Lady Carys Davies is paying blackmail to keep a secret from her past from surfacing. Disillusioned with men and love, she keeps suitors away while longing for Tristan Montgomery, a member of her family’s greatest rivals. Architect Tristan is trying to get his home and life in order, but he’s never stopped wanting Carys. An accidental meeting in a carriage - and a challenge that he should show her what she's missing - leads to lusty lessons that have them both rethinking their futures.

This is the second book in the Ruthless Rivals series. It can be read alone but it's better with the backstory about the families and their rivalry, which is introduced in book one.

It was long night of reading because I didn’t want to put this story down! I was 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 and Tristan shock each other...with her unlikely, bold proposal and by his accepting. It starts as a bit of a slow burn (Carys and I were both getting impatient), but thankfully the tease doesn't last too long. This book was wildly entertaining and swoony! I can't wait to see more of these families in the next one!

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

Steam: 3

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #ADaringPursuit #NetGalley

Sigh… butterflies, giggles, swooning. I couldn’t help myself with this one. It’s everything I love in a historical romance—flirting, adventure, strong-willed female lead, supportive man, humor, passion. I loved it!!!

Carys and Tristan come from families who feud, but they can’t deny they’ve loved each other as long as they can remember- they just didn’t accept it yet. There’s conflicts with Howe, and her brothers bring in humor and typical brotherly protectiveness. Carys is also passionate about saving animals and Tristan supports that too. Put this one on your reading list to see how these two come together.

So I read the previous book which was amazing and was intrigued by Tristan and Carys dynamic. But this book was different set-up than the way the characters were portrayed in the start of the series. It’s not a true enemies to lovers. It’s more unrequited lovers. And the plot was extremely meh for me. I preferred the Carys that didn’t give a sh*t and in this one, her backstory of being used and then she became a force was also too over done.

A Daring Pursuit is book #2 in Kate Bateman's "Ruthless Rivals" series. Carys Davies is a beautiful woman from an established family who has a terrible secret and the shame that comes with a rash indiscretion with the wrong guy when she was younger. As this secret threatens to expose her and ruin her reputation, her arch nemesis, Tristan Montgomery, has figured out what her secret is and instead of threatening to expose her, decides to use the opportunity to spend some wicked time with her so he can once and for all purge Carys from his thoughts. Along the way, the enemies discover that their hatred is actually love and as they fight to keep Carys' secret quiet, they discover more than they ever bargained for.

I loved this book. To me, this is what a Romance Novel should be! Enemies, lovers, scandals, secrets! Everything you could ever want is in this story and I found myself staying up late a few nights in a row to finish the story and also being sad when it was over! I can't wait to read more novels from the Ruthless Rivals series and from the author!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinions.

Kate Bateman is one of my fav Romance authors and I’d read the first installment of the series m. I was very excited when she announced it was available in NetGalley and I rushed right over to download it. Needless to say it does not disappoint. Kate always gets the sexual tension, humor and great storytelling juuuuuuust right. Love it!

A Daring Pursuit is another heart warming, outrageously entertaining historical romance. The Davies and Montgomery families have always been enemies. And Carys Davies considers Tristan Montgomery her own personal enemy. A discretion in her first season has left Carys determined to never marry so to fight off suitors she toes the line just shy of scandal on the most outrageous gowns she can wear. Tristan Montgomery is stiff and proper and boring in his interest of all things architectural. Whenever they butt heads sparks fly and when Tristan finds out how inexperienced Carys is, he wants to teach her the ways of pleasure. The lead characters entertain while winning over the toughest of critics in this sweet, steamy, and fun historical romance. A Kate Bateman romance is like a cool drink of water after a drought of overdone plots in the romance world. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

