This was such a perfect book to read as the third in the Ruthless Rivals series. It was my favorite so far of the Ruthless Rivals books. I loved the writing of Harriet and Morgan and thought that the way Kate Bateman wrote their current encounters with past longings and missed opportunities was well done.

I thought that the intrigue of Harriet as a mapmaker and how that intertwined with Morgan's working in the Navy was well done and such a great excuse to bring them together.

Both Harriet and Morgan were unsure of how the other felt, but kept pursuing encounters with each other to be as close to each other as possible and in Morgan's case to get Harriet to marry him. Sometimes when characters aren't honest with each other it can be a bit grating for me to read, but with Morgan and Harry, there were all the past family rivalry encounters to make the other unsure of each other and because they were much younger, it was harder to see that they really did like each other.

5/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kate Bateman for the opportunity to read this book. All views are my own.

Despite its nefarious-sounding title, A Wicked Game is a very lighthearted Hissy RoNo. I enjoyed how low-angst it was while also being interesting and decently spicy. Morgan and Harriet’s relationship is clearly childhood friends to lovers even though they needle one another all the time and they consider each other “enemies.” The teasing and button pushing between these two was a real treat.

Harriet, the FMC, is a great example of a bluestocking heroine with tons of agency, and her relationships with her family were sweet and loving, too. She’s a cartographer, and I loved how capable and intellectual she was. Even though Morgan, the MMC, is dealing with a bit of PTSD and has lived through some terrible events, the focus is not on his trauma whatsoever. He’s completely in love with Harriet and has been FOREVER, even though she is probably the last person in this book to realize it.

All in all, a light little romp with a decent amount of well-written spice! I think my ONE beef with it is that it was maybe TOO fluffy? Like “I may or may not recall this book in a month” kind of surface, sweet, cute little story. I also firmly believe that there is room for that in our lives sometimes, so if you find yourself in desperate need of something to read while you hide in the bathroom to escape the chaos of the holidays? Maybe pick this one up.

👍🏻Recommended. If you like Tessa Dare or light romcoms, this is for you. If you are looking for an emotional break after having your heart crushed by something heavy (sorry not sorry about those Durans), this is a great choice. If you like a bluestocking heroine and a good balance of spicy and sweet? This one is for you!

Will he be able to prove they are matching hearts …

For once if there were a book that fits well its tittle, it is this one.

As we revisit the Davies-Montgomery now rather settled feud, we land straight into the third couple taunting relationship.
From their early age, Morgan and Harriet have been throwing barbs and any physical objet in their hands plus they have with glee been wrecking havoc in one another’s game.
Now after two years apart, Morgan is back to reclaim his prize as he defied some French henchmen and death to return safe and sound.
Harriet is as much eager to see him again.
Both have acknowledged in their heart they felt more for the other but have no inkling if the sentiment is shared.
So Morgan is set on seducing in the long term while Harriet hopes to enjoy a piece of him as long she might be able.

It is thus a wicked game they are entering, both playing with fire, teasing the flames of their attraction, more often than less in harmony with what they expect for the other.
It is a sly and cunning game they have launched between them upon the moment they decided seduction was their next dare.
I loved their romance, they are both very likable characters, perfectly matched as they complete the other, he is the sextant to her compass. He navigates where she leads him.
What a fun game of cat and mouse, with two cats instead a feline and a rodent. They chase one another but there is never a winner nor a looser, they are equally artful and crafty to reach a common understanding.
Both want the same thing, a lasting connection but they are equally blind to the other’s feelings, when it has been obvious for all those around them. They admire one another, proud of their successes but will they be willing to change the course of their life to fit the other in, as Harriet does not want a half shared union, she longs for all or nothing. Yet she should not doubt Morgan, he has proved again and again he is more than ready to do anything and everything to win her heart.
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 Wicked Game by Kate Bateman
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There has been a feud between the Davies and Montgomery families for years and years. Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies has particularly enjoying terrorizing each other, aince childhood. But after Morgan returns from war, they start a new game where the stakes have never been higher.
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This was SUCH a delightfully delicious book. 💜💜💜 Just what I needed after reading several more serious books.
I inhaled this book. And then I was furious with myself that I did not realize this was the third book in a series, and I have not read the first two. A mistake that I hope to rectify soon.
From the prologue of this book I was hooked and proceeded to the first chapter with a grin on my face.
I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved the end. I loved it all.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies cannot stand each other due to their families long standing rivalry, but despite that Morgan has always been in love with Harriet. When Morgan finds out that he is to go to war to fight Napoleon, Harriet makes a bet offering up three kisses to him if he comes back alive.

