Time to Shine is an mlm hockey romance about Landon Stackhouse, a reserved, loner goalie who is temporarily moved up to an NHL team around Christmastime to fill in when another player gets injured, and Casey Hicks, one of the full-time players on the team, who's known for his charm and inability to shut up.

Although this preview only contains the first six chapters, I really became invested in the characters and the story. It often takes me at least 50 or so pages before I begin to care about a story at all, but in this case, I was interested within a few paragraphs. I will note that this was also the case in Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, the two other books I've read– and loved– by Rachel Reid.

Even having read so little of the story, I already felt like I understood a lot of Casey and Landon's respective interests, fears, insecurities, and motivations. I also enjoyed the chemistry that was already very present between the two of them. I love a good opposites attract romance, and I can tell that's definitely going to be the case here. Casey's loud, outgoing, bubbly, enthusiasm contrasted strongly with Landon's quiet, awkward standoffishness but I could already see the beginnings of how those differences would come to complement each other.

I was also intrigued by Casey and Landon's backgrounds, involving their families, childhoods, and traumas which were hinted at but not yet fully explained or explored. I'm curious to see what it was that went down in each man's past that led to them becoming the people they were.

While there's a lot to come in this book that I am not yet able to read, I see a strong potential for an adorable, heartwarming holiday-themed sports romance with deeper and more emotional elements as well, and maybe even some found family in the form of the hockey team. I'll be running to pick up the final version of this book when it hits the shelves!

Grumpy x Sunshine gay hockey romance? Yes, please.

Quiet Landon and Chatty Casey become teammates and Casey is determined to pull Landon out of his shell.

In just the six-chapter preview, I fell in love a little with Casey. He struggles with anxiety when he's alone and desperately seeks the company of his teammates and a string of lovers to fill his time. Landon's brooding mysterious quiet nature is intriguing, and I'm just as interested as Casey in finding out more about him. The two become roommates and I can't wait to read the full book and see what happens next as they move in together!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC preview in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks for providing the first six chapters ahead of release. Was great to start this book and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Promising start to this book. The story captivated me and i am eager to read more about Casey and Landon.

I am blown away. I think this book is 100% going to be in my top books of all time.

Rachel Reid does such a great job of crafting such unique and distinct characters. And her opposites attract books... I think we can all agree they're what magic is made from.

Heated Rivalry is one of my top 3 books of all time and I never expected to see another book (even by Rachel Reid) that could come close to my deep love for Ilya and Shane but I think this book is close without it feeling in anyway like a copy of that book. While it is hockey, opposites attract, and the character development is top tier, this story takes a different path and these very different characters have a story that looks worlds apart from Heated Rivalry.

I think I might die from impatience waiting for the full book to be released.

Time to Shine is my first Rachel Reid book, and I was blown away by how good it was. It made me laugh a lot. I absolutely adored both main characters Casey and Landon. Casey being really talkative and outgoing, but also having depth to the character and some darkness to him. And Landon being more introverted and quirky. The way they both are so different but manage to get the other one and respect all of their boundries evenb if they don't come naturally to them. They're perfect for each other.

Time to shine is an amazing book that's sweet and cozy but at the same time shows dark and meaninful topics all wraped aroung a warm romance. That's why I'd give it a 4,5 star rating.

This was a great preview. It may be a short 42 page preview, but I’m already hooked. Rachel has teased the depth behind both characters with mentions of tragedy in Landon’s life, and it feels like there’s something more to Casey’s loneliness that I can’t wait to discover. I’m excited to read more and see how this story will progress.

I am so excited to read this whole book! I devoured the preview and immediately added the book to my TBR for when it is released!

I really enjoyed this preview and look forward to reading the rest.
I really like how the two MCs at first appear to be complete opposites, but it doesn’t take long to see that they have a lot in common. I also really liked how the point of view changes between Landon’s and Casey’s, I felt like it was easy to follow and really helps with getting to know the characters.
At this point I’m going with 4 stars, because at this point I don’t think I will find the story very memorable but I do think it’ll definitely be a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free preview!

I am hooked. An M/M hockey romance, and a holiday romance? Say no more. From the first few chapters, I already love these characters and can't wait to read more of their story! I liked the tropes I saw so far, forced proximity and a little bit of grumpy/sunshine. Rachel Reid is known for her hockey romances, so I'm sure that aspect will not disappoint either. Very excited to read the rest of the book!

This was a really promising start. I really like Casey as a character, and the vibe of the team has been well established. I like that we jumped right into things but I do wish that we learned a little bit more about Landon before be just starts lusting after Casey – right now his character is a little flat.

Casey & Stacks forever. Rachel Reid can do no wrong in my eyes. This was a little more slow-burny than some of her others but damn did the tenderness and wit and story blow me away. (And the spice comes! 😂)

As this is just a preview, the story is off to a cute and promising start! I love a good ol' opposites attract dynamic, and these two have that going for them for sure.
I will say that it hasn't quite captured me to the point where I'm dying to read the rest; even though I'm intrigued to learn more about both MCs and see how their relationship develops, I'm just not as invested in the story as I've gotten for my true favorites. There's nothing wrong with the story—it just doesn't stick out to me.
With all of that, I can definitely see myself finishing reading this book after its release, and I look forward to that.

A nice start to the book. There is a good base to the characters and plot. I left the preview excited to learn more about the MC's and the hints given to their backstories. I'll be picking this up when it comes out!

Really loved this premise! Even though I only have a few chapters, I was very interested in reading on. I like the unique premise and characters thus far!

I can already tell this is going to be amazing !!
I am a huge fan of Rachel Reid And Hockey romances 🩷🩷🩷
You can feel the connection between the two main characters from the start, And seem so realistic and relatable to, Am so excited to read this book and read their love story unravel. Keep doing what you’re doing Rachel i love so many of your books 🫶
Amazing and solid preview.

Amazing so far and i cannot wait to read this book when it’s released, I can already tell this is going to be great!! Huge fan of Rachel Reid and love so many of her books. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A refreshing, tender, funny addition to the beloved hockey romance genre! I immediately loved Landon and Casey and loved how Rachel Reid introduced these two to her reader. She captured the awkward newness that new jobs and relationships bring in a way that was light and authentic.

I received an ARC preview from Netgalley for this honest review.

I found myself completely engrossed in the book, unable to put it down. Landon and Casey are interesting characters, and the story flows smoothly from chapters 1 to 6, keeping me captivated throughout. There wasn’t a single moment where I felt bored.

As someone familiar with the hockey world through both reading and watching, I believe it could be beneficial to include some hockey terms at the beginning for readers who are new to the sport.

At first, I was taken aback by the absence of character names at the top of their points of view, as I’m used to seeing in other hockey books. However, having read Rachel Reid’s books before, I quickly adapted to identifying each character’s perspective without the need for names. It might be slightly challenging for newcomers, though.

I will definitely will be continuing the book. Because I only read chapter 1 to 6, this rating is based on that and subject to change when I read the full book once it’s released.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Arc preview of chapter 1 to 6. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I wasn’t able to put this preview down!! Both Landon and Casey are so charming and their chemistry is already so apparent from the first 6 chapters of this book! I love the contrast of their characters and how because they are so different, they compliment each other!

I’m so excited to read the rest of this book!!