I always cringe a bit when I start reading a New Adult Romance (and never seem to catch it before I start reading). Reading a romance about individuals in college feels a little cringey as a woman who is closer to 40. However, once I got over myself I really enjoyed this read.

The Good: I really enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters. We saw them grow with each other, face adversity, and came out of it stronger together. The 'sports romance' part of it was there, but did not take away from the story. Its definitely spicy.
The Bad: Some of the chapters were just too long. I enjoyed the shorter, 'popcorn' chapters but felt my attention drawn away during some of the longer ones. My biggest gripe, however, was that there was no reason to make this FMC 19. And if you were going to make her so young.. can we not pretend that its normal for her not to get carded literally everywhere she goes?

I did not realize this was fourth in a series but I can not wait to read the rest! This can absolutely be read as a standalone.

*secret relationship
*college sports (both MC’s)
*he falls first
*her brother’s hockey rival
*dual POV
*mental health rep
*strong family bonds
*spicy

I started this without reading any of the previous titles and, aside from definitely feeling like I was missing out occasionally, read it easily as a standalone.

I do tend to enjoy sports romances but I found this particular one way. too. long. I also didn’t like how Izzy kept prying and pressuring Nik to share.

Overall, I enjoyed this.



Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Izzy is looking forward to her second year in high school. She is surprised to learn that her summer fling is attending the same school. She decides to keep some distance between them. A nice read.

This was my first hockey romance and my first book in the Beyond the Play series. It was cute and I really appreciated the mental health representation. I felt it was a bit too long. And there was A LOT of sexy times. Too much for me anyway. A different audience may appreciate it more. Nik and Izzy were a cute couple and very supportive of each other. I did not appreciate how Izzy was always pressuring Nik to confide in her or how she was so adamant in including herself in his mental health journey when it was clear he needed to do it himself. All in all it was a solid read. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. 3 stars!

3.75🌟🌟🌟🌟 I rounded to 4

🏒sports romance
🖤brothers rivalry
🏒second chance ( after a fling)
🖤secret romance
🏒he falls first
🖤 family dynamic

I have mixed feelings on this book. I like the sweet romance between Isabella and Nik. There was also a lot of family dynamics that I did enjoy.
I also loved the characters, their development and just how much they really bonded and loved each other.
They bonded but also had a genuine connection with each other and supported each other.
Now what i didn't like was I felt this book was long. I felt stuff was just dragged out, and it actually at times made me dis interested,
I also wasn't a big fan of the Russian vocabulary. I get that it was part of Nik background but I dunno I think it took from story and made it flow less
Overall a cute story. Thank you to net galley n publisher for allowing me to read in advance

As happy I was to receive this book, I was also sad because it means it’s finally the last of the series. I have enjoyed reading all of the books in the series and was patiently waiting for this one to release. It was well worth the wait! The love between the two main characters is unreal and you can feel it through just reading aboht them. I enjoyed following Nikolai’s progress with hockey as well as following Isabelle’s journey with volleyball. The tropes in this book were some of my favorite including brother’s enemy/rival and hiding a relationship. I am going to recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for sending me this e arc!

"Wicked Serve" is the fourth book in Grace Reilly's "Beyond the Play" series. I've never read any of Reilly's books, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This book centers around college students Nikolai and Izzy, both of whom are student athletes (Nikolai-hockey, Izzy-volleyball) trying to juggle practices, academics, and their social lives. While they had a secret summer fling, it's harder for them to keep quiet when Nikolai is transferred to Izzy's school and isn't states away anymore. Any hopes of keeping their relationship quiet are dashed when the sparks between them just can't be ignored.

I typically like the forbidden romance/athlete trope, but this book was lacking something for me. While the two did have good chemistry, it was hard to see what else they liked about each other. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

i enjoyed this book so much! i loved the growth of the two characters throughout the book and the many spice. we definitly cannor complain about it being boring.

however, this book was very long. it did not need to be this long.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series until I finished this book, but I was able to read it as a standalone. I enjoyed a sports romance where the female character is also an athlete, not just a fan for her boyfriend. The plot line of brother's enemy was emphasized a little too much considering how quickly that changed. The story was dragged out a little bit, but overall it was a great book, and I would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly. If you've read the other books in the series, you will enjoy this one. Wicked Serve follows Izzy and Nikolai. Just like the other books in the Beyond the Play Series, Izzy and Nikolai have a ton of chemistry. The back and forth banter between them is on point. I enjoyed the story, and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I've been in a sports romance kick, lately, and was recommended Grace Reilly's books. Wicked Serve was the first of her books that I've read, although it is the fourth in a "series" of stand alone books that center on a set of college-aged siblings.

