✨ARC review✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trigger warnings- domestic violence, childhood trauma, panic disorder

Who knew Russian could be so swoon worthy. This hockey romance has the perfect combination of spice, light hearted flirting, and dives into the side of mental health. Nik is the swoon worthy, handsome hockey player who falls for his was rival now current teammates little sister. Izzy is just trying to find her way in the world of a famous sports family where everyone seems to be outstanding at their respective talent where she feels she’s always having to prove she can fit into the family. Nik and Izzy’s relationship is one for the sports romance history books. 🖤

“You’re everything to me, Isabelle. You’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. You’re sunshine.” I put her hand against my heart so she can feel its staccato beating. “I feel your light here, always.” “I love you.” She cups my jaw, stroking over my beard, and repeats the phrase in Russian, her voice strong and steady. “You’re my favorite, Kolya.”

MOVE OVER JAMES CALLAHAN, NIKOLI CAME IN AND WON ME OVER WITHIN MINUTES OF STARTING THE BOOK!!! THE MOUTH ON THIS MAN!!! 🥵🥵🫠🫠 Grace really upped the spice level with this one!!! I spent the first 25% of the book worried cause it felt like I was 75% done! This book doesn’t follow ANY of the “typical” romance book outlines and I loved it!! When he spoke Russian to her 🫠🥵 DECEASED GRACE, DECEASED!!! While I do wish we would have gotten a little of their backstory through some flashbacks, I couldn’t put this book down and loved every second of it!!! I’m not ready to say goodbye to the Callahan 😭😭 ⭐️: 5/5 🌶️: 4.5/5

I love her. I love her. I’ve never loved someone like this, but I recognize the truth of it instinctively. I don’t just care for Isabelle. I don’t just want the best for her. I love her.

Honestly this book was entertaining for the most part. I enjoyed it mostly because of how sweet of a romance it is and the family bonds that Isabelle has.
Nik really kind of irked me throughout the book because he would stand up for everyone except for himself and it was just a bit confusing really.
Also the short chapters were killing me. Usually short chapters are fun and great but I feel like this whole book was filled with short chapters that really could’ve been longer if you just merged them together.
Isabelle definitely does not know boundaries when it comes to asking Nik about his past and that honestly annoyed me because I found it really rude of her to not respect that. And the overuse of the color pink was slowly suffocating me.
The romance was cute but I feel like it was mostly smut and a sprinkle of plot.

3.5 Solnishko Stars ⭐️
Spicy level 🌶️🌶️.5/5

I am struggling to figure out how I feel about Wicked Serve.
Was it good? Yes.
Is it going to be the first hockey romance that I'd recommend if someone asks me for a Hockey Romance recommendation? No.
BUT that is because of a very specific nuance as it didn't necessarily contain my happy tropes but that might not be the same for other people.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
So Isabelle Callahan and Nicolai Volkov had a magical summer fling while Izzy worked as a Wedding Planner Intern for Nikolai's mother. The two "agree" to call it off at the end of summer because they go their separate ways—her back to Mckee University and Nikolai back to his university. While Izzy told her friends about their fling, she kept this secret from her family, because Nicolai happens to be the Hockey Captain at his school and he may have said some antagonising smack talk to Izzy's brother on the Ice during a match... you see Izzy's brother happens to be McKee's Hockey Captain. Lo and behold, Nikki boy gets expelled protecting somebody else and winds up at Mckee University. And soon all those feelings of coulda, woulda, shoulda bubble to the surface as the two can barely keep their hands off of each other. But they still need to keep it secret because she's supposed to be focusing on her volleyball career and he should not be making things hard on the Hockey Team.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
The first thing that put me off right from the start is that there is already an established relationship between the two. They already have very strong feelings for each other and the attraction doesn't have to form Now I am typically more of a person who likes it when there is more of a fight or delay in the romance "payoff". I like it when there is a bit of fight, angst and tension. They have spent an entire summer together learning who the other person is (off-page as a prequel to the story) and since the start of school are now coming to terms with the fact that they have been miserable without each other.

