My first book by Grace Reilly. This is the 4th book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. I obviously haven’t read the rest of them lol, but I enjoyed this. It was emotional and romantic. I look forward to reading the others

I was absolutely sobbing by the end of this one.

I have a huge soft spot for this series. It was one of my first spicy reads and Breakaway has been a top 10 book for me since I read it. I was so excited to get Izzy’s book and it exceeded expectations.

I was reminded time and time again as I read why Grace Reilly is one of my all time favorite authors. Her stories have so much heart and humanity in them! I absolutely love the mental health rep she weaves into her books and how she portrays healthy relationships.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the entirety of the Callahan family. I absolutely adored how huge of a role the entire clan played in Wicked Serve. Not only were they all there, but they all stayed true to the characters we fell in love with during each of their books.

Nik and Izzy were everything. Their story was everything. There couldn’t have been a better conclusion to my favorite sports series.

Amazing spice as always! But, the plot is what really shines here.

Grace Reilly, simply, knocked it out of the park.

This was definitely a highly anticipated read for me, so I was very excited when I received the e-mail informing me I had been approved to read the ARC. It may be that I had hyped the book up so much in my head, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed the book, and I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't my favorite.

Overall, my biggest issue with the book was the length - there is no reason this book needed to be as long as it was. I'm definitely not opposed to reading a book that is on the longer side - if the storyline requires it...which this one didn't. It felt like I was, at one point, reading more about their sexual escapades than I was their relationship outside the bedroom. I also wasn't the biggest fan of Isabelle; the way she got bent out of twist and just decided to quit volleyball altogether because SHE messed up and missed the team bus annoyed me. Her coach definitely wasn't her biggest fan, but in this situation, it was Isabelle's mistake, not the coach's.

I don't know...I enjoyed the book for the most part, but it just fell short of my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Grace Reilly for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun, fluffy sports romance. Nikolai and Isabelle had a summer fling and Nikolai is her brother’s rival. Can we say forbidden romance? One of my favorite tropes.

I love the relationship between the two characters. Especially their support of eachother and the fact that there was no miscommunication was a huge plus for me.

I did feel it was a little long for what it was. Definitely less plot, more smut.

Overall it was a fun, easy read. I think I would’ve liked it more if it was a tad shorter.

Thank you VPR for this eARC!

We have arrived at the last standalone volume of this sports romance saga born from the pen of Grace Reilly ✨

«“𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒” 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑐олнышко, 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑘𝑜, 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 “𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛” 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟.»

In this volume we find the story of Nikolai and Isabelle. Two young guys who intended to keep their little story as a summer thing, without taking into account that the future could take them down the same path again.

A boy who is afraid of himself, not for what he is, but for what he does not want to become. When the past brings you pain from those you love, you fear that your blood may be just as contaminated. For this reason he submits to the decisions that others make for him, even when they are in clear contrast with his desires.

An intelligent girl from a good family, but who constantly feels under pressure and in constant comparison with her older brothers. Her value is not inferior to theirs but, even without wanting it, she has lived up to that moment as if she were different and less capable. For this reason she spends her life trying to exceed and respect her parents' expectations.

The magic happens when both of them encourage each other, knowing how to appreciate the person in front of them for who they really are, and not for what others would like. A healthy relationship, where both support and encourage each other, not to do better, but to see each other as people of value and to learn to assert themselves in their decisions.

In short? A sweet, light but deep romance, peppered with positive messages and representing what love should really be. A worthy volume to be the conclusion of many valid stories.

Like Always Grace has created two characters you can’t help but fall for.

She doesn’t so well in her portrayal of child and domestic abuse in this book. The emotions were so raw and intense that they drew me deeper into the story.

Nikolai has such a dominant persona and a mouth on him that’ll make anyone swoon! The chemistry between Nik and Izzy was irresistible and explosive! Their relationship is so magnetic that it keeps the readers eagerly turning the pages!

This was a perfect ending to the Callahan siblings’ stories. I’m excited to see what Grace comes up with next!

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Tropes:
• Sports romance
• Mental Health
• Found Family
• Forbidden Romance
• Sibling Rivalry

I knew I’d love Nik but I was Very emotional over his character development. He went through it and I was heartbroken for him at times but damn did he show so much growth. Izzy did too especially since she was a side character in other books and we got to see a side to her that was a little party girl needs to grow up vibes in past books but in this book she goes down a path of finding herself and where she fits in her family and I loved That for her. I really Enjoyed their relationship development and the way everything played out for their characters. I especially loved that Nik worked so hard in himself, the way he shows Izzy he loves her is so pure. If you’re a fan of this series you’ll really appreciate this books ending and epilogue it was the cherry on top of one of my favorite series ever.

