I have loved the Beyond the Play series from day one, and have been quite literally foaming at the mouth obsessing over reading Wicked Serve. This absolutely did not disappoint, I love Nik and Izzy with my whole heart ❤️
There was definitely some emotional parts to this story, poor Nik had me sobbing more than once, but they are both so deserving of their happy ending.
My only complaint is that there are no more Callahans for me to read about 😭

I'm going through a sports romance (specifically hockey romance) phase and this was a nice addition to my reading list. I haven't read any of the others in the series yet, but will probably go back and read the rest. I did enjoy the book; I liked the characters and I liked the writing. However I felt the book was maybe a little too long with lots of spicy scenes that didn't give a lot of additional context to the overall plot. But I liked the book enough to be interested in going back and reading the previous publications.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Avon, Grace Reilly, Valentine PR, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

Wicked Serve is the conclusion to the Beyond the Play series and follows the last Callahan sibling, Isabelle who is the youngest and only daughter. I found this series last year and I will be honest I didn’t pick it up until March of this year because I saw the author post on Threads asking if anyone would like her to pass on their contact info for the chance for an arc of Wicked Serve and I put my hat into the ring. And then she was going to be at a signing so I picked up First Down which became one of my favorites of the year. So as these books have been rereleased over the last few months I have read each of them all leading to Wicked Serve and I can’t fully put into words how much I truly love this series. I love each of these couples in their own way and they each shine during their books and when they are show up in the rest of the series. This one is a secret summer fling between Izzy and Nik, who is her brother’s rival that then turns into more. It is rare I give every single book in a series 5 stars and this is one of those times.

Nikolai is forced to transfer schools for his senior year after he gets expelled from his college and he is risking pissing off the Captain who hates him and happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan, the gorgeous sunshine he can’t keep out of his mind and spent the summer with. But when he transfers to McKee where Izzy goes, his feelings refuse to be ignored but rekindling their fling could risk her brother icing him out of the team when he finds out. Izzy has two goals for sophomore year, regain her position in volleyball and forget about Nik which should be easy as he does to a completely different school… until he shows up as a new student at her college. She is the youngest in a family of athletes so failure isn’t an option and she can’t afford a distraction like Nik. But when he comes back into her life, she can’t seem to push him away for good even if she knows she should.

The tension in this book isn’t really tension between Nik and Izzy, they are crazy about each other even when they think it is just stress relief fun. Instead the tension comes from them having to sneak around and hide their fling because of what Izzy’s brother might think and what he could do if he was to not take it well. I loved this and I really loved how their relationship reveal was handled. I also loved the third act breakup which is rare but I think this one made so much sense and I love when effort is actually put in to improve whatever was wrong to begin with. Nik and Izzy had me dying at times with how steamy they are and this is the spiciest of the 4 books as it kicks off pretty fast. The steam to plot ratio was definitely more steam than the previous books but it worked really well in my opinion.

Nik is rich and it leads to some adorable and ridiculous moments that are why I love romance with millionaires/billionaires because they can throw money and make crazy stuff happen for those they love. I really loved the contrasting family dynamics we see in this book because you have the Callahan’s who are very close and tight knit that would do anything for each other and then you have Nik’s family that is not at all like that given his father is abusive, his grandfather is an old entitled rich man, his mother cares in her own way but struggles after what his father did, and then you have his cousin who is a sweetheart and I adored her. I kinda expected Nik to be somewhat of an asshole based on the previous books but was pleasantly surprised by what we actually got and it makes sense. He is fiercely protective over those he cares about and he will take care of others before taking care of himself. He has massive childhood trauma and we see that come into play in this book and learn more about his past.

I thought this was not only an amazing conclusion to this family but it was everything I wanted out of Nik and Izzy’s story. It has everything I have come to love about Grace Reilly’s books and even more from the steam to the heartbreak to the happy feel good moments. I cried a few times especially at the end for the epilogue as it was the perfect conclusion.

What a great way to wrap up the Callahan siblings! I have loved this series and Izzy and Nik are no exception!

First I want to thank NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Grace Reilly for my ARC of Wicked Serve. I was in love with this right from the start! Izzy and Nik had a great love story. They are absolute perfection! I’m a sucker for a spicy hockey romance 🥰 I finished this in a day because I was so invested in their story! I wish it didn’t end!! The forbidden love story was so fun to read and see how it played out. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from Grace! My first book from her but definitely not my last!

This book was precious. Such a light, fun romance. I flew through this one and it was a joy to read 🥰

“You’re everything to me"
•

he’s her brother’s rival-turned-teammate, and he’s completely off-limits. but when Izzy’s summer fling transfers to her college, she’s finding herself ready to test those limits. both Izzy and Nik have something to lose, but is it possible they have so much to gain if they see where things could go between them?

