I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this enemies to lovers tale of feuding families, smuggling, underground caves, and unexpected adventure. The Montgomery and Davies families have been feuding for so long that no one knows the origins of the feud. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and I was immediately drawn to the two main characters Maddie Monthomery and Gryff Davies. Their feud didn’t actually seem hostile and the attraction between Maddie and Gryff is evident from the first page. What sets this book apart from so many “feuding family” romances is the comedic escapades the characters find themselves involved in. Maddie is fearless, proving herself capable of not only solving her family’s money woes, but also facing down criminals and surviving several dire situations including being struck by lightning. Gryff clearly adores her, going out of his way to ensure her safety and happiness. While I wouldn't exactly call the feud “ruthless,” I am looking forward to the next Davies/Montgomery enemies to lovers tale in the series.

I so enjoy a historical romance if there is a smart independent female lead and A Reckless Match definitely fit this bill. From the premise of two individuals from warring families coming together to catch smugglers, to them falling in love, to the ensuing hijinks, this tale was an absolute delight. Even better were the supporting characters whose stories you know (and look forward to) will be told in future books.

This book was such a a fun read with a healthy side of steamy love. And I’m looking forward to more adventures with the Montgomery and Davies families.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin Press for a DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A witty, fun adventurous romp. I absolutely loved this story. I’ve never read novels by Kate Bateman yet but you can bet I will be adding her stories to my TBR list. The rivalry between the Davies and the Montgomery’s is more playful that I assumed and the story is full of playful banter and witticisms. The love between Maddie and Gryff is believable. I loved both characters and their development. The sexual tension was high, 1 or 2 explicit scenes. Low in angst, high in happy feels. Would love to read more from what I’m assuming is a series with the rest of his siblings.

I love enemies to lovers stories so I am glad to have read this book. The plot with the smugglers was interesting and gave the main characters a good reason to be together. I hadn't read anything by this author before, but am interested in reading further stories in this series.

Unconventional to grab your heroine unawares, but so is the connection between Maddie Montgomery and Gryff Davies, which is initially immature but with loads of potential. The family feud back story and the smuggler sub-plot provide the needed fuel to bring these sworn enemies together. Effortless chemistry and bright banter take this romance from simmer to full boil. The family dynamics are introduced seamlessly and a nice segue into the series. I would love to see the Aunts get there due as well.

Loved this story. Had some action, suspense, family feuds, and of course romance.
Gryff and Madeline are from two different families that have had a feud amongst them for generations. As children, Gryff loved nothing more than tormenting Maddie and getting a reaction out of her. When their paths meet, they discover that the land in-between their families is being used for illegal smuggling. They decide to work together to try to catch the criminals. But spending a lot of time together triggers old emotions, only as adults those emotions are expressed a little differently. Can they overcome years of feuding to find a way to gee together?
Looking forward to the stories of their families.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first time reading this author and it will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Maddie and Gryff were fantastic together and I loved their bantering and teasing. The family feud going on for hundreds of years was hilarious, because they all knew it was ridiculous and used it for entertainment more than anything truly mean spirited. There was some great humor slipped in at just the right moments (the way Maddie's father referred to the aunts' cats as their familiars).

The focus was on the main couple, but there were plenty of other moments that made me feel like I was seeing two family dynamics at play and interacting in such an entertaining way that I was thoroughly engaged in this book from beginning to end. Even though there were certainly serious moments, it felt pretty lighthearted and fun over all, without anything too depressing to bring down the mood. There was also adventure and action and both of the main characters were very likable.

I'm looking forward to more books in this series to see what happens with other characters and their matches.

I love the witty banter in Ms Bateman's books and this one did not disappoint. This is the kind of book that once I got started reading, I didn't want to stop until I got to the last page. Maddie and Gryff are easy characters to connect with. The secondary characters are interesting as well and I am definitely looking forward to their stories.

I would recommend this book to all historical romance lovers who like a little adventure and a bit of steam with their romance.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When you are still thinking about a book 3 days after you read it, you know it is a good one! This is a great story with great characters that goes along at a steady pace and is chock full of adventure. I cannot wait to read more by the author. I don't want to spoil anything, but I like how the conflict is less "our families hate each other" and more "let's survive these obstacles". I don't need my H & H to bicker for real. Go read this book, it is a keeper.

I kid you not, I finished this book in less than one day. I am a huge fan of regency romance novels so I sped through this book it was so good. The banter between the two main characters was some of the best I've ever read in a novel of this genre. The plot was also very well developed and nothing too extreme or unrealistic which I appreciated and enjoyed. I cannot wait to see what else this author comes out with (especially in this series!). I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who likes the regency era and romance to read this book.

Kate Bateman has become one of my favorite authors. The Montgomery's and the Davies have disliked each other for hundreds of years. Madeline and Gryff cannot seem to stop antagonizing one another and find they actually like spending time together. When they find they need to work together to stop smuggles on their joint land, the two of them find more than they bargained for. I cannot wait to read more of this series!

The Montgomery and Davies families have feuded for centuries. Maddie Montgomery and Gryff Davies spent their childhoods as nemeses, but find themselves working together after Gryff returns home after years away to bring down a smuggling operation on their families' shared land.

This was a delightful read! Both Maddie and Gryff were interesting and likeable characters, and they had sooo much chemistry - their verbal sparring was so fun and had so much sexual tension. I liked that Maddie's bluestocking tendencies were portrayed without going into "not like other girls" territory. Gryff was also a nicely layered character - we get to see his intelligence and practicality in the more plot-heavy moments but also be amused by how he struggles with his feelings for Maddie.

