I enjoyed this book, but it took me a long time to get through. It felt like it could have been about 100 pages shorter and gotten to the same conclusion. Both characters were great and I'm glad Nik gets therapy by the end of the book, but I just got bored. I enjoyed their chemistry and the spice was SPICY, but some of it felt like another sex scene to fill pages. I might go back and read the others in this series, but it'll be a while.

“Good girl, Isabelle. So perfect for me, like sunshine after a storm.”

Isabelle and Nikolai are hot AF! They spent the summer together knowing there can’t be a future between the two of them. They go to different schools and Isabelle’s brother is Nik’s hockey rival. But when Nik is forced to transfer to McKee University all the reasons they can’t be together just doesn’t seem as important. They can’t deny that the attraction is still there and their chemistry is just too strong to ignore. Can they figure out a way to be together or are the odds that just stacked against them?

The youngest Callahan finally gets her book and I couldn’t be any happier. Isabelle puts so much pressure on herself especially coming from a family like hers. When she’s with Nik, somehow it just doesn’t seem to
matter as much, he has this way of making her feel like she’s enough.
Nik has his own family struggles that is holding him back from fully going all in with Isabelle and his future.
Together these two can overcome anything, they just have to make sure to get out of their own head.

Lots of swoon, spice and sneaking around! There’s also some very emotional moments so be ready for those as well!

A hockey player and a volleyball player, in a secret relationship and he’s her brother’s rival? Say less!

I must admit it. I'm not one for hockey romances, but Grace Reilly has made me a believer. The inclusion of volleyball and hot Russian MC with a softness really did seal it for me. Give it a read asap. I'm about to start with her first book.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Wicked Serve

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ Nikolai
Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.”

I really enjoyed the latest in this series of books. I thought it was a little long for the story line but really loved the story line when it got going towards the last third of the book. Love that author included the epilogue 5 years later with the update on all the characters from all the books because we always want to know what happened after the book ended. I would recommend this series to anyone but be warned it’s spicy.

i ended up reading this so late but it was absolutely worth it, i love this book!! it was amazing and such a fast quick read. from the moment i started reading it i could not stop. i had such a soft spot for nikolai and everything that has happened to him but i loved seeing him learn how to talk through his emotions and talk to isabel. they are such a cute couple i could not get enough of them. it’s safe to say i would 100% recommend this to anyone and everyone. i read it as a standalone and i’d like to thank Valentine PR and Grace Reilly for letting me read this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, to NetGalley as well as Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book.

“He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival… but he’s bringing the heat for me.”

The Callahan family is back and I could not be more pumped! Cooper Callahan made me fall back in love with romance books again so of course, when I saw this book available as an ARC, I had to RUN to snag it….and I was NOT disappointed. Izzy’s love story was the perfect addition (and ending) to this beautiful series about this family and the loves of their lives.

I’ll be honest, I was unsure about Nikolai at first. But oh my goodness….I just fell in love with him alone with Izzy throughout this novel. He works so hard to overcome his circumstances and has such a huge heart that does not get to be shown near enough in his life.

This book has it all: suspense, heartbreak, family betrayals, spice, tension, and a happily ever after. It also combines even more of the stories of the other Callahan siblings with brings me so much joy. The use of the Russian language throughout the book is so sweet and even a little spicy at some points. I love that Nikolai calls Izzy “Solnishko” which basically means “little sun” and it is swoon-worthy. I am a sports romance girlie through and through and this is the first one that I have read surrounding volleyball which added to the uniqueness of the story for me. As a former volleyball player, this transported me right back to those days and brought forth a fun sense of nostalgia.

I definitely will need to go back and listen to the audio on this one since it’s the only one that I have not read as an Audiobook. I bet the narration for Nik is just so good.

This book was such a cute concept and I was sooo excited to read it but sadly it wasn’t executed properly for me! I think this might be because I haven’t read the other books but since it can be read as a standalone I feel like i should’ve enjoyed it. It felt very rushed, didn’t really scream college romance to me - very little of the college aspect was included. The characters also seemed WAY older than they were supposed to be. It was just odd character development.

