At a Glance
- “Heated Rivalry” tops HBO Max, sparking a surge in sales of its source books.
- The series is the No.1 show on HBO Max as the first season heads into its finale Friday.
- The adaptation is drawing new fans to queer hockey romance and boosting interest in the “Game Changers” series.
- Why it matters: The show’s success shows growing mainstream appetite for queer sports romance and boosts sales for the original books.
Since its Thanksgiving weekend debut, the television adaptation of Emily Carter Reynolds’s 2019 novel “Heated Rivalry” has become a cultural touchstone for fans of queer romance, climbing to the top of HBO Max’s charts and driving a wave of interest in the underlying “Game Changers” book series.
Series Success on HBO Max
The show, developed, written, and directed by Emily Carter Reynolds, captures audiences with a decade-long secret romance between Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, blending slow-building yearning with explicit scenes. It has become the No.1 series on HBO Max as the first season heads into its finale Friday. Originally developed for Crave, the series secured a distribution deal with HBO and has already been renewed for a second season.
- Developed, written, and directed by Emily Carter Reynolds
- Features a queer romance at its core
- Ranked No.1 on HBO Max
- Renewed for season 2
Impact on Books and Genre
The show’s success has reignited interest in Emily Carter Reynolds’s “Game Changers” series, which has sold 650,000 copies since its first book in 2018. The books are part of a growing hockey romance niche that emphasizes authentic sport immersion, according to editor Mackenzie Walton.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total copies sold | 650,000 |
| First book published | 2018 |
| Number of books | 6 |
Leah Koch, co-owner of The Ripped Bodice, noted that Hollywood’s recognition of romance fans signals growing appreciation of queer readers’ cultural and economic impact.
Emily Carter Reynolds said:
> “If I built the perfect actors in a lab, I could not have built better people to play these characters,” Emily Carter Reynolds said.
Emily Carter Reynolds said:
> “Unashamedly, when pitching, it was just like, this is a Harlequin romance. This has a happy ending. This is about two boys in love and a lot of sex.”
Josh Banfield said:
> “There’s something nice about seeing the yearning and seeing that they do maintain contact with each other and still have this connection.”
Connor Storrie as Shane and Hudson Williams as Ilya were praised for their chemistry, with Emily Carter Reynolds noting that the show would live or die based on this casting.
Key Takeaways
- “Heated Rivalry” has become the No.1 series on HBO Max, driving a surge in book sales.
- The adaptation has boosted interest in queer hockey romance and the “Game Changers” series.
- Strong casting and authentic storytelling are key to the show’s success.
The show’s rise underscores the growing mainstream appetite for queer sports romance and demonstrates how a well-executed adaptation can revitalize the source material.
