Sports romance went from a steady backlist performer to one of your most-requested shelves almost overnight, and the reason is a television show. The adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave in November 2025, earned a 96% critics’ score, and was renewed for a second season within weeks. The effect on libraries was immediate. Reid’s six-book Game Changers series has now sold roughly 650,000 copies, the original 2019 novel returned to the New York Times bestseller list, and audiobook streaming reportedly climbed more than 1,000% in the weeks after the premiere. Patrons are arriving at the desk asking for “the hockey one from the show,” and then asking what to read next.
The titles below answer that question. They are chosen not only for the sport but for the appeal factors that made Heated Rivalry resonate: emotional intensity, a relationship kept secret, a rivals-to-lovers charge, and a love story that unfolds over years. The selection spans hockey, baseball, soccer, football, and Formula 1, includes male-male, female-female, and male-female pairings, and ranges from an all-ages graphic novel to explicitly adult novels, so you can match each request to the right reader and the right shelf. Because this is a genre that runs spicy, heat level and suggested audience are noted throughout.
The Long Game by Rachel Reid
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Explicit Best for: Adult romance collections, fans of Shane and Ilya, and patrons who want the direct follow-up to Heated Rivalry
For patrons who want the closest possible follow-up to Heated Rivalry, the answer is simple: hand them The Long Game. Rachel Reid’s sixth Game Changers title picks up a decade into the secret relationship between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, moving the story from first combustible attraction into the much harder question of how two famous athletes build a future together. It also forms the basis for the show’s already announced second season, making it the title most likely to spike next.
For librarians, this is the first reorder to place if your copies are already circulating. Anyone who finished the series will want the full run in order: Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model, and The Long Game. The writing is character driven and squarely for grown-up romance collections.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Long Game by Rachel Reid.
Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Explicit Best for: Adult romance readers who want chemistry, emotional history, and a college-adjacent hockey setting
For the reader who loved the chemistry in Heated Rivalry but wants it in a college-adjacent setting, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him is one of the cornerstone titles of contemporary male-male hockey romance. Best friends Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley reunite as coaches at a summer hockey camp years after a single charged night quietly ended their friendship. Their emotional history gives the romance immediate weight, while the hockey backdrop keeps the competitive-athlete appeal firmly in place.
This is an easy readers’ advisory match for patrons who want yearning, banter, athletic pressure, and a relationship with unfinished business. It does not have the same rivals-to-lovers framework as Heated Rivalry, but it does deliver the same sense of private intensity between two men whose lives have been shaped by the sport. The sequel, Us, continues their story, and a later novella rewards completists.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.
Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Clean Best for: Teen readers, graphic novel fans, and patrons who want queer hockey romance without explicit content
Every Heated Rivalry display needs a lower-spice, teen-friendly option, and Ngozi Ukazu’s Check, Please! is the one to include. Collected in two volumes, #Hockey and Sticks & Scones, this beloved graphic novel follows former junior figure skater Eric “Bitty” Bittle as he joins his college hockey team, bakes his way into everyone’s hearts, nurses a slow-burning crush on his brooding captain, and works up the courage to come out in a sport not exactly known for softness.
For librarians, the value here is range. This gives you a title for younger readers, graphic novel fans, and patrons who want queer hockey romance without explicit content. It is warm, funny, emotionally satisfying, and much gentler than most of the adult titles likely to circulate in the wake of Heated Rivalry. It also works beautifully for YA crossover displays and readers who want the sports romance appeal without the spice.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Moderate Best for: Adult romance readers, historical fiction fans, and patrons who want a more literary sports romance
For patrons who want sports romance with a more literary touch, Cat Sebastian’s You Should Be So Lucky is an excellent next step. Set in 1962, the novel pairs a talented shortstop traded to a team that does not want him with the grieving sports reporter assigned to shadow him for the season. The result is a tender, beautifully observed male-male romance that blends baseball, period detail, grief, and emotional healing.
This is the title to recommend when a reader loved the vulnerability beneath Heated Rivalry more than the fame or rivalry itself. Sebastian’s polished prose and historical setting also give the book crossover appeal for patrons who may not usually reach for contemporary sports romance. For collection development, it helps broaden a display beyond hockey while still preserving the core appeal factors: queer love, public pressure, professional stakes, and a relationship that requires real emotional risk.
▶ Click here to get your copy of You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian.
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Moderate to explicit Best for: Adult romance readers looking for rivals-to-lovers energy, soccer, and disability or mental health representation
Chloe Liese moves the action to professional soccer in Everything for You, part of her popular Bergman Brothers series. The setup is a strong one for Heated Rivalry fans: a beloved rising star and a demanding veteran captain are forced into close proximity as teammates, and their initial antagonism gradually shifts into something warmer, more vulnerable, and harder to ignore. The sports pressure is real, but the emotional work is just as important.
