‘Heated Rivalry’ Author Rachel Reid Answers Burning Questions About Shane & Ilya’s Wedding

After hiding their relationship for years — which plays out across all of Heated Rivalry and most of its sequel — Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s wedding is a long time coming. The hockey players get their happily ever after at the end of The Long Game, committing to each other in front of their family, friends, and teammates. (Spoilers for The Long Game below!) 

Despite it being such an enormous, cathartic moment for the couple (and readers), the affair isn’t very elaborate or planned out. Some might find it atypical for a Type A person like Shane (and his mother), which Swooon brought up to author Rachel Reid at BookCon 2026. She broke down the scene for us, explaining the low-keyness of it all, lack of vows, and their unique first dance song.