Zhan
This is a heated enemies-to-lovers story that covers a period of around 8 years (possibly more, I didn't keep track of the time skips) in which our two hockey players are secretly hooking up.
So, I've watched four episodes of the TV show Heated Rivalry that's currently airing, and I think that's what helped me set my expectations right about what kind of story this is. If I went into this story blind - and especially after hearing so much praise - I think I'd be a little disappointed.
This books is very heavy on sex (you're warned!) and the connection between our main characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, is built mostly during the brief moments they share when they meet up for sex. Months pass before they meet each other again - again, only for a hookup - without getting involved in each other's life beyond that, and they keep at it for years until they realize that their attraction has turned into something deeper.
I did enjoy this (thus my high rating), but I do want to complain about them developing feelings without getting to know each other as a person. The thing is, I think they fit really well together, but while we, as readers, get to know both Shane and Ilya outside of their steamy meetings, the two of them don't. So, when they revealed their feelings for each other, I found it a little hard to believe it considering that they were basically just starting to get to know each other on personal level. Not a big issue, I still had lots of fun reading it, but oh well.
I really liked Ilya. Such unique character and I found it easy to connect to him. Despite playing in a famous hockey team and having a reputation of a playful carefree guy, behind all that snark, he actually carries a lot of pain inside. His culture is quite close to mine and many parts of it are so (painfully) familiar to me, so I want to say that I think Reid did a really good job at portraying those struggles he faced.
Shane's serious personality makes a balancing contrast to Ilya's playful one, but I found him a little bland at times. This is definitely a me issue, because I seem to connect easier to characters who carry some heavy pain from the past. Shane is a famous, rich guy who never has to think about money (at some point, he even buys a whole building, he has his own secluded cottage, has built his own private hockey rink beside that cottage etc). One of the best players, invited to all places, wanted on front pages of all blogs/magazines idk. Can have any girl he want, but he's not interested. Has a supportive family who fully accepts him. His best friend is Hayden, but I really didn't feel that friendship. I feel like there wasn't much to see of Shane beside his love for hockey and his obsessive thoughts about that one hot Russian player.
It's a me thing, I said. I would've liked it more if he had more hardships - like, if he's rich and famous, but his family is not supportive. Or he is rich and has supportive family, but he's not considered particularly attractive, or he avoids cameras because he's so anxious, or anything.
I kinda expected some big catastrophe to happen near the end, but it didn't and I was really happy for that. I liked how they came together and I'd probably check out The Long Game in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend for a steamy sport rivals (not really enemies) to lovers romance.
"And when I retire," Ilya said, "after I have won twelve Stanley Cups and thirteen MVP awards—"
"The hell you will."
"And you have been retired for, like, eight years already because you got very bad at hockey..."
Shane laughed. "Okay."
"Then I will bring you to that dock out there. I will have hundreds of candles all over it..."
"That sounds like a fire hazard."
"Is on the water, Hollander. Fucking relax. Will be beautiful, you will love it. The candles. The lake. The full moon."
"Oh, is it a clear night?"
"Yes. Of course. And I will get on one knee—"
"Ilya—"
"And I will say, 'Shane Hollander, will you please marry me so I can become Canadian citizen faster?'"
God, were they really going to be able to keep this a secret until they were retired? Now that they were both honest about what they were to each other, Ilya feared it might be impossible to hide their relationship from the world.
Especially when Shane looked at him like he was looking at him right now - like Ilya was worth all this trouble. Like he was worth loving.
"I want to tell everyone," Ilya said. "Right now."
Shane's eyes went wide with panic. "No! Don't. We have to stick to the plan."
Ilya sighed dramatically. "You and your plans. What if I just kissed you on the mouth at the next All-Star-Game?"
"I'll punch you, I swear to god."
"You wouldn't. Not if I kissed you like this."
°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*
*General Notes*
-rivals to enemies, hockey players
-size difference
-Ilya is around a month or a little less younger than Shane (by the end of the book, they're around 26 years old) - you know what, why wasn't there a single scene of them spending their birthday (either together or with other people) in the whole span of 8 years that this book covers?
*Intimacy Notes*
-Top/bottom/verse: <spoiler>strict; Shane bottoms, Ilya tops.</spoiler>
-Kinks/sex notes: <spoiler>BJs, handjobs, Shane likes being pinned down, frotting, coming untouched, masturbating while being watched, spitting in hand as a lube, rough sex, video call sex, rimming, begging, receiving blowjob while on a phone call, edging, sex out in the open (on a dock), dry humping...</spoiler>
-Other:
・Ilya is a little possessive
・Ilya's got big hands
・Consent
・It's tagged with "praise kink", but where was it? I absolutely love praise kink, but there was just one brief scene where Ilya praises Shane for being a good hockey player and that's it.
