⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ 3.5-4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

Tropes:
🏐 Brothers Rival
🏐 Secret Romance
🏐 He Falls First
🏐 Sports Romance

The fourth Installment in the beyond the play series did not disappoint.
Isabelle is fresh out of a secret summer romance with her brother's hockey rival and ready to throw herself into college and Volleyball, while Nik has taken the fall for a teammates mistake and gets unexpectedly thrown back into Isabelle’s life.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I think ultimately it was due to the way Isabelle and Nikolai’s relationship was portrayed. Isabelle and Nik despite the issues they faced and the situations thrown at them, continued to foster a healthy relationship and avoided any easy toxicity that would have furthered their story.

The portrayal of Isabelle feeling lesser than her brothers for what she deemed as failures vs the way that Nik championed her at any chance he was given was a really refreshing take on a college romance.

Nikolai had his flaws and his character development was *chefs kiss*, I was rooting for Nik and Isabelle so hard and while this was fluffy and definitely a good mood read, it really tugged me out of my reading slump. I really really enjoyed the character development (honestly one of my favourite romance reads of 2024) and while this is a bit of a longer read, it also ensured the seamless reintroduction of past characters, while also ensuring nothing was rushed or too drawn out.

If you’re a fan of the previous beyond the play books I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

This book really did give ‘so high school’ by Taylor Swift vibes for me and I loved it ✨
🎵 She knows how to ball, he knows Dostoevsky 🎵

A big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the ARC I really really enjoyed every second of it.

I have enjoyed this series and was looking forward to this one.

Hockey romance is a favourite of mine and I definitely recommend this one. I did find it to be a little long in parts but overall a really enjoyable read

Thank you to Hachette, NetGalley and Grace Reilly for the review copy.

Youngest sibling in the Callahan family, Izzy is determined to turn all her focus towards volleyball for her sophomore year. The last thing she expects is to bump into Nik, her summer fling and the newest transfer to McKee University. With Izzy’s older brother being Nik’s biggest rival, they know they should stay away but their chemistry might make it impossible.

I loved this book! It was such a great ending for a series I’ve enjoyed so much and it was awesome to learn more about Izzy than her just being the youngest Callahan sibling. I love a brother’s rival dynamic but I think it was perfect that they ended up on the same team. I always enjoy college sports romances and I love that both the MCs are athletes. It was my first volleyball playing MC which was fun. I love the dynamic between these two and I’ll never get over him calling her “little sun” in Russian.

"You’re everything to me, Isabelle. You’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. You’re sunshine."

This is the first of this four part series I have read, and so like me coming in at number 4, all ready for the epilogue. I think it probably didn’t help as there were glimpses of the already developed relationships of Isabelle’s siblings and I didn’t know anything about those couple’s dynamics.

Isabelle meets Nikolai when when interning for an events planning company. Nikolai happens to play hockey and is her brothers main rival. (Always a good dynamic). An extra bonus Isabelle is also a volley baller. When Nikolai transfers to Isabelle’s college unexpectedly, the questions is whether they continue with this thing they started.

This book deals with intimate partner violence, and the long term impact of this on children. A secondary plot is the relationship of a youngest sibling within a high achieving family. What worked was Nikolai’s strength throughout - first admitting he falls first with Isabelle, and second acknowledging that he needed help. What didn’t work was Isabelle pushing Nikolai (though it showed her immaturity … it wasn’t like they had really been dating they long at the time. What was difficult and a tad inconsistent was these are college aged people talking like in their late 20s - it just didn’t feel consistent with some of the other behaviour, particularly the well developed 🔥🔥 roles that seemed beyond their developmental age. The book was a little drawn out in places and could have been tighter in that sense.

3.5 stars rounded up. I may have rated higher if I had an appreciation of the other characters stories

I enjoyed the story of Isabelle and Nikolai. This is the final book in the Beyond the Play series. I loved that Isabelle played volleyball not just the male character playing sports usually with this type of genre. This book was mostly cute with great spice but I liked that more serious topics were also in this book. I felt the book was a little too long but I will read more from this author.

