'Heated Rivalry' book recommendations. Yes, this did take a very long time, sorry I am a thorough person!!
I am one of the Heated Rivalry fans who read the books long before the show came to the silver screen.
For me, Heated Rivalry just hits. What sports are shown in the book, or more what is shown about the life of an athlete, is realistic. I also like the tension between Ilya and Shane, that ‘rivalry’ aspect, even if Shane and Ilya do not have the vitriol towards one another the outside world expects.
I’ve seen a lot of book suggestions for people who like Heated Rivalry that just don’t have that same sizzle, at least in my opinion. Either the sport aspect is not well written, the sex is wack, or the dynamic of the couple just doesn’t line up.
I want that sexy tension!
I have worked diligently over the past few weeks to compile my own list of suggestions that I think have some of the same vibes as Heated Rivalry. I do not care if a book has a M/M, M/F or F/F pairing, so you shouldn’t go into this list with those expectations.
Cleet Cute (2023) Meryl Wilsner- There is a reason every single list of Heated Rivalry comps has this book on the list.
Like, damn.
Grace and Phoebe are in many ways the stereotypical grumpy/sunshine couple. Both are professional women’s soccer players in the United States, but while they’re only four years apart in age, they are at very different points in their careers. Grace has been on the national team’s development track since she was eleven, and played her first games for the women’s national team before getting her driver’s license. Phoebe just graduated college and is the first non-NCAA athlete to be drafted by their universe’s version of the NWSL.
God, is it hot when they have sex. Like, these are some well-written sex scenes.
There are some similarities between Phoebe and Ilya, and Grace struggles with celebrity just like Ilya and Shane. All of the side characters feel real and fleshed out as well.
The book doesn’t shy away from the abysmal financial situation women face in order to play professional soccer. We also get to see the complicated lose-or-lose situation in which most queer female athletes find themselves. Grace especially has a lot she’s working through around what it means to be queer and famous.
Playing Offside (2021) Jax Calder- If the rivalry part of Heated Rivalry really got you going, then this is a great addition to your TBR. Our main characters are Aiden and Tyler, two New Zealand rugby players competing for the same spot on the pitch on the national team, and playing against each other on their professional teams.
Much like Ilya and Shane in Heated Rivalry, the sexual relationship jumpstarts the actual relationship. There is also an aspect of one character teaching the other about sex, though neither comes to the relationship entirely inexperienced.
They also both have decided to be closeted until the end of their career. The catch? Aiden is 28-years old, and knows his retirement is just around the corner, while Tyler is 20 and his career is just beginning. In fact, Tyler’s success is directly negatively impacting Aiden’s career. The rivalry between Aiden and Tyler is not something created by the media or fans. It is very real and it does impact their relationship.
I thought Calder did a great job with these distinct characters. The sex scenes are good, and the rugby is engaging, both the matches themselves and experience of being a player in the All Blacks system (from my knowledge as an enthusiastic but clueless when-I-can-actually-find-a-game fan).
The only real drawback is that the ending feels abrupt. I wanted an epilogue of some kind! I also read the second book in the series, and I didn’t regret reading it or anything, but I found it kind of boring and a bit trite compared to Playing Offside, which is an easy-read itself. Like, yes, the first book has a few troupes, but at least we’re doing something interesting with them. Didn’t feel that way about the second book.
Hoops and Heartstrings (2024) Eliza Lentzski- What if Ilya and Shane had ended up drafted to the same team? Eva and Lex, our sole POV character, are pretty different from Shane and Ilya, but I don’t think it is too difficult to imagine the draw here.
Lex is a rookie player on a WNBA expansion team trying desperately to make the final roster after an injury during her last season of college ball led to her falling to the third round of the draft. And who went first in the draft? Why, that would be Eva Montgomery, the very same player who caused her injury.
Now, the two are teammates and roommates trying to find their way while playing, as Lex would put it, “grown ass women”.
This story is enjoyable, the basketball is realistic and the realities of professional women’s basketball are not sugar-coated. Money and challenging team dynamics keep this story interesting even when we aren’t focused on the romance.
I would categorize this as a slow burn at least compared to most of other books on the list. There were multiple other books that built over time that I chose to leave off for this very reason. But the slow discovery of one another felt reminiscent of the second half of Heated Rivalry, and even though Lex and Eva do not immediately jump into bed with one another, the growing tension, the knowing teasing between the two is pretty electric.
And once these two get going, it is zero to 60.
I have some very hard opinions on who fell first and who fell harder with this pair.
My only word of warning; push through the prologue. I liked the writing in this book, but for some reason, the prologue was a bit weird and had random cliches. The rest of the book? A true pleasure to read. I haven't yet read the sequel, also about Lex and Eva, but it is certainly on the TBR list.
Unrivaled (2023) Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James- There are absolutely other MM hockey romances involving rivals. Some of them are even very spicy. Some of them I even really enjoy. But there are very few I’ve that I can recommend without a lot of caveats, or warnings to avoid other books in the series.
I don’t have to play an apologist for the ‘Hockey Ever After’ series. And this is probably my favorite in the bunch, at least so far.
Grady and Max start their relationship the same way all great queer romances begin, through Grindr. Well, kind of, because Grady already hates Max, who plays for his biggest rival. Max is a rat, a subset of a pest specialized to the hockey world. Grady in particular finds this kind of play abhorrent. Max doesn’t understand why people care about what happens on the ice once the game is over.
Obviously, the sex is great. And it continues to be great as they keep hooking up, then planning to spend time together, then…
Well, you’ll just have to read the book!
