This was my first book by the author and I enjoyed it! I have not read the rest of the series but after reading this one I definitely plan to!

This book was so cute and light hearted! I loved Izzy and Nikolai’s relationship. I loved their dynamic, who doesn’t love the sneaking around trope?! The maturity and communication between Izzy and Nikolai was super refreshing. There was plenty of spice throughout the book! I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series!

Read if you like:
Summer Fling
Brother’s Rival
He Falls First
Found Family
Hockey Player x Volleyball Player

So, I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I can now say that I want to because this one was good! The author does a pretty good job at depicting mental health issues within the novel and while there were parts that had me weary (I have a master’s degree in psychology) I appreciated her bringing stuff like this into the novel. I think many readers can relate in some way even if not to the depth of the ones being faced here. I also love a story where fate steps in and the characters essentially have a second chance at romance. In this one, there’s a summer fling and not expecting to see each other again the two get a big surprise when they find out they are attending the same college. There’s a bit of drama there as well but you can read it to see what I mean.

Overall, I liked this one. Some parts dragged, some parts pulled at the heartstrings, and then some made me fan myself for a few minutes. So, if you’re a fan of college hockey romances then this may be a great one for you.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was fun! I really liked both Izzy and Nikolai. I really liked seeing Izzy pop up through the other books, so I loved a book all about her. For me, this was a great mix of plot and spice. Overall, a really great way to end the series!

3.5 stars rounded down

For fans of:
- Forbidden Romance
- He falls first
- Grumpy/sunshine

The last of the Callahan’s stories is wrapped up with Izzy! She’s a volleyball player/aspiring wedding planner dating her brother’s biggest rival, who ends up his teammate.

Things I liked:
- How Izzy’s feelings of self worth/self esteem are addressed
- The care with mental health, DV and ptsd are covered
- The nicknames and the surprises Nik has in store for Izzy
- How our favourites from the other books in the series make appearances throughout (we love cohesiveness in a series)

What didn’t do it for me:
- I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the central conflict was handled by the FMC (this knocked my feelings on the whole book down, unfortunately)
- It read long. I don’t shy away from long books but this book in some places felt like it was longer than it needed to be

Not my favourite out of the Callahan’s stories (that honour goes to Penny/Cooper) but still a solid read to round out the series!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Love the hockey romances! I thought this was a good book to read! Was not expecting all the spice! I need to read the other books in the series now! Loved the main characters so much!

Absolutely phenomenal continuation of this series. I think it teaches a valuable lesson to college age or even high school age - do what makes you happy. The ones who truly matter will support you in whatever that is.

I was excited to start a new sports romance book and this sounded right up my alley. Overall the writing was well done, but I think the length of the book was a little more than I bargained for when I picked it up/what I expected from this read.
The characters were likable which was the reason for finishing. This is perfect if looking for a straight forward spicy college romance read.

This is my first book by this author, yeah i know this is the last book in the series but since i've wanted to give it a try why not this one.

I'm not sure what to think about it.

My main problem is that his dragged on a on and it was so hard to stay interested. This book could have ended halfway through if it werrent for way to many plot lines that didn't really contribute to anything and then having most of the book be smut instead of dealing with their problems and those serious topics that were involved in this book (check trigger warnings). I skimmed the last 40% of the book bc i was so uninterested at that point.

Ah the characters, Nik had no balls, speak up and stand up for yourself man and Izzy was just annoying most of the time. Also i did not for one second believe he was russian, whenever he spoke a bit of russian it felt forced and not realistic.

And seriously pink is one of my favorite colors but with how many times it was mentioned in this book i might just start to hate it.

I did love Nik and Izzy as characters and the extended family. I love a sports romance where both the main characters play a sport. I quite enjoyed the fact that Izzy was not super amazing at her sport because she has a natural born talent for it, but more good because she was hardworking and dedicated. And because Nik was super talented at hockey it provided a nice contrast. I also loved the wedding planning aspect of it and it was a really good way to incorporate Izzy’s passion for that into the family. The family dynamic between the Callaghans is one of my fav parts of this series and I liked how they lived together. Nik and Cooper’s relationship development was also a highlight of the story and it was so sweet to see Nik be brought into the family without any hesitation. Both characters had problems with their families and the plot I think focused more on that sometimes that the relationship between them.

I did have high hopes for this book and tbh I was a bit disappointed in places with the story, some of it felt a bit like filler and it could have been 100 pages shorter. I’d have liked there to been a bit more build up before they dove into a relationship, like if we’d seen more of their summer fling. It still gets 4⭐️ for the vibes and I did really enjoy the last 20%.

As a sports romance fan, this book was right up my alley. I adored Nikolai and Isabelle's chemistry and passion for their sport. The smut in this book shined for me the most. I'd say it's like Medium-level spice, though. All I'll mention about the spice is a hint about mirrors. There were so many steamy moments, though.

