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

🏒 Sport romance
🏒 Brother’s rival

This books is about Izzy and Nik. Izzy was a selfless girl who always put others before herself. She also felt not good enough compared to her brothers. Nik struggles bad some bad childhood trauma.

Summer fling turns into something more after Nik transferred to Izzy’s school. Both Izzy and Nik really good for each other. I love how they just support each other. This book was adorable and fluffy. I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you @valentine_pr_ for the arc copy!

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance!

I thought this was a great book about a brother’s enemy who just happens to be a secret lover. Working through past family issues, sports, school, family and friends this story has it all! And a lot of spicy spice which for me was great! I enjoyed this book!

So, I will admit I started the book not liking Nik LOL But as the book progressed - omg not only was I sad most of the time for him but he is actually really sweet and I felt bad for not liking him lol. His growth and development as the story progressed, was probably one of the best character arcs I have read recently. Izzy is wonderful and the two of them together was great. I spent most of the book in tears (kinda heavy at some points and I am dramatic) but ended the epilogue in happy tears lol! I somehow have not read the first few in this series and I will be checking them out soon! Also, the spice was fabulous and I would regret not acknowledging that the mental health rep was amazing as well!

Everyone knows I love a hockey romance, but adding volleyball (one of my favorite sports as a kid) made this so fun for me personally!

This is such a cute story, and each of the characters are super relatable. Be it Izzy's constant comparison to her brothers or Nik's anxiety, I quickly came to love these characters. As for the spice, its GOOD. I definitely recommend the Beyond the Play series, and I hope you love Wicked Serve as much as I did!

This was bitter sweet. I have enjoyed following these four siblings since James and Bexs book.

Izzy is the youngest and only girl with 3 older brothers who are talented and know what they want with their life. She feels like she is lbt good enough compared to James the NFL quarterback, Cooper soon to be in the NHL, and Sebastian, an incredible baseball player, but will be a phenomenal chef.

Nikolai is Izzys brothers rival who has to change schools his last year because of unforseen circumstances. They had a fun summer fling and didn't think they would see each other again, but fate brought them together again.

Izzy tried to fight it at first, but they were drawn to each other. Nikolai struggled with the relationship because of his parents' history, but he more than made up for it. The trip to Australia made my heart melt for him.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book and the entire series, and my favorite part was the end when we got a look into all 4 couple ls ended up in the future.

Nik and Izzy’s story was great! He’s her brother’s rival but she’s his mother’s summer intern. After a hot and heavy summer fling he’s now at her college, playing hockey with her brother, they can’t stay away from each other, but keep their relationship and feelings a secret. Between family drama and sports and past trauma they find their HEA.

I was happy to be able to jump into this series this late in the game and not feel like I was missing out on things. It makes me want to backtrack and read books 1, 2, and 3.

Book four in the Beyond the Play series, Wicked Serve features Isabelle, the sister of the Callahan's. This is a brother's rival romance story and it's unputdownable! I love the electric chemistry between Isabelle and Nikolai!

As always, Grace Reilly wrote a beautiful love story. Nikolai and Isabelle's love is beautiful and exactly what each other needs. I have loved reading books about all the Callahan siblings and said to see them ending. Highly recommend this book and series!

🇺🇸 I really liked the story. It's a hockey romance story and the fourth book in the series, but you can read it independently of the previous ones. The previous ones are about a few of Izzy's other family members. It takes place at college, which is a really great setting for the story. I really liked the characters. Izzy has to assert herself against her brothers, who are all very talented at sports, because giving up is not an option. Nikolai is under pressure because of his sports career and changing colleges won't make things any better. Both characters have developed well and I also thought their relationship was very good.
I will definitely read the other stories in the series. I really liked the writing style and I also really liked the cover.
I definitely recommend reading it.

