I wanted to love this book but it was not for me. I had a really hard time getting through this. It felt like there was so much fluff and filler to the story but then also rushed during the important parts of the plot. I would definitely try and read another book from this author but unfortunately this book was not the one for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Spotify audio for this ARC!

I am an avid listener of audiobooks but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me on the audio and content fronts. The FMC came off as very immature even considering she’s in college. She gave off high school vibes and she felt very shallow as a character.

The MMC was a struggle with the narration, especially the shifting accents.

I appreciate the chance to listen to this ARC as an audiobook! Unfortunately, the narration didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The accents felt a bit all over the place, with some words slipping into stereotypes that pulled me out of the story. I found myself distracted more often than I’d like. It would have been great if there had been more focus on the characters' summer together instead of just a casual mention—it could have really added depth to their relationship. On a positive note, I did enjoy how the book tackled tough topics like panic attacks, anxiety, and past trauma. Overall, it had its ups and downs!

Thank you NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for this advance copy! I read all four books in this series in like two days to do this review and I am sad the series is over! I loved reading about the Callahan family and the various sports they play. I was especially excited for Izzy's book and it didn't disappoint. I love the protectiveness of all the Callahan brothers over their little sister, but I also appreciate that they show her respect and respect that she can make her own choices. I liked that both love interests were athletes in this one (the other books are great too though). This series is swoon-worthy though not much spice, very fun and sweet. I recommend this for anyone, especially if you're looking for a quick sports romance without a ton of spice and great characters.

Wicked serve by grace reilly

The Mmc is Nikolai and mfc is Isabelle
Nikolai is in his senior year and had to transfer to the rivals college after he got expelled from his previous college. Isabella is a sophomore and a volleyball player.

She’s his rivals little sister and they had a summer fling which of course had to be a secret.

Did like their relationship it was very caring and supportive and book did deal with heavy topics like abuse and mental heath struggles which could be triggering for some people.

Overall book was good very enjoyable and entertaining only downside was that it was a bit too long.

I do want to thank NetGalley and publishers for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

This audio is narrated phenomenally by Oscar Reyes and Faith Clark. It is in dual style. I genuinely enjoyed the emotion and banter these two carried out.

We finally get to see Izzy's story and finish out the Beyond the Play series.

It is a cute easy romance read with a balance of smut and plot.

In this we get to see how fiercely Nik falls in love with Izzy and we get to see some cameos from our favorite original characters as their family grows. Definitely worth adding to the TBR for a summer/fall read.

I really enjoyed this book! It had so many layers- it was cute and fun but it also tackled some difficult topics. The difficult topics were done well and I liked the mental health representation. This book was spicy and I liked the characters development of the main characters throughout the book. Izzy and Nikolai were great main characters and I could really feel their connection. The side characters are all great and I love the found family aspect in this book.

Both Oscar Reyes and Faith Clark were new narrators to me. I thought they were a good pairing for this audiobook and they both brought the characters and this story to life. I recommend this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, Spotify Audiobooks, and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review.

Wicked Serve concludes the Beyond the Play series by focusing on the youngest Callahan sibling, Izzy, and her tumultuous relationship with her brother Cooper's hockey rival, Nikolai. While, for me, Nikolai was the true star of this book with his backstory and character made me want to hug him, unfortunately I felt Izzy lacked growth. She remained pretty stuck in her insecurities or they were remedied far too quickly for deep seated issues e.g. the tattoo fixing years of not feeling good enough for her family.

I enjoyed that the characters knew each other prior to their relationship starting. While they had an intense connection, it was easy to buy into after the summer they had shared. The author's skill in character development shines through here particularly, and their connection deepens, creating a more compelling dynamic. Their interactions are genuine and engaging, forming the heart of the story. I loved the smatterings of affection that give Nikolai a strong contention for book boyfriend material. His Russian phrases were beautiful.

Occasionally, the spice started to feel like full on audio porn with lots of the C word (just in case you're sensitive to that), detracting from the overall narrative. While there's a place for steamy scenes, their frequency sometimes felt incongruous with the age of the characters (I had to do the maths several times wondering if Izzy and Nikolai were older than college students) and overshadow the plot. I love a spicy scene as much as the next girl, but sometimes it felt like sex for the sake of it.

My only gripe with the audiobook was the exaggerated Russian accent attributed to Nikolai which is occasionally distracting or hard to understand/hear. I ended up having it on volume 35 in my car which I instantly regretted when the narrators switched. Don't even get me started on the Australian accents, I truly had to stop the audio to laugh because I thought it was somebody attempting to take the mick out of a British accent for a solid minute.

