I am a sucker to secret romances. Their dynamic knowing that they have obstacles and say F@(k it! I want who I want and I will love fiercely. That is what we get in this romance. Nikolai and Isabella, both have emotional baggage, that they have to overcome for themselves to be able to give their hearts fully to the other. Their journey is what makes this book amazing. Having one another’s backs showing each other what having a true partner is and both of them learning that they are worth the love they so desperately crave…. Yeah swoon worth all the way! Add in the battles on the ice for Nikolai? And yeah this is one hell of a hockey read for me.
This is a first read for this author for me, and I am hooked. I am not gonna lie, I need more Callahans to read so I am off to get the rest of the books in the series! I have a feeling though that Nikolai will always hold a special spot in my heart. A man that will take time to sort his emotions to ensure that he can take care of the woman of his dreams? Yeah that is what makes this book a special read for me and Nikolai an amazing Hockey god!

Star Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐
Heat Rating: 3/5 🌶️
Audiobook: 4/5 🎧

What to Expect:
- Sports Romance
- Hockey Player MMC
- Volleyball Player FMC
- Brother's Rival turned Teammate
- Secret Relationship
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- He Falls First
- Found Family
- Dual POV

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series. It tells the story of Nik and Izzy. Izzy is the only daughter and youngest sibling in the Callahan family. Nik plays hockey for Izzy's brother's rival team.

Let's get into it.

Full disclosure: I have not read the other books in this series. However, I do feel this can be read as a standalone. I didn't feel I missed anything while reading/listening to this story. Nik and Izzy fit well together. I loved the evolution of their relationship as they both worked through their own issues. They stood by each other even when it was difficult to do so. This story has deeper topics and is more emotional than I expected. It is not a surface-level romance story, which I enjoyed. I was invested in their journey and rooted for them.

Nik. He absolutely made the story for me. I couldn't get enough of him. He fell hard for Izzy and was super supportive of her. Nik had a difficult past and lots of trauma from his childhood. I loved his mental health journey. He didn't shy away from confronting his issues and prioritized getting the help he needed. Of course, you can't go wrong with a dirty-talking hockey player.

Izzy. She is fighting for a starting setter spot on the volleyball team. Izzy struggles with confidence and compares herself to her siblings. She is also a very talented event planner. Izzy is very kind and loyal. I loved how she stood up for Nik. Although there was some growth, I wish she had that same energy when standing up for herself. I wanted her character to have more depth.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. As a former athlete and sports romance fanatic, I loved reading a story where both the MMC and FMC are athletes. I loved the forbidden nature of Nik and Izzy's relationship, and there is some really good spice. I loved how Nik treated Izzy like a queen and wanted to give her the world. I also loved how he gave Izzy the space to be herself. I stan a swoony MMC that puts in the work. There was healthy communication, and I loved the family element. I feel the story is a bit long, but everything was wrapped up satisfactorily.

Thanks to Grace Reilly, Avon Books, Harper Voyager, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the eARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
💖genre: contemporary romance
📏length: 467 pages (ebook)
📚series: Book 4 in Beyond the Play series
🔥spice: open door
📱On KU? Yes
🗓️Available Now
🚫triggers: this book features family trauma, abuse, ptsd, and panic attacks.

Thank you to Grace Reilly & Valentine PR for my copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Read if you enjoy:
🏐Sports romance
🤫Forbidden romance
❤️‍🩹Trauma/healing
🫂Family dynamics

Nikolai and Izzy have a hot and steamy summer fling, there’s only one problem…Nikolai is her brother’s biggest rival. But it’s okay because soon they will be miles and miles apart from each other. Until unexpected circumstances suddenly bring these two back together.

my thoughts
A VOLLEYBALL ROMANCE BOOK? SIGN MEEEEEE UP. I swear I never seen volleyball in sports romances. I used to play in middle school and high school so it honestly feels so nostalgic to be back in that world. I loved Izzy’s dedication to the sport but I would have loved to see even more volleyball throughout the book, that’s probably just a me thing though.

I loved the therapy representation, I stan characters healing and growing as individuals! Although they aren’t perfect, I really loved Izzy’s family (which makes me excited to go back and read the books from earlier in the series). I felt like Nikolai and Izzy had organic and undeniable chemistry. DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT SHOWER SCENE OMG. I may never recover.

My only complaint is that the book felt too long and dragged in some areas. But overall, I had a great time with this book.

Wicked Serve is the first book I have read by Grace Reilly. I'm a sucker for sports romances, and my friends have been recommending this author to me for a while. The premise of this book intrigued me, so I wanted to read it. I enjoyed the audiobook narration, especially with the male character having a Russian accent. It gave Nik a better voice than my brain did reading the book. Nik and Izzy have some serious chemistry in this book. There are a lot of steamy scenes in this book. I know this is a standalone book, but I would have loved all these characters more if I had read the other books in this series leading up to Wicked Serve.

