Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of Wicked Serve!

I really enjoyed that there was the inclusion of both their sports and not just the MMC. I also always love a grumpy-sunshine trope. I am a huge fan of sports romances, especially hockey, and cannot quite pinpoint what felt missing for me in this one. It felt a bit clunky for me starting with their established history but bit really getting to feel it and the amount of smut felt like a distraction from story vs adding to my enjoyment.

This was my first book from this author so I will definitely give another book a try. This one just didnt fully gel with me at this moment but it might for you!

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy. Meh. Typical hockey romance, but still a great read. I'll continue to read Grace Reilly in the future!

As a fan of both hockey and volleyball, Wicked Serve promised a lot of excitement and romance, but ultimately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
The story follows Nikolai, a hockey player forced to transfer to a rival school, and Isabelle, a volleyball player navigating her own personal and athletic challenges. Their complicated relationship, a secret summer fling turning into more, has all the makings of a great sports romance. I loved the premise, and the tension between the characters was engaging.

However, the book stumbled for me in a few key areas, particularly in the introduction. The opening chapter left me feeling disoriented; the scene wasn’t fully fleshed out, and I struggled to picture the setting and get a solid sense of the characters right away. It took me a while to get back into the flow of the story after that, and I found myself wishing for more detail and clarity, either to flesh out the introduction or, perhaps, skip it altogether to dive right into the heart of the plot.

The characters themselves were interesting, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where the story faltered. While I liked the idea of their complicated relationship I wanted more connection, more exploration of the scars that Nikolai carried, and more tension between the characters to really make their eventual choices feel earned.

That being said, there were definitely swoon-worthy moments and some spicy scenes that fans of new adult romance will enjoy. The sports elements were solid, and I appreciated how the book blended both volleyball and hockey into the storyline. The side characters, especially Isabelle's family, were a nice touch as well, adding some fun dynamics.

Overall, Wicked Serve has a lot of potential and could be a hit for readers who enjoy sports romances with a touch of angst.

I really liked this book. I must admit that I did read this one without readying the other 3 in the series. But now I am excited to go back and read the side characters' stories. The main characters were likable, the pace was great. And there was a lot of spice!

I love love loved this book!! Grace Reilly is definitely an expert on writing sports romances!! Niko is the enemy but when he gets kicked out of school is grandpa pulls strings so he can continue his hockey season out on a high but with a catch to take over the family business he has his sights set on winning frozen four !! Isabelle is the baby sister to Callahan sports legacy, honestly she held herself too high , and her emotions were tearing her down bc she compared herself to her brothers ..they were the perfect mix of grumpy x sunshine . The chemistry and the support they showed each other ..goals .!

Grace Reilly has found the perfect formula to make a love story convey the feeling of your first big love.

Nikolai and Isabelle had a fling over the summer and expected everything to go back to normal when school started again. But when Nikolai is involved in a scandal and has to transfer to McKee, the attraction and chemistry are still there. They can’t fight it, and don’t want to either, but with Nik having been Izzy’s brother’s rival for so long, Nik’s grandfather and his stipulations and Izzy’s position on the volleyball team, the odds are stacked against them. The character of Nikolai is a very well-written child of domestic violence and it really got under my skin, whereas Isabelle is very relatable as being the ‘unaccomplished’ sibling in a very talented family. I loved how healthy and mature the communication is between everyone, no miscommunication, just talking things through and being open and honest. The pacing did feel off for me and something happened towards the end that gave me an ick (no spoilers here) so four stars.

“After all, I don’t want to miss a single moment of our forever.”

Loved the grumpy x sunshine trope! Finally a worthy finish to the siblings stories. Had quite a lot of smut (which I didnt mind!) and gave little glimpses of the siblings lives with their partners which the first three books covered.
Good ending for the series!

Amazon and B&N reviews submitted
Will be covered in Friday reads on 3/7
Blog post goes live March 25
Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for March 6th

**TL;DR**: Not for me, not at all sadly. Cringey and with so much smut, yikes.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!.

**Plot**: Izzy meets her brother’s rival and has a summer fling and they end up going to the same school. It gets smutty and stupid decisions are made.
**Characters**: Nikolai was okay, I actually didn’t mind him. It was Izzy that had me gritting my teeth. Everything felt a bit too shallow and young for what they were supposed to be.
**Setting**: It was a blur to be honest. None of the settings or the world around these two stood out.
**Romance:** Again, not for me. It was rough.

**Thoughts**:

I got two chapters into Wicked Serve and I knew it was going to be a rough time. I gritted my teeth and pushed through, but I honestly wish I hadn’t at this point. I’m not going to rip into the book, it was what it was and a lot of people did love it! I recommend giving the sample a go as it seems to stick quick or bounce back hard early.

Izzy and Nikolai have a summer fling, even though he is her brother’s biggest hockey rival. She’s on the college volleyball team under his Mom and he ends up transferred to her school. Of course they meet again and they get at it… again. No one in this book truly felt quite their age, I’ll start there. Especially Izzy who read as below 18 to me in almost every scenario. Couple that with the ‘I have a scar on my face’ Nikolai who was better but not great and I was struggling. I’m not entirely sure if it was the immaturity or the writing, but the references to name brands and stores also put me off. Izzy is a young and wealthy college kid, which normally wouldn’t bother me, but she is fighting a that exact stereotype from her volleyball coach. Unfortunately she read that way to me for large amounts of the book.

