Rachel Reid

Rachel Reid is the pen name of Rachelle Goguen, a Canadian author and New York Times bestselling writer known for the "Game Changers" book series and other hockey-themed gay romance novels. A lifelong fan of ice hockey, Reid played the sport as a teenager, a passion that later inspired her to write one of the most recognized romance series in contemporary fiction. She began writing "Game Changer," the first book in the series, on her iPad while putting her sons to sleep and submitted it to publishers in secret. Its publication coincided with the growing popularity of ice hockey romance novels.

The "Game Changers" series includes six novels: "Game Changer," "Heated Rivalry," "Tough Guy," "Common Goal," "Role Model," and "The Long Game," all published by Carina Press, an imprint of Harlequin Romance. "Heated Rivalry," the second book in the series, is a gay sports romance novel that follows a secret relationship between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. The novel gained significant attention after romance novelist Cat Sebastian recommended it on social media, which Reid described as a turning point in attracting readers. Reid has stated that the series was inspired by her frustration with homophobia in hockey culture and that it critically examines the NHL and hockey culture.

Several of Reid's novels have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, and Harlequin has sold more than 650,000 books in the "Game Changers" series. The Toronto Star reported that one of Reid's books entered the top ten for bestselling Canadian works of fiction ahead of the streaming release of "Heated Rivalry" on Crave in Canada. Rachel Kurzius of The Washington Post praised "Heated Rivalry" for its contribution to the gay hockey romance genre, while Rolling Stone Philippines described the novel as a "prose masterpiece." Reid is also the author of standalone hockey romance novels "Time to Shine" and "The Shots You Take."

"Heated Rivalry" was adapted into a Crave television series of the same name, created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney, and starring Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov. The book's cultural reach expanded when the Mayor of New York City encouraged residents to stay home during a winter storm and promoted access to the "Heated Rivalry" e-book and audiobook through the New York Public Library, resulting in a significant increase in downloads. Reid is at work on "Unrivaled," the seventh installment in the "Game Changers" series, a direct sequel to "The Long Game" that continues the story of Shane and Ilya following their wedding and time playing on the same hockey team.