A Rival's Kiss

By: Maya Hughes

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Desiree Ketchum

Walking away would be the smartest decision, but no one's ever accused me of being smart. Cold, determined, brutal, but never smart.

Willa's mine from the moment I rescue her. I protect her from a brawling crowd and she stares up at me like I'm her prince charming. No one's ever looked at me like that. No one has ever dared to come that close.

I didn't know she was the little sister of one of my biggest rivals. Her brother and I have both drawn blood on the field, dislocated joints, broken bones, but I'll never want to show her that side of me.

I long to be the man she believes I am, but there's only one way I know how to win—how to survive—and that's ensuring my enemies lose.

Once he finds out who his sister has been dating, it'll be all-out war, and I might lose the only woman who's ever looked at me like I'm not built only for destruction.

Changing my ways won't be easy, but I'm willing to risk it all for her.

©2022 Maya Hughes (P)2022 Maya Hughes

Emotional, charming and fun story!

4.5-stars!

I recently had the opportunity to listen to A Rival’s Kiss by Maya Hughes and I loved it. This was such a sweet and charming read. Narrated by Stephen Dexter and Desiree Ketchum, this was emotional and full of the feels and I loved listening to it. I loved Ezra and Willa so much. Ezra was very determined and loyal and though he had his moments, he was a good man. Willa was sweet, caring and very likable. She brought light into Ezra’s world. She loves her family, but they were often a bit smothering. They were amazing together, even with their differences and a brother who wants to protect her.

Willa and Ezra shared some amazing chemistry and I cheered for them every step of the way. It was also great seeing some old favorites as well. This can be read as a standalone, but I do highly recommend reading the prior two books as well. I loved A Rival’s Kiss by Maya Hughes and highly recommend it.

Happy listening!

Redemption comes in many forms

Ezra is so complicated. He has a background that I wouldn't want for anyone. It shaped him into the person he doesn't want to be but he has found his outlet in football. He is a beast on the field and that makes him excellent in his position. He is just living for his dream of being an NFL player. He never sees the sunshine that is Willa that literally falls into his life. Willa is also very complicated. Her life hasn't been her's but she's ready to break out on her own. When they talk and get to know each other, they find a soul made for the other. Outside forces may break them but do the have enough faith in each other to make things work? As a mother and daughter I cried at portions of this story. I could feel all the emotions that were simmering under the story. I wanted to hug them both and punch some of the side characters. Maya Hughes writes these college age stories like no one else. I am thrilled she decided to write Ezra's story and show him that someone was there for him, no matter what.

”I’ve never had someone choose me.”

A Rival’s Kiss was another wonderfully emotional and character driven story by Maya Hughes. This story was one part angst, one part steam, and one part pure feeling. It’s my favorite of the Fulton U Rivals series so far.

Willa is a ball of pure sunshine and heart. She has a loving family that is a bit too overprotective due to a tragic incident in the past. Willa yearns for independence while also wanting to make sure her family doesn’t worry. She falls quickly for Ezra and sees through his defenses. She’s a calming force to him and she fights for both him and herself. She’s amazing.

What can I say about Ezra? He broke my heart and I absolutely loved him. His past has broken him yet he’s still one of the kindest, gentlest and genuine individuals. He hides from the world because it’s easier for him that way and he’s reluctant to get to close to anyone, but Willa won’t let him hide. She opens up a whole new world for him and shows him that he is worth fighting for. Even when he wants to give up on himself, she won’t let him.

Willa and Ezra come from two very different worlds, but somehow together they make sense. She’s the light to his dark and he helps her get the courage to confront change. They connect almost immediately in an emotional sense. Their conversations flow naturally and their chemistry is electric. I loved how they both supported each other and showed up for one another. These two are everything together!!

Stephen Dexter and Desiree Ketchum narrated the audiobook and they captured the emotion in the story perfectly. Stephen gave a voice to all of the fear, pain, and longing that Ezra constantly felt and really brought Ezra to life. Desiree is always so good and I loved her portrayal of Willa.

A Rival’s Kiss is a fantastic addition to this series. Maya Hughes seamlessly weaves the timelines together of all the books in this series plus the Fulton U series and it was brilliant. I was thinking about this book long after I put it down and that’s a mark of a fantastic story. Now I can’t wait for the next book in this amazing series.

Fulton U Rivals!

A Rivals Kiss (Fulton U Rivals #3) is a beautiful new adult sports romance. It is the seventh book I've read from Maya Hughes and one of my favorites. I loved how Erza and Willa's characters developed and grew nicely. The story was romantically sweet with a dash of sultry and captured my attention from page one till the very end.I loved how it ended. A another touch down listen.

Stephen Dexter, Desiree Ketchum dual narration was purely blissful to listen. These two brought the characters and their story to reality. Both narrators have nice tones and are enjoyable to listen to.

