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book notes
title: Role Modelauthor: Rachel Reid
series: Game Changers #5
published: 8.20.2021
publisher: Carina Press
Source: bought
genre(s): lgbtqia+, romance, sports
pages: 340
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BookBub | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating:
| series rating: the blurb
The highly anticipated fifth novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series sees a grumpy professional hockey player meet his match in an out-and-proud social media manager…
The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.
Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.
Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.
a few notes
❗trigger warnings: ❗off-the-page sexual assault
POV: 3rd person
setting: Ottawa, Ontario
keywords/phrases: hockey, integrity, homophobia, family
tropes: happy ending, opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine
spice: 5/5
language: 5/5
mood reading: in the mood for high-angst problems that aren’t romantic.
bonus points: Troy’s mom, the Centaurs, Ilya, Chiron
my review
This one was my favorite of the series thus far. Troy is the first of the hockey players featured in the books that truly was not always the good guy. Ilya has a rep for being obnoxious but still charming. Whereas Troy is universally unliked, not just for his association with Dallas Kent but for his own behavior, too. But things have changed for him, and as he rebuilds his life, he knows he may not deserve the second chance he’s getting. I really love this character dynamic, the internal battle between a former villain and crippling shame. It makes for such an interesting character and a great story. Like all the stories in this series, the issues extend beyond love lives but into real life. For Troy, it was his determination to become a better person, to gain the respect and support of his teammates. It was the struggle to reconcile living his truth within the framework of homophobia taught to him by his own father. It was this subplot that absolutely drove me to tears more than once. Troy’s solo journey was just as engrossing as his relationship with Harris. And Harris… compassionate, warm, funny, kind, supportive. Everything anyone could want!
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2026 52 Books Reading Challenge
- 2026 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
- 2026 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge
- 2026 Linz the Bookworm & Logophile Reading Challenge
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