Does Heated Rivalry have a happy ending? Here’s what happens in the books

Heated Rivalry has two hockey rivals who get caught up in years-long secret hookups. There's one bi king and one closeted superstar. But if you’re wondering whether Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid ends happily, welcome to the spoiler section the internet pretends doesn’t exist!

To answer some basic questions right off the bat, yes, the romance between Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander spans nearly a decade. Yes, they hook up with other people along the way. And yes, one of them acts like a jerk for half the series. But if you’re thinking about skipping this, please don't.

The plot and subsequent happy ending (there we said it!) of Heated Rivalry is the backbone of the Game Changers series, and now the Crave show.

Does Heated Rivalry have a happy ending?

As we mentioned before, and as unbelievable as it sounds, yes, Heated Rivalry does have a happy ending! Despite seven years of baggage and a lot of drama, Shane and Ilya absolutely get their happy ending.

It's important to note that both men see other people only before they become a real couple. One Reddit commenter spelled it out:

“Both Rozanov and Hollander hook up with other people (...) but only when they are not actually a couple. There is no cheating.”

Another added that Ilya exaggerates his hookups anyway.

Once the two finally admit what we've all known, they're locked in and all-in. And the ending only proves that these two were never casual. They also get a direct sequel titled The Long Game, so that's a bonus.

Don't skip Heated Rivalry (no matter what you read online), and here's why

If you want to know if it is possible to skip the Heated Rivalry book and still follow the series, just know that some people would give their lives for Ilya.

We can tell you about several facts, like Ilya is not the homophobic guy who was thrown off the team. That character is Frank Zullo from Game Changer. Ilya was never kicked off any team. He’s a trash-talker but not homophobic. He’s also going to go through some significant development, including mental health. He is the only character who appears in all six books as well.

One Redditor summed up:

“Ilya is a bit of an [expletive], but only on the surface… He is such a well-written character with (...) amazing character development.”

Even readers who usually hate open hookup dynamics admitted that it actually worked here. The rivals-to-lovers timeline stretched for a long time, and it was simply impossible for Shane and Ilya to be publicly together for most of that as well. But the narrative is about survival and longing.

And by the end, Ilya chose love, and one comment read: