February is all about Types of L-O-V-E, and this week we’re lacing up for Queer Love - the kind built on tension, secrecy, vulnerability, and choosing each other despite all odds.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Book 2 in the Game Changers series

Special Bonus: This episode also discusses the HBO series adaptation.

The Book

Two professional hockey players. Years of secret hookups. A rivalry that refuses to cool down.

Heated Rivalry wastes no time bringing the heat. The chemistry is immediate, and the passion is undeniable. But what makes this story unforgettable isn’t just what happens on the ice (or in hotel rooms), it’s what happens in the quiet spaces in between.

This is a love story shaped by secrecy, fear, and the pressure of being discovered. What begins as physical turns complicated fast, as feelings grow louder and neither of them wants to say the quiet part out loud.

The tension isn’t about whether they want each other. It’s about whether they’re brave enough to admit it.

Ratings

Overall Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book delivers in every category: tension, emotional payoff, character growth, and chemistry that feels electric. It pulls at every emotion—funny, sharp, devastating in places, and unexpectedly tender.

Warning: by the end, you will be fully emotionally invested in these characters.

Spice Level: 4 Flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥

The spice is immediate and consistent. Bold, explicit, and emotionally charged, but never empty. Every scene builds the relationship instead of distracting from it.

This is heat with heart.