TL;DR
- Rachel Reid has officially announced Unrivaled, the next Heated Rivalry novel centering Shane and Ilya.
- The story follows the couple now openly married and facing backlash from the hockey world.
- A hostile podcast and the #TakeBackHockey movement target the pair’s visibility.
- It’s the third book focused on Hollanov after Heated Rivalry and The Long Game.
- Unrivaled drops September 29, 2026 and is available for preorder now.
‘Unrivaled’ Is Official: Heated Rivalry’s Married Hockey Kings Return for a New Battle
The Hollanov Hurricane Continues
Hollanov stans, breathe—because Rachel Reid just made every rumor true. The Heated Rivalry universe is expanding again with Unrivaled, book seven in the Game Changers series, and yes, it’s all about our favorite rivals-to-lovers-turned-husbands Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. If the TV show turned them into global queer icons, this new novel is about to cement their place in the fictional Gay Athlete Hall of Fame.
Reid revealed the book with a flourish, delivering a synopsis that feels like a victory lap and a warning shot rolled into one. After more than a decade of keeping their relationship hidden, Shane and Ilya are now out, proud, married, and playing on the same team. It’s the kind of emotional payoff fans have been screaming for—but apparently the hockey world isn’t entirely ready to join the celebration.
Love Wins, But the Backlash Is Loud
The official synopsis makes clear that the romance is solid, but the world around them? Not so much. While fans cheer them on, a vocal slice of old-school hockey culture is clutching its pearls. A popular podcast, Top Shelf, teams up with the reactionary #TakeBackHockey movement, trying to drag the sport backward one homophobic tantrum at a time.
Reid frames this turbulence as the biggest challenge Shane and Ilya have faced yet—not each other, not distance, but bigotry that refuses to die quietly. Their love may finally be in the daylight, but that means so is the target on their backs.
It’s a storyline that hits close to home for queer readers who’ve watched LGBTQ+ athletes fight tooth and nail for dignity in sports. By putting Shane and Ilya on the front line of that cultural battle, Unrivaled promises both heart and heat—with a side of social commentary that the queer community knows all too well.
A Return to the Game Changers Family
This is the third book to center Hollanov after Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, and Reid says she’s thrilled to bring them back. In her interview, she beams about writing them again, sharing her gratitude for the fans who’ve turned these characters into beloved queer romance fixtures.
“I’m writing this one for all the Hollanov fans, old and new,” she says—and baby, we feel seen.
With the show still dominating cultural conversation and the fandom growing by the day, the timing of Unrivaled couldn’t be juicier. The book drops September 29, 2026 through Harlequin Books, with preorders already live.
Why This Matters for Queer Readers
At its core, Unrivaled isn’t just another romance sequel. It’s queer storytelling refusing to shrink. Shane and Ilya are out, visible, and successful—three traits that historically made athletes targets rather than heroes. Reid is choosing to depict them not just surviving backlash, but facing it hand-in-hand, modeling resilience for a community that often sees its stories cut short or sanitized.
In a media landscape that still cancels queer series faster than it greenlights them, getting another installment featuring an openly married gay sports power couple feels like a gift—and a quiet act of rebellion. Unrivaled promises angst, love, triumph, and the radical notion that queer athletes deserve not just acceptance, but center stage.
And honestly? We’ll skate straight into traffic for that.