I'm a fan of Ms. Bateman and "A Wicked Game" does not disappoint. I absolutely adored the banter, dares and counter dares between Harriett and Morgan. The author takes us on a wonderful journey showcasing their feelings and self-discovery. Although they have been antagonizing each other since they were children, there was always "something" between them that could not be denied. When Morgan comes home after his captivity in a French prison, all he can think about was making Harriet his, but Harriet doesn't believe he has good intentions toward her. She thinks he's toying with her as he's done their whole lives and even though she has secretly loved him for years, she's not ready to admit any such thing especially not to him.

There is a minor plot involving an evil French officer who is bent on finding a particular map that Harriet drew and it was not surprising when he shows up in London. There are no major twists and turns in the story, but watching Morgan and Harriet finally confess their love for each other is a roller coaster ride enough. Now I can't wait to read Rhys's story next.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

I loved this book! "A Wicked Game" by Kate Bateman was a wicked fun book to read. I think I read it in 2 days! I know I have read a couple of her other books, but I think Bateman's books may become my go to when I need a light, enjoyable read! I thought the chemistry between Harriet and Morgan was great & eagerly anticipated each step in their daring game.

This is the final book in a series, and I didn't realize it when I requested. However, this book was fabulous, so I didn't feel too lost. I also love childhood friends, and enemies to lovers, so this checked boxes for me. Now to the first two books in the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Publishing for this!

Ok, this book got me out of a two month reading slump. TWO MONTHS, PEOPLE. The banter and story are just that good. I did read the other two books in the series but my reading retention leaves *a lot* to be desired, so the only thing I really remembered was that the Davies and the Montgomery families hated each other (but like in a kind of fun way?) and honestly that is the only background you really need to know.

Mapmaker Harriet and Captain in the Navy Morgan have teased and annoyed each other their whole lives. This is an enemies to lovers story told in such a fun and dynamic way. A lot of enemies to lovers stories don't work for me because there is either a bit too much hate or the hijinx enter the totally unbelievable territory but the dialogue on these magnificent pages is a masterclass on how to successfully write this trope. Harriet and Morgan trader barbs left and right and have so much chemistry and also there are a lot of cute map metaphors and really just go out and buy the book already.

I'm eagerly anticipating Rhys's story and the introduction to the "wild" side of the Montgomery clan. Oh boy.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Really enjoying his series of books. Harriet Montgomery & Morgan Davies are interesting characters that we get to know well throughout this book. It's fun to see how their childhood teasing & goading is turning into something much more grown up. Highly recommend reading this book!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

“A Wicked Game” (Ruthless Rivals, Book 3) by Kate Bateman
“I Dare YOU”
A “Daring” tale that will keep you turning the pages. There is plenty of ‘spice’ and ‘daring do’ to keep you glued to this story well pasted your allotted reading time. So be prepared, I am warning you. Oh, this story can be read as a stand-a-lone. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

Morgan and Harriet have a rivalry that spans generations of their families. When Morgan comes back from the navy he seeks out Harriet because he has realized she is the one for him. Now he must convince her he is serious and not just trying to prank her. I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this story! The pacing was excellent and I loved all of the swoony moments. Highly recommend!

Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies have been “adversaries” since childhood, but she doesn’t want him to end up dead when he goes off to sea ( she’s the only one with the right to end him) so she sends him off with a private wager. When he comes back several years later, hardened after being imprisoned by his enemy, Morgan is ready to cash in on their bet, but soon the two find themselves intertwined once more with a new and honestly more interesting challenge. This is not your typical historical romance as the heat between the two enemies-turned-lovers will knock your socks off right from the beginning. Harriet is smart and witty, a fair challenge for the taciturn Morgan, as she keeps him on his toes. The book also has a lot of familiar characters in the Montgomery-Davies families, a fair amount of humor, and a bit of intrigue, but the dares between Harriet and Morgan are what sealed the deal for me. This series keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait for Rhys’ story next. I voluntarily read and reviewed an arc copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 5 stars

