I loved this book for many reasons but the biggest one is the tension between the two main characters- so deliciously written! The witty banter between the two characters is priceless and so very well done.
From the very start, this story hooks you right in to a Romeo and Juliet type scenario although the Juliet is not so impressed by Romeo. Throughout the adventures that Maddie and Gryff share, you really see a character development come about and both realize that their feelings of repressed hatred for the other family is really love and that as is noted by the author, the two sides are better together than apart.

Some things I didn't care for - mainly when they went to London for the last part of the book, the story seemed to loose momentum and that delightful banter and tension was gone. There is even a huge bit (setting up the next book no doubt) about the siblings of each character and that seemed to take me right out of what should have been Gryff and Maddie's story alone. I don't mind a mention and short intro to set up the next book but this seemed to be far too much emphasis and far too many paragraphs about the other characters.
I also felt that there was too much that happened to Maddie, too fast in the beginning. We know she was dealing with minor trauma of having been hit by lightening (which could have been used much more than it was) but then she gets shot and trapped in a cave within a day of each other, it seemed far too adventurous, even for a woman like Maddie and I would have like to seen it drawn out a bit more to give her more time with Gryff.

Kate Bateman books are always a good story, with plenty of steam and this is no exception. I truly enjoyed reading this one and highly recommend it. I was given and advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Kate Bateman's "A Reckless Match" is a simply charming book! She’s such a talented author who never disappoints. I loved this book from cover to cover.

Madeline Montgomery and Gryffud "Gryff" Davies have known one another all their lives. Their families have been bitter rivals, feuding for hundreds of years. Gryff teased and taunted Maddie when they were children and she grew up despising him but that secret part of her, her heart loved him even as she despised him.
Gryff grew up and went to war, now he’s back enjoying life In London as the new Earl or so Maddie thought. Maddie is trying to save her family from financial ruin. As the spring equinox draws near and the deadline for renewing the royal decree binding both families to peace with a handshake approaches she hopes to be able to claim a strip of land bordering both properties.

Gryff has returned from war and wants to enjoy his life in London as the new rakishly handsome Earl but an illegal duel forces him to retreat to his family’s Welsh castle in the country. He arrives at the last minute to seal the truce with not only a handshake but a kiss of all things!

The author skillfully weaves a story from beginning to end with threads of feuds, romance, intrigue, adventure and mystery. Her style is smart and balanced, perfectly paced in this thoroughly captivating story of

The characters are authentic, animated and realistic with such depth and individuality you get immersed so deep until nothing else matters. The scenes are vividly descriptive with such colorful detail its easy to picture each scenario as they play off one another in perfect balance. I enjoyed Maddie and felt an appreciation for her interest in archeology, intellect, strength and her devotion to her family. Gryff was such a drop dead gorgeous and delightful scoundrel who got under Maddie’s skin. <sigh> These two played off one another beautifully and were so clearly meant to be together. The chemistry just sizzled!

I enjoyed the banter and quips between Maddie and Gryff, there’s plenty of snark and sass here. I sense that they enjoyed it too, as much as I did! This is such a fun story as these two share a journey of adventure and love’s revelation. It’s a great storyline and I look forward to reading the stories of the rest of the siblings and cousins! An absolutely fabulous way to start a series!

Thank you so much Ms. Bateman for this entertaining romance and love story! You have a lovely way of transporting the reader to the past. I can’t see what exciting story comes next.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

You know when you can tell a book is going to be amazing, after reading just the first few sentences? A Reckless Match was a prime example. This story was beautifully written, in a way that pulls you right in and is completely immersive. It was funny, sweet, romantic, and had tons of sexual tension with a very believable and natural feeling relationship progressing between the two main characters. The steamy scenes were frequent (and descriptively written), without the use of any completely absurd language to knock you out to the story. And the subplot to the romance was compelling and only augmented the development of the relationship between the heroine and hero.

In terms of personal story preferences, I tend to like romances that have a smart, strong heroine, whose personal attributes are still believable for her time, and whom the hero clearly is believably attracted to (I despise when authors make it a point to declare repeatedly how ugly the heroine is). I also prefer at least a little angst in the story, and for the hero to take the initiative in instigating much of the physical relationship between the characters, because of his undeniable attraction to the heroine. I don’t want to say too much to give away how things unfold, but if these sorts of things appeal to you too, you’re going to like this story.

My one (small) criticism is only that it felt a little unbelievable for so many characters in the Montgomery and Davies families to be carrying a torch for one another, as was implied at various points. (Of the 5 eligible bachelors and ladies between the 2 families, 4 are starting to pine after one another). That said, this is clearly a set up for future books, which I certainly wouldn’t complain about having to read whatsoever...

