Heated Rivalry Author Teases Shane & Ilya Relationship Conflicts in Unrivaled

Exclusive Interview

Rachel Reid can assure readers that Shane and Ilya’s next chapter, Unrivaled, will largely be them against the world rather than each other. That’s not to say those internal relationship conflicts from The Long Game will vanish entirely, however.

There are new experiences that come with being a public couple — especially one that now spends almost every moment of every day together as husbands and teammates — but Reid told Swooon that there are threads she wants to continue in Shane and Ilya’s third book, which comes out in June 2027.

“It’s kind of the first time they’re having this grown-up relationship together, and they’re still figuring out how to do that,” said Reid, who spoke to Swooon while ahead of Heated Rivalry Night at Fenway Park and the release of the Heated Rivalry Deluxe Hardcover Edition. “So that’s one element that’s very different and kind of creates… I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of angst coming from that, but it still has its own challenges.”

As for those lingering issues, Reid explained, “And then on top of that, we kind of left it where Ilya dropped the bomb on Shane that he suffers from depression and things like that, and he’s been seeing a therapist. So, somebody like Shane, who worries about everything, is going to be worried about that. There’s definitely points of conflict within their relationship.”

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That being said, don’t go expecting a breakup in Unrivaled. “That’s just not what these books are,” Reid confirmed. “I wouldn’t do all of this just to break them up.”

In fact, Reid has avoided the third-act breakup plot device in every Shane and Ilya book so far. She explained, “Heated Rivalry‘s got one long breakup that’s just over and over again, and then finally it gets resolved. In The Long Game, they do have their little fight, but it really happens halfway through the book, and it gets resolved fairly quickly. But that’s not really what the book’s about.”

In that vein, Reid feels confident about Unrivaled at this stage in the game. She’s nearing the final stages of the editing process at the end of August. “I’ll feel better when it’s done because I know what needs to be rewritten and fixed and stuff, but I just haven’t had quality time to to sit and do it,” she said. “But the parts I’ve already rewritten, I feel very good about.”

She added, “There’s not that much work to be done on it, and I just need time to do it. But I’m pretty happy with it. I think people will like it. It has all the elements that people seem to like about the other books. I think it’s funny. I think it’s sexy. I think it’s got all of the characters that people like. I think if you like the other two, you’ll like this one.”