Phwoar, Wicked Serve really brings the heat. From reading the blurb, this book really has everything you’d expect from a sporty romance: competition and two characters completely magnetised together in a hidden romance, but Grace Reilly really gives it her all with the tension between Izzy and Nik. Yes, this means 5/5 on the spicy scale (and we aren’t complaining!)! 🌶️

But the story between Izzy and Nik in Wicked Serve is beautiful. Izzy, the Elle Woods/Blair Waldorf, sunshiny girly-girl and Nikolai the hot, sporty “alphahole” type. Yes they are insanely attracted to each other, but they also have their own their own personal stories that develop their character. Nik has abuse trauma, suffering from panic attacks, while Izzy is consumed by comparing herself to her talented siblings.

Both of the main characters come from wealthy backgrounds so there are cute moments of glamour and extravagance mixed in too. I love how close Izzy is to her family, offering positive moments of love and support. All her siblings seem to be paired up so it makes for a really cosy family, but this story also contains rough family expectations getting in the way. Together Nik and Izzy offer each other support and build each other up, fighting each others corners against others trying to dictate their future.

*arc: wicked serve (beyond the play book 4) by grace reilly

🌟 4.5/5
🌶️ 4/5

genre: new adult romance
POV: dual
TWs: domestic abuse, abusive parent, childhood trauma, panic attacks

Tropes:
✨ sports romance (college - hockey and volleyball)
✨ secret hookups/relationship
✨ summer fling
✨ brother’s teammate/rival
✨ second chance
✨ grumpy x sunshine

The final book in the beyond the play series! I was so excited to get Izzy’s story as the only girl in the Callahan clan.

Oh boy was this book full of emotions and heavy topics. Nikolai had a tough childhood, leaving him with a scar down the side of his face as a constant reminder of his father. He battles throughout the book with not wanting to turn out like his hockey playing father with a short fuse.

Izzy is from a loving family, but never feels like she’s enough compared to her brothers. With volleyball not really having potential as a career option, she spends her summer interning for Nikolai’s mum as a wedding planner.

The summer fling must end but when Nik is expelled and transfers to Izzy’s college, it turns into a secret relationship as her brother is his teammate.

What I loved about this book is a lot of it was filled with them being together and working through tough conversations. They pushed each other to face things and have the hard conversations. The last 20% of the book was so emotional, my tears were blurring the page 🥲

But it wouldn’t be a Grace Reilly story without a nice sprinkling of spice 😮‍💨 some very hot scenes in this! “Crawl to me” 🥵

The epilogue was a beautiful send off to this found family 🥰

Thank you to netgalley and Headline Eternal for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wicked Serve started strong for me. I loved that it got straight into the story and the connection was already developed. But then, that is all we got. A whole lot of sneaking around and this was the only part of the plot.

The book was way too long as it felt like a whole lot of dialogue and not enough of a plot going on. I think looking back now, we would have been better off reading about their meet cute as it would have developed the plot further.

I DNF’d at 44% as I felt like I was just reading the same thing over and over again. I didn’t find myself reaching for it.

Another fabulous instalment from Grace Reilly.

These books are such easy comforting reads and the characters are always so well rounded.

I really enjoyed seeing a less commonly represented sport and the timing was perfect with the Olympics showing during my read!

Thank you so much for the chance to read this ARC

Am I the only one who never starts a series from the beginning? Or is that just me? I always spot these cute covers and then realize they’re part of a series. But even though I didn’t read the first books, I didn’t feel like I missed anything. It actually made me curious about the other books!

This was a cute and funny story following Isabelle and Nikolai. I enjoyed how they were introduced and how the story picked up from where the prologue left off.

I had a great time reading this book. Isabelle is very determined and wants to excel in everything she does, while Nikolai has a lot of problems and trauma to work through.

I loved how there was minimal miscommunication between them. They talked about everything and tried their best to respect each other’s decisions. However, I felt that sometimes Isabelle was a bit pushy with Nikolai, always urging him to share things he clearly wasn’t ready to discuss. If the roles were reversed, she would probably have been upset.

I also think the book could have been a little shorter. Since they were together for most of the story, we mainly saw them being a cute couple, which was nice, but I needed a bit more drama.

Overall, this was a fluffy read. I enjoyed the family moments and how Nikolai and Cooper went from enemies to besties, giving Nikolai someone other than Isabelle who had his back.

