Preview of the upcoming book Unrivaled, due out later this year, which will continue the saga of Shane and Ilya.

Since season 2 of the TV show is not expected out before 2027, this will help tide stans over.

Edited January 12Jan 12 by vetsoapfan

A lovely series of posts @vetsoapfan .

22 minutes ago, Vee said:

A lovely series of posts @vetsoapfan .

Awww, shucks.😌

Thank you for the kind words.😊

11 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

I was pleased to read that Rachel Reid is reportedly coming out with a new, seventh book in the Heated Rivalry universe in September, entitled Unrivaled, continuing the Shane and Ilya saga.

https://www.out.com/books/heated-rivalry-unrivaled-rachel-reid

3 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

I truly believe that our attraction to people grows in direct proportion to the appealing interior qualities we see in them. We can initially assess someone physically and not be swept away, but if proximity allows us to see numerous, positive attributes in him (kindness, empathy, loyalty, morality, a sense of humor, honesty, protectiveness, a deep capacity for love, etc.), our attraction starts to skyrocket.

@vetsoapfan some amazing posts you’ve written in the last couple of days - thank you so much!

Firstly, I’ve preordered Unrivaled and cannot wait to see what other trials and tribulations are coming Shane and Ilya’s way - they are likely my most loved fictional couple ever at this rate!

Secondly, it’s funny that you talk about the different types of attraction - I was talking about this very thing with my therapist a few hours ago, and he was talking about the difference between physical attraction and intellectual attraction - the latter is very much what you described above with noticing the other attributes of that person. More often than not, they tend to be attributes that you hold yourself, and finding other people like that is akin to finding members of your “tribe”, in a manner of speaking. Relationship dynamics is a fascinating thing, and it’s probably one of the things that attracted me to soaps in the first place!

@vetsoapfan I agree about your posts -- they're great, and your insights nail it.

I can't get enough of Heated Rivalry or of the 4 lead actors. I've destroyed my algorithm on IG, Threads, and Facebook, so I'm fed so much HR content I should be embarrassed.

But I'm not.

I fully admit I'm obsessed right now with this show and especially with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. I've never seen better chemistry -- ever -- and I am ridiculously happy about their success.

The last rewatch I've done of a TV show or series? I honestly don't remember. Even if I love a show, I'm content with one watch.

I'm now on my 4th Heated Rivalry binge, and I don't think I'm insane.

3 hours ago, OzFrog said:

@vetsoapfan some amazing posts you’ve written in the last couple of days - thank you so much!

I'm humbled that people appreciate my thoughts and commentary. Thank you, @OzFrog

3 hours ago, OzFrog said:

Firstly, I’ve preordered Unrivaled and cannot wait to see what other trials and tribulations are coming Shane and Ilya’s way - they are likely my most loved fictional couple ever at this rate!

So many folks are expressing that very same sentiment to me. It's interesting; we've only "known" Shane and Ilya for a total of six hours, yet viewers are already more emotionally attached to them than they are to tepid soap opera pairings who have been rammed down our throats for years. Probably because so many soap characters today lack real depth and humanity, and their on-screen shenanigans come across primarily as contrived plot mechanics, rather than being borne out of genuine chemistry and human feelings.

3 hours ago, OzFrog said:

Secondly, it’s funny that you talk about the different types of attraction - I was talking about this very thing with my therapist a few hours ago, and he was talking about the difference between physical attraction and intellectual attraction - the latter is very much what you described above with noticing the other attributes of that person. More often than not, they tend to be attributes that you hold yourself, and finding other people like that is akin to finding members of your “tribe”, in a manner of speaking. Relationship dynamics is a fascinating thing, and it’s probably one of the things that attracted me to soaps in the first place!

So true: finding out that other people hold the same attributes that you do, attributes which you value and admire, goes a long way into making you warm up to those folks and feel close to them. That sort of intellectual/emotional attraction tends to go further and last longer than just surface, physical appeal.

