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!

This was an adorable story… it didn’t need to be over 400 pages (personal opinion), but I enjoyed it. I absolutely loved Nikolai, but there were moments when I just felt absolutely sad for him. He stands up for others who can’t stand up for themselves, but when it comes to himself, you can tell he’s frustrated but stays quiet.

Izzy was hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I loved her, and sometimes, she got on my nerves. I appreciated their relationship and the fact that there wasn’t any miscommunication between them. They both had some mental health issues to deal with, which made both of them endearing. It made Nikolai and Izzy relatable.

I didn’t realize this was book four of a series, but it is a standalone. There were moments when this dragged a bit. While the chapters were short, there were a lot of them, some of them were unnecessary.

The entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited.

rating: 4 stars

This is the first book I have read in this series, so it absolutely stands alone and you are able to keep the other characters straight, even though there are a lot. I am sure I will go back and read at least some of the other books in the series as I think they will be just as good as this one. The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is there is just too much angst in it, and the angst lasts for most of the book! The love story, though, really isn't the main angst in the book, which is refreshing! Nik and Isabella are a great couple, and this is a YA book, so if you don't like those, this isn't the book for you. The path to their HEA is rocky, but well worth the journey. I can absolutely recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

arc review: wicked serve —

rating: 4 stars

this is book 4 in the beyond the play series and i don’t think you absolutely have to read the first 3 books to understand the other characters but it’s always good too! and after reading this i’ll definitely be wanting to read anything by grace reilly

this book follows nikolai and isabella who have just had a summer fling come to an end especially because nikolai and isabella’s old brother are hockey rivals

i really enjoyed the fun and lightheartedness of this book. isabella and nikolai are really great characters and i really enjoyed getting to read them. the spice was good and this is definitely a book to read when you just want to enjoy yourself. i love how hard they both fell for each other over their summer fling, the chemistry was soooo good!!! and so much encouragement between the characters especially because they are both competing in different sport teams

i really loved this book and definitely makes me want to read the complete series

read this if you love:
💗 sports romance
💗 secret relationship
💗 brother’s rival
💗 he falls first and harder

thank you valentine pr, net galley and grave reilly for this arc 🤍

"𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠."

Grace never misses, just like the other 3 books I loved Wicked Serve. The way she portrays the consequences of child (and domestic) abuse is raw and beautiful. I loved Nikolai and Isabel together – also a huge fan of the fact that there wasn’t much conflict between the two of them; and when there was conflict, they resolved it by communicating like adults instead of jumping to conclusions (we love that). I also adored the realistic epilogue! I do however think this book could’ve been shorter – especially the middle part of it dragged on a bit.

The vibes ✨
- Hockey player x Volleyball player
- Mental Health rep
- College setting
- Found family
- ‘Forbidden’ romance
- And much more!

This was my first Grace Reilly book (I know I know I started with the last book in the series😅) and I really enjoyed it! The writing was great! I never felt like the story was dragging and I read the entire book in a little over a day. I laughed, I cried, it truly has you invested in these characters and rooting for them to get their happy ending.

Definitely recommend to all sports romance readers! Now I’m off to start the first book in the series😂

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

This was my first ever book by Grace Reilly, which I was fortunate enough to be given as an advanced reader copy. While I had not read previous books that would have offered backstory on our FMC Isabelle‘s siblings and their partners, I felt like this book was strong on its own.

And while the activity in the book centered around college- aged main characters, I still felt connected to them, likely because they were both written in a way that was really mature and emotional. The love story between Isabelle and Nikolai was both beautiful and a little heartbreaking to me throughout the book. For his part, Nik was dealing with so much trauma, and it obviously impacted his lens of the world, especially his view of what love and relationships could be. The beauty comes in when Isabelle and he reconnect after he transfers to McKee — and she slowly, gracefully, lovingly teaches him what true support, respect, and love looks like.

I won’t say more than that so as not to spoil the story, but I think this was a really well-written book that I enjoyed reading from start to finish. I will definitely be picking up more titles from Grace as I go back and explore Izzy’s siblings’ stories sometime very soon!

Nikolai and Isabelle are fresh off a summer fling that’s totally off-limits. He’s her brother’s rival, and he’d lose it if he knew. But are they going to let that stop them from being together? Obviously not. What’s refreshing here is the lack of endless angst and misunderstandings. Instead of endless should we should we not drama, this book delivers just the right amount of spice and sweetness. It’s a fun, light read that’s perfect if you're craving something cute and easy. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC—I absolutely adore Nikolai and Isabelle!

What a conclusion to an absolutely amazing series! I’m sad that my time with the Callahan family is over because I could read about their lives forever it seems.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect of the youngest Callahan’s story, but Izzy did not disappoint! She was fierce and confident and unapologetically herself. It made her more vulnerable moments all the more relatable. Trying to live up to your older siblings accomplishments is hard, but I loved the support that Izzy had (even when she wasn’t aware of it).

Nik was a delightful addition to this series. I loved that he speaks another language and that he gives her a nickname in that language! Learning about his struggles and watching him endure them was tough, but getting to experience his journey and Izzy’s impact on his life was gratifying.

I loved the cameo’s from past characters and getting to see how past relationships have developed. The Callahan’s are such a beautiful family, they make you want to be a part of it.

Lastly, Grace writes some of the best spice I’ve ever read! There was a really great balance of steam and sustenance to their story.

