A brilliant addition to Bateman's Ruthless Rivals series (Not the end, mind you--we still have one more Davies sibling and apparently many more Montgomerys!) focusing on mapmaker Harriet and Naval Captain Morgan. They've delighted tormenting each other and uttering the three most dangerous words "I dare you" since childhood--and now as adults have a very wicked game going between them. Equal parts witty and steamy, "A Wicked Game" is all around delightful, and wonderfully narrated.

I am someone who likes to read the book and then listen to the audiobook, and I read A Wicked Game as an ARC on my kindle. When I received the audiobook as an ARC, I was super excited because I loved this book! The audiobook is fantastic, as well. Kate Bateman's continuation of the series is excellent, and Beverley Crick's reading of A Wicked Game is fantastic! The timing of the reading is great, the character voices are fantastic.
I love Morgan and Harriet, and their chemistry comes through in the story and narration.
If you have read A Wicked Game already, or listening to the audiobook as the first read it is great nonetheless. Beverley Crick is a great narrator, and in this third in the series she really has the tone of the series mastered and it is a great "read". I got a lot of chores around the house done and it made my commutes to work better while listening avidly to A Wicked Game. I highly recommend to audiobook fans, or those new to audiobooks! This is a really fantastic one!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audiobook of "A Wicked Game" in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story. Even though it's part of a series, it's easy to jump right in and read/listen to as a standalone. All of the characters had great personalities and played off each other very naturally. I especially enjoyed the joking and humor between Morgan and Harriet. The narrator died a fabulous job with keeping the pace of the novel as well as maintaining listener interest. I can't wait to go back and read the other books in the series and for any future books by this author.

A Wicked Game is the third book of the Ruthless Rivals series, Harriet and Captain Morgan Davies’ families have been at it for generations since some stole a pig or possibly a woman, it has been so long it is hard to say. The new generation usually just taunts one another and the children who once shared a border at their country homes playing games in the wood are now playing games of an adult nature with each other.

Captain Morgan Davies was in the war with Napoleon for two years and before he left Harriet promised him three kisses on his return. He has three kisses to convince her that the teasing and banter between them would catch fire in the bedroom. Three kisses to make her fall enough in love with him so Harriet will want to be his wife.

Harriet had no idea when she made the bet that in true Davies fashion he would twist it. Three kisses she assumed would be chaste enough are nothing of the sort. Morgan is going to open her eyes and senses to the wonders of lust to be sure. But does he just want her body or the heart that has become attached to him as well?

This is a fun book with a little side drama pertaining to an altered map and some buried treasure along with a few spoonfuls of danger. Harriet and Morgan are likeable enough, if each isn’t so daft they didn’t notice the other was utterly in love with them the entire time. But I do like the family dynamics and since I had read the first book of the series I enjoyed seeing the couple from that a few times as well. A Wicked Game is a fun addition to the story even if it didn’t seem as dramatic as the others. The couples are cute and the family history is a fun touch.

Narration:
Beverley A Crick does well with all the characters and getting across the story. I liked her overall performance as she resumes her role as the narrator for the entire series thus far. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.

Romance: 3/5
Chemistry: 5/5
Spice: 4/5
1st kiss: +-25% in
Foul language: 2/5
Humor: 3/5
Cry factor: 0/5
Suspense: 2/5
Drama: 0/5

Positive thoughts:
- I loved the fun banter between Harriet and Morgan. It was so fun, it had me laughing constantly.
- I listened to the audio of this book and I have to say I enjoyed the narrator. She was brilliant with the different accents and tones in dialogues. It was very pleasant to listen to.

Negative thoughts:
- I with I had more suspense with this book. The action/suspense only came at the very end. But this fact did not make the book any more boring until we got there, I just wished we could have had more suspense (and less spice).

Overall:
- This was a historical romance, with enough chemistry to curl your toes.
- The narrator of the audios was great and will give you a wonderful "reading" experience.
- It is a romance with a sprinkle of suspense, a Captain as a main male character and a cartographer for a female main character. So both our main characters are strong witted.

Tropes:
-Enemies to lovers
- It's always been you
- Banter
- Hooked on bets
- Independent FMC

This book didn't bring anything new to the table. They both liked each other from the beginning and I did not feel any yearning or tension between them. There was a lot of bickering banter that I found annoying.

The newest addition to this series continues to make this an extremely entertaining series. I love the "feud" they have going. This story is full of humor, romance and drama. I thought the glimpses into their past laid the perfect groundwork for their future together. Loved the narrator. She really brings the story to life. Fingers crossed for another installment to this series.

I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the premise. A pair of childhood friends/rivals who’ve bumped heads and challenged one another as they’ve grown, each hiding their own simmering attraction for one another before he departs for the navy. Upon his return, they reunite under the impression that their bet from years ago will be cashed in. He wants those three kisses she promised him if he returned back safe from war.

