Story/Book: 3.5 out of 5 stars (rounded to 4)
Steam/Spice: 2.5 to 3 out of 5 stars (it's a 2/5 for me but the mild descriptions of anal sex could make this feel racier to some audiences. It's a slow burn with few truly spicy scenes.

The Shots You Take is a story of how hard it can be to accept ones indemnity as queer person when one is so fully entranced in a cis-hetero society and especially when one is a superstar of a testosterone filled career like Hockey.

12 years ago, Adam broke Riley's heart. Now, Adam is back, and he wants Riley back, too. Retired from hockey and finally slowing down, family man, Adam has come to terms with the fact that try as he might he was never going to be straight... or even bi-sexual. Even though his timing is awful, he is determined to win back the only man he's ever truly loved. However, Riley, reeling from his father's death, was never going to be ready to forgive Adam for not only denying their relationship but also for making him feel like an unwanted dirty secret.

I loved many things about this book a few of which were the narration, the fact that both MMC's are in their 40s (I love me some mature MC's), the conversations about safe intimacy, and mental health representation, as well as the representation of an older character coming out of the closet. However, I agree with other reviewers who talked about the fact Riley seems to forgive Adam a little too quickly. I think for me it's a problem of there just not being enough internal angst for both characters and especially in the way we witness Adam as a 20yr old (afraid and in denial of his sexuality) and vs a 40yr old (whose finally come to terms with his homosexuality).

What to expect: small town, 2nd chance romance, ex-NHL players, best friends & teammates to lovers, later in life acceptance of own homosexuality, slow burn.

Representation: Mental health, depression and emotional dysregulation.

TW/CW: death of a parent, bigoted parental figures, closeted queerness

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

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.

This was an emotional second chance romance. Watching Riley come to turns and learn to forgive Adam was so touching. And watching Adam come out of his shell and be open with who he is was beautiful. I loved this book and the audio was fantastic.

First, I want to do a huge thank you to @harlequinbooks @netgalley and Harlequin Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook before its release. I loved it. The narration by Greg Boudreaux was spot on! The emotion he put into his performance portraying both these men was perfect. I was laughing, blushing, and crying throughout. This is one that you definitely want to listen to.
As for the story itself, 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?!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. 5 stars and 4 chili peppers for spice. Another amazing book by Rachel Reid!!! I loved Riley and Adam! I really how they were both fighting personal battles and actively working to better themselves. These character were real and relatable. You just wanted them to end up with each other so bad. Glad they both got their HEA together. Also loved the narrator, made to story come to life!

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.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Greg Boudreaux and absolutely loved his voicing for both Adam and Riley. Greg does an amazing job creating a unique voice signature that really represents the individual characters. His accent work is subtle, but very effective. It placed.‘s in the setting, but didn’t let it overtake the characters themselves.

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!

4.25 Stars!

This is a cute second chance, MM, hockey romance where Adam returns to Riley’s small town to help Riley through the grief of losing his father after more than a decade a part. If you are looking for a cute read, I definitely would recommend checking this one out.

Thank you Hive, Harlequin Audio, and Net Galley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review

The Shots You Take is the latest book from MM hockey favorite, Rachel Reid. Riley and Adam are classic second chance, friends to lovers tropes but deals with mental health issues, depression and grief.

Riley and Adam were best friends that became lovers and in the first years of playing professional hockey, Adam broke Riley’s heart. Now twenty years later Adam is retired, Riley’s father unexpectedly passes away and Adam comes to Riley’s small town for the funeral. Adam has come to terms with being gay, gotten divorced and wants to make amends for how he treated Riley.

The angst from the flashbacks is perfect, Adam’s grovel is legendary and when they get together it’s super hot. Adam definitely took me some time to warm up to- he was so oblivious to Riley’s heart and so selfish, I almost needed a bit more grovel to make for it. He did grow up throughout the book but his interactions with his kids left me wanting more. Riley is perfection- how he has to deal with his mental health, alcoholism and grief of his father’s passing is overwhelming and his breakdown’s understandable. I really enjoyed two mature men (in their 40’s) who have lived entire lives without the other getting their HEA.

