Here's the deal: I'm actually not sure if TIME TO SHINE is part of a series, but in just the first chapter (I repeat: JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER) the reader is introduced to TWELVE characters. And not just casual mentions. Each of those twelve characters gets a physical description AND a back story of their career in hockey. I'm not exaggerating. I literally counted.

There is absolutely no way a new-to-me-author reader is making it through this book.

It pains me as a Canadian and a hockey lover and a queer reader to DNF this, but I had to.
Because TWELVE CHARACTERS.

I can always count on Rachel Reid to deliver a beautifully queer, happily horny, and brilliant hockey romance. Landon and Casey were a delight to read. I appreciated the way that their team embraced the two of them with open arms. Casey is just so soft, and I wanted to hold him. There was an element to Casey that felt a little immature, but then I realized that this book was the perfect example of a young twenty something kid who is just figuring out who he is. I think that Time to Shine is a perfect cozy holiday romance to curl up with. From this Canadian bisexual hockey lover to you: it’s time to pick this book up.

Book Review
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

This book in 3 words: Funny. Touching. Solid!

I binged this while I floated in a resort pool while on vacation in Mexico. A M/M hockey romance hit just right with a sweet balance between spice and emotional character growth. All I know is this book made me LAUGH. HARD. Like, people were by me saying, "damn, that book must be good" as I inhaled it, and a cucumber julep, in the pool.

I loved Casey. He was such a memorable character and was such a blast. He was like the perfect amount of cinnamon roll with a party boy. I couldn't get enough of him.

Landon was a perfect stand-offish character. I loved watching him grow and stretch, just a little. It was so easy to root for him.

Definitely recommend.

Time To Shine, by Rachel Reid

Have you read a hockey rom-com??

Despite, my being at a hockey rink multiple times a week and helping on and off the bench, and being surrounded by all things hockey - this is my first hockey rom-com!

Time To Shine charming, tender and tantalizing , and a great one to take off your tbr shelf for a rip!
Heck, y’a!

I loved all the hockey references (even a wee jab at the Leafs), the use of AHL and NHL for a bit of call-up action and drama, and the story that unfolds off the ice between the grumpy-sunshine MMC’s. And I loved how it took place during the holiday’s!!

It’s a stacked line-up serving some serious hockey love!!
🏒 💜 🥅

For a first, I sure know how to pick them! And If you love hockey and rom-com’s, then I think you might love this one, too!

Thank you to Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) and NetGalley for my digital copy to read and review.

Time to Shine is a sweet and quite adorable hockey romance, which Rachel Reid does really well. Landon and Casey are very much the opposite of each other; Landon's reserved, quiet, and very harsh to himself, whereas Casey is outgoing, loud, and loves people. It's fascinating to follow how Casey takes Landon under his wing and begins to bring Landon out of his shell - and how Landon sees Casey beyond him being bit too loud and bit too annoying. Honestly, they are made for each other, it just takes time for them to figure it out.

The developing relationship is a wonderful thing but the hockey scenes are fantastic. Rachel Reid writes hockey so well that it's trilling and feels like watching a game. I just wish there were more hockey games in the book! Too many were glossed over, I wanted details upon details. What a fabulous setting Reid created, I love the Calgary Outlaws team. They are such a close knit team and accepted Landon into their ranks so well (also helps a lot that Casey is emotionally very intelligent).

I absolutely adored Landon and Casey’s story. They were quite the opposites of each other, but they understood each other deeply and connected to each other the way they couldn’t to any other people. The close proximity only added to the development of their relationship. They shared many sweet, cozy and sexy moments together. The time they spent apart was kind of agonizing, but when they reunited with each other world order was restored. This book is a great pick if you live MM hockey romance stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

Rachel Reid is the author of the "Game Changers series", featuring hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov and their ten-year angst-filled relationship. "Time to Shine" is similar in that it features two young hockey players, Casey Hicks and Landon "Stacks" Stackhouse, but has more of a young adult (YA), less sexually-charged feel, yet deeply emotional.

