As a known and publicly available book person who is also an avowed hockey fan, I’ve been asked this question several times recently, so I’m going to answer it.
What’s up with “Heated Rivalry”?
For those not in the know, “Heated Rivalry” is a show from Canadian streamer Crave that’s now available on HBO Max. It tells the story of two professional hockey players (Shane and Ilya) who play for rival teams, but soon fall into a sexual relationship that moves from casual to something more.
The television show is based on the Game Changers series of hockey romance novels by Rachel Reid. “Heated Rivalry,” first published in 2019, is the second book in the series, introducing Shane and Ilya. One direct sequel to “Heated Rivalry,” “The Long Game,” came out in 2022. A second direct sequel (“Unrivaled”) is set to be published later in 2026.
The show is a phenomenon and the books are selling in mass numbers. What explains such an amazing, seemingly out-of-the-blue occurrence?
I’m going to offer a controversial, out-of-the-box take here that people may need to sit with for a minute to wrap their heads around, but here goes: “Heated Rivalry,” both the book and the show, are popular because they are well-executed examples of a genre that millions of people love.
“Heated Rivalry” is a romance. Romance is, by a fair margin, the most popular genre of book in terms of sales year after year after year. Romance fans who know their stuff — I am not an expert here — say that the books are excellent. “Heated Rivalry” follows one of the classic formats of the genre (enemies to lovers) and executes it well.
What should be so surprising about a popular book series being turned into a popular television show? Is this not something of a common occurrence? Yes, it’s about hockey and the characters are gay, but the power of romance is the power of romance, my friends. Combine that with strong execution and you get a phenomenon.
I sense that some of the public wondering is wrapped up in the fact that this is a story about two gay men, but romance readers are, by and large, uncaring about who (or in some cases, what) is experiencing the romance. The magic is in the connection, even when the connection is not the byproduct of magic.
What concerns me on the publishing side is the inevitable attempts to co-opt “Heated Rivalry” for other purposes. The “hockey romance” is already a well-established subgenre, but this level of mainstream attention invites copycats ported to other audiences. I can just imagine some executive rubbing their hands together, looking for something that allows them to pitch a book as “Heated Romance” meets “Gone Girl,” or something like that.
The spate of inferior copies following the publishing of “Gone Girl” is the cautionary tale here. Books are not made in a lab where you mix ingredients together as a kind of science. The best books are birthed out of the unique sensibilities of the individual authors.
It’s only in hindsight that a “trend” emerges and those who glom onto the trend often have much less to offer than the original.
What’s going on with “Heated Rivalry” is what went on with “Gone Girl” or “Fifty Shades of Grey” or Colleen Hoover, or every other phenomenon.
Some human being wrote something that connected with other human beings. How and when this happens is simultaneously hugely straightforward and also infinitely mysterious, which is why publishers try to chase trends.
But the smarter play is to keep looking for the fresh thing that connects.
John Warner is the author of books including “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.” You can find him at biblioracle.com.
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World” by John Vaillant
2. “Farewell Summer” by Ray Bradbury
3. “The Road to Character” by David Brooks
4. “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin
5. “The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt” by Ken Krimstein
— Bob H., Chicago
For Bob, I’m recommending a satire imagining Hitler waking up in contemporary Germany only to have everyone thinking he’s just a committed impersonator. Can’t imagine why this book (“Look Who’s Back” by Timur Vermes) is on my mind.
1. “The Trees” by Percival Everett
2. “The Briar Club” by Kate Quinn
3. “Killing with Confetti” by Peter Lovesey
4. “Fatal Remedies” by Donna Leon
5. “Joan Is Okay” by Weike Wang
— Ruthann S., Darien
Hmm… lots of different possible directions here. I’m going mystery with compelling characters you want to spend time with, “Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson.
1. “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton
2. “Big Swiss” by Jen Beagin
3. “Why Christians Should be Leftists” by Phil Christman
4. “Dinosaurs” by Lydia Millet
5. “Oreo” by Fran Ross
— Linus T., Chicago
OK, this is a list close to my own heart, so I want to try to give Linus something he’d never have even known about except for me, but that will fit well with this array, “Under the Frog” by Tibor Fischer.
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com.