My very first book by Kate Bateman and I ADORED it. I’m so sorry I missed out the previous one of the series, but I want to read it now and every other book she published! This feud between the two families of the Davies and Montgomery is so intriguing and it leads to such tension among the characters that it literally ignites the pages and underlines the interactions between them. And the chemistry between the main characters was so high!!! Tristan is exactly my kind of hero, apparently cold and poised, but easily shaken by the love of a passionate woman, and Carys is exactly that, bold and beautiful and passionate, even too much for her own good. I love the “lessons in lovemaking” theme and this one was gorgeously developed. Beautiful descriptions of the Welsh landscape cap a definitely five-star book.
I want to add a praise for the audiobook narrator, who’s very, very skilled. And she even sings well!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carys Davis is a beautiful unwed girl who is borderline scandalous. She has good reasons. I won't summarize the plot but here are some of the things I liked:
1. Carys is an independent thinker. She dresses creatively in clothing that draws attention and suits her. And she takes responsibility (sometimes too much) for her own problems.
2. The Montgomery family and the support and joking between them.
3. The animals.
4. The romantic relationship had good chemistry. Note there were some pretty spicy scenes.

As with most romance series this one can stand alone. Although the first book is also fun.

This was quite a fun read. Enemies to lovers historical romance so it ticked a lot of boxes for me. My first book by Kate Bateman and I will definitely be picking up her other books in this series.

Highly entertaining, fun filled, emotional journey with witty banter, secrets, royal entanglement, unwilling alliances and so many fun and intriguing charters. Great read from beginning to end.

I enjoy this series and look forward to reading more about the 'feuding' Davies & Montgomery families. Fun, sexy, and full of interesting side stories and characters, A Daring Pursuit made for a lovely afternoon read.

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

This is another fabulous book by Kate Bateman. Endearing characters, in-depth descriptions, humorous banter and interesting scenarios make her books entertaining reads.

While there has been a centuries old feud between the Davies and Montgomery families, the youngest generation has found themselves to be more frenemies. The boys had teased the girls from the other family, but it wasn't hate that compelled them to do it. Carys has had a crush on Triston since she was a little girl, but she was the tomboy younger sister of 3 brothers. A cad took advantage of her when she was still innocent and then had the chutzpa to blackmail her. To protect her family, she has told them nothing and has decided to avoid marriage, since her one experience wasn't worth repeating. Tristin has always found Carys fascinatingly wild. When he finds out that she is being blackmailed by a cad, he decides he will do whatever needs to be done to protect her. What a surprise to him when he realizes that he loves her.

I read an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review. I look forward to reading the next books in the series.

Apologies for this late review, life happened.

This was a funny and entertaining read. I really enjoyed it. Good steam, enemies to lovers, light on angst. I love Kate Bateman’s work. Would recommend it and would read it again.

This is a very entertaining ready with a lot of great laughs. Tristan and Carys are neighbor and enemies. However when Tristan finds out Carys secret he is determined to save he even from herself and when they accidentally overhear a treasonous plot they will pull together to stop it however they can. But during this adventure they are on together may lead to more than the bargained for.

You will fall in love with the characters in this book. I received this book from Netgalley for.an honest reveiw.

A Daring Pursuit was so cute and funny that I read it all in one day, which I haven’t done in forever!! I know I should be reading spooky books right now, but I just got the ARC of the third book and that made me want to read this book even more. Carys was so wild, adventurous, and just doing her own that that it made me love her so much as an MC. And of course, Tristan was so caring, protective and funny that their relationship was so much fun to read about! I can’t wait to read about Morgan and Harriet in the next book.

***ARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

If you're searching for sweet and steamy rivals to lovers and mutual pining in your historical romance with beautiful characters that have depth, then A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman is the book for you!

Carys Davies has a secret. A secret that has Christopher Howe lording over her for the last two years. In comes Carys' bitter enemy and a member of the Davies family's multigenerational rival family, Tristan Montgomery. Upon discovering her secret, that she was persuaded [read "coerced"] into sleeping with Christoper Howe and has been subsequently blackmailed, Tristan vows to keep it to himself and offer her a few lessons in the art of love.

