Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

I’ve finally got around to this one. It’s one of those books that you just keep putting off for some reason. Not sure why, but I did. I’d seen it around Booksta and BookTok and knew it was part of a series and everything I’d normally enjoy, but I just didn’t take the plunge.

I haven’t read the other books in the series, but… turns out, it's a solid standalone which includes one of my favourite tropes – sports romance.
The characters are a huge win for me with this book. Isabelle is that friend/sister/daughter; she’s constantly putting everyone else's needs before her own, which, let's be real, is relatable but also a recipe for burnout. Enter Nikolai. He's the hockey player with a traumatic past and a present - that’s, shall we say complicated. He is ALSO the enemy of her big brother due to being competitors on different teams 🤭.
What I really appreciated in the book was how Reilly handled his issues. So often, these kinds of problems fall into the "FMC fixes the MMC" trope, and it’s unrelatable and not showing real life. But here? Nik actually takes responsibility for himself (after getting a nudge from Izzy). He recognises he needs to work on himself before he can truly be in a healthy relationship, and that was so refreshing. It felt real, and it felt right.

Isabelle and Nikolai’s dynamic was great. The spice was there, and Isabelle was a strong, independent female character, which is always a win in my book. The hockey elements were also well done, fitting perfectly within the storyline and not just thrown in as an afterthought. Was it my favourite hockey romance? No. But it was a really good read; it checked some of my boxes — sports romance? Check. Spicy scenes? Check. Strong FMC? Triple check. It’s got that addictive quality that keeps you turning pages; however, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve started at this point or whether it didn’t grip me enough because I don’t think I’ll go back and read the others in the series.

Overall, I enjoyed it, it had some amazing parts to it but not enough for me to jump feet first in the rest of the series.

„Wicked Serve“ von Grace Reilly ist ein spannendes und aufregendes Buch, das mich von Anfang bis Ende gefesselt hat. Die Geschichte dreht sich um eine heiße, aber auch komplizierte Beziehung zwischen zwei sehr starken Charakteren. Die Protagonistin, die selbstbewusste und unabhängige Avery, und der charmante, aber manchmal auch geheimnisvolle Cade, geraten in eine leidenschaftliche, aber auch turbulente Liebesgeschichte, die voller Herausforderungen und unerwarteter Wendungen steckt.

Was mir besonders gefallen hat, ist die Dynamik zwischen Avery und Cade. Ihre Chemie ist einfach unübersehbar, und ihre Beziehung ist alles andere als langweilig. Sie sind beide komplexe Charaktere, die sich im Laufe der Geschichte weiterentwickeln, was die Geschichte noch interessanter macht. Es gibt viele emotionale Momente, aber auch witzige und spannende Szenen, die das Buch abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam machen.

I hadn't realised this was part of a series so I am not sure if I have missed anything in the previous books that would have beneficial to me before reading this one. But I still enjoyed the story.

I would like to call this book cute, but actually it was little too spicy for that. I did enjoy the book and the characters but don't think it needed to be dragged out into 448, it seemed a little excessive. Nikolai a hockey pro is transferred to a rival school and ends bumping into Isabel the girl he spend most of the summer fooling about and falling for. There are so many reasons why this relationship should not work but the pair become really good friends and have a lovely relationship where they can reply on each other for support and help. There are various characters who are also mentioned in the book. which again takes me back to this being a series I wish I had some background on the characters. I enjoy stories and characters who follow on through the series. I really enjoyed the friendship and family bonds with the book. Everyone seemed like a little family unit. I may go back and read some of the other books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The fourth and final title in the Beyond the Play series by Grace Reilly follows her popular spicy formula; in this one we follow youngest sibling Izzy's story as she falls for hockey bad-boy (and rival of her older brother) Nikolai. They have a summer romance and get the chance to rekindle it when they end up in College together, but she is supposed to be staying away from him and he isn't supposed to be stirring the pot with his new team - cue lots of sneaking around, etc.
This is probably my favourite of the four books, maybe becuase I was well into the style of the books at this stage, becuase even I (as a pretty-seasoned Romance reader) was a wee bit surprised at how Spicy some of these were quite early on. By book four you come to expect it! I really liked Izzy and Nikolai as characters, and their story followed an interesting arc. My only qualm is sometimes I do wonder if a teenager (Izzy) would be doing all of the things described here? Other than that, a solid Sports Romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This was another amazing instalment in this series that had me hooked. I love a hockey romance and this ticked all the boxes for me

Nik is an ice hockey player at uni destined for the big time. He has a summer fling with Izzy whose brother also plays hockey. By the end of summer the fling had become so much more and Izzy is lost when she returns to uni. Fate has Nik transferring to her uni and they pick up where they left keeping their affair secret. His grandfather is pressurizing him to join his company and his abusive father wants him back in Russia. Things start to unfold and he cant cope with the stress.

This really was not for me. I'm not a massive fan of constant smut (which this book has), nor am I a fan of whiny and immature characters (which Isabelle is). I read a few reviews on StoryGraph which agreed with my sentiments, that it was way too long for what it was and could have used some editing.