Casey Hicks is the son of a hockey legend, always destined to become a hockey star. He's the kind of guy for whom "jobs like 'data quality specialist' and 'logistics manager' were mysteries. But he genuinely listened to people when they talked about themselves, even if he didn't always understand what they were saying." He's uncomplicated, likes meeting new people, like exploring new places, and sex.

Landon Stackhouse has been called up to Calgary as back-up goalie and while he clearly is a talented goaltender, he's pretty much the opposite of Casey - he's an introvert who just wants to prove his worth to the team, and he's got a lot of guilt and sorrow in thinking that he has chosen hockey over his family. Yet the two become roommates, and slowly explore a relationship where Landon feels comfortable exploring his demisexuality/asexuality and life-of-the-party Casey finds that he would rather be with Landon more than anyone else, even if they just hold hands and watch TV.

The first time I read this book, I liked it but upon a second read, became overwhelmed by the way these two young athletes fall in love, the way they support one another, how they negotiate a sex life that works for them, and of course - because this is Rachel Reid who clearly knows her way around hockey - how they play some awesome hockey and get the happy ending they deserve.

Reid has created a great set of characters here - the secondary characters are richly fleshed out and even the tertiary characters have an intriguing depth that makes you want to know them more. 4.5 stars and here's hoping that Reid continues this series.

This was literally the flipping sweetest! It won’t be for everyone simply bc while they know each other one is with someone else and I can see how that might be triggering for some people. I looooved these two! It was a such sweet hockey romance. These two become friends and fall in love! One is all banter with easy charm, the other is tall with a side of awkward …. It is perfect. No notes. It could not have been better!

Sweet Slow Burn With Excellent Pay Off!


*my Amazon review hasn’t been approved yet so posted my profile for when it does

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for an e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review!

This was actually my first Rachel Reid story and my first hockey romance and..wow!! This absolutely did not disappoint and I’m afraid it set a standard other hockey romances won’t be able to reach.

What immediately set the standard were the characters themselves. They felt like they could be actual real people — from their personalities, and their dialogue, to the actual third-act conflict. And even though the book initially pitches these two characters as polar opposites (think grumpy and sunshine), they both had so much more depth than their casted archetypes. I really appreciate that these archetypes weren’t over the top and they both have complex backstories that logically shape who they are now. I also really enjoyed the development of their relationship and found it quite well-paced and also realistic!

The other characters shined in their own way too, and I think because Reid has such a talent for capturing that realistic “human” feel of characters, their sidelined narratives didn’t actually feel all that sidelined in the end. Of course, I would have loved to see more of these characters but I think, if Reid wished to keep the same page length, in the end, it would just detract from all the beats she managed to hit in the relationship between Landon and Casey.

Another really fun element of this book was all the hockey — you can absolutely tell that Reid has a genuine passion for this subject and it absolutely bleeds into the narrative of the world. If anything, I actually wished we saw more hockey in the book and that it took a more centralized part of the plot and conflict.

Overall, such a fun book that completely exceeded my expectations and will definitely be picking up more of Reid’s books!!

This book was so adorable! Hockey is my favorite sport and I'm a sucker for a hockey romance. Landon plays for an AHL team and gets called up to the NHL to be the back-up goalie for Calgary when one of their goalies gets hurt. Casey is a charismatic star forward on the Calgary team and befriends Landon. Eventually their friendship turns into more.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book. It was so enjoyable and I ended up crying at the end. It was one of the books I never wanted to finish. I got attached to the characters.

This might be my favorite Rachel Reid book ever--And I LOVE Rachel Reid. Casey and Landon are opposites in the best way and I absolutely love how much they both grow during this book. This book had me laughing, crying, and swooning. Landon carries so much, it was lovely to see him lay some of it down. And Casey loves everything and everyone so much, he has such a big heart. I just LOVED it!

