Wicked Serve: A Novel

by Grace Reilly

Overview

USA Today Bestseller

From TikTok sensation Grace Reilly, the long-awaited final book in the Beyond the Play series and your newest obsession, a spicy brother’s rival hockey romance, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace, Liz Tomforde, and Elsie Silver.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063387140
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/13/2024
Series:	Beyond the Play , #4
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	9,202
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

06/10/2024

Reilly’s intoxicating fourth Beyond the Play new adult romance (after Stealing Home) brings the heat. With three star athlete older brothers and a retired quarterback for a father, Izzy Callahan hopes to impress her family in her sophomore year at McKee University by winning a starting spot on the school’s volleyball team. Absolutely no distractions must get in the way of this goal, especially not the wickedly handsome Nikolai Abney-Volkov. Having spent all summer secretly fooling around with Nikolai, Izzy is glad to have state lines separating them as they return to their rival schools. But once Nikolai is forced to transfer to McKee, how will she resist the temptation of more intoxicating hookups and heartfelt conversations? For his part, Nikolai wants to make his last hockey season count, but playing on the same team as his former rivals proves to be difficult, especially when the captain is Izzy’s older brother, who would never let him anywhere near Izzy. Reilly ramps up the sexual tension as these two try and fail to avoid one another. Izzy and Nikolai’s love story is filled with angst and hilarious moments, balanced with deeper conversations that make the emotions feel real. Reilly will have sports romance readers swooning. Agent: Claire Draper, Azantian Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

The swoon, the spice, the sneaking around! Nik and Izzy light these pages on fire with their tension and chemistry. Wicked Serve is a delight from start to finish!” — Stephanie Archer, nationally bestselling author of the Vancouver Storm series

“Charm, humor, and sizzling tension. Reilly writes the perfect blend of swoon and spice.” — Bal Khabra, USA Today bestselling author of Collide

“Wicked Serve is a sweet and spicy read that brings all the swoon. I love a good grumpy/sunshine romance, and the chemistry between Nikolai and Izzy was sizzling. I was so sad to see it end!” — Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author

“Grace Reilly delivers with a sexy, smart, swoon-worthy sports romance. Perfect for readers looking for a red hot read.” — B.K. Borison, author of Lovelight Farms

“Opposites truly do attract in this true-to-form romantic comedy! Reilly returns to the Callahan family one last time—blending steamy love scenes and tender moments into a heartfelt romance.”  — Peyton Corinne, author of Unsteady

From the Publisher

2024-05-31
A volleyball player’s summer fling transfers to her college.

Isabelle Callahan comes from a family of champions. Her father was a professional football player, and all her older brothers are successful athletes—but her freshman year on McKee University’s volleyball team was an unmitigated failure. She’s determined to impress her difficult coach and earn back her position as setter. Unfortunately, Isabelle’s plans are disrupted when hockey player Nikolai Abney-Volkov transfers to McKee. They had an intense summer fling during her internship at his mother’s wedding-planning business in Manhattan, but Nik disappeared rather than say goodbye on their last night together. Even though he is happy to have another chance with Isabelle, the circumstances are not ideal. He was expelled from his previous college after taking the fall for a teammate who brought drugs to a party, and his wealthy grandfather got him a place at McKee in exchange for Nikolai’s promise that he’ll work for the family business after graduation rather than going to the NHL. Isabelle’s feelings were hurt by Nik’s abrupt disappearance at the end of the summer, and she intends to focus on volleyball, not a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Nik knows he should stay away from Isabelle since her protective older brother is his new captain. Their attraction is too strong to resist, though, and despite their stated reasons for steering clear of each other, they fall back into a relationship. Reilly’s first traditionally published novel consists of strings of events that are completely divorced from character development, cohesive plotting, or logical worldbuilding. The driving force behind the book is the length of the school year and Isabelle and Nik’s sports seasons rather than an interesting or compelling romantic relationship between the two.

Aimless storytelling sidelines this sports romance.

Kirkus Reviews