Ruthless Rivals: Book 1
Publication Date: September 28, 2021
The first in a new regency romance series about two feuding families and reunited childhood enemies whose hatred turns to love.
Maddie Montgomery’s family is in debt, and her hope rests on the rival Davies clan missing their yearly “pledge of goodwill,” ceding the land that separates their estates. With Maddie’s teenage nemesis, Gryffud “Gryff” Davies, Earl of Powys, away, hope is in reach.
But then, Gryff shows up and is stunned that the tomboy he once teased is now a woman. When Gryff and Maddie discover contraband on their land, they realize it can benefit both families. But they’ve also uncovered a dangerous plot, and they need to work together to get out alive. Soon, their hatred for each other starts to feel more like attraction.
Kate Bateman brings crackling banter, steamy romance, and a dash of adventure into the first book in the Ruthless Rivals series.
I’m so glad I picked up A Reckless Match, the first book in the Ruthless Rivals series by Kate Bateman. I’ve never read Kate Bateman before, but the blurb for this book just piqued my interest, so I had to give it a try.
The overarching plot of the Ruthless Rivals series is that two families on the English-Welch border have been rivals for centuries. But the current generation of Montgomery’s and Davies’ don’t seem to have quite the same level of antagonism towards the other family as the past generations. A Reckless Match follows Maddie and Gryff.
Maddie and Gryff have always had an odd interest in each other, but a relationship was forbidden, so flirting/teasing was always misunderstood as part of the feud. Years have passed, and now they’re thrown back together with the annual “pledge of goodwill,” as it is their turn to represent their families. This meeting ends up taking them on quite the adventure.
I loved Maddie. She has the interesting hobby of archaeology, she’s quite independent, and she’s not bowing to her father’s pleas that she marry one of the local gentries in order to help with the family finances. She’s craving adventure and longs for a marriage of love.
Gryff is recently back in England from the war on the continent. He’s also recently acquired the title of Earl following his father’s passing. He’s always had a crush on Maddie, and even though he knows it’d be frowned upon, he just can’t stay away or say no to her. The two kept getting thrown together, and it was quite a ride.
I really enjoyed the banter between Maddie and Gryff. And while the smuggling plot isn’t exactly unique, how it unfolded was something I hadn’t read before, and I was furiously turning the pages to see how it all turned out. It ended up being quite the adventure, and I was glad to tag along.
A Reckless Match ended up being a wonderful historical read. The series basis of the family feud was enough to draw me in, but the adventure that Maddie and Gryff went on was what hooked me. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of Regency, Victorian, and Renaissance historical romance. Her Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, is a Romance Writer’s of America 2019 RITA® Finalist and her Regency-set A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets & Spies series) won the 2018 Book Buyer’s Best contest for Best Historical Romance.
Kate wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she’d ‘never finish the thing.’ She gleefully proved him wrong. Her books feature her favorite intelligent heroines, (badasses in bodices!) wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.
When not traveling to exotic locations ‘for research’, Kate leads a not-so-secret double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. Before writing romance, Kate was director and valuer at her own UK Auction House, Batemans in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She currently splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and that husband… who still owes her that dollar.