I really enjoyed reading about Nik’s past and watching him open up, I wish we got to see more of it and see more of how they supported each other.

The spicy scenes were very anticlimactic. Everything kind of felt rushed. The way the author explained the orgasms was honestly very very odd- orgasming because you crawled ?? Weird. It felt like the author was trying to include some type of dom sub relationship but didn’t really do a good job.

I will def trying reading the whole series and hopefully it’ll make this a better rated book.

🚨✨ If you haven't dived into Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly yet, you’re seriously missing out! This final book in the Beyond the Play series is a masterclass in sports romance with a spicy twist that'll leave you breathless. Nikolai and Isabelle’s story is the ultimate blend of forbidden love and fierce rivalry, with the added drama of familial tension and personal demons. The chemistry between them is electric, and the stakes couldn't be higher with Nikolai being the brother’s rival and all. Reilly’s knack for blending intense emotions, steamy scenes, and heartfelt moments is on full display here. If you're craving a book that'll make your heart race and keep you up all night, this is it. Seriously, this book is a total slam dunk! 🏒🔥📚

3.5 ⭐️
I thought this was such a cute read. I liked Nikolai!! I think i just wasn’t very into it as I thought I would. But overall it was good read!!

There is such a beautiful romance in this story. The plot was just beautiful. The characters are fantastic. I loved that both characters excelled in their own sport and had to find their self-worth together. Nikolai honestly is going to live rent-free in my head for a long time. He is an absolute gem of a book boyfriend. He is a Russian hockey player who whispers sweet and sexy Russian words in your ear. He was absolutely swoon-worthy.

Alright, I have to agree this was a cute read! I was giggling through the entirety of the book, the banters between the MCs were fire. Full RTC soon. Thankyou to Valentine PR, the Author, the Publisher for this amazing ARC!

✨️eARC Review✨️

5/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶

*Wicked Serve is book 4 in the Beyond the Play series and is an interconnected standalone*

When Izzy spends the summer interning as a wedding planner in New York, she ends up in a summer FWB situation with her mentor's son, who is also her brother's hockey rival. While she's devastated that the fling is over, she's trying to win back her starting volleyball position to make her athletic family proud. Nikolai gets into trouble right into the start of the semester and is forced to transfer to McKee, his rival school. While he can't wait to see Izzy, he's not so excited about her brother. They can't fight their feelings and give into more secret flings, but will it end all over again when Nikolai can't escape his past?

This was my first Grace Reilly book, and I loved it! I was hoping to get through books 1-3 before this ARC and unfortunately wasn't able to, but I was able to follow the characters/history perfectly and can't wait to go back and read the rest! Without giving away spoilers, I loved so many things about this book, but my favorite being that there were so many emotions and deeper feelings involved than I thought there was going to be. I loved that Izzy and Nikolai really balanced each other out, and Izzy never gave up on him. I especially loved Izzy's family and how they welcomed Nikolai, especially Cooper, and the friendship they formed.

Tropes:
✔️ College Sporte Romance
✔️ Hockey Player MMC
✔️ Volleyball Player FMC
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Brother's Rival
✔️ Friends With Benefits

This was a Fantastic book! The relationship was a he fall first trope and he had an amazing personality too. I will continue reading more of the authors books and would recommend to anyone who likes hockey romance.

Wicked Serve was my first book by Grace Reilly and I enjoyed reading Isabelle and Nikolai's story. The story did have some heavy themes to tackle such as childhood trauma and domestic violence but I think Grace wrote the story beautifully and really described Nik's panic attacks and inner turmoil well. All I have to say is Izzy and Nik def had a different college experience than I did. This book is STEAMY!!! For a majority of the book Izzy and Nik are sneaking around behind her family's back, especially Cooper who is Izzy's brother and Nik's teammate. What started out as a summer fling for these two ended up becoming so much more. Nik really did think of Isabelle as his sunshine and to see their story unfold was super sweet. I loved that Isabelle also grew closer to her siblings after feeling like the outsider/failure in her sports dominated family. The only thing I would say is 74 chapters plus an epilogue it seemed slightly long even though it's around 440 pages. This book did make me invested in Izzy's siblings and I can't wait to read the other three books in the series.