I adored Isabelle's strength despite her insecurities and uncertainty about where her life is headed. Nikolai's family struggles truly resonated with me. I know firsthand what it's like to have the past haunt you because of what someone else has done to you. I appreciated the way Grace Reilly tackled mental health in this book. I also loved how College sports and professional sports were portrayed in this book. I loved the side characters, too, which made me want to read the rest of this book series.

Read if you like:

🏐🏒 Sports Romance

🏐🏒 Found Family

🏐🏒 Secret Relationship

🏐🏒 College Sports

🏐🏒 He Falls First

🏐🏒 Teammates Sister

🏐🏒 Grumpy x Sunshine


Love Always, Catherine



Thank you, Valentine Pr, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Grace Reilly, for my gifted ebook copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This is such a sweet book! I love how they always support each other to go beyond in every way and you can actually see how they begin falling in love, instead of having them be obsessed with each other right at first. It was finally Izzy's time to shine by having her own story and I think it was worth waiting for that! I think Nik is my favorite out of the Callahan's in-laws as he's honest, sweet, and kind, even considering his dark past and life struggles. I think it was a great closing to the series as well! The book was a bit long with 70+ chapters and there were times where I found myself a bit tired of reading a deep explanation about each of their thoughts, but the dialogues make up for it, for sure!!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an eARC!

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An enjoyable, fluffy read. It was the perfect book for me to read between fantasy books with heavy plot. I will say that I did not previously read the other three books in this series. I didn’t feel like I was missing any important information, but the MCs do start as an already established relationship. This is an interesting switch up from the typical enemies to lovers trope that I love so much.

One major downside to this book for me was the length. This book could be trimmed down some and then it might be more enjoyable. It does feel like the problems are solved early-ish in the plot and then you just continue to get more information than what is really needed for a good story.

I would recommend this book to sports romance enthusiasts.

-Healthy, established relationship
-Hockey and a small amount of volleyball
-Spice
-Family and Friendship bonds
-Mental health representation
-Dual POV

And now I’m ready for hockey season 🥵 This is the first smutty book that felt tedious for me. While the plot was present, I often felt like it was going from spicy scene to spicy scene and it felt redundant at times. I understand that’s the point of some books, but I really wanted more from this plot!

I loved reading about the last Callahan sibling - a sweet summer fling with her brother's arch nemesis.

Easy summer read :)

Thank you to Valentine PR, Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Grace Reilly for my gifted copy!

I haven't read both new adult and sports romance in a while. This was a good break from my usual mafia dark romance, rom-com, and fantasy.
I enjoy the passion and details about the sports involved in this story, which are hockey and volleyball. I love how both characters want the best for each other. They both do their best to boost each other's confidence and support each other's interests. Both Izzy and Nikolai have personal issues they need to figure out and resolve. Izzy, who feels like she's failing all the time, even if her family has already told her they love her as long as she's happy, Nikolai's issues stem from his past life, his trauma, his relationship with his father and grandfather, and also his future, especially with hockey. At first, the romance was too good to be true, too new adult and some of Nikolai's gestures were too grand for a college student, but their story grew on me, and I ended up enjoying reading their story and how they eventually became part of each other's lives, which was the total opposite of the summer fling from the beginning of the story.

This book is 70+ chapters long. To be honest, I had moments where I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. The story is good, but I feel like the whole thing could have been 35 chapters shorter. The chapters were short and did not drag. But it's definitely the first and last few chapters that captured my interest. I also think the mention of the color pink was over the top. I get it; that was Izzy's favorite color, but must it be mentioned all the time.

Overall, this was still a good sports romance story. So if you like new adult and sports romance, this book is for you.

𝒲ℐ𝒞𝒦ℰ𝒟 𝒮ℰℛ𝒱ℰ By @Grace Reilly
My Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Arc Read: Yes
I've only read one other hockey romance book before this one, and that was Icebreaker. However, I enjoyed this book much more. This was my first Grace novel, and I found it easy to follow as a standalone. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Nik and Izzy, and how Grace portrayed anxiety attacks. As someone who has experienced anxiety attacks, I found Nik's experience to be realistic. While I don't typically read sports romance, this book was an enjoyable exception, with just the right amount of spice.
𝒯ℴ 𝒷ℯ ℯ𝓍𝓅ℯ𝒸𝓉ℯ𝒹:
🏒brother's rival
🏐 secret relationship
🏒childhood trauma
🏐panic disorder

*please check trigger warnings before reading*
Thank you to Netgalley and Author Grace Reilly for allowing me to read this one!
#authorgracereilly #wickedserve #hockeytiktoks #hockeyromance #volleyballplayer #volleyballromance #bookreview #bookrecommendations #BookTok
#netgalley #arcreader

Mein Leseerlebnis

Die new adult Liebesgeschichte ist leicht zu lesen und phasenweise konnte sie mich auch gut unterhalten. Doch leider wirkten Teile der Geschehnisse auf mich etwas zu konstruiert und nicht immer realistisch.

