I ate this book up! Let me start out by saying I love these 2 characters. Nikolai is an angel! I mean the man took her to see Koalas because that’s her favorite animal 😍!
And I love that Isabelle is so strong willed. The communication in this book is chefs kiss. I adore all of the Callahan siblings and their partners and was happy they had roles in this book as well. All in all, I believe she ended the series well.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am genuinely so sad that this series is coming to an end, the Callahan siblings will always hold a special place in my heart.
Nik and Izzy compliment each other so well and while their relationship is full of difficulties in many different forms, at the end of the day, all they want is to be the right person for each other.
We got to see a lot of Nik overcoming his past and finding ways to move forward, and while we got a little bit of Izzy dealing with her feelings of being inadequate compared to the rest of her family, I wish we'd gotten to dive a little more headfirst into it.
This book did remind me just how much I freaking love Cooper, who seems to be the most emotionally mature brother, and Bex, who absolutely took on the role of big sister to Izzy (and Penny and Mia).
I did love the epilogue, what a beautiful way to wrap up the series.

✨ARC Review✨
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Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
Thank you Valentine PR For the eARC
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Rating: 4⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
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Tropes:💛
Brothers rival turned teammate
Panic disorder rep
Hockey x volleyball
Family drama
Sneaking around
He calls her solnishko (little sun)
Boy obsessed
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This book was super sweet I loved almost everything about the book. From the summer romance to sneaking around and watching them fall in love before they even knew they loved each other! Then the way Izzy and Nikolai supported each other and wanted to help each other grow in their dreams for their future!!
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This is book 4 in this series and is available Aug 13th!!
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Fav Quotes:

“Maybe I like being reckless with you.”

“You dressed me.” “Are you going to undress me, too?”

“Crawl to me, Isabelle.”

This book was a cute fun college romance perfect for fans of Elle Kennedys Briar U series or Hannah Grace’s icebreaker. I am realizing I’m starting to not be as drawn to college romances so I struggled at points but I think the intended audience will love this one! Isabelle and Nick are a fun couple who are so hot for each other, but can’t be together because her brother HATES him. I personally wish we had gotten more of their initial tension of we can’t do this because of my brother… because they have been together in the summer we miss that. However I love a good sneaking around trope and it sets us up to jump into that immediately. I also loved that they are both athletes and not just him. There’s good side plot exploring family difficulties and dynamics which helps round it out. Overall it was spicy and fun and everything you want in a college romance.

4.5⭐️

This book was so wicked fun! I always love a good hockey romance book and this one definitely served plenty of fun hockey game moments from wearing his jersey to attending his game! Nik and Isabelle have such fantastic chemistry together, I couldn't put the book down! I always love it when a sports romance book has both the FMC and MMC play a sport! I love how Isabelle was a volleyball player, I have never read a book that focuses on this sport! Sometimes in sports romance books, the sports are just a side part of the story, but not in this book. I love how both of their sports were central to the plot and their character growth! 

If you're looking for a college sports romance, I definitely suggest checking this one out!

Tropes:
-second chance romance
-sports romance
-found family
-college romance 
-summer fling to lovers
-quick burn (idk what you call the opposite of slow burn)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for this honest review!

Woooow!! I thought I was ready for this book but I don’t think I was! I laughed, I cried and everything in between!

Nikolai and Izzy were everything together! Secret dating, brothers enemy, troubled past. Everything about this book was amazing and I’m disappointed that I finished it as quickly as I did! I had a hard time putting this one down!

This may be my new favorite book in the series... nik is everything and more. The epilogues in the last book of a chapter series will forever make me teary eyed

Oh my goodness. THIS BOOK! I loved the first three books in this series, and have been anxiously waiting for this one to release, and it DID NOT disappoint!! Isabelle is such an incredibly real and vulnerable character and the pure love that she receives from everyone else in this book is so wonderful and inspiring! The way she grows and learns to connect and communicate with her family is so beautiful!! And Nikolai is nothing but pure, knee-weakening, devotion and swoon! I love his journey with his panic disorder, all while coming to terms with his future and his needs. I just could not have loved these two and their journey together any more!! And getting all of these amazing side characters again just makes it so much fun to read!! If the Callahans don't break your heart and immediately put it all back together, then try again!! This is an auto-recommend series for me!! Easy 5 stars; 4 chili peppers

Tropes:
- Brother's Rival/Teammate
- Secret Relationship
- Mental Health Rep
- Hurt/Comfort
- Hockey Player x Volleyball Player
- Grumpy x Sunshine

I was grateful to recieve an early E-copy of this story to review. The tropes drew me in immediately. I love a sports romance, especially if hockey is involved.

