BookCon Updates on Unrivaled Novel and Heated Rivalry Season 2

At BookCon in New York City this weekend, author Rachel Reid and showrunner Jacob Tierney provided updates on the next chapter of the Heated Rivalry franchise, revealing a shift toward more mature storytelling in both the upcoming novel Unrivaled and the second season of the Crave television adaptation.

Reid, whose Game Changers book series inspired the show, discussed her progress on Unrivaled, a direct sequel to her 2022 novel The Long Game. The story continues the arc of central characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, picking up after their wedding as they navigate life on the same professional hockey team and deal with public scrutiny after years of secrecy. Reid has been writing the book for about a year but announced in February that its release, originally set for September 2026, has been delayed to June 2027 due to her worsening symptoms of Parkinson's disease. "I've been writing it for about a year now. I was working on it secretly right up until January, when it was announced. I like it. I'm very happy with it," she told Entertainment Weekly. She plans to dedicate the coming months to refining the manuscript before submitting it to her editor, acknowledging the...