This has been a problem with other series as well, and what starts out as special just becomes trite. Also at some point it started to feel like 'yet another LBGTQ+' where that was their only defining characteristic.

Yes, I know it is part of a series but I want Shane and Ilya.

This was supposed to be a love letter to Shane and Ilya's fans, but instead the first several hours are mostly about her other characters, none of whom I care about. In The Long Game Ilya's accent sounds ridiculous, Cooper North's spoken voice is much weaker, and all other characters are practically indistinguishable. Narration - I'm sure the narrator would be fine in another context, but Tor Thom's strong deep voice gave Ilya (in particular) and Shane specific voices and personalities that are missing here. Unfortunately these are not the characters that we know and love. I even woke up at 3am so that I could download it when it first dropped. Heated Rivalry is one of favorite 'comfort reads' and I have probably listened to it more than a dozen times (I listen a lot when life gets stressful) and read the short stories on RR's website multiple times, so I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. It pains me to say that NOTHING about this story worked. It’s time for them to decide what’s most important-hockey or love. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist.

He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything? If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. From friends, from family…from the league. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything. 'Everything you could want from this magnetic couple! A passionate, sexy, emotional sequel that grips your heart! Shane and Ilya forever!' -#1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely, author of Hopelessly Bromantic The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.

The Long Game by Rachel Reid