This book has it all—spice, humor, and romance that keeps you glued to every page! Without spilling the beans, let me just say that the relationship between the main characters is absolutely adorable. The story delves into their pasts, insecurities, and traumas, making you feel like you’re right there with them, cheering them on as a true friend would. I love when an author can tug at your heartstrings and make the characters feel so real!

The mix of tropes is irresistible, and the spice is perfectly balanced with the sports theme. Grace Reilly shines in her positive portrayal of mental health awareness, adding a thoughtful touch to the narrative.

Though this book is part of a series (and I haven’t read the others yet), it stands strong on its own. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down! I’m definitely diving into her backlist next.

I’m thrilled to have read this and bring you this spoiler-free review! On release day, grab this book—and don’t stop there. Get the entire series and enjoy every moment!

thank you to NetGalley and ValentinePR for the opportunity to read this as an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!! i truly appreciate it :)

izzy and nikolai relationship is filled with so much love, support, and encouragement of each other’s dreams and goals. i especially loved that as a FMC, izzy knew how to stand up for herself. also, seeing nikolai, as a MMC, really face his past trauma and abuse was important, and grace handled those conversations beautifully. the relationship between these two was also magnetic, and i loved how much they couldn’t stay away from each other!

i absolutely adore this series (and am seriously so sad it’s ending), & as my most anticipated read this year, hannah once again did not disappoint! 💛💛

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the lack of toxicity in their relationship. They both fell so hard after a summer fling, and even though it was hard for them to be together, they were so cute with each other. They only thing I did not like was the length of the book. I felt like it did not need to be that long.

This was a really cute sports romance! It is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching at times.

Lots of cute banter, swoons and spice and a very satisfying ending. I loved having dual POVs! And I really liked all the characters- main characters and secondary ones.

I loved that the chapters were short! Although I do think the overall book could’ve been just a tad bit shorter.

This is part of an interconnected series, but can be read as a standalone. Now I want to go back and read the others! Recommend checking this one out!🩷

I really enjoyed the trust and healing this book offered along with the romance of course! I haven't read the middle books in this series, but I'm sure I will here soon! The book did feel a touch long, but it had a great story and I'm so glad they got to have their happy ending after going through extremely tough life events. I enjoy books that are part of a series, but you can also read standalone. The callbacks to the previous characters were a great touch!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

”The closer I get to Nik, the more certain I am that I could fall in love with him.”

I really enjoyed this sweet and steamy sports romance! Nik and Isabelle had perfect chemistry, and I loved the way they rooted for each other & cheered each other on. If you speak Russian, if you were a college athlete (especially volleyball), or if you want to be Elle Woods when you grow up, you’ll love this.

I’ll admit that the characters felt maybe a little too young / immature for my reading tastes, but this is clearly “new adult” so I guess that’s to be expected. Also, I wish I’d read the other books in the series first so that I could have appreciated the cameos from past characters. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up.

——

A huge thank you to Grace Reilly, Avon Books, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

I'm honored to have been selected to be an ARC reader for the 4th and final book in Grace Reilly’s Beyond the Play series - Wicked Serve!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

First let me just say that I am OBSESSED with the Callahan family. 😍 Going into Wicked Serve, Cooper and Penny’s story was my favorite but Izzy and Nikolai’s story has so much intrigue, passion, family drama, and SPICE. 🥵

All the siblings’ love stories in this series have great storylines and kept me completely hooked but learning about Nikolai’s complex childhood was a step beyond. Often times romance novels can bring the spice but lack the plot, this book does not disappoint on either the plot or spice!

Grace Reilly is at Tessa Bailey levels of spice and I. Am. Here. For. It!

Do yourself a favor and pick up Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly! Now available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Kobo.

Fantastic ending to the Callahan series. Grace Reilly does sports romances like no one else - sweet and fun and spicy, just the right amount of banter and heart. I adored Nik and Izzy - they were perfect together.

“Good girl, Isabelle. So perfect for me, like sunshine after a storm.”

Tropes: second chance; both athletes; brother’s rival/teammate; grumpy/sunshine; secret romance

I loved this book! I have read all the books in the Beyond the Play series and I enjoyed them all but Isabelle and Nikolai’s story is by far my favorite!
On paper these two should have it all (popular, athletic, wealthy families) but the author does such a great job of showing the parts of themselves they’ve kept hidden, the parts that had me rooting for them and cried a bit too.
I was getting such a jerk vibe from Nikolai to begin with but the way he steps up for Isabelle 🩷🩷🩷 I just love when a main character comes to be so much different (and more!) than expected.
Their story is so well rounded with school, challenges on their respective teams ( volleyball & hockey), family dynamics and drama, some great spice….we really get a bit of everything I personally love in a book!

“Isabelle cut a doorway to my soul, and now that she’s there, I know she’s never leaving. No matter what happens in the future, she’ll be there. A drop of sunshine, just for me.”

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

Thank you Valentine PR for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Lately, I've been immersing myself in sports romance books, particularly those centered around hockey. What captivates me are the main characters, Izzy and Nikolai, who are drawn to each other by their shared insecurities. Izzy, the youngest and only girl in an athletic family, feels constant pressure to measure up to her siblings. Nikolai, on the other hand, is weighed down by a father who demands nothing but the best from him. After meeting over the summer, there is an obvious attraction between us that has the potential to grow into something more.

