Author Rachel Reid on beating your Heated Rivalry hangover after the hit TV sensation

The emotional pull of Heated Rivalry has proven hard to shake for fans, and Rachel Reid understands why. The Nova Scotia author’s beloved hockey romance, adapted from her Game Changers book series, has sparked intense attachment to its characters and their decade-long, rivals-to-lovers journey.

Reid says that lingering sense of loss after finishing the story is a natural response to spending so much time with characters who feel real and deeply human.

For readers looking to ease that post-story crash, Reid encourages staying within the world that started it all. The Game Changers series offers plenty of opportunities to reconnect with familiar faces and explore new love stories within the same hockey universe, including Game Changer, Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model, and The Long Game, which revisits Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov later in their relationship. For Reid, revisiting characters over time can be both grounding and rewarding, allowing readers to experience growth, comfort, and emotional payoff.

If fans are ready to branch out beyond her own books but still crave a sports-romance fix, Reid has a few personal recommendations. One of her top picks is Crash Test by fellow Nova Scotia author Amy James.

“It’s a very emotional romance between two men who are both F1 racers,” Reid said. “So that’s kind of a little rarer than a hockey romance, but yeah, it’s a good one.” She notes that while the sport may be different, the emotional intensity will feel familiar to Heated Rivalry fans.

Reid’s next recommendation brings readers back to the ice, but with a twist. Hockey Bois by A.L. Heard quickly became a favourite for her. “That might be my favourite one, honestly,” she said. The novel follows two men playing on the same beer league hockey team who gradually fall in love.

Reid describes it as “really sweet” and highlights how refreshing it is to see a hockey romance that isn’t centered on professional athletes, adding a grounded and relatable perspective to the genre.

As for what’s next, Reid confirms that hockey romance remains firmly in her future. She has another book currently in the works, and fans of the on-screen adaptation also have more to look forward to, with Heated Rivalry season two already on the horizon.

For now, she hopes readers take comfort in knowing that the feelings sparked by the story don’t have to end, they can simply evolve into the next great read.