A daring pursuit was the best enemies to lovers romance I've read lately. It was simply entertaining, so daring for that time and I laughed through the whole book. Clarys Davies was something else. You would think she was superficial yet totally the opposite was the truth. She was the kindest and the most thoughtful person in her family and most of the ton. She has hated Tristan Montgomery nearly her whole life yet she wished he would pay her some attention. Maybe she also has loved him since she has known him. Because let´s be honest the range between hate and love is very short. Tristan Davies was kind of very serious and brooding, yet kind at heart and very attracted to Clarys, although he would never say that out loud. Except when that time came they just couldn´t pretend anymore and at this point, the story turns very interesting. I believe every lover of funny and historical fiction should grab this book, as it´s sort of historical RomCom. Although this is a part of series, this book can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC copy. It's always a joy to read historical romance novels.

A DARING PURSUIT by Kate Bateman is the second novel in the Ruthless Rivals series. This is also a Regency Romance during the lifetime of Jane Austen who created novels like Pride and Prejudice.

Kate Bateman's historical romance is about two people from rival families, with vibes of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, who start out as "enemies" and become sweethearts. I liked the character development of Carys and Gryff. This novel is a pageturner.

Highly recommended for fans of Regency Romance.

Will his well crafted future recognize his need for her in them …

Kate Bateman did it again, she brings together two people everything seems to oppose when in fact they complete one another.
Carys is wildness when Tristan is order.
She is set on shocking the ton, never cowering nor bending. She does as she pleases. Only her one mistake in her first year as a debutante is holding her back. Since she is even more outrageous, her only way to keep people at arm bay.
And while she is now more aware about men’s flaws she also longs for the only man who has made her heart beat faster, if only he was not her family’s nemesis even if they have now made a truce and are working together to settle things between them all.
Tristan has his mind set on his projects, his life all mapped out. His work, his new house and the perfect prospective bride, if only he was not always drawn to his hellion of a neighbor’s sister. She is chaos when he likes orderliness.
Yet when he realizes she has been caught in a trap not of her making, he can’t let her face it alone.

I loved how they trust one another despite their family’s history, they have circled one another for years, a pull they resisted until now when circumstances bring them together.
Tristan’s lessons in seduction and pleasure are sweet and sensual, restoring Carys’ rights of her body and needs.
An entertaining read with sweet sensual moment, plenty of mischiefs and a dash of danger.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

A Daring Pursuit
Book 2 in the Ruthless Rivals Series
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that I was really looking forwards to reading this one because I loved the first book in the series, but I was disappointed.
A Daring Pursuit continues where the previous book left off in which we see the Montgomery and Davies' families trying to live in peace. Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery have known each other for a long time. They have gotten in each others nerves for about the same amount of time. Now that their families are connected because of Carys' brother married Tristan's sister (from the first book in the series) they see each other more often in social events. Because of what happened to Carys two years ago, she has decided that she does not care what society thinks of her behavior or what she wears. She has sworn off getting married. She then gets the idea that Tristan should instruct her in what she will be missing out by not getting married...
*****SPOILERS*****

Why the 3 stars?
I really wanted to like it, but to be honest I was bored with these two characters. They have been attracted to each other for a long time and see this week that they agree to spend together as a way to finally enjoy themselves physically, while attempting to hide their feelings for each other. I missed the romance between them. They seem to flirt with each other and especially more when Tristan learns that she no longer is a virgin. This made it a little awkward because if she were still a virgin would they had gotten together at all? So did he really feel anything for her besides a physical attraction. I guess this is one of the reasons why childhood friends to lovers trope( in this case frenemies) doesn't really work for me because as a reader I like to see those first moments of when they meet and slowly develop feelings for each other.
Also I don't like how the "villain" of the story got away easily after all that he did to ruin her and blackmail her.
One of the things that I did like was Carys big heart towards helping animals. I enjoyed those short scenes of when she spends times with her animals.
I will continue with the series because I want so see more of these two families.