Wicked Serve is a spicy college romance with mental health rep and people chasing their dreams.
•

this and that:
♡ brother’s rival
♡ chosen family
♡ college sports
♡ dual pov
♡ gossip girl appreciation
♡ hockey
♡ hurt x comfort
♡ koalas
♡ mental health prioritization
♡ open door spice 🍑
♡ secret relationship
♡ she wears his jersey
♡ therapy
♡ traveling
♡ volleyball
♡ weddings
•

triggers:
☞ alcoholism
☞ child abuse
☞ childhood trauma
☞ disordered eating
☞ domestic abuse
☞ infidelity
☞ panic attacks

I absolutely adored Wicked Serve. I’ve been dying this whole series to get more inside of Izzy’s head. I knew tgere had to be more to her than just the happy go lucky party girl, and that I was going to find a lot of myself inside of her.

Izzy and Nik are perfection together! 10/10 on this enture series. I’m sad to see it end, but so incredibly excited to see what else Grace writes.

Grace Reilly has done it again! I loved this book, the fourth (?) book in the series! Izzy is such a FUN main character, and a refreshing switch up from all of the brothers. I'm so glad she got her happily ever after, as she is just a ray of sunshine. I can't wait to see what Grace Reilly writes next, as I assume this is the steamy finale to the series.

I had not read the rest of the series but I definitely will after this one. Reillys characters were wonderful and I’m so happy to have been introduced to them.
Nikolai was ah-mazing and I’m so happy to know him. He’s absolutely obsessed with our sunshine girl.
He is all she deserves and more. I’m glad she will be spoiled by him.

This was my first Grace Reilly book, and now I am a fan. I really enjoyed following Nikolai and Izzy’s relationship - a summer fling with the potential to be something more. They both have to deal with their own personal issues before anything could possibly go any further,

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to receive a copy of Wicked Serve in exchange for an honest review!!

I am a big fan of watching hockey (I literally do not know much about it) and I sure am a fan of reading it now. This book was good! At some points I felt like I was giddy and giggling. I love the duo sports couple POV because it made it so fun to read and I am IN LOVE with the found family trope so I very much appreciated that as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grace Reilly & Avon for the chance to read Wicked Serve in exchange for an honest review. Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play Series that follows the Callahan siblings. In order to grasp the full story, I purchased the prior three books and became very invested in the family and how Grace Reilly would end the series. Wicked Serve centers around volleyball player and youngest sibling, Isabelle Callahan "Izzy," and hockey player and brother's biggest rival, Nikolai Abney-Volkov "Nik." They met and had a fling during the summer, but an incident at school finds Nik transferring for his final year to Izzy's school. Although they intended to keep the fling short and under wraps, their chemistry makes is difficult to ignore and they soon find themselves back together and facing all the challenges that come their way.

I loved the way Grace focused on both players, highlighting moments of their athletic programs, college life and future careers. It felt very realistic to see these characters struggle with the balance of it all and yet learn to prioritize in a way that ensured their success. I also enjoyed the sibling dynamic and the return of these beloved characters. Grace also tackled some difficult subjects with accuracy and empathy and you can't help but cheer for these two to get their happily ever after. I adored this book and am excited for whatever Grace Reilly will focus on next!

Wicked Serve was a good book but didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I loved that both main characters were invested in their own sports, and I liked the premise of love with the brother’s rival. The book kept me interested so I gave it 3 stars, but my biggest critique is that the first half of this book felt very separate from the second half, and there were characteristics of each MC that didn’t really get built into the beginning of the story to make it cohesive. Additionally, I felt like it could have been a bit shorter in length.

I will still give this author another chance because maybe I just wasn’t the right audience for this particular book.

Although this is the 4th installment in the Beyond the Play series by Grace Reilly, this is my first read by this author at all. Being introduced to all of the brothers and their partners near the same was a bit overwhelming initially since I didn't already know them, but I got over it quickly, as this story certainly focuses on Isabelle and Nik.

I generally enjoyed this novel and the smut. and how the smut was dispersed throughout! I'm new-ish to sports romances and I liked that this wasn't solely focused on one sport. Nik plays hockey, Isabelle plays volleyball, and others in her family play/played football and baseball. I thought Nik and Isabelle's acceptance of their real feelings for each other was really cute and I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress throughout.

I prefer short chapters over long, and Wicked Serve delivered in this regard. On the whole, this felt a ~little~ long, but Reilly also packed a lot of content into here! Check the CWs below on this one for sure. I liked Nik's Russian nickname for Isabelle, but at other times, the Russian thrown in throughout felt out of place/unnecessary.

