The past tore them apart.After a terrible accident took everything from Callie Stewart, enrolling at Blairwood University is supposed to be a chance at a new beginning.Living his best life, Hayden Watson, star wide receiver for the Blairwood Ravens, is heading straight for the NFL draft and nothing is going to stand in his way.The present brings them together.Their paths were never supposed to … together.
Their paths were never supposed to cross, but when they do, all those old demons and feelings come rushing back. Hayden thinks he knows all about Callie’s life before Blairwood and he’s not ready to let go of the past, much less forgive her for what she has done three years ago.
One thing’s for sure… it’s going to take more than a kiss to conquer their broken past.
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4.5 Amazing Stars
A Kiss To Conquer is the debut novel in Anna B Doe’s Blairwood University series and where we meet Callie and Hayden.
But Callie and Hayden have history!
Their history is a well kept secret that has many ramifications. The force of which, ripple throughout the whole story.
At Blairwood University we meet a full cast of characters who, are already, laying the foundations of the novels to come.
Anna B Doe has done a beautiful job of giving us an amazing story of friends to enemies to lovers which has so many unknown factors that come to light as you read, that you will be kept on the edge of your seat throughout.
A great start to a new series that I can’t wait to read more of!
4.5/5 Stars
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
Kiss to Conquer is a book that will conquer your heart. This is a raw and emotional story that will take hold and won’t let you go.
I fell in love with Doe’s writing with the Greyford High series. This book boasts the same easy reading experience. She has a writing style that is easy to latch onto. Her narration is warm and welcoming. She has a talent for bringing you into the story.
These characters were fantastic. I love that they were extremely realistic. They were not without flaws. They were so relatable and likable. It was easy to fall in love with them. I really loved their journeys in the book. They had some excellent depth and character development. The secondary characters in this book were intriguing and they added so much spark to the story.
I enjoyed the romance in this book. It is an enemies-to-lovers story that gets under your skin. I love that Callie and Hayden knew each other and were friends in high school. Their convoluted past made their romance feel that much more convincing. These two definitely had a connection and their chemistry together was off the charts.
Overall, this is a beautiful story about forgiveness and second chances. This story has realistic and flawed characters, an engaging plot, and lovely writing. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! I am excited for Nixon and Yasmin’s story.
Kiss To Conquer is totally loveable!
This is a very angsty and desirable read with past connections blowing it outa the park. The obstacles Hayden and Callie have to conquer while dragging up their pasts will keep the pages turning.
Will it be enough for Blairwood’s football star to forgive and forget or does everything past and present blow up in their faces?
This enemies-to-lovers is friggen phenomenal!! I loved every part of this and can’t wait for more.
This come highly recommended.
This has to be my favourite book by this author. This is one of the most emotionally diverse enemies to lovers stories I’ve ever read. I cannot tell you all the reasons I loved Callie so much but Anna wrote a truly amazing young woman who gives new meaning to the words strengthof character. Hayden is broody bitter and holding a huge grudge but he is also the sweetest gentlest soul. I liked how as the story unfolds we slowly get answers about their pasts. The football story runs alongside the love story and introduces secondary characters that add to the story and will get their own books.
What a beautifully, written love story that will suck you in and leave you breathless. Hayden and Callie’s love story was not easy. Past mistakes bring them down a path that will eventually lead back to each other. That day was like waking up with a spear to their heart and soul. The chemistry, the angst, the hatred, and the love will keep you turning the pages. My heart broke so many times that I didn’t know how it would be healed but it was…. Anna you are an AMAZING writer and this story is written proof. I am so excited for what is to come! Next is the couple I was rooting for….I CAN’T WAIT!!!
Callie Stewart is trying to rebuild her life on a happier note, and not be the girl she was back in high school. She made mistakes, took advantage of her wealthy status and it cost her dearly. Now she is headed to college with the hope for a new start, one that will help her move on from all the tragedy that has recently hit her life.
But nothing could have prepared her for seeing him again… Hayden Watson use to be a friend, now he is an enemy, and he wants her to pay for the pain she caused in the past. But what he doesn’t realize is that he isn’t seeing the same girl he saw before, this one is wounded, with a fragile soul. Will he be able to see that she has changed before it’s too late?
