really really cute book, obsessed w the whole hockey vibe at the moment and this was perfect for that. very cute and just overall a nice read

Cute

I found this to be an overall cute story but there were a few things in this that took away from the story for me.

I really enjoyed Time to Shine!
It was actually the first book I've read by Rachel Reid and if I'm being honest it was also my first ever hockey romance. It definitely won't be my last as this was really good!

I loved both Landon and Casey! They were such great characters and I adored their romance. It was slow burn, steamy and just so good!

I definitely highly recommend this book especially if you are looking for a new queer hockey romance book.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I gave this book 3.5 stars rounding up to a 4. Firstly, the reading experience was really good. I found it to be very well written, the flow was nice, and I generally enjoyed it.

I really had a fun time with this book. I loved the lack of toxic masculinity in our 2 main characters, because especially in hockey romance, that is hard to find. Casey was confident, but also vulnerable and I really enjoyed his character, but the real draw for me was Landon, this rookie who is so sure that he is not good enough to play with some of his heroes, and his journey both to accepting his first relationship and accepting his value as a goalie. I found him incredibly endearing, cute, and he really made the book for me. Their relationship was cute, the sexy times were decently well written and I found them to be cute at the very least, and I found their conflicts realistic and not too romance-breaking. Overall, the romance part of this story was really great.

However, where I had some complaints is the hockey. I wanted more hockey. I wanted to watch Landon grow as a player, and there were some times that I just felt that the focus being wholly on the relationship really took away some of the moments I wanted to see with the hockey.

Overall, a fully enjoyable book, with only minor complaints, most of which are probably just me.

Absolutely loved this book! Landon and Casey are officially one of my favorite hockey couples. Their opposites attract, calm to the storm personalities went so well together. I loved that they each brought out the best in the other.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veonica – ☆☆☆☆☆
We meet hockey goalie Landon when he is called up from the AHL to the NHL after an injury to a player in the senior team. Landon is a serious guy who wants to keep to himself. He is dealing with grief over the death of his beloved sister and estrangement from his parents. Then we meet Casey and he is gregarious, friendly with everyone and always looking for a good time, and a successful member of the NHL team.

The very first time we met Casey, I thought he was a bit much to deal. Then I saw a few team members making fun of him for being stupid, it had my heart going out to him. It didn’t sit right with me, and I wanted to protect him. And it wasn’t long before it became obvious that Casey is pretty lonely. So I wasn’t surprised when Casey invited Landon to live in one of his spare rooms while he is playing in the NHL.

Landon and Casey are such different men and I was captivated by their growing friendship and romance. I wasn’t sure how two such different men were going to manage but they complement each other and are good for each other. I was so emotionally invested in their lives I broke down in uncontrollable tears at least three times. Coping with a new relationship while the future of Landon’s career is unknown adds a bit of stress to their lives and my heart felt every bit of joy and difficulty the men experienced.

I’m a big fan of m/m Ice Hockey romances and TIME TO SHINE is one of my new favourites. I particularly enjoyed seeing the struggles of a player trying to establish himself in the NHL team. I really loved Casey and Landon and I didn’t want their story to end. I know that TIME TO SHINE is a book that I’m going to read again and again.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really lovely read, with a great mix of hockey and a romance which is delicious in its slow burn.

Casey is such a loving, friendly guy, so when Landon is called up to his NHL team, Casey is more than happy to be welcoming. As we soon learn, he also hates living alone, so as he admits to his attraction to Landon, he also offers him the guest room until he gets settled.

Landon has some deep scars about why he plays hockey, and his lack of self confidence in his ability to stay in the NHL and his natural introversion is in stark contrast to Casey's joviality. But Casey definitely affects him and makes him feel new emotions, unexpected, confusing, and ill timed, but impossible to ignore. I love how his awakening feelings are written – it is subtle, loving, and intense, and Casey is incredibly patient and caring. Really lovely to read and get really invested in the future of these two very likeable guys.

There are lots of important subplots too, which I found brought much to our understanding of their sport, their families, and their teammates – I recommend this to you!


Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

As a fan of slow-burn romance, I did not find the pacing for this novel to hold my interests, which is one of the most important factors in a slow-burn romance. I read this book over almost two weeks, a chapter here or there, as after the initial half of the novel, I was no longer hooked as it dragged onward. Keep in mind, I am a Rachel Reid fan, rereading novels dozens of times, one or two novels in a day.

Landon is a lovely character, sweet, kind, and compassionate, while holding onto survivor's guilt. He and his parents love one another but there seems to be an unbridgeable gap between them. The goalie is brought up from the farm league to the NHL when the backup goalie is injured. Awestruck and starstruck, Landon is now playing with hockey titans. The fact that he feels as if there is a time limit to his being in the NHL has Landon keeping a firm boundary between himself and his new teammates.

Casey is gregarious, infectious, outgoing, and a bit exhausting to read. Casey is sweet, kind, and funny, but I just kept picturing him as a puppy or toddler, and it just exhausted me. While friendly with everyone, he truly has no close friends. He's lonely and gets scared when left alone in his large home. Happy to have Landon on the team and eager to gain a new roommate. Casey is exactly what Landon needed to come out of his shell.

Landon resonated with me because he was introverted, reserved, and a demisexual (that was my take on his sexuality, anyway). I thought Reid did an excellent job with Landon's portrayal early on the in the book, but then he had a character trait lobotomy and started acting differently in the last third. Slightly cruel and selfish, which didn't fit with who he was for the rest of the novel.

Whereas I thought Casey did come off as infantilized, juvenile, to the point that I could not picture him in my mind as a masculine hockey player because he came off as a small child of indeterminate gender. I get where the author was going with Casey, but it didn't mesh with a hockey player. Best way to put it, the characterization didn't fit the character. The fact that he was a player, having nonstop hookups and not considering his hook-ups' feelings just didn't fit any of the other character traits. It was off-putting and out of left-field, and actually unnecessary.

While I love slow-burn romance, and am thrilled when a book isn't a smexy fest, by the time I hit the halfway mark, I felt the book should have been concluded. My eyes kept flicking down to check the percentage read. The pacing dragged since nothing was happening on the pages, and I include character development as important. It was just random, inane things where it wouldn't have made a difference if the reader skipped entire chapters. No drama, no angst, no character development. A laundry list of daily activities. I needed a bit of excitement to escape my list of daily activities.

When there was a bit of drama in the last third, it didn't fit the characters, with Landon acting differently. It was like the character development backslid for both characters, and I do not mean that in a good way.

I struggled to finish. I felt zero chemistry between the characters. No intensity. It felt as if they were adolescents in a young adult romance, and I don't mention this due to a lack of nonstop smexy action. The mindset was super clean, warm and fuzzy, saccharine, sugar sweet, and it comes off as fake with no real connection. As if they were acting or playing a role.

There just needed to be more plot to support the page-length, to push the pacing, and to keep readers' interests. I enjoyed the characters individually but found the journey rather lackluster.

Rachel Reid's Time to Shine was just what I needed this week, especially coming right off of a murder mystery. This is the exact opposite. Comforting, warm, and sweet.

At first, you would think that Casey Hicks is a horrible match for Landon Stackhouse, but over the course of the book as these two teammates become friends, and then lovers, you can see how much the two of them compliment each other and support one another. The hurt/comfort for both of these characters meant they needed someone who would not just look at the surface of their personality but dig in deeper, and the 'forced' proximity of living in Casey's house while Landon subbed as the goalie was perfect for these nice scenes that highlighted their growing love for one another.

My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed - maybe I just wanted more of their HEA. I would have happily read another 25-50 pages to get more of these two.

I'm a big fan of Rachel Reid's Game Changers series and was excited to see her publish another hockrom outside of the series. Time to Shine had lots of the same humour and banter we've come to enjoy from Rachel Reid, along with well written gameplay. Very much enjoyed this book, it's hockey content, it's depiction of familial trauma, and the relationship between Casey and Landon.

reading time to shine was the most joy i've had in a long time! rachel reid's novels are always so full of heart and kindness. if you look up the definition of a warm hug, it's basically this book.

