Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of “Wicked Serve” by Grace Reilly in exchange for my honest review.

Wicked Serve is book 4 in the Beyond the Play series. It follows the story of Isabelle and Nikolai. Izzy is the little sister of the Callahan boys. Nik is Cooper’s hockey rival and is off limits. Izzy and Nik cross paths while she’s interning for his mom and start up a fling but it abruptly ends at the end of summer. Nik is forced to switch schools and becomes Cooper’s teammate and once again crosses paths with Izzy. Nik is forced to confront his traumatic past while learning to heal and move on with a future with Izzy.

It honestly wasn’t my favorite storyline of the series. However, overall I enjoyed the series as a whole. I enjoyed the 5 years later epilogue with updates on the other couples. I love a good sports themed romance, therefore, if you enjoy these storylines, I’d suggest you give it a read too.

I loved this series and think this book did a great job at wrapping up the loose ends. I am sad we wont get to see more of these characters.

This is such a wholesome and cute book. Loved the hockey and volleyball components. both characters dealt with real life struggles and I really loved that they both grew and worked on themselves to be a stronger couple.

This book was more than the sports that they both play. It was about what you truly love and want to do in your life. Isabella and Nikolai have a strong connection, and it shows throughout the entire book. When things get hard, they stick together and figure out how to get thru it. For college students, they are very mature and have the communication down very well.
I will say this book is heartwarming, swoon worthy, and an all-around good book. There's steamy scenes in it as well. I gotta say that I loved how mature her brother handled the relationship and the aftermath. I mean, by the end, they were best friends. l also thought it dragged a tiny bit and was a bit long but it was needed to get everything in it.
I loved both characters and the journey they take to heal and truly be in happy in life.

3.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶️

This series started off really strong for me & I was really excited to dive back into this world, especially for this book just based off of the tropes I knew were included, however this one was a bit of a let down. It just felt extremely long for what it was. I found myself bored and skimming through quite a bit. I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters unfortunately. There was a good bit of spice in this book but I just wasn’t feeling their connection. It felt a bit forced.

Thank you to Grace, Avon, & Net Galley for the ARC!

Tropes:
- Sports Romance
- Hockey Player x Volleyball Player
- College Romance
- Brother’s Rival
- Secret Relationship

Grace Reilly never fails. Another book I'm in love with and thinking about it daily!!!!

Nikolai lives in my head rent free. Him whispering in her ear sweet and sexy russian words is my new kink tbh.

Izzy my gal. Love her so much, she's such a mood. I love that she's playing volleyball and i was so impatient to read her story!

I really like how Grace also touches on heavier topics such as childhood trauma, child abuse, and how it effects your mental health as well as future relationships with such respect.

This book also navigates on anxiety, panic attacks, and an overworked mental health.

Tropes:

•brother's rival turned teammate
•he's Russian!
•secret summer romance
•hockey and volleyball
•found family
•spice

Isabelle is a girl often overshadowed by her super athletic older brothers. With a father who was in the NFL, an older brother who followed in his footsteps, another brother NHL bound, it’s no wonder she strives for the that same perfection for herself. I think every girl at some point in their life feels like they aren’t enough therefore so many will connect with Isabelle and her struggle. Nik is the one boy that saw all the awesomeness that is Isabelle but Nik also has his demons he battles. The son of a former NHLer, Nik is set to follow that route post graduation. What Nik doesn’t let out is the abuse both he and his mom dealt with at the hands of his father. The relationship between Isabelle and Nik is seamless and their characters ooze chemistry. I love that they both helped the other with their struggles and even if I’m the beginning they didn’t define what they were you could tell they would be end game for sure.

Wicked Serve ARC Review 🏐🗽🎀🐨🏒

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Let’s be honest, I absolutely devoured this arc once I sat down to read it. I did not want to stop, it’s that good of a story.

I think out of this whole series, this one is my favorite. Like I loved reading about Izzy’s brothers but her story just really hit home for me. Not that theirs aren’t relatable, but hers I don’t know, to me just I could very much see myself as her in some parts.

When it comes to Nikolai, I enjoyed his character story line. The struggles he went through and trying to be someone better. It was very inspiring. Because we all know I’m an emotional reader, obviously I cried when reading this. Some aspects just brought me to tears.

Overall, thank you Grace Reilly and Valentine Pr for giving me the opportunity to read the final book in the beyond the play series.

