Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is a captivating hockey romance centered around two brothers who are rivals both on and off the ice. The palpable tension and sizzling chemistry between Nik and Izzy will leave readers swooning. From the thrilling moments on the hockey rink to the steamy encounters behind closed doors, Wicked Serve is a delightful read that keep me hooked from beginning to end.

This is the last book in Beyond the Play series and I loved Isabelle and Nikolai. They read age appropriate and I thought their character growth was well thought out. The Callaghan family cameos were some of my favorite scenes and I really enjoyed how they brought Nik into the fold.

While I loved the characters in the book, I found myself getting bored and wondering when the story was going to end at 60%. The secrets from Nik's past could have been revealed all at once instead of spaced out. It made the scenes in between feel unnecessary and made me want to skip to the final conflict and HEA.

Readers who enjoy longer books will probably enjoy this one, but it was not my favorite.

Brother’s rival hockey romance! It’s such an easy read. I do love this series and I’m happy with this. It’s an easy read and had a bit of spice but not too much.

I am so sad to be writing this review as I was looking forward to this book! The rest of the series was enjoyable for me, but I had a hard time getting through this one.

There were definitely some enjoyable parts to this book, but most of it just fell pretty flat. I had a really hard time with Izzy as a character. She kept going back and forth in what she wanted, which is understandable her being a college student, but it was really repetitive and took away from the plot in my opinion. And while I felt for Nik, I really wish he would have spoke to his family/a professional sooner because he definitely had the resources! There were so many opportunities for real/serious issues to be addressed and they were glossed over or used as excuses.

I really wish we could have seen Nik and Izzy together more during the summer so there was a foundation for their attraction/friendship. It seemed rushed and hard to buy into at times, especially when there were quite a few detailed spicy scenes that felt out of character.

I thought Nik's relationship with Izzy's family was great though, especially with Cooper (once they got over their issues) and Sebastian (who I thought was the most mature out of all of them - parents included). I did enjoy the humor and seeing their growth, but it was hard for me to fully come back from everything else.

Thank you to Avon & Harper, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m so sad this series has come to an end, because I really loved my time with the Callahan family. I especially enjoyed all the cameos from the family in this book, especially the epilogue. I did feel like the story was a bit long in places it could have been shorter. And then the ending felt a little rushed, and the epilogue quite short (I honestly would have liked more). I also really loved watching Cooper & Nik become such close friends, just as much as I loved watching Nik & Izzy’s love story develop.

This was definitely another Sporty and Spicy read from Grace, and I think fans of the series will really enjoy this sweet ending to all of it.

In general, I've enjoyed this whole series and was so happy to finally read Isabelle's story!
First, it is always nice to see a relationship with a younger couple that isn't toxic, is supportive, and has a solid foundation. But also, who doesn't love a secret relationship for the spice level (which is a lot)?
After reading the brothers' stories previously, it tracked that Isabelle is a generally strong and confident girl and it was nice to see the girl in the relationship be the stronger, supportive, and guiding one. With that being said, Nik needed more of a backbone at certain times, especially with his family. He didn't even argue or put up a single fight with his grandfather's plan. I get he was struggling with this relationship with hockey because of his dad but he could have voiced it more. I also get trying to incorporate his culture and background but the Russian language didn't make sense to me and in general just doesn't sound (or read) romantic so it didn't work for me.
I'm assuming this series is completed now, but I'd be ok with some spin off stories! Just maybe not 400 pages.
Is it believable that so many attractive and sports talented people came from one family? No. But it sure is entertaining to read about!

DNF due to trigger warnings. Maybe Netgalley can find a way to incorporate them into the book description before one requests it, when they are available.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wicked Serve is the fourth book in Grace Reillys Beyond the Play Series revolving around the Callahan siblings.
This installment is about Izzy, the youngest of the family and a college volleyball player, and her casual (and secret) relationship with Nikolai, her brothers ice hockey rival.
Isabelle is trying hard to be a good volleyball player in the hopes of proving her worth to her family full of outstanding athletes.
Nikolai has to fight his own problems with his traumatic childhood and family pressure to put his grandfathers business before his dreams of the NHL.
Their summer fling should have been the end of it, but when Nikolai is sent to her brothers hockey team to become his teammate they pick up right where they left off but this time they have to sneak around.

