Animosity to Love! Need I say more? Our childhood shapes our views is so many ways including establishing animosity towards others. But some can see beyond others's views. Maddie and Gryff are such insightful characters. And Maddie is intelligent! This is not a ballroom setting, which I love, but an intellectual setting. The many possible twists and turns! I enjoyed them all and can't wait for Kate Bateman's next book in this series! Ms. Bateman's books have become an "instant buy" for me! I highly recommend this very entertaining, "couldn't put down" book!

A RECKLESS MATCH is a romantic trope full of secrets, suspense, and squabbling galore. A battle between two neighboring estates that spans decades, the Davies and Montgomery families, yields two individuals, Madeline Montgomery and Gryffud Davies. They grew up quarreling with each other, but unbeknownst to their traitorous hearts, they secretly are attracted to one another. Madeline is currently saddled with rescuing her family from financial disaster. She is currently waiting at the designated spot for a Davies to show up at the appointed time, to seal the deal between their neighboring lands, only to see Gryff, her irritating nemesis, who she thought was off in London being his rakish self. What the heck?

Gryffud Davies, a devastating, handsome man, is enjoying life in London after spending most of his adult life fighting in the Napoleonic war. However, he retreats to his family's estate, after fighting in a prohibited battle over love. He hopes to see Maddie again, the girl he loved to annoy while growing up. Time spent in the country will be tolerable if he can clash again with the fiery beauty. Gryff's heart gives a leap of joy upon seeing the gorgeous Maddie all grown up into a lovely lady. They still have hostility towards each other but something, a kernel of hope and quite possibly attraction blossoms in their hearts. As they stumble upon a secret vein of gold hidden in a cavern below their estates, along with illegal contraband, will time spent together spelunking, renew their flaming attraction to one another long enough to see that they are meant to be?

Sizzling suspense and a ravishing romance dazzles the senses in Ms. Bateman's new novel, A RECKLESS MATCH, in the new series Ruthless Rivals. An intriguing premise, a clash between clans, and non-stop action and adventure with dramatic romance nestled in-between, delivers delightful, dazzling dialogue in this astounding adventure. Madeline and Gryffud are arch rivals from way back, but current circumstances throw them together, but cupid's arrow finds them blasting them with unbridled passion. This is a perfect historical romance in its finest form. The author is a favorite of mine and now I can't wait for the next installment! A RECKLESS MATCH is sexy, sassy and distinctly divine. Explosive!

This is my first Kate Bateman book and the first installment of what looks to be a promising enemies-to-lovers series, "Ruthless RIvals." I loved Bateman's writing, her character development, dialogue, plot, and this whole storyline. I was caught up in it and didn't want to let go.

Maddie and Gryffund have grown up on two sides of feuding families. While Gryff's family has prospered, Maddie's now faces financial ruin. Maddie is running out of options and considering selling herself in marriage when Gryff returns from war and London to keep up his end of a legally-mandated show of peace with Maddie's family.

What happens next is an engrossing adventure that takes them exploring through caves, fighting smugglers and falling in love - duh. The journey is definitely worth taking and I'm looking forward to reading more of Bateman's books.

The great news is - Gryff has two hunky brothers AND a headstrong sister waiting in the wings to fall in love next!

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

4/5 Stars
I really enjoyed the plot and relationship between Maddie and Gryff! I couldn’t set it down once I started it. They were fun to read and watch interact. I also really enjoyed how independent Maddie was. She was interested in archeology and enjoyed doing the digs which was fun to read about. She also thought for herself and stood up for herself which I appreciated.

Gryff on the other hand i have mixed emotions. I enjoyed the teasing in the beginning and hearing about their backstory (and the fun pranks). I got a little annoyed at Gryff once I got to see his personality more: he called maddie a whore (with no proof) and then didn't apologize. Also his view of women was very rough? Would have liked for him to realize how nice it is to have a wife and someone to share the day with.

I really enjoyed the plot and that they were working towards an end goal. It was fun to see them “forced” to work together and what they found.

Overall I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the other siblings getting a book!

A Reckless Match is a fun and fast frenemies-to-lovers story that serves as a great first book in Kate Bateman's new Ruthless Rivals series. As the first, it can obviously serve as a standalone, though Bateman has used it well to set up at least two additional novels. It seems it is also a spinoff of another book, where Gryff, our hero, was an important secondary character.

