This book was such a delightful treat!

I always enjoy reading this author because I know there will be an adventure storyline somewhere along the way!

Tristan and Carys definitely have that unresolved tension between the two, that always toes the line of pure attraction.

Carys definitely is one of my favorite kind of historical romance heroines, she loves to make a splash, and does it her way. Tristan is the grumpy to her sunshine, and I truly appreciate that he heeded her wishes, and also helped her along the way with her issues with Howe.

These two families are rife with antics, which makes this series so fun! Tristan’s aunts are my favorite, and Carys’ nanny a close second. I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

The second book in Kate Bateman’s RUTHLESS RIVALS series continues the stories of the Montgomery-Davies families feud of over 500 years. Neighbors and enemies still, Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery are as different as fire and ice and drawn to each other (for years). Both Carys and Tristan wear their emotional armor, be it fire or ice, for multiple reasons – family honor, fear, the feud, their hearts. Bateman creates richly developed characters, a perfect review of the feud without it becoming paramount or quirky to the story, a balance of lightness in excellent wit and dialogue with the perfect weight in themes (i.e., the imbalance in power and property between men and women at that time) so it neither turns to farce nor melodrama, and woven allusions to mythology and Shakespearean plays…even to the point that Tristan and Carys wonder in the midst of the wild Welch countryside and forests with unfolding danger if they are in a Bard’s tragedy or comedy. A clever and effective touch to the story. Kate Bateman blends it all superbly, even to the last page when we are spared any of the customary saccharin wrap-up in this genre.

A DARING PURSUIT had a high bar to reach after book one, A RECKLESS MATCH. It more than achieved it. I downloaded the book yesterday morning, read it from virtual cover to cover, and didn’t want it to end. I rarely reread books, but this one I will soon, to dig out the nuggets and gems perhaps missed in my reading frenzy as well as to slowly savor it, page by page. This was a book I eagerly awaited, and I’m grateful to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Paperbacks for providing me this early-reading experience. I am also grateful to the author, Kate Bateman, for writing a book that was enjoyable and well written. I read everything Kate Bateman writes, and I eagerly await the next book(s) in this series.

A classic "opposites attract" story - the staid and serious boy-next-door who pines for the fiery, wild-child girl of the enemy family.

The description of fashions that our intrepid heroine dons were the absolute highlight of this book!

This was really great! The characters are fleshed out really well, the banter is OFF THE CHARTS, and the chemistry between leads is believable. I really can't rave about this enough, it's Peak Romance.

4.5/5⭐️

I’m a fairly recent Bateman fan, and this is the 2nd in her Ruthless Rivals series centered around two long-feuding families, the Davies and Montgomerys.

Carys is the only female in the Davies family and thus is adventurous and free spirited. She made a mistake and is now being blackmailed for her naïveté. She turns to Tristan Montgomery, her frenemy, for instruction. And though neither is aware, they’ve secretly always been drawn to the other. High jinks and sweet moments ensue.

I enjoyed this one, especially for the well-drawn, lovable main characters. It’s a sweet love story while also being very sensuous and yes, steamy. Looking forward to more in this series.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of A Daring Pursuit for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

4.5 stars

The second book in her Ruthless Rivals series, A Daring Pursuit gives us another pairing across the battle lines of the Montgomery-Davies feud. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book due to a preponderance of plot at the expense of the romance, the small glimpse that we got of this couple in that book had me super excited to pick this installment up.

