I quite like the beginning of this novel and then more and more elements were added and it started to get a bit confusing with all the challenges and obstacles and the fast resolutions of the issues.
Something I found a bit odd was the YA themes and the immature characters matched with some quite hard core sex. Also, I would expect the target audience for this novel to be NA and 20s something (so Gen z) but then the TV programme mentioned are quite old Millennials vibes. The dialogues were also a bit of a hit and miss. At times I found myself skipping through the mundane routine as it was dragging a bit.
Thanks for the ARC, sorry this wasn't for me, however, I'd read more from this author.

Wicked Serve was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect conclusion to the Beyond the Play series. Coming back to these characters felt like coming home 🥰

- college sports romance 🏐🏒
- brother's rival (now teammate)
- secret relationship
- grumpy x sunshine ☀️
- mental health rep
- found family
- spiiiice 🌶 🌶 🌶

Grace Reilly's writing and characterization keep getting better and better...she manages to draw you in the story from page one and makes you fall in love with the characters, each with their own specifically tailored personality, set of struggles, fears and flaws.
The story is fun and light, but also deeply emotional, due to Nikolai's childhood trauma and present mental health struggles. Isabelle was the light to the darkness of Nikolai's childhood...I mean, he literally calls here SUNSHINE, guys 😭💛
Isabelle and Nikolai complemented each other perfectly: their chemistry was off the charts and the spice was *chef's kiss*, but what I loved most of all is when they finally got vulnerable with each other, letting their guards down and showing their scars and struggles.
As much as I'm sad that it's over, I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the Callahan series. Pick this series up and become obsessed with me 😂😍

TW: panic attacks (on page), domestic violence/abuse (on page through flashbacks)

This book was cute and I liked Nikolai & Isabelle together. She was so supportive of him and I liked the way she was with her family. I also liked how Nikolai was so caring, protective and understanding towards her. He was kind and a good man. But I didn't like how he didn't stand up for himself at times. And Izzy was also kind of pushy and immature. Their relationship was great and the communication was good but as individual characters, they still had room to grow. And some parts just felt long and dragged tbh. Overall, this was an easy read, the relationship was adorable. It's just that the story could've been shorter.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

Wicked Serve is the fourth (and last?) in the 'Beyond the Play' series with the focus of this book being on Izzy, sister of James, Sebastian and Cooper and her love interest Nikolai, one time rival and teammate of Cooper.

This is a spicy fast paced sports romance that packs a punch. Nikolai has demons to battle and he has been forbidden to go near Cooper's sister but that doesn't stop the two of them getting together behind the back of her brothers.

If you liked Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, this book will be right up your street and is most definitely worth reading! I can highly recommend it.

Wicked Serve, by Grace Reilly, is a steamy hockey romance. Lots of spice in this one.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

*** DNF at 37%

I am so disappointed, I wanted to love this so much but it just didn’t hit for me. I was forcing myself to read it and I just could not go on. I found both Nik and Isabelle unloveable. I didn’t feel any chemistry and considering they were in the library closet within 50 pages (🌶️🌶️) there was NO angst. I found some parts of it very YA, and then all of a sudden sex scene, it just didn’t fit.

I usually do not DNF a book until 50% but I just couldn’t. This wouldn’t put me off reading another Grace Riley book but I wouldn’t lift one the same length. I hope this finds some readers who will love it and I’m sad I’m not one of them.

The book is all about Nik and Izzy's journey as they support their potential, and communicate. 🤍
I was especially impressed with Nik’s personal growth. At first, he was very closed off, but throughout the book, he learns what it takes to build a healthy relationship. Isabelle was the bright spot in the story; I loved how she encouraged Nik to open up, while she struggled with meeting everyone's expectations, including her own.

The story was so engaging that I couldn’t put it down until the very end. 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Izzy and Nik's story finishes off the Beyond the Play series and it's a delight. If you've read the other three it's a great way to finish - but this also stands alone.

Izzy and Nik are college kids with plenty of baggage. They end up at the same uni when Nik transfers into McKee where Izzy is already studying. They've already had a no-strings summer together so there’s plenty of history. They have a strong connection and it's tender and steamy 🌶️🌶️ 🌶️but unfortunately there's a lot going on in their lives. Nik has complicated (and toxic) family issues and there's plenty of fallout for him to deal with. He’s a gifted hockey player, but also a pawn in his family’s games. Izzy is a committed volleyball player and struggles with finding her place is the sporty Callaghan family.

It’s quite long, so there’s plenty of time to be immersed in their universe. Author Grace explores Nik’s mental health issues as well as the challenges and expectations around professional and college level sports.

Thank you NetGalley, Grace Reilly and Headline for the ARC.