Overall, Wicked Serve offers a satisfying conclusion to the series. Fans of the Callahan siblings will appreciate the opportunity to see Izzy find her happily ever after as well as the five years forward epilogue. Ultimately, Wicked Serve is an enjoyable read with well-rounded characters, there's just a couple of issues stopping it from reaching its full potential.

I ... I was disappointed in this. I read it, thought it was a decent read but it would have been better if it was audio. However, the audio was lacking. I felt no real emotion from the narrators --- and I am pretty sure I have listened to these narrators in the past. It wasn't the worst audiobook ever, but also not the best.

Wicked Serve
Beyond the Play Book 4
written by Grace Reilly
Narrated by Faith Clark and Oscar Reyes

Five Stars

It's a hockey romance so, duh! This is book 4 in a series and the final, they can be read as standalone without difficulty. That's what I did.

Nikolai and Izzy have been hooking up over the summer without telling anyone. He's her brother's hockey rival. When they fall out of touch Izzy is sad but assumes that it's just the natural end with summer being over and the new semester starting at school. It's a surprise to her when she finds Nikolai on campus and learns that they now attend the same school. He is also now her brother's teammate. Nikolai has a pretty dark past, can he work through all that to give Izzy the relationship she deserves?

These two were so adorable! I loved them and I loved how they communicated with each other, encouraged, and supported each other. If you've read the rest of the series then I am sure having past leads so integrated in this book will be a happy time. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Spotify Audiobooks, and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this story.

As a volleyball player getting married to a hockey player, this was a highly anticipated book for me! I love books with women in sports representation. This story gave more of what we would expect from this series - lots of deep familial connection and healing, spice and excellent character development.

As excited as I was for Izzy's story, Nikolai was the true star of this book. I really loved his back story and character arc. He demonstrated so much character and emotional growth that I unfortunately felt Izzy lacked.

I actually felt that these two characters had a good emotional connection, but I was not sold on their physical chemistry. There are some words in particular Reilly uses in her spicy scenes that give me the ick, so it's very possible that out of personal preference that made me find their physical connection less believable.

The audio narration by Faith Clark and Oscar Reyes was well done. Accents in audiobooks can be tricky. Reyes has a convincing Russian accent most of the time, however there were moments where it felt he was more focused on the accent than the emotional delivery and it came off a little robotic.

Overall, I really enjoyed the plot - more than the spice, particularly Nik's story (although this book felt a little longer than it needed to be).

Thank you to NetGalley, Grace Reilly and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.

Quick Summary: A NA sports romance with heart and grit

My Review: Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly is book #4 in the Beyond the Play series.

About the Book: Two athletes with a hot and heavy history are unexpectedly reunited at university. Trouble comes in many forms. From familial pressure to team struggles to heavy expectations to traumatic hurts, this couple face the fire and more.

My Final Say: This installment was just as good as #3. I think what appeals to me most about these books is the fact that there is a depth of emotion and pain that exists with the characters. They deal with heavy issues. With that said, the relationship component presents a loving, healing, soft place to land.

Other: I definitely plan to go back and read the previous books.

Book 1 - > First Down - TBR
Book 2 - > Breakaway - TBR
Book 3 - > Stealing Home - 4/5
Book 4 - > Wicked Serve - 4/5

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA to A
Status/Level: 👍
Series: Yes
Audiobook:

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Spotify Audioibooks), and to NetGalley. Thank you for providing access to an ALC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

The tropes of romance included in this book are my favourite ones thus it definitely left me happy and satisfied with the read. Plus, the writing 🤌 as usual i absolutely love this author's creation hehe 💗
The characters were charming and beautifully penned down which made my reading experience more wonderful.

Wicked Serve is the fourth and final book in the Beyond the Play series that follows the Callahan siblings as they all find love in university. This book follows Izzy, the youngest sibling, and Nikolai, a hockey rival of her brother. Nikolai ends up transferring to Izzy’s school after they have a summer fling and they can’t keep away from each other. The beginning of this book feels like you are starting in the middle of the story. We get one small vignette of them during the summer in the prologue and jump to the beginning of school. Izzy and Nikolai can’t resist each other because of all the chemistry they have that we are told about. We don’t get to see a lot of the small moments that build a romance which makes it hard to root for the relationship in the first half of the book. As the book goes on and we see them spend time with each other the romance becomes better developed.

