All articles tagged with #rachel reid
Daniel Diemer and Shaheen Jafargholi join Heated Rivalry season 2 as Ryan Price and Fabian Salah, the central couple drawn from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel Tough Guy. The new season expands the cast to include Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie, Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka and will adapt The Long Game as it continues the hockey-drama romance.
Rachel Reid responded on Instagram Stories to criticism of Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie being cast in Heated Rivalry season 2, urging fans to trust her casting instincts after past backlash about Ilya and Shane. Producers Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady defended the choice, saying the actors bring depth and heart to Harris and Troy, while fans remain divided on whether the new cast fits the characters.
Rachel Reid, author of Game Changer, brushes off online backlash as Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie join Heated Rivalry Season 2; Reid posted an Instagram Story reflecting on past casting chatter, while the new cast includes Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, with no official character descriptions from Crave/HBO Max yet.
Author Rachel Reid pushed back on online criticism of Heated Rivalry’s Season 2 casting, defending Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett and Justice Smith as Harris Drover after fans questioned a ‘skinny’ Harris; showrunners praised the duo, and season 2 is set to film in Ottawa with a spring 2027 release on Crave/HBO Max.
Rachel Reid appeared to dismiss online backlash over Heated Rivalry Season 2 casting after Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie were announced as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett. Reid’s Instagram Story referenced last summer’s criticism of the Ilya/Shane cast, while Deadline confirms the Crave Original’s Season 2 will debut in spring 2027 with production underway in Canada, and the creators praised the leads.
Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith were cast as Troy Barrett and Harris Drover in Season 2 of the queer hockey romance Heated Rivalry, joining Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Production is underway, and the season will be adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, with Ottawa as a key setting, focusing on the budding romance between a pro hockey player and the team’s social media manager. Jacob Tierney remains the showrunner/writer/director, and the series is slated for a spring 2027 release on Crave/HBO Max.
At BookCon 2026, author Rachel Reid and show creator Jacob Tierney discussed the rapid development of Heated Rivalry, Reid’s hands-on involvement from script to auditions, Season 2 inspiration from Reid’s Long Game, a 2027 release for her next book Unrivaled, and the show’s emphasis on queer joy and intimate storytelling that has fans buzzing.
Crave’s Heated Rivalry returns for Season 2 with creator Jacob Tierney promising a shift to a darker, more serious tone drawn from Rachel Reid’s The Long Game; set ten years after the first book, the couple Shane and Ilya navigate a more mature, danger-filled relationship with continued flirting and sex, and Tierney suggests there’s enough material to potentially split Season 2 into two installments.
The Berliner argues that Heated Rivalry, Rachel Reid’s popular M/M hockey romance (the second in the Game Changers series), set the stage for its HBO Max adaptation and reflects genre fiction’s booming audience. Despite data from The New York Times and Amazon showing strong demand for hockey romance, publishers like Harlequin have often under-printed or under-promoted genre titles ahead of screen debuts, a misstep the piece says industry-watchers should avoid by ensuring ready reprints and coordinated print-and-screen launches.
The Hollywood Reporter confirms Heated Rivalry has been renewed for a Season 2, with production set for Summer 2026 and a U.S. debut in Spring 2027 on HBO Max (Crave in Canada). Creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady say they’re writing and shooting the new season, building on the show’s Canadian roots as an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books. The series stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, and Reid also announced a seventh Game Changers novel, Unrivaled, slated for a 2027 release.
Connor Storrie, a Texas-born actor who once worked in restaurants, emerges as Ilya Rozanov in HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, adapting Rachel Reid’s hockey romance. The show’s breakthrough on HBO, strong on-screen chemistry with Hudson Williams, and commitment to the source material boosted its popularity and secured a Season 2 renewal. Storrie discusses working with creator Jacob Tierney, the importance of honoring the books, and anticipated deeper vulnerability in Shane and Ilya’s evolving relationship, with Reid’s involvement helping align fans’ expectations.
CinemaBlend reports that the hit series Heated Rivalry has been renewed for Season 2 (and 3). Season 2 will continue with Ilya and Shane’s story from The Long Game, but fans wonder whether future seasons will adapt other book arcs like Tory and Harris from Role Model or elements from Game Changer, as author Rachel Reid shares details about the plan.
The article recommends six hockey romance books to read after watching the HBO series 'Heated Rivalry,' which is based on Rachel Reid's novel and has gained popularity for its focus on love and acceptance among hockey players, especially in LGBTQ+ contexts.
Rachel Reid, author of Heated Rivalry, revealed that the success of its TV adaptation has led to her receiving specialist help for her Parkinson's disease, including a crucial appointment with a neurologist that could improve her treatment and quality of life.
Rachel Reid, author of the series 'Heated Rivalry,' discusses the show's success, filming sex scenes, her hopes for a second season, and how her Parkinson's diagnosis is affecting her writing, while also sharing her excitement about the show's impact and future adaptations.