The second thing that kind of missed was the micro conflicts of the story didn't seem to be that big of a deal or could have too easily been solved by having an open honest conversation. The "hockey rivals" big climactic fight it was teasing didn't play out massively, her volleyball thing followed a predictable path. It just felt like there wasn't any BIG conflict that needed to be solved until the VERY END.

The third - And I am not going to "beat around the bush"... I like fluffy and smutty romances and this whilst having some elements of smutty, this had more emotional elements than fluff. I have realised that unless I am in the right headspace for emotional (as I do enjoy some of them) I am not going to enjoy it and it's almost a disservice to the book. This book deals heavily with the effects of trauma and PTSD and what unrepressed issues can trigger later on in life. Nikolai has never really dealt with his past and has almost "swept his issues under the rug". But now he cannot push his abusive father away and has panic attacks every time he talks to him. Izzy has serious imposter syndrome in her family and feels inferior to all her superstar brothers and everything they have accomplished. She cannot be a disappointment. Overall this was just a little HEAVY... But if you are the type that loves emotionally driven stories around trauma this WILL BE GREAT for you!

Lastly is their relationship (while already established) seemed to lack a little chemistry. I felt like they were always fighting, or walking on eggshells around each other or one of them (mostly Nicolai) was pushing the other away because they didn't want to deal with the emotional vulnerability wall they had erected. There were a lot of times when conflict avoidance and running away from issues was the "best" approach and there would be silence and "I haven't heard from them in days". Due to this, it was like we not only got a 1st act breakup but also a 3rd act break... (they weren't broken up but some soul was searching and "finding myself"). A lot of the book they are not together and dealing with the consequences of being miserable apart...but elements of taking so long to open just felt unhealthy... BUT I MEAN - PEOPLE CAN DEAL WITH TRAUMA HOW THEY WANT!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Summer Fling Second Chance
▶ Dual POV
▶ Hockey Romance
▶ Trauma Bonding
▶ Found Family
▶ Univerity/College Romance

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Dirty Talk
▷ Spicy/Steamy Water Scene
▷ "Out of our Systems"
▷ Hockey Jersey "Heat" - he goes feral seeing her in his jersey

Overall, I can see why this would appeal to some people. I would recommend it if you were looking for a sweet emotionally driven hockey romance that gives you vibes of a "friends to lovers" slightly forbidden romance... Overall I had a good time, I didn't have a great time. Wicked stuff!

Do you love when the MMC gives off bad boy vibes but is soft for our FMC? Love when the FMC is the protective one? I’ve got news for you, you’re gonna fall in love with our couple so fast. But don’t you worry, you don’t miss out any on the spice…if you’re a crawl to me kinda person you’re gonna enjoy this ride-did I mention hand necklaces too? It’s spicy, it’s heart wrenching, it’s about healing. You get to watch our couple overcome so much together and find their healing journey. No third act break up, but some time apart whilst they work on themselves. Don’t sleep on the final Callahan sibling story.

4,75/5 stars

I am now in my sport-romances era (been there for a while) so i alwas look out for book that will match my type for right now. This book was one of the 'better' sport romances i have ever read.

Both of the MCs were very likeable and i enjoyed their story. I liked the fact that they both were into sports, not like in most of the books (like where he ist a sportsman and she is a nerd or like to read books etc) so it was a nice addiction to the whole book.
All the side characters were great, and although i haven't read any from the series before, i think i might want to give the other three books a try!



The only thing that bugged me was the plot was plotting for like too long. at like 60% i was getting a little bit tired, but maybe it was just my short attention span.
Anyway, i liked it a lot and will check other books from Grace Kelly now!

Nikolai is in his last season of college hockey which is his whole life we he has to transfer to McKee University where his biggest hockey rival plays. Not to mention, his sister, Isabelle, is the girl that he has been hooking up with all summer who interned for his mom. Nikolai will have to decide between fitting in with the guys on the hockey team or getting back with Isabelle. Izzy is trying to win back her setter position on the McKee volleyball team and forget about Nikolai after he left her with no words their last morning…and she was not expecting him to end up attending McKee. Izzy already feels like the failure in her family behind her athletic star brothers and dad and she just wants to make them proud. Will Nikolai being at McKee become a distraction or will he be the one to help support her.

