Isabelle and Nikolai
College romance
Secret relationship
Brother rival
Both fall hard
Mental health
Hockey/ volley ball
After having a summer fling with her brother enemy, they part ways because they are attending different university. They start to miss each other but knowing they can't be together. Isabelle has always been supportive and caring for others and never putting herself first. She has to proof to other she deserve to have what she earns because of who her family is, especially to her coach who seems not to like her.
Nikolai is a Russian and sweet and genuine man who struggle with mental health and he doesn't hide it or let it define who he is and he working on himself with the help of a therapist. I like the book very much I enjoy the characters were wonderful. I'm happy the author talk about mental health.
The narrations need to be better the accent for Nikolai i just didnt like it.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Despite pushing through to the end, I never got into the story or connected with the characters. First of all, the length was overwhelming. In my opinion, a story without much plot shouldn’t be stretched out so long, but the author managed to do just that! What could have been conveyed in 200 pages was dragged out to nearly 500.

We never got to see how the relationship between Nick and Izzy blossomed during their summer fling; we only received flashbacks. As someone who loves the emotional depth of a relationship, I felt cheated. It seemed like they jumped straight into the relationship after a brief separation without any angst or resistance. The excessive explicit scenes didn’t help either—they felt like filler and, to my surprise, made me feel nauseous. Nick and Izzy are supposed to be 19, but the things they do! It almost made me forget how immature they behave outside the bedroom.

Since I listened to the audiobook and endured nearly 13 hours, I want to point out some positives. I loved the bond shared by the Callahan family, and Nikolai’s character development at the end was somewhat heartwarming. However, the brief breakup between him and Izzy felt completely unnecessary.

Now, about the audio:

Initially, I struggled with the male character’s Russian accent, which made the pronunciation hard to understand. Although I eventually got used to it, I couldn’t help but question if the thick Russian accent was really necessary, especially since his American accent was so cool. It made me rethink the whole accent change. The female narrator’s voice was moderate, but at times it came off as a bit too whiny for my taste.

In the end, this book didn’t meet my expectations, with a drawn-out plot, lack of emotional depth, and narration that just didn’t work for me.

I'll be giving this book 3 stars.

I think the story would be worth more, but I struggled a lot to listen to this. The Russian accent on the MMC was just too much. It was difficult to listen to. I understand that the hero is Russian so there would be an accent. I'm not a native English speaker so I'm not sure if that is why the accent was so difficult to me.

The story is entertaining so I think I will read this later as a normal book and I will like it more that way.

'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 is my first book by this author and it wont be my last.
If you love
- brothers rival turned teammate
- secret romance -
- forbidden romance
- spice
- found family
- sports romance
- mental health rep
then you should definitely read this book.
This book isn't just a romance, it has a few heavy topics which I think the author handled really well. (childhood abuse, mental health, anxiety, panic attacks to name a few)

I loved all the characters, it was interesting to read about both MC having their own sports and not just the MMC. Nikolai is what everyone would describe as book boyfriend material, who makes you swoon. Why is it always so hot when the whisper words in another language. I have no idea what they are saying but that doesn't matter.
I was hooked on this book from me first pressing play. I couldn't stop listening. The narration is perfect. Faith Clark and Oscar Reyes do perfect jobs of bringing Izzy and Nikolai to life, the didn't just bring their characters, but their personalities, traits and traumas. Which just made this story even more addictive.

“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.”

Thank you Spotify Audiobooks for this ALC!

I have been having a lot of fun with this series! Grace has been writing some fun and spicy romances and I am here for it!

Wicked Serve was a great next installment to her Beyond the Play series. Nikolai and Izzy had fantastic chemistry and banter, I loved the sports setting for their story, and who doesn’t love an athlete who can go gooey for their girl? 🥹

gah!! This book! I was so glad I read it with Quinn so I could freak out about it! We’ve been waiting to hear Isabelle’s story even when we introduced to her during First Down. I loved all the cameos of the brothers throughout the book. I had to keep reminding myself these are college kids making mistakes and miscommunicating. But beyond that this book is SO fun and also SO spicy! Love you Grace Reilly!! Can’t wait to see what you do next!!

I loved this book! The romance was very good and I absolutely loved the banter. The story was very entertaining and the narrator was great!

4.5 stars rounded up.

