Next Heated Rivalry book release date delayed as author Rachel Reid offers health update
The novel has been delayed by almost a year.
Rachel Reid, the author of the Game Changers series upon which hit HBO hockey drama Heated Rivalry is based, has delayed the release of her next novel due to health reasons.
Unrivaled, which was due to be released in September 2026, will now be published on 1 June 2027.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Reid, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2023, explained that her symptoms have “gotten a bit worse”, which has made “it difficult physically to write”.
She added: “Ultimately it’s going to be a much better book and that’s the most important thing to me, and I think it’s going to be better for the readers and better for the characters."
Reid published her first novel in the Game Changers series in 2018, before following it up with five further books. Unrivaled is the seventh book in Reid’s novel series, and will continue Ilya and Shane’s story.
Following its release on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the US last November – and on Sky and NOW in January in the UK – Heated Rivalry quickly became a significant hit.
The show, which is adapted and directed by Jacob Tierney, follows two rival and closeted NHL superstars – Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) – as they navigate a years-long love story and an environment in which coming out could damage their careers.
The series has been praised by fans and critics alike for its sex positivity and its groundbreaking representation of LGBTQ+ athletes.
In December, Reid shared that the success of the TV adaptation had helped her access better care for her Parkinson’s disease.
In an interview with Variety, the author revealed that a Parkinson’s expert had contacted her after hearing about her diagnosis in a publicity interview for the show.
She added: "I've never gotten to talk to a Parkinson's expert. I've been on a five-year waiting list here because I live in a very small place. Now he's found me a Parkinson's expert, a neurologist, and I have an appointment in a couple weeks.
"That could change things for me because I'm not really getting the treatment that I should be getting."
Unrivaled by Rachel Reid is available to pre-order now.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
