I’ve really enjoyed Grace Reilly’s previous stories in this series. I found Wicked Serve to be difficult to become invested in, making reading feel more like a chore. The dynamic and attitudes of the characters often felt shallow and I struggled to emotionally connect. Not my favorite.

From a summer fling...

What's a little summer fling between athletes?
That's the premise of Nikolai and Izzy.
He's a college senior with a foot in the door at the NHL.
She's a college sophomore trying to improve her volleyball game.
There's a lot of tropes crammed into this NA, college read.
Recommend.

Our final instalment of the Beyond the Play series but what a great way to end.

This can however totally be read as a standalone so don't let tha stop you from reading Nikolai and Izzy's story.

After finishing a summer internship and romance Izzy is returning for her sophomore year of college and to the volleyball team she feels she has yet to make an impact on.

After signing with an NHL team for after graduation and a summer romance, Nikolai finds himself kicked out of college his senior year and finding himself at Izzy's school. Also the college his rival (Izzy's) brother attends.

It was supposed to be just for the summer but now Nikolai and Izzy can't seem to stay away from each other.

There relationship was so well developed and overcoming self doubt, past trauma and supporting each other. I was rooting for them the whole way.

The nicknames for each other, swoon ❤️
The Spice was just right 👨‍🍳💋

I even appreciated how well they wrapped up the Callahan families story. I will miss them all.

I’ve been wanting to read a book by Grace Reilly for quite some time and I finally picked Wicked Serve to be the one. 😂 I love me some sports romance especially when both characters are athletes. The book starts off with Isabelle and Nikolai having a summer fling. They thought it would never last after that but things changed..

Nikolai is on a rival team but soon he ends up at the same college that Isabelle is at. The feelings never went away for them both and they then agree to be together again in secret.

✨“You’re everything to me, Isabelle. You’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. You’re sunshine.”✨

I was not expecting this book to be so spicy! 🔥 Nik was so hot and the things he’d say to Isabelle got me blushing. 🤭

✨“Look at you,”
“My perfect girl, so messy already.”✨

I did think this book was a tad to long and dragged but it was still an enjoyable read for the most part. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Tropes:
•Sports Romance
•College Romance
•Secret Relationship
•Volleyball Player x Hockey Player

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

Thank you @authorgracereilly, @valentine.pr and @avonbooks for the #gifted ebook. All opinions expressed are my own and given freely.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is Game, Set and Match! The fourth book in the Beyond the Play series, this standalone novel is packed with all the drama, passion, and humor that fans have come to love. From the fiery interactions between Nick and Izzy to the heartwarming moments shared between them, this book had me hooked from start to finish.

I couldn't get enough of the sizzling chemistry between Nick and Izzy, and their journey from a secret fling to a full-blown romance had me on the edge of my seat. The side stories of both characters added even more depth to the plot, making for a truly engaging read.

If you're a fan of sports romance, you won't want to miss out on "Wicked Serve." Grace Reilly has served up an ace with this one, delivering a story that will have you cheering for more. I'm already counting down the days until her next book hits the shelves!

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
4.5⭐
2.5🌶️

I often struggle to find the right words when reviewing books that truly captivate me. This particular book was incredibly moving, with a mix of passion and deep emotions. It felt incredibly authentic and portrayed a beautiful love story.

The story delves into themes such as childhood trauma, child abuse, and their lasting impact on mental health and future relationships. It also explores anxiety, panic attacks, and the burden of maintaining good mental health.

Despite the heavy themes, the book beautifully captures a romance that resonates deeply. The plot is compelling, and the characters are exceptionally well-written. I particularly enjoyed that both characters excelled in their respective sports and had to navigate through their journey of self-worth together.

Nikolai, the Russian hockey player, has certainly left a lasting impression. His sweet and sexy Russian whispers make him an irresistible book boyfriend. The poetic quote, "Our love has felt like springtime..." truly showcases the profound nature of the love story. Overall, it's an incredible journey of love and self-discovery that I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. 🖤

*Thank you to @authorgracereilly & @valentine_pr_ for this opportunity*

🩵 sports romance
🩵 secret relationship
🩵 sibling rival

Isabelle + Nikolai

This book was super cute & so fluffy! I truly had such a fun time reading this. It was so entertaining and just well written.

I appreciated how much of an angel Isabelle was, plus also being a baddie. (Confident, caring, and just supportive)
I also loved how even though Nikolai struggled with his mental health he still worked on himself to give Isabelle the best version of himself. 🥹

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series, a series made up of interconnected stand-alones. This was my first Grace Reilly book, despite her being on my TBR for quite some time. While I thought the book was fine overall. one of the conflicts is Izzy's complicated relationship with her family's personal successes, and I think that part would've had a bigger emotional impact on the reader if they had read the previous books and got to know her family on a more personal level.

