If you have been anywhere near social media lately, then you’ve probably seen the frenzy around Heated Rivalry, the Canadian sports romance series that HBO and Crave brought to life this winter. Based on Rachel Reid’s beloved novel, the show follows rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov as their on-ice animosity melts into a fiery, forbidden love. Since its premiere on November 28, 2025, Heated Rivalry has become a breakout hit. It is being praised for the writing, the sizzling chemistry, and the unapologetic embrace of queer romance.
Variety even called it “the year’s biggest TV surprise,” noting how quickly HBO snapped up the rights after seeing the Canadian episodes. Additionally, according to IMDb, Heated Rivalry’s latest episode, titled “I’ll Believe in Anything,” is now one of the highest-rated episodes of all time with a rating of 10 out of 10. The cultural obsession is spreading across TikTok and X, where clips, edits, and fan reactions are flooding feeds.
The show is addictive not just because of the romance, but because of the way it blends sports drama, locker-room tension, and emotional vulnerability. It’s a testament to the fact that romance novels, especially those rooted in niche subgenres like hockey romance, can translate beautifully to television when given the right treatment. And as it turns out, Heated Rivalry is just the tip of the iceberg.
The hockey romance niche has been thriving in publishing for years, with authors crafting stories that balance the grit of the rink with the tenderness of love. From enemies-to-lovers arcs to small-town charm, these are stories audiences clearly cannot get enough of. So, if you’re already hooked to Heated Rivalry and wondering what could be next, we’ve rounded up 9 hockey romance books that could make for equally great TV shows.
‘Game Changers’ Series by Rachel Reid
Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series is a treasure trove of contemporary hockey romance, weaving together stories of professional players navigating fame, identity, and love. The first book, Game Changer, introduces Scott Hunter, the clean-cut captain of the New York Admirals, whose chance meeting with smoothie-shop worker Kip Grady sparks a soft yet transformative romance.
Later installments expand the universe with different players, most famously Heated Rivalry. Reid’s strength lies in her ability to juggle piercing critiques of hockey culture (its homophobia, toxic masculinity, and media pressures) with genuine, character-driven love stories. Each book stands alone yet connects through recurring characters, teams, and cameos. With Heated Rivalry already a breakout TV hit, the rest of the Game Changers series feels like a natural pick for adaptation. Books like Common Goal and Role Model also have locker-room banter and heartfelt confessions.
‘Him / Us’ by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him kicks off with a reunion between childhood friends Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley, whose bond was fractured after a complicated night at hockey camp. Years later, their college teams face off at the national championship, forcing them to confront their feelings. The sequel, Us, follows their transition into adulthood, with Ryan breaking records as an NHL rookie and Jamie struggling with the strain of keeping their relationship hidden from the public eye.
Together, the duology captures the exhilaration of young love, the vulnerability of coming out, and the challenges of balancing professional ambition with personal happiness. On screen, Him / Us would deliver sports and romance. The summer camp flashbacks alone would make for compelling episodes, and the sequel’s focus on secrecy and media pressure would offer natural tension for a serialized format. Raiders love the chemistry between Jamie and Wes, and those emotional highs would resonate quite strongly in visual media.
‘Vancouver Storm’ Series by Stephanie Archer
Written by Stephanie Archer, the Vancouver Storm series is a newer but widely popular entry in the hockey romance canon, with each book spotlighting a different player on the fictional Vancouver Storm team. Behind the Net introduces a grumpy goalie and the woman who had a crush on him in high school, The Fake Out features a fake-dating setup, and later installments like The Wingman and Gloves Off explore themes of self-discovery, inheritance drama, and second chances. All of it is wrapped up in the adrenaline of professional hockey.
Archer’s writing thrives on witty banter, unexpected emotional beats, and tropes that fans never get tired of – grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, forced proximity. As a TV adaptation, it would shine with its anthology-like structure, each season focusing on a different player’s romance set in the same universe. The high school crush reunion in Behind the Net would look gorgeous on screen, and the inheritance-marriage twist in Gloves Off would offer the right amount of juicy drama. With its popularity and modern tropes, the series is tailor-made for streaming.
‘Playing for Keeps’ Series by Becka Mack
Becka Mack’s Playing for Keeps books have become the kind of romance series people binge like a favorite show, with each one shining the torch on a different Vancouver Vipers player and the chaos that comes with falling in love while living life in the limelight. Consider Me follows Carter Beckett, the cocky star forward who is charming on the outside and a softie on the inside, and Olivia Parker, the teacher who refuses to be dazzled by his fame.
From there, Mack spins out stories that range from best-friend slow burns to second-chance heartbreaks. The charm lies in how each book strikes the perfect tone of romance and hockey. On TV, the Vipers’ continuity is a gift because each season could flesh out a different couple and treat fans with cameos from favorite characters. Carter and Olivia’s “consider me” push-pull is a gold mine for weekly cliffhangers, and Fall With Me’s fallout offers adult complications that play incredibly well in close-up. Expect montage-ready practice sequences, chirp-filled road trips, and spicy scenes that are impossible to look away from.
