I enjoy a good sports romance here and there but wasn’t impressed with this. The entire book felt really long with a lot of scenes that added sub plots that felt unrelated to the overall story. The characters aren’t anything impressive. And the steam felt cringy when his response to her was “good girls let their boyfriends f* them wherever they want”. Meh. It’s a summer fling (for a girl not on birth control?) turned into a school transfer and of course they wanna make it a long term thing but have hoops to jump through. Lots of family / emotional trauma and enough money that a quick trip to Australia isn’t even questioned.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had super high hopes for Wicked Serve, but it fell a bit flat for me. I feel like the story stretched on way longer than necessary - I’m a strong believer that romances don’t usually need to be more than 400 pages. At 467 pages, Wicked Serve really drags out the plot and generously throws in fluff and filler. Another complaint I have is that several unrealistic things happened (I.e. Nik surprises Izzy with a trip to Australia and it was just a little ridiculous regarding the circumstances and activities). I also didn’t feel the connection between Nik and Izzy as much as I’d hoped. I enjoyed the story when there was plot movement and I think it was an overall okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Valentine PR, Avon, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to be an ARC reader.
Sneaking around, spice, brother's teammate, lots of banter.
Isabelle has been hurt in the past and is reluctant to fall for any man any time soon. When she meets Nikolai, their summer romance ends tragically as suspected. He leaves without saying goodbye and breaking contact. Isabelle is heartbroken. Nikolai ends up returning and is now on her campus and playing college hockey.. with her brother. She runs into him... of course... and the attraction is still there. Can they sneak around and have a secret "friendship " without getting caught?
Nikolai has also been hurt in the past. Will they be able to find true happiness?
This story had me absolutely swooning and blushing. I cried and laughed... a lot!
10/5 🌟 I loved it!

I found both main characters' stories compelling. Izzy doesn't feel she measures up to her family's accomplishments. Nikolai is a talented hockey player afraid he'll become like his abusive father. Izzy has a wonderful, loving family. Nik is pretty much a loner. All of this works well for an angsty sports romance, However, the open door sex scenes are too numerous and detailed, slow down the story, and really seem to belong in a different book. These college kids are awfully sophisticated sexually, more like older adults.

I rated this 4,5 stars! This book was the perfect ending to this series. You get plenty of insight from the characters from the previous books and how theyre relationships are going. Also the main characters in this book, Nik and Izzy, are absolutely perfect for each other. Both of them struggle with some issues. For Izzy it’s the feeling of needing to live up to certain expectations from her family and for Nik it’s dealing with some pretty heavy childhood trauma.

Im usually a little skeptical when it comes to reading about domestic abuse since it’s often very romanticized but that’s definitely not the case here. It was very well written and made me care and feel very deeply for Nik.

I think this might be my favorite book in the series so please don’t hesitate to read it!

Wicked Serve was such a fun read! Thanks to NetGalley for this arc. If you love hockey romances, you’ll like this! I really enjoyed the characters and their personal growth, especially Nick. I did find it to be a little long in some parts, but would still recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this eARC.

3.5. I seriously enjoyed this book....this is the first in the series for me and at time felt heavy handed on all the characters on the page at all times. I am sure if I read the first books in the series I would love every minute of it. However it felt ALOT to digest as a new reader for this world.

I loved Nik's journey as he learned how to navigate his childhood trauma, but sometimes it felt repetitive and made the story stagnant. The author did a fantastic job exploring options for his self healing and making sure that the readers knew it's about taking ownership for find your own happiness and not put that happiness into a single person.

Every time I read a new book in this series, I tell myself, “That’s my new book boyfriend.” ….this one is no different. Reilly always writes characters with such depth & development all around the concept of chosen families and different sports to tie them all in. I had been longing to know more about Izzy since she was first introduced in the series, and my excitement once I realized she was getting her own book was off the wall! The invisible string that continuously ties Izzy & Nikolai together makes my heart flutter as they exemplify trust, persistence, and love towards each other, and I can’t wait for more of anything Grace Reilly pens.

Izzy’s book 🥹
I’m so sad this series is over, but I’m so glad we got to catch up with everyone else too!

📖 Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
🏐🏒 college sports romance
📱🎧 read on kindle + audio (arc/alc)

⭐️ rating: 5/5
🌶️ rating: 3.5/5

📚 book 4 • Beyond the Play series
While this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the whole series. We see quite a bit of the previous characters (Izzy’s brothers + their girlfriends). That was a part of what I loved about it too.

