Do Shane and Ilya end up together in Heated Rivalry? Here's what happens in the books

12 December 2025, 08:00 | Updated: 9 January 2026, 10:54

By Sam Prance

Shane and Ilya's romance takes some dramatic turns in Heated Rivalry season 1 but are they endgame and do they get married?

Heated Rivalry revolves around Shane and Ilya's hot secret gay relationship but do they end up together in the book?

There's no denying that Shane Hunter and Ilya Rozanov have next-level chemistry. In the series, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie do an incredible job of portraying exactly how much the rival ice hockey players are into each other. Not only that but they explore how their romance changes as they start developing genuine feelings of love.

So how does their story end in the Heated Rivalry books? Do Shane and Ilya come out? Are they actually endgame? Scroll down to read a full spoiler-filled summary of how Shane and Ilya's relationship progresses in the books.

• Read more: Do Scott and Kip end up together in Heated Rivalry? Here's what happens in the books
• Read more: Heated Rivalry intimacy coach reveals what props they use to safeguard sex scenes

WARNING: Heated Rivalry book spoilers below

Watch the Heated Rivalry trailer

Just like the series, the Heated Rivalry book takes place over multiple years with Shane and Ilya hooking up with each other in secret and gradually falling harder for each other. However, it takes a long time before either character feels comfortable enough in themselves to confess how they actually feel.

It's only after Scott publicly comes out that they confide in each other and tell each other about their family histories. Shane tells Ilya he's desperate to come out to his family. Meanwhile, Ilya reveals to Shane that his mother died by suicide when he was by 12. They tell each other: "I love you".

Later, Shane's dad David catches Shane and Ilya kissing. Shane then comes out to both his parents and they accept him and offer him support. Shane later tells Ilya that he will propose to him as soon as they retire.

Do Shane and Ilya get married in Heated Rivalry?

In the epilogue set in 2018, we learn that Shane has come out to his teammates but only Hayden knows about Ilya. On top of that, Ilya has officially moved to Canada. Shane and Ilya officially come out as friends and launch a mental health and suicide prevention charity together in honour of Ilya's mother.

We learn that Ilya wants to tell everyone about his real relationship with Shane. He wants to marry him and have kids together. The book ends with Ilya texting Shane his hotel number.

It isn't until the sixth book in the series, The Long Game, that Shane and Ilya actually do go public with their relationship, get married and live happily ever after.

It's currently unclear how much of the series will be explored in Heated Rivalry season 1.

Read more about Heated Rivalry here:

• Heated Rivalry boss shuts down speculation around Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams' sexualities
• Heated Rivalry actor Hudson Williams' age, height, past roles, where he's from and more
• Heated Rivalry actor Connor Storrie's age, height, past roles, where he's from and more
• Heated Rivalry's Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie get NSFW matching tattoo
• Heated Rivalry cast reveal how they filmed Shane and Ilya's viral sex scenes

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