Fans of Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid will need to wait a little longer for her next release, after the writer confirmed a delay to Unrivaled due to a worsening of her Parkinson’s symptoms.
In December, the 45-year-old novelist revealed that the popularity of her steamy hockey romance series had helped her access improved medical care more than two years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition linked to a reduction of dopamine in the brain. It can be inherited and may lead to a range of physical and psychological challenges, including tremors, memory loss and difficulties with motor function.
On Tuesday (24 February), Reid took to Instagram to update readers on Unrivaled, the forthcoming instalment in her bestselling Game Changers series. Originally slated for release later this year, the novel will now arrive on 1 June 2027.
Unrivaled marks the seventh entry in the series, following Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model and The Long Game. The new book continues the story of fan-favourite couple Shane and Ilya.
‘It’s going to be a much better book’
Reid began her video message by thanking fans for what she described as “the last few months”, calling the experience “absolutely incredible”.
“I can’t really put into words what any of this feels like for an author,” she said, adding that the response to her work has been “beyond a dream come true” and that she is deeply grateful for the support.
However, she acknowledged that the surge of attention has also been “very, very busy and overwhelming”.
“My life has gotten very different in the last couple of months and, although it’s all good, it’s also taken away my ability to have quality time to write,” she explained.
Reid emphasised that “there’s nothing more important” to her than ensuring Unrivaled is “the best book it can possibly be”. Reflecting candidly, she added that sometimes when positive things happen, the “universe hands you some worse stuff to balance it out”.
“For me that’s been [that] my Parkinson’s symptoms have gotten a bit worse and it’s made it difficult physically to write, so I’m definitely a lot slower, and that’s just something I need to navigate and kind of face instead of ignoring.”
As a result, she confirmed the decision to postpone publication until mid-2027.
“Ultimately it’s going to be a much better book and that’s the most important thing to me, and I think it’s going to be better for the readers and better for the characters,” she said, noting that progress on the manuscript itself is going well.
The response from readers was swift and overwhelmingly supportive.
“It will be worth the wait,” one fan commented. Another added: “Good things take time. We can be as patient as you need us to be. Take care of yourself.”
A comment that received hundreds of likes read: “It’s not too long of a wait for us. As much as we appreciate your explanation, you don’t owe us one. You’ve given us so much, especially over the past couple of months, and I’m so content with all of it right now if it means you take care of your health first for the next one. June 1st, 2027 it is! All of our love.”