The only other book I read from this series is the second one, Coopers and Pennys book, and I remember giving it 5 stars and liking the writing style.
This one is also pretty well written. The characters struggles and inner thoughts are portrayed well and in a believable way.
The FMC was not as likable as Penny from book two, but I still liked her for bein real.
The MMC is not a typical romance novel alpha male without emotions or growth but rather a real person with real feelings and problems.
I disliked his treatment of her sometimes but find that he redeemed himself in the end.
Seeing how close the Callahans and all their partners are was heartwarming.
The spice level I'd say is moderate and fits the storyline without being too much.
The only critique I have, and the reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that we don't really witness Izzys and Niks relationship begin. They obviously had a summer fling that wasn't serious at all before he joins her brothers team and subsequently moves to her city, but it's only mentioned, not showed. So we didn't really see their chemistry build or or their first kiss. It's already all been done by the beginning of the book so that was a tad bit disappointing. I would have wished for the book to begin when their relationship began. Or at least some flashbacks.
Otherwise an entertaining read.

I was honestly bored and a little confused by the first 80% of the story. Because Izzy and Nikolai's romance starts off-page, the reader doesn't get to see what drew them to each other, therefore we don't have a solid foundation to understand how their relationship is rekindled.

And I cannot even believe I am writing this, but the sex scenes were too much and felt too disconnected from the characters. Every sex scene felt like I had been transported into a completely different story, with completely different people. It felt very much like the story was written as a closed door romance and then the decision was made to add a bunch of sex scenes. I want the sex scenes to explore something new about the characters or further the plot and these did nothing.

For me, the pacing was off. You go through, what I am sure are meant to be high conflict situations in the first 80% of the book, but they all feel unwarranted. Disagreements between Izzy and Nikolai feel overblown and unnecessarily exaggerated.

That said, I did enjoy the last 20% of the book - you finally see some character growth on Nikolai's part. I like when the male main character realizes he needs to make some changes before he can be the man her wants to be for the heroine and takes time for himself. But it definitely felt like Nikolai wasn't the only character that would have benefited from therapy.

I received an eARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for this advanced readers copy, and the opportunity to review.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is the final inter-connected stand alone in the Beyond the Play series, and I thought this book was a great ending to the series as a whole. Throughout the other books, Izzy is an important side character as her brothers' sibling, and I really liked how this was her story. The book has a lot of little references to the previous books in the series, but if you just wanted to read this one, you could without getting confused.

The Callahan family's youngest child, Izzy, is just as athletic as her brothers. She plays on the volleyball team at McKee University, and she's looking to win back her old position. When her summer fling and brother's hockey rival transfers, she realizes it might have been more than a fling. Nikolai is a hockey player looking for a fresh start after being expelled from his previous college. But the moment he sees her again, all the feelings return. Rekindling their relationship could risk an icy start with Cooper, and Nik's past makes opening up and trusting anyone extremely challenging.

I am giving this book 4 stars. It was my second favorite book in the series, coming behind Breakaway. I thought it was a great way to end the series and enjoyed reading it. I liked the emotional depth to the characters, and the realistic way they approach their relationship. I thought some parts of the plot could have been a little more flushed out, but overall this was a very fun read and I would recommend to anyone who loves a college romance book.

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly comes out on August 13.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This was a fun college x sports romance, and was book number 4 in the series.

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

While I enjoyed this one because I am a huge college hockey romance fan... there wasn't a whole lot that I personally felt made this set apart from so many others on the market. I found myself flipping ahead at times due to the excessive wording in parts, I don't really enjoy when authors use a lot of filler wording to make books longer. 5 times out of 5 I would rather have a short story that gets to the point vs a book that gives me this feeling. I want my books to feel like a fun escape, not borderline chore. It wasn't until the final 25(ish)% of the book that I really felt a lot of connection to the characters. If you haven't quite yet experienced the supreme Elle Kennedy books - you as a reader may not have this same experience.

While this one wasn't quite for me. I really enjoyed book 2! That one was also a hockey romance, and I would highly recommend giving that one a try! I will personally be looking for more books from this author, because I have found that sometimes there are one off books like this could potentially be that have this effect on myself as a reader.