Thank you Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

This second chance romance is a sloooooow burn, but the payoff is so worth it! Rachel Reid manages to find a lot of just-right balances in this book-it’s both sweet and spicy, has just enough hockey, and balances moving the plot forward with creating a cozy, Canadian setting that is easily to fall in love with. I was able to listen to the audiobook through the Hive and Harlequin audio, and this audio is easy to listen to at 1.75-2x speed making it a super fast read. Riley and Adam’s chemistry is off the chart, and listening to both of their journeys of self-discovery is rewarding. Definitely recommend!

This is a sweet romance with lots of spice. It’s well written, compulsively readable, and strikes a good balance between funny and heartwarming. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The Shots You Take releases March 4, 2025

Riley and Adam spent their late teens and early twenties as best friends, roommates, and teammates in the NHL. They even shared many passionate moments together behind closed doors, though Riley’s love was always left unrequited by a man who stayed closeted until his forties.

After a tense and almost irreparable fallout lasting over a decade, Riley and Adam reconnect for the first time when Adam shows up to the funeral of Riley’s father.

This was an angsty, right person wrong time, second chance romance, and yet… I never found myself rooting for them as a couple.

The dynamic between Riley and Adam always felt largely disproportionate (one person constantly giving, and the other only taking), and quite frankly, Adam toyed with Riley’s feelings too much over the years for him to have the audacity to come back into Riley’s life and emotionally manipulate him again at his most vulnerable state — the damage was done and Riley deserved to finally move on and shed the weight of Adam’s humiliating reactions and the detrimental affects those had on his mental health.

Thank you to Carina Adores and Harlequin Audio for my gifted review copies. My opinions are my own.

This sorta second chance love story starts out with a funeral and a surprise attendee. Riley is reeling from his dad's death, when his ex-best friend and ex hockey teammate Adam Sheppard shows up to the funereal.

Riley has a lot of complicated feelings that he is dealing with, running from a lifestyle that harmed him, running from Adam when feelings weren't returned, running from the limelight, dealing with the grief of losing his father, but also healing nestled into his supportive hometown. Adam made a lot of mistakes that ended up costing him his best friend, his wife, and he's attending the funeral to try and fix some of his mistakes.

There are some miscommunication issues, but it's because conversations aren't had, but this story has all of the emotions building to the actual fulfillment of the missed conversations, because Adam isn't going anywhere, and Riley is stubborn as well. I love that Riley and Adam are not in their 20's, they are full grown adults, in their 40's, with all the things that happen at that stage in life. This is an emotional rollercoaster that you are excited to ride because you can see the good parts coming, and there's plenty of good times, even during the grief.

Greg Boudreaux does an amazing job with the narration with the subtle accent differences between Riley and Adam so you can always tell who is speaking. The dual perspectives help, but I love Greg's soothing voice, even at 2x (my normal listening speed), there was nothing missed.

Highly recommend this story and the audio.

I eagerly anticipated this book and was thrilled to receive an ARC. As a big fan of Rachel Reid, I was confident I’d enjoy it.I’ll be honest—I hate second-chance romances, but I like the author, so I thought, why not? I wasn’t expecting to love this, but I gave it a shot. So I was actually looking forward to I did like it for a while until I didn’t.

Because…

I HATE ADAM! I hate Adam so much that nothing he can do will make me forgive him so I just cannot pick this book back up. In my eyes what he did to Riley was unforgivable. The way Adam made Riley feel in the past and the way he robbed him of ever having a positive future unless it included him sickened me. I was able to keep reading it for so long because this is slow burn city and there have been absolutely no sex scenes in the past or the present which I actually enjoyed plus Riley treating Adam like the piece of shit fuckhead that he is has been everything but unfortunately now that’s all about change. Adam has somehow weaseled himself back in when I don’t feel like he properly groveled. He was just annoying AF and wouldn’t go away and hasn’t even acknowledged the pain he caused Riley. I want to say so much more but I can’t because it’s technically an arc.

This is a Maya Angelou quote and while it’s kind of corny, it fits the whole idea of this book.