Some of my expectations were also pleasantly subverted; for this type of story, I was expecting a marriage of convenience, a massive misunderstanding/betrayal for a break-up 80% into the book, etc. - the typical HR tropes. Nothing against these tropes (I've read and enjoyed many books that have used these!), but when the book diverged away from them, I thought it was refreshing and exciting to see where the plot would go instead.

Also this book somehow made dictionaries sexy... an impressive feat.

This was a sweet, sexy, typical enemy to lovers' romance. I loved the feuding idea; it is one of my favorite themes. Throwing in several life-threatening scenes was a good plot device.

This light, fluffy, and sexy read was just what I needed during the heat of the summer. I have never read anything by this author, but since I do like historical romances, I will be picking up several more books by Ms. Bateman to add to my ever-increasing 'to-be-read' book pile.

*ARC supplied by the publisher - St. Martins Press, the author, and NetGalley.

I usually read mostly mystery novels and this book was a switch for me. A Reckless Match was a perfect book to start with, the story was very entertaining. I loved the plot of Melanie and Gryff growing up not very fond of each other, and then seeing each other differently. Kate Bateman was an excellent introduction to a new genre. I will be reading more of her books

Oh, what a fun regency romance! While enemies to lovers isn’t my fav troupe, the author made Madeline and Gryff’s tale a smexxy page turner full of adventure and snarky banter! There is so much happening within these pages, and I don’t want to give away too much in a review! Highly recommend and look forward to the next installment to the Ruthless Rivals!


**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved the story so much and the way Kate Bateman wrote it made the book hard to put down. Madeline and Gryff had chemistry from the start and I laughed so many times at their witty comebacks at each other. I enjoyed the feuding family storyline and combining that with smugglers and hidden caves made for an exciting read. The romance between Madeline and Gryff is very fiery and certainly lit up the pages. I would heartily recommend this book to any reader of historical romance and I will be looking forward to reading more of Kate Bateman's books. I appreciated getting to read this advanced reader's copy for my honest review. I loved it!

Even if Maddie and Gryff don't initially realize their attraction to each other, the reader sees right off that these two have a destiny. Kate Bateman always seems to come up with original plots to her fabulous Historical Romances. This book is certainly original in that there is spelunking (cave exploring), villains, feuding families, an adventure seeking heroine and lots of action and suspense. I didn't mention lots of hot romance also. This is a rollicking start to a new series. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to the rest of the series.

Historical romance with good characters and an interesting storyline A fued between two families,smugglers and a seam of gold hidden in a tunnel make this an enjoyable read.

“Love and hate just were two sides of a very thin coin, after all. Combining them might prove truly spectacular—“

What You’ll Find:
✔️Regency Romance
✔️Enemies to Lovers
✔️Family Rivalry
✔️Banter
✔️Steamy Scenes
✔️Dual POV

There has been family rivalry that has lasted for years. Every spring equinox one member from each family must meet on the shared land between their properties to keep the peace or forfeit their shared land. This year it’s Maddie and Gryff who are sent to meet. Maddie is hoping the man said to be rake in London doesn’t show, and gets a surprise when he does. Though this time they see each other in a different light despite the usual banter. And when they discover contraband on their shared land, they team up to benefit both their families. Though it turns out to be more dangerous then they expected.

“He was her shadow, her blight, and her curse. But she couldn’t imagine a life without him in it, even only as a memory.”

This story was so fun... filled with banter and chemistry from the get go. Maddie is so full of wit and sass. And Gryff, so flirty, charming and perceptive. I loved how protective he was of her, without taking over. She could be her own person, and he was happy to have her be just that. They had fantastic banter and serious chemistry, which led to some great steamy scenes! I completely rooted for them from the get go!

“He wanted to strangle her and kiss her witless at the same time.”

I did feel the timespan was rather quick, but the MC’s knowing each other for their whole lives made it work for me. There’s action, suspense, even a little humour. Such fun, likeable characters, that I didn’t want to put it down. Including the side characters. I’m not sure who’s story I want next, but I know I want to read them all. This is my read by this author and will not be my last. My favourite regency romance I’ve read in some time! Looking forward to what I suspect will be a great series!

4.5/5 Stars.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the ARC via NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

CAN LIFELONG HATE

Madeline Montgomery grew up despising––and secretly loving––the roguish Gryffud “Gryff” Davies. Their families have been bitter rivals for hundreds of years, but even if her feelings once crossed the line between love and hate, she’s certain Gryff never felt the same. Now, she’s too busy saving her family from ruin to think about Gryff and the other “devilish” Davies siblings. Since he’s off being scandalous in London, it’s not like she’ll ever see him again...

TURN TO TRUE LOVE

As the new Earl of Powys, Gryff Davies planned on spending his post-war life enjoying the pleasures of London. But when an illegal duel forces him to retreat to his family’s Welsh castle, he realizes the only exciting thing in the dull countryside will be seeing the fiery Maddie Montgomery. Thoughts of his nemesis sustained Gryff throughout the war; but the girl he loved to tease has grown into a gorgeous, headstrong woman – who loathes him just as much as she ever did. Will secret tunnels, dangerous smugglers, and meddling from their feuding families be enough to make Maddie and Gryff realize that their animosity is really attraction...and maybe even love?

A Reckless Match is the first in a new regency romance series by Kate Bateman about two feuding families, and reunited childhood enemies whose hatred turns to love.

One of my rare 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads. I loved this book from nearly the first page to the last and am actually looking forward to any sequels in the series.

This book had it all, well written the characters were fully fleshed out and interesting. Just enough of the “smexy” (sensual sexy) without going over the top. Who doesn’t love a generations long family feud to end happily, with plenty of bumps along the way.

I received this ARC for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley, Kate Bateman and St. Martins for the opportunity.