Rating: 5 stars
Spice: 4 stars

Izzy, the baby sister, youngest child, and often the one forgotten about. She has spent her life in her three brothers shadows, from sports to career plans. She isn't playing the position she's used to for volleyball, has no idea what she wants to do with her life after college, and everyone sees her as the party girl. Nikolai is the son of a famous hockey player, but what no one knows is how his dad abused him and his mom. His grandfather took them in when they escaped years ago, but hates hockey and wants to strongarm Nik into taking over the family business instead of following his NHL contract. Izzy feels like a failure, until along comes Nikolai during her summer internship. The captain of one of her brother's rival team. But a summer fling between the two, no matter how amazing shouldn't matter, right? Wrong. Nikolai gets expelled from his school for covering for a teammate, and transfers to McKee with Izzy and her brother. As they run into each other more and more, their connection becomes undeniable. But Izzy and Nikolai have plenty of issues on their own, let alone together. Will their love be enough or will the world break them apart?

I was BEYOND excited when I got the notification I was selected to read this ARC. This has got to be one of my favorite hockey books now. Grace Reilly absolutely hit it out of the park with this final book in the series!! The topics she tackled, like anxiety and domestic abuse, were handled beautifully. She did her research, and as someone with anxiety I feel like she appropriately displayed the characteristics with Nik. AND THE SPICE!!! So flipping good, the descriptions were top tier and just perfectly placed. Felt like the plot and spice were perfectly balanced. I loved that characters from past books appeared in it, but without overshadowing the main ones. Definitely going on my favorites list, highly recommend!!

First thought: Hockey & Volleyball in this double threat sports romance- Yes Please! I had to read this one as I am a volleyball girl and I couldn’t wait to have a FMC that shared my passion for the sport. If you like a bit of secret romance, college sports, strong family bonds and spice this one’s for you.

Izzy grew up in a house of boys who were competitive, her family all does sports. So she took up volleyball to prove to them she’s an athlete also. This summer she internship in NYC in wedding planning and she thrived at it. She may have also had a summer fling with the boss’s son who happened to be the rival school’s caption of her brother’s hockey team. Now school started and it’s time to focus. She just needs her coach to see the amount of work she’s putting in, so she can shine in the position she wants to play.

Nik has a complicated dark past he keeps buried down. He just took the fall for his teammate and was kicked out of college. Thankfully his grandfather is wealthy and has influence so he was able to finish his senior year at another college and still play hockey. But that came with strings.. he agreed after college instead of going to the NHL he will go into the family business. So that’s going to suck but at-least he gets to still play one more season. The only issue is he’s now on the team of his summer flings brother and he doesn’t want it to be more than just a summer fling.

Read this one to see how Izzy and Nik navigate a year of college with all the things flying: volleyballs, hockey pucks,snowballs and feelings.

*References of domestic abuse that cause panic attacks due to childhood trauma

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Hockey vs Volleyball Player
* Teammate’s Little Sister
* Secret Romance
* Found Family
* Grand Gestures
* Grumpy x Sunshine
* Collegiate Romance
* Dual POV
* Spice🔥


🏐🐨🏒🏐🐨🏒🏐🐨🏒🏐🐨🏒🏐🐨🏒🏐

Isobel and Nickolai spent an exciting, forbidden summer together in NYC where they developed feelings for each other. Their relationship had to end because he’s the captain of the hockey team for her rival university. As the captain of McKee’s hockey team, her brother Cooper considers Nikolai to be his arch nemesis.
When Nikolai gets expelled, he ends up at McKee playing with Cooper. Starting up his relationship with Izzy is extremely risky but they can’t stop themselves. They lean on each other as Izzy learns about Nikolai’s dad who plays Russian pro hockey, and Izzy shares her feelings about succeeding in her athletic family.
There are deeper themes addressed, like parental approval/expectations and sibling relationships that add to the quality of the book.
I enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to the next book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When Nikolai (Nik) is forced to move to a whole new state, college and hockey team, he realizes that it all comes with a massive challenge: being in close proximity to the captain’s sister; Isabelle Callahan. The sister that he messed around with the summer before school started. If the brother finds out that Nik slept with his sister then he risks losing his spot on a roster all over again. His dreams of being in the NHL gone, just like that. Not only that but due to past relationships and trauma, he can’t be the one Isabelle Callahan needs.

Isabelle (Izzy) Callahan has set two goals for sophomore year: 1. get back in the good graces of the volleyball coach and get her spot back and 2. Forget all about the handsome defenseman, Nik Abney-Volkov and the summer they spent together. When Nik shows up unexpectedly on the McKee campus, all the intentions of forgetting Nik are wasted. Their friends-with-benefits relationship has slowly turned into more and blurred the lines. Will they be able to come to a decision to be together or are they destined to be apart from the start?

I have read all of the Callahan books besides the third one (sorry Sebby!) and this one was very cute! I wish it had been a bit shorter maybe in the 340-370 page range. The “We shouldn’t have done this”, or “we can’t do this”, got a little frustrating at times but I was able to power through it. Overall it was pretty good, only minor changes that I would’ve made. Some tropes include brothers rival, summer fling, hockey romance, and secret relationship. There may be more that I missed. Some TWs would be mention of spousal abuse (MMC father to mother), mention of drgs, and some others. Please be careful and look into TWs before reading. Take care of yourself!