Unfortunately for Morgan, he receives a shoddy map that ends up getting him captured and imprisoned for two years. His time spent only makes his feelings for Harriet grow, and now that he's back, Morgan is more than ready to make her his wife... First he just needs to get revenge on the mapmaker who lead him astray. When a twist of fate reveals that it was Harriet who created the map, Morgan takes it upon himself to exact revenge and seduce her at the same time.

A Wicked Game was so much fun and oh so spicy. Morgan is soooo swoonworthy!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

Morgan Davies and Harriett Montgomery have been part of a family feud that is as old as time. As generations passed, the resentment slowly waned into childhood rivalry and ribbing..and for some, flirtation. Before Morgan sets sail to join the British war against France, he makes a wager with Harriett: If he comes home from the war, she owes him three kisses.

After surviving as a prisoner of war, he comes back to London with two missions: to seek vengeance on the cartographer who created the incorrect map that led to his imprisonment and to collect on his wager with Harriett. To his surprise, both roads led to the woman who has been on his mind since his departure.

I really enjoyed this somewhat quick read. The chemistry between Morgan and Harriett was intense from the onset. Their banter and flirtation were fun to follow, and the intensity just grew as more details about their feelings and history are uncovered.

Those three kisses! Whew, the spice that Morgan introduces to the equally enthusiastic Harriett just makes for a fun, hot read.

I also enjoyed the subplot full of mystery and suspense. We get lots of moments in which Harriett shows that while she is an innocent, she is no wilting flower. Her competitiveness and strength just make her all the more relatable.

This is the third book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. As a newbie to the series, it was great to understand the background provided about the characters from the previous books in the series.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Kate Bateman, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

The Ruthless Rivals series by Kate Bateman is one of my favorites...I mean every book is an enemies to lovers trope and I'm here for it. A Wicked Game is book 3 in the series and while I absolutely recommend you read the entire series, you could pick this one up as a standalone if you wanted to.

Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies are our main characters in this book and I loved them both. Harriet and Morgan have always had a rivalry and when Harriet finds out he is going off to fight Napoleon, they end up making a bet that if he comes back alive, she will grant him three kisses. I don't know that Harriet realizes just how motivated Morgan is to make that happen. Unfortunately for Morgan, due to a purposely misleading map getting him shipwrecked and imprisoned, he's slightly delayed but makes it his mission not only to get back to London for the kisses but also to get revenge on the map maker.

I loved the banter and the relationship between these characters and Bateman does a fantastic job of developing both. I loved the map making piece to this story and of course, there's a bit of danger included due to the work Harriet does and Morgan's time in captivity and all of it kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

If you're looking for a great new historical romance, I definitely recommend picking this one up. As I mentioned, I love this entire series along with Bateman's other books and will continue to keep her on my auto-buy list.

"I’d want to be necessary to someone. As necessary as a map to a sailor. I’d want him to be lost without me."

Captain Morgan Davies returned to England from the Navy looking to exact vengeance on the mapmaker who led him astray, his ship led aground followed by his subsequent imprisonment in Martinique. He also wanted to claim his winnings from a bet he made with his long time nemesis, Harriet Montgomery, the woman he'd been in love with since he was sixteen. With a longstanding rivalry between the Davies and Montgomery families, a Davies never turned down a challenge or dare from a Montgomery and this one promised three kisses from Harriet if Morgan managed to return home safely from war. Time away only clarified Morgan's true feelings for Harriet and he wanted to convince her to consider becoming his wife. In an interesting twist of fate, when Morgan found out the mapmaker who led him off course was Harriet herself, revenge and seduction began to intertwine, blurring the lines between enemies and friends and lovers.

