Moscow’s Cheryomushkinsky District Court has banned three pages on the pirate websites BookPlaneta, Siteknig, and Libsafe that previously hosted digital copies of Rachel Reid’s book Heated Rivalry, about a romance between a Russian and a Canadian hockey player.
The Moscow Prosecutor's Office, which filed the lawsuit, claims that it found “literature containing propaganda of the extremist ‘LGBT’ ideology” on these pages. At the same time, the case materials contain factual errors. They do not specify what exactly was deemed propaganda: according to the prosecutor's office, the pages “feature images promoting non-traditional sexual relations,” but the book file contains no illustrations, and the only item publicly accessible was the cover showing hockey players on the ice.
How towrites According to Verstka, BookPlaneta and Siteknig now state that the book was allegedly removed at the request of the copyright holder, while the novel has been completely deleted from Libsafe.
No official announcement has been made about banning the book or the series itself—for example, a pirated version of it is available on VK.
Heated Rivalry is part of the seven-novel Game Changers series about relationships between two hockey players and has been adapted for television. The second season of the popular series based on these books is due to be released in 2027. Rachel Reid’s novels “are not gay fiction”: they belong to the popular BL (Boys’ Love) subgenre, which is aimed not at gay men but primarily at heterosexual women who enjoy reading books about attractive men.
Heated Rivalry —is a popular novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid, a leading romantic bestseller in the sports romance genre (MM romance) and one of the most talked-about books about hockey.
Plot. The story revolves around a years-long rivalry between two young NHL stars—the hot-tempered Canadian Ilya (Shane) Hollander and the charismatic Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov. The press and fans see them as bitter enemies, but no one knows that a secret, passionate physical relationship began between them when they first met at the World Junior Championship. For several years, they continue to meet in secret, hiding their relationship from the league, the media, and even their own families. Gradually, their clandestine encounters, initially driven by pure passion and competitive excitement, develop into deep feelings.
Main Characters
Ilya Rozanov: A captain and hockey star, he comes across as arrogant, confident, and brash in public, but deep down he worries deeply about his family and career.
Shane Hollander: The reserved, disciplined “golden boy” of Canadian hockey, who is entirely focused on the sport and afraid of losing his reputation.
0 comments
Enter your email — we’ll send you a one-time code. No passwords or accounts.
Code sent to
If the email doesn't appear in your inbox within a few minutes, check your spam, junk, or promotions folder, as some email services may mistakenly place automated messages there