This book is a bit more trope-y than Heated Rivalry (yes there is a miscommunication subplot at one point in the book) and there are already out players in the league at this point in the series, so that particular pressure is not hanging over the couple in this book. It is an enjoyable, quick read that scratches that particular itch.
Icebreaker (2022), A. L. Graziadei- No, not that Icebreaker, the other one.
This story follows Mickey James the Third, our POV character, who is the only son of hockey legend Mickey James Jr. during his first season playing college hockey. The main focus is his initially antagonistic relationship with Jayden Caulfield, another hockey player on his team who comes from a very different background. Oh, and Mickey and Jayden are both projected to possibly be picked first in the coming NHL draft.
I like this book a lot, and the dynamic between Mickey and Jayden, as well as Mickey’s relationships with his new teammates, his five sisters, his former billet family and his parents is interesting, complicated and well-written.
I have some personal drawbacks, like I don’t really find myself seeking out books with characters quite this young falling in love and having sex. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I’m just a little out of the age bracket where that is my cup of tea.
The author also takes some hard stances on gender, race and economic class in the world of hockey that I completely agree with, but extrapolates out to some inaccurate portrayals of how hockey development works, especially in relation to college hockey programs. There has been a lot of change in college athletics since this book was published, but it wasn’t even accurate for the time in which it took place.
Still a good book though, and it still more than earns a place on this list.
Kiss and Cry (2022), Keira Andrews- I need to be completely honest with you this one does not quite belong on this list.
For pretty much every book on this list I prioritized the immediate chemistry and the delicious “pining/yearning while fucking” dynamic. The relationship in Kiss and Cry is a slow burn, and the relationship between Henry and Theo takes time to develop. But part of that is because the rivalry between them and the genuine dislike is very, very real.
Henry and Theo are both at the top of international men’s figure skating who are suddenly sharing a training center in the lead up to the Olympic games where they will be competing for gold. This is a grumpy/sunshine story with one taking on the role of the more experienced partner, when the relationship advances.
I love the skating in the book, and those who enjoy Heated Rivalry and decide to pick up this book will read some familiar issues like the drive for perfection and family problems play out with two interesting, well-rounded characters.
Coming in First Place (2020), And Then (2022), Between the Teeth (2024), Taylor Fitzpatrick- So, this particular recommendation does come with a caveat. You really need to read all three books to get the full story.
But it is worth it!
The ‘Between the Teeth’ series is a love story, but I would not categorize it as a romance because you do not get a “happily-ever-after” at the end of each book.
That’s your warning.
The series follows David Chapman, our sole POV character, as he enters the NHL and through his first few seasons. The defining aspects of his life are hockey and Jake Lourdes, his constant rival. David’s character will remind you a lot of Shane (wonder why, it's almost like both authors started with the same player as inspiration, huh wonder who that could be, guess we’ll never know!). But while Shane has a great support system, David has no one.
While the story is about David’s complicated, consuming, years-long relationship with Jake, it is also about slowly building a family and finding yourself. I don’t know if Taylor, the author, has ever outright said it, but this story is entirely about discovering love in multiple forms.
I would also suggest anything written by Taylor Fitzpatrick. You will cry though. Like, a lot.
First Flight, Final Fall: A College Soccer Romance (2024), C.W. Farnsworth- Saylor Scott (yes, she has a very stupid name) is not nice. She is not accommodating. She will not be complacent. And she’s one of the top up-and-coming women’s soccer players in the world. During an elite training camp in Germany at the home stadium of FC Kluvberg, she meets Adler Beck. Adler is one of perhaps the best three active footballers in the world and has been a household name since he was 16-years old.
Are they technically rivals? No, but they are rivals in spirit.
They’re both extremely talented, competitive, and relentless in chasing their goals. Oh, and they’re also both sexy fuck boys. Yes, I called the female main protagonist a fuck boy, I will not take it back, that is the best and most accurate description.
Walls come falling down, but Saylor’s time in Germany stays finite.
Even when they part, the connection doesn’t quite break, even when Saylor wants it to. Saylor’s unwillingness to open herself up to the vulnerability of a real relationship of any kind is the main thing keeping her and Adler apart, but it is unfair to act like this is the only barrier between Adler and Saylor.
Their careers, and what it means to be at the top of their sport for a woman compared to a man, also hangs over Saylor and Adler.
This book fits so well on this list because it maintains the core message of any good rivals-to-lovers romance, an appreciation for the other person’s skills and even the more grating parts of their personality, because as their rival you’ve studied them and you see how all those pieces make up who they are as a whole.
Potential Comps:
I made sure I actually read, and in some cases even re-read, every book on the above list. I had a much longer list of potential comps, some of which I read and hated, others I read and liked but ultimately felt they did not meet my qualifications. There are more on that list I wasn’t able to get to in a timely fashion, so I don’t feel completely comfortable giving my full support, even if they do appear to be good fits.
But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them a shot! So, here is the extended list I wasn’t able to read before publishing this blog post.
Got Game? (2011), Stephanie Doyle (This book is out-of-print pretty much everywhere, so I will be doing what I can to get my hands on a copy)
The Prospects (2024), K.T. Hoffman
Drop the Gloves (2025), A.L. Heard
The Kennedy Rule (2025), K.C. Carmichael
Take Her On (2024), Emily Wright
Fifth Gear: Chaos Meets Control (2025), Eliza Devyn
Setting the Score (2016), R.S. Grey
Head Over Wheels (2025), Leonie Mack
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