What if you realized, nearly 20 years too late, that you’d stupidly rejected and lost the love of your life? Twice? Would you figure out a way to finally take the shots you missed? Meet Adam “Shep” Sheppard, a retired hockey star, who does just that. Riley Tuck is the former “friend-with-benefits” and teammate who got away. And it is entirely Shep’s fault.🏒

Riley “Riles” Tuck got over Shep years ago - after tumultuously ending his career and successfully battling with his addiction and mental health issues - and has a solid life back in his hometown, with a great group of friends and a loving sister and parents who appreciate him for all he is. He has a lot, but not, of course, the one who ran away. Twice. Riley pretty much hates Shep for that. Then Riley’s father dies, and Riley is left to pick up the pieces of their sporting goods store and his grieving heart.❤️‍🩹

Enter newly divorced, out to himself - and to his ex-wife and teenaged kids - Shep, who loved Riley’s dad (and Riley, it turns out) and travels from Toronto to Nova Scotia to support Riley and his family. Much to Riley’s confusion, dismay, irritation - and, secretly, his hopeful-yet-broken heart.💔

But Riles won’t tell Shep that last part and clearly wants him to leave, so he can grieve in peace. But Shep - Adam - wants to make his shockingly clueless and crappy behavior up to Riley, whom he has finally realized he did love all those years ago - and still does.❤️‍🔥

Like a bad penny, Adam keeps turning up. Adam helps Riley in the shop, bringing him food, signing pucks for curious fans, organizing display cases, agreeing to MC the minor hockey banquet, and being kind to Riles’s mom and sister and loving on Lucky, Riley’s amazing best friend and mutt (and, quite, possibly, the star of the show). 🐶

The story proceeds with clipped-then-friendly-then-spicy banter, sidelong glances, nosy friends and family, halting conversations, and the stopping and starting you’d expect from a relationship that went very wrong and is now trying to right its precarious self.❣️

In addition to Lucky, Lindsay (Riley’s sister), Riley’s mom, and his friend Darren, I’d like to shout out Riley’s house. Besides writing stunning descriptions of the ocean and the beach and Riley’s garden and greenhouse, Rachel Reid lovingly describes a bright and colorful - with my loves blue and white as the theme that runs throughout - home, which Riley has creatively renovated and decorated. And which, by the way, Adam also falls in love with. I’d like to see it in real life, quite honestly. 🏡

THE SHOTS YOU TAKE is classic Rachel Reid - a fantastic MM hockey romance from a different place in her players’ careers. It’s also a second-chance love story and is full of angst and a bit of miscommunication and a fiery relationship. My passion for Rachel Reid’s work, starting with HEATED RIVALRY & the “Game Changers” series, continues unabated. 🔥

Thanks so much to @NetGalley & @Harlequinbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now!

📣 here’s to second chances 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I put off this book for a while, but The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid ended up taking me on a complete, delicate, & mesmerizing second chance romance journey that I wouldn’t have missed.

After losing his beloved dad, Riley Tuck is totally surprised/angry/upset to see his former BFF & hook-up Adam Sheppard at the funeral. Now-divorced, Adam wants to be the friend to Riley that he wasn’t always.

The love between these two is so strong, & watching them excavate the past & explore who they were, who they are now, & who they can be together is so moving. These are best friends with a capital B & F, & the care they have will make you believe in love if you don’t already. Not to mention that their jokes & banter sometimes put a smile on my face, despite all of the other heavier undercurrents the book is swimming in.

This second chance is not to be missed & I can’t wait to add it to my shelves. Perfection!

5 ⭐️. Out 03/04.

CWs: references to homophobia, Riley & Adam once cheated together when Adam was married.

[ID: Jess wears a burgundy shirt, jeans, & sandals & holds the ebook while standing outside.]

In The Shots You Take Adam Shepard and Riley Tuck reconnect after being former teammates, best friends and a touch more. Told with flashbacks from the past and present in dual points of view, we get to see how these men care for each other.

The book explores male friendships and society’s pressures for those within the LGBTQIA community and professional men's sports mental health. Adam and Riley did the work to come together at the end and that made the book more powerful.

It was hard for me to get into the story but around halfway I was hooked. I think it was the flashbacks that, while important to the plot pushed me out from the story. Once I had the audiobook, the performance kept me engaged.

The Shots You Take is narrated by Greg Bourdeaux who plays both men seamlessly with different accents and tones. I never wondered which point of view I was in. I highly recommend the audio especially for those who appreciate a Canadian accent.

Thank you for the ALC, these are my genuine feelings about the book.

