Series Review: Game Changers by Rachel Reid

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Game Changer (from Goodreads):

New York Admirals captain Scott Hunter takes his pre-game rituals very seriously. In this case, it’s not just a lucky smoothie he’s craving—it’s the man who made it.

Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic…and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.

Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, nevermind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.

Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Canadian Author
Author: Rachel Reid
Series: Game Changers
# of Books: 7 + novellas (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected + Chronological (#2,#6,#7)
Complete?: No
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, LGBT
Heat Rating: Smokin’
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: October 2018 – ongoing
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m a little embarrassed that as I Canadian, I didn’t know this series existed until the TV show Heated Rivalry took over the world. Then I got on the bandwagon, binged the show in one sitting and then appreciated that my library followed many other libraries to allow unlimited downloads on the first 3 books of the series so I could get my fill until the next season started filming!

The Concept:

As expected from a Canadian: I’m a HUGE hockey fan so I love a good sports romance about hockey players. But like Rachel Reid, I also struggle with how hockey organizations can perpetuate a community fueled with homophobia, sexual assault and toxic masculinity. I just didn’t write a romance novel to challenge those ideas – but I’m glad she did!

You can see how she draws on real world events to inspire her stories in this series. The inclusion of sexual assault allegations against a star side character in the series in Role Model (#5) and how the league attempts to cover it up brought back my rage against Hockey Canada for their alleged cover ups for the exact same thing. That book in particular reignited my inner turmoil about what it means to be a hockey fan amidst organizational corruption. It adds a realistic edge to these books that grounds the romance and characters and I appreciate the attempt to shift the culture by pointing out its flaws while highlighting how small changes and courageous actions can create a positive cultural shift.

The Plot:

All these books are very character driven but it’s usually one of the two leads does that more driving. I sometimes struggled with that because it made some of the characters seem underdeveloped or made certain dramatic elements feel rushed. But I appreciated that these stories all focused on different challenges for our leads so I didn’t feel like I was reading the same book over and over again.

Another element I liked is how these stories build on each other to show the shift of hockey culture and inclusion over time. It doesn’t happen over night but that’s part of the realistic edge Reid brings to these stories.

Also, I just want to give a special shoutout for the way Heated Rivalry (#2) is written. The building of the timeline between these two characters in particular is addicting and the fan in me appreciates how the events here are woven into the other books in the series.

The Characters:

Rachel Reid does a great job of creating unique characters. None of the characters felt like regurgitations of the others. As I said before, sometimes I wish the character development of the two leads was a little more balanced out in all the books. It’s definitely better in some, like Heated Rivalry (#2) but in others like Common Goal (#4), I felt it lacking. And that isn’t to say that both leads need to be flawed in a way in order for it to be successful, I just felt like some things weren’t as fleshed out as they could be and I left feeling like there was more to be resolved with some of their stories.

The Romance:

The chemistry between the leads in all the books is superb! I love romances that make me swoon and these certainly did. Some of the romances are burn slow while others burned hot – either way, it worked for me!

However: I have to say that sometimes these books are little too smutty for me! There are some hot scenes for sure but sometimes I think they come at the expense of some time that could have been used for the plot or character development.

My Audiobook Experience:

Well, I almost didn’t read the audiobook after I started listening to Game Changer (#1) because the Bostonian accent they gave Kip in the narration was a little too much for me – especially in the sex scenes. But the same narrator does a better job in the next book and a different narrator takes over the series so I’m glad I stuck with it. Just make sure you aren’t listening too loudly in your car if you don’t want people to overhear all the sexy times these characters have!

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I have not read The Long Game (#6) as I publish this review. I did that intentionally because I want to watch the TV season first then read the book so I can enjoy watching the show by “not knowing” what’s next for those two leads – even though I now know all the other characters’ stories. And as the 7th book, Unrivaled, will be the direct sequel of that, I’m not sure what to expect!