Kiss to Conquer is a story of new beginnings, making amends, healing old wounds, personal growth, and finding love. In this one we meet old friends, now enemies, Callie and Hayden, and these two have a lot of old hurts to sort through. When Hayden left high school he hoped he’d never have to face Callie again, but little does he know she has picked his college to attend and that is something that doesn’t sit right with him. He is expecting the girl he left behind, but what he doesn’t know is that a lot has changed since he last saw her, and she is no longer the spoiled princess that crushed his world. It’s evident early on that these two have chemistry, but the distaste they have for one another outweighs that and they’d rather hate one another than give into what is brewing between them. There was so much hurt lingering between these two, it was impossible to walk away from this one unscathed, their heartbreaking story tore my heart in two. But little by little they found a way to mend what was broken between them, and heal my wee little heart too. I’ve got to say that this first time read delighted in all areas, there was a perfect balance of angst, emotion, drama, and romance… and it left me with all the feels! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
This love story ran me through a gamet of emotions. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I was angry, but through it all I was awed by Anna’s ability to wring so much emotion from this book that I would have to take small breaks to just feel.
The past can often come back to haunt us and that is exactly what happens Callie runs into Hayden three years after both of their lives were blown apart. These two are no longer the same people they were when they saw each other last. Callie has not only visible scars, but emotional ones as well. I love how Anna peeled back the layers and exposed every raw emotion that these two characters were feeling. She was not afraid to tackle those emotions that we often try to push down, and walk away from so we dont’ have to be exposed. Giving to many details in my review would just lead to spoilers, but just know that I LOVED THIS BOOK so much! If you are looking for a book that hits you right in the chest, and gives you that tight/good feeling this book is definitly it!
This is the 1st in a new series and what a brilliant masterpiece this story is! This is Callie and Hayden’s story and a devastating accident leaved them as enemies. This is a beautifully written emotional roller coaster ride which is filled with complex characters, guilt, loss, forgiveness, redemption, and witty banter which all leads to a captivating page turner. I cannot wait to read the next book in this amazing series and I highly recommend this enemies / lovers story for all readers.
Kiss to conquer is book one in the new ‘Blairwood University’ series by the brilliant author Anna B. Doe. The story focuses on Callie and Hayden. Callie is new to the university, after suffering a terrible tragedy which has left her both scarred on the inside and the outside, she is trying to make a fresh start. Locking herself away at school seems to be the best choice for her, especially when she feels that she is unworthy and deserves to be punished for her past crimes. During her short time at school she runs into Hayden, a boy from her past who she did a mighty wrong to and boy is he not going to let her get away with being at his school!
Hayden is the wide receiver at the university and is hoping to become an NFL star. Thinking that he has put the past behind him, he is shocked to see his nemesis but not how he remembers her, but that’s not going to make him go easy on her in the slightest.
This is a beautifully written enemies to lovers book with a slow burn romance that grabs at you and doesn’t let you know, Both Callie and Hayden’s pasts are tragic, Callie’s more so as she seems to be reliving it day after day with a lot of guilt which she can’t seem to place anywhere else but on her shoulders. To make matters worse, she has always had a soft spot for Hayden but knows that he will never forgive her for what she did.
There are times throughout the story that Hayden can be really cruel to Callie and you kind of get it as a reader, but boy does it punch you in the heart and after you find out why he is that way, your heart kind of breaks for both of them and their situations as well as the secrets that come to light through snippets of their past in various chapters.
We really see the growth of these characters as the book goes along and their stories develop. There is a lot of angst within the story but also a lot of love, friendship and some fun times thrown in which lighten the story a little bit. The book is beautifully written and you want to know more about all of the characters that pop up in the book…I for one can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
Callie has had to push herself to survive. To come here to school, to go forward with her plans, and get on with her life. After great tragedy she intends to be her best self.
Hayden remembers Callie from high school. He remembers wanting her from afar. He remebers her bully attitude. He does not know who she is now. Maybe its time?
Such a sweet and sexy story. I found myself entrenched into the story rather quickly. Not wanting to put down for anything. I loved the friendships that were built. The characters are endearing, charming, and the chemistry is sudden and hot! I loved this story and cannot wait for the next installment in this incredible series!
***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an hones review only.
This book was an intense and emotional read that I loved so much. It follows Callie and Hayden who know each other in high school, Callie was the popular cheerleader while Hayden was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Callie made a stupid impulse decision one day and it definitely had an negative effect on Hayden’s life, but Callie was just a naive and selfish teenager who didn’t understand actions have consequences and she suffers tremendous tragic that absolutely changes her outlook on life. My heart hurt for Callie and I understood why Hayden was so mad at her and didn’t want her around his college campus. Yes I said his campus because after high school Hayden transformed to the all American football god that ran the campus. Although I understood Hayden’s anger it still broke my heart when he lashed out at Callie because he has no clue what she had to endure, but once he does find out it changes everything. These two have suffered through so much in their lives and they don’t know how or if they can forgive themselves let alone each other to be together and if they can’t forgive can they even give the other their trust? This was intense but a beautiful read about learning to forgive not only others but sometimes one’s own self to be able to move forward.
