Nikolai is in his last season of college hockey which is his whole life we he has to transfer to McKee University where his biggest hockey rival plays. Not to mention, his sister, Isabelle, is the girl that he has been hooking up with all summer who interned for his mom. Nikolai will have to decide between fitting in with the guys on the hockey team or getting back with Isabelle. Izzy is trying to win back her setter position on the McKee volleyball team and forget about Nikolai after he left her with no words their last morning…and she was not expecting him to end up attending McKee. Izzy already feels like the failure in her family behind her athletic star brothers and dad and she just wants to make them proud. Will Nikolai being at McKee become a distraction or will he be the one to help support her.

This book surprised me more than I thought it was going to. I figured it was going to be the typical hockey romance book that focuses on way too much hockey and not the main characters. Isabelle and Nikolai were adorable together and I loved how there was not a huge miscommunication troupe and they supported each other through their struggles. I did like the side story of Isabelle working for Nikolai’s mom and her journey wedding planning. There was plenty of spice in this story and I really enjoyed the way that Isabelle’s brother was willing to take in Nikolai and help him become part of the team at McKee.

First of all, the cover of this book is ADORABLE!! The whole series has these cute covers that I am obsessed with and, of course, I am collecting all of them!

Wicked serve was deliciously spicy, cute, emotional, had me in my feelings🥹🥹🥹

I adored having Izzy’s book!! It was so amazing watching her character development. She really grew so much and it was great to be part of that development

Nikolai…. Nikolai is… He is the absolute best book boyfriend!!! I mean, the KOALAS??!🐨 I swooned so hard for him. He also had some MAJOR growth and overcoming trauma from his past.

This hockey/volleyball romance is a must read!!

I love this series, but this one I feel like focused more on Nik than Izzy, and I wanted more into their individual lives than just a vague overview. The first three books in the series really dug into the characters and developed them way more than this book. Did I still love this one regardless? Yes! I just felt like it was missing development and just scratched the surface.

It’s time for you all to meet Gabriel and Gracie 👏🏻

4⭐️2🌶️

Workplace Romance
Boss/PA
Second Chance
Secret 🤫

After meeting Gabriel in the Mile High series, I did not expect to like him as much as I did 🤣 I mean, no one messes with Tristan Miles.

This book was a messy and emotional ride but I loved every page 🥰

Wicked Serve is the fourth book in the Beyond the Play series by Author Grace Reilly. It’s also the only book I’ve read in this series, and I can’t wait to see how Izzy’s brothers’ stories unfold now that I’ve met them and their loves.

This book is a fast-paced sports romance with so many sports covered—hockey and volleyball are the stars of this book, but football and baseball are also woven throughout. There are several challenging moments to deal with, having to do with drinking and abuse, but through it all, Izzy stands tall for her man, Nikolai (Nik). Theirs is a love story that is supposed to be a summer fling but sneaks under the radar as more.

There are so many steamy moments, some in inappropriate locations, along with a lot of romance and love. There’s an unbelievable love between not only her parents but also her and her three brothers, and everyone seems to get along! The same can’t be said for Nik’s small family unit.

Doubts and uncertainties prevail on several fronts. Both Izzy and Nik suffer needlessly when communication is key, and Nik learns the hard way not to keep everything about his family and past bottled up. Several stories are told, and they are woven nicely together. There is a depth to the story, as well as a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. There are family, friends, teammates and coaches, pets, childhood memories, both good and bad, celebrations, gifts, lots of sports, and the determination to be the best. There are tears, anger, hurt feelings, soothing moments, and help at the ready on so many sides. There is lovely closure, happily ever afters, a surprise ending that was better than I envisioned, and an epilogue that takes place five years later.

Wicked Serve is a sports romance that held my interest throughout. Fast-paced and filled with family, friends, teammates, romance and love it had me turning the pages to see what could possibly happen next!

The review was posted on NovelsAlive.

4.5 ⭐️!

izzy callahan, the epitome of sunshine ✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ˙⋆✶

FINALLY, we've met the final callahan of the beyond the play series. I just want to start of by saying I am genuinely so proud of Grace for coming this far, from first down to wicked serve, I've gotten the opportunity to call this series my home.

volleyball x hockey was something that I never expected to see but hey I'm definitely not complaining.
I was DEFINITELY swooning half the time during this book, because Nik was just SWOON.

Nikolai Abney-Volgograd ⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆
I genuinely loved his character arc, getting to see the more vulnerable parts of him and how he struggled with a lot of his own thoughts and his past made me realise that many others go through what he went through as well.
so proud that he tried to give the best version of himself to Izzy and knew that some space apart for them to grow independently would make them stronger.

