Gah. Loved it! This is one of those books you have to slow down on so that you don’t miss the details. Lovely, moody, romantic, angsty. Character development is so rich. I could see Riley’s house in my head (and I seriously want to visit). Thanks for sharing this lovely story. This one is my favorite Rachel Reid book!

This book was fantastic. Reid has this great skill for adding heart and depth to her books without making the entire story feel heavy or unsexy. I loved both MCs and desperately wanted them to figure things out and be together. Their relationship growth was great and seemed paced well despite only happening in a week, but given their background it just worked. Everything about this was great. Also, the way Lucy and Cole were depicted made it so clear that Reid has had personal experience dealing with teenagers, because it was perfect.

Rachel Reid just never disappoints. She is so in her bag. This story is tender and sweet and sad. There were points while I was reading this that my chest physically hurt!!! The power that she has!!!!!! Adam and Riley are such well written characters; they are real to me. My friends in my head. The way that this book discusses grief is done so well and with so much care. I love love love Reid's ability to really tug at your heartstrings. I FELT so deeply for these characters. The timelines of the story also are just weaved together perfectly. The town in this book is its own character. I love it I wish it were real. I guess I have to book a ticket to Nova Scotia now and just pretend! RR you will always be famous to me. Amen.


I will post a full review on my bookstagram page @yeahimreading closer to the release date (like a month out.)

Thank you so so much to Harlequin and Netgalley for this eARC!

If you’re in the mood for a hockey romance that delivers both emotional intensity and sizzling chemistry, "The Shots You Take" should definitely be on your radar. This story about former best friends with benefits, Riley Tuck and Adam Sheppard, isn’t just about scoring goals on the ice—it’s about navigating loss, trust, and the fight to find love again. With time jumps between the present and 15 years ago, we’re given a poignant look at two men who need to confront their past before they can even hope for a future.

Now, I’ll admit that "sweet" isn’t the first word that comes to mind when I think of this book. While there are definitely tender moments, the story leans far more toward heart-wrenching territory than sugar-coated romance. Riley and Adam’s journey feels raw and authentic, especially as they tackle heavy themes like grief, toxic masculinity, and mental health struggles. If you’re looking for something that goes beyond lighthearted flirtation and digs deep into the emotional scars people carry, then this dramatic hockey romance will give you exactly that.

Set against the small-town backdrop of Avery River, Nova Scotia, the story doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff. Riley, now in his forties, has been dealing with the fallout of his father’s death while Adam, a major league hockey star, returns home to an icy reception. The unresolved tension between them is palpable, and the complex dance of reconciling their past while navigating present-day struggles makes for some truly compelling moments. Whether it’s the simmering tension between them or the vulnerability that spills over during the most unexpected times, this book doesn’t hold back.

There’s a lot more at play here than just a second-chance romance—it’s about finding your footing again when life has thrown you more curveballs than you know how to catch. The story’s nonlinear structure, with flashbacks to years earlier, adds an extra layer of depth, showing us how Adam and Riley’s relationship first formed, fell apart, and eventually rekindled.

Of course, the hockey scenes add a touch of heat, but what stood out to me was how well the story handled the emotional impact of parental loss and the difficulties surrounding mental health. It’s refreshing to see characters in their forties grappling with real-life issues, and it brings a maturity to the story that’s sometimes lacking in sports romances.

Fair warning: the book does come with some content warnings, including themes of grief, found family, alcoholism, homophobia, and a brief mention of suicide. While these elements are sensitively handled, they do add a heavy emotional weight, so be prepared for that.

Overall, "The Shots You Take" is a poignant, sexy, and gut-wrenching read that will appeal to readers of dramatic second-chance hockey romances. It’s the kind of book that reminds you that while life may take a few unexpected shots at you, sometimes, it’s the shots you take at happiness that matter the most.

Genre: hockey romance

Riley and Adam are retired hockey players, both now in their 40s. When they played hockey together, they were best friends with benefits, but unable to put a more permanent label on their relationship. They haven't spoken in over a decade, but when Riley's father dies suddenly, Adam comes to the funeral, in part to try to make amends. Through sheer stubbornness, Adam is simply there for Riley... which is a lot, since Riley is not only grieving his father but also losing Adam years ago too.

Well, f*ck if that wasn't perfect. If a book about grief could ever be comfortable, this book is it. It's such a very different energy from Rachel Reid's other books, and yet the same care towards character development and sensitivity towards raw human emotions.

With both characters in their forties, there’s a richness to both Riley and Adam that we don’t often get with younger characters. We see snapshots of them when they are young twenty-something hockey stars, which serve as a heartbreaking background to why Riley is years-retired, single and living in his hometown, and why Adam is newly retired, divorced, and a deeply uncool dad. Hockey was their lives, until it wasn’t. Adam and Riley were everything to each other, until they weren’t. Both of those things broke them both in different ways.

The Shots You Take feels like Rachel Reid's particularly wonderful brand of hockey romance crossed with Cat Sebastian (You Should Be So Lucky) and Linda Holmes (Evvie Drake Starts Over) in the absolute best and most mature way. This is the best that a second chance romance has to offer: two middle aged men finding their way home to each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC!

