Unrivaled release – Rachel Reid says her upcoming Game Changers seventh book, Unrivaled, arrives June 1, 2027—picking up right after The Long Game, set in 2021, and spotlighting Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as their marriage plays out full-time on the same team.
Rachel Reid didn’t let the excitement cool down for long.
After earlier this year confirming she’s writing a seventh book in her Game Changers series. the author behind Heated Rivalry has now offered a clearer look at what comes next. The new installment is titled Unrivaled. and it follows the fan-favorite Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander—continuing the story after 2022’s The Long Game.
During a recent Spotify fireside chat, Reid teased what readers can expect from Unrivaled. The book is scheduled for release on June 1, 2027, and she said it will “pick up basically where The Long Game left off, so we didn’t miss anything.”
There’s also a specific calendar detail Reid wants fans to hold onto: Unrivaled is set in 2021. She pointed out that this matters because it’s “their first season playing together on the same team.” In this season, she added, “They’re married. Everybody knows about the relationship.”
Reid’s pitch to readers is that the relationship doesn’t just get a brief mention—it becomes the center of everything. She described the year ahead as a “whole new kind of weird year” for Shane and Ilya while they’re living together within the same team structure.
“It’s totally brand new for them and isn’t going to be totally smooth,” Reid teased. Fans, she said, should expect Shane and Ilya to spend more time together—“We’re going to see them together a lot instead of grabbing time here and there.” That shift, in turn, brings tension of a more public kind.
“There’s going to be some backlash. ” Reid said. describing how not everyone will be on board with two hockey players who are married to each other on the same team. She also left room for celebration. too—Reid said she expects “a lot of support for them. ” even as “also a lot of the other stuff” comes with being openly married in the middle of the season.
Still, Reid emphasized that her approach won’t be punishment for punishment’s sake. “I think it’s going to be fun,” she said, adding, “I’m not going to drag Shane and Ilya through hell. That’s not the point of the book. They’ve been through enough.”
Reid’s comments land right as attention remains on the wider world of Heated Rivalry. The show’s creator. writer and director Jacob Tierney also discussed Heated Rivalry season two. which is expected to start filming later this summer—so fans won’t be waiting long for more movement. even beyond the page.
Rachel Reid Unrivaled Heated Rivalry Game Changers Ilya Rozanov Shane Hollander Spotify fireside chat Jacob Tierney season two release date June 1 2027