Oh, she was in so much trouble. Not because she’d let him do this wicked thing. But because she wanted him to do it again. “This is a wicked game.”.....“But there’s no one I’d rather be playing it with than you.”"

What a wicked game, indeed! Intricately plotted and filled with intrigue, suspense and danger, A Wicked Game was scandalous and sexy, a seductive dance with a simmering tension throughout. With a wicked wager setting the stage, Morgan and Harriet pushed the boundaries, their taunting and teasing banter evolving into a delicious slow burn, raising the stakes with each kiss. They challenged each other with equal cunning and wit, the thrill of the chase building anticipation in an all-consuming forbidden relationship. Morgan and Harriet perfectly complemented each other, sailor and mapmaker, as they expanded their horizons in a ongoing adventure. They fit together so naturally with a combustible spark of energy and it was as if they had always been destined for a future together.

"He was both the port and the storm, the safe haven and the treacherous deep. And God, she was drowning."

I swooned over Morgan with his sinful arrogance, protective and possessive with a tenderness underlying his passion and intensity. He always showed concern and respect for Harriet, never pushing her to do anything she didn't want to do. And Harriet was so strong and fierce, always striving for her independence, taking control of her life and her sexuality, exploring all of the possibilities in the uncharted territory ahead of her. She wanted everything from Morgan, willing to commit fully and refusing to settle for anything less.

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but ships aren’t built to stay in port. They’re built to explore. They’re strong enough to face the fiercest of storms. Be brave, Montgomery. Set sail."

Kate Bateman's writing was filled with so many gorgeous metaphors especially as related to maps and the sea and I was swept up in the fiery attraction and soul-reaching connection between Morgan and Harriet. Despite their combative outward appearance, they were so enamored with each other and I loved how they both finally saw what was right in front of them. Morgan set out to prove his love for Harriet, challenging her disbelief in his feelings being anything more than lust and attraction, bringing their fantasies and dreams to life. I could feel the depths of their love and the intensity of their emotions along with the pleasure and pain as they embraced adventure together through all of its ups and downs.

I liked the different personalities within the Davies and Montgomery families, even Harriet's meddling aunts, and I enjoyed their interactions. I especially loved the endearing and heartwarming relationship between Harriet and her father. His failing eyesight added an interesting element to the story as it tugged at my emotions and I hoped for him to one day see the world clearly again.

Wrapping up in a beautiful grand gesture, this book was a joy to read and I look forward to going back and reading the first two books of the series while secretly hoping Morgan's brother Rhys finds his HEA next. I loved everything about this story and I highly recommend it as it was absolute Regency romance perfection!

"She’d also been the shore to which he’d navigated. The X on the map that marked treasure. His star. His guiding light, the one fixed point by which he’d set his course. Home."

** Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available December 27, 2022. **

The Montgomery and Davies clans are at it again in the third book of the Ruthless Rivals Series by Kate Bateman!

Morgan Davies and Harriet Montgomery have been frenemies their entire lives. After getting kidnapped and then returning home to London, Morgan promises to claim his prize… Harriet.

What I liked: I read the second one and while I liked it, but this book blew it out of the water. I could not put it down and it made the 300 plus pages feel like nothing. The characters are engaging and the way that Bateman wrote their relationship was realistic and felt like two people growing together despite their differences and traumas. I liked that this book was not a straight enemies-to-lovers and that the two leads truly became friends; this especially shines when we see their relationship develop when they are younger.

To keep in mind: This is your classic regency romance, and I know people have feelings about that. This is light hearted with a tough-as-nails female lead. While this book is the third in a series, you don’t need to read them in order to understand what’s happening.