I, too, became immersed in soaps because of their reliance on interpersonal-relationship dynamics and the exploration of the human condition. When those components were largely discarded in favor of glitz and glam, flash and trash, soaps lost their appeal for me.

1 hour ago, ranger1rg said:

@vetsoapfan I agree about your posts -- they're great, and your insights nail it.

All this praise is making me giddy. I appreciate the kind words, @ranger1rg .🙂

1 hour ago, ranger1rg said:

I can't get enough of Heated Rivalry or of the 4 lead actors. I've destroyed my algorithm on IG, Threads, and Facebook, so I'm fed so much HR content I should be embarrassed.

But I'm not.

I fully admit I'm obsessed right now with this show and especially with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. I've never seen better chemistry -- ever -- and I am ridiculously happy about their success.

The last rewatch I've done of a TV show or series? I honestly don't remember. Even if I love a show, I'm content with one watch.

I'm now on my 4th Heated Rivalry binge, and I don't think I'm insane.

When I was a kid, long before the advent of the internet and streaming services, our viewing choices were much more limited than they are today. I used to re-watch favorite shows and movies regularly. Except for a few vintage, beloved staples, I haven't done that in decades; one viewing of modern material is enough for me. My gut-level feeling about Heated Rivalry, however, is that I will want to watch and experience it again. Probably not every week, LOL, but it may very well become a stand-by, feel-good favorite like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Wizard of Oz, and a few other gems which I am always happy to revisit throughout the years.

On 1/12/2026 at 12:09 PM, vetsoapfan said:

I truly believe that our attraction to people grows in direct proportion to the appealing interior qualities we see in them. We can initially assess someone physically and not be swept away, but if proximity allows us to see numerous, positive attributes in him (kindness, empathy, loyalty, morality, a sense of humor, honesty, protectiveness, a deep capacity for love, etc.), our attraction starts to skyrocket. As Scott Hunter, Francois Arnaud exhibits so many endearing qualities, it makes perfect sense to me that this is the role which is drawing viewers in more than other parts he has played.

(I hope this makes sense; I'm having problems describing exactly what I mean, LOL.)

IMHO, the last time any daytime soap was well-written and engrossing was when Claire Labine was writing General Hospital in the 1990s. Daytime TV has been in a moribund state since then. But William J. Bell and his ilk were masters, who knew how to create captivating characters, make us care for them, and then kept these people yearning for lasting love for YEARS.

Steve and Alice, Doug and Julie, Bill and Laura, Phil and Tara, Brad and Leslie, Scotty and Laura: these are the romantic/star-crossed lovers who kept us on the edge of our seats with baited breath, hoping against hope they would finally get together.

We haven't had that experience on daytime soaps for eons, alas.

But now? We have Shane and Ilya and Scott and Kip. It's wonderful to revel in romance again!🥰

It made perfect sense. It's something that I believe in myself. Just looking at the various people that I've been attractive to. There have just been too many people in my life who I never thought of them as anything when I met them or just a friend. But being around long enough and time passes and well...things happen. Your comment honestly made me think of a coworker who wanted me at random (?) to judge his strengths and weaknesses as a coworker. I found it odd given the circumstances, but I've always have had great observational skills and have trained several people in various jobs so I feel that I am good at pointing such things out. For him...I felt he is very personable with the guests...even when other coworkers or even myself might find him slow...and that can go a loooong way to people having a good experience and wanting to come back. His weakness is his lack of self-awareness. In this case, a LOT of information is thrown his way and his memory is not the best. I personally suspect its due to outside factors (from again observations of him alone, him and his relationship with his mother who I work with, loose bits of info+ public interaction), but I've had given him strong tips as best I can so he could grow in that department. But horse, water, drink. :) But that's me speaking professionally. Personally...I have a crush. I'm too professional to pursue such a thing, but I am self-aware to pick up on it within myself. But a lot of the qualities you mentioned above is what I've noticed in him as I got to know him. I also notice he has such low self-esteem about it and found it maddeningly. Cuz if he didn't have that, I feel he could go far professionally and personally. I got the impression before we both did major schedule changes that the feeling might have been mutual because he would ramble on about things that made no sense...as if he was trying to say something without actually saying something. Which took me aback. If I had time...which I never do at work...I would love to sit down and just...talk. And he loves to talk. But I just feel that is a boundary I should not cross. And while I see a lot of good qualities in my coworker, I also feel there's still a long of growing up and learning about yourself there to do. I'm still growing, but I would be perhaps too far ahead in my own self-development. It probably why I love that Scott resonated with his vulnerability with Kip even though he was soooo scared to voice how he felt and did it anyway. But to be fair, I've done that before, too. Okay now I'm rambling. Like others, I loved what you said.

