Lace up your skates and prepare to hit the ice again because more captivating content from the Heated Rivalry series is on its way later this year! The trend initiated by Rachel Reid, a writer from Nova Scotia, is continuing with a fresh novel published by Harlequin. Scheduled for release on September 29, 2026, Reid has revealed a new addition to the Game Changer series.
Titled Unrivaled, the seventh book in Reid’s hockey romance collection revisits the evolving relationship between two hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. Once fierce rivals, their love is now out in the open. Introduced in book two of the series, Heated Rivalry, this upcoming installment picks up right after the events of the sixth book, The Long Game.
The TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry directed by Montreal filmmaker Jacob Tierney premiered last November and became the most successful Crave Original Series to date, attracting a wide range of audiences interested in queer hockey love stories. The lead actors, Hudson Williams from British Columbia and Connor Storrie from the U.S., have swiftly risen to stardom, even presenting at the 2026 Golden Globes over the weekend.
Rachel Reid expressed her delight at the global reception of her distinctively queer Canadian characters, describing it as a delightful “hit of dopamine.” In a recent interview on The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing, Reid shared her intention to contribute to the growing representation of queer stories with happy endings, emphasizing the positive response she has received.
In Canada, the literary community has taken notice of Reid’s work, with Heated Rivalry making the Canada Reads 2026 longlist and dominating the weekly bestseller list, six years post its initial release in 2019 according to Bookmanager.
In the upcoming book, Unrivaled, the celebration of queer love continues as Shane and Ilya embark on new life phases, including marriage and playing for the same team for the first time in their hockey careers. Amid the #TakeBackHockey movement led by prominent hockey podcasters, the duo remains steadfast in their love for each other and the game.
With over 1.3 million copies of the Game Changers series sold in North America and a confirmed second season of the TV show, fans are eagerly anticipating more from Reid’s captivating universe. Apart from Unrivaled, Reid’s collection includes six other novels, with five exploring various romantic pairings in the intense world of hockey, such as Role Model, Tough Guy, and Common Goal.
The release date for Unrivaled is set for September 29, and pre-orders are currently available.
