I thought this was a super cute rom-com, and the spice was top notch! My only complaint is that it was pretty drawn out, and I felt like it could've been condensed a good bit. Overall, it was a great book, and the author did a great job with the character development throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

📚✨Book Review✨📚

Wicked Serve
Author: Grace Reilly

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I Liked:
🏐 As a former college athlete, I enjoyed getting a peek of a female who was also involved in athletics. I can certainly attest that playing and being in school is incredibly time consuming. To see it from the female perspective in a book was even better for me!

🏐Nikolai was certainly a tortured soul. And *slight spoiler* I’m so glad we see him going to therapy. I’m glad that it’s becoming more and more normalized even in books because mental health is SO important!

What I Didn’t Like:
🏐 I do find it a bit unrealistic when college aged characters get a little “extra spicy” in the bedroom. There were a few scenes that I just can’t see average college couples in.

Final Thoughts:
🏐 All the books in this series from Grace Reilly have been such a delight to read. I *think* this is the last book in this series and I’ll be sad to see it go. Looking forward to more cute reads in the future though!


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3.5 Stars

Overall, I thought this book was great. However, there were certain aspects that confused me—not so much in terms of understanding what was happening as in terms of why we chose to let the story unfold in this particular way.

You can see they are deeply in love right away, and nothing will be able to stop it. The brotherly rivalry and secret relationship was endearing. I think Katherine could have done more. At the end of the book, you finally realize what has been going on with your son, but you should have recognized it sooner. . .

I acknowledge that she faced difficulties as well, but her father's actions were wrong from the beginning and shouldn't have been permitted. Furthermore, it bothers me that Nik simply up and went for California, leaving the two of them silent. Although it makes sense that he needs to improve, they still could have had a conversation. Additionally, I wish the epilogue had discussed their wedding rather than what it did. I think a wedding would have blended in more nicely with the overall story.

Thank You Net Galley for this ARC. This was my first book by Grace Reilly and like most books this can be stand alone but it is book #4 in the Beyond the Play series but as always if you read the other books in the series you will have a better understanding & deeper connection with the other characters. I really did enjoy this read, Izzy is pure sunshine ☀️ who is just trying to live up to the Callahan legacy. Izzy is the daughter of a former NFL player & her 3 brothers play football 🏈, baseball ⚾️ & hockey 🏒 & she is trying to keep up with their success & the big shoes 👞 they have left behind for her to follow insert Taylor’s Swift THE MAN 🎶🎤 Izzy is doing the best she can in volleyball 🏐 with a coach who does not care for her , she is busting her butt in trying to keep up with her family’s legacy but she falls for the handsome rich Russian Nikolai who happens to be a hockey player for her brother’s college rival. As hockey loving girl I really did enjoy Izzy & Nick’s story & how they fall for one another, their love healed each other Nik with his family trauma & his panic attacks, Izzy with her ex & with her trying to keep up with her brothers they really healed each other & fell in love , mix in the Callahan family what’s not to love! A cute hockey read ❤️

I didn't really that this was the 4th book in a series. I didn't feel lost reading this one without reading the previous three books, however now I want to go back and read the other Callahan sibling's stories.

Izzy Callahan spends the summer before her sophomore year in a secret fling with her brother’s hockey rival, Nikolai. The sparse snippets we got of their summer romance honestly sounded so cute, but we don’t get much. Which is why when they run into each other on campus after Nikolai transfers to McKee and they pick up again almost immediately, I didn’t feel that I had a basis on which to root for them. Without seeing how they fell in love, I wasn’t fully invested in their relationship as much as I was with the other Callahan siblings’ love stories. Even though I was missing that initial connection, I did shift into rooting for them by the end though and I loved the couple they became.

Grace Riley really writes the cutest sports romances! I loved this one- it gave me all the butterflies. the brother’s best friend is a good trope, but brother’s rival is perfection! I would 100% recommend this one, and I felt like it was just everything I want in a sports romance. I didn’t love the fact that she’s some mediocre volleyball player, and I kinda wish that Isabelle wasn’t also an athlete. It just felt like a little too much sports for me.

I really enjoyed these characters and it was fun to see the gang together again. Both Isabelle and Nik had a lot going on and a lot that they needed to work on and get past in order to be together and it surprised me how maturely they handled things considering this was supposed to be a college romance. The middle dragged a lot, I think it could have been a lot shorter. I found myself skimming. Overall a sweet story.

3.5⭐️ Thank you to HarperCollins for the ARC!

This story was pretty cute albeit predictable. I felt like it could have been a little shorter it would have felt the same. I did appreciate that the characters communicated like adults for the most part! The spice was great and there was way more than I thought there would be, but I ain’t complaining 🤣 Overall this was cute story, and I did love that there was volleyball which you don’t see a lot in books!

This book served! I adore Izzy and Nik! The plot was great and the spice was steamy! This is a great sports romance. I laughed, giggled and kicked my feet, and might have shed a tear or two. Beyond the play is a great series, but Wicked Serve may be my favorite.

Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.

Storyline was fine, there was a lot going on and quite honestly I felt it could have ended about halfway through. The spice is spicy. All in all, it was just an okay romance book.

So good! Possibly my favorite of the season. I love the complexity of the characters. Izzy is great. Steam is good

This was fun! It has a good amount of both spice and plot. Nik’s past is pretty heavy and dark, but I loved that he ultimately found a healthy way through it. Izzy’s life appears perfect from the outside, but she feels an immense amount of pressure to live up to her family’s success. What starts as a secret, forbidden summer hookup turns into helping one another find themselves and fulfill their dreams. Grace Reilly really knows how to do a sports romance well! Highly recommend.