Awww those most definitely were the days. I liked Claire Labine then, but I feel that if I was to sit down and watch her now I would just love her. All I have are my memories of that time (Luke and Laura came back and it became Must See for my mother so I slowly started to follow along; OLTL became my favorite ABC soap). As for William Bell, just a masterclass to me. People talk slow it, but he always had layers going on with his characters which was something I noticed and liked even when I was young.

Amen.

On 1/12/2026 at 2:02 PM, vetsoapfan said:

Preview of the upcoming book Unrivaled, due out later this year, which will continue the saga of Shane and Ilya.

Since season 2 of the TV show is not expected out before 2027, this will help tide stans over.

So cool!!! So they can run the show for a while. :)

On 1/12/2026 at 4:14 PM, OzFrog said:

finding other people like that is akin to finding members of your “tribe”, in a manner of speaking.

I meant to say that it's funny you used tribe because that came up here in my quarters among friends as of late.

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

It made perfect sense. It's something that I believe in myself. Just looking at the various people that I've been attractive to. There have just been too many people in my life who I never thought of them as anything when I met them or just a friend. But being around long enough and time passes and well...things happen.

I truly believe that most of us experience this: we meet something new, who may not technically be our "type," but as time goes on and we unpeel the layers and see under the surface...things do, indeed, happen. Minds, hearts and souls are much more attractive and nourishing than pretty body parts. ☺️

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

Your comment honestly made me think of a coworker...Personally...I have a crush. I'm too professional to pursue such a thing, but I am self-aware to pick up on it within myself.

Yep. Feelings don't always make rational sense, but we can't will them in or out of existence, so we should at least acknowledge them and work on controlling them.

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

I got the impression before we both did major schedule changes that the feeling might have been mutual because he would ramble on about things that made no sense...as if he was trying to say something without actually saying something. Which took me aback. If I had time...which I never do at work...I would love to sit down and just...talk. And he loves to talk. But I just feel that is a boundary I should not cross.

And never knowing what lay down the path not travelled leaves niggling questions and doubts in our minds that linger for a long time.

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

And while I see a lot of good qualities in my coworker, I also feel there's still a long of growing up and learning about yourself there to do. I'm still growing, but I would be perhaps too far ahead in my own self-development. It probably why I love that Scott resonated with his vulnerability with Kip even though he was soooo scared to voice how he felt and did it anyway.

I think it resonated with many viewers who have been restricted because of fear from opening up and reaching out. The genius of Heated Rivalry is that the emotions and struggles which the characters deal with are universal.

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

Awww those most definitely were the days. I liked Claire Labine then, but I feel that if I was to sit down and watch her now I would just love her.

Labine was excellent during Ryan's Hope first few years, and we were so lucky to have her return to pen the show's final months. She was the only one to truly understand the show's heart and soul, which made its farewell so satisfying. While R'sH was not among my most-beloved soaps, I believe its conclusion was one of the best in daytime history. It was miles above The Edge of Night, Another World, One Life to Live, The Guiding Light and many other once-beloved dramas.

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

All I have are my memories of that time (Luke and Laura came back and it became Must See for my mother so I slowly started to follow along; OLTL became my favorite ABC soap). As for William Bell, just a masterclass to me. People talk slow it, but he always had layers going on with his characters which was something I noticed and liked even when I was young.

