The Joy Drop: January 2026

Okay quick update: I originally had written that I was not going to read Common Goal, but after meeting the Heated Rivalry crew, and Brendan Brady (the co-writer/producer) told me that it was his favorite of the series I decided I had to give it another shot. I also didn’t know that this book contained Scott and Kip’s wedding, which I was curious to read. So I’ve added it to my ranking below at #4.

Hi everyone, 

Happy February! Happy Black History Month! Happy Full Moon in Leo!  

I’m making good on my one and only promise I made to myself this year: to read more fiction. In January, I read five fiction books—all from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series.

Thanks to Heated Rivalry, I’ve fallen deep into its cinematic universe, and I genuinely think what Rachel has built is pretty incredible. I’m not sure why I never thought to read more romance books (considering how much I love love), but I definitely never imagined I’d want to read an entire romance series about gay hockey players. I don’t even care about hockey—but these books are compelling, fun, and very sexy. I also really admire how Rachel uses the series to explore important topics like mental health (especially anxiety and depression), sexual assault, and homophobia within the hockey world.

The six books build off one another, each focusing on a different gay hockey player from a different team. Heated Rivalry, the TV show, is actually based on two books: Game Changer (book #1) and Heated Rivalry (book #2). Season two will be based on The Long Game (the sequel to Heated Rivalry and book #6) and, I suspect, Role Model (book #5), which features characters who overlap with The Long Game. And yes, I’ve already preordered the 7th book in the series, Unrivaled, which comes out in September.

These books were incredibly easy reads—I finished most of them within 24–48 hours. I didn’t read them in order, and you definitely don’t have to, though I imagine the experience is slightly better if you do. Anyway, here are my favorites, ranked from most to least favorite.

P.S. If you have any romance novel suggestions, send my way!