A Daring Pursuit is the second book in the Ruthless Rivals series. This book can be a stand alone read, but it is so entertaining you will surely want to read the first.

The Davies-Montgomery feud has gone on for five hundred years. Carys Davies has gone out of her way to be noticed. She has no intention of marrying, but she doesn't mind enticing men to try to win her hand. She goes out of her way to annoy Tristan.

Tristan suspects Carys is carrying on with a married man. But when Tristan discovers a secret that could ruin Carys, he suggests an unlikely alliance for one week and they both walk away when completed. Carys never one to walk away from a challenge accepts. Little does he know Carys can't stop thinking of Tristan.

This was a wonderful quick read. Very entertaining and well written. The enemies to friends, and opposite attracts plots are always hot and worth the read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Carys Davies has always been outrageous in the eyes of the ton, but especially to Tristan Montgomery. They've always been enemies with Tristan always criticizing her for being too bold, but underneath his cold persona, he actually desires Carys. He just wants to keep himself in control of it because he knows it could burn them both if he does. Once Tristan discovers her biggest secret, he offers to teach her the ways of seduction. He never expects either of their hearts to get caught up in their bargain.

Oooh, I really loved this one. I stayed up way too late reading. I'm gonna say this now, but this has been one of my favorite reads this year. The attraction between Carys and Tristan burned hotter than the sun, and I just couldn't get enough of them. They were stubborn and fought each other at every turn. It led to some funny quips by each other, and it kept me super entertained. I adored how Tristan made made subconscious decisions with Carys in mind because his brain way just a little behind his heart.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and can't wait for the next one.

When I found out that the second book of “The Ruthless Rivals” series was available for request I clicked the button so hard that I almost broke my keyboard. I love Kate Bateman’s newest series and here’s why:

This is the second book of the Davieses and the Montgomeries, two neighboring families, one Welsh, the other one English who have been enemies for centuries until the eldest Davies brother Gryff, fell in love with the Montgomery sister, Maddy. Still there’s some kind of enmity by habit between the remaining Davies brothers and sister (Morgan, Rhys and Carys) and the Montgomery brother, Tristan, and the cousin, Harriet. I loved the first book mainly because it was not only romantic but also full of adventure. This second book I was liking well enough but then it skyrocketed and I ended up liking it more.

The thing with Carys and Tristan is that they’ve always been in love. Always. Even when they were children. But they were enemies by habit, as in not really enemies because the reason for the feud was forgotten long ago. But they never owned their feelings for each other. So when Tristan and Carys’ brothers went to war in the Peninsula, Carys who was a debutante, lost her virtue to a man who she thought she loved. Two years after that, everyone is back and Tristan learns that this man is a blackguard who is blackmailing Carys to pay his debts. The experience Carys had when the thing happened was so bad that she never wants to marry or at least she will marry a man who won’t bed her… and Tristan is willing to show her what she’s missing.

This book was so much more romantic than the first one. And the first one was very romantic indeed! But in this case there’s tension between them right from the start. They are sparking, electrifying and so beautiful, both of them. Carys is an independent woman, strong, caring, compassionate with a weakness for animals (she rescued a dancing bear). She tries to scandalize London society by wearing the most extravagant outfits so no one dares court her, and the effect is quite the oposite, because she’s a sensual goddess. Tristan wants to be an architect. He wants to marry a demure lady who would be the perfect hostess, but it is Carys the one he loves. And the one he needs.

“You are my favorite enemy”

The best thing about this couple is that they are very sincere and very honest with each other, they call themselves “enemies with benefits” at one point and they never hide anything, even if they hide it from everyone else. They speak about their dreams, their plans, the future… but they are yet to realize that the future and their dreams won’t be fulfilled without one another.

Apart from that there’s a lot of talk about enmity, war, loyalty, and most especially about womanhood. The fragility of a woman’s honor and how easy it was for a woman to lose their virtue, and how unfair it is that in a woman’s virtue lies her value.

Love, adventure, rivalry, angst… and gorgeous covers. I can’t wait to read Harriet’s book.