What a cozy book! Take me to the Nova Scotian coast (only partly because it is still in the high 90s in Texas in mid-October)!

I pretty much loved this - two retired hockey players reunite in the wake of one of their parent's death. They spend a lot of time just hanging and talking in a small town and a beautiful house, and there are judicious flashbacks to their playing days. Like what's not to like!?! If you liked Rachel Reid's <i>Time to Shine</i> or Roan Parrish's books (especially <i>In the Middle of Somewhere</i> I think you'll like this one too.

As a long-time Rachel Reid fan, and with Shane & Ilya being my gold standard for hockey romances, I went into this book expecting to enjoy it. What I didn’t expect was how much I would feel. While it’s not a sad book overall, there’s a beautiful mix of grief, melancholy, and joy that really hit me. I was tearing up within the first 25%, which took me by surprise! Reid somehow manages to pull out all these emotions so effortlessly. I fell in love with Riley and Adam right away, and was rooting for them from the start. Another thing I appreciated was that both main characters were in their early 40s—it’s refreshing to read about characters closer to my age. I’m already planning a re-read soon and will likely update this review with more in-depth thoughts then.

This was such a great book! Rachel Reid writes such amazing hockey romances. There was a lot of emotion in this (definitely check the trigger warnings), but Reid writes all these big and heavy topics very well. I completely recommend this book and Rachel’s other romances as well! :)

Thank you to Harlequin romance for this eARC! This book is so heart wrenching and so impossible to put down it was crazy making to not be able to finish it in one sitting. Riley and Adam have so much chemistry and so much history that you can’t help but need to see them figure it all out and fall into one another. The dealing with grief and past hurt along side healing and falling in love is so gorgeously handled. Just what an incredible read I’m so so happy I was able to pick up.

I'm always excited for a new Rachel Reid novel, but I haven't been following along on what this one was about or what to expect. It was kind of a whim that made me pick it up almost right away after getting an advanced copy, and I didn't really have any expectations for it going in other than knowing that I always enjoy Rachel Reid's books.

So I was really not prepared for how blown away I was by this book! It was just so sweet and I really loved watching Adam and Riley reconnect and Adam make amends for their past. They just had a really beautiful arc together, and it was just such a romantic read. I'm even more impressed because I usually don't care for the second chance trope, but Reid just executed it so well here. I'm obsessed, and even though I got a free advanced copy, I've already preordered a paperback copy to add to my shelves!

Rachel Reid hooked me with Heated Rivalry, the first book I was ever awarded for review through NetGalley, and I’ve stayed on her hook ever since. To say I was looking forward to this story is an understatement, and my excitement when chosen as a reviewer was over the moon. Happy birthday month to me! Was I disappointed in this new story that didn’t have my favorite Canadian hockey players? Absolutely not! This story is totally different and yet is crafted with the same talent and care that’s been a hallmark of Ms. Reid’s work.

Two middle-aged men, best friends through childhood and into their professional hockey careers, become sexually involved but are eventually separated by one’s deep and dark closet—filled with shame and denial and all things one hates about homophobia.

All the ingredients for an intense emotional read are included here — two richly developed characters, angst for both personal and professional reasons, heartache, heartbreak, family tragedy, and its resulting numbing grief. However, Adam and Riley are destined to be together and are finally reunited, Adam now ready to admit he’s gay — twenty years after losing Riley, the love of his life, and after having been married, divorced, and fathered two children, now teens.

The author takes readers on an emotional roller coaster ride, through the depths of despair over lost love, the destruction of a career due to depression, alcoholism, and unmanageable anger, and then through grief over loss of a family member, before climbing the emotion-coaster to the top of the slope where lies a second chance at love, hope for the future, remorse and redemption for past mistakes, and more. But wait — there’s still time to plummet downward on a few more loops as we get glimpses of those past mistakes, feel the pain of denial, and of loss. Finally, one more climb, where we readers bear witness to Adam’s final decision about his commitment to Riley and their future.

Was Adam my favorite character? No. Nope. I was not a fan of his failure to return Riley’s love wholeheartedly in the past. But I did come to care for him as he found a way to be worthy of Riley in the present. Riley, on the other hand, was my favorite from the moment the book started. Who couldn’t love this emotionally damaged character? He had survived so much before we even met him. What a beautiful example of how finely honed an author can make a character!

This bundle of words, crafted into a book, is all things wonderful—a true gift to those like me who love a good Romance with a capital R. Get ready to feel the feels. I couldn’t ask for a more romantic saga or for a better outcome for a couple I came to love.

I have never read a book that made me sob and swoon as hard as The Shots You Take. If you have ever read any of Rachel Reid's other books, you will know how emotional and amazing her characters are! I loved every moment of Riley and Adam's story. There is so much heartache and lost time between them, that it's hard not to root for them. I can't wait for this one to be on my shelf!
Thank you for allowing me to ARC read this amazing story!