This was such a good book. It was easy to drink up like a sweet tea. But there was a little umph that was missing for me personally to make it a true 5 star

Ever so often, you just need a good new adult sports romance, and Grace Reilly delivers every time. Wicked Serve is book 4 in her Beyond the Play series, and it's a brother's rival hockey romance. Izzy and Nikolai connected while she was in New York for a summer internship, but that's all it was--a summer fling. He is, after all, her brother's biggest rival on the ice. But then he shows up on McKee's campus as the newest addition to their hockey team. Izzy literally can't avoid him, even though she's sworn nothing will distract her from her volleyball goals. Their proximity reignites the fire that was never really extinguished, and it's only a matter of time before they give in.

This book is swoony and steamy, and I love that he is so gone for her. He even flies her to Australia to hang out with koalas. I mean, that's adorable. Because of the age of the characters, there are a few things that had me shaking my head, frustrated by their choices--but they don't have the benefit of a 37 year old's hindsight, so I can forgive them for being young and a little bit dumb in love.

The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Faith Clark and Oscar Reyes. Reyes delivered a believable Russian accent, which was fun to listen to. I enjoyed the audiobook, even though at almost 13 hours, it's a longer romance audiobook than some.

While I don't think this title was for me, I do think Wicked Serve has a great audience in people who enjoy sports romances. I had a hard time with the audiobook narration as the male narrator's accent was distracting when juxtaposed with the female narrator's. This isn't to say he didn't do a great job, because I think he did. It was just such a jarring switch between them that I couldn't get over throughout the book. I found the "steam" level of this book to be a bit over-the-top, however, again--this is definitely for others, and I can see objectively where it will be a favorite for many. The story itself is very sweet and heartwarming, and the chemistry between the two MC's is fantastic.

Title: Wicked Serve
Author: Grace Reilly
Rating: 3.5/5


"Wicked Serve" by Grace Reilly is a sizzling and emotional new adult sports romance that scores high on both intensity and charm. Set against the backdrop of college athletics, this story weaves together passion, competition, and the complexities of navigating love in a high-stakes environment.

Nikolai Abney-Volkov is a hockey player with everything to prove in his final college season. Forced to transfer to McKee University, he faces the dual challenge of fitting in with a new team and confronting the one woman who’s been haunting his thoughts—Isabelle Callahan. Izzy, a volleyball player determined to reclaim her position on the team, is equally resolved to forget the summer fling she had with Nik. But when their paths inevitably cross again, the spark between them reignites, threatening to consume them both.

Reilly excels at creating palpable chemistry between Nik and Izzy. Their relationship is fraught with tension, from the steamy hookups to the deeper, more vulnerable moments that reveal the true depth of their connection. Nik is a classic brooding hero with a troubled past, and his struggle to reconcile his feelings for Izzy with his own fears of inadequacy is both compelling and heartbreaking. Izzy, on the other hand, is a strong and determined heroine, balancing her own ambitions with the complicated emotions that Nik stirs within her.

The sports setting adds an extra layer of excitement to the narrative. Reilly captures the thrill of competition and the camaraderie of team dynamics, making the reader feel like they’re right in the middle of the action. The stakes are high, both on and off the field, as Nik and Izzy must navigate not only their burgeoning relationship but also the expectations and pressures that come with being elite athletes.

One of the standout aspects of "Wicked Serve" is the way it handles the complexities of young love. Reilly doesn’t shy away from exploring the messy, sometimes painful realities of falling for someone when you’re still figuring out who you are and what you want from life. The push-and-pull between Nik and Izzy is realistic and relatable, and their journey toward finding a way to be together is as satisfying as it is emotionally charged.

The inclusion of lighter, more playful moments—like the reference to koalas—adds a nice balance to the intensity of the story, giving the reader a chance to breathe and smile amid the drama.

Overall, "Wicked Serve" is a must-read for fans of sports romance. Grace Reilly has crafted a story that is equal parts spicy and sweet, with well-drawn characters, a gripping plot, and a love story that will leave you rooting for Nik and Izzy until the final buzzer. If you’re looking for a book that delivers on both heat and heart, this one is a definite win.