In Wicked Serve we meet the youngest, and only daughter, our FMC. She is playing volleyball for her college, and trying to convince her coach to give her a chance at her preferred position. She is also trying to live up to a legacy of family athletic excellence, especially her former pro-athlete father and current pro-athlete oldest brother. She is also struggling with the realization that she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life once college is over. A summer internship leads her to meet Nik, a hockey player from her brother's rival team. They have a summer fling, and then separate to go back to their respective colleges. Until... uh-oh... Nik's college suddenly closes and he transfers to Izzy's college. Circumstances lead them to team up to help each other solve some problems, which, naturally, leads to a revival of their summer fling.

You've got plenty of romance-fav tropes in this one- brother's friend, brother's enemy, second-chance romance, etc. It was good, my only complaint being that it dragged a bit in the middle and that the some of the events of the book seemed really contrived to move the plot forward. But I overall enjoyed it, and will definitely check out more Grace Reilly books.

I loved everything about this book! This was my first dual sport romance and I loved it. I did not expect the depth of which we dove into the MCs with their past and trauma. I laughed, I cried, I was emotionally invested and wanted to fight our MMC's dad on his behalf. I will absolutely be recommending this to everyone and buying this as soon as it is released.

Such a cute and fun read! Everything I want in a romance- spice, emotional depth, and growth. I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed every minute!

Such a big fan of this series and author. I’m glad I got to read the lady in the series but not necessarily my favorite. I was surprised to see a third act “breakup” from her as she normally doesn’t do them but I felt it was warranted. Very sunshine meets grumpy book. Can’t wait to see what else she has in store now that this series is over!

What a beautiful love story! This book took me on quite the journey! The characters are amazing. Nikolai is perfection. He is such a gem. The things he says are just chef's kiss.

There's a great balance between spicy, mental health, and relationship development.

I recommend this book to all romance sport readers. Both main characters are in sports. Such a fun read!

Wow. Just wow. The Beyond the Play series by @gracereilly is one of my favorite sports romance series and I have to say that Grace knocked it out of the park with this one. Izzy and Nikolai’s story is so beautiful 🥹

If this series isn’t already on your TBR, I’m aggressively encouraging you to immediately add it. The Callahan family is SO special and every sports romance lover should experience their stories.

Tropes in this book include:
🏐 Brother’s rival-turned-teammate
🏒 Panic disorder rep
🏐 Sneaking around
🏒 Cute nickname - “solnishko” (little sun ☀️)
🏐 Family drama
🏒 BroodyxSunshine
🏐 LOTS of spice (like… you’re not ready 🥵)

This book is easily my favorite in the series.
The maturity and communication between the main characters was refreshing. Their relationship was endearing. I really appreciated the way Nikolai’s childhood trauma was handled in the end. I loved seeing a male lead that could admit he needed help and actively sought self improvement. We love healthy coping mechanisms 👏🏼

The epilogue was such a solid ending to this series. I loved finding out how each couples lives played out.

My one complaint is that I do wish we could’ve gotten a little more from Nik + Isabelle’s summer together. I felt like the book began before I even started it.

Tropes:
🥅 Brother’s Rival
💘 Broody x Bubbly
🩵 He Falls First
✨ Found Family
🤫 Secret Relationship
🏒 Hockey Player MMC
🏐 Volleyball Player FMC

Wicked serve is a yt romance of two college kids who are hooking up and keeping it a secret from her brother. This book reminded me of reading an immature late teen girl diary. This would be a book for a 16-20 year old reader

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I was not in love with this one. I don’t mind some sexual context, but this was pretty intense at times. I also didn’t find it realistic for college age kids. While the story itself was interesting for the most part, I felt like some of the interactions and conflict between the two love interests weren’t totally realistic. I like most substance and sweetness with my love stories, and this one didn’t really fit the bill.

Per-fection!! I would read Grace Reilly’s shopping list. Once again she wrote amazing college hockey romances that I devoured in one sitting! I really felt a connection with the characters and I love how nontoxic their story was!