My favorite part of this story by far was Nik. I love a guarded MMC with a complicated backstory. And Nik fits that to a tee. Watching him learn to recognize where he struggles with his mental health and then navigate his healing process was very compelling. It added another layer of depth to the story that really helped in areas that were unfortunately lacking substance.

Despite both Izzy and Nik being in their 20s, they displayed a solid sense of maturity in their relationship that was refreshing to see. Even though it takes Nik a while to fully open up to Izzy, they both were still good at communicating their needs and boundaries with each other. Both are able to grow together and push one another toward healing in a way that is very heartwarming to read.

Now, my biggest criticism with this book is that it is way too long. And unfortunately, that did negatively effect my reading experience. The length also throws off the pacing of some of the plot lines, acting almost like a domino effect for others. The book is marketed to have this big element of forbidden romance. When in reality, that plot line is resolved less than halfway into the book.

Izzy's character also felt underdeveloped in comparison to Nik's multi-layered story. Her conflict with volleyball has the potential to exploit her own struggles with mental health. But instead, that plot line fell flat and doesn't hold much stake or importance in relation to the overall story. I think it would've been really interesting to parallel Nik and Izzy's mental health journeys with their individual sports together, rather then writing the other off so quickly.

✨ARC REVIEW✨
Wicked Serve - Grace Reilly

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

🏐hockey x volleyball
🏐brother’s rival turned teammate
🏐secret relationship
🏐found family
🏐college romance

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

This is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series. What I liked is that we started with an established relationship, a secret fling between Nikolai and Isabelle. So when he shows up at her school it’s super obvious where things will lead. My dislike is how long the story is. Less than halfway through the book she’s already deciding their relationship can’t remain a secret anymore and sets boundaries. So for a remaining 60% we have ALOT of story left. Did we get tension, drama, spice and love? Oh absolutely. Isabelle works through figuring out what she wants to do outside of school and volleyball and if volleyball is even right for her. Nik works on opening up and sharing his past trauma with his family to people he can trust and figuring out if hockey is his thing or his connection to his dad. Wicked Serve is loaded with heavy topics and really tugs at your heart strings for a good portion of the book. I think it was a perfect end to the series.

Thank you Grace for the ARC opportunity.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This was my first Hockey Romance, and now that I have dipped my toes into this world…I don’t think I will ever be going back. This book is about Nikolai and Izzy and how their romance story started off. I found it to be cute, great plot, there are some heavier topics, but the author handled them so well that you will see the beauty in the story with them there, you will find family tropes, brothers' rival turned teammate, and great spicy scenes. Don’t let that cover fool you like it did me and think that there won’t be spice because there is, and it was well done.

This book does talk about heavy topics like childhood trauma, child abuse, anxiety, panic attacks and learning to handle overworked mental health. However, it does have romance, banter, supporting each other, the spicy scenes are great and the found family. Even though this is book four in the series you can read it as a standalone, like I did, but I will be adding her books to my TBR. I also liked that in this book you will get hit with all the feels, the happy to the sad, to the heartbreaking moments and the AWW moments. This author knows how to write a book that will have you finishing it in one day just to find out what is going to happen and to see the ending through. I loved the characters in this book though, they are opposites but in a good way that compliment each other very well. They have a give and take throughout the book that I loved and so much more.

I found Nikolai to be complicated but at the same time he has this other side of him that is so sweet and loving. He has come a long way from the way that he was raised and has changed but he is still holding onto a lot of his childhood traumas and understandable too. You will see him work for what he wants, and I like the fact that when he is all in, he goes all in. I found him to be the right amount of pushy towards Izzy when she needed and didn’t know but the way he does it is sweet, and you can see that he really does care so much. I liked that when he was in the wrong, he admitted it and explained the situation to her family about what happened, he could have run or not done that, but you really see that he is trying. You will see the most growth from Nikolai in this book and I think the author handled the growth in the book well, you will see that it doesn't happen overnight but it's something you work through. With Izzy, every girl should have a friend like her, someone that makes you feel like family and someone that makes you feel safe. I liked that you see her insecurities, her flaws and you get to watch her grow from them with the help of Nikolai, but you see her putting the effort in. I loved that Izzy never judged Nikolai for the life that he had before or for any of his mental health issues but was there for him and supported him and vice-versa. You will get to see how Izzy handles her own struggles with her family and the lives that they’re living and trying to “good enough” for them. She is Bubbly, loves pink and everyone that is around her is surrounded by sunshine when she is around. I loved that she understood that she had to let Nikolai go, so he could work on himself, and she didn’t throw it in his face but understood. Their relationship is one for the keeping, and you can see that throughout the book.