For librarians, this is a strong pick when readers ask for rivals-to-lovers energy but are open to a different sport and a slightly softer tone. Liese is also known for centering neurodivergent and chronically ill characters with care, which gives the book additional appeal for patrons seeking disability and mental health representation in romance. It is useful for inclusive romance displays because it offers male-male sports romance outside the hockey lane.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Everything for You by Chloe Liese.
Like a Power Play by Elle Sprinkle
Pairing: Female-female Heat level: Explicit Best for: Adult romance readers looking for sapphic hockey, rivalry, and disability representation
When a reader asks for Heated Rivalry but with women, Elle Sprinkle’s Like a Power Play is one of the clearest sapphic sports romance matches. This college hockey romance pairs a driven team captain with the new student assistant coach, a former player whose own athletic path was changed by rheumatoid arthritis. Their antagonism gives the book the competitive spark patrons may be seeking, while the disability representation adds emotional texture that sets it apart within the subgenre.
This is a useful recommendation for libraries trying to widen the post-Heated Rivalry display beyond male-male hockey without losing the central appeal. It has rivalry, hockey culture, physical ambition, frustration, attraction, and the sense that both characters are negotiating who they get to be inside a demanding athletic world.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Like a Power Play by Elle Sprinkle.
The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
Pairing: Male-male, slow-burn series arc Heat level: Low in the first book Best for: Mature older teens and adults who want cult-favorite sports drama, angst, found family, and long-form emotional payoff
For readers who came to Heated Rivalry for the obsessive emotional investment more than the romance itself, Nora Sakavic’s All for the Game trilogy is a cult favorite that belongs on the radar. The first book, The Foxhole Court, follows Neil Josten, a young man hiding from a violent past who joins a college team playing the invented sport of Exy. The team dynamics, danger, loyalty, and long-burn character arcs have made the series a major fandom title.
This is not a straightforward sports romance, and that distinction matters at the desk. The romance is secondary and very slow to develop, but the intensity of the relationships and the sports-team pressure can appeal to readers who want something consuming. It is especially useful for patrons who ask for angst, found family, trauma-heavy character work, and series-long emotional payoff. Reader’s-advisory caution is important here: the series includes significant content warnings for violence, abuse, and trauma.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic.
Pole Position by Rebecca Caffery
Pairing: Male-male Heat level: Explicit Best for: Adult romance readers, motorsport fans, and patrons who want teammate tension outside the hockey world
Rebecca Caffery’s Pole Position trades ice for asphalt, making it a timely addition for libraries seeing crossover interest between romance readers and Formula 1 fandom. Pitched for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and grand prix racing, the novel follows a veteran driver and the ambitious rookie teammate who gets under his skin both on and off the track. The teammate setup gives it the same useful mix of competition, proximity, and public pressure that fuels many of the strongest sports romances.
For readers’ advisory, this is the title to offer patrons who liked the professional-athlete tension of Heated Rivalry but want a different world, a glossier pace, and motorsport drama. It also helps freshen a display that might otherwise become hockey-heavy. With a sequel on the way, it is well positioned to capture a growing audience, especially among younger adult romance readers who follow sports through fandom culture as much as traditional leagues.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Pole Position by Rebecca Caffery.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Pairing: Male-female Heat level: Explicit Best for: Adult romance readers who want a popular, spicy, high-demand sports romance with BookTok appeal
For patrons who loved the show but prefer a male-female pairing, Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker is the single highest-demand answer. This blockbuster, a fixture of social-media book recommendations, pairs figure skater Anastasia Allen with hockey captain Nate Hawkins after their teams are forced to share a rink. The setup delivers forced proximity, athlete ambition, banter, and plenty of heat, all wrapped in the kind of campus sports-romance package that has been circulating heavily with BookTok readers.
For librarians, Icebreaker is likely already on the shelves, but Heated Rivalry gives you a reason to check holds, replace worn copies, and consider whether the rest of the Maple Hills series is adequately represented. It is not a queer romance and does not have the same secret-relationship structure, but it shares the broader appeal of high-chemistry athletes trying to balance desire, goals, and pressure. Recommend it to readers who want the sporty, spicy, highly readable side of the trend.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
Pairing: Male-female Heat level: Low Best for: Adult romance readers who want a sweet, accessible sports romance without much spice
Round out the display with a softer landing. Sarah Adams’s The Cheat Sheet follows Bree Camden, who has quietly loved her best friend, NFL quarterback Nathan Donelson, for years. After a public slip turns their friendship into a fake-dating arrangement, the two have to decide whether the relationship they are pretending to have might be the one they actually want. It is warm, accessible, and much less spicy than most of the titles likely to circulate alongside Heated Rivalry.
For librarians, this is the useful counterweight on the list. Not every patron drawn in by the show will want explicit romance, queer hockey, or high angst. Some will simply want sports romance with emotional payoff, humor, and a familiar friends-to-lovers structure. The Cheat Sheet is easy to recommend across a wider comfort range, especially for readers who ask for something sweet, popular, and not too steamy.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams.
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