This one just made me so happy. It has a slew of my favorite historical romance ingredients–uptight male main character, rival families with a longstanding feud, pining, enemies-to-lovers–with a dash of “How can you have never had a satisfying experience” / “Let me give you an education” thrown in. Yes, please.

And when the characters think, “We can do this without feelings,” you want to reach into the book, pinch their cheeks, and reply, “Oh, sweet darlings, this is a romance novel. You know things don’t work that way.” You would follow that with a sweet smile while internally cackling and thinking, “Let the games begin.”

The book has tons of banter and exactly the right amount of steam. It is the second in a series but can be read as a standalone.

Are there perhaps things that could be tweaked or fleshed out a bit more? Sure, but this one was so delightful and delectable that I am giving it five stars.

I received an ARC ebook from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved every page of this book, start to finish! Carys is a spunky little heroine, sought after by many eligible men of the ton. Yet she shuns them all, saying she won’t marry, fearful of them unveiling the scandalous secret she holds; a secret so bad that she has been blackmailed for two years to keep it hidden. There is only one man that holds her heart, that is the architect, Tristan Montgomery, a part of the family that holds a long time feud with her own. But he has loved her from afar, and when he finds her secret, he offers to show her the romance she will be missing if she never marries. And show her he does! The passionate romance of these two dynamic lovers is off the charts! Throw in some smuggling, espionage and evil doers, in addition to some delightful wild animals Carys has adopted , and you have a wonderfully entertaining story!!

2.5 to 3 stars. Rounding up to a 3 because I did really enjoy the characters.

I’m feeling very conflicted about this historical romance.

I really enjoyed the couple’s interactions. Carys and Tristan have known each other all their lives. They pretend to dislike each other to hide the fact that they are actually very much pining for the other person. Their banter is fun and they are concerned about the other’s well-being. I enjoyed spending my time with them, even if I never found them to be quite squee-worthy. They are interesting characters! And there were some very fun moments involving the two!

That said, at no point did this read like an enemies to lovers romance! Their pretence was not convincing at all and their pining was almost annoyingly over-the-top in some sections.

But my main issues were with the structure and the very modern writing style. While I enjoyed the humorous tone of the writing a lot, the language and a lot of the characters’ behaviour felt way too contemporary, for my liking. I found it jarring and it pulled me out of the story.

The structure was very bitty. Lots of little moments strung together. It never flowed very well and didn’t allow for great immersion. It made the story very dull and meant that I was even somewhat bored of the relationship after the first half.

It took more than 30% for the story to pick up and for the promised affair plot - described in the blurb - to come into play. The rest of the description, involving the “treasonous plot”, took even longer to properly get going.

The plot was very thin and kept going round in circles. There was also a lot of repetition of facts. Carys was ruined… Tristan went on a Grand Tour…over and over. By the time the plot and the relationship started to move forward, I didn’t really care a lot anymore.

Overall, a very mixed bag with characters that were enjoyable to read about.

A Daring Pursuit is ultimately a sexy fantasy novel with a touch of The Taming of the Shrew coupled with Midsummer Night Dreams. Full of fireworks and seduction it tells a tale of historically adversarial families whose younger members have been eying each other lustfully for some time.

✨Architectural pining✨

Hands down my favorite book of the year that is BOLD I know but absolutely this is my historical Hating Game and it was perfect and lovely and hot and I want to be reading it forever. Once I began, I couldn’t put it now and simply didn’t want to.