Carys Davies becomes almost an instant favorite protagonist despite her brazen stubbornness and unwillingness to reach out for help when it comes to matters of Christopher Howe's blackmail scheme. She's as frustrating as she is endearing, with her teasing and flirting and growing vulnerability when it comes to Tristan Montgomery.

Carys and Tristan's relationship is that of "enemies or rivals." Still, it never quite reaches the level of "enemy" even before their foray into the tropiest, delightfully steamy "lessons" they take over the week of the country house party.

It's clear that they each have a soft spot for each other and that the attraction is very much there, but it takes quite a bit of time for them to see it. I love that their relationship pushes each of them in their own ways. They can never rest on their laurels when they're together because they're constantly making the other strive for some level of growth and perspective regardless of the subject.

Tristan is a great love interest in that he lets Carys do her own thing in terms of making her own decisions. He may have been judgmental from Carys' perspective at the beginning. But as we see his guard lowers around her. He doesn't patronize her. He values what she has to say, and nurtures her valiant heart regarding causes like her animals. It's lovely.

I loved the mutual pining from the beginning despite their family "rivalry" and how it culminated in a lovely moment between the pair that reminded me so much of a specific moment in The Hating Game.

The short, action-filled chapters help keep the book moving, with no lulls, which actually works in the story's favor having it flow so easily from moment to moment. It made putting down the book hard to do.

Overall, A Daring Pursuit is a fun book, with solid emotional beats, great characters you'll fall in love with, and plenty of steam and laughter that will make you sad to see it end.

I'm a huge Kate Bateman fan, but I personally found A Daring Pursuit to be less compelling than A Reckless Match.

A Daring Pursuit follows the feuding Welsh Davies family and the English Montgomery family, just like the first in the series, but this time, the families are already intermingled due to the marriage between the MCs in the first of the series. That fact alone made this set up a bit... peculiar.

These two MCs obviously were into each other, and the long-standing feud was already practically over after the first book, so why all of the fake animosity and reluctance? There was no new bad blood there, so the hesitation and secrecy felt fake to me.

I've also read more than one blackmail book, so the set up also didn't feel fresh. There were some little twists and turns there, and I always enjoy this author's writing style, but it wasn't a book that I had a hard time putting down.

I'm hoping the rest of the Ruthless Rivals series brings more spice and excitement.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

*Thanks to NeGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Tropes/Themes:
-MF historical romance
-Feuding families
-Enemies with benefits
-Sensual lessons
-Pining couple
-Hilarious and talented animals

Kate Bateman’s writing is so bingeable and fun, I ate this book up!! This is the second installment to Bateman’s Ruthless Rivals series, which follows the Montgomery and Davies families and their long-standing feud. This particular story follows Tristian Montgomery and Carys Davies. Carys and Tristan’s chemistry was just SO GOOD. I loved their flirty banter and how they would pretend to hate each other when our in public, all while they were secretly pining after each other. Once their initial misunderstanding was cleared up relatively early on in the book, Tristian was so kind and patient with Carys. He didn’t judge her and was willing to put himself on the line to protect her at all costs. I liked how the family feud added a bit of a forbidden edge to the romance but didn’t overshadow the romance or plot. My only complaint was that I wanted a little bit more from the suspense subplot. After Tristian initially learned early on that Carys was being blackmailed by her slimy ex lover, that subplot pretty much went cold until the last 10% of the book. Regardless, I had such a great time with this romance and I can’t wait to continue on with this series!

Story: 4/5

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman is the second book in the Ruthless Rivals Series. I have read and enjoyed the first book in the series and anticipate the third book eagerly. This series is centered around land and families in Wales.

Carys is delusioned by love and men! After being taken advantage of earlier in her life, she has decided to be so scandalous that no man will ever pay attention to her! Meanwhile, Tristand Montgomery has never really bought the whole act of her behavior.

Together they agree to one week of scandalous meetings and scorching kisses. Meanwhile, strange happenings around their property have truly pulled them into searching for treasonous activity and marriage?

The book was a great read. I read it a while ago, but somehow it was missed in the reading queue the first time through and then to compound the issue - I forgot to write the review. This book is a great addition to the Ruthless Rivals Series. A Daring Pursuit is a good read.

A Daring Pursuit picks up the centuries-long Montgomery/Davies feud with Tristan Montgomery and Carys Davies, Carys' brother and Tristan's sister from book one are now married and trying to unite their families for a week-long party at their castle.