This is a series that I will recommend to any romance lovers that like sports in their books.

I want to thank NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review this book.

This book gave strong Icebreaker vibes - but maybe even a little spicier. It’s a new adult, college sports romance. It’s also book four in the Beyond the Play series. I read it first, and it can be read as a standalone - but it probably works better if you’ve already read the brothers’ stories.

I struggled to get into this one. The writing felt very young, and the sheer length of the book was intimidating to me - it’s over 400 pages. I still think this book should have been closer to 300 pages than 450, but it did grow on me by the end. I liked the main characters by the end, when they were both very sweet, but I wasn’t invested in either of them until the end.

I did really enjoy the dynamics with Isabelle’s brothers and parents - they all seemed sweet and had healthy relationships.

I realized pretty early on that I don’t love this kind of book, which is reflected in my rating. If you are a fan of new adult, sports romance, or Icebreaker, you will definitely enjoy this one!

This is a hockey romance with forbidden romance due to rivalry with her brother. It does have a good amount of spice but is not too heavy. The book has some mental health representation around anxiety and panic attacks.

I think it could have been a little shorter, but there is a lot of character development for the characters and a found family aspect that fills out the world.

Sometimes the FMC felt a bit immature, but I think it made a little sense when navigating the situation they were in.

This is part of a series (the 4th book) but I was able to jump in and not have any confusion without reading the preceding books.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🏒 sports romance
💕 he falls first
🏒 brothers rival
💕 secret relationship
🏒 found family

Well, let me just start by saying that Wicked Serve is like a hot summer day and a refreshing splash of cool water all rolled into one. I’m talking about the kind of book that leaves you fanning yourself and maybe questioning if you need to call for backup (or a cold drink). Grace Reilly definitely knows how to turn up the heat with this spicy little number!

Now, I usually steer clear of books that lean heavily into the spicy side of things. But in this case, Reilly strikes a perfect balance between sizzling scenes and a gripping plot. The result? A steamy rollercoaster that I couldn’t resist, earning a solid 4 stars from me!

Let’s talk about Nik, the Russian college hockey player who made my heart skip a beat. His accent? Absolutely irresistible. And when he spoke Russian to Izzy? Cue the blushes! If you’re like me and have a soft spot for a man with an accent, Nik will make you swoon. Where can I sign up for someone to whisper sweet nothings in another language?

Izzy and Nik’s journey starts as a summer fling but quickly evolves into something much deeper. The passion and chemistry between them are off the charts! But, and here’s the rub, I docked a star because the book felt a bit stretched out. There were moments where I thought, “We could trim this down a notch.” Plus, Izzy’s persistence about Nik’s past felt a bit rushed—sometimes it’s better to let those secrets unfold in their own time, don’t you think?

Despite these minor hiccups, Wicked Serve is a delightful read that I thoroughly enjoyed. And the best part? The series can be enjoyed in any order, so I’m eagerly eyeing the next book on my reading list!

If you’re ready for a spicy romance with a side of hockey and a swoon-worthy accent, this one’s for you. 📖💫

I have loved this series so much, when I read the first few chapters I have to admit I was a little sceptical on whether or not I was actually going to enjoy this book. But after 4 - 5 chapters I was hooked and by the end of the books I was shocked that I was even sceptical.

I'm going to admit there were parts of the book where I thought scenes were either drawn out or unnecessary. But in the end I would give this book 4 stars.

I think this book was a good way to end off the series and say goodbye to some of my favourite characters. I cannot wait to see what Grace has coming next.

You would enjoy this book if you like:
Hockey x Volleyball
Sneaking Around
Panic Disorder Rep
Boy Obsessed
Brothers Rival turned Teammate
Broddy x Bubbly
Family Drama
Possessiveness

Thank you Valentine PR for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I was hooked to this from start to end, it was so good?? The angst, the fast but not too fast pacing, the discussions of consent, the way the MCs' respective anxieties and traumas were dealt with >>>>>>
Literally every single chapter was amazing. There were twists and drama, but the good kind, drama which the MCs needed to move forward, and I really loved that!

Also also, the forbidden ish romance and the sneaking around? The found family? The slow-burn love? The KOALAS?? Absolute perfection.

TWs - physical and verbal domestic abuse faced by a mom and kid from the dad (past), PTSD and panic attacks on page about said domestic abuse, anxiety, cheating (past, not the MCs)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Valentine PR LM for an advanced copy!