I wholeheartedly give this a 5 star rating. If you’re looking for a well-written, compelling, sexy, and satisfying romance story, I highly recommend this as your next read. I sincerely hope this author has a long career to come and I’ll definitely be planning to read the next in her series.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

A Reckless Match is a magnificent historical romance by Kate Bateman. Ms. Bateman once again lured me in and held me captive with her story-telling abilities and style. The characters in this book are perfect and make it a fun read. Madeline was desperately trying to find a way to bolster the family finances. Gryff is returned from war and living it up in London, just in time to spoil Madeline from winning the strip of land between their holdings. Gryff and Madeline's story was loaded with drama, humor, spice, action and suspense. I loved this book from the first page to the last and can't wait to read my next book by Kate Bateman. A Reckless Match is book 1 of the Ruthless Rivals Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

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

I really liked the banter and teasing between the two main characters, Maddie and Gryff, whose families have had a rivalry spanning generations. Childhood rivals to lovers is an interesting trope that when done well can be really fun! I liked the first 2/3 of this book, and it somewhat dropped off in the last bit. I also couldn’t help but picture these 2 as much younger than they were (they are described as in their late 20s, I think). Their way of speaking and how they behave brought to mind teenagers which threw me off considering what they get up to later on.

Gryff and Maddie grew up on opposite sides of a warring family. When they are thrown together to solve an increasingly dangerous mysterious they also get to explore the more than friendly feelings they have long denied. A fast paced adventure with sparkling characters, this book makes for a fun diversion and a great start to a series I am sure to finish,

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

This was SUCH a delight of a book! I had been feeling in a romance funk lately, and nothing was calling out to me. But this lovely gem has me back on that train full steam ahead. I loved every moment of this novel, and I can't want to read more.

Kate Bateman is a new author for me, but I've already downloaded her other series after devouring this one. A Reckless Match tells the story of the rival families of the Montgomery's and the Davies's, and the young men and women that exist in them. Maddie Montgomery is trying her best to get her family out of debt through any means other that marrying an odious old man, and Gryff Davis, new Earl of Powys after his late father, is trying to become a proper Earl and care for the land and home he inherited. Together they go on an adventure, and fall in love along the way.

A Reckless Match had everything I love:
- Childhood enemies to adult lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Adventure
- Melting kisses and steamy scenes which make my heart pitter patter
- Even a borrowed coat (a la "your crush's hoodie which smells amazing")

I want more! I want more of these amazing families. I can't tell if I want the story of the Montgomery cousin and the younger Davies, or the Davies wild sister and the uptight Montgomery brother more. Which, I should bring up, were not forced upon us as filler to get us into the series. It was just a few scenes to let us know what is coming up and I need it now. Immediately. Please Kate, I beg you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my first time reading a historical romance by Kate Bateman, but I'll without a doubt be reading more.

The Davies and Montgomery's families have been enemies for as long as anyone can remember. Gryff tortured Maddie as a child and now that they are all grown up he still finds her just as fun to tease but in a more scandalous way. They happen to stumble onto a smugglers' hideout on their families shared land and it leads to an unexpected truce. As the situation increases in danger, so does the sexual chemistry between them. When true feelings take root, will there be a way to keep what they built in secret.

This was such a quick read for me. I was invested in our two leading characters and the adventure they find themselves on, which was a bit more than I expected, but it worked. Maddie is an independent woman for her time. She's passionate about archeology and jumps at the chance to explore hidden caves, even if it's with her enemy. She was excitable when it came to her passions and just a well-balanced character, there wasn't any point where I wasn't enjoying her point of view. Gryff is a cheeky bastard with his sly innuendos and little smirks. Of course, I fell for him instantly lol The two of them were just great together , I couldn't get enough of their bickering, and you could feel their connection coming of the page. Their relationship does not lack in the steam department, and I loved every moment of it.

A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman is a historical romance filled with sexual tension, passionate encounters, smugglers, danger, and family rivalries. The first in a series that I plan to continue !

I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of A Reckless Match from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I absolutely loved Bateman's last series and was eager to dive right in to this. Like Bateman's other books there is some intrigue with a smuggling subplot but it all happens for romance reasons. The pacing of this book is excellent. I read the last 75% of the book in one sitting. The rivals to lovers dynamic was great. Two noble families who have hated each other for centuries, a hot earl and a bluestocking spinster. What's not to love? I did have a few issues with how the hero treated the heroine after finding out she was considering a marriage proposal from someone else. He basically calls her a whore for it, when women didn't have much of a choice back then. I'm getting nitpicky at this point but I may have five starred this book if it wasn't for that.

The family feud that had been going on for so long has become a sort of game to the families of who can out do who. Maddie's personality and love of archeology was a favorite of mine. Gryff was a perfect match for her. The mystery was fun but not extremely deep. You could figure out what was going on easily. Story was steady paced and had action. Also got some sneak peeks of the next couple to fall.

