The 2026 TV schedule has started, and I’m still at the cottage. Yep, it’s been weeks since Season 1 of Heated Rivalry ended, and while the hockey romance has been renewed for Season 2, I need more now. So, I read all the books Rachel Reid wrote for this series, and now I’m looking for a new hockey romance to dive into. Well, I think I found the perfect one.
Heated Rivalry Sent Me Down Quite The Hockey Romance Rabbit Hole
It’s not surprising that I was one of millions who tuned in to watch this smutty gay hockey show, and I fell head over heels in love. What was surprising was that I fell so in love, I started reading the books Heated Rivalry is based on immediately.
For those who might not know, the show Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, which is made up of six books (and a seventh is on the way). Heated Rivalry is the second book in that series, the first book about Shane and Ilya, and the focus of the show. Meanwhile, the first book in the series, Game Changer, which follows Scott and Kip, is also featured in Season 1 (which you can stream in full with an HBO Max subscription).
So, I swiftly read both of those books, and I also quickly read the other four in this series – Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model, and Shane and Ilya’s sequel, The Long Game. Now, there is a seventh book on the way; however, it doesn’t come out until September, so I have to wait. And I need a hockey romance to fill the void Shane, Ilya and the rest of the boys of these books have created. Thankfully, that void was taken care of very quickly.
Now, I’m Diving Into Off Campus, And I Can’t Wait For The Show
Literally, the day I finished reading the Game Changers series, I did some research into the book-to-screen adaptation of the Off Campus series. Now, because I read a lot of romance, I knew about Elle Kennedy’s novels, and I was aware that a series was being made for people with an Amazon Prime subscription. However, I never dove into it until now.
Now felt like the right time for a few reasons. Firstly, I’m reeling (in the best way) from Heated Rivalry, and I needed more spicy hockey romance.
Like Reid’s series, the Off Campus books each focus on a different couple that involves a hockey player, and there’s a lot of overlap between stories. Similar to Bridgerton, the four main guys, Garrett (Belmont Cameli), Logan (Antonio Cipriano), Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) and Dean (Stephen Kalyn), are like a family; however, instead of being related, they’re housemates who play for the same college hockey team. So, I learned all that, and I said, “Sign me up.”
Then, what spiked the series to the top of my list and made me immediately pick up the books is the fact that the show is coming.
Season 1 will follow the events of the first book, The Deal, which tells the story of Hannah (Ella Bright), a music student, and Garrett, the hockey team’s captain. In it, they (as the title implies) make a deal where Hannah will tutor Garrett if he helps make her crush jealous. So, there’s a bit of fake dating and opposites attract mixed in. Like Heated Rivalry, it’s spicy and features hockey players; however, outside of that, it’s quite different. Tuly, I cannot wait to watch it, and I'm having a blast reading it.
At the moment, Off Campus does not have a specific release date; however, it is confirmed to come out in 2026. So, that gives you the opportunity to read Elle Kennedy’s books first, before you dive in to the show. By my count, that gives me plenty of content to hold me over until Season 2 of Heated Rivalry premieres, too.
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