TEST
Note: As this book is both a sequel and the finale to a long-running series, there will be spoilers for earlier books in this review.
Rachel Reid’s The Long Game is the final book in her Game Changers series of romances set in the world of professional hockey – and, most importantly, the long and eagerly awaited conclusion of the epic love story between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov begun in the second book, Heated Rivalry. If you, like me, are a fan, you’re going to need no encouragement from me to rush to buy this one as soon as it’s available, so I suppose what you really want to know is – does The Long Game deliver everything we’ve been waiting for? I’m pleased to be able to give an unequivocal “yes” in answer; Rachel Reid has done herself, her readers and these two much loved characters proud with a story that brings Shane and Ilya’s romance to a wonderfully romantic and emotionally satisfying conclusion while not shying away from showing that their journey has been far from easy and their HEA is hard won.
Heated Rivalry charted the progression of the relationship between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose on-the-ice animosity translated into an explosive sexual attraction off of it. Over the course of seven years, their relationship slowly morphed from one based on mutual lust and convenience, hooking up whenever they happened to be in the same place at the same time, to one based on deep affection, understanding and love. At the end of the book, Shane and Ilya have decided to keep their relationship under wraps for the moment; coming out as queer is going to be difficult enough given the homophobia surrounding professional sports, but for two players whose intense rivalry has become legendary to own up to being in a relationship with each other… well, that’s going to need some really careful handling when they decide to go public. As a way of trying to show that their animosity isn’t quite as strong as the media paints it, they start a mental health charity in memory of – and named after – Ilya’s mother, who suffered from depression and took her own life when Ilya was just twelve, and together, they run summer hockey camps for kids as one method of fundraising. This at least means they get to spend a bit of time together each summer away from the media spotlight, even if they can’t be open about what they are to each other quite yet. Also, Ilya decided to move from the top-flight team he was playing for in Boston to the Ottawa Centaurs, the least successful team in the NHL, to be nearer to Shane’s base in Montreal so they’d be able to spend a little time together during the gruelling hockey season.
By the time The Long Game opens, Shane and Ilya have been together for almost ten years (if you count the ‘hook-up’ years) – and Ilya is finding the hiding and secrecy and the loneliness of long periods apart increasingly hard to manage. He and Shane are as deeply in love and committed to each other as ever, but with Shane at the top of his game and playing for the best team in the league, Ilya is beginning to fear that perhaps they’re going to have to wait another ten years before they can truly begin making a life together. After all, they’re only twenty-nine, and realistically could be looking at another decade before retirement. That’s not to say that Shane likes the situation either, and it’s absolutely clear that he loves Ilya with all his heart, but he’s in a very different place, both professionally and personally, and is able to face the prospect of ten more years of sneaking around more easily than Ilya is. Except of course, they don’t really talk about it much because during the hockey season they get so little time together that neither of them wants to ‘spoil’ those stolen moments by bringing up the huge elephant in the room.
I think it’s fair to say that Ilya Rozanov has probably become the series’ stand-out, most-beloved character, and while Heated Rivalry felt like it was (mostly) ‘Shane’s book’, The Long Game definitely feels like Ilya’s. He’s larger-than-life, always ready with a snarky comeback and doesn’t much care what others think of him – he’s got a reputation as a bit of an arsehole, although those closest to him know he’s a truly good person underneath it all, that behind the smart mouth and sardonic attitude lies a man with a heart of gold who feels things very deeply. He’s still the Ilya we know and love, but in this book, we get to see a much softer, more vulnerable side of him that we’ve only briefly glimpsed before, and it tugs at the heartstrings to watch him face up to the fact that he’s not doing so well, realising just how much he’s put into keeping the relationship going and wondering just how much he has left to give. Shane, too, is trying to do his best to balance the personal and the professional, but his fear of losing everything he’s worked so hard for blinds him to the toll the secrets and lies are taking on the man he loves. In the end, both men will have to face some hard truths and make some serious adjustments if they’re going to make it in the long run.
If you’ve been following the series, then you’ll already know that the timeline of The Long Game overlaps somewhat with that of Role Model, so we get to see Ilya’s reaction to Troy’s arrival and a little of their developing friendship from Ilya’s PoV (and yes, The Plane Incident, too). I also liked the way Ms. Reid contrasts the two teams – the Montreal Voyagers may be the best team in the league, but when it comes to management styles and interpersonal skills, they’re crap – dictatorial and overbearing – while at Ottowa, the opposite is true; their manager is a decent guy who treats his players like human beings and fosters a sense of team spirit and camaraderie that, while it may not bring the big wins, nonetheless makes for a much more positive environment.