While their affection is growing steadily for each other, there is also a threat to her and father’s safety. Years earlier, she began making maps for the admiralty to replace her father after his eyesight began to fail. I appreciated this intelligent and STEM-inspired trait in our leading lady Harriet. That was expounded upon towards the beginning and end of the story. I’ll admit I was hoping there would be more development and exploration of that topic throughout the middle of the book but that’s just a matter of personal preference. The risks of safety and secrecy amplify the tension between these two main characters as she strives to maintain her independence and he will do whatever he can to earn her love and affection.

Read this if you enjoy:
💙 women in STEM (mapmaking)
💙 Navy captain
💙 MCs who’ve known each other since childhood
💙 family rivals
💙 regency romance

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of this story, all thoughts are my own. The narrator did a great job bringing this dual POV story to life.

Content: multiple open door scenes

Captain Morgan Davies’ ship ran aground near Martinique, causing him and his crew to be imprisoned by the French for eight weeks, all thanks to a faulty map. Now that he’s back in London, Morgan is eager for his revenge on the incompetent cartographer, almost as eager as he is to claim the three kisses promised by his lifelong nemesis, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. He had plenty of time while in prison to contemplate his feelings and is sure she’s the woman he wants to marry but convincing her will be even more challenging than his naval assignments. When Morgan realizes Harriet is also responsible for his faulty map, he decides his revenge must take on a more seductive angle.

Harriet has always desired Morgan and that hasn’t changed in the two years he’s been away. Unfortunately, she’s been too busy caring for her father, whose eyesight is failing, and keeping at bay a rival cartographer who’s copying her work. She doesn’t have energy left to play games with Morgan, even if she is sorely tempted. But when Morgan’s naval service becomes a threat to them both, Harriet learns that she and Morgan are far from the enemies she thought them to be.

This was such a cute, light-hearted read. I loved that both the hero and heroine had been in love with each other since their adolescence and just a bit slow to realize it, all the while hiding it under a veneer of animosity. The sexual tension in that dynamic was huge. Harriet did worry me for a bit with how quick she was to doubt Morgan, but she came to her senses, and he persisted in a delightful way. I loved that he was the first to realize he was in love with her and set about a campaign to subtly woo her. The pining was delicious, and I loved that Morgan was so ready to admit his feelings and go after the life he wanted with Harriet. She may have been a bit harder to convince, but she was also mature enough to listen to both her own feelings and Morgan’s and I loved these two as a couple. I both listened to and read this on audio and Beverley Crick's Welsh accent for Morgan made him even more delightfully charming. This entire series has been a delight for me, and this addition was no exception. I’m very much looking forward to Rhys’ story now.

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

This was my first Kate Bateman book and it was very good! I definitely need to go back and read the first two books in this series. The other couples seemed very interesting, I loved the tension between the Montgomery women and the Davies men.
I loved how Harriet had her own job of map making while Morgan was a Captain. I really loved the ending where they were offered an adventure just the two of them. I imagined them like the couple in The Pirates of the Caribbean.
This was a good blend of enemies to lovers, a dare that leads to a wicked game and drama along the way. The slow burn was manageable due to the kisses 😏
The narrator of this book was good, she did a nice job. I know there were a number of characters but some of them sounded exactly the same so sometimes it was hard to figure out who was who.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭.” —𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝘼 𝙒𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚

This was my first Kate Bateman book and right away I fell in love with this authors writing style! A Wicked game was exciting, fast-paced, and steamy   can’t wait to read more of this author!

It was a light and easy read, and it brought me back to a time when all I wanted to do was read harlequin resonances under my desk   This was a fun book to start the year with—full of romance, scandal, and smut 

𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖:
-Harlequin romance
-Rivalry & Revenge
-Old Maps

This was a pleasure to read! Two childhood rivals, one bet: three kisses. A rogue and a lady tease each other, constantly bickering, but in a tension-building way that is irresistibly hot.

An anonymous act of heroism from one leads to dangerous consequences for another. But not everything is as simple as it seems. Can their desire for each other overcome their desire for revenge?

Thank you to @macmillanusa and @stmartinspress for sending me an ARC of this title! All opinions are my own.

May I say how much I enjoy listening to romance over reading it? Or at least that’s what I’ve preferred lately. If a romance doesn’t tax me intellectually, or emotionally, then listening to an engaging narrator read to me about a funny, lovable hero and heroine, while I cook, bake, or walk, is a great way to fill my head while engaging hands and feet! Bateman’s Wicked Game did exactly this: it amused and gave me the romance fuzzies. To start, the publisher’s description:

Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an inaccurate map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize—three kisses—in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. His time in prison has made him realize his feelings for her, but convincing the infuriating woman he wants to marry her is going to be his greatest challenge yet. When Harriet’s revealed to be the very mapmaker he seeks, Morgan decides revenge and seduction can be combined into one delightful package…

Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as sinfully handsome as ever, and apparently determined to make her life a living hell. She has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s failing eyesight and a rival mapmaker copying her work to play wicked games with a Davies—however tempting he might be.