Thank you, Valentine PR and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is my first time reading anything by Grace and now I can’t wait to read books 1-3 😊
I thought the heavier topics of childhood trauma and abuse were handled so incredibly well, Nik’s panic attacks were heartbreaking but really pulled the story together.
Don’t let the cover fool you, this is a spicy read 🌶️. Izzy and Nik share a steamy fun summer fling, he’s her brothers rival teammate and off limits. Nik is forced into o transfer to Izzy’s University, playing Hockey for her brothers team.
They quickly find themselves secretly hooking up but things progress to a point where their secret is revealed. I loved Izzy’s family, their love and bonds were clear. Nik has to battle his demons, it felt raw, honest and believable.
Izzy is also navigating her own life, juggling classes, volleyball, arranging her brothers wedding. She desperately wants to please her family, with Nik’s help and support she really comes into her own.
I really enjoyed Grace’s writing style and looking forward to reading the previous Callahan stories.
Thank you NetGalley, Grace Reilly and Headline for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Izzy’s book 🥹
I’m so sad this series is over, but I’m so glad we got to catch up with everyone else too!

📖 Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
🏐🏒 college sports romance
📱🎧 read on kindle + audio (arc/alc)

⭐️ rating: 5/5
🌶️ rating: 3.5/5

📚 book 4 • Beyond the Play series
While this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the whole series. We see quite a bit of the previous characters (Izzy’s brothers + their girlfriends). That was a part of what I loved about it too.

💭 overall thoughts:
After a summer fling where they don’t expect to see one another again, Izzy & Nik find themselves studying at the same college. Nik was previously her brother’s rival, and now his teammate.

Their undeniable chemistry makes it impossible for them to stay apart, even though Izzy’s intention was to focus on volleyball, and Nik is terrified of having a relationship.

I loved that both Izzy & Nik were athletes, I think it gave them a better understanding of each other. I think Izzy’s brothers were the perfect level of protective over her 🙃 I’m kind of biased since I already love them from the previous books 😅

There were some heavy topics in this one (related to Nik’s childhood), and I think Grace handled them really well. I liked to see how Izzy handled everything, and how she grew as the story went on.

🎙️ audiobook thoughts:
(narrated by Faith Clark & Oscar Reyes)
I don’t think I’ve heard either narrator before, but I think they both did a great job at capturing the characters & telling their story. I was impressed by Oscar Reyes’ switching between Russian and American accents.

read if you love:
☀️ summer fling turned to secret relationship
🏒 brother’s rival to college hockey teammate
(after being expelled by his previous college)
🏐 volleyball player girly girl (pink is her fav color 🎀)
👰‍♀️ wedding planner aspirations
🫶🏻 family (Izzy is the youngest sibling) + found family
❤️‍🩹 broken boy and sunshine girl
🧠 mental health rep (panic attacks)
💞 dual 1st person pov 

*please make sure to check triggers, Nik’s backstory is heavy

Thank you to Grace Reilly, Valentine PR, Avon Books, Headline Eternal, & Spotify Audiobooks for advanced copies. All opinions are my own.

Earlier this year I’ve discovered my love for sports romances. Especially when they involve figure skating or ice hockey, because I’m currently taking figure skating lessons. That’s how I discovered the Beyond the play series. A couple of my friends couldn’t stop talking about the Callahan brothers, so I decided to give this series a try. As expected, I ended up liking this series too, so I couldn’t wait for Izzy’s story to come out.

In Wicked Serve, we finally get to know Izzy better. Not only her love for playing volleyball, we also discover that there is a lot more to her than the young party girl that’s been introduced in the previous books. In addition, Nikolai, who we know from Cooper’s book (but not in a positive way), finally gets to tell his side of the story, which is also really interesting.

Now let me start by telling you this story doesn’t disappoint. If you liked the other books, you’ll like this one too. We get to see all the Callahan siblings (and their partners) again, plus there are some tropes thrown into the mix that we haven’t read in the other books. And of course there are also the friendships, the love, the humour, the competitiveness, the supportiveness, … (and no third act break up!). It also deals with family trauma and self-doubt, portrayed in a realistic way. On top of all that, the writing style is very pleasant and fluent, making this an easy read. Both volleyball and ice hockey also get regular attention in this book, which I really like.

What did bother me a bit, was that there is a lot of repetition in this book. It could have easily been 100p shorter, without dishonouring the rest of the narrative. In addition, I have felt the need to put Nik in his place on several occasions. Because, even taking into account his background, he has really reacted in an inappropriate way on a couple of occasions.

All things together, I really enjoyed this book and would have read it in one sitting if I’d had the time. So I’ve you’ve enjoyed the other books of Beyond the play, just pick this one up already.
3,75/5 ⭐

★★★☆☆

*Wicked Served* surprised me with much more depth to the characters and story than I initially anticipated. The plot had layers and the characters were well-developed, which kept me intrigued from the start.