It was a light-hearted story and I liked Isabelle as well as Nikolai. I liked this book, however, I agree that it shouldn't have been that long, I probably skim a lot. There was smut every three chapters, several scenes that added nothing to the plot. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed most of the book. Nikolai and Isabelle's relationship was cute, from its sweet moments to its most vulnerable moments. What I love about reading an interconnected series is that we can see characters from other books and here you can notice that special family bond.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC

Any grace Reilly book is my favourite!
it was a super fun time and I loved it!
five stars......... I want a sequelllll

Grace honestly never misses. I was so excited to have received this book! The steam, the plot, THE CHEMISTRY!!! Such a cute heartwarming book i absolutely adore nik and Izzy. It was super refreshing to have a sports hockey romance without the toxicity it was wholesome, uplifting with heathy communication.

This book holds a close spot in my heart.

I loved this, it was a nice fluffy spicy and fun read, perfect as a palette cleanser, I highly recommend to anyone and everyone go and read this

Well, I think this book could definitly be shorter but it was still a really good experience and probably my favorite in the series - it was so cute and I enjoyed every second of it.

The couple was really cute and I found myself quicking my feet everytime a cute scene happen!

This series is definitly getting better book to book and I can't wait to see what Grace will bring us next!

Absolutely adore this series and this book was so so good!
Such a wonderful and healthy relationship between Nikolai and Izzy and it felt like it grew organically.
I really need more of this series, of this couple.

3.75★ - arc review

i was so excited to read this book and was ecstatic to recieve this arc!!!!

i really enjoyed this book and really wanted to love it, but there was something just holding me back from loving it a 100%

i felt like this book was a bit too long which caused me to lose a little interest in the story. it got a bit repetitive towards the end.

i loved Nik and Izzy's relationship but i did miss the angst the forbidden trope usually brings!!

all in all it was definitely enjoyable but unfortunately not my favorite of the series

Wicked serve was an enjoyable read, however I would have preferred it if Isabelle and Nikolai did not already have an established relationship as I feel it would have been more enjoyable if they did not know each other at the start of the book. I loved the healthy relationship between Isabelle and Nikolai and the importance of family and friendships. I do however feel that the book was too long and contained more smut than plot.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realise it was the last part in a series (completely my bad!) and wondered why things all kept wrapping up nicely.

Super fun couples and I’m sure if I’d read the other books I would have loved it even more!

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This is the 4th book in the Beyond the Play series which follows each of the four Callahan siblings as they find love in their lives. This book focuses on Isabelle, the youngest sibling, and Nikolai. I haven't read the others in the series but I don't think it really matters, this can be read as a standalone.

I loved both characters and I loved the fact there was no third act break up and only one serious miscommunication between them, It all started over the summer while Isabelle was interning for Nikolai's mother as an assistant wedding planner. They both knew from the start it would only be a summer fling, because as soon as the semester began, they would be at different universities and miles apart.

That changes though when Nikolai ends up at the same university as Isabelle. It doesn't take long for the two of them to pick up from where they left off but they choose to keep it hidden from Isabelle's older brothers, particularly Cooper who is Nikolai's captain on the hockey team.

At one point Isabelle decides she can't keep lying and she asks Nikolai if what they have is real but doesn't give him a chance to answer her and instead flees campus to go and get drunk, dances on a table, falls off and ends up with a concussion and cut on her forehead. When he hears, Nikolai bails out of the game and races to the hospital to find her. And they actually talk like grown ups about what happened!! Nikolai explains he was having a panic attack and couldn't react to her question and she accepts that she should have stayed around longer to find out what was going on.

Nikolai knows he needs to make himself better before he can be the best boyfriend/fiance/husband to Isabelle, so he actually talks to her and tells her he needs some space to work on himself and that when he comes back to her it will be forever and there is no doubt that he will come back to her. He communicates his needs so well and so does Isabelle - it was really refreshing!

This is definitely a he falls first and he falls harder type of book. Nikolai knew over their time in the summer that she was it for him and he follows her lead from the start. The spice is hot as well with a touch of BDSM.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

First of all, thank you netgalley for giving me this book to review. If I see anything by Grace Reilly, it's an instant buy and read! I love her writing style and this one did not disappoint! Would highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶🌶🌶🌶

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Firstly, don't let the cute cover deceive you - this book is SPICY!🥵 Isabelle and Nikolai have sparks flying immediately and they do not deny themselves the opportunities to be together even though they are worried about what Isabelle's brothers would think. Although, low and behold, they had nothing to worry about anyway!

The start of the story and first half was brilliant. It really kept me hooked and I wanted to keep turning those pages. There was good character development and the plot was easy to follow, with a small amount of angst.

However, I feel like the second half of the book brought my opinions down. It seemed to just include a lot of unnecessary filler chapters that didn't really add anything to the story, in my opinion. In fact, I ended up skim reading some parts because it just seemed so unnecessary. I feel like a good quarter of the book or so could have been cut out.

All in all, I enjoy a good college hockey sports romance and thid was a good one. The main plot was great, I love how the story ended, and the spice was perfect. The length could have just been shortened a bit!