"Wicked Serve" by Grace Reilly is a fun and engaging romance that perfectly mixes the excitement of professional hockey with a sweet love story. The characters are really well done, and the chemistry between the main couple is electric. Reilly does a great job capturing the fast pace of hockey, making you feel like you're right there in the rink. The story is easy to get into and hard to put down, even if some twists are a bit predictable. Overall, it's a great read for anyone who loves romance and sports.

Tropes:
🏒Brothers rival/ Teammate
🎀Secret relationship
🏒College Sports
🎀He falls first and harder
🏒Childhood trauma
🎀Healing

My thoughts:
This book was good at portraying a toxic free relationship where both characters fought to put the other first. I aalso loved the family and friendship bonds that appeared in the book.

I did like both Nik and Izzy's characters but I didnt fall in love with them or their connection. I did think it was cute how much Nikolai was with her, there was some very sweet romantic scenes form him. His past and family history were told well and added an interesting subplot to the book.

I thought Isabelle was a strong, yet sometimes insecure character, who knew how to stand up for herself and others. Although, I did find her frustrating at times and a bit immature.

Similar to some of the other books in this series, I feel like a lot of the conclusion of some key plotlines were very anticlimactic. Especially so when their relationship was revealed and the showdown with his dad. The book felt very long for what actually happened in it, with a lot happening, but not really adding much to the plot or story in my opinion. I also wasn't the biggest fan if the spicy scenes in this book, the further into the book I got, the more out of place they felt. The dirty talk felt forced and not true to the character's voices and it did put me off.

This was a pretty sweet book, with good side characters and a wholesome family dynamics. Although it easy quote long and low on plot.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book, this is my honest review.

Reading the next book in this series felt like coming home. The Callahan family is so wholesome and I loved that we got to see them more in this book. An aspect I really liked, was how Izzy and Nick were already (kinda) together before the story started. That way we got to see how their relationship developed and how they learned to work through their past and insecurities. The middle part might have been a little bit long but I did not mind at all because it felt so cosy and wholesome. It gave me more time with Nik, Izzy and the rest of the Callahans. I'm sad to see this series come to an end and I can't wait to read more of Grace's work in the future.

Thank you so much to the author and netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

— 2.5 stars
⭐️⭐️💫

"When I'm around her, I can't focus on anything else. We could be in the middle of a hurricane, and I'd just stand there like a goddamn fool, cataloguing the raindrops on her face."

📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 448 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Grace Reilly
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: Headline Eternal
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 13 August 2024

What you can expect:
— New Adult College Sports Romance
— Interconnected Standalone Series
— First Person X Dual POV
— Brother's-Rival-Turned-Teammate
— Grumpy X Sunshine
— Secret Relationship
— Second Chance Romance
— He Falls First
— Hockey X Volleyball
— Found Family
— Panic Disorder Rep
— Nicknames

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: domestic abuse (past/mentioned), alcoholism, disordered eating (past/mentioned), panic disorder & panic attacks (on page), minor violence & injury, cheating (past/mentioned), and sexually explicit content.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Wicked Serve is the final instalment in the Beyond the Play series by author Grace Reilly. Hockey is Nikolai Abney's life, and he needs to make this last season count. But when he's forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for his senior year, Nikolai risks pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine he messed around with in secret this summer. Rekindling their fling could risk her brother icing Nikolai off the team—not to mention the fact that his scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment Nikolai sees Isabelle again, all of his wild, burning feelings come rushing back. Isabelle Callahan have two goals for sophomore year: win back her old volleyball position, and forget she ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option. But when Nik crashes back into Izzy's life, she can’t stay away from his broody charm. Isabelle is determined to guard her heart this time, but between the furtive hook-ups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur. As Isabelle and Nikolai fall deeper into a place they can’t come back from unscathed, they'll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:
As somebody that has only read Breakaway from this series and rated it five stars, I was beyond excited to read about Isabelle and Nikolai's story in Wicked Serve. Unfortunately this book has not worked for me at all and I feel really gutted and disappointed. Reilly's writing is an ease to read and follow along with as we are swept into a whirlwind romance whilst addressing difficult real life topics, but unfortunately in this case the book itself felt entirely too long which had a negative impact on my overall reading experience. I found the conflict and other moments to feel repetitive and too slow to be resolved, and I really believe making the book 50-100 pages shorter would've helped pull the book together and feel more concise. The pacing was too slow and I struggled to feel engaged with the story and the development of the characters. This story and its format just wasn't a hit for me, unfortunately.

