This is book 4 in the Beyond the Play Book Series by this author, and can be read as a standalone. It is an off limits romance between Isabelle and her brother's teammate, Nikolai. These two flawed but likeable souls and the unique plot make for an enjoyable read. What starts out as a secret summer fling turns into something more. It is a sweet love story with drama and steam, sexual tension and chemistry, humor and charm, family dynamic, and twists and turns, plus appealing secondary characters to keep the reader interested. An emotional ride.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Valentine PR and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with the characters of this one!!! I felt like the book was dragging and it was so hard for me to pick it up. This would be the perfect book for someone who truly connects with these characters!

✨ARC Review - 4.5 stars 📚✨

The last book in the series and it didn't disappoint💗

I absolutely loved this series and the bond between all the Callahan siblings.

Nik & Izzy's story started off with us finding out they had a summer fling which they thought would end there. But Nik has to transfer to her school because of something that happened with his hockey time. Izzy tries to ignore Nik once she realizes he is now attending her school but it doesn't work out that way as they start seeing each other secretly again. Mainly because Nik is Cooper, Izzy's brothers rival turned teammate. There is some heavier topics in this book mostly Nik's childhood. The spice in this book was spicing 🔥 I also love how both Nik and Izzy are both athletes and are navigating there struggles with their teams. 🏐🏒

Thanks to Author Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for the opportunity to ARC read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is my first time reading anything by Grace Reilly and I enjoyed this one very much. I have heard so much about the other books in the series and I definitely will go back and read the others. I appreciated the plot so much. It was very fulfilling and I enjoyed following Izzy and Nik throughout their story.
I appreciate so much how deep the character's struggles were and how much I could relate to them.
The conclusion to the story was great as well and I overall thought I was able to fall in love with the characters and their journey.

This is on the longer side of a book, but honestly I couldn't tell most of the time and it picks up very quickly!

First and foremost a huge thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, Harper Voyager and Grace Reilly for the opportunity to read Wicked Serve!
This is my first Grave Reilly read and unfortunately it wasn’t my favorite. I was really close to DNF’ing but I pushed through because I liked the idea of the storyline but personally to me it fell a bit short. I think what put me off was their age. They were trying to act way older than their age and that’s what was throwing me off.
I loved both the characters Izzy and Nikolai. Izzy is confident in who she is and supports everyone in her life. Nik is very loving and protective despite how hard his childhood was, but he didn’t know how to put himself first. He seemed like a pushover half the time 😩
The one thing that made me super upset is when Izzy kept pushing Nik to tell her about his past! I get it you want to understand him better but there’s some thing’s that you have to let go and let him say it when he feels comfortable! Also, why was it always mentioned practically in every chapter that she liked pink? I felt like pink was becoming her personality! I think the book could’ve been a bit shorter and some of the smut scenes could’ve been taken out (the crawling scene still haunts me, & not in a good way 😣).
Despite all these things I had issues with, it was a quick read and kept me entertained for the most part. I will be reading the other books in the series!

My first book by Grace Reilly. This is the 4th book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. I obviously haven’t read the rest of them lol, but I enjoyed this. It was emotional and romantic. I look forward to reading the others

I was absolutely sobbing by the end of this one.

I have a huge soft spot for this series. It was one of my first spicy reads and Breakaway has been a top 10 book for me since I read it. I was so excited to get Izzy’s book and it exceeded expectations.

I was reminded time and time again as I read why Grace Reilly is one of my all time favorite authors. Her stories have so much heart and humanity in them! I absolutely love the mental health rep she weaves into her books and how she portrays healthy relationships.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the entirety of the Callahan family. I absolutely adored how huge of a role the entire clan played in Wicked Serve. Not only were they all there, but they all stayed true to the characters we fell in love with during each of their books.

Nik and Izzy were everything. Their story was everything. There couldn’t have been a better conclusion to my favorite sports series.

Amazing spice as always! But, the plot is what really shines here.

Grace Reilly, simply, knocked it out of the park.

This was definitely a highly anticipated read for me, so I was very excited when I received the e-mail informing me I had been approved to read the ARC. It may be that I had hyped the book up so much in my head, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed the book, and I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't my favorite.

