that for a relationship this long, I didn’t always believe it here.
They spend a lot of time circling the same conversations, probing for weaknesses, almost daring the other person to give them a reason to walk away. It feels less like two people who have built something together over a decade and more like two people stuck in a deeply co-dependent cycle.
Shane, in particular, is difficult to track. His characterization feels uneven, swinging between extreme selfishness and undying loyalty to Ilya. I understand the intent – someone who craves control realizing he can’t always have it – but it could have been handled with more nuance. Instead, it often reads like he overreacts to small moments and underreacts to the big ones. I don’t get it.
Ilya, on the other hand, is fantastic and easily the highlight of the book. His patience with Shane, his loyalty to both him and his team and his struggle with depression – especially the toll of having to hide a relationship he wants to be proud of – all feel grounded and earned. He still has the same snark and edge, but he also represents something more interesting: a version of masculinity that isn’t rooted in control or silence. Like Benji Ovich in “Beartown,” he shows another side of what being a “tough” guy can mean.
It creates this strange tension where the book is asking you to believe in the depth of their bond while also showing you two people who aren’t especially good at communicating or following through on the decisions they make together.
That said, there are moments that remind you why this relationship works. The hockey camp scenes are strong, especially with the return of characters like Wyatt and Ryan, and Ilya’s dynamic with Yuna has become one of the more satisfying threads in the series.
When the story slows down enough to let them be honest, it works. Ilya’s message to Shane during the plane scare, the quiet moment with David before the wedding, even the proposal – these are the moments that feel the most honest and satisfying.
The sex, though, feels perfunctory. It’s almost as if Reid felt obligated to include it, and instead of adding to the story, it disrupts momentum more than it enhances it.
The outing itself is ridiculous in a very on-brand way – caught kissing in a mirror during Hayden’s fan video – but the fallout is interesting. Both of them being benched, the league scrambling to contain it and especially Commissioner Crowell’s reaction all reinforce that the league’s support of queerness is conditional at best, and mostly performative.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this book relies a little too heavily on how much we already care about these characters. The plot is relatively thin, and a lot of the emotion comes from revisiting conflicts. It’s not the strongest entry in the series, and at times it feels a bit unnecessary.
Even when it’s frustrating, I’m still invested enough to see where it goes next. And I have a feeling Jacob Tierney will smooth over some of these rough edges in season two of “Heated Rivalry.”
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Dates read: March 17 - 21, 2026
Countdown: A Smutty Shane and Ilya Short (blog only)
Shane catches Ilya watching porn with a woman, which leads to a conversation about his bisexuality. I can see why this scene was ultimately cut. Shane’s uneasiness with Ilya’s sexual history is already a major point of conflict in “The Long Game,” and it’s one I didn’t fully buy to begin with, so this just reinforces it without adding much new.
It eventually turns into a video sex scene while Ilya is on the road, which is fine. Nothing special, and more importantly, not particularly additive. It doesn’t deepen the characters or move anything forward, so it makes sense that it didn’t make the final cut.
Rating (story): 2/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Dates read: March 21, 2026
Final Thoughts
Looking back at all of this, none of these books are perfect. Some are repetitive, some uneven and some rely a little too heavily on ideas that worked better the first time. But taken together, they’re far more effective than they have any right to be.
At a certain point, the hockey fades into the background and what you’re left with is a series about men trying – sometimes successfully, sometimes not – to build something positive in a world that didn’t really teach them how. That’s where it all clicks. Not in the big moments, not even necessarily in the romances themselves, but in the smaller, quieter realizations about identity, vulnerability and what it actually means to let yourself be happy.
I didn’t expect to care this much about a series like this, but clearly, I did.
Reid hasn’t made me a full convert to MM romance – I’m still not seeking out the genre broadly – but she has made me trust her as a storyteller. I’d absolutely read her standalone work, and I’ll keep following this series as long as she keeps writing it.
If you’ve only watched the show and haven’t read the books, I do think they’re worth your time. They add texture, context and a little more layering to stories you already care about. If nothing else, they’re a great, frequently feel-good distraction – the kind that’s easy to dismiss on the surface, but sticks with you longer than you expect.
