The Long Game (GameChangers #6)

This series (Rachel Reid's Game Changers) was my first introduction to the queer erotica genre. It also taught me that there is soooooo much more to this genre than just the steamy sex stuff. It's deep and meaningful and tackles topics that any other genre can, just with a little rated-r fun. ;) It also happens that this is one of my favorite series. The sixth book is titled "The Long Game." 

And I've waited soooooooooo so long for this novel/sequel to come out. I've wanted to know more about Shane and Ilya (more importantly, how they're going to navigate their relationship going forward) since their very first novel, "Heated Rivalry." It's been hinted and teased at for sooo long and I just need some out-and-proud-happily-ever-after.

["To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.

Ten years.

That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?

Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.

It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.

It’s time to make a call."]

Spoiler Alert: it's love.

I intended to clear my fucking schedule for this, not sleep, read until my eyes bled. Instead, I might have avoided reading it, like I do, because I've hyped it up for so long, and I didn't want to read about their conflicts and angst (just their happily ever afters), and I was avoiding my 'responsibilities' again. So it took me almost a week, some ugly sobbing, and some happy tears, but I finally finished Shane and Ilya’s epic conclusion.

It takes place roughly along the same timeline as “Role Model” (the fifth book), so if you haven’t read that one yet, be prepared for some spoilers (also, go read it). Also, please, please, please read the trigger warnings below; they’re super important.

What’s also important is the love and support and communication between these two. I mean, it’s far from perfect, but so is life and relationships. Sometimes, everything goes your way, and sometimes it’s just plain old fucked up. But the important part is, by the end of this novel, they have a whole life planned and a support system and a plan to bring diversity acceptance to the world of hockey once and for all (brought on by other players from previous books in the series, but ya know).

READ. THIS. BOOK. SERIES.

Trigger Warnings: suicide, depression, mental health, near-death-experiences, homophobia, internalized homophobia, an entire series of industries based on toxic masculinity, not believing rape victims, forced outting, etc

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