Rachel Reid

Rachel Reid is the pen name of Canadian author Rachelle Goguen, whose Game Changers hockey romance series has become one of the most popular and beloved LGBTQ+ romance series of recent years. Her books combine the intensity and excitement of professional ice hockey with deeply emotional, achingly romantic love stories between men. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1980, Reid is a lifelong hockey fan who played the sport as a teenager. Her passion for the game is evident on every page of her fiction — she writes about hockey with genuine knowledge and love, capturing both the physicality of the sport and the culture that surrounds it. The Game Changers series, beginning with Game Changer in 2018, follows professional hockey players navigating their careers, their identities, and their relationships. The series was initially self-published and grew through passionate word-of-mouth, particularly after romance novelist Cat Sebastian recommended the books on social media in 2020, sparking a viral surge of interest. Heated Rivalry, the second book in the series, became the breakout hit and is widely considered one of the best romance novels of the past decade. The story of two rival hockey stars engaged in a secret relationship — enemies on the ice, lovers in private — has been praised for its emotional intensity, its sharp dialogue, and its nuanced exploration of internalised homophobia, public pressure, and the courage required to live authentically. Reid has spoken about writing the series out of frustration with hockey culture's homophobia. Her books imagine a world where queer hockey players exist and fall in love — a world that is, as real-life athletes have increasingly come out, becoming reality. The Game Changers series has been adapted into a television series, Heated Rivalry, bringing the story to an even wider audience. The audiobook editions of the Game Changers series have been enthusiastically received, with narrators delivering performances that capture the romance, the tension, and the on-ice excitement of Reid's storytelling. The audiobooks are a favourite among romance listeners. Rachel Reid lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Her books and audiobooks are essential for anyone who loves romance that is passionate, emotionally honest, and proof that love stories can change the way we see the world — one hockey rink at a time.