Loved how cute and fun this was. Nikolai and Isabelle spent a summer together, knowing it would end when they went back to their respective colleges. However, when Nikolai transferred to Isabelle’s school, they rekindle the romance but has to hide it bc Nikolai is her brother’s rival. Some real life issues about mental health, self worth, family issues. Overall, an enjoyable read.

🌟 4/5

🛑 Look at the author's trigger warning!!!

‼️ While this book could be read as a standalone, this is book 4 of the Beyond the Play series.

ℙ𝕆𝕍: first person, dual perspectives

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
It was so fabulous being back into the world of Callahan family! We finally get to read Izzy and Nikolai's story.

This family is so easy to love. One of my favorite things about this book was seeing all of the previous characters again. It focuses on Izzy and Nik, obviously, but we still see the foundation of Izzy's family in this book.

I loved how the 3rd act breakup isn't based on Nik being Izzy's brother's teammate/friend. It was brought up appropriately, IMO, but didn't linger and cased too much drama.

The dynamic between the MCs was heartfelt. I loved the chemistry and how supportive the characters were of each other. Both MCs deal with insecurities, but when they trust in each other, that's where the real chemistry is!

One thing that I think would have made this book better is seeing more of Izzy and Nik meeting and interacting. The book starts after the summer they had together, and even though we know they had a spicy summer, I feel like we missed out on quite a bit.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC!

I am so sad that it's time to say goodbye to the Callahans. I have loved this family with my whole heart since First Down, but Grace gave us such a perfect, fitting farewell with Wicked Serve. Izzy has always been such a big presence in the Callahan family, so I was beyond excited to get to read her story, and it was absolute perfection.

Wicked Serve is romance at its absolute finest. The banter. The spice. The SWOON. The heavier moments and all the warmest fuzziest feels. This book has it all, and I loved every single second of it.

It was so much fun to watch Nikolai and Izzy navigate a secret on-campus relationship they never expected to have after their summer fling. The way they got creative in sneaking around to hide the relationship from Cooper was such a complete delight, and their stolen moments together were funny, sweet, and SO. Damn. Hot. The two of them are absolute fire together. Even when they are navigating harder issues - Nikolai's panic attacks, his history with his father, Izzy's questioning her place in her own family, and both of them reconsidering their futures in the sports thet love - they do it with so much love and respect for each other and so much devotion that it doesn't feel hard or angsty - it feels like a real and true part of their love story.

And because no one writes family like Grace, when Cooper does eventually find out about the relationship, his reaction, and the way that he and Nikolai build a real friendship feels so genuine and true to the Callahan family. And speaking of the Callahans, I adored that their family dynamic was on full display in this book (and that we got one more Callahan Christmas!). I loved seeing how all the other couples are doing, and Izzy's relationship with Bex, Penny, and Mia is so beautiful and so special. And the way that the whole family embraced Nikolai and welcomed him into the fold felt so perfect and so true to what we know of the Callahans.

I literally never wanted this book to end, but then Grace gave us the absolute best final chapter and epilogue of all time, and wrapped up the Callahan's story so perfectly that, even though it's over, I felt satisfied and completely content with how everyone's story ended up. If you have been a fan of this series from the beginning, Wicked Serve is a perfect ending. I am so happy to have been able to read it early, and I can't wait to see what Grace gives us next.

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

“If I’m sunshine to him, then he’s the earth beneath my feet, the grass between my toes, grounding me like nothing else.”

The book at a glance:
💌 Hockey romance
💌 Secret relationship
💌 Brother’s rival
💌 Interconnected standalone

3.5 🌟

Overall, this was an entertaining read but it did feel a little too long. If you like bubbly girly girls x loner bad boys, this might be your cup of tea.

While I absolutely loved Nikolai, Isabelle came across as a little too immature. She didn’t know how to respect boundaries or how to create a safe space to open up about past trauma.

Thank you to Valentine PR, NetGalley, and Avon books for the advance copy.

Wicked Serve follows a summer romance with an expiration date into a possible long-term connection when our main characters end up at the same college for the year. For an added layer of complexity, the MMC is also the rival of the FMCs older brother so there are some interesting family dynamics at play as well.

The first thing I will say is there is absolutely no reason this book needed to be 400 pages long. By like 30%, I kind of felt like I already had the whole story and didn't need to continue. I have nothing against longer books as long as the plot is strong and there isn't just filler for filler, but I found myself skimming this one far too often.

If you are looking for a really wholesome hockey romance, this one might be the one for you! Our MMC falls first and HARD for our FMC and it honestly just makes the whole book with how sweet it is.