Books Like Heated Rivalry — 10 MM Hockey & Rivals-to-Lovers Reads (2026)

Heated Rivalry is the book that made a generation of readers care about hockey. Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander are the two best players of their generation, rivals on the ice and in every headline — and, in secret, the only person the other one can be fully himself with. Rachel Reid built the whole thing on a knife’s edge: a years-long clandestine relationship between two men whose entire public lives depend on nobody finding out, played as rivals in front of the cameras and something devastatingly tender the moment the doors close. It’s angsty, it’s hot, and it earns every bit of the payoff.

Finishing it leaves a specific hunger: two competitive men, a reason they can’t be together, and the slow, secret cracking of that resolve. Below are five trad-pub MM picks that deliver it, then five from our own catalog for readers who want the same rivalry-and-hockey charge with the heat turned all the way up. The indie five are free with Kindle Unlimited.

5 Trad-Pub Books Like Heated Rivalry

1. Heated Rivalry — Rachel Reid

The anchor, and still the gold standard for MM sports romance. Two rival NHL stars, one secret relationship carried across years and continents, and the constant low-grade terror of being found out. Reid writes the rivalry as foreplay and the tenderness as the real story. If you’re here without having read it, start now — and know that the Game Changers series has more waiting. Get Heated Rivalry on Amazon →

2. The Long Game — Rachel Reid

The sequel Heated Rivalry fans beg for, and the reason you don’t stop at book one. It picks Ilya and Shane back up and asks the harder question — not whether they love each other, but whether they can actually build a life out in the open. If the secrecy was the part that wrecked you, this is the catharsis. Read it immediately after the first. Get The Long Game on Amazon →

3. Him — Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

The college-hockey cousin, and the other MM sports romance everyone recommends in the same breath. Two former junior-hockey best friends reunite years after one kiss blew everything up, forced back into the same orbit for a summer. It’s friends-to-lovers rather than rivals, but it’s the same world — the closeted athlete, the pressure, the pull that won’t quit. Warmer than Reid, just as addictive. Get Him on Amazon →

4. Red, White & Royal Blue — Casey McQuiston

Not hockey, but the biggest enemies-to-lovers MM romance of the decade, and a must if the rivalry was your favorite part. The First Son of the United States and a British prince go from tabloid nemeses to a secret, world-complicating romance. Same engine as Heated Rivalry — two high-profile men, a relationship that could detonate both their public lives, and banter that turns molten. Get Red, White & Royal Blue on Amazon →

5. Boyfriend Material — Alexis Hall

For readers who want the banter dialed to eleven. Two men fake-date for mutual PR damage control and fall for real, with the sharpest dialogue on this list. It swaps the sports pressure for celebrity-adjacent pressure, but the shape is familiar — a public performance of a relationship slowly becoming the truest thing in either man’s life. A perfect palate-brightener after Reid’s angst. Get Boyfriend Material on Amazon →

5 Indie KU Picks That Turn Up the Heat

Reid writes real longing, but the door stays mostly closed — the ache is the point, not the heat. If you want the same rivalry-and-locker-room charge with the door wide open, that’s our catalog’s lane. Chase Power writes MM hockey almost exclusively, and Jace Wilder brings the grumpy-captain energy. Five picks below, all free with Kindle Unlimited.

6. Overtime Minutes — Chase Power (MM Hockey, Captain/Rookie Forbidden)

The closest match on the list to Heated Rivalry’s forbidden charge. Captain Marcus Vale and rookie Theo Cross aren’t supposed to want each other — the locker room, the roster politics, the whole professional line between a captain and his newest player says no. The pull says otherwise. Same secret-relationship-under-pressure tension as Ilya and Shane, with the heat Reid keeps off the page. Start here. Read the first chapter free →

7. Good Pucking Boy — Jace Wilder (MM Hockey, Grumpy/Sunshine)

The grumpy-captain, sunshine-rookie version, for readers who want the rivalry to melt into something warmer. A hard-edged veteran who runs his team like a fortress, and the relentlessly bright new kid who gets under his guard and refuses to leave. It’s the softest-hearted pick here under all the heat — the on-ice friction becomes off-ice devotion, and Jace Wilder does not fade to black. Browse Jace Wilder’s catalog →

8. Straight Until Overtime — Chase Power (MM Hockey, Bi-Awakening)

The bi-awakening entry, and a perfect fit for the closeted-athlete thread that runs through Heated Rivalry. A player who’s never once questioned himself, a teammate who changes the math, and the specific terror of wanting something that upends the identity you’ve built your whole career on. All the pressure of a secret, in a sport that isn’t built to make room for it. Browse Chase Power’s catalog →

9. Penalty Box Privileges — Chase Power (MM Hockey, Enemies to Lovers)

The one that leans hardest into the on-ice rivalry. Two players who genuinely can’t stand each other — the chirping, the hits, the box time — grinding all that antagonism into something that combusts the second they’re alone. If the part of Heated Rivalry you loved was the way the rivalry itself was the attraction, this is that dynamic at full heat. Browse Chase Power’s catalog →

10. Captain of My Bad Decisions — Chase Power (MM Hockey, Forbidden)

The closer, for readers who want the captain dynamic and the shouldn’t-want-this tension in one book. A team leader who knows better, a person he can’t stay away from, and every reason it’s a terrible idea stacked against the one reason it isn’t. It’s the pick that best captures the two-men-with-everything-to-lose weight that makes Reid’s series hurt so good. Browse Chase Power’s catalog →

FAQ

What should I read after Heated Rivalry?

The immediate next step is its own sequel, The Long Game, which gives Ilya and Shane the out-in-the-open arc the first book sets up. After that: Him for the college-hockey friends-to-lovers version, Red, White & Royal Blue for the high-profile enemies-to-lovers. On Kindle Unlimited, Overtime Minutes is the closest match for the forbidden captain-and-rookie dynamic.

Is Heated Rivalry on Kindle Unlimited?

Availability comes and goes — Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books are traditionally published, so they’re not reliably in KU. The five indie picks above are all in Kindle Unlimited, which is the cheapest way to binge MM hockey romance.

How spicy is Heated Rivalry?

Moderate — around a 3 out of 5. There are on-page scenes, but the longing and the secrecy do most of the heavy lifting. If you want the same rivalry-and-hockey setup with a much higher heat level, that’s exactly what the five KU picks are built for.

Do I need to read the Game Changers series in order?

Heated Rivalry works as a standalone, but The Long Game is a direct continuation of Ilya and Shane’s story, so read those two in order. The wider Game Changers series follows different couples and can be read more flexibly.

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