This book surprised me more than I thought it was going to. I figured it was going to be the typical hockey romance book that focuses on way too much hockey and not the main characters. Isabelle and Nikolai were adorable together and I loved how there was not a huge miscommunication troupe and they supported each other through their struggles. I did like the side story of Isabelle working for Nikolai’s mom and her journey wedding planning. There was plenty of spice in this story and I really enjoyed the way that Isabelle’s brother was willing to take in Nikolai and help him become part of the team at McKee.

First of all, the cover of this book is ADORABLE!! The whole series has these cute covers that I am obsessed with and, of course, I am collecting all of them!

Wicked serve was deliciously spicy, cute, emotional, had me in my feelings🥹🥹🥹

I adored having Izzy’s book!! It was so amazing watching her character development. She really grew so much and it was great to be part of that development

Nikolai…. Nikolai is… He is the absolute best book boyfriend!!! I mean, the KOALAS??!🐨 I swooned so hard for him. He also had some MAJOR growth and overcoming trauma from his past.

This hockey/volleyball romance is a must read!!

I love this series, but this one I feel like focused more on Nik than Izzy, and I wanted more into their individual lives than just a vague overview. The first three books in the series really dug into the characters and developed them way more than this book. Did I still love this one regardless? Yes! I just felt like it was missing development and just scratched the surface.

It’s time for you all to meet Gabriel and Gracie 👏🏻

4⭐️2🌶️

Workplace Romance
Boss/PA
Second Chance
Secret 🤫

After meeting Gabriel in the Mile High series, I did not expect to like him as much as I did 🤣 I mean, no one messes with Tristan Miles.

This book was a messy and emotional ride but I loved every page 🥰

Wicked Serve is the fourth book in the Beyond the Play series by Author Grace Reilly. It’s also the only book I’ve read in this series, and I can’t wait to see how Izzy’s brothers’ stories unfold now that I’ve met them and their loves.

This book is a fast-paced sports romance with so many sports covered—hockey and volleyball are the stars of this book, but football and baseball are also woven throughout. There are several challenging moments to deal with, having to do with drinking and abuse, but through it all, Izzy stands tall for her man, Nikolai (Nik). Theirs is a love story that is supposed to be a summer fling but sneaks under the radar as more.

There are so many steamy moments, some in inappropriate locations, along with a lot of romance and love. There’s an unbelievable love between not only her parents but also her and her three brothers, and everyone seems to get along! The same can’t be said for Nik’s small family unit.

Doubts and uncertainties prevail on several fronts. Both Izzy and Nik suffer needlessly when communication is key, and Nik learns the hard way not to keep everything about his family and past bottled up. Several stories are told, and they are woven nicely together. There is a depth to the story, as well as a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. There are family, friends, teammates and coaches, pets, childhood memories, both good and bad, celebrations, gifts, lots of sports, and the determination to be the best. There are tears, anger, hurt feelings, soothing moments, and help at the ready on so many sides. There is lovely closure, happily ever afters, a surprise ending that was better than I envisioned, and an epilogue that takes place five years later.

Wicked Serve is a sports romance that held my interest throughout. Fast-paced and filled with family, friends, teammates, romance and love it had me turning the pages to see what could possibly happen next!

The review was posted on NovelsAlive.

4.5 ⭐️!

izzy callahan, the epitome of sunshine ✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ˙⋆✶

FINALLY, we've met the final callahan of the beyond the play series. I just want to start of by saying I am genuinely so proud of Grace for coming this far, from first down to wicked serve, I've gotten the opportunity to call this series my home.

volleyball x hockey was something that I never expected to see but hey I'm definitely not complaining.
I was DEFINITELY swooning half the time during this book, because Nik was just SWOON.

Nikolai Abney-Volgograd ⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆
I genuinely loved his character arc, getting to see the more vulnerable parts of him and how he struggled with a lot of his own thoughts and his past made me realise that many others go through what he went through as well.
so proud that he tried to give the best version of himself to Izzy and knew that some space apart for them to grow independently would make them stronger.

