New 'Heated Rivalry' novel delayed to 2027, author cites worsening Parkinson's disease

Hold on, Heated Rivalry fans, a new chapter for Ilya and Shane's romance has to wait a little longer.

The novel's author Rachel Reid announced on Instagram that a medical condition has been holding her back. 

"I think when good things happen, sometimes the universe hands you some worse stuff to balance it out," Rachel explained as she thanked supporters for the overwhelming support for the TV series. "And for me, that's been that my Parkinson's symptoms have gotten a bit worse."

"It's made it difficult physically to write, so I'm definitely a lot slower. And that's just something I need to learn how to navigate and kind of face instead of ignoring," she added.

She then announced that the publication of her newest book, Unrivaled, will be moved to June 1, 2027 instead of the planned September 2026 release.

"I hope that's not too long a wait for everyone. I just needed a few more months for writing, and my publisher has been gracious enough to give those to me," she said, explaining the necessity for a break. 

She also assured fans that pre-orders of her book will not be cancelled, although she felt sorry for the logistical issues for bookstores.

"Ultimately, it's going to be a much better book, and that's the most important thing to me. And I think, yeah, it'll be better for the readers, and it'll be better for the characters. So I am really excited about this book," Reid teased about her upcoming work. 

The synopsis for Unrivaled on bookstore Barnes & Noble's website reads: “The hockey world is divided, and Ilya and Shane face their biggest challenge yet when they encounter significant backlash from a popular hockey podcast.”

The steamy series Heated Rivalry, created by Jacob Tierney, has been a global phenomenon and has already been renewed for season 2, as Crave and HBO Max announced on Dec. 12. According to research group Luminate, it has raked in about 30 million streaming minutes during its first week on the popular streamer.

The show stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams as Ilya and Shane, hockey rivals who hide a decade-long forbidden romance and their sexualities. It also features François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, and Dylan Walsh.