A delight for my ears, and my hockey romance reading heart fan
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This is the first book I read in the series and I felt very nice things while listening to the characters within this world of the college and teams of athletes from different disciplines competing and supporting each other.
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It reminded me of The Deal, one of my favorite books, but without a great drama or conflictive relationships on the page.
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Isabel and Nick have a brief romance during the summer while she works as an intern for his mother's office and they agree that it is only for the summer, since not only do they live in different states and go to schools that are rivals, Nick is also the number one nemesis of his brother
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But when at the beginning of the year something goes wrong at Nick's school and he ends up being expelled, his grandfather offers him a deal, in exchange for getting him into another elite school, this is has to be his last year of playing Hockey. Nick agrees and everything seems dark and somber until he sees which school his grandfather decides to send him to.
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Seeing Nick again is a relief but also a problem with her decision to fight for the position she wants within her Voley ball team, Isabel has to decide what is important to her
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I really enjoyed this book, especially the excellent narration by Oscar Reyes, his russian accent is excellent and listening to Nick's voice with his intonation was perfect as well as the descriptions and emotions in Isabel's voice by Faith Clark. A really delight to hear
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Thanks to Grace Reilly and her team for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

🏐 🏒 College Sports Romance
🤫 Secret Summer Fling
💕 Brothers Rival Turned Teammate
🔗 Book 4 in an Interconnected Series

🎧 Audiobook:
Narrators: Faith Clark and Oscar Reyes
DUAL Narration
While I loved that the book was dual narration, listening to Nikolai's Russian accent was at times tough. It took me a while to really get into it and be able to comprehend what the character was saying.

📚 Description:
Nikolai and Isabelle have a scorching hot Summer fling. What they thought was "just for the summer" turns into more when Nikolai transfers to McKee University, where Isabelle is a Sophomore. While Isabelle tries really hard to resist Nik, it is futile because he is a boy obsessed. He wants here and makes it very well known.

✨ Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book; the narrators did a really great job bringing the characters to life. It was spicier than I originally thought it would be, which was a welcome surprise to me. I think it was a strong finish to the Callahan sibling's series.

Another sweet and sexy entry into Grace Reilly's Beyond the Play series! Wicked Serve delivers a wicked helping of heart and heart. With a little bit of angst, a lot of emotions, and a really charming love story in the center, it was a great journey back into the Beyond the Play World.

Never let Grace's covers fool you- they are always full of deep topics and also are ultra spicy- and this one certainly touches on heavier things- like the impact of trauma on a persons mental and emotional well being, and also how those kinds of challenges can impact personal relationships. I really appreciated the mental health representation - and while I might not have catalyzing incidents like represented here or the depth of challenges faced, I think we all can relate to a certain extent to what it feels like to have anxiety, to feel overwhelmed and over committed. And while I'm not a mental health expert, to me at least it seems liked Grace handled this topics with realism, sensitivity, and care.

I really adored Nikolai- he made the whole book for me. He's a beautiful soul trapped in a big hockey players terrifying frame. The Russians swooner- I mean a man who whispers sweet nothings in his native tongue?! Microtrope I never fail to melt for. And I loved seeing a the focus of the mental health of the hero for a change- so much of their story is about his journey, and I appreciated how it was prioritized. Isabelle I didn't quite love at first- in part because of the ways in which she pushed Nikolai early on. It felt a bit immature- but as things moved along, I grew to like her and found her to be quite patient and sweet. The angst was pretty low between them, which I appreciated - it's refreshing to have a low drama dynamic.

Their summer romance (which is a great way to finish my summer!) was a whirlwind that evolves into more thanks to fate. I really liked them together and their chemistry, and overall enjoyed the story, but I do feel like the pacing dragged a bit in places. The HEA felt to happen about halfway, which honestly I liked getting to see so much of them in their happy couple place, but the backhalf did feel a bit long for how it progressed the story.

I did really enjoy the audio narration- I'm not super familiar with either narrator, but Faith Clark brought a lot of charm to Isabelle and Oscar Reyes as just the right dash of grit to a very emotive performance- and I thought the accent was great and ultra delicious.

*Established/pre-existing relationship
*Found family
*Hockey x Volleyball MMCs
*Spice
*Brothers rival turned teammate
*secret romance
*Mental health rep
*boy obsessed
*found family
*Russian MMC

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks

I have to admit I wasn't too fond of the book in the beginning, but by the halfway mark I really started to enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the book tackled more series topics like partner abuse and anxiety. This is the fourth book in a series, but you can read it as a stand alone. You don't have all the background information about our FMC's brothers, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.

I would've liked to see them start their relationship and not jump straight into a friends-with-benefits arrangement, but liked to see their relationship evolve to something more and something real. Since it's a brother's best friends book there's bound to be some tension. It's spicy, but not too spicy. The main focus is on the relationship and the well-fleshed out characters.