🇩🇪Mir hat die Geschichte sehr gut gefallen. Es ist eine Eishockey-Romace-Geschichte und das vierte Buch der Reihe, allerdings kann man es unabhängig von den vorherigen lesen. In den vorherigen geht es um die ein paar andere Familienmitglieder von Izzy. Es spielt am College, was für die Geschichte ein wirklich tolles Setting ist. Die Figuren haben mir sehr gut gefallen. Izzy muss sich bei ihren Brüdern, welche alle sehr Sportbegabt sind, durchsetzen, denn aufgeben ist keine option. Nikolai hat Druck auf seine Sportkarierre und mit einem Collegewechsel wird es nicht besser. Beide Figuren haben sich toll entwickelt und auch ihre Beziehung fand ich sehr gut.
Ich werde mir auf jeden Fall die anderen Geschichten der Reihe auch auf jeden Fall lesen. Der Schreibstil hat mir sehr gut gefallen und das Cover mochte ich auch sehr.
Eine klare Leseempfehlung.

Wicked Serve: A Brother’s Rival Hockey Romance (Beyond the Play Book 4) by Grace Reilly
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

O.M.G. I was so happy I got to meet Grace Reilly in person, and also ask questions about the book and series over all.
Wicked Serve is book four in the Beyond the Play series, this is also the first book I’ve read by Grace. Also this book can be read as standalone.

Wicked Serve tells the love story/journey of Isabelle and Nikolai. Their story is sweet young love, with drama like everything else in life. With such sexual tension that steam my kindle. Their chemistry is out of this world. I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm glad I started with the end (I know, I’m weird like that). This was such a fun read with twists and turns, with such an appeal that everyone would be attracted to Wicked Serve. If you haven’t read this, then go get it now! Definitely a must read book now and ever.

🏐 Hockey x Volleyball romance
☀️ Brother’s rival-tunerd-teammate
🏒 Secret relationship
🩷 Broody x bubbly
🐨 Boy obsess
🩵 Found family

2.5 ⭐️

I was really looking forward to this book, as I liked the previous books in the series, however this was just a bit flat for me, I had to force myself to keep reading.

It has so much potential, but it just missed the mark - it was also unnecessarily long, and so had a lot of scenes which didn't really add anything at all to the plot or tension that she was trying to build.

The characters felt like they were acting WAY older than they were meant to be - some of the word choices, the spice scenes felt a bit odd, and then at times they were really immature - especially Izzy.

This was also sold as a brother's rival trope, but that got resolved super fast and it was cute however how the Callahan's took to Nik and brought him into the fold.

Thank you to Grace and Valentine PR for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up
i love isabelle and nikolai so much. i love their dynamic and i always love the sneaking around trope. because this book was longer than the others it took me a little while to read and at the 55% mark everything seemed good and i was nervous for what was going to happen next but it was worth it. they’re so cute together just wish it was maybe little more fast paced? still trying to really figure out what i disliked about it but it wasn’t much. also sad this series is over but it ended on such a good note and loved the epilogue

I enjoyed the growth of the characters in this book. I also enjoyed the support they gave each other when they were struggling. Their relationship was healthy and there wasn't a lot of miscommunication.
However, their relationship felt like it had more physical connection than emotional connection. I didn't like how Isabelle forced Nikolai to open up about his past. The book could've been shorter too.
Overall, there were a lot of moments that I found cute and enjoyable. I loved seeing the characters from previous books.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is the fourth book in the Beyond the Play Series. This book is an interconnected standalone. The story is about Nikolai and Isabelle. Over the summer Isabella was doing an internship with the event planning company that Nikolai’s mother owns. They decide to have a summer fling. Isabelle wants to keep it from her family. Her brother Cooper is an on-ice rival of Nikolai. Nikolai finds himself at the same college that Isabelle attends for his senior year. He also joins the hockey team that Cooper is the captain of. Isabelle and Nikolai reconnect while at McKee. Together they work on Izzy’s insecurities and Nikolai’s past trauma.

Please check the trigger warnings for this book.