It was solidly okay, regarding the prose and the story itself. I ended up stopping after chapter 4 (8%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

*4.25 stars*

This was my first Rachel Reid book, and I'm definitely going to pick up more of her works, because that book was great.

The longing, the guilt, the love they have for each other, all of it was beautifully described. I had such a good time reading this book, I grew attached to the character, I got invested in their backstory.
I really liked that the main characters were in their 40's, it always hit harder when they have history with each other, the angst is angsting!
The way they cared for each other, the tenderness, all of that in a small town running a family business (and a cute dog), this was such a good read!

This was a very heartbreaking and hopeful second chance romance/friendship. I absolutely loved them. I couldn’t help but root for them the entire time.

The Shots You Take is an incredibly moving second chance story of both friendship and love. Rachel Reid doesn’t shy away from difficult topics such as parental loss, grief, and mental health struggles. Riley and Avery’s story is heartbreaking, tender and honest. I love everything Reid writes and this is a wonderful addition to her catalog.

Oh ok, so Rachel Reid has simply done it again!!! I'm a complete sucker for this author, having read all of her books in a week earlier this year (a re-read for some of them). And this book?? One of her best! I appreciate the ways in which she writes about mental health, respect, and the real difficulties and complications regarding intimacy and romance. But more than that, she makes me feel optimistic about love! And I LOVED this one!

The shots we take
By: Rachel Reid

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Oh so many mixed messages!

This book was so amazing but it tore me to shreds over and over. The was the author writes Riley’s paid was heartbreaking but also very believable. She gives a full history of Riley and Adam’s past and the full pain that was heartbreaking. But you definitely want to root for these two. The authors writing is flawless and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

Authors Blurb: After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career and his broken heart far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things, and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in single POV this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

I am not normally a big hocky romance fan, but I have read my share of these stories over the years. Most of them tend to include male/male connections, but not all of them.

This one became such a great story for a few reasons. One, the main characters are older than the typical hockey romance. I love their stability and outlook. They are looking for forever as the deep-seated love never faded over the years.

Two, Reid treats us to a great love affair that is tender and touching, but hesitant, with conversations about mental health, becoming who you are, and other real-life issues. She doesn’t load it down with a lot of steam, but rather a deep love that is beautiful and caring.

The Shots You Take is a great story that begs you to keep turning the pages to see how they figure it all out. And the ending is awesome! Such a treat!

CW: grief, all the grief, death of a parent (off page)

Oh my god, is this my new favourite Rachel Reid book??? Seriously, I read the entire thing in just over 24 hours from the time I got the ARC and it was everything. OMG.

I have read every one of Rachel Reid's books, starting with the Game Changers series (which I've read a ridiculous number of times) and the stand alone Time to Shine. And I have to say that I love how her writing has evolved over the course of her career. I think we started to see it in The Long Game, that added level of emotional depth, where it's not just two hot hockey players (or hockey adjacent guys) getting together (obvs the Game Changers books are more than that, but there isn't a ton of emotional depth, imo), but she completely blows it out of the water with The Shots You Take. Seriously, I was near tears several times.

I usually don't like friends to lovers or second chances as tropes, so the fact that this worked so well for me is really saying something. The story is about Riley and Adam, who were teammates, they were rookies together, and then Riley fell in love with Adam, who was straight and through a series of events they end up not speaking to each other for twelve years. Then Riley's dad dies and Adam comes to the funeral to try and make things right.

The first half, at least, of the book is just so very melancholy and drenched in grief, both for the loss of Riley's dad, but also for the friendship that was lost between Riley and Adam. For the first part of the book the timeline jumps between present day and the past when they were playing together and not going to lie, it was tough to read. Riley's unrequited love, Adam treating him poorly; it was rough. But throughout the book Riley and Adam talk, which they didn't do before, and they figure their shit out.

Both men are retired now, so there is very little actual hockey content in the book, other than when they are reminiscing or watching a game on TV. I really loved reading a romance about two 40-somethings. As a 40-something myself, it's so nice to see a story with characters who more or less have their shit figured out, maybe they have kids, maybe they're divorced, but they're still finding love. SO GOOD. It was just really nice to read a story about adults who behave like adults and make decisions like adults.

While this book is very emotional and angsty in a way, there also was very little drama. It's just this lovely, slow burn with two adults making the decisions they think are best for them.

I also appreciated the discussions on mental health and addiction, as well as the ones about homophobia in hockey. And it felt like more of a real discussion about those things, not just *homophobia in hockey sure sucks!*, but actually looking at how that impacts on the players, either having to hide who they are or not even realizing who they are. I just loved it all so much, give me all the books that are calling out homophobia in pro sports and not recognizing mental health struggles in pro sports.

Ugh, THIS BOOK.

Okay, one last thing that I loved, was reading a book set in Nova Scotia, set in current day Nova Scotia, and I may have done a little squee and kicking of feet when Adam was cooking out of the Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens cook book, because that is a treasure, if completely dated (there is definitely a copy sitting on my cook book shelf).

Okay, okay, this review is practically an essay, so I'll end here. I loved this book so much and I absolutely cannot wait until it's out in the world for everyone else to love, too.