My last point on this is the smut was far, far too much. It felt like 60% of this book was smut, and not even great smut for me. I’ve never seen nor heard of anyone getting off from *crawling toward their partner*. Just crawling. On the ground. I’ve read a lot of BDSM and kink and that’s a new one.

I wont’ recommend this. Instead I’ll say, try the sample. Read other reviews. It wasn’t for me but it very well could be for you and you know what, to each their own. This just isn’t mine.

I was so intrigued with the volleyball plot line and excited to read this. I love a college sports romance and it hit all the right points there. I did feel like this drug on a little bit and felt longer than it needed to be. But I look forward to reading the back list in this series as I'm intrigued how everyone in the family got together!

Out of all of the Callahan family stories I think this was one of my favorites. There was more spice and more story. I liked how together they were able to grow but then also needed time to grow themselves. It was more relatable love than just meet and fall in love. I would recommend this book! It is an interconnected stand alone. You don’t have to read the others to understand everything but you can to read the entire story!

Tropes: Secret forbidden love, hockey/volleyball romance, brothers rival, childhood trauma

I love a well written sports romance, and this one was a fun, didn't want to put it down type of read. I haven't read the other books in the series, but I didn't experience any gaps reading it as a standalone. There might have been one too many tropes highlighted in this book that made it a bit cheesy, but it was still a feel-good read. Additionally, I feel this way about many romances, but I felt like the book could have significantly shorter. There were some parts that I didn't feel were necessary or brought anything to the plot. Other than that, I'd still recommend this to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance.

This is a great completion to the series! We finally get Izzy's story and it didnt disppoint. I loved all of the glimpses into her brothers lives (our previous couples). and I loved the GrumpySunshine of the whole story. If you loved the other books then you will love this one!

Izzy is the youngest Callahan kid and I was so happy we got her story!

I really enjoyed this one but it was a little long for my liking. This book did a great job of depicting your early 20s and not knowing what you want to do with your life— will you make the right choice? I loved seeing Izzy and Nik fight for each other and push each other to follow their dreams. It was also great to see Nik become so close with the Callahan family

Read if you like;
• volleyball
• hockey
• brothers rival


Content warning: childhood domestic abuse & panic attacks

One of the most anticipated reads of 2024 did not disappoint. The plot was everything that I hoped it would be and so much more. A special thank you to Netgalley, Grace Reilly, and Avon and Harper Voyager for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book! I loved the aspect of the plot but felt it was a little slow in some places. I would like to give other books by this author a try though!

I was hooked from the very start of this book! Grace is always such a good writer and I adore her books! I loved the background of a whirlwind romance that the characters tried to disguise as a nonchalant summer fling.
The looks and way they saw each other was so heartwarming and well written. I love the idea of "to be known is to be loved" and the way the author used the use of their full names as a marker for how seen and known they were was so resonant. If Grace Reilly writes it I will read it and this was the perfect conclusion to the Beyond the Play series!

Reilly's book is a wonderfully sweet & charming romance filled with plenty of swoon and spice! Nikolai and Isabelle might be opposites in many ways but their natural attraction to one another in never in doubt. Isabelle loves playing volleyball and she adores her family. Nikolai is a hockey star who has loved the game since he was little. He is also Isabelle's brother's rival. None of this means they forget their summer romance they experienced. Nikolai and Isabelle might have labeled their summer together as a fling, yet both have a difficult time truly believing this once they are separated.

When Nikolai is transferred to Isabelle's college and ends up on her brother's hockey team neither can keep away from the other. There are plenty of stolen and spicy moments. The summer romance must be kept a secret from Isabell's brother which becomes much more complicated especially with everyone's feeling changing. Isabelle has plenty of insecurities but she does not hold back from Nikolai. However, Nikolai has walls in place: he refuses to let Isabelle see his panic, know his triggers or even why his family is part of it all. This just might be what keeps them apart. Yet, Isabelle is determined to be strong for the both of them.

Reilly has developed two solid characters and I love how strong their differences are yet they still connect so well. Her HEA is so heart warming. This book is worth the read!

Triggers: Domestic violence, panic attacks

I’ve been anticipating this book for the longest time, and it didn’t disappoint! Grace really did her thing with this series, and I couldn’t express my love for the Callahan siblings enough. Their bond is everything to me, and I adore each and every one of their love stories so much! Each book and each sibling made their mark on me and I enjoyed all of the sweet, the spicy, and overall the love that is shared among these characters!

I enjoyed this book. This is the first I’ve read in this series, but it can be read as a standalone. I thought the plot itself was fun and light-hearted, and I always love a good hockey romance. This also hits a lot of the tropes that I like as well.

The main concern for me was the pacing because it did feel a little dragged out at times. I don’t think this book really needed to be as long as it was, so if the pacing was fixed I think this could’ve been a lot stronger.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly!