Reckless match

Kate Bateman

Book - 2021

"Madeline Montgomery grew up despising––and secretly loving––the roguish Gryffud zGryffy Davies. Their families have been bitter rivals for hundreds of years, but even if her feelings once crossed the line between love and hate, she’s certain Gryff never felt the same. Now, she’s too busy saving her family from ruin to think about Gryff and the other zdevilishy Davies siblings. Since he’s off being scandalous in London, it’s not like she’ll ever see him again... As the new Earl of Powys, Gryff Davies planned on spending his post-war life enjoying the pleasures of London. But when an illegal duel forces him to retreat to his family’s Welsh castle, he realizes the only exciting thing in the dull countryside will be se...eing the fiery Maddie Montgomery. Thoughts of his nemesis sustained Gryff throughout the war; but the girl he loved to tease has grown into a gorgeous, headstrong woman – who loathes him just as much as she ever did. Will secret tunnels, dangerous smugglers, and meddling from their feuding families be enough to make Maddie and Gryff realize that their animosity is really attraction...and maybe even love?"--Page 4 of cover.

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Subjects
Genres
Regency fiction
Romance fiction
Historical fiction
Novels
Published
New York, NY : St. Martin's Paperbacks 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Kate Bateman (author)
Edition
St. Martin's Paperbacks edition
Item Description
"First in a new series"--Cover.
Physical Description
321 pages ; 18 cm
ISBN
9781250801562
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The first in Bateman's Ruthless Rivals Regency romance series offers an enjoyable and sexy romp with all the verisimilitude of the Bridgerton television series. Due to a royal decree centuries in the past, representatives of the feuding Davies and Montgomery families must meet each year in the middle of lands they jointly own and shake hands. Failure would invoke forfeiture of the property. Maddie Montgomery is elated to think Gryff Davies, the new Earl of Powys, her childhood nemesis, won't show up and that the strip of land between the two families' estates will become solely the Montgomerys'. But Gryff not only shows up, he also goes beyond the handshake to a searing kiss. There is so much to enjoy in Bateman's feel-good, enemies-in-love tale, including a heroine passionate about archaeology, a kind hero with a sense of humor, secret tunnels, caves hiding smugglers' caches, and an underwater lake near a wishing well. Heroic adventures and good deeds add to the fun, while secondary characters foreshadow delightful romances of their own in future installments.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Bateman (the Bow Street Bachelors series) launches a Regency trilogy with this pitch-perfect enemies-to-lovers romance centered on the feuding Montgomery and Davies families. Despite generations of bad blood, the two clans jointly own the land between their estates, and a fragile truce requires that representatives from each family shake hands once annually. This year, it's aspiring archaeologist Maddie Montgomery and former soldier Gryff Davies who reunite for the handshake ritual--but Gryff surprises Maddie with a kiss instead, reigniting their long unspoken mutual attraction. Maddie's feelings for Gryff aren't her only secret: the Montgomery family is facing financial ruin, leading Maddie to consider a marriage proposal from the detestable Mostyn Drake, who's offering £2,000 for her hand. Bateman further ratchets up the tension when Maddie falls into a cave on the shared Davies-Montgomery land and discovers a brandy-smuggling operation. She and Gryff hatch a plan to foil the smugglers, catapulting the two into danger and fanning the flames of passion between them. It's tropey in the best of ways, with a palpable charge between the lovers and a good balance of darkness and light. Brimming with intrigue, passion, and humor, this is sure to win the author new fans. (Sept.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

A new series from Bateman ("Bow Street Bachelors") featuring the centuries-long feud between the Montgomery and Davies families. Madeline Montgomery and the new Earl of Powys, Gryffud "Gryff" Davies, are doing their parts to keep the battle going. Madeline thinks she's solved her family's financial hardship, until Gryff's inconvenient return to the area forces her to change tack. The neutral territory between the families' properties provides unexpected and dangerous opportunities, but only if they can work together. Gryff's military past and Madeline's archaeological and local knowledge serve them well as they encounter smugglers, violence, and secrets on the property they share, but Madeline's only option to save her family might be to accept an arranged marriage. The time they spend together causes Madeline and Gryff to examine whether the animosity between their families is covering up a deeper connection between them. VERDICT Historical romance readers will love this steamy, star-crossed enemies-to-lovers adventure featuring a strong, intelligent heroine and a hero who learns to support her.--Jenna Harmison, Champaign Cty. Lib., OH

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