Gryff and Maddie are part of the current generation of two families that have been feuding for centuries. While it seems like the battle was harsh in years past, now it seems to play out more in joyful one-upping and silly pranks. In fact, whenever one or the other recalls the past, it seems like they spent more time in each other's company than not. Gryff especially seemed to have relied on memories of Maddie when he was serving on the continent.

Gryff and Maddie are intelligent and honorable, so we get sparring over spatting, and it's really fun. They are also both brave, which serves them well both in their personal interactions and with how they handle their joint discovery of a smugglers ring. With regard to their relationship, their biggest hurdles are from Gryff, his belief that he still wants to sow his wild oats, and for Maddie, her secret that her family is on the brink of financial ruin. Both issues are, of course, overcome, and the two get their HEA.

If I have any complaint, it's that the end resolves too quickly. Their happy union marks the end of years of bitter rivalry, and I guess I wanted a little more fanfare. There were also a few minor inconsistencies that I hope are resolved before the book publishes (to wit, "kiss" is in Maddie's half of the dictionary, not Gryff's). Overall, however, this book was a really fun read and it deserves the five stars that I'm giving it.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Quick, enjoyable read. The H/h are practically in love before the story even starts, so the fact that the entire book takes place over less than one week isn't very surprising. The hero was no big shakes to me, but I liked the heroine, her conflicted feelings over marrying to save her family, and her obsessive interest in archaeology. I enjoyed the Capulet/Montague setup and the long history of the animosity between the clans, though the eventual dissolution of all that rivalry seemed to happen with almost zero protest by the end of the book.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This book is incredible! It is witty, adventurous, romantic, entertaining, gripping, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "A Reckless Match”, I was whisked back in time, and went on quite the adventure with this story!

This is the first book I have read by Kate Bateman, and it certainly will not be my last. Her writing style is exceptional! It is visceral, vivid, and each element of her story jumps right off of the page. Every moment of her story, from the plot, to the characters, etc. comes to life right before the reader's eyes, and I was hooked from the very first page to the last. I also so love the setting in Wales as well!

Maddie and Gryff's respective families have been feuding with one another for centuries. Once a year, someone from each family must meet someone from the other family on a bridge to shake their hand. Maddie and Gryff see one another on the bridge, and feelings (of different kinds) from the past begin to come to the surface. When the two soon realize that there are some mysterious happenings going on around them, they soon begin to work together to figure out what is going on. Will these two who supposedly despise one another be able to stand one another? Is there possibly a smaller line for them between love and hate? Have they possibly had feelings for one another for a very long time? With teasing, a wishing well, a cave. smugglers, and so much more, this book is full of so, so much. You simply must read it!

Possible Spoilers!
What a great enemies-to-lovers story! Maddie and Gryff truly bring out the best in one another, and they balance each other out quite well. When they begin to work and spend more time together, they soon begin to realize where their true feelings actually lie, and their banter is so much fun to read. They grow together, are truly such a great couple, and I hope we see them again in future books too!

If you enjoy historical romance, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages to see what would happen next, and kept me up until the early hours of the morning turning page after page, chapter after chapter. I am so looking forward to more books in this incredible series, and to reading what Ms. Bateman writes next!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, it is amazing! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another winning novel from Kate Bateman. I received this ARC from Netgalley—lucky me!

This book has one of the best opening lines from a book. "It started with a pig." The narrator then goes on to explain the origins of the feud between the Montgomerys and the Davies.

Reminiscent of the Capulets and the Montagues, Maddie Montgomery and Gryff Davies fall in love, although each tries to deny it as long as possible. Meanwhile, there is some marvelous banter between them. Of course, each believes the other hates them so when they find themselves alone together and Maddie admits she believed he hated her all the times he teased her, he tells her, like most boys, he teased her because he liked her. As things purges between them, I loved this:
"So that's how much you hate me," she breathed.
Her voice was a mixture of wonder and wicked laughter, and he let out a surprised snort. The cheeky minx.
"Hate me some more."

