Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

Time to Shine is a sweet and adorable hockey romance which isn't the usual fare from author Rachel Reid, but was thoroughly enjoyable none the less. 

From the blurb:

"Rachel Reid's hockey heroes are sexy, hot, and passionate!" —#1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Game Changers series comes a merry and bright hockey romance about finding your place, finding your people and finding your way back to the one you love the most. 

For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.

Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.

As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɢᴏᴀʟɪᴇꜱ ꜱᴀᴡ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪ'ᴍ ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴀɴᴀɴᴀꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ, ꜱᴛᴀᴄᴋꜱ."

This...this was the cutest freaking fluff ever and was NOTHING like I expected from a Rachel Reid hockey romance. I wanted to wrap both MCs in a blanket burrito and snuggle the fuck out of them. They were so cute! Point is - if you were hoping for an angsty, growly MC romance - Time to Shine is so not it. Not it at all. But good news is that Reid can write sweet, bubbly, loveable MCs just as good. And that's exactly what Casey was. The most bubbly, exuberant, and himboish hockey star ever. I absolutely adore him and think that he pretty much stole the show in this book.

Landon was the complete opposite of Casey. Where Casey never shuts up, Landon hardly ever speaks. When he does, it's usually one-word answers or sometimes even just a noise in response. It was really hard for me to see these two as a couple when we first meet them. They seem so incredibly opposite, and I thought someone like Landon would abhor being around someone as wild as Casey. Turns out I was wrong.

Casey brought out a side of Landon he thought he'd lost. It was like Casey had an internal instinct when to push Landon out of his comfort zone or when to just offer him comfort. Their courting was really sweet, actually. Even though Landon was kind of a gloomy MC, he was still likeable. The poor guy was struggling with a lot of self-esteem issues and family guilt. I loved seeing him come out of his shell more and more with Casey around.

"ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴍʏ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ, ꜱᴛᴀᴄᴋꜱ."

Honorary mention about Casey and Landon's families has to be said. It was such a breath of fresh air seeing parents who love their child unconditionally. It made me smile, seeing how lovely both sets were. As for the ending of the story, the epilogue was just the sweetest cherry on top of this flufftastic sundae.

Rating: 5 Stars

Heather's Review:

Time to Shine is a slow burn, roommates to lovers story that was sweet and just a little spicy... with amazing characters and a lovely storyline of opposites attract between motormouth, extroverted Casey and quiet, introverted Landon. 

Circumstances rather than drama test their relationship and I love how they solve their relationship issues fairly quickly and make things work.  I love the pace of this story and how Casey gives Landon back a piece of himself that was lost to depression.  I also appreciate the supportive families that we see in this story

Rating: 5 Stars

Time to Shine is available to buy in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats.