The Long Game by Rachel Reid

In the world of pro hockey, image is everything—and for Shane Hollander, it’s also survival. For ten years, he’s built his career with discipline, caution, and one ironclad rule: keep his relationship with Ilya Rozanov private. Because Shane knows how quickly headlines can turn into distractions, and how easily “personal life” becomes the story instead of the game.

But Ilya has never been built for half-measures.

Publicly, Shane and Ilya are rivals—two elite players whose competitive fire looks like pure animosity to anyone watching. Privately, they’ve been each other’s constant: a decade of stolen time, quiet devotion, and a love that refuses to fade even when the world insists it can’t exist. Now, the secret that once felt protective is starting to feel like a cage.

As the pressure mounts, Shane and Ilya reach the moment every hidden relationship eventually faces: keep choosing safety… or choose each other out loud. Shane fears what honesty could cost him. Ilya aches for the intimacy of being known—no more hiding, no more careful distances, no more pretending the best thing in his life is a rumor.

Tender, funny, and emotionally sharp, The Long Game is a love story about what it takes to step into the light—together.

Series note: The Long Game is book six in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, which inspired the streaming show Heated Rivalry (streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S.).