I also loved this description of Carys, Gryff's sister at the end of the book. "It was an astonishing sight. Blue ribbons had been threaded through her natural red hair to resemble waves, and a miniature ship, complete with paper sails, perched atop them at a jaunty angle as though being pitched and tossed in a storm. Pearl-ended pins were scattered throughout, like tiny specs of seafoam."

This book earns stars from me. I cannot wait to read more in the series.

This is fun story with a very action packed plot. I really liked both characters in this book and the very long standing family rivalry was fun. My main complaint could actually be something that appeals to some readers, but for me this story was too action packed. Both Maddie and Gryff are constantly moving from one dangerous event to another. I like my Regency romances to have more dialogue, and preferably wit, than what I found here. The characters have far more carnal interactions than I would prefer as I would like to read more of a slow burn with actual romance than the deflowering virgin scenes. To me this story felt rushed and incomplete. Where was the fun payoff for the reader in the father’s reaction to proposal of marriage with the family of arch nemesis? It also seemed too over the top with all the very obvious matches waiting to become later books in this series. I did enjoy the interaction between one of those couples as that heroine seems very fun and spunky so I would definitely read that book. This is a very quick read and it’s nice having two likeable characters with a long standing history when so often these books make the man off putting and the woman boring. Maddie is very much a blue stocking with interests of her own. Although the author in my opinion should have considered if a woman so interested in archeology would have been so daunted by tunnels. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A fun historical romance with Romeo and Juliet vibes. Quick , fun and easy to read. Ideal for romance lovers.

I started to read this book but I couldn't form any kind of connection with the characters. I waited a couple of weeks and tried to read it again from the beginning. Still nothing.

In this ruthless rivals-turned-lovers historical romance, Madeline Montgomery grew up hating Gryffud Davies. Their families had been enemies for centuries, but a yearly pledge to shake hands on neutral ground to keep their respective lands from the other brings them together again after a few years of separation. Maddie and Gryff realize that their neutral land is being used by smugglers, and they decide to take matters into their own hands to stop them. As Maddie and Gryff spend more time together, theyrealize that maybe they don't hate each other so much after all.

This is the first Kate Bateman book I have ever read, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I binged most of this book in one sitting and just could not get enough of Maddie and Gryff. They had such a good enemies-to-lovers relationship; I didn't want it to end! Gryff's teasing of Maddie had me giggling throughout the entire book, which I thought was just so entertaining and added to their relationship. I have absolutely no complaints about A Reckless Match, except that I would have loved to see a few more chapters from Gryff's perspective (but that's just because I low-key fell in love with him myself). This may have been my first read by Kate Bateman, but it most certainly will not be my last!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman!

Kate Bateman is officially one of my new favorite historical romance author; I went into this book with high expectations and she didn't let me down!

I absolutely love and adore this book. Kate Bateman is wonderful at writing. Her prose is beautiful, how she writes her characters is phenomenal, and she always includes a wonderful mix of plot and character-driven stories.

Something I really love about this book (and honestly is the main reason if I do love a book) is both Maddie and Gryff. Maddie is the type of heroine that I love. She is strong, she is intelligent, she is a mix of being carefree but also grounded and realistic and honestly she is just a wonderful heroine. Gryff is also amazing in his ruggish charm. But, I really love Gryff and Maddie together and feel like they compliment each other so well. I love reading about their tension, I loved their banter, and found them overall to be so cute together. I also appreciate how nothing was dragged out between them and feel like the pacing in this book was fantastic.

Overall, I love love love this book and love Kate Bateman. If you love historical romance or want to get into it, Kate Bateman is a must-read!

Maddie and Gryff are absolutely adorable! They have loved each other forever but with the feud between their families, they cannot act on it. Gryff’s annoyance toward Maddie through their growing years only confused her.

I loved how they met in secret to ‘work’ together after the ‘once a year’ required meeting. Both have a lot of pride and neither know how to work out the situation so they could be together. Each had feelings they had to recognize and overcome. I loved the suggestion of giving the other family a pig!

The whole underlying story of the smugglers was a good way to help these two spend time together to overcome their family-taught problems. When Gryff found out about the marriage proposal Maddie’s dad wanted her to accept, Gryff was really unkind and said some hurtful words to Maddie. She retaliated as well. But, once Gryff figured out what to do to help her father see him favorable, he made up for it.