Overall, my biggest issue with the book was the length - there is no reason this book needed to be as long as it was. I'm definitely not opposed to reading a book that is on the longer side - if the storyline requires it...which this one didn't. It felt like I was, at one point, reading more about their sexual escapades than I was their relationship outside the bedroom. I also wasn't the biggest fan of Isabelle; the way she got bent out of twist and just decided to quit volleyball altogether because SHE messed up and missed the team bus annoyed me. Her coach definitely wasn't her biggest fan, but in this situation, it was Isabelle's mistake, not the coach's.

I don't know...I enjoyed the book for the most part, but it just fell short of my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Grace Reilly for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun, fluffy sports romance. Nikolai and Isabelle had a summer fling and Nikolai is her brother’s rival. Can we say forbidden romance? One of my favorite tropes.

I love the relationship between the two characters. Especially their support of eachother and the fact that there was no miscommunication was a huge plus for me.

I did feel it was a little long for what it was. Definitely less plot, more smut.

Overall it was a fun, easy read. I think I would’ve liked it more if it was a tad shorter.

Thank you VPR for this eARC!

We have arrived at the last standalone volume of this sports romance saga born from the pen of Grace Reilly ✨

«“𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒” 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑐олнышко, 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑘𝑜, 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 “𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛” 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟.»

In this volume we find the story of Nikolai and Isabelle. Two young guys who intended to keep their little story as a summer thing, without taking into account that the future could take them down the same path again.

A boy who is afraid of himself, not for what he is, but for what he does not want to become. When the past brings you pain from those you love, you fear that your blood may be just as contaminated. For this reason he submits to the decisions that others make for him, even when they are in clear contrast with his desires.

An intelligent girl from a good family, but who constantly feels under pressure and in constant comparison with her older brothers. Her value is not inferior to theirs but, even without wanting it, she has lived up to that moment as if she were different and less capable. For this reason she spends her life trying to exceed and respect her parents' expectations.

The magic happens when both of them encourage each other, knowing how to appreciate the person in front of them for who they really are, and not for what others would like. A healthy relationship, where both support and encourage each other, not to do better, but to see each other as people of value and to learn to assert themselves in their decisions.

In short? A sweet, light but deep romance, peppered with positive messages and representing what love should really be. A worthy volume to be the conclusion of many valid stories.

Like Always Grace has created two characters you can’t help but fall for.

She doesn’t so well in her portrayal of child and domestic abuse in this book. The emotions were so raw and intense that they drew me deeper into the story.

Nikolai has such a dominant persona and a mouth on him that’ll make anyone swoon! The chemistry between Nik and Izzy was irresistible and explosive! Their relationship is so magnetic that it keeps the readers eagerly turning the pages!

This was a perfect ending to the Callahan siblings’ stories. I’m excited to see what Grace comes up with next!

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Tropes:
• Sports romance
• Mental Health
• Found Family
• Forbidden Romance
• Sibling Rivalry

I knew I’d love Nik but I was Very emotional over his character development. He went through it and I was heartbroken for him at times but damn did he show so much growth. Izzy did too especially since she was a side character in other books and we got to see a side to her that was a little party girl needs to grow up vibes in past books but in this book she goes down a path of finding herself and where she fits in her family and I loved That for her. I really Enjoyed their relationship development and the way everything played out for their characters. I especially loved that Nik worked so hard in himself, the way he shows Izzy he loves her is so pure. If you’re a fan of this series you’ll really appreciate this books ending and epilogue it was the cherry on top of one of my favorite series ever.

I really enjoyed this romance book. It was spicy but not over doing it and the characters were fun and relatable. The pace of the book was slow at first but I hung in and loved it by the end.

I was so excited for Izzy’s story, & Grace Reilly did NOT disappoint! I loved the forbidden romance between Izzy & her brother’s on ice arch nemesis, Nikolai.
While Izzy always finds herself trying to “measure up” to her successful athletic family, Nik, on the other hand, is finding himself trying to separate his life from his past.
Watching these two together was just kismet. There’s something about the way they are together that just screams destiny. But once their summer together is over, they move on…right? Well, fate cannot be fooled. Nikolai knew that his new team at McKee would be hard, & not the most welcoming considering Cooper, Izzy’s brother, was captain. But having Izzy near, the hard stuff really doesn’t matter.
These two picked up right where they left off & their chemistry just continued to burn hotter and hotter. His love for her & protection of her, even to her own family, was just so admirable. His desire to make all of her dreams come true just showed how deserving and how determined he was to have Izzy’s affections.
As these two found themselves navigating a turning point in their lives & their relationship, they also had to deal with some very real issues. And seeing the absolute support they had for each other just sealed the deal.
I hate to see this series go, but knowing that all of these Callahan siblings have found their true soulmates makes it a little better.

