Heated Rivalry author reveals details of new book plus fresh challenges for Shane & Ilya
And here’s why the episodes in the UK are slightly shorter than those in the US and Canada.
Mark
Anyone who cannot wait until 2027 for season 2 of Heated Rivalry might instead get their fix of Shane and Ilya via Rachel Reid’s original novels.
The author yesterday exclusively revealed to People that her next book in the series will further explore the couple.
Reid published the first in her Game Changers series of hockey-related queer romances in 2018. The first novel followed Scott Hunter and his romance with a barista, Kip.
This was followed by Heated Rivalry, which centered on Shane Hollander and Russian rebel Ilya Rozanov.
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This was followed by another three books featuring three other couples. A sixth book, The Long Game, returned to Shane and Ilya.
Reid has announced her next book, entitled Unrivaled, will drop on September 29. It will again focus on Shane and Ilya.
Do not read on if you want to avoid spoilers about what happens with the couple after the first TV season of Heated Rivalry.
Unrivaled
In the new book, the men are out, married and playing on the same team. Public support has largely been positive. However, not everyone wishes them well.
“They’ve gotten a lot of love from fans who are thrilled for them,” the book’s synopsis reads. “But some people in the hockey world are still reeling from their relationship reveal, and the backlash — led by popular hockey podcast Top Shelf and the #TakeBackHockey movement — is getting louder.”
“Ilya and Shane are finally able to stand together in the light, the way they’d always wanted. And now they might be facing their biggest challenge yet.”
Reid told People, “I’m really excited to have the chance to continue their story with Unrivaled. I’m writing this one for all the Hollanov fans, old and new,” Reid says. “I can’t tell you how much the love my characters have received over the years means to me. It has been a blast writing these guys again, and revisiting the entire Game Changers cast.”
Reid also shared artwork for the new book.
Reid also posted a video yesterday on Instagram. She commented on how “weird” it felt to watch people making jokes about Shane and Ilya on the Golden Globes while she was holed up in a hotel room writing the next chapter of their story.
Heated Rivalry hits the UK… but with one confusing difference
Following its premiere in the US in late November, Heated Rivalry is picking up viewers around the world. On Saturday, the whole series became available to the UK via Sky Atlantic/NOW TV.
However, some eagle-eyed viewers questioned why the UK episodes appear to have a slightly shorter run time of 1-2 minutes each. For example, the first episode is listed as 49 minutes in the US, and 47.50 in the UK.
Others asked if the episodes had been “sped up”. Ilya, in particular, seemed to have a slightly higher voice.
Sky has assured people that it’s broadcasting the episodes with no cuts.
Heated Rivalry. All episodes. Tomorrow.
No cuts. No edits. (we know you were worried about that one…) pic.twitter.com/lYB8zMZ2T7— Sky TV (@skytv) January 9, 2026
The time difference is actually due to differences in broadcast formats. In the UK, TV is streamed at 26 frames per second. In the US and Canada, shows are filmed and screened at 24 frames per second. So yes, it is fractionally faster, but this is the same for every show, and not just Heated Rivalry. It’s just typical of the obsessive Shane-and-Ilya fandom to notice the difference.
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