A daring Pursuit, by Kate Bateman. Kate has done it again! I enjoyed all the excitement. All the challenges. All the action.
All of the romance. What a smashing good romantic story that this was to read. I must admit, I was eager to read the romance of the story, but wait! It was the excitement of chasing down a supposed bear, then, being chased down by supposed bear, and falling upon a cage full of gold. I did mention that there was a number steamy scenes and illicit trysts in the cover darkness didn’t eye?
Well there was and let me tell you it was good. It was so good my toes may have curled a little. Tristan! Man you had me all sweaty. Daum, what he did to Cary’s with that anatomy of his. Whew, I’m having flashbacks from reading that particular part. Let me catch myself here.
You, go on and finish reading the rest of this review, I’ll catch up. I just need a moment here. So, the writing as always from this author is brilliant in the story. I appreciate the simplicity of the narrative and dialogue among the characters. I always believe that having these techniques within the story, always help the story flow easily for the reader.
There’s less confusion, as well as the reader being turned off from the story. I thought the romance between Tristan and Carys was a scorcher. The many tryst these two got themselves into, they were definitely headed for some enjoyable trouble. “Oh yes Tristan, show me how all men make love correctly.” Girls I was yelling, “forget about correctly, let’s just get nasty like some wild bears.”
Shute. The people at the party would think that they were being overran by some wild animals from hearing the loud banging, animalistic roars of a bear, ( which would be me) and yelling coming from upstairs, fact. You maybe laughing, but I’m serious here. Hahahaha. I fell off topic here.
Focus, focus. Tristan and Carys were excellent as a animal capture team running through the fields at night only to be stopped by Howe. This man, he really needed his just deserts. I know for a fact that Carys could have taken him down. Her character was strong in certain ways and she knows how to get people to bend to her will, without using her body.
While not only being a smart woman, she’s also, a supporter of saving animals. Buttercup and the crows were her best friends. I give this book two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

Carys has always stood out amongst society, always being daring in an attempt to keep men away, though her efforts seem to backfire. Tristan has always been drawn to her, despite their family's feud. When he finds out that someone from Carys's past is blackmailing her and threatening her with ruin, she asks him for help-- in the form of teaching her how to have good sex. To both of their surprise, Tristan agrees.

I loved everything about this book, from the plot to the characters to the voice. It was equal parts fun and serious, and I could not put it down.

A Daring Pursuit is fun and steamy, and has definitely turned me into a Kate Bateman fan.

“Friends are easy to come by, but a good enemy’s almost impossible to find.”

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman is the second book in her Ruthless Rivals series, but you do not need to read the first to understand this book. Carys Davies is the talk of the town, never one to do what everyone else does. After a blackmailer threatens her reputation, and Carys gives up on love, she seeks out Tristan to help her find out what she would be missing.

What I liked: I thought the love story itself was cute. Enemies-to-lovers is the trope of the hour, and I liked how the author took a friends-with-benefits trope and turned it into enemies-with-benefits. I thought the character development of both Tristan and Carys shined in the last half of the book. The romance was sweet and it was a steady pace that everyone from slow burn romance readers to insta-love readers would enjoy. This would be a great summer book.

To keep in mind: The first half of the book was very slow paced. While our two main characters briefly talked about a romance, nothing happened until the second half and it felt like the characters were rehashing the same information again and again. Carys gives a “I’m not like other girls” vibe, but this is just a personal preference of characters that I am not a huge fan of reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery, members of rival warring Welsh clans, have been enemies their entire lives always sniping at each other in public. When Carys makes a youthful mistake, she plays the price by being blackmailed for her youthful indiscretion. Tristan is the epitome of control except when he's around Carys. She has a way of getting under his skin and it takes every ounce of his willpower to resist her. When Carys dares Tristan to show her what lovemaking can be, he accepts the dare and it sends them on a path that neither of them could have ever predicted.

I really like the enemies to lovers trope and this story did it well. I felt such compassion for Carys dealing with the aftermath of her youthful mistake by being as scandalous as possible without ever going over the line to indecent. When she loses her composure, it's Tristan who's there to help pick up the pieces. Their chemistry is undeniable and I really enjoyed the house party and their flirtations. There were a few twists and turns in the story that kept me turning the pages. This was a thoroughly enjoyable romance.