I got an ARC of this from NetGalley, and couldn’t be more pleased! I love this series, and was thrilled to read this third book so close after finishing the second.
Kate Batemen writes funny, independent characters, and doesn’t rely on them doing dumb things to advance the storyline, so that is something that makes this book (and series) enjoyable.
Harriet and Morgan are smart, and it’s fun reading their relationship develop as they both realize fully what the other means to them after a lifetime of “rivalry”. I also liked that the drama they face isn’t some big convoluted storyline.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Rhys next!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Finding his way back home after being shipwrecked and imprisoned on a Caribbean island, Captain Morgan Davies is out for revenge. It's only down to a badly drawn map, or intentionally misdrawn one, that his ship ran aground, and he and his men found themselves captives. So when he discovers that the cartographer was none other than Harriet Montgomery, his nemesis and the woman who gets his heart racing, he can't get revenge but instead works with her to try and draw out the French spy.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more. Harriet and Morgan's chemistry has always jumped out in the previous books, and I loved how much they grew as individuals, and as a couple over the course of this book. Though they've both hidden and denied their feelings in the past, since they were young, they've had a tendre for one another, and it simply grew as adults. With Morgan having a lot of time to think while at sea, and held captive, Harriet was one of his only thoughts - so much so that his men knew about her, which was cute when she met some of them in London. On his return home, he had only two intentions - find the cartographer and make him pay, and get Harriet once and for all. I loved that he let go of his revenge when he realised it was Harriet, and moved to proving his worth to her, and showing his love. Harriet was so strong, but she also had her moments of weakness, and Morgan was there to help her through it. She might be related to the Montgomery's, but her father was a poorer relation, and with his eyesight failing him, Harriet has had to step up greatly. I think this one might be my favourite of the trilogy, but, honestly, they've all been great. Kate has created a wonderful series here, and I love how all three couples were about to get their happy endings!

Kate Bateman’s third book in the RUTHLESS RIVALS series, “A Wicked Game,” continues and surpasses the high bar created by the first two utterly enjoyable books.

The 500-year-old rivalry between the Montgomery and Davies families continues, but the writer expertly by this book transforms the long rivalry into a livelier, teasing milieu with lifelong romantic unions between the families. Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies have forged a bond since childhood – a relationship of creative dares, loyalty, “a love of the absurd, a thirst for knowledge and adventure,” and steadfast mutual caring. Morgan returns from war with two goals. To find the cartographer responsible for his war imprisonment and to exact some recompense. Second, to show Harriet his lifelong, steadfast love for her. A strong, determined, rational, talented woman, Harriet is a top cartographer – incognito due to her gender. Morgan’s avenging pursuit for that cartographer evolves into a dangerous adventure for both, as well as a sensuous love story.

The motif of the world of maps, treasures, pirates, and the sea is exquisitely woven with the descriptive language, dialogues, dares, and thoughts - creating pure magic. “Here be Dragons” and “I dare you” become spells. Details abound that embellish the wondrous sphere of this love story, even a map of its own – Harriet’s “The Map of the Heart.” With some series, previous characters in the series have diluted cameo roles. Not here. The main characters from books one and two are robust and tangentially integral to the story, but do not overshadow the story of Harriet and Morgan.

I did not want this book to end and am hopeful that the last breathtakingly handsome and unwed Davies brother, Rhys, has his own story ahead. To the writer, please write his story – We Dare You.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Paperbacks for providing access to this delightful book. I am also grateful to the author, Kate Bateman, for writing this book and the whole three-book series (so far). I will continue to read and reread everything Kate Bateman writes.

(3.5 Stars!)

The season has started, and Harriet Montgomery is more concerned about her mapmaking, her father, oh and a little bet she had with childhood frenemy Morgan Davies than solidifying a marriage match for herself. However, Morgan Davies is back after a few years at sea and he's got one thing on his mind: Harriet Montgomery and whatever it takes to make her his.

I found this to be a fun, simple, sweet, surprisingly spicy regency romance read! I enjoyed Harriet as a character. She was fierce, independent, and I love how much her dreams met to her. And Morgan was enticing and a fun love interest to root for! Although predictable, this was a good, mindless romance that felt like a light mix between Hallmark and Bridgerton. Definitely check out the others in the series if you liked this one!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press Romance for access to this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

///////ARC RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW/////

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher ,and Kate Bateman for this ARC.