Isabelle Callahan ⋆｡𖦹°‧★
sweet, fiery and fashionable. she is someone who protects her loved ones so fiercely as well and feels the need to live up to the callahan name.

nikizzy were absolutely adorable! but I felt some parts weren't really necessary and could have been a little shorter as well :( nonetheless, I'm so grateful I got to return to the callahan world and meet all my babies once again <3

nik and coop's bromance had me sold through this book as well, seeing their relationship develop over time.

tropes:
-`✮´- hockey x volleyball player
-`✮´- friends to lovers
-`✮´- found family
-`✮´- brother's rival turned teammate
-`✮´- secret relationship

thank you to Avon, NetGalley and Grace for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ݁˖ ❀

I don't know how I feel about this book. I definitely smiled reading it. I also cringed, sighed, and wanted to cover my eyes quite a few times as well.

I'm not a prude in any way. If you only knew how I was brought up you'd totally get it. That said, this book felt gratuitous with all the sex scenes. I mean, they're in college, yet they have sex like very mature adults. It just didn't add up for me. And they had sex so much, it seemed to be the main part of their relationship. Again, I get that people have sex, and enjoy it, and all that, but it was just too much in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of this series and I have been waiting a long time for Izzy's book. I couldn’t wait to find out what man was going to sweep her off her feet. I think Nikolai was the perfect man for the job. He did get thrown into the snow for her. The way he loved her and didn’t back down to her brothers just made him so worthy of her love.

Nikolai and Izzy had a summer love that I really wish we got to see. If we got more of their beginning and less of the middle, this would have been 5 stars for me. Nikolai now has to transfer schools and ends up at McKee with Izzy and playing hockey with her brother Cooper. Nikolai wastes no time in starting something up with her again. It becomes more serious than either of them expected. There were lots of really spicy moments, but man did those swoony moments really warm my heart. The freaking koalas. Yall, when you read this and figure out why that was such a cute moment, you will be all heart eyes too!

I really enjoyed all the obstacles that they had to face together, it was real and emotional. I didn’t particularly enjoy the length of this and felt it could have been shortened a bit. They get together very quickly and a lot of the story is them together. The conclusion was perfect for their HEA.

3.5 stars

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Nikolai and Isabelle “Izzy” had a summer fling, but they couldn’t be anything more because he was her brother’s rival. But when he transfers to her school, there’s no way for them to avoid each other…and they can’t stay away from each other.

Izzy was sweet, and so, so caring. She never judged Nik, and she was very supportive of him.

Nikolai was also sweet and caring with Izzy, and he put others before himself. He had his own demons to deal with. And I loved that this book showed the MMC dealing with his mental health.

This was angsty and had many swoony moments. I loved seeing Nik and Izzy, especially Nik. They found love and healing with each other.

This was my first book by Grace Reilly, but I will be going back to read the previous books in the series.

🏐 college volleyball player fmc
🏒 college hockey player mmc
🏐 forced proximity
🏒 forbidden love
🏐 friends with benefits to lovers
🏒 dual pov
🏐 broody x sunshine
🏒 mental health rep
🏐 no third act breakup

🌶️🌶️🌶️

I devoured this fun, swoony college sports romance! It’s got all the best qualities of the genre without feeling like an Off-Campus/Icebreaker doppelgänger. I laughed, I teared up, I squealed at the mmc’s dirty mouth, and I swooned over the romance.

Isabelle is cheerful, kind, and so stressed about living up to the athletic standard set by her father and older brothers. She’s almost too sweet for her own good—she loves easily and gets her heart trampled on. I found her a little bit immature at times but weren’t we all in college. Her growth, both personally and in her relationship with Nik, was nice to see.

Sweet, broody Nik has demons upon demons but still finds a way to be a top-tier book boyfriend. He’s not without his flaws, but he’s able to apologize like he means it and knows how to care of his girl. Nik’s troubled background also gives this book a lot more depth than I’m used to seeing in college sports romances.

This was my first Grace Reilly book, so I read this as a standalone despite it being #4 in the series. At first, I was a little lost, but the next few chapters quickly catch readers up on the pair’s history and feelings for each other along with a lot of intriguing family drama. I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down.

The pair start out hiding their relationship from Isabelle’s brother, who hates Nik, and the sneaking around aspect made things super fun! I also appreciated that both Nik and Isabelle show up for one another and respect each other. There was nothing petty or needlessly dramatic between them.

I felt the book could have been a little shorter, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Over all, this is a fun read that plays like a movie because the writing is smooth and evocative, the banter is sassy, and the mmc is HOT.

