A Rival's Kiss by Maya Hughes

A Rival’s Kiss is an emotionally charged college sports romance that’s a definite must read for any fans of romance or coming-of-age stories. It’s heart wrenching at times with bursts of drama and sweetness, and it’s my new favorite from Hughes.

The story begins with Ezra, a tank of a football player for St. Francis University, saving Willa from a brawl that’s erupted in the stands around her and her best friend at a game. She gets hurt and must get checked out at the first-aid station where Ezra brings her. From there, they get to know each other little by little that weekend, even though she attends the rival school Fulton University. To complicate things even more, Willa’s overprotective big brother, Walsh, plays for Fulton, and he and Ezra have less than stellar feelings toward one another. Despite the distance and Willa’s brother, she and Ezra begin to have a relationship. However, things between them aren’t exactly easy, and they have a lot of past hurts outside of their being together that inform so much of how they are with each other.

With Ezra, I’ve found my new favorite tortured hero from Hughes. He’s got such a sad history and has worked so hard to get to where he is now, and I loved seeing how his character evolved. There’s so much to him, and Willa is the perfect girl for him. She’s able to see the good in him when he can’t see it himself, and she cares so deeply for him. She’s got a good heart, and her love for him is so sweet and pure. She truly just wants what’s best for him, but I appreciated that she wasn’t going to just be some naïve young woman that let him (inadvertently) cause her any unwarranted pain or drama, too. Her character has a lot of unexpected strength, and I think that makes her character that much better.

Also, this story is so touching! It makes you feel all the things, and I loved every bit of it. Both Ezra and Willa have difficult pasts and seeing how they navigate their lives now that they’re in college and have found each other is endearing. He’s closed off and shy because of his past, and she’s dealing with her own set of issues with her family that’s unintentionally stifling her freedom. This book is a total rollercoaster, and it’s filled with angst and drama but peppered with some of the cutest and sometimes most adorably awkward moments. As a result, this book is never dull, and I couldn’t get enough.

Sweet, emotional, and angsty, this book is another fantastic installment to the Fulton U Rival’s series. Ezra’s and Willa’s story was everything I wanted it to be, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.