💭 overall thoughts:
After a summer fling where they don’t expect to see one another again, Izzy & Nik find themselves studying at the same college. Nik was previously her brother’s rival, and now his teammate.

Their undeniable chemistry makes it impossible for them to stay apart, even though Izzy’s intention was to focus on volleyball, and Nik is terrified of having a relationship.

I loved that both Izzy & Nik were athletes, I think it gave them a better understanding of each other. I think Izzy’s brothers were the perfect level of protective over her 🙃 I’m kind of biased since I already love them from the previous books 😅

There were some heavy topics in this one (related to Nik’s childhood), and I think Grace handled them really well. I liked to see how Izzy handled everything, and how she grew as the story went on.

🎙️ audiobook thoughts:
(narrated by Faith Clark & Oscar Reyes)
I don’t think I’ve heard either narrator before, but I think they both did a great job at capturing the characters & telling their story. I was impressed by Oscar Reyes’ switching between Russian and American accents.

read if you love:
☀️ summer fling turned to secret relationship
🏒 brother’s rival to college hockey teammate
(after being expelled by his previous college)
🏐 volleyball player girly girl (pink is her fav color 🎀)
👰‍♀️ wedding planner aspirations
🫶🏻 family (Izzy is the youngest sibling) + found family
❤️‍🩹 broken boy and sunshine girl
🧠 mental health rep (panic attacks)
💞 dual 1st person pov 

*please make sure to check triggers, Nik’s backstory is heavy

Thank you to Grace Reilly, Valentine PR, Avon Books & Spotify Audiobooks for advanced copies. All opinions are my own.

Wicked Serve is basically the story of what happens when a summer fling reunites and the feelings never went away.

Nikolai is expelled and his last chance to play college hockey is by transferring to McKee, the very same college his summer fling, Izzy, attends. And bonus…her brother is the captain of the hockey team and they’ve always been rivals. So many secrets, all this angst, it’s exactly what I’m here for.

Wicked Serve is a good mix of all the below:

🏒will they, won’t they
🏒“no, we’re just FRIENDS!”
🏒lots of spicy steam (almost too much??)
🏒mental health rep
🏒lots of damage (u should go to therapy, bro)
🏒“crawl to me”
🏒and lastly, Russian pet names

I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, but Wicked Serve can definitely be read as a standalone. It really just makes you want to read the earlier books even more. Overall, an enjoyable read that scratched the hockey itch.

✩4.5

✦What to Expect✦
•Summer/Secret fling
•He’s her brother’s hockey rival
•Hot Russian
•College romance
•Mental health rep
•He calls her his sunshine girl
 
✦Characters✦
•Nikolai Abney-Volkov
•Isabelle Callahan
 
✦Fav Quotes✦
Other guys didn’t know how to treat her right. A girl like her needs it dirty, no matter how sweet she seems.

“It’s impossible for me not to notice you”
“You walk into a room and I know it’s you, instantly, solnishko. You couldn’t hide from me if you tried.”

“Reckless”
“Maybe I like being reckless with you.”

Our love has felt like springtime. Warmth chasing away shadows, light spilling into the open.

✦Thoughts✦
These two are so cute together!!! I truly loved every second of this. Literally was swooning over Nikolai!!! I also was so not expecting all the dirty talk & spice. These two were cute & hotttttt together! Also the friendship between them too, loved it. They had me squealing because it was so perfect!

I loved all the side characters in this too! The whole Callahan family, love them!

This book also tackles mental health and the serious topic of @busive parents/relationship. I just wanted to hug Nikolai! But I loved how these two communicated with each other about this stuff and didn’t let it fester.

So dang good!!!! Highly recommend

I absolutely loved these characters! Please make it a series because I do not want to lose them. Crushed this on the plane because this spicy romance is unputdownable.

This was my first book by Grace Reilly. I really liked how I could read a book within a series and not be lost at all! This was such a good story! What I loved most was there was a point where you think ok, we're coming to the ending. Then you realize no, we're only halfway through. I say this to show how good the book is. The storyline was great! Not your typical coming together relationship. The depth in which we got to know the characters, especially Nik, made them so much more! I can't wait to read another book by this author!