I’m looking forward to going back and reading the rest of the series! Thank you to Valentine PR and NetGalley for the arc 🫶🏼

tw: DV, alcoholism, mental health

I just finished Wicked Serve and can't stop smiling at how cute this book was. I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions with this book. I swooned, laughed, teared up, and felt angry and annoyed by a certain character in this book.

When I first started Wicked Serve, I was unsure if this book would suit me. The beginning seemed a little disjointed, but I quickly became hooked within a few pages.

Nik and Isabelle may have had a summer fling, but they both had feelings for one another. When Nik gets kicked out of his college and goes to Isabelle's college, the stars align and they can no longer deny their feelings and attraction for one another.

Both Nik and Isabelle have anxieties that they help each other through. Isabelle cannot stop comparing herself to her athletic family and thinks she is not good enough. Nik is afraid he will end up like his abusive father. But, both Nik and Isabelle bring out the best in one another and allow each other to see their lives and future from different perspectives.

I didn't just love the romance aspect of this book, but I also loved the friendship and family dynamic it brought. Nik worries that Isabelle's brother, Cooper, will hate him for sneaking around with Isabelle because of something he said in a previous game before they became teammates. However, as Cooper and the other Callahan siblings get to know Nik and Nik gets to know them, the bonds grow into a beautiful friendship and found family.

I have to say, Nik is the epitome of a book boyfriend. He made sure to take care of Isabelle and found ways to make her happy. I adored that he surprised her with a trip to Australia to snuggle some koalas.

The last quarter of the book had me swooning and tearing up a lot, but this book was perfect and just what I needed.

If you are a fan of Elle Kennedy, Icebreaker, rom coms, or want a new book boyfriend to swoon over, then look no further than Wicked Serve.

⭐️4.75

This was my first Grace Reilly book I’ve read and honestly I read it like it was my lifeline lol
This book served all the right things to me on a silver platter:

- a dirty mouthed MMC
- hockey x volleyball
- strong fmc

This book has a really good representation of mental health caused by childhood trauma. There are triggers for DV and alcoholism.

Thank you so much Valentine PR and NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

A possessive book boyfriend who loves to praise and gives you a nickname in another language? Immediately yes. The caretaking scenes in this book left me swooning so hard and were everything I love about a broken boy story. Nikolai has never let anyone all the way in the way he does with Izzy, and she receives it with such tenderness. I loved both of these characters and their emotions felt real and raw, and I felt them as if they were my own. Will absolutely be reading the rest of this series!

You’ll Find —
Sneaking Around
Brother’s Rival - Turned Teammate
Mental Health Rep
Broody x Bubbly
Possessive Book Boyfriend

Thankful for the opportunity to read early!

ARC Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I have been waiting for Izzy's story ever since she first came out in this series and it did not disappoint! From the moment we are introduced to her and Nikolai you could feel the love between them.

They were so incredibly supportive of one another and encouraged each other to go after the things they didn't even realize they wanted at first. You could tell Izzy was such a kind and generous person who just wanted to give her all to everyone else even if it meant her not having what she needed. Nikolai was quiet with everyone else except her. He showed Izzy what it was like to have someone by your side on not only the best days but the rough ones as well.

*Also shout out to that amazing spontaneous trip Nik planned for Izzy when she was beyond stressed😍

Both Nik and Izzy delt with their own issues in the book. Nik struggled severely with mental health problems due to the traumas he experienced during his upbringing. Izzy tended to let herself feel dragged down by the pressure to live up to her famous family members. They both worked throughout the book to overcome these issues and become better for one another.

While I loved the overall book, there were moments that felt like this book dragged on for me. I am typically someone who loves a 400 page book but it felt like there were times were things were a little repetitive and could be sped up.

The fourth and last book in Grace Reilly’s Beyond the Play series is Izzy’s story - the youngest of the Callahan siblings.

I enjoyed this friends-with-benefits to lovers story. It was honestly a bit slow for me, but I believe it was due to the fact that this was my first Grace Reilly and even though it can be read as a standalone, at moments I felt like I was completely out of the loop with what was being said between characters from previous stories. Like when you’re surrounded by a group of people and some of them have inside jokes and you have no clue what’s going on… yeah, that was me at times.

Inside jokes aside, I did enjoy this story. I loved how vulnerable Nik was (when he finally opened up). There were some heavy themes in this story and I felt that the author dealt with them pretty well. Personal growth is always a fave for me - when characters are able to be their best selves. I felt this happened with both Izzy and Nik. They made each other better.

All in all this book wrapped up the series nicely. Giving readers glances at previous couples and their happy endings. Or should I say *extended* happy endings because now I have to start from book one to see the ones I missed!


