The racy book series behind HBO’s smash “Heated Rivalry” got a major Mamdani bump in readership over the weekend — after the mayor recommended snowed-in New Yorkers download one of the hot-and-heavy hockey romance books with their library cards.
The New York Public Library saw a 529% spike in “Heated Rivalry” downloads on Sunday after Mayor Zohran Mamdani plugged the book during his livestreamed snow storm press conference Sunday, according to a public library spokeswoman.
“I can think of no better excuse for New Yorkers to stay home, take a long nap, or take advantage of our public library’s offer of free access to ‘Heated Rivalry’ on eBook or audio book for anyone with a library card,” Mamdani said Sunday, getting grins and chuckles from several of the city officials standing behind him.
After the mayor’s remarks, downloading of the books surged. About 86% of all eBook and audio checkouts of “Heated Rivalry” on Sunday happened after the mayor’s press conference, according to library spokeswoman Lizize Tribone.
As of Monday morning, the library has seen more than 5,000 downloads of “Heated Rivalry” and more than 13,000 downloads of books in the series, said Tribone.
“We expect this number to continue to climb,” she said.
HBO Max
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in HBO’s adaptation of “Heated Rivalry.” (HBO Max)
The library made Rachel Reid’s entire “Game Changers” book series, which tells the story of two secretly gay rival hockey players, available for download Saturday with no wait times.
Nearly 3,000 library patrons had been waiting for a digital, audio or print copy of “Heated Rivalry” — the second book in the series — before then.
New Yorkers can get no-waiting access of Heated Rivalry through Valentine’s Day by using the Libby app.
“There’s no better time to sign up for an NYPL card,” chief librarian Brian Bannon said Monday. “If you haven’t already, you can download and listen or read this tremendous romance series immediately, and for free, through Valentine’s Day.”
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