Landon gets called up from the minor leagues to be a backup goalie for Calgary's pro-NHL team. He's excited, but his loner and glass-half-empty nature keep him a little separate from the rest of the team. Except for superstar young winger, Casey Hicks, the son of an NHL legend and the sunshine to Landon's grumpy. Casey sees Landon by himself and quickly takes him under his wing. They form a weird friendship that quickly turns into more even though Landon keeps pushing Casey away because he knows his time with the pros is limited. They both have things to face up to, and the fact that they grow together is the sweetest.
Steam practically rises from this book. Reid outdid herself with the sexy time scenes, making them as hot as they are endearing. It's a weird combination but she makes it work and I am here for it. Landon and Casey are adorable together from their very first meeting and loved seeing it translate into their intimate moments.
There's also so much positivity surrounding their relationship. And the fact that Casey is bi is a non-issue to everyone even before he and Landon start their relationship. It's fantastic.
Overall, it's fun and romantic and sexy as can be. I loved it from beginning to end.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the wonderful read!

“It’s just hockey. (…) And we’re good at hockey. If they wanted us to go out there and do, like, opera, I’d be fucked. But hockey? Pfft. No problem.”

Genre: Sports Romance, LGBTQIA+
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on heavy subjects like death, drug use, and mental illness. Describes a car crash. Contains explicit sexual content.

Good ol’ queer and winter-y hockey romances are few and far between, so I was extremely excited when I saw this book come up in my feed. “Time To Shine” follows Landon Stackhouse, a hockey goalie that’s just been called in to a Calgary professional team, and Casey Hicks, the team’s superstar young winger. Landon is a bit shy and reserved, and everyone seems to catch up on that except Casey. He treats Landon like an old friend, and when Landon is looking for a place to stay and Casey has just bought a huge house with a bunch of extra room, it only made sense they’d be housemates, right?

This book was the literal representation of the “and they were roommates” meme about queer people in the 1800s.

Even if you’re not a fan of hockey or perhaps don’t even know how hockey works, you can still quite enjoy “Time to Shine”. Take it from me, as I’ve only seen hockey because of the vibes and know absolutely nothing about the rules that go into it, yet this book had me hooked.

If you’re looking for a queer hockey romance with some close proximity trope sprinkled in, then look no further—“Time to Shine” is just for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 26, 2023

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid is not part of her Game Changer series, it is a more cozy hockey romance. For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks. Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone. As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.

Time to Shine is much more of a sweet or cozy read that I usually get with Reid. The heat is still there, as is the complexity of the major players, but worries about homophobia or larger complications to their relationship outside themselves does not really come into play. The only this this book lacks in comparison with books from that series is the deeper understanding of the team, its dynamics, and its other players. I love that Landon and Casey each have their own issues, and have a healthy dose of self awareness. I have to admit that Landon's biggest fault is one I share- the difficulty in talking about and unpacking the big feelings. Of course, if he was better at that there would have been very little delay or conflict with this couple. It was nice to see Reid do something a little different, but still very much in her wheelhouse. She continues to be a must read author for me.

Time to Shine is a sweet, fun read with doses of heat.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this e-book. This was my first ever Rachel Reid book and it did not disappoint. The hockey romance was so cute and enjoyed my time falling in love with the characters.

This book was so lovely and soft. I'm a big fan of pretty much everything about this book. It is low angst, it is sports romance, it is friends to lovers, and it is wonderful. What I loved about this book was the mental health representation and the communication of grief. While this book was comforting, it still managed to cover some pretty difficult topics. Overall, I'm definitely going to be recommending this book.

I enjoyed this hockey romance! It’s actually got me hooked on the sub genre. It’s a roommates to friends to lovers story, and I loved watching the growing relationship between the men. It’s definitely an opposites attract story, and I found myself really invested. There is humor, joy, and some angst. I think it is worth reading, though a bit less fluffy than the cover might suggest.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This was my first hockey romance and probably won’t be my last. Cinnamon roll sunshine Casey is the sweetest thing when it comes to grumpy Landon who is just trying to find his way in the world while also feeling like he doesn’t deserve to have good things happen to him. I enjoyed the mix of sports and romance and seeing Landon transform from shy sad boy to openly happy and flirtatious.

