‘Heated Rivalry' author Rachel Reid says Shane outshines everyone

Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid is bringing Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov back in her new book Unrivaled.

The story picks up after The Long Game and follows the couple in their 30s, showing how they handle life, love and growing older.

Even as the story focuses on both of them, Reid says that Shane is really the hero of the trilogy.

“Even in The Long Game, it’s Shane. As much as the book focuses on Ilya, Shane is the one with that arc,” she told Out. “Ultimately, Shane is our hero.”

Writing the characters in their 30s has been a new challenge for Reid as she said that hockey players at this age start facing limits and it was fun exploring how Shane deals with his body not working like it used to.

It, however, also gave her a chance to show how Shane and Ilya think about the future and their life together.

Unrivaled is the seventh book in Reid’s Game Changers series. Shane and Ilya are now married, openly living their love and even playing on the same hockey team.

The book continues to explore love, growth, and identity while keeping Shane at the center, the hero fans have loved all along.