Isabelle Callahan ⋆｡𖦹°‧★
sweet, fiery and fashionable. she is someone who protects her loved ones so fiercely as well and feels the need to live up to the callahan name.

nikizzy were absolutely adorable! but I felt some parts weren't really necessary and could have been a little shorter as well :( nonetheless, I'm so grateful I got to return to the callahan world and meet all my babies once again <3

nik and coop's bromance had me sold through this book as well, seeing their relationship develop over time.

tropes:
-`✮´- hockey x volleyball player
-`✮´- friends to lovers
-`✮´- found family
-`✮´- brother's rival turned teammate
-`✮´- secret relationship

thank you to Avon, NetGalley and Grace for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ݁˖ ❀

I don't know how I feel about this book. I definitely smiled reading it. I also cringed, sighed, and wanted to cover my eyes quite a few times as well.

I'm not a prude in any way. If you only knew how I was brought up you'd totally get it. That said, this book felt gratuitous with all the sex scenes. I mean, they're in college, yet they have sex like very mature adults. It just didn't add up for me. And they had sex so much, it seemed to be the main part of their relationship. Again, I get that people have sex, and enjoy it, and all that, but it was just too much in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of this series and I have been waiting a long time for Izzy's book. I couldn’t wait to find out what man was going to sweep her off her feet. I think Nikolai was the perfect man for the job. He did get thrown into the snow for her. The way he loved her and didn’t back down to her brothers just made him so worthy of her love.

Nikolai and Izzy had a summer love that I really wish we got to see. If we got more of their beginning and less of the middle, this would have been 5 stars for me. Nikolai now has to transfer schools and ends up at McKee with Izzy and playing hockey with her brother Cooper. Nikolai wastes no time in starting something up with her again. It becomes more serious than either of them expected. There were lots of really spicy moments, but man did those swoony moments really warm my heart. The freaking koalas. Yall, when you read this and figure out why that was such a cute moment, you will be all heart eyes too!

I really enjoyed all the obstacles that they had to face together, it was real and emotional. I didn’t particularly enjoy the length of this and felt it could have been shortened a bit. They get together very quickly and a lot of the story is them together. The conclusion was perfect for their HEA.

3.5 stars

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Nikolai and Isabelle “Izzy” had a summer fling, but they couldn’t be anything more because he was her brother’s rival. But when he transfers to her school, there’s no way for them to avoid each other…and they can’t stay away from each other.

Izzy was sweet, and so, so caring. She never judged Nik, and she was very supportive of him.

Nikolai was also sweet and caring with Izzy, and he put others before himself. He had his own demons to deal with. And I loved that this book showed the MMC dealing with his mental health.

This was angsty and had many swoony moments. I loved seeing Nik and Izzy, especially Nik. They found love and healing with each other.

This was my first book by Grace Reilly, but I will be going back to read the previous books in the series.

🏐 college volleyball player fmc
🏒 college hockey player mmc
🏐 forced proximity
🏒 forbidden love
🏐 friends with benefits to lovers
🏒 dual pov
🏐 broody x sunshine
🏒 mental health rep
🏐 no third act breakup

🌶️🌶️🌶️

I devoured this fun, swoony college sports romance! It’s got all the best qualities of the genre without feeling like an Off-Campus/Icebreaker doppelgänger. I laughed, I teared up, I squealed at the mmc’s dirty mouth, and I swooned over the romance.

Isabelle is cheerful, kind, and so stressed about living up to the athletic standard set by her father and older brothers. She’s almost too sweet for her own good—she loves easily and gets her heart trampled on. I found her a little bit immature at times but weren’t we all in college. Her growth, both personally and in her relationship with Nik, was nice to see.

Sweet, broody Nik has demons upon demons but still finds a way to be a top-tier book boyfriend. He’s not without his flaws, but he’s able to apologize like he means it and knows how to care of his girl. Nik’s troubled background also gives this book a lot more depth than I’m used to seeing in college sports romances.

This was my first Grace Reilly book, so I read this as a standalone despite it being #4 in the series. At first, I was a little lost, but the next few chapters quickly catch readers up on the pair’s history and feelings for each other along with a lot of intriguing family drama. I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down.