CWs: anxiety, panic, domestic abuse, childhood trauma and abuse, estranged parent, strained parental relationship

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher Avon & Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Izzy & Nikolai meet over the summer in NYC while she is interning with his mom. They have a summer fling with the intention of no feelings attached, and then he disappears on their last morning together. He gets expelled from his college and has to go to McKee University to play hockey where Izzy is also a student. Oh, her brother is also his biggest rival & new team captain!

Grace snuck so many feelings and emotions into this story. Izzy & Nikolai were both so clearly invested in each other beyond the physical attraction, even though they tried to fight it for so long. I loved the way they tenderly cared for each other and gradually showed their feelings and emotions.

The found family in this book was perfect. Nik’s childhood came with many red flags, but the Callahan’s accepted him one by one through this whole book.

Favorite moments:
•every time the Callahan’s had Nik’s back or reached out to him
•when they saw Izzy’s ex over Christmas
•the epilogue

• college sports • volleyball / hockey • summer fling turned secret relationship • brothers rival • found family • complicated father/son relationship • 4th in Beyond the Play series •

CW: domestic abuse talked about & flashbacks

Wicked Serve is your standard college romance with elements of sports, love, family, and friendships.

This is book four of the Beyond the Play series. I haven’t read any of the previous books, but that didn’t seem to take away from this one. There ~are~ spoilers for the others, though, if you happen to read this one first.

Overall, I thought the plot was fine, it had a lot more emotional depth than your typical college/sports romance, but it could have been flushed out a little more. It would have been nice to have some summer flashbacks throughout, too. The pacing was also off, with some chapters days or even weeks or months ahead, and the book itself felt like it was a little ~too~ long. It was a good read that didn’t particularly stand out to me, but if you like college/sports romances I think you’ll enjoy this one!

Before reading, I would check the trigger warnings. There’s several potential triggers including domestic abuse, abuse, divorce, panic attacks, extreme anxiety, etc.

And finally - thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was adorable! It was an emotional rod involving sports, friendship, and feelings, and many more unexpected things. Don’t even get me started on koalas!! This was very cute and full of banter and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

After spending the summer working as a wedding planning intern and having a summer fling with her brother’s hockey rival Nik (who is also her boss’ son), Izzy is ready to focus on the new semester at McKee University and the new volleyball season. After Nik gets expelled from his school and hockey team, he is forced to transfer to McKee University and become teammates with Cooper Callahan (a.k.a. his hockey rival and Izzy’s older brother). Sharing the same campus means that Izzy and Nik constantly find themselves in close proximity and they eventually resume their secret fling. But when the line between “friend with benefit” and boyfriend begins to blur, Nik realises that he needs to be honest about his mental health and past childhood trauma or risk losing Izzy forever.

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in Reilly’s Beyond the Play series of interconnected standalones about the Callahan siblings at McKee University. Wicked Serve is a sports romance featuring the forbidden/secret romance, forced proximity, rival turned teammate’s little sister, grumpy with sunshine, and boy obsessed tropes. This would be perfect for fans of the Beyond the Play series to fans of sports romances like The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy, The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson, Quarterback Sneak by Kandi Steiner, Catching Feelings by Maren Moore, Playing Hard to Get by Monica Murphy, or The Rule Book by Sarah Adams. Some themes and topics present in Wicked Serve include mental health and panic attacks, PTSD and trauma, abuse, marriage and divorce, love and heartbreak, self doubt and self esteem, legacy, as well as family and found family.

I have to admit, Penny and Cooper from Breakaway (book two in the Beyond the Play series) are still my favourite, but Izzy and Nik are for sure a close second! Wicked Serve is probably the spiciest of the Beyond the Play books with lots of sneaking around and secret hook-ups, but it’s also super sweet and swoonworthy with cute nicknames and even a romantic surprise involving adorable koalas. Izzy and Nik’s story was also surprisingly emotional towards the end, I even found myself tearing up a bit, which I was not expecting. I loved Izzy’s girly aesthetic and enjoyed reading about her preamble into wedding planning (without spoiling anything, Izzy even gets to plan a significant character’s wedding!). Having already read the first three books in the series, I enjoyed how all of the Callahans made appearances throughout Wicked Serve and the epilogue of Wicked Serve as well as the overall ending of the series was perfection.

There really wasn’t much about this book that I didn’t like, but I will say that Izzy and Nik’s story had more conflict in it than I typically like (I’m a big fan of no third act break-ups).

Overall, I really enjoyed Wicked Serve and would highly recommend it to fellow sports romance readers. I’m sad that this series has ended but I’m excited to see what’s next for Grace Reilly!

This one is your run of the middle hockey/sports romance. The relationship was cute and it was just the right amount of spice. If you're a fan of Elle Kennedy this is one for you.