Rating: Just go read the book. After the first 2-3 chapters this book had mystery, intrigue, and romance which made it hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Wicked Game is a available 12/27!

What a delicious, exciting romance!

What a wild romp this book is! Morgan is back from two years at sea and he's determined to both punish the mapmaker whose mistake led to his imprisonment and win the hand of the only woman he's been dreaming about for years. Right from the start we discover his dilemma, yet it doesn't slow him down even a little. He pursues Harriet with a sexy determination that is guaranteed to make you swoon!

But the romance isn't all that's going on here. There's a certain enemy trying to track the same mapmaker, there's a series of bets that are both hilarious and wondrously romantic, and there's a side story of a then-new medical procedure that adds tremendous depth to the entire story.

I loved both how Harriet used her cartography skills to thwart Morgan in their race and how he then turned the tables on her and used them in the most romantic grand gesture imaginable to prove his love for her.

This author's writing skills are truly superb, drawing the reader in right from the very first paragraph and taking us on a splendid journey all the way to the very satisfying HEA. I couldn't put this book down, and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves dashing heroes and clever heroines in their historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This has been going on for years between Captain Morgan Davies and Harriet Montgomery: the dares, the challenges and the banter. Something has now changed, and Morgan wants to make his longtime rival/friend his wife. He has been in love with her for years and her with him, but there are complications. Can Morgan convince Harriet that they belong together?
This well plotted story has it all. The protagonists are likeable people as are the secondary characters (with the exception of one). Packed with passion, romance, a bit of drama and witty dialogue the story moves quickly and is easy to read. This is a story that leaves the reader smiling. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I usually love Kate Bateman's books. Unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. I just wasn't comfortable with how Morgan pressured and manipulated Harriet. He was toying with her instead of just telling her he wanted to marry her. I'm looking for enthusiastic consent. If she's worried about being ruined, then her consent isn't enthusiastic. There's a huge difference between physically wanting something and giving in because of a bet, and being happy and at peace with the decision.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! I love a low angst romance, and I also love a historical romance, and a childhood enemies to lovers romance, so this book was perfect for me. I took a break from my holiday romance reading for this book, and I am so glad I did because it was perfect. This is the third book in Bateman’s Ruthless Rivals series, and it did not disappoint at all. Morgan is a sailor, just back from the Napoleanic Wars, where he is seeking revenge for a map that led him to be kidnapped and tortured. Harriet is a mapmaker in London, who grew up in Wales near Morgan, as a childhood nemesis from a rival family down the road. They love teasing each other and making bets, and their attraction is evident. Can they get past their rivalry to find true love? Bateman is a master of creating fun, but thoughtful historical romances. They’re steamy, adventurous, and perfectly paced. I loved this whole series, but this might be my favorite because I really enjoyed the mapmaking and the main characters. I liked that Harriet had a profession and wanted adventure, and that Morgan loved her the way she was, showing her that through all his small and grand gestures throughout the book. I loved the mix of slow burn and open door scenes, with a mapmaking scheme mixed in. Really just a great, low angst, sweet romance. I highly recommend this book to fans of Bateman, historical romance, low angst, open door romance.

Thank you SMPRomance & NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I quickly devoured this book! I was immediately pulled into the story and finished in 24 hours time. I was glued to Harriet and Morgan’s story! I really enjoyed the bet they had — that tension and desire was so good. The enemies to lovers trope was *chefs kiss*

Morgan realizes he loves Harriet pretty early on in the book and this man just focuses everything on her. He knew she wouldn’t believe him so he made it into a game with the bet. These two both loved the other one and everyone knew it but them!

“His love for her glowed inside him like banked embers. She’d accused him of laughing at her, of making her the butt of his jokes, and he had, but that was only half the story. She’d also been the shore to which he’d navigated. The X on the map that marked treasure. His star. His guiding light, the one fixed point by which he’d set his course. Home.”