TW: Death of a parent, mental health,

First, I want to do a huge thank you to @harlequinbooks @netgalley and Harlequin Audio for giving me the opportunity to read this before its release. I loved it!
Once again, of course, Rachel delivers with another heartfelt, beautiful story of two men's love for each other and hockey.
I love that this story is two older men. We get to see Adam and Riley later in life, post retirement, trying to decide what they want from life. I appreciated seeing this side of the hockey journey. Riley left early in his career, and Adam stayed through retirement, and both built very different lives. It's not something often focused on in these hockey romances.
These two men have my whole heart! 🥹 Working through things like mental illness, injuries that affect their career, the loss of a parent, and coming to terms with their sexuality publicly are all explored.
I'm not even mentioning the longing! The angst! The slow burm. The love lost and then rekindled! Ugh!!!
I loved them both so much and just wanted to see them together and happy!!!
I absolutely recommend this one. It's a hockey romance by Rachel. What more could you want?!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love Rachel Reid stories and I love the hockey stories in this world. Was Adam loveable at first? Not at all, but by the end of the story, I had a new respect for him. I understand not knowing who you are when it is not accepted by much of society. I lived it. I don't have first hand experience in being a sports star when it is especially not accepted and how you need to hide yourself. It makes understanding who and what you are even more difficult. This story tackled biases, mental health and the pain of loss and in the end, I got the happy ending I needed. Adam did indeed redeem himself in my eyes and seeing Riley grow was even more satisfying.

I already loved Rachel Reid's previous titles and The Shots You Take did not disappoint! I've read a number of sports romances and so many of them are focused on younger men or some sort of age gap, so it was refreshing to have a relationship between older men. Thank you for the opportunity to review the book!

I struggled deeply with this book. I hated one of the MC’s so much that I actively rooted against the romance.

The story was such a fun and enjoyable read. I had a good time reading it.
This was a wonderfully written romantic comedy.
I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.
A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!

This may have been the most un-hockey hockey romance I’ve read, but with that being said, Rachel Reid still makes the best hockey romances out there!

Riley and Adam were teammates, roommates, best friends… and sometimes lovers 12 years ago. Now they are both retired from their professional hockey careers living very different lives, that is until Riley’s father passes and gives Adam the opportunity to take one last shot at a happily ever after with Riley! Reunited by the funeral, Riley and Adam commence a slow burn return to friendship… and more.

This was a wonderful depiction of grief and the resilience of friendship and connection. Rachel‘s depiction of Riley as he attempts to move forward after the sudden loss was very emotional but also cathartic as it allows a space for Riley to let Adam back in again.

I absolutely loved both of these characters. It’s so nice to see older characters moving on and finding their place after big changes in their lives. This is the type of second chance romance that makes me love this trope.

As for hockey, this is definitely a hockey romance. Don’t let what I said before throw you off. It’s just not the main focus. Riley and Adam are both former hockey players. They are both retired, but hockey is still part of their lives, whether through enjoying watching and supporting their former teams or the local peewee league- the game will never leave them and we see it through these moments and in flashbacks of their glory days.

So, if you’re looking for older MC’s, second chance romance, friends to lovers, with a little hockey sprinkled in- this is a must read!

Riley is going through it. He’s dealing with grief and trying to move on. And after 12 years, his former best friend, one that got away, first love Adam shows up. Their history is tied and twisted from best friends and roommates, hockey teammates, secret, lovers, and unrequited love.

Adam hurt Riley so much that it sent shockwaves through his life that ultimately did significant damage to his career and mental health. But since coming home, he has found a new path.

Adam was not ready to admit the truth about himself then And it took him over 15 years to do so, but he also left other broken hearts along the way in his journey to self-discovery. But now they’re in their 40s, their hockey careers behind them, and they’re in the same place. But Riley is not only hurt, he’s bitter and angry and dealing with grief. And Adam knows that he was not fair and put Riley through a lot.

But can they find a way now to make amends and possibly even rekindle their friendship and maybe find a new way forward to be able to explore a true relationship?

This story is told in flashbacks and present day and it’s more emotional turmoil and slow burn. In the past and the present, it seems like one of them is fighting their feelings as hard as they can to protect themselves in some way. Can they get on the same page at the same time?

Their communication was a hot mess. Adam lied to himself (and to Riley) for so long. And then it was tainted by the years of distance, unresolved feelings, and fear. And even when they were starting to get to a better place it seemed like they still kind of avoided some of the big topics. Sometimes I just wanted to shake them and say "talk it out!" But I liked that Adam was willing to work hard to make it right this time and to be who Riley needed him to be. But Riley was understandably skittish and afraid to hope because every time he hoped in the past he ended up being the one that got hurt. But he never realized how much Adam hurt himself as well, because of their communication and avoidance of issues in the past. But I was glad to see them getting a chance to do better and figure out how to move on and find a new normal after hockey.