I loved this book. I thought it was so cute. I actually didn't realize it was a series until I started reading it. What drew me to it was the cover and description. I loved reading the two main characters banter. It was one of those books that you found yourself smiling a lot. One of my favorite lines toward the end was when Morgan said "It's finding someone to do nothing with, that's the real test. Someone with whom to just sit and read by the fire. Someone to eat dinner with. To converse with, or not converse with, as the mood takes us." I just thought that line was so sweet and introspective. Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance. I'm planning on going back an reading the other two books in this series and her other books.

On the eve of Morgan's departure for war, Harriet make him a bet: if he survives, she'll owe him three kisses. Now, two years later, he has returned, and plans to collect, but with a twist that Harriet can't--doesn't want to--refuse. The next few weeks find the two of them meeting and sneaking off in private to fulfill the terms of the bet. But as the two begin to explore the feelings they've long held for each other, an evil from both of their pasts looms closer: the French man who held Morgan prisoner for six weeks, who seeks a map made by R. Crusoe-- Harriet's alias.
Harriet and Morgan spar throughout the book, always matching each other blow for blow. Their dynamic is fun, a playful animosity against the backdrop of their families' feud (which has already been softened by two Davies/Montgomery unions before them). Overall, it's a really fun read, with a whole lot of sweetness and yearning peppered throughout.
I think A Wicked Game may have the best romantic gesture I've ever read. The moment I realized what it was, I couldn't wait to see it play out, and I swear I actually melted. The Ruthless Rivals series is one of my favorites, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes historical romance.

Fireworks from start to finish!! Kate Bateman is an author I discovered late last year, and since then she has become part of my 'must buy authors' list. The third installment of her 'Ruthless Rivals' is a worthy addition to the first two. Morgan and Harriet have the same crackling heat and fiery passion as the two previous couples, and it was absolute pleasure reading their story. I particularly liked the grand gesture Morgan pulled off to show his love was genuine. It was quite romantic. This is another winner for Bateman: passion, humor, excitement, and most importantly, a hea love.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Captain Morgan Davies is back in London and he's determined to claim his reward of three kisses from Harriett Montgomery, It surprised him how much he thought about her while at sea and in prison as a result of a faulty map, He also wants to have a talk with the mapmaker who, surprise, turns out to be Harriett. That's the set up for this trope=y but fun novel about two families who have been rivals and two people who have tried their best to deny their attraction to one another. While it's the third in a trilogy, it will be fine as a standalone. I liked these characters (oh I rooted for them so much), I liked the Regency setting, and the storytelling is terrific. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Morgan! *heart eyes heart eyes*

Another wickedly fun book from Kate Bateman: banter, Welsh men, low angst (mostly), pining!
I didn't forget about Harriet either, I've said it before and I'll say it every time Bateman publishes a book: I love that her heroines don't just have a hobby or "passion", we actually see them putting it to use and in action and integral to the plot.
Morgan is a navy captain, Harriet is a mapmaker, as the book goes on the water and map metaphors get more heavy handed but eh, it works. I just felt that the evil villain/side plot got lost compared to her previous books.

Fun, fast, wicked!

This was an entertaining story with a fun couple. I loved the family rivalry, though there were more connections bringing the families together. Harriet was an intelligent, sneaky, and passionate woman. Morgan had suffered somewhat during his time in the war, but his feelings for Harriet helped him come back to her. His determination to make Harriet his brought smiles and cheers from me. Maps, adventures, danger, and more pulled me into the story, and I recommend this book.

I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

I read the previous two books in this series and loved them, so I was very excited to read this one. However, I found myself somewhat disappointed. Things never quite clicked for me. I wasn’t a fan of the bet or how it was implemented; there were some consent issues that made me uncomfortable. I also found it completely unbelievable that a young woman who had never been kissed would so quickly jump into particular types of sexual intimacy (being vague so as not to spoil). I know they had known each other all their lives, but things moved way too fast and it was hard for me to feel invested. I even found myself skimming the sexytimes, which I NEVER do. Really hoping Rhys’s book will be better.