”“At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

And Adam deserves to rot in hell alone for how he made Riley feel. The fact he now gets a second chance is ridiculous. What did Riley get? Nothing! But Adam? Adam got to have it all. He lived Riley’s dreams while Riley fell apart and now he thinks he can show back up 12 years later when Riley is at his most vulnerable? FUCK OFF!!!!

This was my first book by Rachel Reid and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I liked both Riley and Adam and I love a friends to lovers and second chance romance so this was right up my alley. I really enjoyed that this story was very low on drama and had a perfect HEA that I really needed. This book handles grief really well and leaves you feeling the loss that these characters felt. I will definitely be checking out more book by this author.

The narration was great, as always with Greg Boudreaux.

Rachel does it again. These two hockey teammates are best friends - and hot for each other?

The JOURNEYYYY these guys go on is so tender. They’re besties, they’re teammates, they have CHEMISTRY and then… what’s next? Who can predict where it will go? I loved their care for one another, and the way they learned to love themselves too.

All the stars for Rachel Reid’s ability to make us swoon.

Rachel Reid's The Shots You Take is a deeply emotional love story of two men who finally figure out how to be together after 20 years of messing it up. The book explores with empathy and nuance heavy topics such as deep grief, aging, and mental health. It also brings in dogs, healing, parenting, and professional hockey. The audio book, read by Greg Boudreaux, deftly illuminates the writing.

❤️ Hockey Romance
❤️ Second Chance
❤️ Slow Burn
❤️ Queer Romance

I was almost immediately invested in Adam and Riley's story. Riley has been hurt before, so he initially guards his interactions with Adam. He thinks the worst of him because of the hurt he previously inflicted. Adam is exercising patience. I see a lot of myself in Adam honestly. He says the wrong thing in the moment because he's scared. It takes him a long time to admit what he really wanted to say. This is a story of rekindling friendship, found family, and finding your HAE later in life. The narration was great, the story was great, I finished it in a day!! Really enjoyed this one.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

Thank you Rachel Reid and Harlequin for the audiobook ARC of The Shots You Take!

The Shots You Take is a story about grief, internalized homophobia, and forgiveness. When Riley's father suddenly passes away, he's shocked to see his former teammate, best friend, and the man he was in love with show up at the funeral. The last time they saw each other, Adam was rejecting Riley and denying his own queerness.

We follow the two as they hash out their feelings, and while Adam finally sees a chance to repair what he's broken so badly, Riley isn't sure it's possible to fix the damage that was done.

A lot of other reviews I've seen are very harsh towards Adam. Internalized phobias of any kind are no joke, and it's been well over a decade since they last saw each other. He's had time to learn, grow, and accept himself - though candidly I do think showing up when he did was a bit intense of a time to do it.

I always struggle with second chance romances because I simply don't like a lot of the character logic and we spend so much time in this genre learning about what went wrong and rebuilding the relationship that I rarely fully get to understand why they were in love in the first place. I'd say most of those details really came in the last third of the book, so I wish we'd had a bit more of that and saved some of the spice for later.

And it is spicy, so if you're looking for that, you'll get it!

This was a solid book that kept me interested and wondering where it would go. It was sweet to see Adam's excitement in exploring Riley's life, and I enjoyed watching them fall back in love (even if I struggled a little bit to empathize).

FYI it's post Hockey career, so don't expect actual sports in here - this story focuses on rebuilding relationships with a few flashbacks outside of games.

I definitely recommend to anyone who wants a reflective, spicy, sweet second chance romance, especially if you enjoy reading about characters a bit later in their lives. Thank you again for the audiobook ARC! The Shots You Take is out on March 4th.

Rachel Reid has done it again! I’ve devoured every single one of her books and this one was no different! I adored both Adam & Riley so much! It was so nice to see them reconnect and help each other become the best versions of themselves after all the hurt that they went through in the past! I just loved this book so so much!

I am in my Hockey Romance era and this was delectable. Romantic and spicy. I loved how the story integrated grief and mental health seamlessly. A quick read that had heart and heat. I also loved the small town community vibes.