Wicked Serve was the final instalment of the Callahan series! it was a cute read, fluffy but also tackled some heavier topics.

If I'm being honest, this fell a little flat for me. don't get me wrong the book was still enjoyable but in some ways it felt too long and a bit repetitive. like by 50% in most conflicts were solved but it felt like we were going around in circles, after that point, I'm pretty sure I was skimming through it.

I enjoyed how Izzy and Nik's relationship grew, but I do wish we could have spent more of their time together over the summer. their relationship was pretty cute! but since they had already established this connection it felt kinda instalovey?? would have loved to watch their connection develop from the start!

I felt like Nik and his mental health issues were represented well! however, I really didn't like the pressure Izzy was putting on him to share everything about this past when he wasn't ready.

also loved seeing glimpses of the other Callahan siblings pop up (Those were probably my fav parts)

Overall, this series is amazing as a whole! books one and two will forever have my heart.

I really enjoyed this read. It was my first introduction to these characters and the Callahan family so I obviously missed some nuance in the family dynamics but it didn’t take away from this story at all and I’m excited to go back and read the others.
The story was so sweet, with enough spice sprinkled throughout to make me happy.
I particularly enjoyed the journey the two main characters took to grow and develop through the book.
The relationship dynamic was lovely and I was rooting for them throughout. I was invested in their HEA and loved how it played out.
Highly recommend if you’re after a college sports romance with the characters and their relationships at the forefront.

Like the previous 3 books by Grace Reilly, this book was wonderful.
I'm sad to see the series end but it was wonderfully done with Isabelle and Nikolai.

Nikolai and Isabelle. Summer fling. What could go wrong?
This book was SO cute and such a good romance, I really enjoyed it and have nothing bad to say.

This book was light hearted, fun, spicy, but also had some deep moments regarding dark themes such as abuse. I loved Nikolai and Isabelle’s relationship and the forbidden aspect, they really were adorable.

A highlight for me was both characters standing up for themselves and doing what they wanted to do, not what everyone else expected.

The final instalment of the Callahan siblings; Izzy finally gets her moment! This one wasn’t my favourite but it was still a sweet read.

I enjoyed a few aspects of this book, Nikolai and his mental health representation the most! I think Grace wrote this really thoughtfully. His relationship with Izzy was pretty cute, man had a mouth on him too 😮‍💨😮‍💨 I also liked the relationship he eventually built with Cooper and the whole Callahan tribe. I loved how Izzy was able to learn to trust and lean on Nikolai and stand up for herself.

I did think this book was too long; it did drag a bit. I found myself just skimming and reading the dialogue, mostly in the middle.

I do recommend this series as a whole, the second book is still my favourite!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for the advanced copy.

Wicked Serve is a hockey romance that follows Isabelle and Nikolai as they navigate college, athletics and very different, but equally influential, family dynamics.

I didn’t realise till after I picked up this book that it was part of a series, while reading the previous books is not completely necessary for understanding Wicked Serve, I do think I would have had more appreciation for the supporting characters and for the institution of their college in general. I have found over the past few years that I really enjoy a hockey romance, so I was eager to pick this one up. I found this to be an overall easy read that was predominantly trope based, especially in the first half where everything seemed to hinge on the forbidden brothers rival, brothers team mate element. I had a pleasant time reading this book, but I did find it a bit slow to get going. It took me a while to connect with the characters and really engage with the plot.

I liked that both characters had their own issues and complexities, particularly that Isabel’s issues were on her athletic performance and improvement and weren’t necessarily related to male prospects. Additionally, I liked the subtitles of being bilingual that were put into Nikolai (like starting an assignment in one language and transitioning to another without really realising midway).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Hachette New Zealand and Australia for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
There’s just something about a forbidden romance that I eat up everytime.
Brother’s rival/team mate 🤭

Nikolai and Isabelle had a summer fling and didn’t expect to see each other again until Nikolai is expelled from his college and transfers to McKee to finish out his final year.
They can’t stay away from each other and begin sneaking around to avoid her brother finding out.