Kiss to Conquer is an absolute masterpiece and perhaps my favorite book by this author. I love her ability to create such well developed, complex characters that are perfectly flawed, but also admirably full of an inner strength that one cannot help but fall in love with them. This is a novel that will pull at your heartstrings. There were moments where my heart was shattered complete with ugly crying, but the author painstakingly pieced my heart back together and left me with feelings of hope, love, and healing.
Callie and Hayden are the quintessential enemies. Certain events in high school from 3 years prior greatly affected their lives as well as their opinions of each other. Imagine their surprise and displeasure when they end up at the same university and they continually run into each other.
I admired Callie for all that she has endured after experiencing a devastating event that left her broken in many ways. As pieces of her backstory were revealed, I reveled in how resilient she was and marveled at her growth as a character. Hayden is a popular football player at Blairwood University and boy does Callie get him all riled up. I loved seeing the affect that she had on him. He comes across as a strong character who overcame some hardships, but he also has this vulnerability about him which I adored. Even for all of their dislike of each other, they two cannot avoid the gravitational pull between them. The mistakes of their past cloud the hope for the future and I enjoyed watching their story unfold.
This author did an excellent job with character growth and development. Callie and Hayden both evolved as individual characters and as a couple. The secondary characters are also likable and I hope that they each get their own books. I found this story to be well executed and moved at a good pace. This book is sure to put you through all the feels. There is angst and drama as well as moments of joy and hope. This is a story that immediately captured my attention and I was loathe to put the book down. Kiss to Conquer is an excellent NA sports romance with an enemies to lovers theme that is sure to draw you in from the first page and will keep you entertained until the very end.
“Being with you…it makes me feel alive. Like for the first time in so long, I can finally breathe.”
I just got a huge crush on Callie and Hayden, this couple is everything you’d want in a book. Kiss to Conquer is the first book in the Blairwood University series, every single character in this book is amazing, and so unique so it is pretty easy to love every one of them and just knowing this is the first couple that Anna has introduced to us, well I know this will only will get better.
Callie was the perfect princess in California where she moved the peons any way she wanted…until one accident changed her whole life and now to move forward she is starting at Blairwood University, with the possibility of starting again… that is until her past catches her in the form of Hayden “Hades” Watson, the star wide receiver for the Ravens, so much has changed and Hayden is certainly changed but the hatred she could see in his eyes while they came across is more than she can endure. She’s not sure she can survive him, reminding her every bad thing she did in High School.
Hayden is at the top now, his past is what lead him to the place he is right now, but he won’t forget how he got there, and he won’t forgive who is responsible for it. The moment he cross paths with Callie, all the memories started to come back only to make him resent her even more, but there’s something between them and he’s not sure if it’s just hatred or something more.
I still got goosebumps from that cliff-hanger I mean Anna sure knows how to keep me wanting for more. This is the first book of one hell of an amazing series, I can totally see myself waiting, craving the next book. I devoured this one in a day, no kidding. This story is something else. Get ready because this series is about to blow your mind in the most amazing ways!!!
Kiss To Conquer is the first book in Blairwood University Series. I thought this enemies to lovers, sports romance was so good. It’s got angsty, drama, second chances, and forgiveness. My heart broke for these characters. Hayden and Callie were genuine, and true with their emotions. I liked them. I liked the secondary characters too. This is my first read from this author, and I got to say she has a new reader. I’m looking forward to reading more of he stories.
This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and I didn’t know what to expect. This book is a real enemies to lovers sports romance book and it is a total second chance love, but can love conquer all?
Callie and Hayden were not supposed to see each other again then BANG! They come back together at Blairwood University and they are both so not ready for this. The past is still in there minds and its hard to overcome.
Hayden is a sports player and he is ready for big things in his life. He has been through a lot and is a good guy inside.
Callie went through a really traumatic experience and this torn her apart. All she wants is to better herself and become a better person on her life and have a fresh start. She is a very strong and determined person and she doesn’t want anything to get in the way of this. So when she goes to Blairwood University this is her second chance at her life.
When these two come face to face again after all this time it painful, hard they are angry, upset and yet there connection is still there as strong as ever.
Can these two heal each other again or are they still to connected to there past?
( NO SPOILERS )
This author has written this book so beautifully fantastic that I cant believe that this is my forts book by this author. The writing was amazing and the style of writing was fantastic and this love is hard and painful and you need to read on every single page.