4⭐️
3🌶️

🏐 Sports romance
🏒 Second chance
🏐 Brother’s rival
🏒 Grumpy x sunshine
🏐 FWB

This is the last book in the Beyond the Play series so of course I had to read it since I read the other 3 prior to this one. I enjoyed getting glimpses of Izzy in the first 3 books so I was looking forward to getting her book. I loved that she was also athletic and that it wasn’t just the MMC who played a sport and volleyball is so different than what you normally read about. I loved Nik and Izzy’s relationship from the start when they were hiding everything over the summer to when they first started seeing each other again. Nik has his reservations and for good reason after you get the background of his childhood, but he hid a lot from Izzy and she was so supportive of him. She helped him to open up and work through a lot and it kinda bummed me out that it wasn’t enough at times. I enjoyed this book, but felt like it was a bit longer than it needed to be and could’ve ended at multiple different times.

Another great read by Grace Reilly! Wicked Serve was honestly my favorite of the series ☺️☺️. If you haven’t picked this book up yet, what are you waiting for? Nik’s possessiveness is some of the best stuff I’ve read in awhile.

When all you’ve done your entire life, is play hockey, what do you do when it’s time to give it up? Nik gave more than blood, sweat and tears to the sport. He gave up his childhood to be the perfect player his dad forced him to be. When the time comes that he has to give it up, may be it is best to leave all the trauma behind him, so his family can move on from the past. However, when Izzy comes along to give him avenues to come to terms with his past life, he’s already promised this would be the last year he would play hockey, the NHL isn’t part of the plan. Izzy has seen his bad, his sad, and his ugly, yet she’s shown him people will stay when they say they will. But what happens when life shows you that not everything can be perfect, there is always another shoe that will drop?

Izzy didn’t mean to fall for Nik, yet here she is. His biggest supporter, his biggest cheerleader, and yet he won’t stand up for himself and do the one thing he was meant to do. Play hockey. Izzy has an uphill battle of her own to climb, she has also put blood, sweat and tears into volleyball and her coach won’t give her to the chance to shine in a position she knows she can do. Yet, Nik won’t let her quit. Why is it so easy for him to support her, but not support himself? As Izzy starts to fall in love with volleyball again, she’s determined to get Nik to show love for hockey the same way. Too bad he’s the most stubborn person she knows, but she can be as stubborn as well.

The way these 2 support each other through everything is amazing. There was no miscommunication, or angry talks. It was all love and support. I absolutely adored this couple and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them!! Another great book in the series for Grace!

Cute story about hockey player, Nik, and volleyball player, Isabelle. At first, they have to hide their relationship from her brother, who plays hockey with Nik. There is discussion of domestic abuse and Nik shows signs of PTSD.

absolutely enjoyed reading this book, I do have to say a few things icked me out while reading. I loved the relationship between the characters and how it was friends to lovers, which is something I don’t really like in books, but I enjoyed in this one. This book does shine light on mental health which I liked as well!! I do think that this book should not have been 400 pages though, I feel like it could have been a lot shorter without the unnecessary bits.

Isabelle is a volleyball player who had a summer fling with Nikolai who plays hockey. When they believe their summer fling is over when they go back to their different collages, state lines separating them, Nikolai unexpectedly transfers to McKee University and joins her brothers (his rival) hockey team. Now what happens when they run into each other and feelings begin to stir up again?

Nikolai definitely doesn’t stand up for himself to his grandfather and never would have if it wasn’t for Isabelle. Also his nickname for her (Sunshine) is so sweet and was perfect, ugh just swoon worthy. I also loved that there wasn’t really any miscommunication (not my favorite trope). Definitely recommend reading this book!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

yall this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read!! everything about it was absolute perfection and I would give it way more than 5 stars!! I felt for nikolai and all of his hardships but man does he have the biggest heart!! this is one of those books that once you pick it up you cannot put it down! nikolai and isabelle are so incredibly perfect for one another! this is one of those books that once you pick it up you will not want to put it down!!

Wicked serve by Grace Reilly

I read this story as a standalone and I loved it so much. It was enjoyable and entertaining. I loved the plot and characters. Especially, the main characters Nikolai and Isabelle. I absolutely recommend this story.

have been waiting for this one since stealing home. such a cute easy read! could not put it down !! LOVE the relationship so much

This book blew me away, and gave me a whole new rom-com author to obsess over!