Every moving part MOVED me. I’m no particular order, here are my highlights:
✨Quick read
✨No third act breakup
✨Sex lessons; delivers on sex when it promises sex
✨Mutual wrecking of each other’s plans
✨A character who thinks sex is lackluster (one of my favorite sub tropes)
✨Perfectly executed envy; both characters don’t really project anger they just internally melt their days away wishing they had each other
✨Hot sex; from behind which was a major plus I literally said thank god out loud when he got her on hands and knees 🥵🫠🫡
✨Perfect grand gesture; i.e. the I’ve always loved you…let me show you moment; i.e his house is so hot for her; i.e architectural pining
✨Great supporting characters; I especially love me some aggravated and protective brothers
✨Villain bested by proper justice
✨Main characters with hot personalities; my y fav combo of characters which is wild/buttoned up
✨Both just absolutely pining for ages but annoyed about it
✨Fun interests: architecture and animal rehabilitation and rescue; bears!
✨Flawless writing; phenomenal use of analogies and metaphors
✨Ancient Greek and Roman references which I always love in historical romances

This was absolutely timeless. It’s now my one-stop romance for everything I need in a comfort read book. I can throw on the audiobook for a few hours and know I will immediately feel better. Books like this are the reason I will gladly read 200+ books a year, simply in hopes of finding ONE that makes me feel this type of at peace.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5

Fun, fun, fun book of rival frenemies to lovers story. This book was a page turner enemies-to-lovers for a historical romance. Carys is being blackmailed and who better to turn to for help is her enemy for pointers. I like the back-and-forth chemistry and banner of Carys and Tristan. The story was good and couldn't put it down. The supporting characters were enjoyable with funny aunts, alpha brothers, villain and let’s not forget the pets. Everyone got into the action for this couple. I would recommend this to book. It was fast paced and enjoyable. I look forward to reading other books by this author.


**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

I was sent this arc through NetGalley, but all opinions are mine. This was an interesting story and full of everything you would expect in a historical romance

This was an enjoyable book about two families in a feud where a man and a women make a deal only to realize that they can't be apart. This is the second book in the series but could be read as a standalone. I'm a huge fan of enemies to lovers and this book gave me a vibe of Romeo and Juliet so I knew I had to pick up this book. Bateman is an incredible writer when it came to keeping up the bantering and sexual tension while also making it entertaining. The setting and pacing were perfect. The one problem I had was that I wish the feud was more clearer in this book or mentioned in the beginning. Since I didn't read the first one, I was confused with why the families have a feud as the first book is also about the same thing. Overall the writing was great!

This book is written from both Tristan and Carys pov. I really enjoyed both characters especially of Carys as she didn't care what others thought about her clothes. She showed off her true self and I love it! Both characters also have great character development and developed together throughout the story. There are some side characters in this book but I felt some of them being missing in a way. Like there could have been more of this main side characters in this book to balance out the series story. Though the romance in this book was amazing of course it being enemies to lovers. The sex scenes were steamy and there was so much tension!

The ending was fast for this book which I thought was pretty okay in my opinion. I was really happy with how this story turned out to be especially it having one of my favorite tropes. Also Carys is such an amazing women idol that I truly love her. There were some minor problems with this book but other then that this book was amazing. I do recommend you read the first book in the series just to know more about the story. This book is perfect for The Viscount Who Loved Me and The Rules for Engaging the Earl.

This is book 2 in the Ruthless Rivals series. Carys Davies is trying everything so that she doesn't have to get married and expose her secret. The one person who ruffles her feathers is Tristan Montgomery, her family's great rival. Can he break through her shell and can they trust each other enough to fight the battle ahead of them?

The first 25% was a struggle. The storyline was great but it had my least favorite trope ( not good enough to marry).
I would recommend this book for enemies to lovers' fans.

Enemies to Lovers give them all to me!

I love the family feud between the Davis and Montgomery, in my own way I want so much more of these two families in my reading life. The tension between Carys and Tristan is off the flipping charts, I wish I could have bottled it up. It burns off the pages which is harder than you would think when it comes to historical romances. I enjoyed the sub plot also, which are normally hit or misses for me. This is a must add to your summer reading list.

this checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read. Historical fiction oh yeah. Love me some of this.

A Daring Pursuit is an enemies to lovers trope with a lot of heat and moderate angst. Carys and Tristan are polar opposites, but that doesn't stop the passionate attraction. Throw in a few villains and a group of wild animals and you'll have an amusing tale.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.