I really enjoyed this romance book. It was spicy but not over doing it and the characters were fun and relatable. The pace of the book was slow at first but I hung in and loved it by the end.

I was so excited for Izzy’s story, & Grace Reilly did NOT disappoint! I loved the forbidden romance between Izzy & her brother’s on ice arch nemesis, Nikolai.
While Izzy always finds herself trying to “measure up” to her successful athletic family, Nik, on the other hand, is finding himself trying to separate his life from his past.
Watching these two together was just kismet. There’s something about the way they are together that just screams destiny. But once their summer together is over, they move on…right? Well, fate cannot be fooled. Nikolai knew that his new team at McKee would be hard, & not the most welcoming considering Cooper, Izzy’s brother, was captain. But having Izzy near, the hard stuff really doesn’t matter.
These two picked up right where they left off & their chemistry just continued to burn hotter and hotter. His love for her & protection of her, even to her own family, was just so admirable. His desire to make all of her dreams come true just showed how deserving and how determined he was to have Izzy’s affections.
As these two found themselves navigating a turning point in their lives & their relationship, they also had to deal with some very real issues. And seeing the absolute support they had for each other just sealed the deal.
I hate to see this series go, but knowing that all of these Callahan siblings have found their true soulmates makes it a little better.

I enjoyed my first Grace Reilly book, which featured forbidden, secret spice, a difficult past, and a sweet, I-can’t-stay-away-from-you kind of love.

THOUGHTS 💭
🏐 The sneaking around is H O T. 🥵 Brother’s rival-to-friend? Uhm. Yes.
🏒 Nik has a lot of childhood trauma he’s dealing with and your heart breaks for him as he works his way through it.
🏐 Give me a man who speaks a second language fluently ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. 🤤
🏒 Izzy’s family was wonderful and I loved learning about them throughout this book. I read this as a standalone, but I would enjoy going back and reading Izzy’s siblings’ stories.
🏐 I loved that both main characters were athletes in this book, despite volleyball not being Izzy’s “end game;” they understood each other’s drive and passion for their respective games.
🏒 The epilogue was the “5 years from now” we all deserved!!

Thanks so much to Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for the ARC of this book!

OH. MY. GOD.

Love would be an understatement for the way I feel towards this book. I had high expectations for this because of how much I loved the first three books in this series. I think it's safe to say that my expectations were met and then some. Grace, there are not enough standing ovations in the world for you.

Let me make it clear that if you haven'e read the first three books, it isn't imperative to the storyline, it just adds extra comfort to the story. I loved all the little nods to the other couples throughout the book. This book was so fantastically written and I wish that I could go back and read it for the first time again.

I could not recommend this book more, GO READ IT!!! You won't regret it.

I'm going to say was not my favorite of the series. I liked the end better then the first. But overall was not my favorite. I feel like the story could have been 2 different books.

Izzy and Nik have a summer fling that they both thought was off, but when Nik's expulsion from UMASS leads to him at McKee with Izzy and her brother, who happens to be her rival, and now teammates.

The book felt a little too long winded for me. They got together so early on in the book that I found myself getting bored and waiting for something to happen. It felt almost like a hurry up and wait.

I did adore Nik and Izzy, I found them so fin and adorable. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to get a grump vibe from Nik or just sheds his layers for her, but I did not hate it. I am absolutely a sucker for a bilingual character but I don't think it was executed great.

There was moments were Nik would say something and it was types out in the Russian alphabet, or Google translate didn't recognize the word so that made it a little hard to understand.

But all in all, I thought it was cute. I am sad to see the series end but I adored following the Callahan family!

I read this as a standalone and haven’t read this series before, but found it to work well on its own! The whole concept is super cute and I like that they met previously. Some sections felt a little long to me, but I enjoyed watching them learn and adapt to their relationship and explore new things with each other. There was a lot of growth between the two of them both together and as individuals. Their hardships were very relatable and shared a very important message about the effects childhood traumas can have in adulthood. Overall this was a very enjoyable read, I personally think I would’ve liked it better if it was shorter though!

3.5 ⭐ 2 🌶 4 🎧

While this was one of my favorite couples of the series, I just didn't love this book... It was soooo long. I'm not entirely sure I would have finished it had I not had the audio. Not a ton happened for how long it was...

I did love Nikolai, he was a really strong MMC with a sad past and a broken self worth. I really felt for him in so many moments and while I thought Izzy pushed him to open up too hard and too soon, I overall thought she was a wonderful fit for him.

