Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov) and Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander) star in the series 'Heated rivalry', created by Jacob Tierney. SABRINA LANTOS/HBO MAX
In Montreal, the small Joie de Livres bookstore in the trendy Mile End neighborhood has been seeing a rush of customers. Specializing in romance novels, it has thrived since late 2025 on the excitement surrounding Heated Rivalry, the steamy television series adapted from the Game Changers novels by Canadian author Rachel Reid. "The first volumes are sold out – we're constantly having to order more!" explained one of the shop's employees. Every Sunday evening, to ride the wave, the bookstore turns into a screening room, allowing fans to rewatch episodes of the series and to do a deep dive into the books. Sixty tickets are available each time, and they sell out instantly. "We're already booked solid through February."
In Jacob Tierney's scripted drama, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are two rival stars of Major League Hockey, a fictional mirror of the National Hockey League (NHL). The former is Canadian – calm and shy; the latter is Russian – arrogant and fond of taunting his competitors during games. The ice quickly melts between the two, in a steamy scene where both young men push each other to their limits on exercise bikes. The lovers are drawn to each other, and every match is followed by intense sex scenes.