I loved Nikolai and Izzy! What a great couple! Izzy was such a relatable FMC. She is intelligent and kind but, at the same time, grapples with the insecurities tied to being a part of such a successful sports family. I loved that she loved volleyball personally since the sport is also my favorite! Nikolai has grappled with a lot of past trauma that has made him feel he's undeserving of love. But in all reality, he was such a lovable guy. He was patient and supportive of Izzy, pulling out all the stops for her when she needed it. He was the perfect boyfriend! I really enjoyed the self-awareness the both of them had and the amount of respect they had for one another. It shows a level of maturity that they both had. The story was fantastic - I thought initially it would be a more light-hearted storyline, but instead, Grace brought so much depth into the characters and plot. Definitely a must read if you love a sports, brother's rival romance!

This was a great book, so thankful for the ARC! I really enjoyed Isabelle and Nikolai’s story!!

Isabelle and Nikolai have a past with one another that they’d thought they would never be able to revisit, but once Nikolai comes to McKee, feelings are still there.

I enjoyed reading about how Isabelle and Nikolai’s relationship progressed, which a very lengthy progress lol. It was very clear to tell how much they loved each other. They were always very supportive and loving, they helped each other through tough times. They have a strong bond for sure.

This will be everything you’re expecting. A sweet hockey romance, spicy, some family drama. I don’t always like brothers best friend trope but this was done well. You don’t need to have read the others in the series first.

I had mixed feelings about this book overall, but definitely enjoyed my time reading it! I loved Nikolai and Izzy's relationship development, it felt very natural and the pacing of them getting together felt realistic. I do think the book was a bit longer than it needed to be, with a lot of the dramatic plot points not really going as far as they could have or having as much impact as possible. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, and I was happy to see where the Callahans ended up!

Want a hockey romance where she’s an athlete too? Wicked Serve is the book for you! So far in this series we’ve gotten to see all of Izzy’s older brothers get their happy ever after but now it’s her turn…. With her brothers rival and new teammate 😉
It was supposed to be a secret summer fling but then Nikolai finds himself at McKee University for his senior year putting them back in the same place again. The more the see each other the harder it is to stay away but being her brothers rival and new teammate isn’t their only obstacle…. Because while everyone has a past some carry a lot more baggage than others.
This is a college romance which means we not only get to watch their relationship grow but also their maturity grow through out the book making way for them to both independently make tough decisions to better themselves.

I was excited to try a new author, and when I received the early copy of Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly from NetGalley I decided to try her first book before reading this one. I am so glad I did that, so I had some background information on the family I was about to become immersed in. The Callahans are vibrant and work hard to reach what they want even when things spiral.

Wicked Serve features the youngest Callahan, Isabelle, and her love, Nik. Though it seemed forbidden due to family circumstances, readers grow with the two protagonists really understanding their thoughts and feelings. Though this book seemed a bit too long, I enjoyed going through the life experiences of Isabelle and Nik, seeing that sometimes we need to let the people we love go and work on ourselves before we can move forward in some relationships. This book does hone in on some BIG feelings people have around domestic abuse and childhood trauma, so be mindful of that before reading. It also shows we all struggle even if we do not show it and like the other Reilly book I read love prevails over all!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the ARC!

Earlier this year I’ve discovered my love for sports romances. Especially when they involve figure skating or ice hockey, because I’m currently taking figure skating lessons. That’s how I discovered the Beyond the play series. A couple of my friends couldn’t stop talking about the Callahan brothers, so I decided to give this series a try. As expected, I ended up liking this series too, so I couldn’t wait for Izzy’s story to come out.

In Wicked Serve, we finally get to know Izzy better. Not only her love for playing volleyball, we also discover that there is a lot more to her than the young party girl that’s been introduced in the previous books. In addition, Nikolai, who we know from Cooper’s book (but not in a positive way), finally gets to tell his side of the story, which is also really interesting.

Now let me start by telling you this story doesn’t disappoint. If you liked the other books, you’ll like this one too. We get to see all the Callahan siblings (and their partners) again, plus there are some tropes thrown into the mix that we haven’t read in the other books. And of course there are also the friendships, the love, the humour, the competitiveness, the supportiveness, … (and no third act break up!). It also deals with family trauma and self-doubt, portrayed in a realistic way. On top of all that, the writing style is very pleasant and fluent, making this an easy read. Both volleyball and ice hockey also get regular attention in this book, which I really like.

What did bother me a bit, was that there is a lot of repetition in this book. It could have easily been 100p shorter, without dishonouring the rest of the narrative. In addition, I have felt the need to put Nik in his place on several occasions. Because, even taking into account his background, he has really reacted in an inappropriate way on a couple of occasions.

All things together, I really enjoyed this book and would have read it in one sitting if I’d had the time. So I’ve you’ve enjoyed the other books of Beyond the play, just pick this one up already.
3,75/5 ⭐