But when a threat from Morgan’s past puts them both in danger, Harry discovers that she and Morgan might not be enemies at all…



If you’re looking for high-concept angst-filled romance, Bateman’s isn’t it. But it sure is a lot of fun to listen to Harriet and Morgan verbally spar. Their banter is antagonistically loving because it’s obvious, from the opening scene, they love each other and, more importantly, they’ve loved each since they were children and are friends. I adored the prologue: as Morgan prepares to leave for the Napoleonic Wars, Harriet schemes to make sure he returns alive by proposing that dare-bet described in the blurb. She knows he won’t be able to resist a dare. There’s nothing original in this concept (Crusie did it better and with greater emotional stakes), but what makes this good is Harriet’s considered motivation: how she schemes and plots not to foil Morgan, but to ensure he returns safe and sound. We know from the moment Morgan returns he’s in love with Harriet and wants to marry her: I liked this no surprises, no resistance-to-my-feelings ‘tude.

We also know that Harriet reciprocates Morgan’s feelings: now what? I looked at my audio-book time “left” and I’d only listened to about 20%-worth. How will Bateman retain tension and interest? She does and she doesn’t: Harriet and Morgan are so lovable and funny and the narrator distinguishes their voices when she reads the dialogue, with a touch of Wales in Morgan especially, that made this quite enjoyable. Bateman adds a suspense plot, which did make for a great danger-and-confrontation scene. Some other stuff she added to sustain plot, not as successful: witness the sexy times, especially a “naughty” book Morgan gives Harriet, not fun, kinda crude; the love scenes, better, especially on consent. What always worked was Morgan and Harriet caring for and about each other and still managing to be funny; what worked even better was how well they knew each and gave the other what he/she needed, or would respond to. This made their HEA believable and worthy of celebration.

There were a few chapters near the end when Harriet does this stupid “how can he love me?” thing that was annoying for a character who, until this point, had been intelligent. I would have been way more annoyed were I eyeball reading this, but I could glaze over and still follow the good stuff while I made dinner: narrative forgiveness was easier to grant. The suspense plot and Morgan’s charming “grand gesture” saved the day. A romance with low stakes to give you the warm and fuzzies and keep you amused and entertained: absolutely. Bateman’s A Wicked Game offers “real comfort,” Emma.

I am grateful to RB Media, Recorded Books, for the opportunity to listen to and review Bateman’s romance.

With their families sworn to hate each other, Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies have been caught in a burning, teasing tangle of attraction and enmity since youth. As he's about to leave for war, they strike a bet. Harriet bets him three kisses upon his return if he doesn't die in the war. But she doesn't clarify where she'll be kissed-- a loophole that Morgan takes full advantage of.

This is top tier (fr)enemies to lovers historical romance. It's the third book in this series, but I read it as a standalone and it held up extremely well. The characters are charming, their banter is endearing, the plot is plenty engaging between spicy bits and thoughts, the pacing is comfortable, and the chemistry between the protagonists is consistently compelling and electric and eventually tender. The enemies aspect doesn't last very long as they pretty quickly admit to themselves that they've always had feeling for one another, but their rivalry-- all the teasing and daring and chasing (sometimes literally)-- never loses its edge of wickedness.

Listen, I read a lot of smut. And this was the first book in a while that made me catch my breath-- and say things like "damn, boy" a few times. The spicy scenes are written extremely well, and their banter in those moments is supremely hot. Even their most chaste physical contact was built up and described so well that made me feel some kind of way. It really does boil down to chemistry which Batemen writes so expertly.

I love how Bateman writes this time period and the characters' areas of study. I never felt like she took a break from the story to tell me about their world or cartography; instead, those aspects were weaved in seamlessly.

I really appreciated how much boldness and agency Harriet was written with for this time period. She's a cartographer, a caretaker, strong-willed, wickedly witty, mischevious, and she knows what she wants. No matter how much she loves Morgan, she isn't willing to give up her future to be his housewife. And the men in her life accept and appreciate-- nay, celebrate-- her adventurous nature. Her desire and pleasure and consent are critical to the plot progression, and it felt really nice to read.

"True, they rubbed each other the wrong way, but that constant friction created a delicious kind of heat-- a heat he planned to kindle until it burst into flame."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC. The narration was spectacularly done, and I'll be listening to the 1st and 2nd books in the series posthaste.

5 stars!!!

This was fun, sexy and had a perfect amount of plot while keeping the spotlight on the swoon-worthy romance.