I don’t want to say much more and risk spoiling the book, so I’ll end by saying that the author does a wonderful job here with relationship and character development while also making sure that Shane and Ilya remain very much ‘them’ – Ilya, cocky yet endearing, Shane adorably modest and just a bit of a stickler – and in presenting the challenges they’re facing in a realistic way. The Long Game is full of genuine poignancy and emotion – from the deepest love and affection to heartache, and everything in between – charming moments of domesticity, scorching sex scenes, and the humour, good-natured competitiveness and snarky banter we’ve all come to love. It delivers everything I wanted for Shane and Ilya and more, and is an early contender for my Best of 2022 list. Thanks, Rachel, for giving these boys the fantastic send-off they so richly deserve.
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Grade: A
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 26/04/22
Publication Date: 04/2022
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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I was too afraid when this came out to read it—worried about having to high expectations. I just finished and it’s so very satisfying. Now that I know what has happened, I’ll have to go back and savor it a bit more. Because they’re already an established couple, the tension and payoff feel slightly different than a regular romance novel starting from scratch, but it’s so great to witness an HFN converted to an HEA. (I also want a short story eviscerating the NHL commissioner and the Montreal team. Just ugh.)
I know how you feel – I was worried it wouldn’t live up to expectations and was so, SO delighted (and relieved!) when it proved to be an absolutely perfect finale, both for Shane and Ilya and the whole series.
I will join the chorus and say that I, too, loved THE LONG GAME. It was lovely to see them grow individually and as a couple. Their struggles were real and painful at times, but their love and commitment were never in doubt. I adore both Shane and Ilya, and together they are magical.
Ilya was a delight, as always. I was happy to see him get help for his feelings of depression and really appreciated his sessions with his therapist and the steps, both big and small, that he took to take care of himself. I would like to see Shane get help for his anxiety and worries about what others think of him. He is absolutely working on it himself, and Ilya helped him enormously in that scene in the trophy room, where he reminded him that he is SHANE FUCKING HOLLANDER. I loved the scenes where Shane proposed, and when he stood up to the Commissioner. I just wish that in the moment he had been able to stand up to his teammates who treated him so poorly. That would have been icing on a very delicious cake. But he left them, and I predict he will make them pay when he, Ilya, Troy, etc. bring the Stanley Cup to Ottawa!
Did anyone else think Reid was setting up the Ottawa rookie, Luca Haas, for his own story? I feel like there is more to come….
Perhaps the start of a new series? I’m ready for that!
I finally finished reading this in the wee small hours last night, after life had thrown up too many blockages to me reading it!
I loved it and think it’s a great finish to Shane and Ilya’s story.
I thought the author was very clever in how she wove events that we had read in other books through the MCs current journey. The way that Rachel Reid uses time in her books is a major strength of her writing and sets her apart from other authors, IMO. It’s certainly what gave Heated Rivalry its massive impact.
Some of the set-piece scenes in this were so lovely and I found it a very emotional read. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Shane and Ilya were minding Hayden’s kids and the double date with Ryan and Fabian, who are my second favourite couple!
I’m pretty sure that, like Heated Rivalry, this is a book that I will revisit many times. I did a joint read/listen to the audiobook and enjoyed Cooper North’s narration.
These things called working, sleeping, and living with other people are getting in the way of me spending every available moment reading THE LONG GAME, but right now I’m halfway through and loving it. I did want to comment about how smoothly-written and immensely-readable the book is. Reid isn’t a showy writer, but her style is so comfortable to read. The words slide by like skates on ice. So good!
It’s so good. RR has got it exactly right – and I can imagine she felt a lot of pressure to do that given how popular Ilya and Shane are.
I had to cut back sleep…but it was worth it!
I agree that the writing was so smooth. This is a 453 page book and I read it much faster than I thought I would.
I pre-ordered it but forgot when it was coming out so it was an amazingly nice surprise to have this show up on my kobo yesterday. I agree with your review – Reid did a fantastic job with this sequel. I didn’t know until I read your review that this would be the last book in the series, though, and I really want another book where Ottawa wins the Stanley cup (and hopefully defeats Montreal in a humiliating way).
I may be going on old information – I’m sure I read this was the last book, although that was a while ago. It would make sense for the author go finish it up on such a high note – it’s hard to see how she could continue it without introducing a load of new characters, which would kinda make it Game Changers – TNG!
I finished The Long Game today, so finally came here to read the review. I was afraid of any spoilers, so I waited, although you did a great job showing the emotional impact of the book without giving away the story, Caz, so thank you.
I agree with Manjari that Reid could have cut a few sex scenes,but they are well written nonetheless. I loved how Reid handled Ilya’s situation, very believable and emotional.
My very minor quibbles would be that at times the book wandered just a bit, or perhaps it felt that way because it was covering some of the same ground as Role Model. That must have been a tricky set up to get right, and the author did a great job overall.
It was a blessing and a curse that this book dropped while I’ve been sick with Covid. On one hand I’ve been free to listen to the audio without much interruption, which is great. Unfortunately I’ve felt like crap, so that may have dimmed the emotional impact just a bit for me. I’m going to wait a month and relisten when I don’t have a fever and headache. LOL!