The pair start out hiding their relationship from Isabelle’s brother, who hates Nik, and the sneaking around aspect made things super fun! I also appreciated that both Nik and Isabelle show up for one another and respect each other. There was nothing petty or needlessly dramatic between them.

I felt the book could have been a little shorter, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Over all, this is a fun read that plays like a movie because the writing is smooth and evocative, the banter is sassy, and the mmc is HOT.

I’m looking forward to going back and reading the rest of the series! Thank you to Valentine PR and NetGalley for the arc 🫶🏼

tw: DV, alcoholism, mental health

I just finished Wicked Serve and can't stop smiling at how cute this book was. I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions with this book. I swooned, laughed, teared up, and felt angry and annoyed by a certain character in this book.

When I first started Wicked Serve, I was unsure if this book would suit me. The beginning seemed a little disjointed, but I quickly became hooked within a few pages.

Nik and Isabelle may have had a summer fling, but they both had feelings for one another. When Nik gets kicked out of his college and goes to Isabelle's college, the stars align and they can no longer deny their feelings and attraction for one another.

Both Nik and Isabelle have anxieties that they help each other through. Isabelle cannot stop comparing herself to her athletic family and thinks she is not good enough. Nik is afraid he will end up like his abusive father. But, both Nik and Isabelle bring out the best in one another and allow each other to see their lives and future from different perspectives.

I didn't just love the romance aspect of this book, but I also loved the friendship and family dynamic it brought. Nik worries that Isabelle's brother, Cooper, will hate him for sneaking around with Isabelle because of something he said in a previous game before they became teammates. However, as Cooper and the other Callahan siblings get to know Nik and Nik gets to know them, the bonds grow into a beautiful friendship and found family.

I have to say, Nik is the epitome of a book boyfriend. He made sure to take care of Isabelle and found ways to make her happy. I adored that he surprised her with a trip to Australia to snuggle some koalas.

The last quarter of the book had me swooning and tearing up a lot, but this book was perfect and just what I needed.

If you are a fan of Elle Kennedy, Icebreaker, rom coms, or want a new book boyfriend to swoon over, then look no further than Wicked Serve.

⭐️4.75

This was my first Grace Reilly book I’ve read and honestly I read it like it was my lifeline lol
This book served all the right things to me on a silver platter:

- a dirty mouthed MMC
- hockey x volleyball
- strong fmc

This book has a really good representation of mental health caused by childhood trauma. There are triggers for DV and alcoholism.

Thank you so much Valentine PR and NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

A possessive book boyfriend who loves to praise and gives you a nickname in another language? Immediately yes. The caretaking scenes in this book left me swooning so hard and were everything I love about a broken boy story. Nikolai has never let anyone all the way in the way he does with Izzy, and she receives it with such tenderness. I loved both of these characters and their emotions felt real and raw, and I felt them as if they were my own. Will absolutely be reading the rest of this series!

You’ll Find —
Sneaking Around
Brother’s Rival - Turned Teammate
Mental Health Rep
Broody x Bubbly
Possessive Book Boyfriend

Thankful for the opportunity to read early!

ARC Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I have been waiting for Izzy's story ever since she first came out in this series and it did not disappoint! From the moment we are introduced to her and Nikolai you could feel the love between them.

They were so incredibly supportive of one another and encouraged each other to go after the things they didn't even realize they wanted at first. You could tell Izzy was such a kind and generous person who just wanted to give her all to everyone else even if it meant her not having what she needed. Nikolai was quiet with everyone else except her. He showed Izzy what it was like to have someone by your side on not only the best days but the rough ones as well.

*Also shout out to that amazing spontaneous trip Nik planned for Izzy when she was beyond stressed😍

Both Nik and Izzy delt with their own issues in the book. Nik struggled severely with mental health problems due to the traumas he experienced during his upbringing. Izzy tended to let herself feel dragged down by the pressure to live up to her famous family members. They both worked throughout the book to overcome these issues and become better for one another.

While I loved the overall book, there were moments that felt like this book dragged on for me. I am typically someone who loves a 400 page book but it felt like there were times were things were a little repetitive and could be sped up.