Rachel Reid Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-07)

Rachel Reid is a Canadian romance author best known for Game Changers, a queer hockey romance series where the books share a league, a team network, and occasional cameos. You can read many entries as standalones, but reading in order prevents casual spoilers about earlier couples.

Outside the series, she also has standalone hockey romances that do not require any Game Changers background.

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How to read Rachel Reid without spoiling yourself

Think of her books in two baskets:

• Game Changers (connected series): read in series order for the cleanest experience.
• Standalones: read anytime.

If you only want one safe starting point, start at Game Changer (book 1).

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Game Changers series in order

Each book follows a different couple, but the hockey world overlaps.

1. Game Changer (Book 1, 2018): A closeted NHL captain falls for the upbeat smoothie-shop worker who becomes his unexpected anchor.
2. Heated Rivalry (Book 2, 2019): Two star rivals begin a secret, years-long relationship that refuses to stay “just physical.”
3. My Dinner with Hayden (Book 2.5 short story, 2019): A brief side story that adds context around the Heated Rivalry world and supporting cast.
4. Tough Guy (Book 3, 2020): A gentle enforcer with anxiety finds someone who wants him softer, not tougher.
5. Common Goal (Book 4, 2020): A struggling younger player and an older goalie negotiate an age gap, real vulnerability, and what stability looks like.
6. Role Model (Book 5, 2021): A disgraced player trying to rebuild his reputation falls for the team’s relentlessly kind social media manager.
7. The Long Game (Book 6, 2022): A decade into their relationship, Shane and Ilya face the cost of secrecy, and the risk of finally going public.
8. Unrivaled (Book 7, scheduled 2026-09-29): Now married and out, Shane and Ilya deal with backlash and a hockey world that doesn’t move forward evenly.

Best practice: read straight down from #1 to #7 (then #8 when it releases). If you begin with Heated Rivalry, you’ll still follow the romance fine, but you’ll learn outcomes you would otherwise discover later.

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Standalone novels in publication order

These are separate from Game Changers and can be read whenever you want.

1. Time to Shine (2023): A loner backup goalie ends up living with the team’s golden-boy winger, and the closeness reshapes both of their lives.
2. The Shots You Take (2025): Two former teammates with old hurt and unfinished feelings collide again during a small-town homecoming under grief-heavy circumstances.

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Suggested reading paths

If you want the neat, spoiler-safe route

1. Game Changers series (#1 through #7)
2. Time to Shine
3. The Shots You Take
4. Unrivaled when it releases

If you only want to sample one book first

• Try Heated Rivalry if you want rivals-to-lovers intensity and long-term tension.
• Try Role Model if you want a redemption arc with a gentler emotional landing.
• Try Time to Shine if you want a single, self-contained hockey romance without series commitments.

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FAQs

Do I have to read Game Changers in order?
You don’t have to, but it’s the only way to avoid learning earlier couples’ outcomes in passing.

Is My Dinner with Hayden required?
No. It’s extra texture. Read it after Heated Rivalry if you want more time with that corner of the world.

Are the standalones connected to Game Changers?
They are best treated as separate. You can read them first, last, or between series books without missing essential context.

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Best simple plan

Start with Game Changer, continue the series in order, and use Time to Shine or The Shots You Take as standalone breaks whenever you want a change of pacing.