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:
I'm not sure if it's just me but I really struggled to actually grasp what the point of this story was? I understand that we follow two young people in their early-20s on their journey to love as they set out to accomplish their dreams and discover themselves in the process. But it all felt a touch one-dimensional and overall lacked any real depth which could help me feel engaged and eager to read more. Wicked Serve was filled with many smut scenes which, as a romance reader, is a non-issue from me as long as it isn't used as a crutch to overshadow the main plot. Unfortunately in my experience, this was the exact issue with this story. Just when I thought I was going to see some story progression, it would immediately come to a halt and feel overshadowed by intimate scenes between our main characters. The plot is essentially two just young people trying to figure out what direction they want their lives to go in whilst denying the possible future they could share together. It's nothing notable or unique, so I struggled with feeling any sense of excitement or anticipation when it came to the overall plot. Nothing really starts to move and progress until the 80% mark of the story, and yet outside of a few scenes we're not really granted a frontal view to the growth and development.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Nikolai Abney-Volkov is a broken and confused young man that is desperately trying to do right by the people in his life, and as a result often places the priorities of others before his own. I really enjoyed Nik as a romantic partner for Isabelle as he was her perfect opposite. The calm to her storm. He was patient and unwaveringly loyal, and at no point in the story did he allow Izzy to doubt his commitment to her. His trauma and struggles with anxiety and PTSD broke my heart, and I really wish we'd gotten more time with his path towards healing and learning how to put his own needs first. I personally found Nik to be the most mature within the relationship dynamic, but there were still moments that it was clear just how young he is. He reacts immaturely during certain altercations and struggles with standing up for himself, and doesn't always thinks his words through before he says them. I honestly wish that Nikolai was written more accurately for his age, as instead it seemed as if he was trying to behave like a man in their late-20s as opposed to his very early-20s. However whilst the journey getting there was long, I was proud of Nik for finally putting his own needs first and wanting better for himself. His friendship with Cooper and his team were an added addition that was greatly needed and appreciated. I'm so glad that Nik found a chosen family that loved and accepted him fully within limitations, and I believe these relationships played a pivotal role in his character development.

I adored early series cameos with Isabelle Callahan as she came across as a spitfire and feisty character that would go after what she wanted without apology. Unfortunately this was not the character that I followed in Wicked Serve, so perhaps it was me that got it wrong in previous books. Whilst I wanted to root for Isabelle and I sympathised with her struggles and insecurities... I can't help but feel like was an inherently selfish character throughout the majority of the book. She never seemed able to make a definitive decision and stick with it as one moment she's convincing herself that her relationship with Nikolai cannot happen, before quickly jumping into his arms and being intimate with him, just to then swiftly feel upset act out towards him. Isabelle displayed a complete lack of maturity that is necessary for a lasting adult relationship, and I really wish we had been given time with her as a single character who prioritised herself before jumping into a relationship. On multiple occasions she completely disregarded Nikolai's clear emotional boundaries when he explicitly stated not being ready to discuss something, and then she in turn would become upset when he would snap back. Isabelle and Nik clearly struggled with healthy communication and understanding when to pull back in respect to boundaries, and as a result I often felt frustrated as a reader. Also, in case you've read the book and aren't yet aware... Isabelle loves pink. So much so that it's mentioned on (too) many occasions throughout the book. I overall felt Isabelle's character to come across as juvenile which was a shame, as despite all this I understand that none of it is due to ill-intent. When Isabelle loves, she loves fiercely and without abandon. She wants the best for the people in her life and unfortunately tries to take matters in her own hands with good intention and poor execution. Izzy displays some growth nearing the end of the story, but I wish this is something that had been further explored and expanded upon within a book that had the space for it.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:
The relationship between Isabelle and Nikolai should have been the saving grace of this story had I actually felt the development and chemistry between the pair. Unfortunately the beginning of their relationship is established off-page prior to the beginning of the book, so I felt like I was missing a fundamental aspect of their relationship to better connect with the believability of their love story. I wouldn't even describe the relationship between both characters as 'insta-love' because they clearly had spent time together and had the opportunity to get to know one another... we as the reader just weren't able to see it. I struggled to connect with Isabelle and Nikolai's relationship due to the frustrating amount of miscommunication and overall immaturity displayed between the pair. I cautiously accept miscommunication between characters such as Izzy and Nik as they're young and therefore still learning and developing. There was a lot of "we shouldn't be doing this but I can't stay away" moments which in my opinion was dragged on for too long. And in complete honestly I forgot the reason why their relationship was considered forbidden? Was it just because Nik was Cooper's ex-rival-turned-teammate? If so then that just adds to my frustration with the miscommunication. All Izzy would've had to have done was sit her older brother down and explain that she is a growing young woman who is capable of making her own decisions, and she hopes that he will support her and her relationship. Cooper isn't unreasonable, nor is he the cliched protective older brother who tries to fully dictate how his sister lives her life. He's a concerned older brother who wants the best for Isabelle, but ultimately he would've been supportive and understanding. I also would have been more accepting of the the miscommunication had it not been for the context within their intimate scenes. I admit that it made me feel a bit uncomfortable to read as Isabelle and Nik seemed to settle into a kind-of sub/dom dynamic? Which don't get me wrong, I do believe these scenes were well written with clear and enthusiastic consent every time, however due to the immature nature of both characters it just didn't blend well within the overall story? I would've found it much more believable had our main characters been five years older and a more mature approach to romantic relationships. I was just left with the constant reminder of just how young these characters are, so I wish they had either been aged up or the approach to their intimacy was handled with more maturity.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I'm truly gutted that in the end I haven't been able to enjoy Wicked Serve. There was simply too many issues and factors that I couldn't overlook which impacted my reading experience as a result. As I read and adored the second book within the series, I'm still going to go back and read books one and three in the hopes that it was just this book alone that didn't work for me.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