I easily read this one as a standalone without any issues but now I can’t wait to read the first two. And here’s to hoping the next book is about Morgan’s brother, Rhys!!

Ooh this was FUN. I do so love heroes who are in love with their heroines from the get go and anyone with eyes can see it - except for the heroines in question.

The bets and dares between Morgan and Harriet are delicious to read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fun historical fiction romance set in the early 1800s in London. It's an enemies to lovers, he falls first, romance with plenty of heat.

Davies and Montgomerys have had a generations long feud. But that hasn't stopped Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies from secretly having feelings for each other since they were young children. They show these feelings by trading sarcastic comments and quips. As Morgan sets sail for war, Harriet bets him he'll do something foolish and end up dead. Morgan gamely accepts her debt, in exchange for three kisses from Harriet.

Morgan returns from war and approaches Harriet to cash in on the bet. That's when the game really begins. It was fun to read the banter between the couple, and it was cute how their feelings were so obvious to everyone but them. Their chemistry was electric, and Morgan's seduction of Harriet was sexy. The couple suited each other, and respected each other's qualities. Morgan was strong and brave, and acknowledged Harriet's intelligence and capabilities, something rare for men to do in that era.

This is the third book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. I may go back and read the first two books, though, because I'm interested in reading the couple's other family member's stories about how they got together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

It was hard to put this book down. A delicious rom com from start to finish. They dare and challenge each other for years. He teases her and she gives as good as she gets. I enjoyed the witty exchanges and insights into their feelings for each other. It all culminates into a satisfying HEA.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

A Wicked Game was a fun and witty enemies to lovers Regency Romance.

This is book three in Kate Bateman’s Ruthless Rivals series and is my favorite so far. All of the books in this series can easily be read as a standalone.

Captain Morgan Davies is my kind of hero: he knows what he wants and doesn’t waver from his goal; what he wants is family rival Harriet Montgomery. The book had a fun opening scene where the couple bets three kisses if Morgan comes back safely from his military service. The way Morgan exacts his revenge through the process of collecting on the bet while capturing the heart of his childhood rival is sweet and swoonworthy.

I highly recommend this steamy enemies-to-lovers historical romance.

Kate Bateman's "A Wicked Game" was another good addition to her Ruthless Rivals series. I overall enjoyed this book, and while it wasn't my favorite, it was a solid addition to the series. Overall, this is a pretty low angst book; the majority of the plot takes place around the kissing bet with a few departures for the counterfeiter & De Cean plots which are pretty short and were wrapped up quickly. A majority of the tension from this book comes from Harriet not thinking she can be in a relationship with Morgan. If you love a book that is not too heavy on external plots, this one is for you. Overall, it is a good book that continues the story of the Davies & Montgomerys and their destinies to fall in love with each other.

Things I really liked:
-There wasn't a huge revenge plot like the summary mentioned. Once Morgan realized Harriet made the map, he was over getting revenge. This book mostly is centered around him needing to use our old kissing bet to make her realize that he loved her and wants to marry her
-These two can banter, bicker, and argue! It was their foreplay!
-I love a story where the H is all in from the beginning and he needs to get the h on board
-Harriet not being scared of sex and actively wanting to be with him despite societal expectations, their family history, etc.

3.75 stars - ⭐⭐⭐✨
3 peppers (2 full scenes, with 2-3 kissing/mouthy scenes) - 🌶🌶🌶

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for this arc!

ARC received by NetGalley

A Wicked Game is the third book in the Ruthless Rivals series by Kate Bateman.

This is the first Kate Bateman book that I have read but it absolutely will not be my last!

This historical romance is light on the spice but just enough to keep you engaged and getting your heart rate up a little bit. The characters are very well developed and had me turning page after page completely focused on Harriette and Morgan finding their happily ever after with each other. The sub-characters such as Harriette's father are sweet and compliment the storyline. At the end of the book I was ready to pick up the next one to follow Harriette and Morgan onto their next adventure.