Nikolai was a walking green flag! The way he cared for Izzy was the sweetest.
Both were struggling with some inner family demons and loved how much character growth we saw from both Izzy and Nikolai.
Their relationship was so healthy and the support they gave each other was heartwarming.

My only issue was the book felt a little long and dragged in some parts but overall I thought this was a sweet but spicy romance.

What an end to The Callahan story! I really enjoyed the relationship growth of Nik and Isabelle. It wasn't always smooth sailing but they really were a great example of a healthy relationship.
At times I felt like the book was too long but now looking back I just don't know what they would have cut.
Cute read, nice spice, lovely ending.

This is Book 4 of the Beyond the Play Series!

I was lucky enough to receive as an ARC 🥰

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is a captivating and fiery new adult college sports romance that delves into the complicated lives of two athletes navigating their way through love, rivalry, and personal growth. This novel brilliantly captures the intensity of college sports, the thrill of forbidden romance, and the struggle of balancing passion with ambition.

Nikolai Abney-Volkov, a dedicated hockey player, is thrust into a challenging situation as he transfers to rival school McKee University for his senior year. His biggest challenge isn’t just proving himself on the ice, but also dealing with the fallout of his secret summer fling with Isabelle Callahan, the younger sister of his new team captain and his biggest rival. The tension is palpable as Nikolai tries to make his last season count while reigniting his forbidden romance with Isabelle.

Isabelle "Izzy" Callahan is equally focused on her athletic career, aiming to reclaim her spot on the volleyball team. As the youngest and only daughter in a family of athletes, the pressure is immense. The reappearance of Nikolai in her life complicates her plans, as their summer fling is hard to forget. Despite her determination to guard her heart, Izzy finds herself drawn back to Nikolai's brooding charm and the deep connection they share.

Reilly's writing excels in portraying the chemistry between Nikolai and Izzy, capturing their furtive hookups and heartfelt conversations with a balance of spice and tenderness. The tension between maintaining a secret relationship and the looming threat of discovery adds an edge to their romance, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The characters' development is well-crafted, as they both struggle with their pasts and ambitions, making their journey towards a potential future together both relatable and compelling.

Wicked Serve stands out with its rich portrayal of college sports culture, the dynamics of rivalry, and the complexities of young love. Reilly’s inclusion of unique elements like the adorable koalas adds a charming touch to the story, making it memorable. Fans of sports romance will be particularly delighted with the detailed and realistic depiction of both hockey and volleyball.

Filled with swoons, spice, and the exhilarating world of college sports, "Wicked Serve" is a must-read for anyone who loves a blend of intense romance and athletic ambition. Grace Reilly has crafted a story that is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, leaving readers eager for more.

☆ 2.5 stars ☆

" If I’m sunshine to him, then he’s the earth beneath my feet, the grass between my toes, grounding me like nothing else. "

This book tells the romance between Nikolai and Izzy. Nikolai is devoted to hockey and is determined to make his final season memorable. However, his transfer to rival McKee University for his senior year puts his place on the team at risk, particularly since the team captain is Isabelle Callahan’s older brother- the girl he secretly spent the summer with. Reigniting their relationship could threaten his spot on the team and confront his troubled past, which complicates the possibility of a genuine romance. Nevertheless, seeing Isabelle again reignites his intense feelings. Meanwhile, Izzy has two main goals for her sophomore year: to reclaim her old volleyball position and to move on from Nikolai. Yet, when Nikolai reenters her life, she finds it hard to stay away.

This was my first book by Grace Reilly. I usually don't vibe with books that start off with characters being fwb, so it’s no shock that this one didn’t totally click for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.