This romance executed so many of my favorite tropes well - rivals-to-lovers, mutual pining, forced proximity, lessons in seduction! Getting to watch these two people who shouldn't care about each other begin to slowly acknowledge that they have always loved each other was a delight, a joy, and definitely a pleasure. If Morgan and Harriet's book follows the upward trajectory, I will be as happy as a clam!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Lady Carys Davies is widely known for raising the eyebrows of the ton. After her first season ended without the expected proposal, she decided that abandoning the marriage mart and acting like a “walking scandal” was best suited for her personality.
Tristan Montgomery is the epitome of control and prefers order and symmetry in all aspects of his life. Architecture is his passion and, now that he is back from his travels in the continent, he wants to get as many commissions as possible before having to assume the title that is unavoidably in his future.
The feud between the Montgomery and Davies families might have been cast aside for Maddie and Gryff’s wedding, but being cordial doesn’t mean all is water under the bridge for the other members of either family. Tristan and Carys are still trying to get the raise of each other like they did as children and moving in the same social circle will have them meeting more frequently than either of them wants.
This is another enjoyable story in the series. I really liked the rivalry and banter between orderly Tristan and passionate, more than irreverent Carys. They have the makes of a great couple and I just loved them together.
The same goes for most of the secondary characters, though I’d have liked more interaction with some of them. Still, I found the book nicely written and it keeps a great pace making it light and fun as well as daring and romantic.

This was a stellar addition to the Ruthless Rivals series. Tristan Montgomery and Lady Carys Davies' story is delightful. The characters jump off the pages and come to life in your imagination. Lady Carys is always pushing the boundaries of polite society and has become quite the sensation in the Ton with her outrageous outfits; but she is hiding a terrible secret. Tristan Montgomery; recently returned from the Napoleonic war and an architectural trip around the continent, presents an unruffled and stern demeanor to the world. Lady Carys loves to see if she can break Tristan Montgomery's control and see if he'll lighten up any.

These characters are well written and fully developed. One of Lady Carys' delights is taking care of the menagerie of wild animals on their estate. Tristan Montgomery likes order and aesthetics. These two are constantly butting heads. I loved watching their relationship evolve and how; what they thought was animosity towards one another was actually NOT; and how the realization comes to them. This was a page-turner of a story and quite an enjoyable tale with some nefarious goings on added in....

I enjoyed the continuation of this series very much. Carys was a wonderful heroine, and her chemistry with Tristan was amazing. I loved the dynamics of their relationship. As in the previous book in the series, the supporting characters were vivid and often hilarious, especially the aunts. Can’t wait for the next book!

I've come to depend on Ms. Bateman to always deliver a good, sweet historical romance and she didn't disappoint with A Daring Pursuit either.
I really liked the heroine Carys and the hero Tristan as characters on their own and also as a couple. Tristan is interesting and very smart and Carys is strong and stubborn, she is a delight! She is strong and spirited, and holds her own with Tristan quite well. They make a good pair. The chemistry and repartee between them was excellent. I loved the richness of the characters and the story line. And the ending made me happy.
It can almost be tedious wading through all of the historical romance titles to hopefully find one with a little originality and depth. A Daring Pursuit is one of the rare finds. And on top of that, Ms. Bateman's writes with a seamless and compelling style, she draws me into the story from the very first page and hooks me until the end.
So in conclusion, if you ever need a book that'll satisfy your need of happy ending then this is it. It is a romance very much worth reading.

I gave five stars to the first book in the Ruthless Rivals series and this sequel is even better. The opening line is perfect and sets the tone for the book. Carys Davies has no plans to marry. She loves to scandalize the ton with her wild dresses and does not want to give up control of her life to anyone. Little does anyone know her confidence is a facade. She is being blackmailed by someone she trusted and is disillusioned by love. Tristan Montgomery has alway been fascinated by Carys when their families were rivals. He accepts a challenge from her to show her what she is missing by not marrying and the fun begins.

The banter between these two is quick and funny. They know how to tease and provoke each other. For all her worldliness Carys is delightfully naive. During a weeklong house party he gets a glimpse of the simpler Carys who loves and protects her bear and birds. Underneath you know they are pining. I love the moment he realizes he painted his bedroom the color he loves seeing her in. And I like that although he knows the ton would judge her for her past he never does. And because they are a perfect couple their “lessons” are beyond steamy. The book has some other subplots that help fill out the book. It also makes it so there doesn’t need to be a late in the story angst moment.

The book can be read as a standalone but if you have time read them in order. The first book, “A Reckless Match”, focuses on Carys brother and Tristan’s sister and gives the details on the feud between the families that has gone on for generations. I went back and skimmed the first story and was surprised at how much Carys and later Tristan are in that book. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest. This is book 2 in A ruthless rivals series. This was fun read and I loved the characters. Looking forward to book 3!

