Beyond the Play: Book 4
Publication Date: August 13, 2024
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.
Wicked Serve is the fourth book in the Beyond the Play series by Author Grace Reilly. It’s also the only book I’ve read in this series, and I can’t wait to see how Izzy’s brothers’ stories unfold now that I’ve met them and their loves.
This book is a fast-paced sports romance with so many sports covered—hockey and volleyball are the stars of this book, but football and baseball are also woven throughout. There are several challenging moments to deal with, having to do with drinking and abuse, but through it all, Izzy stands tall for her man, Nikolai (Nik). Theirs is a love story that is supposed to be a summer fling but sneaks under the radar as more.
There are so many steamy moments, some in inappropriate locations, along with a lot of romance and love. There’s an unbelievable love between not only her parents but also her and her three brothers, and everyone seems to get along! The same can’t be said for Nik’s small family unit.
Doubts and uncertainties prevail on several fronts. Both Izzy and Nik suffer needlessly when communication is key, and Nik learns the hard way not to keep everything about his family and past bottled up. Several stories are told, and they are woven nicely together. There is a depth to the story, as well as a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. There are family, friends, teammates and coaches, pets, childhood memories, both good and bad, celebrations, gifts, lots of sports, and the determination to be the best. There are tears, anger, hurt feelings, soothing moments, and help at the ready on so many sides. There is lovely closure, happily ever afters, a surprise ending that was better than I envisioned, and an epilogue that takes place five years later.
Wicked Serve is a sports romance that held my interest throughout. Fast-paced and filled with family, friends, teammates, romance and love it had me turning the pages to see what could possible happen next!
Grace Reilly is the USA Today bestselling author of swoony, spicy contemporary romances with heart—and usually a healthy dose of sports. When she’s not dreaming up stories, she can be found in the kitchen trying out a new recipe, cuddling her pack of dogs, or watching sports. Originally from New York, she now lives in Florida, which is troubling given her fear of alligators. She is the author of First Down, Breakaway, Stealing Home, and the forthcoming Wicked Serve, the college-set sports Beyond the Play series about the Callahan siblings.