I enjoyed my first Grace Reilly book, which featured forbidden, secret spice, a difficult past, and a sweet, I-can’t-stay-away-from-you kind of love.

THOUGHTS 💭
🏐 The sneaking around is H O T. 🥵 Brother’s rival-to-friend? Uhm. Yes.
🏒 Nik has a lot of childhood trauma he’s dealing with and your heart breaks for him as he works his way through it.
🏐 Give me a man who speaks a second language fluently ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. 🤤
🏒 Izzy’s family was wonderful and I loved learning about them throughout this book. I read this as a standalone, but I would enjoy going back and reading Izzy’s siblings’ stories.
🏐 I loved that both main characters were athletes in this book, despite volleyball not being Izzy’s “end game;” they understood each other’s drive and passion for their respective games.
🏒 The epilogue was the “5 years from now” we all deserved!!

Thanks so much to Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for the ARC of this book!

OH. MY. GOD.

Love would be an understatement for the way I feel towards this book. I had high expectations for this because of how much I loved the first three books in this series. I think it's safe to say that my expectations were met and then some. Grace, there are not enough standing ovations in the world for you.

Let me make it clear that if you haven'e read the first three books, it isn't imperative to the storyline, it just adds extra comfort to the story. I loved all the little nods to the other couples throughout the book. This book was so fantastically written and I wish that I could go back and read it for the first time again.

I could not recommend this book more, GO READ IT!!! You won't regret it.

I'm going to say was not my favorite of the series. I liked the end better then the first. But overall was not my favorite. I feel like the story could have been 2 different books.

Izzy and Nik have a summer fling that they both thought was off, but when Nik's expulsion from UMASS leads to him at McKee with Izzy and her brother, who happens to be her rival, and now teammates.

The book felt a little too long winded for me. They got together so early on in the book that I found myself getting bored and waiting for something to happen. It felt almost like a hurry up and wait.

I did adore Nik and Izzy, I found them so fin and adorable. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to get a grump vibe from Nik or just sheds his layers for her, but I did not hate it. I am absolutely a sucker for a bilingual character but I don't think it was executed great.

There was moments were Nik would say something and it was types out in the Russian alphabet, or Google translate didn't recognize the word so that made it a little hard to understand.

But all in all, I thought it was cute. I am sad to see the series end but I adored following the Callahan family!

I read this as a standalone and haven’t read this series before, but found it to work well on its own! The whole concept is super cute and I like that they met previously. Some sections felt a little long to me, but I enjoyed watching them learn and adapt to their relationship and explore new things with each other. There was a lot of growth between the two of them both together and as individuals. Their hardships were very relatable and shared a very important message about the effects childhood traumas can have in adulthood. Overall this was a very enjoyable read, I personally think I would’ve liked it better if it was shorter though!

3.5 ⭐ 2 🌶 4 🎧

While this was one of my favorite couples of the series, I just didn't love this book... It was soooo long. I'm not entirely sure I would have finished it had I not had the audio. Not a ton happened for how long it was...

I did love Nikolai, he was a really strong MMC with a sad past and a broken self worth. I really felt for him in so many moments and while I thought Izzy pushed him to open up too hard and too soon, I overall thought she was a wonderful fit for him.

I thought the ending was very sweet, especially the actual epilogue. While this wasn't my favorite series, I really did enjoy these characters and getting to see all the Callahans together and happy was wonderful.

The audio was fantastic, I thought Faith Clark did a phenomenal job narrating both Izzy and Nik. Oscar Reyes did a wonderful job as well and made this a great listen along with a wonderful production from Spotify.

This book has everything and gives all the feels! I laughed, I cried, and I was rooting for Izzy and Nikolai the entire time. There were so many sweet moments throughout, not to mention some majorly steamy scenes! I love reading sports romances, especially hockey, but I really loved that the FMC is involved in sports too, playing volleyball competitively on her college’s team. They both had to figure out how to balance school, sports, family, friends, and their relationship. It was such a wonderful, well-written story. It’s the last in the series but the first one I’ve read and now I’m looking forward to going back and reading the first three.