Hello – hello,
I’m back with the last ( until now ) book of Rachel Reid’s book series “Game Changers”. This time, we’ll talk about “The Long Game” the second book about Ilya and Shane. Rachel herself has admitted that she loved those two so much that she had to return and write more about their story, and personally, I’m more than glad.
Ilya and Shane have been together for more than ten years now. They love each other so much, and they’ll do anything for each other. But their relationship is still a huge secret. Only a few people know about them. They have chosen it to be that way. Not so much about the homophobic comments that they may get, but because they’re hockey rivals. All those years in their hockey careers, it was that way, and it would be difficult to explain their situation to everyone. They would mostly get backlash about their feelings, and people would probably think that those feelings were getting in the way.
The years had passed though, Ilya transferred to another team to be closer to Shane, he now has no friends, no good team and no wins in his life. The time he spends with his boyfriend is precious, but sometimes he feels that maybe it’s not enough. Sometimes, he feels that nothing is enough anymore and, most importantly, that he is not enough.
Shane on the other hand, has everything. Supportive parents, a gorgeous boyfriend that he adores ( and he adores him back ), friends, a fantastic team and championships on his shoulders to feel proud of.
Everything will change though. After a huge, stupid mistake, they will be forced to tell the truth to the world. Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander have been in a relationship for years. And now they have to deal with that.
My thoughts.
Let me tell you something. I love those two idiots with my whole heart, but still… every time my boy Scott Hunter was even mentioned, I was fangirling like an idiot. Anyways… back to the book.
It is so well written that I wasn’t able to stop reading it. I laughed, I cried ( multiple times ), I got mad, I wanted to stop reading because the feelings were too much… but I couldn’t stop reading, because the feelings were too much! Rachel did an excellent job. Every character, every emotion, every feeling… I felt them all!!
I was so afraid about how she would portray Ilya’s mental health. I was scared that he would refuse to get help, or worse… I was afraid that she would write some stupid thing like “Shane is all I need to get well” or something like that. But no. She gave him the clarity to understand that he may have an issue. Something mental, maybe depression, like his mom. And he decided to go see a doctor and fight for himself.
He chose to fight for Shane, for his friends, and his team. And he made me hella proud.
I loved how Ilya’s teammates and coach were so supportive of him and each other. They are great people and I’m glad that Ilya and now ( – spoiler – ) Shane are surrounded by people who are nice and who love them.
I’m mad and I will never forgive Shane’s team ( not you Hayden sweetie ) about how they treated him. Even JJ, one of his best friends. I get why he got mad, I may have gotten mad as well in his place, but I can’t overlook that he thought even for a second that Shane had betrayed his team. So, you don’t deserve Shane, you assholes.
I totally loved that Ilya got a dog. They got married, play on the same team, live together, practice together, and they babysit Hayden’s kids. They have family dinners with Shane’s parents… They’re happy. And I am happy for them. I loved every happy moment that we got, and I can’t wait for the third book about them, the seventh in the series.
Rachel announced that it will be published in 2027, due to her health problems. Just feel better, sweetie and we’ll wait.
It’s a 5/5 from me.
Let me know what you think about the book in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to never miss an update from us!
xx pixie