This was a really lovely hockey romance about an introvert and a sunshine-y extrovert thrown together. Mental health and discovery of sexuality are handled with with empathy and sensitivity, and the main characters demonstrate really beautiful and, importantly, believable growth over the course of the book. The broad cast of background characters enriches the book, both in how the characters are supported in their development and by bringing humor and charm to the story.

It was a beautiful, sometimes difficult, but absolutely amazing read that I've already returned to twice because I just loved these characters and their story.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and cute read, but it lacked something.
Their relationship was very soft, and I never felt much chemistry while reading.
I absolutely loved the asexual/demisexual representation through Landon and how Casey never tried to fix him despite being a very sexual person.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After I got past the first like 50% of this I did enjoy it. I liked Casey’s golden retriever personality and some of the conversations that happened between the characters. And there was some decent banter.

But I was very turned off in the beginning and then through the rest of the book as one of the characters is referred to as stupid. I think it could have been presented differently if it was going to be used as one of the characters internal struggles with their self identity and perception of others, but it never really went that deep.

Everything just seemed really glanced over. Like there were some good ideas and characters to work with but maybe they never really got fully flushed out.

It was a cute read but I think there were definitely some places to clean it up.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Time To Shine was a super cute and fun sports romance, definitely worth the read!

This was such a fun hockey romance, I really enjoyed it. Rachel’s writing is so witty and I loved the characters and premise. Very cute!

i enjoyed it! it wasn’t my favorite book i’ve ever read, but it wasn’t bad at all! i’m a sucker for hockey romances and rachel did the hockey parts really well! i’m also SO obsessed with the cover!

something i really loved about this was that landon & casey were able to have uncomfortable conversations and handle them with care, honesty, and openness. they were supportive of each other & their needs

overall, it was a good book and i would definitely recommend it!

This is one you're not going to want to miss! I love a good romance, especially when its set in Canada, not to mention in the mountains where my heart will always be!

I literally couldn't put this one down! It brought on a full range of emotions, a few tears, but mostly had me laughing out loud! You don't have to be a hockey fan to understand this one either. You can feel the excitement and build up through Reid's words. With strong character development, you'll love these two characters and be rooting for them the whole time! Not only just to win the game, but also to win at life.

The first thing I knew about Time to Shine by Rachel Reid was that it's a Christmas hockey romance, which already had my attention because 1. I love Christmas. 2. I've loved every book by Rachel Reid (and I've read almost all of them). But I wasn't prepared that the book would give me that and so much more.

It follows Landon as he moves to Calgary and joins their infamous hockey team - that's where he meets Casey, who treats him as if they've known each other forever and melts his tough exterior. It has amazing grumpy/sunshine vibes and opposites attract, but the two of them are perfect for each other. Not only are they now on the same team but Landon also moves in with Casey (for convenience)!!! If you haven't heard me say it yet - I am OBSESSED with the roommates trope, and the way it's done here? *chef's kiss*

So Landon and Casey become friends, find a safehaven together, so much comfort and safety, and then it slowly blooms into more. They both think their crush is unrequited, of course, while pining for each other so hard it hurts.

Their chemistry is off the charts but what's even better about this book are the emotions. It goes so deep into their minds, hearts, and the connection between them. It explores themes of depression and grief in Landon's case, and other things surrounding mental health. The way that they take care of each other literally made me cry at some points. I knew they were right for each other from the start, and it was so beautiful to watch them fall in love.

So if you'd like to read a queer adult sports romance that hits you in the feels but also wraps you in a hug, will also knock your socks off with the sexiness, and charm you with the small town cozy vibes, you HAVE TO pick up this book. It is the perfect read for Christmas time, winter, and honestly any other time as well. As you can tell, I adored it, and I will re-read it every year. One of my new favorites 100% - I will never get over how amazing Rachel Reid's books are.

Oh and also, I listened to the audiobook without stopping for hours, so... go read this right now.