TW: childhood trauma, domestic violence, panic attacks

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the eARC of Wicked Serve in exchange for my honest review.

This series was one of the first sports romances I read when I restarted my reading journey. I’m so sad to say goodbye but I think this was a hit! Izzy and Nik are kind and loving. They get each other so deeply and that level of self awareness that allowed them to fix their insecurities to become a better unit together made them such a strong couple. The drama was interesting and the spice was there. Grace knows how to right a hot MMC. I love Izzy with her brothers and seeing James and Bec as parents makes me so happy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

📖arc book review!

wicked serve by grace reilly

📚s e r i e s: 4️⃣th book in the beyond the play series

🏡 s e t t i n g: mckee university - new york

💞t r o p e s:
•found family
•hockey romance
•he falls first
•brother's rival
•grumpy x sunshine

💬 t h o u g h t s: Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Nik and Izzy were such a fun couple. Izzy was all pink and sunshine, and Nik was hooked from the get-go 😍

This book…this book was quite the journey. It took me a solid two weeks to read it, which is clear indicator that I am struggling with a book. I will be 100% honest, I was bored. It started off well, but after the initial few chapters I was struggling to want to pick it up.

But, before I go there I want to highlight some of the things I think this book did really well. First, it’s part of a series but marketed as being able to read as a standalone…& this book is a perfect example of how to do that. Having not read any of the previous books, I didn’t feel like I was missing any information. I also thought (despite my feelings on certain characters) the relationship was healthy & didn’t involve any toxic elements that are more typical in college-aged romances. & above everything else, the relationship Nikolai has with himself, his journey to acknowledge the past & what he has gone through, his “I don’t need therapy” evolution…everything about that storyline was absolutely perfect & I would read an entire story just about Nik.

My two biggest issues with this book came from the pacing/length…& Izzy. Starting with the former, this was entirely too long. There were multiple times I said out loud “nothing is actually happening.” About half way through I was really considering not finishing this. But halfway was over 200 pages & I was not letting that go to waste. I am glad I finished it. I think the last 20% or so was really strong & increased my enjoyment of the book overall (& rating). But I am still frustrated that I had to get through 300+ pages before I got there. Some serious cuts could have really helped the pacing & momentum, which would have made for a much different reading experience. My second issue, Izzy…well I just could have done without her altogether. She was immature & really felt like she was inventing problems just to have them. This story could have been a beautiful coming of age story for Nikolai. I loved the moments we had in his head. Just could have done without her.

I think another element that would have really helped, would have been to have more of their summer romance other than just the prologue, or have flashbacks throughout. I never really felt the chemistry between Izzy & Nikolai, but I think that’s because a lot more happened during that summer than we ever see, or really ever hear about. We are just told they are infatuated with each other & are supposed to go with it.

Bottom Line: eh…the epilogue was sweet. If you’ve read the rest of the Beyond the Play series I’m sure it is worth it to finish it & see where all of the characters end up. I loved Nik’s storyline with his past & learning to acknowledge his trauma & how to work past that. But I wasn’t rooting for the relationship & did not care for Izzy’s character. Also felt there were a lot of plot holes with her volleyball storyline(s). Prior to reading this I was really excited to read the rest of this series, but at this point I am not sure I will.

absolutely loved this cute story about a girl who doesn’t believe in herself in the slightest meeting a boy just as insecure, if not more than she is, both dealing with their own demons side by side. loved how the author accurately represented anxiety and trauma and did it justice. on another note, the SPICE 🥵 really love me some sports romance books and reallllly enjoyed all the pop culture references and humor. thank you net galley for this arc!!

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it was not for me :( I had a hard time getting into the book and felt like there was too much fluff and not enough plot driving the story. Hoping that the next Grace Reilly book is more up my alley!

Cute story with forbidden love and brother's enemy as the main tropes. However, even though the main characters had issues with fear of failing, panic attacks and dealing with childhood trauma, they still seemed more two-dimensional than fully developed. Also, it needs some judicious editing. It really starts to drag in the second half. I still definitely recommend it, just with a few reservations. Quite spicy.
3.5⭐ rounding up