A family feud going back centuries, an annual meeting to shake hands with their adversaries...what could go wrong? In A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman, that would be just about everything! Madeline Montgomery hated Gryff Davies while secretly admiring him from afar, while Gryff thought the same of her. When they had to meet for the annual handshake, both were surprised to see the other at the property line. Would they be the ones to end the family feud that has gone on so long?

However, there are problems on their joint land...a smugglers' cave full of stolen goods and someone must find out who the smugglers are, so Maddie and Gryff decide to do it together. But will this be enough to end the family feud? It's a fun read with enough danger and excitement to keep you interested to the end.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Kate Bateman is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

Madeline Montgomery and Gryffud "Gryff" Davies have had a tumultuous relationship since birth. How could they not when the Montgomery and Davies families have been bitter rivals for decades? However, as the spring equinox draws near and the deadline for renewing the royal decree binding both families to peace if not friendship approaches, Madeline cannot help, but be torn as she awaits the Davies family representative. While part of her longs for no one to show so the Montgomery family can claim the coved strip of land delineated between the two estates and establishing peace and save her father from financial ruin, another longs to see Gryff, who has been absent for three years fighting in the Napoleonic war and then enjoying the privileges and pleasures of a new Earl in London. Arriving at the last second and sealing the truce with a handshake AND a kiss, Gryff knocks Madeline off center as easily as he did as a young boy stealing her shawl. Gryff is only planning to stay at his home estate long enough to let the scandal from an illegal duel in London die down. But kissing Madeline Montgomery may have derailed those plans because the young girl her use to tease has grown into a beautiful woman whose buttons he can't wait to push. As the two get thrown together to explore secret tunnels and dangerous smugglers will the hate between them shift to love?

A quite fun historical romance read for fans of the enemies to lovers trope. I really like Madeline as a protagonist with a full fledge personality. It is fun to see her try and use her interest and expertise to solve her family's financial problem. The point of view shifts between Madeline and Gryff and is really well done, giving readers a fuller picture of each characters motivations (although I wouldn't have minded getting into Gryff's head just a little more). The teasing between the two is fun and filled with romantic tension, while also helping deepen their relationship and understanding of one another. Both of them are afforded the opportunity to call one another out on some bullshit and it feels as though their relationship truly grows over their course of the novel.

I loved this historical romance and truly dreaded the underground cave and tunnel scenes. The author simply wrote them too well for my claustrophobic self to enjoy those bits. I can’t wait to read further installments in this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely adore Kate Bateman's books and ugh this one was absolutely a home run.

It all started with a family feud between the Montgomery's and the Davie's and Enemies to Lovers is like catnip for me. I devoured this book in one sitting and absolutely loved the banter, the romance, the ADVENTURE! It was all just exactly what I want in my historical romance.

I can't wait for the next book in the series or to be honest really... anything by Kate Batman immediately goes on my TBR!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

Is it wrong of me that the feud seems fun?

Poor thing. Was she standing under a tree?

It's so interesting that a technological advance to them would be considered a fire hazard now,

Sheesh, poor Hugo Bambury!

Oh boy, dealing with moneylenders is a bad idea.

Awww.

Get it, Aunt Connie!

That was scary.

This is a good town.

Who loses books?

I would like to see Carys and Tristan together.

All of the ingredients for a delightful adventure

Friends to lovers, society’s rules and a longstanding fued between two families. Author Kate Bateman has all the ingredients for a pleasant escape of a book. But what seems predictable from the description of A RECKLESS MATCH and its early scenes quickly takes an unexpected turn with an interesting plot twist, which leads to a brilliant journey for our couple to find their HEA.

Madeline Montgomery and Gryff Davies grew up together as neighboring families in the same social circles. As children of two families who have feuded for centuries, however, their childhoods were spent teasing and tormenting each other rather than drawing closer. Now adults, circumstances conspire to show them that the teasing and tormenting of childhood has evolved into attraction and passion.

Bateman is coming to be a favorite author for me because her writing hits the perfect note between being succinct and so wordy that I’m lost. For me, this means Bateman is writing with just enough detail and description to capture my interest without so much description that I lose the action. A RECKLESS MATCH caught me from the beginning and had me dashing along on adventures with Madeline and Gryff.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy. This was my first exposure to this author, but will definitely not be my last.

Fun book with am enemies to livers enriched by a long family rivalry and strong verbal sparring.

Perhaps a little long. but absolutely sets up a couple of sequels.

Kate Bateman saved me from a reading slump with A Reckless Match. She has yet to disappoint me with her stories, and the start to Ruthless Rivals promises another great round of books.

Gryff and Maddie were such a fun couple. The snark, the banter, the "hate." I was there for it. I loved the glances back into their past with their childhood feuding, and the adventure that brought them together in the present was interesting as well.

The slow-burn was perfection, and there was a particularly delicious scene between Gryff and Maddie.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters, Gryff's siblings and Maddie's brother and cousin. I eagerly await the next installment of this series.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***