It's clear from the beginning that Tristan and Carys have been frenemies and secretly in love with each other since childhood. Carys is also harboring a secret that when Tristan finds out he offers to help her with. Thus begins their week-long affair to get each other out of their systems.

I LOVED this book. Tristan and Carys were so likable and it was clear they had a mutual appreciation for each other. Carys is an animal lover and passionate educated woman and Tristan is a bit more staid and serious. Together, they seemed to compliment each other. I also loved all of their banter and interactions, there weren't any annoying misunderstandings or weeks of silence. Together they made sense and had fun. I enjoyed this book and I am pretty excited for the next in the series.

Yay! Immediately after reading A Reckless Match, I started on A Daring Pursuit. Although Maddie and Gryff have made the first bridge between the Montgomery and the Davies family, there is still a lot of anomisity between the families:

So, Caries Davies will never ever admit that she really would like to mess up Tristan Montgomery’s perfect appearance. He is the ice to her fire. Caries likes to shock people, by doing inappropiate things or dressing up extravagantly.

Tristan shouldn’t feel attracted to the fierce redhead Davies, but he does. He needs a respectable wife, not a firecracker. But when said firecracker challenges him to show her what she will be missing in the marital bed if she stays a spinster, he agrees. Wicked kisses turn into more and soon Tristan realizes he is addicted to this Davies woman. When he learns of her reasons for not wanting to marry, Tristan needs to decide: will he give up his reputation to make an honest woman out of her?

Same as with A Reckless match: a funny, feisty and full of suspense story. I can’t wait for Morgan’s story!

Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I received this book for free through netgalley for an honest review. I honestly loved this book even more than I did the first in the series. I loved that they enjoyed messing with each other but there was clearly romantic feelings involved the entire time. Everyone could see it from the get go but it took them a lot longer to figure it out. The fact they both wanted to look out and protect the other was something I truly enjoyed. It didn't include the usual "issue" that kept them apart, but rather just doubled down on the fact they both really wanted to be together. I highly recommend this book and series and can't wait for the next one to come out!

Absolutely loved. I just love the Davis’ and Montgomery families. It was so nice to see them again.
Carys and Tristan were delightfully written and their chemistry is off the charts.
The story progressed well and I can honestly say, I don’t think I ever got bored.
Can’t rave about this book enough-
But I feel I must mention the ravens. I can’t remember their names, but tbh they stole the show.
10/10 would recommend

I received an arc for this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Kate Bateman fan, I was very excited about Tristan and Carys from the last book, and they did not disappoint. Taken advantage of by the man she thought she'd marry, Carys is holding herself together by presenting a carefree facade to the ton. She is quite fun to read. She and Tristan shock each other...with her unlikely, bold proposal and by his accepting. It starts as a bit of a slow burn , but picks up quickly. I definitely recommend this series.

Tropes: Ruined, Feuding Families, Secret Crush, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity/House Party, Lessons

Carys Davies wants to avoid marriage and will embrace any scandal to discourage suitors. Tristan Montgomery wants a respectable wife. They don't seem like a match, and the long-standing feud between their families doesn't help. But there is electricity between these two, and when they give in to it, well... sparks fly.

The secondary, treasonous plot line was less interesting than the romance, but this is stilla solid entry in this summer's reading!

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

Carys Davies is a free spirit, who does her best to scandalize the ton through her actions and style of dress. Her brothers are anxious for her to find a husband and settle down, but Carys is keeping a secret that could destroy her reputation and that of the family.

Tristan Montgomery, the nearest neighbor to Trellech, the Davies estate, has long been fascinated by Carys, though the long-standing feud between Davies and Montgomery has prevented him from saying anything. At the opera one night, he came across Carys crying in a back corridor, and learned that she was being blackmailed by a man who had forced himself on her two years earlier, and who threatened to tell everyone that she was damaged goods, knowing that would destroy her chances of making a good marriage.

Tristan’s outrage at Carys’ situation shows his basic decency, and Carys, though not happy to have her embarrassment known, is grateful for Tristan’s support. I liked Carys, with her courage and love for animals, and I appreciated Tristan being willing to put aside the differences between the families to protect Carys as best he could. This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Spoiler alert – this Regency romance has the expected HEA.