I want to take a moment to think NetGalley as well. The publishing company for sending me a copy of this book and exchange for my honest review.

There is just something about a good sports romance that just hits the right spot. If you love hockey and volleyball, then I would definitely recommend picking this book up. The romance in this was adorable and it brought me so much joy. I love the fact that we have both characters playing a sport instead of just one.

The hockey romance and Nik navigating through his childhood trauma to be a better man for himself and to his partner was everything. If this novel taught me anything, it's when you think you're dealing with a difficult hardship, Isabelle, there's always someone going through something more difficult, Nikolai. I'm not discounting Isabelle's difficulties, but the way she made it define who she was was kind of annoying when comparing those of Nik's. I wasn't a huge fan of her. As a previous volleyball player, it CAN be life, but it isn't... girl... get it together.

I'm not a huge fan of smut scenes, therefore all the explicit scenes were a little... cringe for me. I could've done without them.

At the end, what I enjoyed the most, was the way the author was able to grow Nik's character. His way of mending relationships, handling his trauma, and wanting to do it all for himself and not FOR someone was admirable. (Strange cause it's a book and not a person, but it helped me take something away from this book which is difficult to do when it comes to romances sometimes.)

All in all, enjoyed the book minus the smut scenes.

This book sent me all over the place. The first 60% was your average college hockey romance. There is nothing extraordinary about it. The last 40% was fantastic and pulled at the heartstrings.

Nikolai was a well-developed character dealing with emotional trauma from his childhood of abuse at the hands of his father and a mother so caught up in dealing with her trauma that she neglected to recognize the therapy her son desperately needed. He was so sweet and desperate to take care of his mom, of himself, of Isabelle and his teammates.

Isabelle was very unremarkable in my opinion. Her struggles with volleyball and finding a purpose in life just seemed to pale in comparison to Nik. I also found her desire to find out more about his past to be a little much. Yes, you want your partner to share things about themselves, but you also need to grant them a little grace to share when they are ready.

The part that brought the overall enjoyment of this book down for me was the intimate scenes. I did not find them sexy at all and the whole spanking and anal felt very out of place for the emotional story the author seemed to be building. I hope to never read the phrase "her slick" ever again. Cringe!

4.5 rounded up to 5

Izzy and Nik enjoyed a secret summer romance only to go their separate ways in the fall. Then Nik lands at her school. They each have a handful of reasons why a relationship wouldn't be a good idea but there's no denying their chemistry. Will they fight for a future together?

Read if you like:
-Brother's Rival
-Secret Relationship
-Family Drama

I really liked this book. I was hooked right from the start. Grace Reilly is such a skilled writer. Izzy just jumped off the page and I loved how the tension and mystery of Nik's past slowly built. Wicked Serve is a book I wish I could wipe my memory and read again for the first time. It did run a little long and lagged for a few chapters, but otherwise, it is a fantastic read!

This book was a great continuouarion of the series! I loved the couple. Nik and Isabelle had a summer romance which came to a halt when they went back to school, differnt schools. This is the one thing I didn't like about this book, I felt like we missed a chapter of their romance.
How were what we do get, I really loved, and how they had this amazing connection. We have two opposite personalities dating in secret.
If you want a cute, funeral sports romance, I recommend this!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishing company and or the author for giving me the chance to read and review Wicked Serve

Loved everything about the book from the plot to the characters. I had some problems with the trigger warnings but I just skipped over those parts.

Overall I found this book well written and enjoyable. I have mixed feelings about college set novels but this one was “mature” enough to keep me invested. If my tone here sounds underwhelmed, just know that it was a me thing. I was not in the mood for college, but I wanted to get this one read with plenty of time before release, and here we are. When I can separate my lack of interest in reading about college athletes I have literally no complaints about the story, so a lot of you are going to EAT THIS UP. I promise.

Okay this was super cute and I loved the chemistry and banter. Only thing was I felt it was a little too long. But other than that, it was a solid easy read!

This one was good, if not a bit tumultuous in the story line. I liked that Izzy and Nik reunited and they tackled some really heavy stuff, but the progression just didn't flow well to me. Still a great romance!