This was 3.5/5 stars for me. I reallllly wanted to love this book, but the sex-obsessed part of Casey kind of ruined it a bit for me. As a matter of personal preference, I do love that the two MCs were so openly communicative in the bedroom/steamy scenes, but I would have preferred a slightly more closed door or fade to black romance after the first encounter or two. Again, totally just a personal preference, because I don’t feel that all the sex scenes added to the depth of the storyline. They just felt like cheap fillers in some sense. That being said, I really loved the grumpy/sunshine trope, as well as the roommates to friends to lovers but. I loved that the MCs families were so open and accepting of them. I loved that there was some discussion of Landon’s demisexuality and that Casey was completely comfortable with his own bisexuality. We don’t see this a lot in stories or in real life, so I really really appreciated it!

Overall I did enjoy this. Thank you to Rachel Reid, NetGalley, and Carina Press for this eARC.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Time to Shine by Rachel Reid. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for this ARC.

Landon and Casey were so sweet, and I loved their romantic journey. The perfect example of opposites attract. I also appreciated that there was just enough emotional angst/growth in the story to make it interesting but not super angsty. I give this book 4/5 stars.

Even more convinced that I'll read anything Rachel Reid writes!

TIME TO SHINE gives us friendly and exuberant Casey and quiet, lonely Landon, and the two form an unlikely friendship when Landon is called up to play with Casey on the Calgary Outlaws hockey team. AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES. Friends to lovers and opposites attract at its finest, folks.

I thought this book was well done and so enjoyable to read. It's very spicy (so be aware!), but had the most delicious tension and mutual pining. I loved the journey Casey and Landon take, both together and as individuals. And usually, I have a hard time buying a romance between two people are just SO obviously different (this is a me hangup admittedly), but Rachel did this romance so well that I not only WANTED Landon and Casey together, but ultimately believed (and championed) their love story from page one to the end.

I also love that Reid had characters address and try to right past wrongs and communicate about issues. And the consent over intimacy! We love to see it!

Read for:

-Group hockey team trips to Costco
-Non-sexual forms of intimacy
-Sexual forms of intimacy (and with characters who are at different comfort & desire levels and can communicate about this!)
-dimples
-height difference
-discussions about grief, healthy coping mechanisms
-tender found and blood family relationships
-holiday-themed cereal as a love language
-teasing and sarcasm (affectionate)
-opposites who make each other better and cherish the differences in one another
-hockey competence as a kink
-soft sweaters
-failed "Don't Kiss" Operations
-Obvious "i'm not in love" lies
-"fucking pancakes!"
-"Christmas hot tub is a journey."
-characters being each other favorite people
-sexy aprons

This was a really hopeful and heart-warming story, a timely read for all the absolute BS going on in NHL with regards to how they treat their LGBTQ+ communities.

Thank you to Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. TIME TO SHINE is out now!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Rachel Reid for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To preface, I am not a romance reader. The exception to this is Rachel Reid! I love her character development, the pace of her novels, and the style of her writing. This book was so different than her other books; it was a slower pace and a more cozy story. The would be a perfect book to cuddle up with on a snowy evening before Christmas. It's really a warm "gingerbread" book, equally sweet and spicy!

However, none of these things were my favorite things about this book. This book describes the loss of a family member and the reverberations that grief casts on a family long after the initial loss. I lost my mother this year and her description felt like someone reached into my heart and pulled my exact feelings out. It was palliative for me to read this and not feel alone.

The other thing I really enjoyed was the diversity displayed in this book. As a gay person, I like to read stories with queer characters. However, things tend to be redundant and showcase a traditional range of sexuality. I liked that this book showed a more diverse and real range of sexual expression. Consent and boundaries were clear and nothing was presented as a work up to an ultimate goal of penetrative intimacy. It was refreshing that everything was real and healthy while showing the spectrum of gay relationships. This is a pattern that was also demonstrated in her book Tough Guy, which I also loved.

Finally, although I received an ebook, I did purchase a physical copy because I liked it so much. I was happy to see it published in trade paperback rather than mass market paperback. I like a nice substantive book!