If you like your romance perfectly balanced between sweet, spicy, and tackling some deeper topics, this is THE rom-com you need to pick up. I adored the blend this author was able to pull off. The romance is adorable, and the main couple is so, so easy to root for and obsess over. Their chemistry is visceral and believable, you can tell from page one that they are willing to go the distance for one another. Even with the sweetness of them, the spice does NOT hold back 🌶️🌶️🌶️. Spice starts early and is revisited often, but never feels overdone or like it is taking away from the overall story. The heavier topics (tw: childhood abuse, panic attacks, and symptoms of trauma) are handled with perfect care and thoughtfulness.

I know this is technically the end of a series, but I felt like I knew all of these characters throughout the book, even the ones from previous book couples (and I can’t wait to go back and read their stories!). The family, both found and blood, is so close-knit and comforting. We got to spend a lot of time with them, from summer to Christmas to spring, and their relationships on the page are just so endearing throughout. This is a sports romance (MMC is a hockey player, FMC is a volleyball player) and it actually managed to make aspects of sports that can bore me at times seem interesting and comfortable. I loved the role sports played in both our characters lives, as well as how they have so much complexity to them outside of their sports passions.

I just really, really adored this. I will absolutely be going back to read the series so far before this, and I can’t wait to see what this author does next! Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this eArc!

The final installment of the Beyond the Play Series, and an amazing way to end. SOn much consistency from the earlier books from real-life issues and loveable characters, it was truly an enjoyable story to read!

I enjoyed this dual sports romance by Grace Reilly! It was a story that was different than what I typically read, as I am not someone who typically goes for something that starts as a fling or second chance vibes (both of which are prominent here), but I loved it nonetheless. This book was a true emotional rollercoaster with both main characters having their family issues, along with other issues to work through.

I will admit, this was a long book, and at times really did feel like it dragged some, but there was still enough to keep me engaged throughout.

In all, I loved Nikolai and Izzy. Both of their characters were so real, lovable, and so enjoyable to watch grow. I loved following this journey with them and will be sad to see this series go. I can't wait to see what else this author writes!

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. 🩷🩷

I read it and loved it, not knowing when I started that it was book 4 of a series. So, now I get the pleasure of going back to read it all from the beginning…knowing what a fabulous ending everyone gets 🥹💜😉

What a heartbreakingly beautiful story mixed with everyone’s favorite - hockey.

Nik and Izzy are incredible. His past trauma that he is trying to outrun and her steadfast commitment to him are so lovely to watch. As their love story unfolds from a summer fling, to a kind of second chance romance you watch them grow as young adults and as a couple.

There is lots of story with her family (who are featured in the previous books) so you never have to say goodbye to those characters. I am so excited to go back now and get to meet them all!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly!

This was a great book and only sad I didn’t know this was #4 in a series. Definitely will be reading the rest.

I wish I had known this was the fourth book in the series, but it is a stand alone, so I guess it wasn't that big of a deal. Overall I enjoyed the book. Izzy is a college student who is attracted to her brother's rival on the ice, Nik. This is a sexy romance but could have been a little shorter. Thankful that this didn't play into the miscommunication trope like so many romance novels that I have read lately. This is a good one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Oh man… I thought this was going to be a silly little hockey romance, but boy was I wrong. There is so much depth to the plot of the book and I cried at least 3 times. 😭

Though this was my first I introduction to the Callahan family, but I will most definitely be going back to read books 1-3 to read the three Callahan brothers stories!

Izzy is a college volleyball player that has a summer romance with her brother’s rival on the ice. She meets Nik at her summer internship when he comes to visit his mother (Izzy’s boss). They decide to keep it casual because of the rivalry and the distance, but make the most of the summer. Something comes up and Nik has to transfer to the same college in order to finish his degree and play hockey. They still agree to keep it causal and a secret, but you know how that typically goes!

This book is so much more than a sports romance. It shows a non-toxic college romance where each main character has real life struggles that get in the way. The family/found family aspect throughout the book is so heartwarming and adds so much to the story.

Also, his nickname for her… Solnishko (Russian) 🥹🥹

On the other hand, one of the main characters did have experience with domestic abuse and flashes back to this scenarios a couple of times. This main character struggles with feeling like they will follow in the abusers footsteps. If you feel that storyline might be too sensitive for you, this might not be the book for you. Personally, the ideology of the main character being able to grow and separate their feelings was a bit healing for me. It still did hit very hard having experience. 🫶🏻

Thank you NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the early review copy!