Grace Reilly is so good at writing steaming sports books. This one follows our main characters as they navigate their relationship, toxic families and other things. This can totally be read as a standalone but there are character's from previous books.

Thanks NetGalley for the Arc copy.

Wicked Serve
This was book 3 in a series but most definitely can be read as a standalone. I requested this on NetGalley because I was in my sport romance era and this one was pretty interesting in that both main characters were very into their college sports with dreams of success. Izzy is trying to earn a spot as setter on her volleyball team and Nik is trying to prove his worth and get called up to the NHL.

Nikolai and Isabelle had a summer fling but both left eachother wanting more. When they find themselves at the same school they cannot stay away from eachother. They try to hide their romance from her brother since they were rivals now teammates but I will say Cooper is one of the best characters. He handles it with maturity and grace and respect for his sister. Nik is super wealthy but dealing with childhood abuse trauma and under his controlling grandfathers thumb. As the relationship progresses they really bring the best out of each other. I will say this felt a touch long and with all the sexy times happening idk how they got anything else done honestly. But I loved the found family for Nik and really felt like this was his book more than Izzy’s.

This also dealt with mental health, childhood abuse and family dynamic. I feel like Izzy’s family was too good to be true and Nik’s family mostly the worst. Overall a good read but not one that will stick with me. Many thanks to the publisher and NG for my arc. 3 ⭐️

DNF at 60% with over 3 hours left. This was just boring and slow. Character driven story but I really don’t like the characters. Both are rich athletes. FMC is mad at her coach because her coach called her spoiled and her spot on the volleyball team was bought. MMC team spot was actually bought. He had an abusive dad who was horrible, but he didn’t cut him off at all. Couple was together at 60% and I’m calling it good. I took a 3 day break to read something else and completely forgot all the characters and plot.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager Publisher for this digital ARC.

I have been on a hockey rom-com kick this year. So that’s what I was expecting when I started reading Wicked Serve. While, I enjoyed the book overall, it was a lot deeper than I anticipated.
Nik and Izzy deal with a lot more than just steamy hook-ups. At times, the story seemed to drag and I admit to skipping pages here and there. I also didn’t love some of the more “liberal” storylines, but I’m ultra conservative so take that with a grain of salt.
Overall, it was nice to branch out and read a hockey romance that had substance….and a happy ending.

The premise and prologue of this book immediately captivated me. I loved how it simply set the situation up and jumped right in. After finishing, I can definitely say that this is my favorite book of this series.

Izzy and Nik were amazing from the beginning. I could immediately see how well they balanced each other out. Nik’s blatant adoration for Izzy was one of my favorite parts of this book. I also like that they had individual issues that they worked through. It added depth to them as characters and kept the book from feeling tropey or surface level. There were a couple moments where I felt they were almost out of character maturity wise but I really loved them overall. They felt real and thought out.

The secret relationship part of this book was the perfect length for me. The reveal felt natural and left room for their relationship to grow. I felt that the book length was good. I could’ve done with some of the smaller plot points being drawn out more over one or two of the spice scenes, but it flowed nicely overall. I was never bored or wanting to skim. I wish there was a bit more communication at the end, but I also understand the circumstances and I wasn’t really that hung up on it. The adorable epilogue made up for any small issues (though I’ll be patiently waiting for a possible bonus scene of a certain event!)

Overall, I really loved reading this. It had all the aspects of a sports romance that I want, but it also felt solid as an individual story. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

MINI PLAYLIST 🌅🏒💗
Dress - Taylor Swift
Save My Life - Niall Horan
Disconnected - 5SOS

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)

Grace Reilly knows how to write a steamy sports book. Wicket Serve follows our two main characters while they navigate toxic families, anxieties and relationships while trying to figure out their futures. It was a lot of the steam aspect, but the writing flowed well and it was nice to see characters from the previous books.

thank you netgalley for an arc of Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

Wicked serve was a cute, emotional book. I cried! I loved how strong Izzy was even though she had her own insecurities. Nik was amazing. He was so supportive. There were a couple things I didn't care about (toxic families give me the ick) but I think it was handled well and resolved well.

ARC Review-

I was so thrilled to receive the email saying I was selected to be an advanced reader for this book. I read a loved all previous books in the series, and was very excited to see where Izzy’s book would take us.