5⭐️
I was so excited about this book after reading the others in the series and oh this did not disappoint. Izzy and Nik were perfect. This was just a heartwarming, funny read with a little bit of angst. I just could not put this down. The plot was brilliant. I just fell in love with Izzy and Nik and there relationship. Nik maybe one of my favourite book boyfriends now. I just loved him so much. This book while being heartwarming isn’t afraid to touch on the harder topics and was done in such a well done and respectful way. Kudos to Grace Reilly for that especially. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love this book!!! Grace Reilly is extremely talented and such a queen of sports romances.
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of being a beta reader for this book last summer and I love so much how it turned out in the end!!!
This book is cute, fun, romantic and spicy all at the same time. And even though the book is long, you get SO addicted to the story and the characters that the pages seem to fly by.
Izzy and Nik are so absolutely perfect together!! And I love how their relationship focus on dealing with their insecurities and their trauma before they can be happy and together.
And, like in all Grace Reilly’s books, we have the most amazing found family trope ever. I’m so sad to say goodbye to this series. But so happy with their stories!!

read this one if you love:
sports romance
hockey mmc x volleyball fmc
brother’s rival turned teammate
college romance
found family

I absolutely love this series, this is the fourth book of the Callahan siblings. I loved getting to know Izzy, her and Nik are the cutest. They’re so head over heels for each other and I loved their story. I LOVE a good sports romance, bonus for me that it’s both characters that play a sport!

Read if you like: sports romance, brothers rival, hockey romance, friends with benefits, secret relationship, he falls first, Russian MMC, close proximity, grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, tortured mmc

The miscommunication (or just NO communication) was high in this book, which I found was its biggest downfall. In saying that, they’re very young MCs so it’s understandable they’re not mature. Throughout the entire book there were secrets and a lot push and pull - which was so frustrating 😭
A lot of the time the timeline felt jumpy and the book was way too long imo. The author put a lot of unnecessary scenes in just to fill the book up - I ended up skimming a lot

The writing is great though, the steam is good, and I enjoyed how the characters were flawed because they had depth to them

I LOVED the koala conservatory part, as a brissy girlie, I Iiterally squealed in excitement because nobody ever mentions Brisbane in books

Unfortunately a miss for me which I’m disappointed about. If you like the tropes maybe give this book a go though

a fun quick sports romance !! very easy to read and a good palette cleanser, really enjoyed it and would recommend !

This took me a loooooong time to get through and it took me about 3 weeks to get to 40% which is so slow for me! I ended up reading half way and then just skim reading the rest.

I didn't love it and I struggled to feel any chemistry between the two leads which just made it difficult for me to get into. The spice was good but other than that, I just wasn't feeling it.

I enjoyed the authors style of writing and would read her books again but it was the connection between the two main characters that put me off.

I think this might be my favorite one in the series, I think I have a thing for morally grey traumatized men. (This sounds horrible)
I loved Nik and Isabella (also how he calls her Isabella and not Izzy, love it so much) they’re adorable even if they had a lot to go through before they could be in a good place together. I loved all the brothers getting involved in this story, I found it so adorable. The Callahan family deserves everything good in this world, they are genuinely adorable and the best.

I maybe thought that Isabella’s and Nik’s relationship could’ve been just a bit more, I’m not too sure how to explain but as much as I loved that you were fully thrown into their relationship from the beginning I just thought there was something missing. But other than that I loved it.

Thank you to netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

And here’s another sports romance for my list of favorites of the year!! In this book we follow the story of Isabelle and Nikolai in a kinda forbidden romance bc he’s her brother’s rival, I really loved their relationship and thought it was super well developed. It was a super fun and quick read, for me the only flaw was that the book could’ve been a little shorter but it was still very good!!