Maddie’s aunts are hilarious and good for Maddie. They go a long way toward helping her see past with Maddie thinks she should do and act. Their two families are going to entertain us throughout this new Ruthless Rivals series as each couple begin to see the other in a new way.

4.5 stars rounded up for the bickering and teasing (and the scarf-stealing incident where Griff stole Maddie's scarf as a kid and hung it from the roof of his castle, hoping she'd storm the castle and take it back, not knowing, of course, why he has always loved torturing the thorn in his side).

Kate Bateman has lately become an auto-buy (or rather, auto-request) author for me, and this book proved once more why I've come to love her writing: loveably flawed characters who communicate and grow together, amazing supporting characters who have me anxiously awaiting their own books, fun banter, low-angst, and just an all-around great time!

I loved this book from the very set-up: two households, divided for centuries, always squabbling over this and that (legend has it, it all started with the theft of a pig). Maddie and Griff were so adorable in their bickering and teasing, unable to understand just why the other one is the only person they love to tease and torture... Their journey from childhood nemesis to lovers was just one fun, action-packed ride (there are smugglers to catch, caves to be explored, maybe even a dragon to avoid...), and I can't wait to see the next couple get their turn!

My only (small) complaints are a tendency on Griff's side to assume the worse, and the pacing towards the end once they both realize they *gasp* love each other.

But other than that, I really loved getting to know these two families, and I can't wait for the next books (I can't decide whose story I want first, her cousin and his brother who try so hard not to admit they have always liked each other, or her brother and his sister who think one is a stick-in-the-mud and the other a fake airhead). They all promise to be so much fun, and I already love all of the characters!

Perfectly delightful. A Reckless Match was great fun to read. Strong compelling characters, a fast-paced plot a d lots of steam make for a great read. Even better, the stage is set for a series. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for a review.

This was my first Kate Bateman book and the first in her new Ruthless Rivals series and it was a delight and a half. The book had me laughing from page one and gave me all the feels. It follow Maddie and Gryff, neighbors whose families have been in a centuries long feud, who have to come to terms with the fact that they love each other rather than hate each other. I am a huge sucker for enemies to lovers romances and this one is an absolute wonderful example of the sub-genre.

I loved all of Maddie and Gryff’s interactions. Being in both their heads was so entertaining because their words… at least in the beginning were always continuing the feud but their thoughts immediately afterwards betrayed their attraction and affection for the other. Both were wonderful and strong main characters. They were their own people and there was so much more to both their personalities and backgrounds than just their families’ feud.

Part of the fun of this book was the setting. Rather than take place in London, the book takes place mostly on the pair’s estates in Wales. I don’t remember the last time I read a book that takes place in Wales. Beyond that, a surprising amount of this book takes place in a cave system in the no man’s land between the two estates. In addition to the setting the book introduced a fun cast of side characters, a few of which I assume will be the main characters in the upcoming books in the series.

I can’t wait to see where this series goes. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enemies to lovers? Secret tunnels, dangerous smugglers, and feuding families? All of this and more in this delightful story about two childhood enemies who are reunited after years... and maybe the line between hate and love isn’t as clear as they thought. Madeline Montgomery grew up despising, while also secretly in love with the roguish Gryffud “Gryff” Davies. Gryff has just returned from fighting in the war and has just been given the title of Earl. The only thing keeping him going is the possibility of seeing Maddie again, he spent most of his days daydreaming about teasing her and just being near her again... and now that they’re finally face to face again, suddenly he can’t stay away. Gryff and Madeline discover a secret cave and Madeline is determined to explore it, her dream is to pursue archeology and Gryff proposes that they explore it together since it is between both of their lands... and they soon discover they are not the only ones using the cave as they discover a secret smuggling ring. Madeline is desperate to find a way to make money as her family is in bankrupt and the old lecherous neighbor has offered her father 2000 pounds for her hand in marriage and she does not want it at all. Soon Gryff and Madeline find that the more time they spend together the more they can’t resist one another. Gryff now has to find a way to persuade a girl who loathes him to actually see that him teasing her hasn’t been because he hated her as a child, but rather the complete opposite. Madeline must struggle between her growing feelings for Gryff and trying to solve her family’s bankruptcy, all the while avoiding being killed by smugglers and exploring a cave that might hold more treasure than they know. This was a sweet story told through both characters POVs and their banter was really sweet. This is the first book in the series and I can’t wait to read about more of the other characters and books!! I will definitely be reading the next couple of books!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