Heartfelt, Sweet and aching

A Rival's Kiss is a wonderful listen, and my new favorite book from the STFU series.

I've said this many times before: Maya knows how to create the best kind of romances. With amazing characters and interconnected friend-group stories, A Rival's Kiss has the perfect blend of love, friendship, angst and hope and narrators Stephen Dexter and Desiree Ketchum do a perfect job at bringing them all to life!

I am in love with Ezra. He's used his on-field beast as a mask and copying mechanism but underneath he's a giant broody cinnamon roll, that just needs to be loved. Willa's kind heart and bright shining light is the perfect counterpart to Ezra's loneliness, alleviating the darkness he harbors with a flurry of glitter and fake snow.

5 stars and a snow globe

Stephen Dexter was on point!

Desiree Ketchum did a great job as Willa but Stephen Dexter. Wow! He was Ezra… no question about it. His cadence was amazing!! I melted the minute I heard him perform. I’m still swooning over it. Maya Hughes did such an outstanding job captivating me with her words and I couldn’t stop and listened to this in one sitting!! This one can take all my stars!

Another great book from Maya Hughes!

I have read and loved a lot of Maya Hughes books. Every time I think I have a favorite series, book, or character she writes something new and that becomes my new favorite. A Rival's Kiss is no exception.

I have been waiting and hoping for this book since Ezra was first mentioned in the Fulton University series. He and Willa probably shouldn't date. He is a football player whose team is rivals with her brother's and there is no love lost between them. However, a strong connection forms between them and I loved how they found something special in one another.

The story is emotional, sweet, and hard to put down. It has light angst and some drama, and it felt like just the right amount. I also liked getting to see more of the St. Francis U crew and some crossover to the Fulton U characters as well.

You can read this book and series without having read the Fulton U series, but they are fabulous reads. I suggest picking them up, especially if you love interconnected series.

So emotional

There's something about the broken hero that gets me every time, and Ezra hooked me from the very beginning. His story is so heartbreaking, and if anyone deserves some happy, it's Ezra. He and Willa have some hurdles to jump along the way, and the emotions are all over the place. Ezra and Willa have lived completely different lives, but they're so good for each other. Willa has this big heart that's exactly what Ezra needs to tear down the walls he's built around his.
If you've read the Fulton U series, you'll recognize Ezra from a few run-ins with the Fulton U guys - some things that are included in this book, so we get to see those run-ins from the other side. Ezra is every bit as complicated and lovable as I hoped he might be. That's not to say Willa isn't pretty great in her own right. She's a strong young woman who has had her own battles to fight, and fight them, she does. She is true to herself even when it's hard, and she's got sass, which is always a plus.
True to form, Maya Hughes takes us on a rollercoaster ride as these two figure things out, and this author is probably gonna make me eat these words, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is my favorite Fulton U Rivals couple so far. That's really saying something because these two are in some pretty great company.
I already loved this book after reading it, and Stephen Dexter and Desiree Ketchum add an extra layer to an already terrific romance. The emotion runs the gamut in this one, and it all comes through loud and clear in the narration.

Fabulous story!!

Maya Hughes writes some of my favorite sports romance books. Ezra was the best football character. Everyone always puts these boys/men into stereotypes and sure, if you’re going solely off body types Ezra is the stereotypical football player… he’s big and he hurts other players. Ezra has a kind heart though and he wants so much more in his life. He’s worked hard to get where he is… he’s so close to getting that NFL contract. Willa is full of sunshine and rainbows. They might be complete opposites but something pulls them together. But Willa’s brother is Ezra’s enemy on the field. Can they learn that they can be more off the field and both love Willa?

The narration of A Rival’s Kiss by Maya Hughes was fabulous. Stephen Dexter and Desiree Ketchum were great at bringing these characters to life. Ketchum really portrayed Willa’s upbeat and happy personality. It was the perfect contrast to Dexter’s performance. Dexter really embodied Ezra. He was reserved and a bit cold, until Willa warmed him up with her softer demeaner. She showed him that family can be what you make, not just what you’re born into. I loved the way these narrators really showcased the growth from these characters. Fabulous story!

Melts your heart & leaves you swooning!

I had my suspicions going into this book that Ezra would steal my heart and I wasn't wrong! As a matter of fact, I adored both Ezra and Willa and thought that they made a superb, melt-your-heart and leave-you-swooning couple. It was sinfully easy to get caught up into this wonderful romance that was filled with fun, tons of heart and lots of rich emotion. Though these two are opposites in so many ways, you can't help but feel that they were soulmates and simply made for each other. My heart got quite the workout and I was hit with so many FEELS that I may never recover. This is a truly amazing romance and an excellent addition to this series that I truly can't get enough of. Dual narration is my preferred format because it lets me more easily connect with and become immersed in the story. I found the narrator's voices pleasing to listen to and I felt the fit the characters well. They both gave excellent performances.