Most “books like Heated Rivalry” lists stop at “More hockey!”
But hockey isn’t why the Heated Rivalry works … or at least not the only reason.
As Meg put it on episode 113: What to Read Next After Heated Rivalry: Think about what you loved about Heated Rivalry then find the trope underneath it — because the story doesn’t work just because it’s gay sports romance. It works because of specific mechanics that show up in plenty of books that never go near a rink.
Here’s what to read next, organized by tropes beyond just hockey.
Table of Contents
Best in Class Rivals (Not Enemies) Being Good at Their Jobs
The other engine. Shane and Ilya aren’t nursing a grudge — they’re forced together by being the best at what they do, over and over, whether they like it or not. Meg’s read is that part of the draw is just watching competent people be excellent at something specific, sports or otherwise.
The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbury
Two doctors (Sebastian the ER doc and Sara the cosmetic surgeon) go head-to-head in this medical romance. They get into a fight so nasty that they’re forced into hospital-mandated conflict resolution counseling
They’re both top-of-the-field physicians who disagree when it comes to their patients’ care plans … and then their friend group and housing situation brings them together in a scorching way.
Bedside Manner by C.J. Macington
Similar to The Worst Guy, Bedside Manner has the same hospital environment with two rival doctors in different fields — Max is Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Jax is Head of Trauma — but this one has a rom-com tone, with the two of them sharing a joint office (with a line down the middle) and pulling pranks on each other until they start to understand each other’s perspectives.
Thomas Elkin series by N.R. Walker
Thomas is a world-famous architect, annoyed by the aspirations of Cooper, his young intern. You get all the professional-excellence tension in a field with nothing to do with hockey.
Dear Plant Daddy by Shenee Howard
This You’ve Got Mail style rivalry pairs up two plant stores. Tessa runs a boutique plant store beloved in her neighborhood… until two plant influencers open up a megastore just up the block.
But Leo seems familiar and even sounds familiar … sort of like “Plant Daddy,” a guy that Tessa talks to in the DMs on Reddit …
Don’t miss our interview with Shenee Howard about Dear Plant Daddy!
Sports Romance as a Workplace Conflict
When you’re a professional athlete, “sports” isn’t just a genre… it’s also your workplace. Here are a few options that show the stress of the travel, the forced proxmity, and the media attention that go along with being a professional athlete.
Georgia is doing just fine as the Brooklyn Bruiser’s PR manager … until the hockey team hires her dad as the new head coach and recruits her ex-boyfriend Leo as a rookie player.
Now Georgia has to face the only man she’s ever loved (and the only many whose heart she’s broken) while under public scrutiny, with the press watching her every move and her job on the line.
When Lily moves back to her hometown of Salt Lake City after her dad dies, she’s ready to start fresh with her career as a personal trainer for the hockey team and honor her dad’s wish to take care of his house for at least a year.
She couldn’t have predicted her hot next door neighbor Brant — also the team’s goalie, so she has to see him every day.
A delightful workplace romance about a transgender woman finding her way in a male-dominated workplace.
The Secret Relationship Going Public
This is the engine that fuels the time between Heated Rivalry and The Long Game — not “will they get together?” but “what happens when the world finds out?” If that’s the tension you’re chasing:
Him/Us by Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen
The predecessor to the Heated Rivalry/Long Game arc, this is the award-winning series that put gay hockey romance on the map.
Just like Shane & Ilya met at age 18, so did Wes and Jamie. But instead of being drafted, they met at summer hockey camp, went to rival colleges, then ended up back in each other’s lives after graduation when they were both drafted by different teams.
They have one summer before reporting to training camp to figure out what they mean to each other …
The President of the United States and the head of his Secret Service detail, with a kidnapping plot layered on top of this MM Romantic Suspense novel.
Meg reminded Nikki during the episode that this podcast exists in part because of Secret Service — it was the first book recommendation Nikki evre gave Meg (knowing of her love for both queer romance and The West Wing), so if it hadn’t exceeded her expectations, this podcast wouldn’t exist.
Thanks again, Tal Bauer.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The most mainstream comp on this list, and worth including anyway because it addresses the same core question: How do you come out in public when the stakes of visibility are this high?
Zero Hour series by Aimee Nicole Walker
One of Nikki’s favorite M/M series, period — following Sawyer and Royce as partners in the Savannah Police Depatment.
it’s since spun off into multiple connected series with the same characters, so if you like staying in a world once you’re in it, this delivers.
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Pilsner
When you’re in a secret relationship with your college roommate’s mom, you’re going to get discovered eventually, right? Especially when you’re invited to spend the Christmas holidays at their house …
Meg was on the edge of her seat waiting to find out exactly how this secret relationship went public … and it didn’t happen the way that she expected.
{Also listed on our Lesbian Romance Book Recommendations.)
The Slow Queer Awakening (Not a Single Lightning-Bolt Scene)
Shane doesn’t go from “straight” to “gay” in one scene. He spends years believing he’s bisexual until a conversation with Rose helds him realize that he’s gay. It’s the same territory our Identity Disco framework maps out, if you want the full breakdown of what a good queer awakening does on the page.
Saddles to Sunup by Emmy Sanders
Lawson, a divorced father, realizes through his relationship with his best friend Oakley, that he’s straight, or even bisexual — he’s gay. Same shape as Shane’s arc: not a switch flipping, a slow reckoning with what he’d been telling himself.
{Like this plot? Check out our Queer & Bisexual Awakening Romance Book Recs.)
This list grew out of Episode 113: Beyond Heated Rivalry — What to Read Next Based on Your Favorite Tropes (Not Just Hockey Romance). If hockey specifically is still what you’re after, start with our Gay Sports Romance Books & Series page instead.