‘Toronto Terror’ Series by Helena Hunting
Written by Helena Hunting, the Toronto Terror series thrives on big, juicy tropes and the kind of emotional swings that make romance fans stay up all night to finish a book. Speaking of which, they zero in on a different player from the team, but the setups are what really hook you. From a brother’s best friend who’s impossible to resist to a dad’s best friend who turns out to be more than just off-limits, and even a fake engagement that spirals into something real.
Hunting knows how to take familiar plots and give them sharp edges. She layers it with humor, heartbreak, and the high-stakes backdrop of NHL life. The result is a series that feels playful but also grounded, with characters who are messy, magnetic, and worth rooting for. With entries landing in Amazon’s Top Twenty and fans constantly gushing about it, the adaptation already has proof-of-concept, like big-market hockey visuals, Toronto city texture, and a chorus of teammates to amplify the romance.
‘Offside’ by Avery Keelan
Avery Keelan’s Offside is pure college hockey drama. It’s the kind of story built on rivalry and second chances. Bailey James is fresh off a brutal birthday breakup when she crosses paths with Chase Carter, a star forward from her ex’s rival team. What starts as a rebound quickly turns into something more complicated when Bailey rebuilds her confidence, and Chase navigates the pressures of being popular.
The book embraces the tension of campus gossip, team politics, and the thrill of game nights, but never loses sight of the protective and genuine bond that grows between its leads. It is fast-paced, ripe with emotion, and packed with the kind of moments that make readers annotate the pages. On screen, Offside would handle its contrasts quite well. There would be party-lit campus nights vs. breath-held rink silence, messy heartbreak vs. measured second chances. Bailey’s birthday breakup and the rival-jersey meet-cute are instant favorite scenes. Given its bestseller-level buzz in romance circles, an adaptation would land as comfort-viewing.
‘D.C. Stars’ Series by Chelsea Curto
D.C. Stars books by Chelsea Curto are unapologetically bold. They are all named after a hockey term and packed with the kind of high-heat romance that could give Heated Rivalry a run for its money. Starting with Face Off and stretching through Power Play, Slap Shot, Hat Trick, Sin Bin, Cross Check, and Weak Side, the series builds a fictional Washington team where every player gets their turn to shine.
What makes these books click isn’t just the spice, but also the way Curto threads in teamwork, playful banter, and little Easter Eggs that tease future couples. On TV, the D.C. Stars series would feel like a mix of sports soap and rom‑com chaos. The hockey‑term titles practically write the episode arcs. Like, imagine a “Sin Bin” season full of penalties and passion. Fans already love spotting the breadcrumbs Curto drops across books, and that kind of interconnected storytelling would sell on streaming.
‘Pucking Around’ Series by Emily Rath
Emily Rath’s Pucking Around exploded onto the scene with a 700-plus page opener that readers devoured like a season of prestige TV. At the center is Rachel Price, a sports medicine doctor whose one-night stand in Seattle comes back to haunt her when the guy turns out to be a player on the Jacksonville Rays, the very team she works for. What follows is a hot and messy story of workplace boundaries, tangled feelings, and a love triangle that always keeps the heat high.
Rath has expanded the universe with prequels (That One Night) and spin‑offs (Pucking Wild, Pucking Sweet, Pucking Strong), plus “Ever After” volumes that give readers more time with favorite couples. The series’s popularity is undeniable, so it would be pure streaming catnip. The Seattle bar hook‑up is a perfect cold open, and the tension of Rachel treating athletes she’s romantically entangled in can fuel the entire season. Plus, the Rays’ locker room dynamics, press conferences, and injury protocols would only add realism.
‘Gravity / The Rest of the Story’ by Tal Bauer
The Rest of the Story (also known as Gravity), written by Tal Bauer, takes the “worst team in the league” trope and turns it into a slow-burn romance with real substance. The narrator, an NHL star treated to the Rocky Mountain Outlaws, describes his heart as “vulcanized rubber, puck hard,” which is a phrase that sets the tone for a story that’s both about rebuilding a team and a life.
Tasked with co‑captaining alongside Shea Darling, the Outlaws claw their way from pure disorder to striking solidarity. And at the same time, the relationship between the two leaders deepens in secret. The romance feels earned against the backdrop of losing streaks, media scrutiny, and locker-room politics. As a TV show, this could hit like a classic sports drama with a romantic twist. The road-game struggles and the quiet off-ice moments between co-captains, paired with the emotional payoff of the romance, would appeal to both sports fans and romance devotees.
- Release Date
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November 28, 2025
- Network
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Crave
- Directors
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Jacob Tierney
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