This book hurt my feelings. Adam could never be redeemable in my eyes. So unfair that he just gets everything he wanted and has the audacity to come right when Riley is his most vulnerable, at his father's funeral.

I know this author can write a nice balance of angst and heart and HEA, but unfortunately this book felt like alllll contrived angst.

Thank you to Harlequin for the eARC, I appreciate the chance to have given this a try. I greatly preferred and would recommend Time to Shine.

Riley is amazing. He is what every MC should be. A little damaged with a sprinkle of heartbreak but an overall wonderful man. I was rooting for him the whole time. I was not sure how I felt about the possibility of a 2nd chance for him and Adam and it took me a long time to get on board with the idea of them getting back together. I am always a sucker for the HEA though.

Rachel Reid is a master with her words and I have really enjoyed everything I have read by her. The Shots You Take is fantastic and a great read.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

“Do they have Ford F-150s in Heaven?”
“Of course they do. Otherwise it would be Hell.”

I'm not sure why I'm ever hesitant to start a Rachel Reid book because she delivers every time. For the first 30% ish of the book I was not having a good time. Riley was sad and angry and I was sad and angry for him. But the magic of Rachel Reid pulled me in and 'The Shots You Take' ended up being a very soft and romantic read. There's definitely issues between Riley and Adam, this is a second chance romance after all, but I really enjoyed the care put into their story. I also loved that coming out wasn't turned into an ultimatum, as it often seems to in queer romance. Rachel Reid will always be an auto-read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores/Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Shots You Take is a MM, best friends with benefits, teammates, second chance romance between two hockey players. I think calling this a hockey romance is a bit misleading, as we only get a few pages (maximum) of hockey...both MMCs are retired and we get a bit of hockey action in flashback scenes.

Second chance romances are among my favorite tropes. When they are done well, the reader is invested in the couple - their shared history and their ultimate reconciliation. I can honestly say that I was rooting AGAINST Riley and Adam. Adam's actions in the past were so devastating, selfish, and demonstrative of internalized homophobia....but there is no work that he does to make up for that. He just wakes up one day, decides he identifies as gay, and then shows up at his former best friend/teammate's father's funeral, and wants to have a go of it again. It didn't feel like Adam had any repentance for his past actions, and the onus of the reconciliation was put on Riley. Riley does not deserve the treatment he underwent from both past and present Adam. The best part of the book is the first third, where Riley is actively fighting his reconciliation with Adam.

This unfortunately missed the mark for me. I loved the premise, but the execution just didn't quite work in my opinion.

Trigger warnings include: cheating, mental health challenges, alcoholism (referenced), parent death, internalized homophobia

If you know me then you know how much I love Rachel Reid! The Game Changers series is one of my all time favorites. So when I heard about this book I was so excited and it was just as great as I knew it would be!

Sometimes I think second chance romances can be hard to pull off because so much relationship development happens before the beginning of the story and it can be hard to capture the deep feelings and the nuance of the couple. But the emotion and the angst hit you from the very first page here.

Riley is hurting so bad at the beginning of this book and is going through one of the hardest times of his life. Rachel captures his hurt so well and your heart just breaks for him. Adam, our other lead, was written in a way where we understood him and what he was going through but it was also hard to come to terms with the choices he made. He was so ignorant and negligent with Riley’s emotions for so many years. I appreciated how deep Riley had to dig to come to terms and forgive Adam. Even as the reader it was hard to forgive Adam even though we could see how hard he was working now. I loved the way mental health was discussed throughout the story as well.

One thing I really liked about this story is that we got to see older main characters. While we did get to see them younger in flashbacks, I liked that most of the story focused on them when they were in their late 30’s.

This book was so emotional and well written, and I couldn’t put it down. Any book that makes me feel as much as this one did is a winner! Rachel Reid, I hope you never stop writing complicated, loveable hockey players.

This book was really cute but it's not without its flaws. I want to talk about what I liked first before I dive into what I didn't but overall this book made me happy so I'd still recommend it!

This whole story was built from the little moments. The small ways in which Adam kept showing up for Riley. Like the way he'd run interference when things got to be too much, how he wanted to woo him by cooking, the way that he cared about Lucky and constantly had mini conversations with him. I also loved how he constantly found joy in the world. Every new thing made him happy and he enjoyed every second of life.