I loved that as the story progressed, Izzy became more confident in herself and her abilities to accomplish what she set her mind to. Nikolai was able to start opening up more and asking for help when he needed it. Not only was their relationship filled with a lot of spice, but they were able to understand each other and encourage one another to go forward in accomplishing their goals. Once both characters opened up to their families, a world of possibilities opened for them.

It is a wonderful story of learning to ask for help when you need it and being open to new possibilities!

I would like to note that this book does deal with anxiety and DV so please be sure to take care of your health before reading this book.

Thanks to Valentine PR, the author, and NetGalley for the arc!!

3.5 Stars
Wicked Serve is the first book by Grace Reilly that I have read. I grabbed it because I love hockey romance stories. I liked the premise of the story but found it a bit long and many times I felt like it was simply dragging along. The characters were well developed in that they shared a lot of their thoughts and feelings together and they are typical college athletes dealing with all the challenges that entails with balancing academics at the same time. Nik and Izzy had their ups and downs with their secret romance and keeping her brother in the dark since Nik and her brother, who were once rivals are now teammates and they both knew it wasn’t going to go over well.
If you like college romance stories, I would say give it a try. I just prefer slightly older characters.

I literally started smiling from the first page - you can’t help it with Nik and Isabelle.

They both agreed to a summer fling, doing their best to ignore that it felt like so much more - so when Nik shows up on campus in August, Isabelle isn’t sure how to deal with it. Especially since he’s her brother’s biggest rival. Cue all the sexy, angsty, forbidden love.

But this book is so much more than spice. It’s about trust and healing and family - in all its forms. It’s heart warming and the curling at the same time…and boy does Nik have a mouth on him. I have never wanted to hear sweet nothings whispered in Russian so badly 🥵

There are definitely some things that may be triggering to some readers, but this has quickly become one of my favorite romance reads this year! Highly recommend for lovers of high spice and hockey romance! 😍

Isabelle Callahan gets her own story in the fourth installment of the Beyond the Play series! Time for the sister with three brothers to shine-and shine she does in this cute, volleyball/hockey romance.
I enjoyed the overall secret romance, brother’s teammate plot and the character and relationship development of Izzy and Nik-especially how they supported each other, stood up for each other, and recognized the importance of honesty and trust. (The Russian references are quite enduring!) As with the previous books in this series, there are numerous, very detailed open-door, spicy scenes (it seemed to make this book a bit too long due to the redundancy…but I guess very apropos for college-aged characters?!) There are some serious topics with Nick’s past that the author introduces and approaches with care-please be kind to yourself and check content warnings before reading. The epilogue is everything and a true grand finale…I just love when they are set years in the future and provide the perfect closure.

Grace Reilly absolutely made me giggle, kick my feet, root and completely feel for Nikolai and Isabelle.

This book follows Isabelle, who is the fourth of the Callahan kids and a volleyball player, and Nikolai, who is a hockey player and Isabelle's brother's rival turned teammate. After an ended summer fling with Isabelle and some unruly college behavior, Nikolai ends up transferring to McKee University where he has to team up with his rival and come face to face with his feelings for Isabelle. Meanwhile, Isabelle is trying to prove herself to her coach and her family that she has what it takes to be setter.

Both Isabelle and Nikolai have experienced so much in their lives so differently and Grace does a great job bringing awareness to not only mental health, especially in a family of successful siblings and/or parents, but also to domestic abuse and violence. The care, tenderness and support both Isabelle and Nikolai have for each other especially on those dark days was so beautiful. Not to mention the spice was delicious and the mouth on Nikolai was chef’s kiss.

It was on the longer end for a contemporary romance for me personally and I feel like it could've been shorter, but I still enjoyed Nik and Izzy's story nonetheless!!

This is an interconnected standalone and I'm definitely going to go back and reading her brothers' stories!

Thank you to Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for the ARC!

This is the 4th book in the Beyond the Play series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the books in order. They are all great, and it helps you understand the side characters in this story.

Izzy is the youngest of 4 siblings and the only girl. She falls for one of her brothers hockey rivals. They try to fight their chemistry but finally give in to a secret relationship and the spice was 🔥🔥. I loved these 2 together. It was great to see how they grew, and I was so excited for the found family aspect for Nik. He dealt with so much, and it made my heart happy at the friendship he developed with Izzy's brother.

I think this was a great way to end the series.

Wicked Serve
by Grace Reilly

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This read had so much going on emotionally. I really enjoyed watching Nik and Izzy’s relationship develop after a summer fling. There’s lots of sports elements in this book with heavy focus on volleyball and hockey. This book is spicy in the best way! 🌶️

Izzy really develops as a character as the book progresses. She really knows what she wants!

Nikolai had so much trauma and I really felt for everything he had been through. I was so happy to see him finding happiness by the end of the book! I felt he had so much found family with the Callahans.

You definitely have to check this series out!