‘Wicked Serve’ by Grace Reilly is the fourth and final book in her "Beyond the Play" series, which follows the Callahan siblings as they navigate college, competitive sports, and love. In this concluding instalment, we follow the youngest Callahan sibling, volleyball player Isabelle, and ice hockey star Nikolai, who also happens to be her brother’s biggest rival.

Isabelle is a standout character. Throughout the series, she’s been portrayed as the peppy, super high-energy, and sometimes annoying younger sibling to all the Callahan boys. Delving deeper into her character in this book was truly fascinating. Reilly does an excellent job showing how the pressure of being part of such a competitive, intense, and high-performing family affects Isabelle's self-worth. It’s such a reminder that you never really know what’s going on behind the scenes of people’s lives.

In contrast, Nikolai dreams of a professional NHL career but feels compelled to leave it behind due to family expectations and obligations. His journey is further complicated by a deeply traumatic childhood, making his story particularly compelling. It's refreshing to see a male main character acknowledge his need for help and actively seek it out.

Together, Izzy and Nik make a beautiful couple. Their relationship, which begins as a summer fling, blossoms into a deep and mature connection. The book features plenty of steamy scenes, but what sets it apart is the excellent communication between the characters, a rarity in this genre. Their sweetness towards each other adds a delightful touch and I smiled throughout so much of this book because of them.

‘Wicked Serve’ is a lovely ending to the series, with the epilogue providing a satisfying conclusion to everyone’s stories. This was my favourite book in the series, and even if you haven’t read the earlier books, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a sweet, steamy sports romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I swipe it away with my thumb. "Fine, one song." She already has my phone in her hand, cackling to herself as she f---s up my Spotify algorithm again.

This quote just gave me the essence of this book. Nikoli and Isabelle are adorable, and I love their dynamic.
A sports romance that has a bit more substance than most. There is a lot more story about Nikoli and Isabelle's struggles with the competitiveness of sports and the expectations of others, especially of fathers, which is the focus of most of this storyline. I did shed a tear when Isabelle had a difficult conversation with her father about what she thought were his expectations of her when, in reality, it was very much what she had perceived and not the truth. I think it may have hit close to home.
I love the build from a fling into a forbidden romance into a found family for Nikoli. Also why are Russian MMCs become so popular, and why do I love them so much?
Parts of the story I did find to be a bit slow, but in the same breath, I found that there was more foundation to the story because of it.
I enjoyed this read, and if you like more story than spice, it was a fantastic combination. I could not fault the formula.

Wicked Serve was a sweet, spicy, swoony sports romance from Grace Kelly.
Not only does the MMC - Nik play hockey, but the FMC - Izzy is playing competitive Volleyball too! I love that this book showed a driven FMC, not only with her own dreams and career goals, but sporting goals too!
These two as a couple were so sweet, although I had to remind myself that they are actually quite young. Nik deals with some heavy trauma from his past, and has a lot to work through to be the man he wants for Izzy.
I love that there is so much character development throughout the book for both MC's.
I also love the depth to the side characters, there is a rich family tapestry on Izzys side, and they become Niks found family along the way too.
I haven't read any other Grace Kelly books, and this is an interconnected stand alone, I missed nothing having not read the others, this was an enjoyable read on its own... however I will definitely be going back to read the others in this series!
If you are looking for an easy, enjoyable, steamy (and plenty of it!!) read, Wicked Serve might just be the book for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for an E-Arc of Wicked Serve in exchange for an honest review.

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

I do love a sweet and swoony sports romance. Mix in some spice and relatable characters and Wicked Serve is a quick and cute read perfect for fans of Stephanie Archer.

There were some parts that dragged a little bit but overall it was an enjoyable read, great to take with you on holidays.

3.5 ⭐️