At the same time, he made some big mistakes when it came to his relationship with Riley. And though he didn't make any of them in the present, he constantly made the same mistakes in the past and it's great that they were able to work through it.

Second chance is one of my favorite tropes and this is probably the book with the longest separation I've ever read. It was kinda sweet to see how much these two still loved each other even after all those years of no contact. But at the same time, I feel like we didn't really get to see them fall in love. Though it's been more than a decade, the love is already there in the present. And in the past, we only saw the moments that show why they didn't work as a couple then. I would have liked to see more moments of why these two love each other so much.

Like Adam is always saying how he was able to care for Riley when he was at a low point mentally and worried about him after he was gone. But we didn't see any of that in the years that they were together. And Adam's marriage is a pretty big reason why they broke up but it's kinda glossed over. Same with his kids, who I had some issues with too. They only make an appearance once and they were honestly pretty rude and ungrateful which threw me a bit. I would have liked to see a little more of their relationship with Adam and maybe see some of the good things about their family.

That's kind of a running theme with this whole book. There's a lot of focus on the bad stuff and not as much focus on the good things. Even Riley's grief felt like it was just a plot line for Adam to reappear in his life and I would have liked to see it explored a bit more.

Anyway, with all that said, I did like this story. And even though I felt like it was lacking some things, it was still pretty cute and I liked the way it ended. There was a lot of infectious joy in this book and that made me happy. I'm not sure if I'd ever come back to this book, but I enjoyed reading it!

Riley Tuck and Adam Sheppard met as professional hockey players and were roommates and best friends with occasional benefits. They did everything together until Riley fell in love and Adam got scared and ran. More than a decade later, an unexpected tragedy turns into a chance to explore feelings waiting to be rekindled, but can Riley let go of the past and learn to love again even as his heart is full of grief?

It's a second-chance romance that's full of all the longing and uncertainty of first love rekindled after years of experience and maturity. Riley has a lot of trauma when it comes to what went down with Adam, and he's worked hard to get past it. So, seeing Adam showing up to his father's funeral after 12 years of silence is very justifiably an unwelcome shock. But Adam's determined to prove he's willing to put in the work to earn back Riley's trust, and it makes for some super sweet emotional moments that kept me turning pages just to get another hit.

Extra kudos to Reid for how well the elements of grief and how to navigate through it are handled. I appreciated the recognition that everyone has their own way to get over loss and the importance of being open to getting help from others.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the wonderfully swoony read!

4.5 - I stopped and restarted this book a lot in the last few months, but I finally pushed through. TBH, it wasn't until I was close to 50% of this book that I decided that I indeed liked this book. Specifically, there's a fish stew moment and that changed everything for me. From that moment on, I couldn't put this down. Some of that is on me as like Riley I too am grieving parental loss. Some of that is because while this is a very slow burn, the pace of this book is also pretty slow, despite the bulk of it mostly taking place over the course of a week. Riley is the sweetest MC - yes, he is dealing with past/long-term mental health issues as well as more recent grief - it's a lot, but it is well done and I really felt it. I didn't like Adam for a chunk of the book. His past behavior was...quite poor. By the end, though, I really fell for him - he was earnest and complex and it just took him a REALLY long time to figure himself out. But he did - he won my heart by just going all in. So, yeah, I ended up loving this book as well as Riley and Adam. I also loved the Nova Scotia setting. I've been there before once and it is just gorgeous - I loved being able to revisit it via this book. This book has light spice, but is heavy on emotions.

I received a complimentary copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this. I went into it not knowing anything beyond it was Rachel Reid and involved hockey players which is usually a winning mix for me and it did not disappoint. Second chance romance is not usually my thing but the reason behind their time apart makes sense so I enjoyed it. This goes back and forth from the present to the past and I liked how the story unfolded that way instead of a time jump in the middle. The story unfolds without any real outside drama which with the death of a parent being the catalyst for the characters reuniting I really liked because I feel like it would have been too much for the character to deal with on top of his grief. Adam was so clueless about himself and his feelings when he's younger but it's very realistic that it just makes you feel for him when he realizes it all. I loved how their relationship came back together and I feel like it worked so well. The small town setting was so great, I'm sad it's a fictional town because I really want to go visit. Also Lucky is the cutest fur baby ever.

Reid is my one of my favorite authors and this book will be going on my shelf as another favorite of hers. I loved Riley so much. His grief over his father was portrayed so well and made me hurt for him. Seeing his friendship and the trust between him and Adam rebuild was so sweet. I cannot wait to read this again when I miss these two.