This story delivers a captivating blend of sports, spice, and heartfelt romance. Nikolai, a hockey player with a troubled past, is forced to transfer to a rival school for his senior year, reigniting his summer fling with Isabelle, the sister of his team's captain. Their secret relationship is intense and complicated, with Isabelle trying to focus on her volleyball goals while resisting Nikolai's brooding charm. The story beautifully explores their growth as individuals and as a couple, with realistic depictions of mental health struggles and the pressures of living up to family expectations. Reilly's writing is engaging, and the chemistry between the characters is undeniable, making this a must-read for sports romance fans.

This is my first book by Grace Reilly and I wish I enjoyed it more.
The story and plot had so much potential but it really fell flat. I felt like scenes were rushed and there was no true conflict that needed resolution. Even though it was a sports romance, I knew nothing about the sports and actually experienced the characters emotions while playing. Isabelle is young but her character seemed to see everything in black and white. I also couldn't sympathize with her struggles. They weren't rooted in anything but her own insecurities. Nikolai had the more complex background but that too felt flat and superficial. I feel like there were words and scenes and tropes place onto paper, hoping to be a book. It was a struggle for my to finish the book, especially because I enjoy a good sports romance.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc!

Good new adult sports romance. This is the first book I have read by Grace Reilly but I'm a sucker for a good hockey romance so thought I'd give it a try. Very well written, excellent plot and overall good read. I am definitely going to go back and read some of her other works.

This book follows Isabelle "Izzy" Callahan who is the the only girl following in her brothers and fathers shadows. All are successful athletes in their own rights and Izzy feels a bit of a failure when she struggles on the college volleyball team. When she takes a summer internship as an event planner, she meets Nikolai who is a well known hockey player on the college level. In fact, he is a big rival of her brother's. When the two embark on a summer fling, their chemistry is off the charts but at the end of summer both go their separate ways. Neither really wants that but they don't talk about it and just go silent with each other. When Nikolai gets kicked out of his college and ends up at the same school as Izzy, all bets are off. As much as he doesn't think he is good for Izzy, he can't stay away. When they finally do start a relationship, it has its up and downs especially with Izzy's brother. But Nikolai has a past he doesn't want to share and it is a burden he doesn't want to share. Izzy wants to help but is she enough...she doesn't want to feel like a failure at this two.

Definitely a good story line with some emotion. Nikolai has a lot to overcome for sure. Good angst and love between the main characters.

3.5 ⭐️

Do you need a new hockey romance? A Russian book boyfriend who just so happens to be her brothers rival? A lot of the time I felt this was mostly spice and a sprinkle of plot but I won’t complain about it this time because this was cute. I love how obsessed Nikolai was with Isabella but his inner monologue became a little repetitive with his incessant thinking he will turn out like his father. Also don’t even get me started on his mother and how she acted after they left Russia.

I’m also getting a little tired of third act breakups because of the miscommunication trope so there’s that too but overall if you want a short hockey romance read to add to your tbr this one is a good option.

Thank you Avon/Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 following having read the rest of this series, Grace Reilly once more did not disappoint. Wicked Serve is probably my favorite book of hers so far, I absolutely loved how she wrote Izzy and Nik. I could not put the book down from the second I picked it up, finishing it in just one sitting. I loved the dynamic between Izzy and Nik and the cameos from our favorite past characters. It was so fun to read this book.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC! Can't wait to see what Grace comes out with next!

3.75 stars. Nikolai and Izzy already had a "fling" before this book starts and I can't decide if I liked that or not. I liked that it didn't feel like that insta-love situation because they knew each other from before, but I missed reading how they got together (to be fair this could have been shown in book 3, but I got this as a review copy and hadn't read the others). Izzy's family is really close, and she keeps their relationship a secret from all of them as he was a hockey rival of her brother's. Nikolai's family is the opposite, and he has PTSD/past trauma, that hasn't been addressed until this book.

While I enjoyed the story, I just felt like there was something missing, which is why I took a star off. I also struggle with too much repetition and Izzy's love of pink and the word slick were used too frequently for my tastes. This book had all the "moments": sweet, sad, happy, sexy, scary.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.