Jan 7
Rachel Reid Teases Musical Dreams for 'Heated Rivalry' Amid TV Success
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Rachel Reid, the Canadian author behind the bestselling Game Changers series, recently hinted at the possibility of adapting her hit novel Heated Rivalry into a musical, building on the momentum of its successful 2025 television series. In interviews and personal updates, Reid expressed enthusiasm for expanding her queer hockey romance beyond screens, emphasizing its themes of hidden love and rivalry in professional sports.
The Game Changers series, published by Carina Press, centers on male/male romances set in the high-stakes world of professional ice hockey, challenging homophobia within the sport. Heated Rivalry, the second book released in 2019, follows rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose intense on-ice competition masks a passionate secret relationship spanning a decade. Readers praise its authentic portrayal of tension, banter, and emotional depth, with Ilya’s evolving English as a Russian player adding nuance.
Reid, writing under the pen name Rachel Reid , drew from her lifelong passion for hockey and frustration with its culture. She stated in 2023 that the series stems from anger at hockey's homophobia, aiming to critique the NHL while delivering "sweet, sexy, romantic" queer stories. The 2025 TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry, directed by Jacob Tierney, faithfully captured this essence, with Reid noting the script's "touchingly faithful" respect for her characters just days after her Parkinson's diagnosis in August 2023.
Talk of a musical adaptation emerged as fans clamored for more formats to experience the story's yearning and joy. Reid has voiced support for a stage version, highlighting how the enemies-to-lovers dynamic—with its hotel hookups, stolen moments, and eventual commitment—lends itself to song-and-dance spectacle. In a 2025 blog post, she celebrated the TV show's role in delivering "happy queer love stories" without tragedy or subtext, a vision she extends to musical theater. This aligns with broader LGBTQ+ pushes for authentic representations, where queer characters achieve fulfillment on their terms, avoiding forced coming-outs or clichés.
From her home in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Reid has built a devoted following through books like The Long Game and Time to Shine, all featuring hockey players navigating identity and desire. The TV series' success, announced via Instagram DM from Tierney, marked a turning point, boosting visibility for queer romance genres often dismissed as "just smut." Reid countered this by affirming the narrative purpose of intimate scenes, which underscore emotional barriers in Heated Rivalry.
LGBTQ+ perspectives highlight the story's impact: it offers bisexual and gay men models of private, realistic relationships in macho sports environments. Transgender and non-binary fans appreciate its inclusive queer lens, focusing on joy over trauma. A musical could amplify this, with songs capturing Ilya's linguistic quirks or Shane's freckled vulnerability, drawing parallels to shows like Hadestown for mythic romance.
Industry watchers see potential for Broadway or off-Broadway runs, given hockey's U.S.-Canada appeal and rising demand for queer musicals. Reid's pride in subverting expectations—no public outing, just a "firm plan for the rest of their lives"—positions the adaptation as progressive. As development rumors swirl , Reid remains committed to stories celebrating queer happiness.