4.5 stars

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman follows Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery - they’re neighbors in Wales and on opposite sides of a long standing family feud. Carys is seemingly wild and goes out of her way to scandalize the ton in an attempt to deflect from a scandal from her past. Tristan is a straight-laced architect and former military man who is looking to settle down with a proper young lady. When Tristan discovers Carys’ secret they come to a naughty agreement that forces them to acknowledge their feelings for each other.

This book was so much fun. I loved Carys…I loved how unapologetically free and fun and good she was. She was a loving sister, a good friend, and an even more epic animal rescuer. The playfulness and deep love (even when they both didn’t acknowledge it) Carys and Tristan had for each other shined through in this story. It made the angst and back and forth so much more fun!

Tristan is hot hot hot! I love a reserved man that is super passionate in the bedroom or outdoors. The steamy scenes we’re not only super sexy but were really sweet and I just loved that. Honestly, I just really loved this book and highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Bateman, and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. This review is my honest opinion of this book.

This series is so much fun. The tension created by a years long feud, even after book one "broke" the feud, is just so good. I enjoyed this " I am going to show you what pleasure actually is" trope so much. It was fast paced and steamy and made me love these two characters so much. The banter and connection between Tristan and Carys kept me reading when life was busy and minutes were few and far between.

Carys Davies, challenger of convention, feels that she is ruined and therefore cannot marry. Tristan Montgomery wishes to marry a respectable and proper woman.
When Tristan discovers Carys' reasoning for not wanting marriage, the two come to an agreement- he will show her the pleasurable side of marriage she will be missing before going their separate ways. The blurb for the book then mentions them becoming embroiled in a treasonous plot.

Normally, when faced with books about treasonous plots, I put them back on the shelf and cheerfully walk away. I do not need my anxiety triggered by spy stories and my hero and heroine constantly in danger. No thanks. However, since I was provided this copy by Netgalley in exchange for a review, I grabbed some coffee and settled in for a morning read.

OMG. Am I so glad I did. This book was very, very good. This has been one of the best books I have read all year.

Despite my not having read the prior book in the series, I still felt I understood the family dynamics and understood the characters of both Tristan and Carys.

Carys - a bit eccentric but not to the point of ridiculousness - was a delight to read about. I enjoyed getting to know her character.

Tristan had enough alpha male about him without being an utter *ahem* that he was a good fit for the heroine.

Their mutual longing for each other was enough to keep me interested but not frustrated.

The embroiled in treason stuff was happily a *tiny* part of the story and in no way overshadowed the romance - and this story was definitely romantic.

Three 🔥🔥🔥 for those who want to know :)

3.5

This was a fun, quick read. Enemies to lovers with kissing lessons. Blackmail, bears, women in breeches! Carys and Tristan were just enjoyable to read. There wasn't a lot to unpack with either of them, even though Tristan fought against Napoleon he doesn't have trauma from it and it doesn't figure heavily into the story.

The true conflict came pretty late and was resolved quickly which was a small letdown at first. However, it was clever and Bateman laid the groundwork throughout the book, certain details about Carys and Tristan that initially felt like character fluff came back around to save them.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy of A Daring Pursuit. This was a fun, quick read, much like the first book in the series, which I read last year via NetGalley.

The plot was a little predictable and very focused on how attracted Carys and Tristan, so-called "enemies" (the only reason they're enemies is because their families have supposedly had a long-standing rivalry, but I really didn't get any sense they hated each other at all) are to each other. I did like the banter but I felt like the characters and story were not really fully developed.

This was my first Kate Bateman book, and I really enjoyed it!

It was fun, flirty, and exciting - with lions, tigers and bears, OH MY! Ok, just bears. Really important in the plot but I don't want to get too much into that, so you'll have to read it to find out how central the bears are!