Nikolai and Isabelle had a secret fling over summer, and circumstances quickly find them back in the same city. Nikolai is Isabelles brothers new teammate so she is off limits - but is that really going to stop them???

This story shows Nikolai struggling with his mental health but I loved the way he finally put himself first in order to work through some things. Isabelle is just complete sunshine, who is was kind and caring, always putting everyone else first.

Wicked Serve was fun, lighthearted at times, completely pull-on-the-heartstrings at other moments and it pulled me in. I felt some parts of the story were a bit drawn out and there were a few scenes that didn't add much to the story, but it still managed to keep my interest.

It just started out as a summer fling and that's all it could be. Then Nik left her their last morning without even a goodbye. He knew that nothing could ever happen between them. He's her brother's biggest rival both on and off the ice and also he's afraid he'll eventually turn out like his father... just not good enough for her.
In a family of sports stars, Izzy felt like she'd never measure up, always seeking her father's approval and never feeling good enough. When events have Nik playing hockey for her college, they can't seem to stay away from each other. They agree to dating in secret because her brother - his teammate- would never approve. But what happens when she gets tired of all the lies?
I liked these two together, Izzy being so supportive of Nik and his trauma and panic attacks. They help each other with some tough decisions and learning to stand up for what they really want. The story was good but I feel like it could have been a little shorter as some of the chapters didn't really do much for the story. No fault to the author because I'm a lot older than her target demographic, but I had some trouble connecting with the characters, especially Izzy with her pink mentioned in every chapter and her hundreds of stuffed animals. Some of their decisions just seemed so obvious from the outside looking in. I'm happy they finally worked up the courage to live their own lives and stand up to family for what they really wanted.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Huuuuge thank you to Grace Reilly and Valentine PR for the ARC of Wicked Serve. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and getting to read it early was just perfection *chefs kiss*

Y’all, I’m so freaking emotional over the end of this series??? Do yourself a favour if you haven’t read it yet, and do it 👏🏼ASAP👏🏼

Wicked Serve follows the love story of Izzy, our youngest and final Callahan sibling, and Nikolai, who happens to *also* be Cooper Callahans biggest hockey rival. We get to see them sneaking around, working through trauma and insecurities, and most of all, their endgame 🤩

- Sports romance
- College romance
- Fling to forever
- Secret relationship

This is a very cute story. I did have a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters since they are a bit younger than in the stories I usually read. But I did enjoy the development of their relationship.

Isabelle and Nikolai are in the middle of an intense fling at the beginning of the book. Both realize it's only for the summer, but ultimately, neither can stop thinking of the other. Their relationship is casual and secret since Isabelle is interning for Nikolai's mother and Nikolai is the captain of the rival college's hockey team.

However, when Nikolai finds himself booted from his college, his choices are limited. His grandfather will only help him get into another school if Nikolai gives up his dreams of joining the NHL after graduation and instead works at his grandfather's business.... Despondent, Nikolai agrees to his grandfather's conditions.. The bright side to this? He will be going to school at the same college as Isabelle.

Nikolai really wants to pick up things again with Isabelle, but does she feel the same way?

Okay the first 25% of this book had me HOOKED and I was enjoying it so much. And then the book just WOULD NOT END. It was incredibly too long for there to be not much conflict. I loved Nik and how his mental health was dealt with care. I wish we would've gotten some flashbacks from the MCs getting together because I feel like their sex scenes were made out to be kinky but the build up to that wasn't explored or shared with the reader. Overall just an okay read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Oh my gosh, I am in love with these characters. They deserve everything. Nikolai is fighting his past, doing everything he can think of to not be like some, and with the pressure he feels with his family, all while falling in love. And Isabelle feels the pressure to live up to her family name and hide the fact she is falling for her brother's rival. She goes from working super hard at volleyball to spending all her energy on her brother's wedding. And a little side piece of info: Nikolai helps her with ice skating. These two characters are perfect, and I'm so glad they got their happy ending. There are some mentions of panic disorder and abuse, so check out the trigger warnings, but this book was definitely worth the read. 5-stars from me! It was cute and fluffy and some spice; I loved it all.