The journey that these two characters go on is so powerful that I really feel for them after what they go through and they have a lot to work through, I especially loved Callie and I felt for her more than anything even though Hayden is an amazing character too. This author has written really deep characters that the reader can really connect to and your heart really feels for them. This book will really pull on your hear strings and your emotions will be all over the place. This book is full of angst, drama, love, hope and you wont be able to take your eyes of of the pages. I couldn’t put this book down and this romance book is a real page turner that everyone needs to read. Thank yo to the author and the publishers for allowing me to read and early copy of this book. ARC provided in exchange for a complimentary honest voluntary review. I will highly recommend this book to everyone because it was brilliant and everyone needs to read Hayden and Callie’s story.
This book is expected to be released on 5th June 2020.
Kiss to Conquer is emotional, beautifully written, and a great enemies to lovers romance. There is something about Anna B. Doe’s writing that completely draws me into the story and makes me fall in love with every single character.
I loved that this story primarily focused on the present, however, there were little bits and pieces of the past mixed in to give some insight into Callie and Hayden’s relationship and how things started and ended for them. Their story started out as friends, then quickly turned to an enemies to lovers and with a second chance vibe mixed in. Despite the dislike for each other you could feel the chemistry coming off the pages for these two characters.
My heart broke for Callie. Her life was changed in an instant and you could feel how much it still gripped her life. It changed who she was, gave her a different outlook on life. I felt for Hayden, too. He had it rough growing up and when the one person he grew close to hurt him that bothered him. When their hatred towards each other comes to a head I was in tears. It was emotional, but I loved seeing a different side to both of these characters.
Every single character in this story was great and added to it. I can’t wait for the next book in this all new series.
Kiss to Conquer is an emotional MUST READ!
Kiss To Conquer is my first book by Anna B. Doe and Conquer it did. I really enjoyed this story and will follow next books for sure. I will give no spoilers because, trust me, you will get more from the story that way.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for honest review.
Ahhhh this book gave me all the feels! This book by Anna B Doe blends together a complicated back story with a new adult steamy sports romance. Callie and Hayden were such an emotionally compelling couple with chemistry in spades! Callie was such a well developed heroine who had a tragic situation that she was trying to recover from. I felt so connected to her angst and the blame that she placed on herself. And Hayden- what an amazing guy he was as he was able to overlook past events to help Callie heal (and heal himself in the process). Loved the dynamic between Callie and Hayden as they fought their attraction to each other based on their history. I was rooting for this couple all the way through and it was so worth following them on their journey. If you enjoy enemies to lovers romance with a strong dose of heart and healing- you do not want to miss this story!!
*ARC provided for honest review
This story takes us on an emotional rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. Anna’s writing is captivating which kept me glued to my seat the entire time. We navigated the shared past of Hayden and Callie which had me questioning if love can truly conquer all their shared pain. I loved these characters and how much depth they each had layered with such pain and anger. You can slowly see the changes in both of them throughout the story learning to love, forgive, and find themselves again despite what they’ve been through. This is an amazing enemies to lovers, second chance, and NA read that you’ll absolutely love.
Kiss to Conquer is hands-down my favorite book to date of Anna’s! I became absorbed into this storyline before I finished the first chapter. This incredible sports-romance hits all the key elements of a great novel. Enemies to Lovers? Check. A big, hot, brooding, bad boy with a heart of gold? Check. A secure, empowered, persevering, determined girl? Check. Pulse-pounding interactions and witty banter? Check. A boiling, hot romance? Check, check, check!!! Every part of this book hit me on a personal level. Whether having a high-school crush, a tragedy, are a fan of sports or wanting to better oneself, everyone will find a way to relate to this heart-wrenching and inspiring love story.
Grab a box of tissues because you will cry, embarrass yourself snorting, and be yelling, “hell, yeah!” throughout this entire book. Hayden is a football star that, under less than pleasant circumstances, has landed himself at BWU. His lookout on life looks very promising, until he bumps into Callie, a blast from his past. His passion of mixed feelings toward Callie makes him go crazy and lose his concentration. Callie just wants to carry on her family legacy and get away from her past by attending BWU. However, from day one, everything seems to take a drastic turn down-hill. I love Callie’s resilience to life. No matter what comes her way, instead of cowering, she bites down hard and perseveres. She is an empathetic girl who puts Hayden in his place while making his friends like her. Hayden is a typical brooding bad boy until he starts to show the different layers that he hides underneath. I wanted this story to go on forever. It’s the type of tale that keeps you invested in the characters; you feel everything they go through. Don’t be embarrassed if you find yourself hugging your kindle, squealing, and sighing when you finish this book. An easily, off-the-charts read!