Rachel Reid: Author of Heated Rivalry
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show ON DEMAND
Elvis Duran Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts
4.9 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Tommy is joined by bestselling author Rachel Reid, the writer behind Heated Rivalry and the Game Changers series. The series is beloved for redefining queer romance in the world of professional hockey. What began as a passion project quickly became a phenomenon, earning Rachel a devoted global fanbase and cementing Heated Rivalry as a modern romance classic.
She opens up about the origins of Heated Rivalry, how Shane and Ilya’s story evolved from a side romance into something much bigger, and why readers connected so deeply to its emotional honesty. Rachel discusses why Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were the only choices for Ilya and Shane, if more Ilya and Shane books are coming, and what we might see in Season 2 of the hit series. She also talks about fandom culture, online communities, and the unexpected life-changing success of her books, as well as what it’s like to create characters that live far beyond the page. Plus, she shares what she’s learned as a writer, what inspires her storytelling, and why romance (especially queer romance) matters now more than ever. And she is answering YOUR burning fan questions!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:05.9 | Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with me, Tommy Diderio. |
| 0:11.8 | If you haven't been watching Heated Rivalry, then you are missing out. |
| 0:15.4 | You're missing out. |
| 0:16.4 | It is so good and the season finale just aired and the world is mourning. |
| 0:20.6 | Not having any new episodes |
| 0:22.0 | of the show to watch is very upsetting. But to tide us over until the season two comes out, |
| 0:27.7 | I have the brilliant brain behind heated rivalry on my show today. Rachel Reed is the New York |
| 0:33.1 | Times bestselling author of the Game Changers Hockey Romance series, as well as the stand-alone |
| 0:37.8 | hockey romance novels, Time to Shine, and The Shots You Take. Without her, we would have no heated |
| 0:43.5 | rivalry TV show. No Ilya, no Shane, no steamy, slow burn love story. And today we are diving |
| 0:50.0 | into her brain to hear more about her process and answer all of your burning questions. |
| 0:56.0 | So let's see if today we can get Rachel to say something that she has never said before. |
| 1:06.9 | Rachel, it is so good to see you. How are you today? I'm great. |
| 1:11.7 | I feel like you've been on a whirlwind. |
| 1:13.5 | Are you sleeping? |
| 1:14.5 | Are you eating? |
| 1:15.2 | Are you okay? |
| 1:17.3 | Some of those things sometimes. |
| 1:20.1 | Yeah. |
| 1:20.4 | Yeah. |
... |
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