A new Heated Rivalry book is coming, and it will be the most intense yet

Since the beginning of the year, we have not been able to get enough of Heated Rivalry episodes watched over and over again, along with interviews and editorials featuring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who have overnight become as close to our hearts as if we shared a living space with them, the most intimate one at that, which is not all that far from the truth. For those who have yet to find a way to eavesdrop on the “I’m coming to the cottage” whispers while obsessively sighing over new waves of yearning, the big news is that the series arrives on our streaming platforms on January 23. And this is only the beginning, because a new book by Rachel Reid, the New York Times bestselling author behind the Game Changer series adapted into Heated Rivalry, has just been announced.

Specifically, the publisher’s website Barnes & Noble has revealed the seventh installment of the series, symbolically titled Unrivaled, with a release date set for September 29, 2026, and pre-orders already available. It follows the sixth book, The Long Game, in which Shane and Ilya are in a stable relationship, navigating the fact that their relationship, and later their marriage, has become public, as well as the news that Shane will be joining Ilya on his team, the Ottawa Centaurs.

Related: I watched Heated Rivalry and realized why it set social media on fire

Photo: Sabrina Lantos/HBO

“For the first time in their professional hockey careers, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander have nothing to hide. After more than a decade of keeping their love secret, they are now out, married, and even playing on the same team. The support is incredible. Most of the time. They receive a lot of love from fans who are thrilled for them. But part of the hockey world has still not come to terms with the revelation of their relationship, and the negative reactions, led by the popular hockey podcast Top Shelf and the #TakeBackHockey movement, are growing louder.”

The seventh, and final, installment of this hockey romance will undoubtedly serve as inspiration for a second or third season of the Heated Rivalry series. “Ilya and Shane have never left my mind, so I think writing about them was inevitable,” said author Rachel Reid, for whom this series was a game changer in every sense.

Photo: Sabrina Lantos/HBO

Namely, her novels, written several years ago, experienced a massive surge in popularity after the broadcast of Heated Rivalry, produced by Crave. Until then, Rachel had been quietly coping with a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and a healthcare system that left her waiting for years for specialist care. However, after the series resonated so strongly by placing queer love and intimacy within the world of professional sports at its center, its viral success helped Rachel’s story reach the right person, finally opening the door to treatment that had long been denied to her. That is why she continues to write today, as a reminder that powerful stories do not only change pop culture, but lives as well.

Photo: Sabrina Lantos/HBO

The production company recently confirmed a second season of the series with Hudson Williams returning as Shane and Connor Storrie as Ilya, while HBO Max has confirmed it will continue airing the show. Jacob Tierney, who wrote and directed the entire first season, remains at the helm, but ahead of the series finale he stated that he is considering the possibility of “bringing in additional writers,” although no final decision has yet been made.