*A huge thanks to Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.*

This was a cute read! Izzy and Nikolai were really cute! They’re both supportive and patient with one another. I really loved the Russian side of things and the friendship that developed between Cooper and Nikolai. All in all this was fun read! I’ll definitely be checking out the rest of the series

I’ve been a fan of Grace Reilly and her works since First Down, so when I was approved for this ARC, I was so incredibly excited. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it’s a great stand alone book but ties in really nicely with the other books and characters. I loved that Nik was such a flawed charactered, diving him so much depth. Struggling with childhood trauma, struggling to share that with your loved ones and then being strong enough to admit that you need help is such a great character and often isn’t depicted in these college sports romances. The one critique I would give it though, is that it’s not really a ‘brother’s rival’ troupe. Sure, Cooper and Nik had beef but they moved on from it VERY quickly to be considered brother’s rival. Regardless, this is still a fantastic book and I am so sad that the series is over.

𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

I loved Izzy and Nikolai’s story! It was everything and more I could’ve wanted for Izzy! Izzy is the youngest callahan but that doesn’t make her any less special than her older siblings and I love that Nikolai proved that multiple times throughout this book!

Izzy and Nikolai meet when she works for his mum one summer which resulted in them sneaking around! Things were hot and heavy until Nik just stopped replying! Izzy was trying to move on until Nik ends up at her school playing on the hockey team her brother is the captain of. They at first done see eye to eye but I love their friendship in the end!

Izzy and Nik go through a lot in this book both emotionally and physically! I love that even through everything they came out stronger in the end and got their happy ever after!

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦.

My first time reading a book from this author and I love hockey romance, so I was happy to get a review copy from Netgalley.

I should probably say I've been in a book slump when it comes to romance reads and I'm finding I need more plot than steam. I think that was what I was missing from this book.

I would probably come back to this book in a few months and reread in a new frame of mind. I enjoyed the hockey romance trope.

4.5 -⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

"I didn't say goodbye because I didn't want to...I didn't want to shut the door on us."

Wicked Serve is the fourth instalment in the new adult college sports romances series, Beyond the Play. They are interconnected standalone so while they are set in the same universe and characters will return, the main story follows separate couples. In this story we follow Nikolai and Izzy.

Nikolai and Izzy had a secret summer fling that they couldn't quite forget but with both being in separate schools and Nikolai being on a rival hockey team to Izzy's brother meant they knew things needed to end. Except when Nikolai is expelled from his college he finds himself not only at the same school as Izzy but also joining her brother's hockey team. Izzy, who aims to regain her old volleyball position, is looking to forget Nikolai...but when chemistry strikes can these two continue a no strings attached relationship hidden from the people they love or family conflicts and secrets strike them both out?

I adored Nikolai and Izzy's dynamic. Izzy is a fierce and determined character who yearns to prove herself just as good as her athletically skilled family and the legacy puts so much pressure on her. She is open and I felt this dynamic complimented Nikolai so well. Nikolai is a brooding man with a whole lot of trauma and family dysfunction but he cares so much. When he lets go, though, he can be incredibly romantic and kind and I just loved how much of himself he put himself into a relationship that was undefined.

I also found the side characters, especially Izzy's brothers, to be extremely helpful in building and strengthening the characters and their relationship. I loved the ease they had in lifting Izzy and the support they provided as Nikolai became involved.

This book does contain spice. I would say 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. We start seeing spice around the 20% mark and it happens consistently throughout. I felt their relationship made sense based on their history and it was well introduced for why they engage in spice so soon. The spice in many ways punctuates moments when their relationship changes and I felt it was well written. It is explicit and detailed. There is also beautiful intimacy between the characters which highlights the spice is part of the romance and not the sole propelling of it.

"If she's sunshine, I'm the guy who hopes it never starts raining. But deep down, I worry that I'm the typhoon."

The story itself is engaging and I devoured this. There is the main romance of Izzy and Nikolai navigating their relationship and connection which was absolutely adorable and tugged on my heart strings again and again. They claim to be casual but they are anything but with so many slices of life to prove this. At the same time we also have the additional plots of Nikolai's struggle between his love of hockey, his need to not be his father, and his deal with his grandfather forcing him to give up what he loves. I felt his story was strong and moving as it highlights a struggle of loving the person that hurt you. Izzy also had an additional storyline around proving her coach she is worthy for a volleyball position. I felt her story was much lighter and not very deep but I did enjoy the healthy relationship with her family to balance and support Nikolai. Now this book took about 10-15% to get going but when it did I was HOOKED and could not put this down. The ending was everything I needed.

Overall, if you want a beautiful college romance with two characters who fall so effortlessly in love and work together this book will give you all you need.

Thank you Avon so much for this arc!