However, the pacing became an issue about a third of the way in. The story slowed down considerably and only picked up again halfway through when the spice factor intensified. While the latter part was certainly engaging, it felt like a long wait to get there.

One aspect that left me a bit conflicted was the younger characters having such a developed, darker side when it came to the spice. It wasn’t necessarily unenjoyable, but knowing the age of the characters made it feel somewhat off, adding a layer of discomfort to what was otherwise an intriguing narrative.

Overall, *Wicked Served* has its moments and is worth a read, the spice is great and the topics well handled but it might leave readers over 30 feeling a little uncomfortable.

Overall thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/ 4
🌶️🌶️🌶️


‘You say you want to be nothing like him? Prove it. Choose a different path.’

‘Brightness like hers can’t linger with my darkness forever.’

Tropes: Sports Romance, Brothers Rival, Hockey/ Volleyball Romance, Dual POV, Second Chance Romance, Queer Rep (Side Character), Nickname, Grumpy/ Sunshine, Found Family, Secret Relationship, He Falls First, Protective MMC, Anxiety/ PTSD rep

Book four in the Beyond The Play series by Grace Reilly. In this book you follow the story of Nik & Izzy as their secret summer fling becomes something very different.

*I want to make note that I haven’t read any of the other books in this series or any Grace Reilly novels before*

That said this didn’t stop me growing to love some of these characters throughout the book, in fact I’ll probably check out the other books in the series now.

If you like a sports romance with a lot of sport & spice, you’ll love this one. Let’s just say it’s definitely not a slow burn 😂

I did have some issues with the book though, I felt like the pacing was very odd & it felt a little long. The second half of the book was much better than the first though. I really did like the ending.

Only other note: the word moan gets used A LOT (and I don’t mean complaining 😂).

Thank you to Net Galley & Grace Reilly for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I recently discovered the Beyond the Play series and loved these characters and stories so much that in the last month, I devoured the first three books, so when I saw the last book in the series was available to request it was a no-brainer.

As the first three books covered the Callahan boys, I was interested to see how the only Callahan girl’s story would play out, and how her relationship with her family would differ to her brothers.

Family is a big part of this story for both Isabelle and Nikolai. Whereas Isabelle has a big, loving family, she feels like she’s never quite enough, like she never measures up to her amazing brothers. It’s great to see how this develops and changes over the course of the story. Nikolai on the other hand has a very small family but they are anything but close. Since the trauma of his childhood, things have never been quite the same and Nik’s biggest fear is becoming like his father. It was heartbreaking to see how he was so hard on himself for things outside his control but I loved that slowly but surely he was able to trust himself and those that love him to get the support he needed.

Whilst Cooper and Penny are still my favourite couple from the series, Izzy and Nik were great together. Their chemistry was wonderful and the spice was hot!

I also loved the epilogue, as although we’ve seen snippets of the other couples throughout the series, we haven’t really seen what their futures look like. This was a fantastic view into what the Callahans have been up to but it did make me sad that this is the last book.

I loved this series and all of the characters, plus the writing for me was just right and I’ll never not love a sport romance when it’s done right.

Wicked Serve is perfect for fans of sport romances that are full of spice, laughs and found families. There’s also an element of a second chance romance and a forbidden romance thrown into the trope mix.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Headline Books, for my early copy.

He’s her brother's biggest rival but they connect over the summer break….

He falls first
Secret relationship
Sports romance ( He plays hockey, She plays Volleyball)
Found Family
Broody x Bubbly
Brothers Enemy
Spicy


If you have any triggers please read the warnings before starting this book as there are mentions and descriptions of domestic violence, among others.


When I applied for this ARC I didn’t realise that this was a part of a series and which series it was a part of. I already had the previous 3 books from this series on my TBR, so naturally I had to read through them before starting this book. It may be a standalone and an interconnecting series but I have to always read in order.

This book was my favourite out of the 4 in the series and I loved Izzy & Nik, you could really feel the connection & chemistry between them. They had great character development and the whole story wasn’t far-fetched.
The spice in this book was just *Chef’s Kiss*. You can really feel the tension when they are around Cooper.

Just a warning, I’m pretty sure I cried for the last 8-10% of this book, it was a whirlwind of emotions. I had sad tears & happy tears.

I loved the Callaghans as a family unit and everything they stood for, how well they not only accepted Sebatian in the past but also Nik now and how close they all are. The author did a really great job at giving all of the siblings a great personality and made them all individual. They all had their unique sports which I really enjoyed, I hadn’t read anything including volleyball until this book.

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.