・nicknames: sweetheart
This is a heated enemies-to-lovers story that covers a period of around 8 years (possibly more, I didn't keep track of the time skips) in which our two hockey players are secretly hooking up.
So, I've watched four episodes of the TV show Heated Rivalry that's currently airing, and I think that's what helped me set my expectations right about what kind of story this is. If I went into this story blind - and especially after hearing so much praise - I think I'd be a little disappointed.
This books is very heavy on sex (you're warned!) and the connection between our main characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, is built mostly during the brief moments they share when they meet up for sex. Months pass before they meet each other again - again, only for a hookup - without getting involved in each other's life beyond that, and they keep at it for years until they realize that their attraction has turned into something deeper.
I did enjoy this (thus my high rating), but I do want to complain about them developing feelings without getting to know each other as a person. The thing is, I think they fit really well together, but while we, as readers, get to know both Shane and Ilya outside of their steamy meetings, the two of them don't. So, when they revealed their feelings for each other, I found it a little hard to believe it considering that they were basically just starting to get to know each other on personal level. Not a big issue, I still had lots of fun reading it, but oh well.
I really liked Ilya. Such unique character and I found it easy to connect to him. Despite playing in a famous hockey team and having a reputation of a playful carefree guy, behind all that snark, he actually carries a lot of pain inside. His culture is quite close to mine and many parts of it are so (painfully) familiar to me, so I want to say that I think Reid did a really good job at portraying those struggles he faced.
Shane's serious personality makes a balancing contrast to Ilya's playful one, but I found him a little bland at times. This is definitely a me issue, because I seem to connect easier to characters who carry some heavy pain from the past. Shane is a famous, rich guy who never has to think about money (at some point, he even buys a whole building, he has his own secluded cottage, has built his own private hockey rink beside that cottage etc). One of the best players, invited to all places, wanted on front pages of all blogs/magazines idk. Can have any girl he want, but he's not interested. Has a supportive family who fully accepts him. His best friend is Hayden, but I really didn't feel that friendship. I feel like there wasn't much to see of Shane beside his love for hockey and his obsessive thoughts about that one hot Russian player.
It's a me thing, I said. I would've liked it more if he had more hardships - like, if he's rich and famous, but his family is not supportive. Or he is rich and has supportive family, but he's not considered particularly attractive, or he avoids cameras because he's so anxious, or anything.
I kinda expected some big catastrophe to happen near the end, but it didn't and I was really happy for that. I liked how they came together and I'd probably check out The Long Game in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend for a steamy sport rivals (not really enemies) to lovers romance.
"And when I retire," Ilya said, "after I have won twelve Stanley Cups and thirteen MVP awards—"
"The hell you will."
"And you have been retired for, like, eight years already because you got very bad at hockey..."
Shane laughed. "Okay."
"Then I will bring you to that dock out there. I will have hundreds of candles all over it..."
"That sounds like a fire hazard."
"Is on the water, Hollander. Fucking relax. Will be beautiful, you will love it. The candles. The lake. The full moon."
"Oh, is it a clear night?"
"Yes. Of course. And I will get on one knee—"
"Ilya—"
"And I will say, 'Shane Hollander, will you please marry me so I can become Canadian citizen faster?'"
God, were they really going to be able to keep this a secret until they were retired? Now that they were both honest about what they were to each other, Ilya feared it might be impossible to hide their relationship from the world.
Especially when Shane looked at him like he was looking at him right now - like Ilya was worth all this trouble. Like he was worth loving.
"I want to tell everyone," Ilya said. "Right now."
Shane's eyes went wide with panic. "No! Don't. We have to stick to the plan."
Ilya sighed dramatically. "You and your plans. What if I just kissed you on the mouth at the next All-Star-Game?"
"I'll punch you, I swear to god."
"You wouldn't. Not if I kissed you like this."
°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*
*General Notes*
-rivals to enemies, hockey players
-size difference
-Ilya is around a month or a little less younger than Shane (by the end of the book, they're around 26 years old) - you know what, why wasn't there a single scene of them spending their birthday (either together or with other people) in the whole span of 8 years that this book covers?
*Intimacy Notes*
-Top/bottom/verse: <spoiler>strict; Shane bottoms, Ilya tops.</spoiler>
-Kinks/sex notes: <spoiler>BJs, handjobs, Shane likes being pinned down, frotting, coming untouched, masturbating while being watched, spitting in hand as a lube, rough sex, video call sex, rimming, begging, receiving blowjob while on a phone call, edging, sex out in the open (on a dock), dry humping...</spoiler>
-Other:
・Ilya is a little possessive
・Ilya's got big hands
・Consent
・It's tagged with "praise kink", but where was it? I absolutely love praise kink, but there was just one brief scene where Ilya praises Shane for being a good hockey player and that's it.
・nicknames: sweetheart