Is ‘Heated Rivalry’ based on a true story?

Heated Rivalry Season 1 is nearing its end.

The series adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series has taken the world by storm. With four episodes currently streaming on HBO Max and two more on the way in Season 1—and with a second season renewal confirmed—fans can’t get enough of Connor Storrie‘s Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams‘ Shane Hollander.

Outside of Storrie and Williams, the series’ cast is rounded out by François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.

Heated Rivalry follows Shane and Ilya, two rival hockey players who engage in a secret affair off the ice. But is this romance based on a true story?

How many Heated Rivalry books are there?

There are six book in Reid’s Game Changers series: Game Changer (2018), Heated Rivalry (2019), Tough Guy (2020), Role Model (2021), and The Long Game (2022).

Is Heated Rivalry based on a true story?

No, the series is not technically based on a true story. However, Reid noted on her website that as a longtime hockey fan, she’s “very familiar with the different general types of hockey players,” and cited one of her inspirations for Heated Rivalry as “the extremely entertaining rivalry” between Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin. However, as noted by Out, the two real-life athletes were not involved romantically.

“But I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes,” she added. “My characters are original, and I work hard on creating them.”

Episodes 1-4 of Heated Rivalry are streaming on HBO Max.