The book felt pretty dull, and I had a hard time staying interested. I seriously considered DNFing it, and I'm honestly surprised I made it to the end. I wasn't thrilled with how the story was mostly just smut with barely any plot. I get that the characters were into each other, but I usually prefer books that dive more into emotional connections rather than just a bunch of smut scenes. As a result, the plot seemed to get lost. The book also features a brother rivalry subplot, but it gets resolved quickly, and the rivalry doesn’t play a significant role for most of the story. Additionally, I found Izzy's admiration for Nik’s supposed “sexy and hot” Russian persona incredibly cringe. I also felt like this book could have been a lot shorter. By the halfway point, it seemed like everything was mostly resolved, but it just kept dragging on with a lot of unnecessary stuff.

On the bright side, the book does have its moments. It’s cute and portrays a relationship that's refreshingly free of toxicity. Izzy and Nik really support each other and lift each other up, which is genuinely heartwarming to see. Their encouragement and positive interactions create a nice contrast to some of the more dramatic elements of the story.

That said, after finishing this book, I’m a bit hesitant to jump into the previous ones in the series. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to them, but I’m open to it eventually. One thing I do appreciate about the series is the found family theme. It’s great to see characters from previous books happily in love and maintaining their friendships, even if this particular book didn’t completely win me over.



Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

An easy to read sports romance.

This story follows Nik & Isabelle’s story. I note that this is book 4 in a series (I haven’t read the other 3 - but this wasn’t an issue)

Nikolai a talented hockey player falls for Isabelle over summer while she’s interning for his mum and they have a whirlwind romance, with neither of them being able to forget about eachother when it was over.

When unexpected events throw them back together, we get to see their relationship bloom as they tackle their own personal demons.

Grace’s writing was easy to follow, the events were believable and the relationship was sweet. 4/5 stars

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Isabelle and Nikolai as they rekindle their summer fling when Nikolai transfers to Isabelle's college after being expelled, joining a new school and hockey team alongside his rival (Isabelle's brother).

⭐⭐⭐.5/5 rounded up to 4

This was the first book that I've read from this author and I was a little intimidating coming into the 4th book of a series but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this can be read perfectly fine as a standalone.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Nikolai and Isabelle and it was really refreshing to have them get together earlier on in the book and just build on their relationship from there.

This book was very sports heavy which isn't usually something I'm a huge fan of and the intense details felt like they made the book drag on longer that it needed to. That being said the sports aspects were nicely tied into the story and the motivations behind the characters.

It was really nice reading about a couple that are supportive of each other from the beginning and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to delve into the darker topics of Nikolai's past and see him get help and grow through it.

Isabelle was really easy to relate to, I too love all things pink and have an obscene amount of plush toys 🧸

Overall, "Wicked Serve" is a great read. I recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet sports romance with strong character development and a supportive relationship at its core.

3.5 ⭐️

as my first grace reilly book i did really enjoy this - we had nik our sensitive, filthy mouthed hockey player who is obsesssed with our fmc isabelle - who in her own right is a determined, strong willed fmc who battles with the insecurities of comparing herself to her older, successful brothers and her NFL dad. as a youngest sibling of 4 and only daughter i could really relate to that feeling like my brothers are the golden children and i could never live up to them and having non existent pressure put on ourselves.

one thing i did really love about this one was the mental health rep relating to nik. he suffers from panic attacks and a panic disorder brought on by childhood trauma (tw: domestic abuse) - it was really nice and refreshing to see it articulated so well for a mmc. it’s not often that you read about men’s mental health in books so props to grace for including this and being sensitive and portraying it relatively correctly during and after the fact.

all in all this was an easy enjoyable read, i loved our filthy mouthed mmc, seeing the vulnerable side of him and how isabelle was there to support him through it all while going through her own stuff. i loved the side characters and its made me push the rest of the callahan’s books up my tbr.

as always thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the arc 🫶🏼

3.5 ⭐️

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute read which had some spice 🌶️
It was the perfect end to the series and the Callahan siblings.

Brothers rival. Sports romance. 👏🏼

I loved how sweet Nikolai was (boy did he have a mouth on him 😮‍💨) the relationship between him and Isabelle was cute. You didn’t have the normal “we shouldn’t be doing this” with the brother’s rival trope and even though I was expecting backlash you didn’t really get it.