This was a cute Regency romance that involved two people in warring Welsh clans who had always been in love with each other, but didn't realize it. Carys was a daring young lady who had been "ruined" 2 years before and was being blackmailed by her former lover. Tristan was the family neighbor who always fought with her and treated her with disdain . Tristan finds out her secret and tells her that sex isn't as bad as her first experience and Carys convinces him to "teach her what she might be missing" if she became a spinster. During this week, they learn more about each other, solve her issues and another mystery in the area. I thought they were a cute couple, though I'm always partial to "we've always been in love" storylines. I enjoyed it enough I'd consider reading more in the series, but I wasn't really attached to any of the other characters that other stories might be focusing on. Good Regency romance especially for those Bridgerton fans out there ...

Hello! I liked 'a Daring Pursuit' and found this an enjoyable frenemies to lovers story between Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery. I was furnished with an advance copy of this book by the publisher and am grateful! I quite enjoy Kate Bateman's writing style, and I think that has everything to do with the wit infused in her dialogue between characters both in and out of the bedroom. Hero and heroine are well-matched in terms of chemistry, intelligence, interests and tenacity. A great percentage of this book was super steamy and fun. I would love to have had a bit more depth to this story with more of a slower-burn romance with Carys and Tristan, but, on the whole, this book is an entertaining romp and great addition to this series. I cannot wait for Kate Bateman's next book. Thank you! :)

This was a great enemies to lovers romamce! I loved how Tristian and Carys hated each other on the outside, but loved each other on the inside. Plus the setting was completely different to anything I've ever read, and it made the book fun. Tristian and Carys are one of my new favorite book couples!

Delightfully entertaining with many laugh out loud moments. The characters were so funny and the banter was on point. An enemies to lovers theme with the added fun of a house party and wild animals on the loose that leads to some hilarious moments. The story is also very heartwarming and I found myself smiling at almost every chapter. This is a nice easy read that can be done in an afternoon.

Reviewed on Goodreads

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this regency romance. I found the two main characters, Tristan and Carys, easy to like and I thought they had great chemistry together. The side plot was a little bit different to what I was expecting, but was an interesting twist. I'm assuming there are other books about the siblings, yet it didn't affect this story not having read it/them.
4.5 stars

Love this book. I enjoy enemies to lovers story, and this book delivers. It was a great read and Kate Bateman wrote great characters and storyline. I highly recommend this book.

Book 2 in the "Ruthless Rivals" series and this book was a very enjoyable and entertaining read! The storyline was wonderfully written with characters so well detailed that I was totally hooked from the very beginning! The banter and chemistry between Tristan and Carys made this book so worth the read!

4.5*

If I didn't know better, I'd say another thread of the Davies and Montgomery feud might be its unraveling.

Despite her availability and beauty, Carys Davies avoids marriage proposals like the plague and for very good reason.

Tristan Montgomery may seem uninterested in Carys Davies and her scandalous behavior, but that facade quickly fades when he learns the reason for Carys's reluctance to pursue a relationship. However, she is a Davies who has several brothers.

A Daring Pursuit is book two in the Ruthless Rivals series. I cannot wait for the next. So far Bateman has knocked both books out of the park. This one is quite steamy and worth every minute of your reading time.

Kate Bateman exceeded my wildest expectations with Carys and Tristan’s story. The verbal sparring between the Davieses and Montgomerys is always top-notch, but these two raised it to an art form.

This book has everything: frenemies to lovers, a detestable villain, entertaining aunts, protective brothers, and pets. Both Carys and Tristan have their secrets which come to light throughout the book. I loved how protective Tristan was of Carys once he learned one of her secrets. I appreciated that he never used her secret against her or tried to shame her for it.

I had a book hangover today because once I got toward the end of it in the wee hours of the morning I had to keep going. The action sequences are amazing. The book’s ending scenes touched my heart. I’d rate it as more than 5 stars if it was possible!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book that I received from NetGalley. Ask thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved that this story did not follow the typical, historical romance 'formula'. It was a very unique tale that immediately drew me in. The characters were vivid and complex and made the story seem so realistic, that I often felt like I was actually there watching the story unfold.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.