"A Reckless Match" was an enjoyable read; I did not want to put it down until I finished. The Davies and Montgomery clans have feuded for centuries; though the bloodshed has largely stopped, replaced by mutual efforts to antagonize the other side as much as possible. The book starts shortly before noon on the Spring Equinox, March 21, 1815. Madeline (Maddie) Montgomery is at the bridge that divides the strip of no-man's-land between the estates of her family and that of the Davies. Sir Owain Davies, the Earl of Powys, died last summer, and his oldest son, Gryffud, had assumed the title. However, despite being forced to return from fighting Napoleon to take up the title and the responsibilities that go with it, Gryffud (Gryff) had yet to return to his ancestral home, spending his time cavorting around London, along with his younger brother Rhys and sister Carys; the third brother, Morgan, was a naval officer and currently away at sea. Maddie is desperately hoping that no member of the Davies' family shows, because failure to appear at noon and shake the hand of the representative of the other family results in forfeiture of the strip of joint-owned no-man's-land. Maddie's father was one of many victims of a stock market swindle and is deeply in debt, on the verge of bankruptcy, and so gaining sole ownership of the land, and the minerals beneath it, would be highly advantageous. It would also allow Maddie to avoid marrying Sir Mostyn Drake, the local Justice of the Peace, a twice-widowed old lecher who has offered her father a substantial sum if they marry. Maddie has no desire to marry Drake or anyone else who will not respect her autonomy and freedom and allow her to continue her archeological pursuits and other habits not appropriate for a "society wife."

Of course, Gryff arrives at the last minute, immensely delighted to see that Maddie is the Montgomery representative. Ever since they were children, Gryff has enjoyed teasing and tormenting Maddie, and he was looking forward to more opportunities to do so. When Maddie extends her hand for the handshake, Gryff grasps it, but decides to have some fun (and do something he had long wanted to do), and so he pulls her in close, announces they should start a new tradition, and kisses her. Maddie is shocked, but also disappointed, because as annoying as she finds Gryff, she has long wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him, and the kiss on the bridge was less than satisfactory.

After the meeting on the bridge, Maddie stops at a local wishing well to make a wish, and is followed by Gryff. She notices that the well is dry and wants to figure out why, but when she goes to investigate a strange sunken indentation in the ground, she falls into a tunnel (from which Gryff has to rescue her). They agree to return the next day to investigate the cave/tunnel together. This is the start of a series of events that will force them to spend a considerable amount of time together, place them in danger on multiple occasions, and help them realize that there longstanding animosity is really something else entirely, especially as both of them have long thought about engaging in "improper" acts with the others.

The interaction between Maddie and Gryff is quite enjoyable, especially as Gryff is quite proficient at getting a rise out of Maddie and she cannot help but take the bait, but she is also a force to be reckoned with herself and repeatedly manages to exasperate Gryff. Adding to the fun is that they cannot be seen together, because of the mutual animosity between the families, and when circumstances place them together in a situation where they should not be together, creative explanations become necessary. They play a rather amusing game utilizing Samuel Johnson's dictionary (and certainly not what Johnson intended when creating the dictionary). The intimacy, when it occurs, is quite well done. Gryff's siblings and Maddie's brother and cousin play supporting roles at times and they are quite creative characters as well; furthermore, much like Gryff and Maddie, the animosity between Morgan and Harriet and the apparent indifference of Tristan toward Carys may well hide other feelings (and create possibilities for future books). I would certainly recommend "A Reckless Match" and I hope to see future books involving these characters.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

A fun series starter, the book combines some great romance tropes: childhood frenemies-to-lovers from feuding families, Gryff and Madeline, must work together to catch a band of smugglers. In the meantime, Madeline is trying to hide her family's bankruptcy from Gryff, although it could mean that she has to marry a rich old lecher to save them. For his part, Gryff is learning how to be the head of his family after his father's death. Maddie's interest in archaeology is a welcome addition to the book. While the third act conflict is a bit predictable, its resolution was satisfyingly enjoyable, and left us ready for the rest of the series.