Follow 2 families with one owing so needing something positive to happen. Grown now Maddie is not the same in Gryff's eyes. They find illegal goods on the land. They think it can help or can it. Attached to it is danger with staying alive a goal. This being a enemy to lovers story turn the pages to see how it is accomplished.

I found this a bit difficult to get into but overall really enjoyed it. I liked the family rivalry and the banter. All in all a really fun read.

This was a romantic, swoon-worthy romp through the Regency era. It had all the essential elements that make for a great, historical romance read. The story line was interesting, and the characters were complex and rich with life. I enjoyed this book immensely!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Feuding neighbors to lovers! This romance was filled with clever banter and sexy chemistry, and lots of fun plot twists as Gryff and Maddie team up to catch a band of smugglers while Maddie is trying to rescue her family from bankruptcy, and Gryff is learning to be head of his family.

A fun, quick read!

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

Rival families who can benefit when, after having financial problems, they discover contraband in their neighboring lands.
Now, involved in an extremely dangerous grand scheme, both Maddie Montgomery and Gryff Davies, the Earl of Powys, will have to join forces and try to overcome the enormous attraction that unites them.
A novel full of adventures, starting another series of Ms Bateman.
4 stars

I love a good Kate Bateman romance and A Reckless Match did not disappoint. I loved how she set us up for many more novels to come with this particular group of people. The steamy enemies to love trope always works well, and it was seamlessly delivered in this story. Maddie was a great heroine who is a bit stubborn and reckless, but also knows when it's right to accept help. And Gryff was the perfect bad-boy turned good hero. Their chemistry was sparkling from the very beginning and only grew throughout the story. I'm already waiting for the next novel in this series to come out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

A Reckless Match is a lovely Enemies to Lovers story. With a decades long family rivalry, this feud rivals Romeo & Juliet in it's intensity. Although, for the newest generation, it doesn't seem like there was much hate to begin with.

Well written, lots of history references.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

I liked the entire family feud premise. There is plenty of setup within for further books in this series pairing a Montgomery with a Davies. However, I didn't feel that the story or characters covered any new ground or stood out. Overall, this was firmly on brand for the genre so if this historical time period is your romance jam, this will be an enjoyable read.

Reckless is the key!

Welsh Clan Davies and the English family, the Montgomery’s had been feuding for centuries over…a stolen pig?…or maybe a stolen woman? No matter it’s so far back in time the root cause has been forgotten, although the dissension lives on. Oh, and then there’s the ‘no man’s’ strip of land either side of the river which is the boundary between the two factions, as decreed by King Henry VII. He was exasperated by the whole sorry mess being played out on the border country of Wales and England. Talk about the Capulets and Montagues! Or to Henry’s mind, the Medici’s and the Borgia’s.
Each year on the spring equinox, a representative of the families must meet on the narrow bridge spanning the river and shake hands. Failure to appear means that strip of land is forfeited by the family who fails to turn up for the occasion.
In this year of 1815 Madeline Montgomery is her family’s representative. The end of the time specified is approaching and no Davies has appeared. Just as she’s about to metaphorically dance a victory jig, the rogue and her childhood tormentor Gwf Davies rides over the hill.
Gwf is back in Wales taking a rest from Prinny’s gaze. He’s just been involved in a duel. Prinny does not approve!
Meanwhile Maddie is trying to bring the family fortunes around. And yes that much discussed strip of land is involved.
There’s a cast of interesting characters including two wicked and eccentric aunts. Always dropping rather charged comments. I loved them!
Off to stage left, or is it right? are a couple of interesting relationships that bear watching.
The story has it all—feuding lead characters smouldering with desire, adventure, near death experiences, hidden treasure (sort of), miles of caves (I felt the walls closing in) and mystery.
Quite a lot is happens, with some rather comic moments. Amusing remenicents bring a lighter note to the heaving, electric emotions that charge the atmosphere between our two lead characters. Their struggles to fight that attraction of course just increases tensions, and leads to some rather steamy interplay.
However resolution of land use problems and Maddie’s financial situation is not clear and the road ahead is somewhat rocky.
An easy, fun read!

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Copy received from Entangled Publishing & Netgalley. Voluntarily reviewing and all opinions are objective and my own.

Historical romance with an enemies to lovers twist. Yes please! With the addition of a childhood crush thing too.

Gryff Davies and Maddie Montgomery’s families have basically been in a non-violent war since ever. A bit of a Romeo and Juliet thing. They meet up as their families do every year but realize their attraction to one another after so long of not seeing each other.

At times, the book got slow but for the most part I was really into it. I think Maddie is unique for a historical FMC but in a good way. She’s focused on her future and not a marriage, even if she’s aware one’s coming in order for her to help her family. Gryff is hilarious. And the chemistry between them is off the charts.

I love the plot that pulled them together, but again, it’s the chemistry that does it all for me. It’s the first I read of this author but now i’m so interested in more, especially this series.

The feud started with a pig, or maybe a woman, and has gone on for centuries. When the king tired of it, he demanded that the Montgomery and Davies (one from each clan) meet for a handshake. This year it will be Madeline Montgomery and Gryffud Davies who meet in the middle of the bridge. They didn’t expect that handshake would be the beginning of an intriguing and sometimes romantic adventure.

A Reckless Match is the first book in Kate Bateman’s new series, Ruthless Rivals. The story is full of action, intrigue, and romance. There are wishing wells, smugglers, and gold mines. Maddie and Gryff are great characters. Their part in the feud has always been to pester each other relentlessly. The banter between them is funny and flirty, and the chemistry is hot. Moving past the feud and being “enemies” won’t be easy, be the result will be worth it. An exciting romantic adventure. Great beginning for the series.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

The first book in Kate Bateman's new Ruthless Rivals series, A Reckless Match, will draw you into the Montgomery and Davies families, where the family feud hides an undercurrent of attraction between Madeline Montgomery and Gryff Davies.

Gryff has returned to his family's Welsh castle as the new Earl of Powys after an illegal duel sent him away from London.  Madeline is trying to saving her family from ruin after her father made some bad investments.  Madeline secretly longs for Gryff, while he is the boy who pulled a girl's hair not to be mean but to be noticed.

Smugglers add danger and adventure for Gryff and Madeline, who realize they are better together rather than as enemies.  Bateman has written an entertaining story filled with well-developed characters, including Harriet and Morgan and Carys and Tristan, that will definitely whet your appetite for more of the series.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest revie

Maddie and Gryff’s families have been neighbors and sworn enemies for a long time. When Gryff returns from his time in the service he and Maddie connect and sparks fly. Maddie is trying to find a way to save her family’s home and prevent her father from marrying her off to an older man. Gryff and Maddie discover smuggling on their land and in the process find a vein of gold. Gryff and Maddie finally admit their true feelings for each other. We are introduced to several other characters that will likely be the subject to future books. I enjoyed this book. It had the enemies to friends to lovers trope and I believed them together. I wish we had gotten more on Gryff and Maddie as kids. There are a few glimpses, but I wanted more.

I really wanted to love this story but honestly, I had a very hard time getting into it. The premise sounded so promising and the writing style isn't bad per se. It's just extremely slow at times to the point that I had to put it down and come back to it. And that usually doesn't happen with books for me. The interactions between the main characters was decent but I really didn't care for Gryff and his attitude towards Maddie. I don't know, he just comes across as arrogant and just rude. I didn't care for him at all. So while this book wasn't horrible, it definitely wasn't for me and I doubt I will read the rest of the series once it's out.

A wonderful story, it's already one of my 2021 favorite books, The reasons for the families' feud is hilarious.
Ms. Bateman, congratulations on the new series, I can't hardly wait for the next instalment.

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman. I have voluntarily agreed to read and review this book prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced my rating.

A Reckless Match is a well written Regency novel with endearing characters. The setting put me in the era of the Regency period. The pacing of this tale didn’t keep my attention though, until I was well into the story, which is unfortunate.

Maddie Montgomery is the heroine, and her determination to save her family appealed to me. While the last thing she wants to do is wed the disgusting old lecher, she will do it if she can’t find a way to get the funds to meet her father’s debts. I could feel her emotions going from hope that a Davies would not appear, and her despair when the Earl of Powyes shows up.

Gryff Davies is the hero, and he’s a bit dashing and debonaire. The evidence he doesn’t detest Maddie is obvious when she sees the scarf she’d lost as a young girl. The feud between the families is not strong enough to keep their attraction from surfacing whenever the pair are together.

The romance between Maddie and Gryff is delightful with sexual tension abounding between the pair. I enjoyed watching them fight the forbidden attraction. I wanted the couple to find a way to be together.

This is what didn’t work for me. As I mentioned previously, the pacing took me until I reached the middle of the story. If I hadn’t agreed to read the complimentary copy, I would have given up and not finished the book. However, I’m glad I did because the second half picked up dramatically and pulled into the characters and the plot.

If you enjoy historical romances set in the Regency period with engaging characters, I encourage you to hang in there, because as the story progresses, you’ll fall in love with the hero and heroine. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. Happy reading!

I really enjoyed reading this story by one of my favorite authors. Ms Bateman knows how to write a lovely romance with lots of funny stuff along with bitter enemies that turns to love. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. This book held my interest from start to finish.
Madeline Montgomery's family has hated the dreadful Davies family for hundred of years. Madeline has still loved and hated Gryffud “Gryff” Davies a long time and he's totally a rake. He lives a life in London going around the glittering ballrooms having affairs. But when one affair goes wrong, he is involved in a dual which is illegal, he leaves and returns home to his Welsh castle.
Now Gryff is not at all happy to be home, but one good thing is seeing Madeline again, who has grown into a beautiful woman. Maddy doesn't want to have anything to do with him, and has only her family to worry about. Lots of adventure with smugglers, and feuding families. You will wonder if Gryff and Maddy will get their happy ever after. They do, but it will take a lot of time to get there.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an hones review.

Such a delightful twist on Romeo and Juliet with the added mystery of smugglers. I loved every minute of this tale. We have a centuries long family feud, underground tunnels, danger from smuggles and a father going bankrupt. It kept me engaged every step of the way.

Madeline Jayne Montgomery is headstrong young woman who hasn't been successful in finding love at the age of 22. Gryffud Davies is the new Earl of Powys, 26, just back from the war and has been sowing his oats in London before he takes of the responsibilities at home. The two families have a feud that is kept peaceful by meeting on the bridge in the no mans land between their properties and shaking hands on the solstice. Madeline becomes this years representative and Gryff manages to make it back just in time. They have a long history as children giving each other trouble. Gryff loves to tease her and she tried to hate him. He follows her home from their meeting to make sure she gets home safe and when she accidentally falls into an unknown sink hole he rescues her. There are unknown tunnels in the no mans land that they explore that lead to smugglers caves on the ocean shore. Their adventure into bringing the smuggles to justice starts a love between them that's forbidden. This story was a delight from beginning to end.

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

This is the first book by this author that I read .I loved the h, she was intelligent,resourceful . I liked the enemies to lover troupe and the fact that they both realized that it was love all along .I wasn’t very found of the boys tease the girls they like theme .

Great start to a new regency series. Maddie and Gryff’s families have been rivals for centuries but what will happen when sparks begin to fly between them. Fast-paced read with plenty of drama and sizzling chemistry. Great characters and an entertaining, action-packed historical read. I liked it.