The characters are the best part of this book. Both Nikolai and Izzy are struggling in their personal lives and throughout the book grow and do everything they can to be better. I really liked how straightforward and honest Nikolai was, he apologized immediately for the immature things he did to Izzy’s brother when they get on the same team and was honest with him about why he was expelled from the beginning. This book is a great example of how you can write a good romance without toxicity from either MC.

I do want to say that this book steered more towards a smutty book rather than a book with smut. It had way too many sex scenes, most of which didn’t do anything to further the plot or character development. This is common in books that veer more towards erotica but from the previous books in this series and how it’s positioned in general I was expecting more plot. Also, the sec scenes felt like it was between two fully matured adults in their late 20s or older rather than a 19 and a 21 year old.

One thing that really bothered me was the narration for the MMC in this book. I get that the character grew up in Russia until he was 13 but having such a thick accent when narrating his chapters made it hard to understand. Which is annoying because Izzy does say his accent when speaking English is mild.

Overall this was an enjoyable read with a sweet romance that is heavier on the smut. It is a little bit too long at times but in general a good conclusion to the series.

Thanks for letting me try this. I requested without looking at co tent warnings because I enjoyed other books in the series. However, some of the content is not for me.

I have had this whole series on my TBR for a long time, so I jumped at the chance for an early copy of the last one… now I have to go back and pick up the rest of them. I enjoyed the story and her writing, and absolutely the character development, family dynamics and just the whole overall story arc.

The family series tend to be my fave in general, and I really liked that Izzy lived with two of her brothers (the third already living with his fiancée and newborn), while they attend college and play their various sports. She plays college volleyball and over the summer met the son of her internship boss, Nikolai, who happens to be the captain of her brother’s biggest rival college hockey team. After a summer fling, a big scandal broke and he winds up transferring schools and shows up on her campus…

I really enjoyed the storyline in general, how Nikolai’s family background really affected his life and he struggled but eventually got assistance. Izzy was from a huge and supportive family and she never gave up on him, and still tried to follow her own path and dreams, even if it meant they might not lead in the same direction. It’s steamy and sometimes dark and moody, but overall just a great story.

I do recommend this book to all lovers of romance, especially sports romance, but the audio version was not my favorite ever. While I really liked the performance by Faith Clark as Izzy (a new voice to me - great job, you kept me going!), the extremely fake and terrible attempt at a Russian accent by Oscar Reyes was difficult to listen to. I’ve heard other books done by him that were fine, and some parts here are in his normal voice, but this is one of the worst fake accent attempts I’ve come across. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth! While I give the storyline and the author and the female narrator all 4.5-stars, he gets significantly less and brings my entire rating down… so, get the ebook for this one! I also am confused by this advance copy being 13 hours but all of the retailers have it listed as only 8.5? The book is 450 pages, so…. ?

I received an early listen copy from NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks, and this is my honest opinion.

I'm sorry I was unable to finish this book due to the male narrator. I would read it physically but u can not finish this audio.

📚Spicy with a bit of depth📚

I requested the audio for this book on NetGalley completely blind, and totally because of the cover. I didn’t really know anything about the author, or the characters (it’s the 5th book in a series of romcoms about siblings).

So I’m not a spice reader, I skip it in every book that has it, and there was a LOT to skip. If a spice scene started it went to the end of the chapter, and it was often. Not a critique. Just information. But if you want to avoid spice, know that there is a lot of innuendo as well, outside of the open door scenes.

All that to say, when a book has this much spice I have found that it carries the story, and there’s not a lot of depth, BUT NOT WITH THIS STORY. Instead the story was character driven, the difficulties the MCs were going through were realistic and I really enjoyed that the characters felt like real people. Also, though the tropes were there (brother’s rival, Star crossed lovers, etc) they weren’t what the core of the story revolved around, which was a welcome change. There was a lot more story after they were past those difficulties.

The family drama and the mystery of what happened in the past and how it would be addressed kept me totally bought in to the end.

I liked the female narrator a lot, but the male narrator really stood out to me. He did a fantastic Russian and Australian accent, and did well differentiating characters. Give the audiobook a listen if this sounds like your cup of tea!


CW/TW: domestic violence (in the past, described); confrontations with abuser; sex on page; cheating (ex boyfriend, NOT current);

4.5 rounded up!!! i absolutely loved nikolai and izzy’s story. i thought it was a hell of a way to finish out this series. they were so freaking adorable. and the narrators did a beautiful job bringing these two to life 🩷

Oof this was cringe to me! I haven’t read the other books in the series and I think that’s really important. But judging it based on just having read this, I’m not interested in the others