‘Unrivaled’: 8 Moments We Need to See in Shane & Ilya’s Next ‘Heated Rivalry’ Book
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Heated Rivalry and The Long Game by Rachel Reid.]
We always held out hope that The Long Game wasn’t the last we’d see of Shane and Ilya, and Rachel Reid has answered our prayers. Though we found the sixth installment in her Game Changers series to be a satisfying conclusion to Hollanov’s story, we’re greedy. Shane and Ilya went through so much angst in Heated Rivalry and their sequel book that we couldn’t help but wish that we could see Hollanov living their best lives for a longer stretch of time — and that wish will be fulfilled (hopefully) in Unrivaled.
Well, we know from the synopsis and Reid’s comments that the angst isn’t entirely over. (We get that there has to be conflict for the plot, but we’d definitely take 300 pages of Hollanov fluff. Just putting that out there.) After coming out to the public, getting married, and joining the same team, Shane and Ilya will face a divided hockey world in Unrivaled. They have their supporters, but their opponents, led by a popular hockey podcast, are just as vocal.
We devoured Heated Rivalry and The Long Game well before the show came out, so we’ve had a good amount of time to think about what we want to see in Shane and Ilya’s future. Without further ado, here’s our wish list for Unrivaled (out September 29):
Shane & Ilya have zero serious conflicts between them
This one is the most important to us: Shane and Ilya need to be a united front, with no major issues when it comes to their relationship. We got more than enough of that in The Long Game. We know that Reid’s already said they’ll experience a bit of “whiplash” not having to hide their relationship anymore and being together 24/7, but we’re hoping (begging) that their adjustment period is more humorous than anything else.
Cameos from the other Game Changers couples
Yep, we need to see a gay hockey Avengers assemble moment. Obviously, Troy and Harris will be in Shane and Ilya’s orbit constantly — a double date would hit — but we want to see Scott, Kip, Eric, Kyle, Ryan, and Fabian, too. We’re not sure how they’ll all come together, and honestly, we don’t really care as long as it happens. With how vocal Scott is about LGBTQ+ inclusion in hockey, we’d imagine that he’s going to be in Shane and Ilya’s corner against the hockey podcast, for one.
We have high hopes that we’ll see everyone return. “I’m writing this one for all the Hollanov fans, old and new,” Reid told People. “I can’t tell you how much the love my characters have received over the years means to me. It has been a blast writing these guys again and revisiting the entire Game Changers cast.” (Entire!)
Ilya & Shane crush Montreal (& the NHL commissioner gets fired)
This one is a two-parter. Though Shane and Ilya will have a new foe in the form of the hockey podcasters, we can’t forget about their enemies from The Long Game. First, a Montreal-Ottawa matchup seems inevitable. We need to see Ottawa absolutely dominate Shane’s old team after they accused him of falling on purpose and letting Ilya score in a playoff game.
We know Shane smoothed things over with J.J. by the end of The Long Game, but we wouldn’t mind if he got a punch to the face for ever doubting Shane. In fact, we’ll gladly welcome Ilya punching any Montreal player on Shane’s behalf.
Speaking of, we need to see NHL commissioner Crowell taken down a peg in Unrivaled. It was endlessly satisfying seeing Shane stick it to the homophobic Crowell in The Long Game, but we need him publicly humiliated and fired, please and thank you.
Ilya & Shane win the Stanley Cup together
Need we say more? This one is a must. After all, Ilya’s final thoughts in The Long Game are that they’re going to win the Cup. The last line is literally him saying “let’s f**king get it.” After everything Shane and Ilya have been through, they deserve that win.
Ilya is a total husband guy
Ilya needs to be constantly gushing about his husband and constantly calling Shane his husband. Even better if he’s constantly posting about Shane and their love on social media.
Shane struggles with Ilya being captain
Shane may let Ilya have control in the bedroom, but it’s a different story on the ice. There seemed to be some foreshadowing in The Long Game epilogue when Ilya says he knows Shane is coming for the “C.” We need snark from Shane. We need the banter.
Trophy room scene reprise
Mid-f**k, Shane literally says that they’ll share a trophy room someday in The Long Game. Now that they’re out and living together, surely he made good on that promise. We have a feeling that Ilya will need to remind Shane of who he is at some point in Unrivaled, so we would definitely welcome a trophy room scene reprise.
An epilogue with one or both of them retiring and starting a family
This request is only if Unrivaled is Shane and Ilya’s final book. After seeing Shane and Ilya interacting with Hayden and Jackie’s kids in The Long Game, we need to see at least a glimpse of Hollanov as parents. We could read a whole book just about them being parents, honestly, but if Unrivaled is the last we see of them, something is better than nothing.
Even better, one or both of them retire so they can raise their kid or kids — only after having long, successful careers. We don’t need to see either of them being taken out by an injury. It would be cute if Ilya retires first, since Shane’s always been the more hockey-obsessed of the two of them. Imagine Ilya sitting with the WAGs in the stands. Yes, please.
What do you want to see in Unrivaled? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