Auch mit den Charakteren habe ich etwas gehadert. Sie wirkten zwar recht sympathisch und interessant auf mich, aber gleichzeitig nicht lebendig genug. Daher konnte ich sie mir auch leider nicht als echte Personen vorstellen. Genau das will ich aber beim Lesen von Liebesromanen können.

“Wicked Serve” ist insgesamt ganz nett zu lesen, aber nicht komplett überzeugend. Weitere Bücher muss ich von der Autorin erst einmal nicht lesen, dafür lösen ihre Liebesgeschichten in mir nicht genug aus und sie sind zu schnell zu vergessen.

🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer recht typische NA College romance Bücher mag und eine eher kurzweilige Unterhaltung sucht, für den könnte das Buch eine gute Wahl sein.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book.

A very college romance, it took me a little to get my head around it(a total me issue) it was a good swoony, spicy love story. The way it started it gets you going like oh what's going to happen. It then takes you on this whole journey, friends with benefits (who are we kidding there was always something more) the support the two MC's gave each other and yet they were still trying to navigate what their relationship was.

Isabelle trying to live up to her family's success with a sport or somewhere else. A little wild child with her and yet she was still getting out of the young phase i.e. stuffed animals, a bit of miscommunication and what not. She really had growth and came to her own at the end.

Nik, oh sweet Nik. Living with not wanting to become his father who was abusive to his mother and one night with him, just made you want to hug him. He felt alone, had panic attacks and would get angry. He felt like he couldn't have the things he loved because of what he was going through mentally and who his father was and that would just break your heart. As the story went on, you see how caring, supportive and loving he is. Nik had a hard time opening up which would lead to miscommunication on his end.

There were little bits that made me knock a few points off. Parents not bringing anything up about underage drinking, yes I know it's college but come on just once. A little repetitiveness of them being well off. That was really it, it was nothing too crazy that made me go oh gosh this book.

This is the final book in the series and it wrapped up everyone with the epilogue which was cute and very HEA. Wicked Serve was the first book that I have read by Grace Reilly and with it being the final book, I really didn't need to read the first 3 to understand what was happening with the previous characters to get into this one.

I would like to read the first 3 now because I really enjoyed this one. I liked the highs and lows, the cute moments, the more challenging moments between Nik and Izzy. In the end, I really liked it and would say add this to the TBR.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes and what to expect:
- brother’s rival, then teammate
- summer fling to lovers
- friends with benefits
- secret relationship
- both MCs are athletes
- college hockey romance
- mental health rep

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

Wicked Serve is Isabelle’s book, the youngest Callahan sibling. After a scorching hot summer fling with her brother’s hockey rival Nikolai (whom she just can’t seem to get over), he actually ends up transferring to her school and they agree to a secret friends with benefits arrangement. There’s only one problem: her brother hates Nikolai for something he did during a game and absolutely does not think he’s good enough for his sister. Nikolai, however, has his own demons to deal with: after getting expelled from his old school, he strikes a deal with his grandfather that he’ll get him into McKee, but after Nikolai graduates, he has to take over the family business instead of playing in the NHL.

This book was so fun to read, and I really connected with both main characters. The Callahan family dynamic is so wholesome and I loved all the cameos. Isabelle is sweet and relatable, and I found myself rooting for her through all her self doubts and struggles.
Nikolai is a very complex character, with a difficult past and deep-seated trauma. He is haunted by the memories of his abusive father, whom he just can’t quite seem to hate or cut out of his life. His journey was so emotional and moving but it still had this level of raw realness and felt very healthy and natural. I felt so bad him because his father’s actions placed so much guilt and baggage on him that he wasn’t able to unpack himself.

The relationship between Isabelle and Nikolai was so healthy, especially the way they communicated (which was refreshing because I absolutely hate the miscommunication trope). They have their struggles, yes, but they move past them together, so we can avoid an unnecessary third act breakup.

Overall, I really loved the book but I thought it was just a bit too long. Some parts seemed very drawn out and there were a few scenes that I thought seemed a bit unnecessary. I did, however, appreciate the space and care the author gave Nikolai’s trauma and his father’s abuse of him and his mother (both emotional and physical). Domestic violence is a very difficult issue to address in a book, and Grace did an amazing job with how carefully yet realistically she handled it.
Wicked Serve is probably my favorite book in the series and Isabelle and Nikolai’s story will definitely stay with me.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins, and Grace Reilly for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ read with 2.5🌶️

Overall I enjoyed this book with it being the ending to the Callahan siblings stories. I can only dream that there would be a legacy series next with all the kids👀

The overall tropes were:
•Hockey Romance
•Summer Fling with a second chance
•forced proximity
•Trauma bonding
•Found/Chosen Family
•College Romance on the same campus
•Dual POV

Although I am was hoping this was going to be a slow burn romance I wasn’t disappointed with them starting off with a “history.” I wish Nikolai had gotten into therapy sooner in the book so he could’ve avoided a lot of trauma dumping and conflict avoidance. In the end I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants more of an emotional hockey romance with a second chance, friends to lovers type of book.