Wicked Serve Review

By Grace Reilly

Beyond the Play Book 4

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Blurb

 He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival…but he’s bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai

Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

Izzy

I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I 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 my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.

As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and koalas, Wicked Serve is a don’t-miss new adult college sports romance.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

Read if you Like:

🏐 Secret relationship

🏐 Past trauma

🏐 He plays hockey

🏐 She plays volleyball

🏐 Friends with benefits to lovers

My Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed every book in this series and the conclusion did not disappoint! Izzy and

Nikolai have a really special connection that the prioritize despite the obstacles.

I was blown away by how much I loved Nikolai as a hero. He is dealing with a lot but her absolutely adores Izzy! I loved watching him slowly let her in and loved that she supported him but didn't fix his issues with her presence alone. It was really fun to see Izzy's family interact with Nikolai and I really enjoyed seeing them develop their own relationships with him as well as Izzy with Nikolai's mom.

I played volleyball in high school so it was really fun to read a sports romance where I knew a bit about the sport (usually I know nothing). I liked that Izzy was passionate about her sport but it didn't define her. Izzy is still figuring her life out and that's ok for a twenty-year-old. One thing I really appreciate about Grace Reilly's books is that her characters seem the age they are.

If you like sports romance you have to read this series! It is my favorite sports romance series and seeing each of the siblings find their person is so great. I love the series more and more as it goes as I care about all the characters more. I also appreciate that these books are focused on character development and the hero and heroine always each have their own arc.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ - I went back and forth between 3 and 4 peppers for this one. We do see a lot of spice but it isn't the focus of the story. For those who have read the earlier books it is a similar level of spice to the others in the series.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.