I re-read Role Model the day before reading The Long Game so I could really compare the overlap scenes and I think Ms. Reid did a great job. They were recognizable, showing a different viewpoint, but I didn’t think much content was actually repeated. I agree that it was tricky to pull off!
Carrie, I hope you recover soon!
I actually liked the scenes which covered some of the events from Role Model but from Ilya’s PoV; it’s actually a device I really like provided it’s done well and not too often. And as Manjari says, RR actually made it work without too much repetition.
Glad the review worked :) This is one of those books where there are so many perfect moments, I think I’d still be writing it if I’d tried to highlight them all!
Carrie G don’t know if you’ll see this, but this was my Covid read as well and wondered if I’d enjoy it even more with a completely clear head. Not a hardship to try. ;)
Two more things!
I re-read Role Model the day before I read The Long Game and actually liked it much better this time around. One of the things I loved about The Long Game is that it actually wove an epilogue for Troy and Harris through the end of the book (Role Model didn’t have an epilogue, which I think was atypical for most of the rest of the series). I really loved the scene with Troy and Ilya where Troy tells him that the week after coming out was the best of his life and how light and happy he felt to be able to live and love openly. We also found out that Harris got a promotion and he and Troy were going to live together. It made me really happy to see that couple doing so well.
Also, I know the series is done but I wouldn’t mind if Ms. Reid wrote a novella set 5-6 years down the line so we could see how Shane and Ilya balance being on the same team, whether they start a family, and how many Stanley Cups they win for Ottawa. Just putting it out there….
I was thinking the same thing about Role Model, and I suspect now the omission of an epilogue was intentional.
I agree and it was really sweet how Troy told Shane that he hoped they could be friends. I can totally see Shane and Ilya going out on more double dates with them as well as Ryan and Fabian!
I just finished reading it and found the book deeply satisfying. I completely agree that this was more Ilya’s story than Shane’s. In Heated Rivalry, I had more empathy for Shane but over the course of the Game Changers series, we got to know Ilya better and he became a more likable character. I loved how this book delved into Ilya’s softer side, revealing his vulnerabilities and fears but also showing how deeply he loved. I liked that Ilya had developed the emotional maturity to realize when he needed help and he took action to get it. I have to admit that for much of the book, I was upset with Shane for wanting to continue hiding their relationship. However, Shane didn’t realize how isolated Ilya felt and I was mollified by how often Shane expressed his love for Ilya – I liked that their love for each other was never in doubt. When the time came, Shane stood up beautifully for their relationship and the last few chapters were tear-inducingly happy.
My criticisms are few. For one, I just don’t think this book can stand alone. It really is a continuation of the story started in Heated Rivalry and I don’t think you could feel as much for these characters unless you had read that previous book. That’s kind of a minor thing, though, as I doubt most people would pick up this book without having read Heated Rivalry. My other criticism is that I felt there were too many sex scenes. I do like to have sex scenes in my romance novels but it seemed like every single time Shane and Ilya saw each other after being apart, that’s the first thing they did. I felt it got repetitive after a while and didn’t necessarily advance the relationship or storyline.
Minor criticisms aside, I really did love reading the rest of Shane and Ilya’s story and am now going to go back to re-read my favorite parts (immediate re-reading is the mark of a great book!).
Also forgot to add that the way Shane’s team treated him made me SO MAD. I am glad that in the end both Shane and Ilya found themselves in a place of acceptance, community and love.
Yes, yes, yes to all of that. I had pretty much the same reaction and definitely cried a couple of times when I was listening to the audiobook version over the weekend!
I agree about the sex scenes, but then:
made sense condsidering just how long they’re apart – so they mostly worked in context.
I’ve read it twice now (once in print, once in audio) and I know it’s a book I’ll be returning to again and again. It’s such a fantastic and fitting end to Shane and Ilya’s story.
Loved it too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a fantastic finale!
Looks like Reid has another book of the year on her hands.
Most definitely – it’s at the top of my (so far quite small) list!
It was delivered just after midnight today and I read for an hour and had to force myself to go to bed. I am now one third of the way through and desperate to see where the story goes. I am really starting to feel for Ilya and could shake Shane for not picking up the signs because he is so wrapped up in what disclosure would mean for his career.
I felt exactly the same. Ilya really is the star of this book – he’s been a total scene-stealer throughout the series! – and my heart broke for him more than once. But I promise you’ll be happy by the end :)
I downloaded THE LONG GAME first thing this morning and can’t wait to get started. I was tempted to take a sick day from work and spend all day reader, but my cooler head prevailed…only just, lol.
I can understand that feeling. I read it a couple of months back for this review, and over the weekend, finished listening to the audio version (I figured that by the time I got my copy, I’d have forgotten enough to be able to write a second review for AudioGals!) – I loved it both times, and the audio is wonderful.