Heated Rivalry's closeted queer hockey players Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) are reportedly getting a new book about their love story, reportedly named Unrivaled, from author Rachel Reid, which would be book 7 within the overall Game Changers series of novels.
Over the weekend, rumors of a "seventh and final book in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series" started circulating on social media through reports from X/Twitter fan pages such as @FilmUpdates. The report noted that this potential new installment was titled Unrivaled, was scheduled for a release on September 2026, and would "focus on Shane and Ilya," thus continuing their story from Heated Rivalry and The Long Game.
As the @FilmUpdates post accumulated 3.5 million views in less than 24 hours, other fan pages shared even more seemingly leaked details about this rumored sequel by Reid that would focus on Shane and Ilya as a couple.
What is Rachel Reid's Unrivaled about?
More information about Rachel Reid's rumored new book, Unrivaled, was shared across social media and established a direct link to the Heated Rivalry and The Long Game novels that came before it. As of this writing, a product page on the official Barnes & Noble website can still be seen for an upcoming book release titled "Unrivaled (Game Changers #7)" by Rachel Reid, as shared by @hudsonwupdates on X/Twitter.
This product page from B&N includes a very descriptive synopsis for the new book that reads: "A line has been drawn — and the hockey world is divided. For the first time in their professional hockey careers, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander have nothing to hide. For more than a decade, they kept their love a secret, but now they're out, married, and even playing on the same team. The support is incredible. Most of the time."
The description continues, "They've gotten a lot of love from fans who are thrilled for them. But some people in the hockey world are still reeling from their relationship reveal, and the backlash — led by popular hockey podcast Top Shelf and the #TakeBackHockey movement — is getting louder."
"Ilya and Shane are finally able to stand together in the light, the way they'd always wanted. And now they might be facing their biggest challenge yet," the Unrivaled synopsis concludes.
When is the Heated Rivalry book sequel Unrivaled being released?
This rumored book sequel by Rachel Reid titled Unrivaled has a release date set for September 29, 2026 according to its Barnes & Noble product page.
The length of this rumored Heated Rivalry sequel is also included in the description: 352 pages.
Product details for Unrivaled (Game Changers #7) by Rachel Reid, as seen on the Barnes & Noble website.BarnesAndNoble.com
A product page for Unrivaled was also found on Target.com, though most descriptive details about the rumored novel have since been omitted from the online store.
Did Rachel Reid confirm Unrivaled is a sequel to the Heated Rivalry books?
Heated Rivalry novel cover art; Rachel Reid at the premiere of Heated Rivalry season 1 on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.Harlequin Enterprises Limited; Harold Feng/Getty Images