I thought the ending was very sweet, especially the actual epilogue. While this wasn't my favorite series, I really did enjoy these characters and getting to see all the Callahans together and happy was wonderful.

The audio was fantastic, I thought Faith Clark did a phenomenal job narrating both Izzy and Nik. Oscar Reyes did a wonderful job as well and made this a great listen along with a wonderful production from Spotify.

This book has everything and gives all the feels! I laughed, I cried, and I was rooting for Izzy and Nikolai the entire time. There were so many sweet moments throughout, not to mention some majorly steamy scenes! I love reading sports romances, especially hockey, but I really loved that the FMC is involved in sports too, playing volleyball competitively on her college’s team. They both had to figure out how to balance school, sports, family, friends, and their relationship. It was such a wonderful, well-written story. It’s the last in the series but the first one I’ve read and now I’m looking forward to going back and reading the first three.

I can’t believe this series is coming to an end! I’m so beyond thankful for this series + grace. She reached out to me about two years ago and asked if I would like to read an arc about her debut novel. & y’all I was freaking out because I had never read an arc before!! it was my first one, & it truly was the start of something amazing!!

Seeing the end of the Beyond the Play series out in the world & how it’s now trad published warms my heart. I love Grace, & I loved Nik + Izzy! I love a secret relationship trope & it had brothers rival turned teammate? sign me up!! the tension was there, as was the emotional piece I’ve been craving in romance books. They truly took care of one another, & I loved that about them!

I do wish that we got to see a little bit more about the summer fling before we jumped right into the story, like how they initially met and how it really started. Overall, I think this was a fabulous ending to the Callahan siblings’ stories! the cameos were everything, & I loved being able to see more about their lives!

thank you valentine pr, grace, & avon for letting me read an arc of this book! I’ve loved having the opportunity to be on Grace’s ARC team, & I can’t wait to see what else is in store for her 🤩

can’t wait to see Grace at beachside in May!! 🏖️

What an ending to a phenomenal series! I’ve been dying to read Izzy’s book and I loved every second of it.

I loved Izzy and Nik so much. The chemistry and banter between them just oozed off the page. The forbidden aspect of their relationship at the start of the book was so much fun to read. Izzy was just an easy character to relate too. She doubted how good she was but still pushed to be the best she could be. I loved how caring and passionate Nik was with her. He wanted to show her that she was the sunshine in his life and it was so cute.

There is some deeper trauma throughout this book that adds the best element of tension and drama to the plot. There is some massive growth from Nik and I enjoyed his character arc so much. He became exactly who he needed to be for himself and for Izzy.

Grace always writes the most perfect spice that will leave you blushing and wanting more! I can’t recommend this book and series enough and I’m so sad that it’s over!

Wicked Serve
Genre: sports romance
Rating: 4.25⭐️/loved

Thanks @avonbooks for the advanced digital copy - happy pub week!🥳

This is the 4th and final book in the Beyond the Play series following the sporty Callahan family, but could also work just fine as a standalone - plenty of character intros given. After getting to know Izzy more in the first three books, it was clear she'd make a great main character in her own story, and this did not disappoint! While this included troupes I don't usually lean into, this worked so well - the relationship was realistic, along with the struggles the couple faced and how they choose to overcome them. Steam lovers rejoice - you won't be letdown with this one!

Troupes:
2️⃣2nd chance romance
🤫Secret relationship
🏒Brother's rival

What's your favorite series?

#wickedserve #GraceReilly #SportsRomance #AvonBooks

I loved this book however I thought it was just too long by a couple hundred pages. It was fabulous how she incorporated volleyball and hockey together! It was a new kind of experience! I truly enjoyed it!! I love how the characters fell head over heels for each other and how they just fit into each other’s lives like they were meant to be. It was so sweet. I loved that this had the least toxicity in all the sports romance books Iv read even when it came to the brother/teammate! It was a breath of fresh air.

ARC Review:

This is book 4 in the Callahan siblings and can be read as a stand alone.

Nik is such a love suck puppy and I adored every minute of it. The way he loved Isabelle and she loved him is so beautiful. I love a good summer fling romance. Nik’s family/childhood life was just so sad and is packed with some heavy topics, but I think overall it brought a great amount of awareness to it. Izzy really grew in this story and I loved how the author portrayed her character development. I also loved that they were both athletes. I think they understand each other more when it came to the struggles they were having with their sports because of their separate struggles. Last but not least absolutely love a good forbidden romance and this hit the spot for me. 😮‍💨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

🩷siblings rival
🩷 summer fling
🩷 forbidden romance
🩷volleyball/hockey