It's a hockey-romance, but don't worry, if you aren't into the sport you'll enjoy the book nonetheless.

I wish I liked this book more, but sadly just couldn't connect with the characters. One of the reasons could be that it's a fourth installment in the series, there are many characters I'd recognize from previous books, if I read them. Since I hadn't, it was a bit of a mess: too many names, too many relations. And since it's a kind of a second chance story, I wished more of MC's past to feel the connection between them, alas, I didn't get it.

So, it took ages for me to get into the story, and when you annoyed, you know how it is - you start picking at every little or not so little detail. As in, how many times the word "slick" is used, gah. Or the Russian accent, which I know from experience was done perfectly, yet seemed a bit too thick and therefore too distracting. Or these sweet, shy 20-year-old kids experienced enough in playing bdsm games with spanking (hairbrush, srsl?), choking and a bit of degradation. And why is it so long, couldn't it be shorter? Since it's a me problem, I'm certain there will be many readers who will enjoy this book. 2.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

He’s the bad boy Russian hockey rival and she’s the all American sweetheart from a sport obsessed family. The youngest sibling isn’t living up to the pressure she puts on herself while he battles his own familial demons. It was sweet and funny with lots of deep and meaningful moments where we were all just trying to grow up through our trauma.

I was lucky enough to get access to both a digital copy and an audio copy. The narrators did a good job, especially with all the different accents. There was one point where there was an Australian character and fuuuuuuuuck I laughed so hard. For ages. I’m still giggling about it, days later. I don’t blame you, it’s a hard one to get right. We’re a strange people.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book.

CN for mentions of past, off page, DV between parents.

Genre: Romance MF
Format: Audio
POV: Dual
Tropes: Brothers rival, hockey & volleyball, secret relationship, lots of accents, childhood trauma, rich people doing rich people stuff, koalas aren’t bears they’re marsupials 🐨
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Age suggestion: 18+

I can definitely see how this series will appeal to some folks - especially those who really loved Icebreaker by Hannah Grace or the Vancouver Viper series by Becka Mack, but unfortunately, this was a miss for me. It all felt too slow-paced and too drawn out and the stakes weren't high enough for me to want to root for them or see how they would overcome the issue of Nikolai being Izzy's "rival". Their rivalry seemed not super structured & was resolved rather quickly, making the "forbidden-ness" of Izzy & Nikolai's relationship almost moot.

I also struggled a bit with the narrators for this one, especially for Nikolai. The accent the voice actor gave him was honestly distracting. Like I said, this series will definitely be for some people! I just don't think its for me.

Wicked Serve is the ultimate sports romance with all the feels! Nikolai and Izzy's sizzling chemistry jumps off the page as they navigate forbidden love, fierce rivalries, and just the right amount of angst. Nik is the brooding hockey star with a past, and Izzy is the determined volleyball player with her guard up—together, they’re a match made in sports romance heaven.
The secret hookups, the banter, the emotional depth—it all blends perfectly to create a story that's as hot as a slapshot and as sweet as a game-winning goal. Plus, did I mention koalas? This book is a total score. If you’re into swoony athletes and steamy tension, Wicked Serve is a must-read!
I've loved this series and the Callahan siblings so much, I'm so sad this is the last book!
The narrators did such a great job and added a lot to the story. The listening experience was great and I really enjoyed the audio version of this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really need to think of what to rate this book... there were times I loved it and times I felt it was dragging. I think it was a perfectly medium book. 3 stars for me!

Characters: I loved ALL of them, even Nicks dad. They all were perfectly written and described and had great characteristics and dialogue.

Writing: I listened to the audio book version, so I cannot say much about the writing. It was easy to follow and entertaining, however I felt that some parts were un needed / did not add to the plot. I believe it's a 400 ish page book and that seems so unnecessary. There were a lot of times I felt myself listening to it as background noise instead of really paying attention to the story.

Plot: I wouldn't consider this a fluffy read by any means. I think the spice, discussion of panic attacks, and family drama made it deeper than I imagined it would be. I loved the mature relationship between Nick and Izzy and their communication.
One of my favorite bits is Izzy working for his mom, then her parents and Catherine/James(?) all knowing eachother. It felt kind of small town how they were connected even though it's NYC. there were SO many times I thought this book was over and I looked down and there were still hours left... not that it was a bad thing, I just think the plot could have been equally as good in 250-300 pages.

Thanks to Grace, the publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!