Arc Review
Wicked Serve By Grace Reilly
Available August 13
4.5⭐

First off i would like to thank @netgalley @Avonbooks and @HarperVoyagerUS for a gifted e-arc of this book.

This story follows Izzy & Nik. Both are college athletes. Izzy is striving to get a better position on her volleyball team & Nik is trying to figure out how to work on his new hockey team (once his rival school) The tension. The chemistry. The spice 😘🥰

Izzy is a strong confident woman. She is very outgoing & selfless. Shes open about her feelings to an extent. She cares about her family & always stands up for herself and her loved ones. She is trying to focus on volleyball & get her old position back and not get distracted by her attraction to Nik.

Nik is a hockey player who is struggling with some mental health issues. He isn't very open about his past but when he does 😘 . He is a kind gentle protective soul who is obsessed with izzy from the moment he laid eyes on her at a game. He is trying to focus on hockey & do his best on his new team without causing waves. He works on his mental health for a better future for himself & izzy.

5/5 recommend this book. Grace is a new to me author & her writing is effortlessly & beautiful. This is my first book by her & her storytelling is done beautifully. I will read the rest of her books. 🥰💚

🏐✨Wicked Serve✨🏐

4.5⭐️
3.5🌶️

B L U R B
He's my brother's biggest hockey rival... but he's bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai - Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I'm forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Isabelle - I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov.
As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn't an option. But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can't stay away from his broody charm.

R E V I E W
Damn, this was so good! Absolutely loved it. Nikolai is amazing, everything he goes through is so brutal and yet he's still such a sweet heart! I loved reading about Isabelle and Nik, their chemistry was palpable. I will say this was quite long for a romance. I personally enjoyed reading all of it but objectively, I'm sure that some of it is a little unnecessary to some readers. If you love to read about two people who are perfect together, whether no one knows about them or everyone knows, then this is absolutely the book for you 💚

Please check your trigger warnings before reading 💚

Wicked Serve is coming out August 13! Don't miss out!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review Wicked Serve.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Beyond the Play series ever since the beginning and was looking forward to reading this as soon as stinking possible. Izzy has always been more in the background of the other three books, so my anticipation was at an all-time high.

I truly loved getting to know Izzy and Nikolai. It was incredibly refreshing to jump into things toward the end of their original fling, even though I briefly missed the origin story of their relationship.

Another incredibly rare thing (but nice to see!) was that Izzy’s fling and situation with Nik were never viewed in a negative capacity. Even her brothers (for the most part) were super respectful of what she was doing and we didn’t have to encounter any of the, “You’re too young!” Or “Is he taking advantage of you?” Or “You’re using her to get to me,” energy.

I loved loved the mental health rep we got in this book when dealing with panic attacks and anxiety, and appreciated watching a relationship maneuver these topics as well.

Overall, big fan of Izzy and Nik as characters (Izzy’s confidence when she’s in control is amazing to see) and this was a lovely wrap-up to the series and the Callahan siblings. That moment 3/4 through when James, Cooper, and Sebastian included Izzy in a family tradition had me smiling through soft tears.

Huge fan of an epilogue where we get a nice bow on everyone’s journey and cannot wait to see what Grace Reilly does next!

He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival… but he’s bringing the heat for me.

What a cute and fluffy read. I am slowly getting into the sports romance genre and they are fun.
I love that this relationship is showing us what a healthy relationship is like. Romance, respect, and love.

If she’s sunshine, Im the guy who hopes it never starts raining.

ARC REVIEW
Isabelle’s story is one that I’ve been looking forward to since starting this series. This book did not disappoint. Nikolai and Isabelle’s story is beautiful, but their growth individually is what makes this story so fantastic. Both characters have so much thrown at them and they continue to step up and rise to the occasion.

Hockey and volleyball? What an interesting but fun take. I loved the mental health representation, support, etc in this book. It’s truly important and was well done here.

I did find some of this book to drag on just a tad. But overall it was a good read and I’ll be recommending! I haven’t read the authors other works but I’m interested to hear back and read them now.

I can appreciate how there was a lack of fighting between the FMC and MMC! That was refreshing compared to many books.

There is also spice but I wouldn’t say it’s to crazy either, just in the right spot for everyone!