It is always fun to read the final book in a series that you have been following for a while. I loved seeing glimpses into the casts of characters that we already know from the beginning of the series, and I absolutely loved seeing Isabelle finally get her Callahan tattoo. Izzy and Nik had me rooting for them from the first page, as we jump right into their summer romance. I was happy to see them reconnect early in the book, as their chemistry was undeniable. Even when they weren’t officially together, Izzy kept showing up for Nik to support him through his, then, undiagnosed panic attacks. Regardless of what her feelings were to him at the time, she still placed his, and all of her friends, well being first. She was such a sweet character to read, and I am happy she got her own book because I originally was not sure of how much depth she had from the glimpses we got of her in the previous book, but I was glad to see her as a well rounded character with challenges of her own in her own story.

Grace Reilly always does a really great job of writing about mental health and all different types of family dynamics, so I was happy to see her handle the issues in this book with the same care and attention. I also loved the conflict resolution between Cooper and Nik, especially when they got to the point of a true friendship where Cooper could support Nik through his trauma and help him handle his emotions in a safe environment with no judgement from those he loved.

My only critique was that the book seemed a bit long, as a whole. About half way through the book I thought that everything was coming to a close, only to realize I still had like 2.5 hours of reading left on my e-copy.

Other than that I thought it was a really enjoyable close to the Callahan sibling stories. I will be super interested to see where Grace Reilly takes us next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wicked Serve is my favorite book out of the Callahan series. Grace Reilly did a fabulous job with Izzy and Nik. Their forbidden relationship and banter was so well done throughout the book and the spice scenes were 🔥. I loved that there was no third act breakup and how the book really focused on their relationship and the ups and downs that are experienced within a relationship. 5⭐️ highly recommend!

although the premise was really good, I found the book really hard to follow. I never warmed up to the characters and the issues that they were going through. it was a bit of a snooze book for me.

This was an enjoyable read with both characters as athletes!

While Nikolai and Isabelle both had their own insecurities and traumas, the book dealt with mental health in a healthy way, which I really appreciated. The relationship between these two was super sweet with a hint of spice. I love a hero who can talk dirty and also has sweet nicknames for the heroine.

Loved this series! I'm pretty sure this in the final book and I loved reading about all of the siblings! Wicked serve was just as romantic and steamy as the others! I love a sports romance! I was swooning like crazy, such a good book!

Overall I enjoyed this "sports romance". Nikolai was a good mental health rep for men. The spice was good and I liked them as a couple. Wasn't QUITE 5 stars for me but I did really enjoy it.

I absolutely adored FIRST DOWN by Grace Reilly and, as a former volleyball player, I was really looking forward to WICKED SERVE. Unfortunately, however, I ended up having to put it down as there was some content I didn't feel comfortable with. This is very personal, of course, but I simply can't bring myself to give this a higher rating.

I’d say it was a 3.5⭐️. I enjoyed Nik and Izzy but I didn’t feel the need to binge this book. They had a good connection and there was drama that kept it interesting but I didn’t feel like I had to know right away what was going to happen. It did wrap up the series nicely thought.

Review:
5/5 Stars
Spice Level: 3.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: August 13, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love Grace Reilly's Beyond the Play series - they are spicy college sports romances that follow the Callahan siblings as they fall in love. Wicked Serve is no exception, Izzy was a huge burst of sunshine and Nikoli was such a heartthrob and so in love with Izzy. I adored seeing what the other siblings were up to, the Cooper/Nikoli was so funny (especially because they were such rivals at the start of the book). I would recommend this book (and the other books in the series) to lovers of spicy sports romances, laugh-out-loud moments, and a cast of characters who make you want to jump into the pages.

I enjoyed this a lot, Grace Reilly does story and spice really well! I really enjoyed seeing a male character struggling with panic attacks and anxiety. I do wish we had gotten a bit more of their summer fling but I just wanted to see more of Nik and Isabelle

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. It had a lot of potential. I wish it started with their summer fling or flashbacks of it. I also felt the book was way too long and a lot of spicy scenes instead of character development.

Thank you netgalley and avon books for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars - another winner from Grace Reilly! I enjoyed both main characters and it was fun seeing characters from previous books. I really like Nikolai and the representation of panic disorders in men. Very spicy but very sweet moments too between Isabelle and Nik. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

A second chance, secret sports romance with plenty of spice and banter. Nik and Izzy never expect to see each other again after their summer fling only to run into each other when Nik transfers to Izzy's college. He's there to play hockey and Izzy's big brother is the team captain which makes her off limits. However, they can't seem to stay away from each other. A great addition to Reilly's Beyond the Playbook romance series.