Thank you to Grace Reilly, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

I can definitely convince you to read this book with just one of Nikolai's quotes 😏 "crawl to me, Isabelle"

SCREAMS. Okay, serious talk, this book was freaking amazing.

First of all, it was filled with giggling, spicy, and romantic moments that I couldn't stop reading. Nikolai is her brother's hockey rival, and after getting kicked out of college, he transfers to the same college as Isabelle; his sunshine girl ☀️. Meanwhile, you have Isabelle, who just wants to be enough to be the team's setter. After a summer fling with Nikolai, she wants to focus on her volleyball career—no distractions. But that's kind of hard when Nik is basically in every room 🥵.

Even though they are the cutest couple ever, their relationship delves into both their pasts, insecurities, and childhood trauma, making you want to hug them and feel their emotions on a deeper level. AGH, I LOVE WHEN AUTHORS DO THAT.

Anyway, I recommend this to anyone who loves a balanced sports romance book—a balance between SPICY scenes, mental health awareness, and relationship development.

Why a 5 star Read? The storyline as well as the characters really made me feel hocked since the beginning I couldn't stop turning the page and the spicy scene reeled me in even more lolol

Fav quote: "I've never felt so owned by him. So completely his. It's raw, it's dirty, and somehow, my heart feels more exposed than the rest of me."

Tropes:
☀️Sports Romance
☀️Hockey MMC 🏒 x Volleyball FMC🏐
☀️College Romance
☀️Secret relationship
☀️Brother's Rival
☀️Found Family
☀️Mental Health Rep (childhood trauma, panic attacks, "am i enough")
☀️Dual POV

This is my first by Grace Reilly and will not be my last! I went into this thinking it was going to be some simple college second chance romance but no it is so long and varied in the best way! I LOVED how long this book is truly. There were spicy little callbacks to their summer fling together and at first I was bummed thinking I missed all the good stuff but no I did not, the best was yet to come.

Our MMC Nikolai may seem like a reformed playboy but actually he is the protagonist of Mine by Taylor Swift just gender bended. The reason for him not having a serious relationship is because he never thought he was good enough and caution about his past he would have to share. CW for on page panic attacks which he has a few throughout this book (and positive rep for going to therapy and medication).

FMC Izzy is also a really great balance of being a sweet spot of sunshine but without being a pushover. The forbidden secret aspect was hot but also a little angsty. Back to the length of this I thought the brother's sports rival love interest angle was going to last for longer than it did but the tension broke at just the right time. And if you are one who dislikes when brother's are overprotective you will like this one! Yes there are feelings and resolutions needed but Izzy's family, bio and found, is full of love and respect for each other and I loved to see it.

This is also a bit of escapism. There are major rich family shenanigans which I honestly loved because it made the college aspect feel aged up. This really wasn't overly New Adult to me even with Izzy's college volleyball side plots. I just loved Nik spending money on Izzy and vice versa but also there was quite a bit of drama with Nik's grandfather and family secrets with his mother.

CW for parental and spousal abuse, domestic violence, these were all in the past but very much affecting Nik's present and he does explain the past in detail.

Overall, this was such a fun comfort read that I kept wanting to go back to. I loved the relationship they built and the open door spice was varied and fire. Thank you SO much to Avon for this eARC!

Isabelle and Nikolai
College romance
Secret relationship
Brother rival
Both fall hard
Mental health
Hockey/ volley ball
After having a summer fling with her brother enemy, they part ways because they are attending different university. They start to miss each other but knowing they can’t be together. Isabelle has always been supportive and caring for others and never putting herself first. She has to proof to other she deserve to have what she earns because of who her family is, especially to her coach who seems not to like her.
Nikolai is a Russian and sweet and genuine man who struggle with mental health and he doesn’t hide it or let it define who he is and he working on himself with the help of a therapist. I like the book very much I enjoy the characters were wonderful. I’m happy the author talk about mental health.

This was a great addition to Grace's college sports series. This had everything I loved in a sports romance- two great MC's, a fun friend group, and lots of banter and humor through out. This was a fun and fast read, and I enjoyed this a lot. I can't wait to see what Grace Reilly does next.

This book was so addictive. I have been looking forward to this book for quite a while and I was not disappointed. The romance was so good!

I really enjoyed this entire series! This might be my favorite out of the 4. Izzy and Nikolai are incredible. The way Nikolai and Izzy hold onto each there throughout their struggles is so sweet. You get all the Callahan family dynamics and glimpses into the future of the other couples from books 1-3. Loved it! If you love sports romance covering different sports across the series these books are for you!

I didn’t think that this series could get any better, but boy was I wrong.

After going through her three brothers stories, I was already attached to Izzy. But seeing her story play out and watching her find her own place in the world was beautiful.

Her and Niks love story is my favorite. You could tell from the very beginning that it was just right between them. They helped each other heal and move forward.

🏒🏐brothers teammate
🏒🏐forbidden romance
🏒🏐volleyball x hockey romance
🏒🏐found family

The epilogue killed me 😭❤️ it was so good to wrap all of their stories up with the fam back together.

Thank you Avon Books & the author for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 ⭐️

If you love a sizzling romance, Grace Reilly’s latest should be on your radar. In it, protagonists Izzy and Nik see their divergent worlds collide in the most unexpected and fulfilling of ways. Not only is this book light-hearted and downright sinfully delicious, but it’s also powerful and real. Reilly expertly works in themes of abuse and family trauma into the overall plot, which also ends up making this an impactful read.

It’s simple: WICKED SERVE is damn good.