Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird

Happy UK Heated Rivalry Day for those who are celebrating!

I'm going to admit that I'm late to the game (hehe, pun intended!) and I only picked up Rachel Reid's books after the series was released in Canada, etc. It didn't take much for me to get sucked into the promo, and I read all six books over five days, falling in love with every single couple for very different reasons.

Shane and Ilya's love might be the main focus for the TV series, but there's so much more to that world. From Scott taking the first step to be his true self because of his love for Kip, to the softness Fabian gives Ryan the space to display, Eric and Kyle's assumptions that they could just be friends with benefits, to how Harris shows Troy that it's possible to be more than the world expects him to be. There's so much queer joy that it makes my heart burst, and I can't wait to fall into the world a little more this evening when I kick my husband and son out of the living room to hog the TV!

When I started writing, I hesitated to tell queer stories, despite having been out as bisexual for over twenty years. A lot of the reason for that was because I'm in a straight-presenting relationship, and have struggled over the years with claiming my place in the LGBTQ+ community. Bi and pan erasure is a big problem, with people assuming that you will eventually pick a side, even if that's not how sexuality works. The moment I stopped worrying and took up the space, my stories and writing improved tenfold.

My best-selling book, Two Nights in Argyll, is so full of queer love (and spice) that it needed over 100k words to tell it. There's a pansexual brat who knows exactly who he is and what he wants, a bisexual Dom with a dirty mouth, and a man who might say he's straight but he might be in denial about a few things. I adore all of them, and so does the heroine.

Tonight, I will make myself a massive hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and

whipped cream, grab a hot water bottle and a fluffy blanket, and immerse myself in the world of Heated Rivalry. One of the things I adored about the books was how it wasn't a cute and fluffy kind of love story, with all the couples having to fight to take their places. Because for so many in the queer community, that's the reality. From bisexuals having to fight to claim their place, to trans people fighting for the right to exist, it can be exhausting.

But for a few hours, snuggled in front of the TV, that fight is going to result in a bunch of happy endings...

Jac

xoxox