When I reflect on the history of soaps, and what the genre has become, it staggers me to think about how many brilliant, truly gifted, master writers we were fortunate enough to have shepherding daytime drama during its halcyon decades. We took those scribes for granted, alas.

18 hours ago, Taoboi said:

So cool!!! So they can run the show for a while. :)

The leads, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, have inked deals for two more seasons. That is awesome, but I need Francois Arnaud and Robbie Graham-Kuntz (Scott and Kip) to continue appearing too.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

Minds, hearts and souls are much more attractive and nourishing than pretty body parts. ☺️

Not that they ain't nice, but oh so true.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

Feelings don't always make rational sense, but we can't will them in or out of existence, so we should at least acknowledge them and work on controlling them.

Yep. Pretty much.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

And never knowing what lay down the path not travelled leaves niggling questions and doubts in our minds that linger for a long time.

Yep. The story of my life. I could write a book. Oh, wait! ;)

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

I think it resonated with many viewers who have been restricted because of fear from opening up and reaching out. The genius of Heated Rivalry is that the emotions and struggles which the characters deal with are universal.

Exactly this! I am just done working on something explaining why people are discovering a long cancelled show and liking it when that was not the case when it was airing. Because the themes are universal. If anything, it is shocking me how people are having a negative reaction due to how puritanic the country has gone in the past short 4 years. Remember when the 90s was full of risqué sex scenes, saxophone music, and sizzle? Give me adult content with heart over soup-fed juvenile antics any day.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

Labine was excellent during Ryan's Hope first few years, and we were so lucky to have her return to pen the show's final months. She was the only one to truly understand the show's heart and soul, which made its farewell so satisfying. While R'sH was not among my most-beloved soaps, I believe its conclusion was one of the best in daytime history. It was miles above The Edge of Night, Another World, One Life to Live, The Guiding Light and many other once-beloved dramas.

Ryan's Hope was before my time, but I hear so much good stuff about it. And I feel like...as OLTL was my vibe...it would be one of those soaps that I would like if I ever sat down to watch it. And I've always been curious to see how cunning Ilene's Dalia truly was since I felt like her rep preceded her from what little I know of it. Awww that's how a lot of AMC fans heard felt about Lorraine Broderick coming back for AMC's final months as well. I was one of them since I follow writers to other soap shows more than I do actors/actresses.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:54 AM, vetsoapfan said:

When I reflect on the history of soaps, and what the genre has become, it staggers me to think about how many brilliant, truly gifted, master writers we were fortunate enough to have shepherding daytime drama during its halcyon decades. We took those scribes for granted, alas.

Lord, ain't that the truth. One is hard-pressed to find a writer to like on the current soaps.

On 1/15/2026 at 11:01 AM, vetsoapfan said:

The leads, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, have inked deals for two more seasons. That is awesome, but I need Francois Arnaud and Robbie Graham-Kuntz (Scott and Kip) to continue appearing too.

OOooo ready!!!! That's good to hear. I do wonder how they will incorporate Scott and Kip in going forward though.

HR is flawlessly put together and paced, nothing feels dragged out or rushed, just a seemingly effortless handling of story and human chemistry, which actually takes an enormous amount of skill and effort to perfect. A story about lust and love and a lot more besides. Is it fanfic? Yes, but the best kind -- thrilling and life-affirming.

Many years ago, on this very board, a bunch of us were bemoaning the fact that soaps no longer seemed to be able (or were unwilling) to write about that thrilling, slow-stomach-somersault moment when you fall in lust or in love with somebody. As if they were now embarrassed by the very virtues that made their shows magnificent. I can see reading this thread how Heated Rivalry has reawakened that 'remember when the soaps i loved made me feel the way HR does right now?' It certainly did for me watching it, and i haven't felt this electrified by a romantic drama in, possibly, decades.

I cannot speak to what a show like this means to its gay male fandom. But it has reminded a few people I know IRL that, in these dystopian times, perhaps attraction, physical connection and romance between two humans is not just possible, but actually sublime.