I did think this book was a little too long and could have been shorter as it just dragged on a little, and at times quite predictable. BUT as I said, I did enjoy and if you’re looking for an easy read this is your book.

Thankyou NetGalley and Hachette for the arc 🫶🏼

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is the 4th book in the Callahan Sibling series Beyond The Play, but can be read as a standalone.

This book is a sport romance (volleyball and hockey) with relatable characters and spice making it the ultimate perfect read for romance lovers.

Tropes in Wicked Serve include:
🏒Sports Romance🏐
🤍Brother’s Rival
❤️He falls first
💜Secret Relationship

I did enjoy the storyline of this book and cannot wait to add a paperback to my already ever growing collection!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for an E-Arc of Wicked Serve.

“Our love has felt like springtime. Warmth chasing away shadows, light spilling into the open. I imagined sun-drenched days ahead, but the frost hasn’t left the ground. The flowers haven’t bloomed.”

This book was a little slow for me in parts, but the story was sweet.
It is my least favorite of the series so far but still enjoyed the read and I would still recommend the series. Lots of mentioning of the colour pink. like a lot. I felt like the book could have been 100 pages less easily and still achieved the same effect.

Tropes:
-Sports Romance
-Brother’s Rival
-He falls first
-Secret Relationship

Favorite Quotes:
-”If she’s sunshine, i’m the guy who hopes it never starts raining”
-"crawl to me, Isabelle"
-”you’re everything to me, isabelle. you’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. you’re sunshine.”

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wicked Serve is Book 4 in the Callahan Sibling series Beyond The Play, but can be read as a standalone ✨️

Tropes:

🏒 Brother's Rival
🏐 Forbidden Romance
🏒 College Sports
🏐 Secret Relationship

Guys - this book starts off like the movie Grease...summer fling, he goes off somewhere else and suuurprise, is sent to the same university as our FMC Isabelle. The difference here is he's her brothers rival and her brother has warned them to stay away from eachother, but little does he know, they have been playing hide the sausage and tickle the pickle all summer ☀️
We don't get much character development but are shown a supportive, healthy relationship (besides the secrecy), with flashes of pink 🎀, a scar on his face⚡️and a smattering of Russian.

I empathized with Nikolai and loved how Isabelle stuck by him. I also loved a friendship that happened in the book and how it developed (I won't give it away here) this was my favourite part, especially considering how they start in the team.

There were little things I didn't like, the constant references to past hookups, and the we shouldn't do this but we totally did scenes. I did find this book too long for a Sports Romance. Some of the chapters were empty and didn't progress the story along (a repetitive same-same scene of sex and remember when we did this in summer).

Overall it's an ok read, not my favourite in the series though 🙂

Thank you to netgalley and Hackett Australia for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wicked serve is part four in an interconnected romance series but can be read as a standalone. This is my first book by the author and I am always excited to read a hockey romance. Not having read the rest of the series, the main disadvantage was not knowing the characters that made up Isabelle’s (our FMC’s) family but I don’t think it negatively impacted on the book.

I enjoy a sports romance, and especially ice hockey, but this was difficult to read at times due to a disjointed timeline which at times skips ahead with little context, as well as an immature writing style. There were a few moments between the MC’s that were sweet and well written, and a few enjoyable spicy scenes, but a lot of their conversations and issues were repetitive. I did enjoy the ending however, and felt the direction was more mature and appropriate.

Tropes:
-brothers rival
-College Sports romance
-Childhood trauma
-She’s the sunshine

This was so cute! Loved that it portrayed a positive encouraging relationship!!
This book was super cute and lighthearted and the spice was HOT! I love Nikolai & Isabelle!!
Will definitely be buying the paper back!

volleyball and hockey romance! I love a dual sports romance. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, certainly not my favourite in this series. But I did love how cute and wholesome the book was. Also Brother's Rival.....