This is a fantastic enemies to lovers storyline, and I really quite loved it. Carys (great name!) and Tristan (another great name that you don't hear anymore) are from neighbouring families in Wales, that have had a rivalry going for many, many years. Her oldest brother, and his older sister, recently wed, which has brought about a change in the dynamic. Carys and Tristan have both sort of had a thing for each other since they were younger, but with the rivalry and enmity between the families, it was something that could never happen and both had to look elsewhere.

Carys never thought she would wed after a scandal happened to her a couple of years before, which luckily never made it beyond the parties involved (with a lot of careful maneuvering). She is still dealing with and reeling from that entire experience, and just figures she'll stay an unwed spinster for her whole life, raising animals on her family land. Tristan is supposed to wed another lady of the Ton at the end of the season, but he has little interest in her. Every time he glimpses lady Carys and hears of her wild actions, he gets stirred up - like he has since he was a teen.

As Carys gets into some hijinks through this story, Tristan happens to be along for the ride and gets involved - a little too deeply for his liking - and the rest, as they say, is history... and a story that I highly recommend everyone reads! I had sort of moved away from historical/regency romance for a number of years and am just getting back into it, and this is definitely one that is worth reading, for everyone, whether you're into the subgenre or not! It doesn't feel very regency as they're not spending the entire time around the Ton.

Her writing was great and it drew me in the entire time. I didn't want to stop reading the whole way through. You know that's the mark of great writing and a great storyline, when you don't want to stop for anything! Characters were very interesting, and the plot was so unusual!

4.5 stars for this one, and I can't wait to go in and read the stories now of the other siblings and find out more about this world.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and this is my honest feedback - thank you!

I loved this tension-filled enemies-to-lovers romance. Carys is fiery and passionate, Tristan is cool and collected - at least on the outside. Their families have been feuding for hundreds of years, and Maddie and Gryff's marriage in the previous book haven't completely mended things between their families.

I love the 'forbidden love because of feuding families' trope, and here it's used excellently. Carys and Tristan are both loveable, endearing characters as well and their chemistry sizzles from the beginning. Gotta love a 'we're both secretly in love with each other and have been since we were kids but we pretend to hate each other and pine dramatically' dynamic.

The one thing I didn't love was the sheer number of sex scenes. Now, I will grant that these are included for Reasons and so in some ways they really do need to be there. But I still found myself skimming them. Which is not to say that they're badly written - I just don't particularly enjoy reading frequent or prolonged sex scenes. Really, the fact that I read as much of them as I did speaks to the fact that they're actually quite well-written, and I think that people who *do* enjoy reading sex scenes will like them a lot.

This book also has possibly the best opening line of any romance, ever. "Lady Carys Davies dressed to meet her blackmailer in the same way she dressed for every other social occasion: scandalously." Tell me that doesn't make you want to read more about Lady Carys Davies.

I look forward to reading more Montgomery - Davies romances in the future and will definitely be continuing the series as soon as the next book is available.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an e-arc for review.

It's been a long time since I read a book so full of elements, love, passion , mystery and action
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At first I couldn't stop reading because of each interaction of the characters and what was going to happen next and then I was in the middle of a complicated plot of which I didn't see coming how it was going to end
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Carys Davies is more than the jewel of society, in her eagerness to wear down the interests of potential husbands, she does everything that is disapproved by society, from the most scandalous outfits to inappropriate comments, but they all have the other effect and place her as the most desired and sought after woman in any meeting, trend influencer and example of charisma, quite the opposite of her greatest weakness and enemy of her family Tristán Montgomery
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Both grew up side by side, aware of the feud between the two families, the serious and correct Montgomerys against the crazy and impulsive Davies. Until the two older brothers get married and their families are intertwined, causing Tristan and Carys to begin to get to know each other better or unravel what they believe of each other while facing a situation with a nefarious character and a misteryous plot whit Napoleon Bonaparte.
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I really enjoyed reading this book very much, Kate Bateman kept me hooked until the end and I managed to love both characters despite my first reservations
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Thanks to Kate Bateman and St Martin Press for give me this great book in exchange for my honest opinion I really enjoyed reading it