Both Harriet and Morgan were incredibly charming. She’s smug about her skills as a map maker (love a capable heroine!) and he loves how clever she is (love a besotted hero!). Morgan is basically all in from chapter one, but as a good military strategist he knows that he needs to win Harriet over by proving their physical compatibility (the 3 kisses bet… unf those scenes were hot) AND by engaging her brain. And, of course, Harriet is definitely not immune to his efforts.

I loved this book so much - it made me all giddy and gave me severe heart eyes. Will definitely checking out Kate Bateman’s back catalogue.

The narrator on the audiobook also did a great job - it was a very engaging performance. The accent she did for Morgan was a little distracting at first (is that a Welsh accent?) but I eventually got used to it.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley and RB Media, but all opinions are my own.

I was so fortunate this year to stumble upon a number of new (to me) authors whose writing I absolutely adore--Kate Bateman has been one of them. This series has been full of humor, adventure, romance and just enough sexy-times to keep me intrigued (but not so much as to have me rolling my eyes every time the protagonists get frisky).

If you're a sucker for enemies to lovers AND historical romance like I am, you will love this trilogy too. Bateman does an excellent job of putting the hero and heroine at odds with one another while still creating enough chemistry to make us believe they could eventually fall in love and wind up happy together. I love that even though Morgan was written as a childish rapscallion who wanted nothing more than to annoy Harriet in the first two books, in this installment he is a MAN returned home from war with one goal in mind: to get his girl and make her his wife. I LOVE a determined hero!

I dearly hope that Rhys gets his own story as well. I'd love to hear more about the Wessex branch of the Montgomery clan!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

This was a delight to read. From the moment this book started to the ending, I could not put this book down. Bateman writes some of the best banter I've seen in historical romances and creates great tension between the main characters.

Also, one of my favorite things that Kate Bateman does in her historicals is write unusual plots and occupations for her heroines. In this one Harriet was a map maker. Previously she's written heroines that were running a shipping empire, a renowned thief and a princess in the run. Each of the heroines is unique and really adds to the story.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this series so far, and this newest addition was no exception. From reading the first two books in the series, I knew Harriet and Morgan's story would show up eventually, and again it was an entertaining read. I always say that with romances, you know where the story is going, it's just a matter of how the author will get you there. And each of the journeys in the first three books of this series has been fun, with enough backstory on the characters to keep them from being two-dimensional heroes and heroines. At the end Bateman leaves us with a nice setup for the next book in the series and I can't wait to see how that one unfolds.
Beverley A. Crick's narration was quite nice and added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I so enjoyed this audiobook. I thought Beverley A. Crick was a wonderful narrator and the performance was dynamic and had personality. She was the perfect choice! Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this entertaining book!

This book is a wonderful addition to an already delightful series. All three are solid 5 stars and the beautiful covers enhance the experience. The rivals are members of two Welsh families who have been feuding for 500 years. In this generation the rivalry keeps turning to love. Morgan and Harriet spent their youth challenging and daring one another. When she sends him off to sea to fight Napoleon she bets him three kisses that he wont survive, giving him the desire to return at collect on his bet. I love that at the beginning of the book he already knows he is smitten with Harriet. The story is really him wooing her into choosing him. Of course that choice was made as children and neither realizes it.

There is an interesting side story of Harriet being a cartographer and making inaccurate maps to fool the French. She runs her fathers shop and Morgan and his brothers help her deal with someone plagiarizing her maps. This book has playfulness, family feud fun, and steamy passion. I love that there are no angst moments or miscommunications. Just challenges and dares with romance as the theme.

This book can be read on its own but to have background on the families enjoy all three of the stories. The couples, Harriet’s cousins and Morgan’s siblings, make appearances in this story. And the prologue sets up Morgan’s brother as the next one to get a romance. I can’t wait to read it.

I listened to audio book narrated by Beverley A. Crick and she brings the characters to life. There are so many times that the word "wicked" is used in the book and her emphasis whether playful or exasperated delighted me every time. Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the audio book in exchange for a review.

A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman
Ruthless Rivals series #3. Historical romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
The Davies and the Montgomerys have a long-standing contentious relationship. Morgan Davies and Harriet Montgomery play the role in public, but each secretly have romantic feelings for the other. A bet for three kisses turns their arguments to passion.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of this book narrated by Beverley A. Crick. The performance was done with an English / London accent. This narrator is popular in the historical romance genre across many different authors. The diction was clear and easy to understand. Emotions were evident and while male/female voices were relatively the same, it was easy to hear the switch between the two and follow along. I thought the narration was pleasant and easy to listen to although I did push the speed up to 1.5 which is my standard these days for conversational comfort.

Engaging and sexy. I loved that the heroine was self supporting, smart and willing to ask for help in support of publishing rights. She was willing to do more than just sit on the sidelines.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and RB Digital.