Solid story line, characters you want to root for, some intrigue, steamy goodness, and an HEA -- what more can you ask for? The only criticism I have is that it was not entirely historically accurate with the times, but that is not a big problem for me in HRs. I enjoyed the banter between the characters, and I would recommend!

Kate Bateman has helped me fill the hole in my historical romance loving heart as I've had a hard time finding books in the genre that I"m interested in reading. I'm not going to lie, I"m still a little iffy on this whole series being love stories with members of the same two families - but setting that aside, there's a great romance here and it was just what I was looking for was I've been in the middle of a huge reading slump.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise, I loved the hero and heroine, I loved their families, and I loved the relationship development! Seriously, nothing about this book I don’t like. A sort of frenemies-to-lovers situation, but with the added element of a revenge plot? It was so much fun seeing these two fall in love!

I enjoy Kate Bateman’s stories, and the first book in this series was no exception. This book is the second in the series and promising. I never could get into this story, it was the heroine. It wasn’t a bad book, just not my favorite. I recommend to fans of the author.

Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize, three kisses, in a bet he made with his longtime nemesis, Harriet Montgomery. His incarceration has clarified 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 to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. Harriet’s always wanted Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. 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 dastardly 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.
This is the third story in the Ruthless Rivals series by Kate Bateman. But this story can be read as a standalone. I love both of the main characters. They were well developed with flaws and idiosyncrasies that made them likable characters that I want to know more about. Their chemistry jumped off the page and seemed real. This made all of the sensual scenes a comfortable read. The plot was full of intrigue and suspense, and maybe wonder when the bad guy was going to show up. There was never any point where this story dragged. This story ends happily, and hopeful for another Ruthless Rivals story. I am looking forward to reading it. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy.

I just love an historical romance. This was just what you’d expect. A stud. A headstrong girl. An unexpected romance that is just hot. I enjoyed this book.

I love how Kate Bateman writes historical romance heroines with their own interests, hobbies, and often jobs, but sadly this was my least favorite of the series even if the mapmaking was a fun addition.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy to review.

Whenever an author does a series of rivaling families or feuding neighbors, I always enjoy them because a reader knows that the rivals will fall in love and the generational angst will be lifted a bit - until next time.

A Wicked Game is the third book in The Ruthless Rivals, and the whole series has been delightful. A female cartographer, Harriet Montgromey, accidentally causes Captian Morgan Davies to suffer slightly at the inaccurate map, which he shouldn't have had. Mystery. Rivals. Fated Mates.

I am always down for a mystery in my historical romance. Not many authors can do it well, but Kate Bateman can. I recommend the series and this book.

I received an ARC from St. Martin's Paperbacks & NetGalley for my honest review.

A am a sucker for a working heroine and one involved in more than meets the eye, YES! Also cannot resist a roguish sea captain so Bateman had me from the beginning. I was already in love with this series to begin with and book 3 did not disappoint. Harriet is sharp and sarcastic and I adored her. Captain Davies is her perfect counterpart. When they finally realize they can work together it is perfection!
Absolutely recommend this book but also the entire series!!

‘If there’s one thing impossible for a Davies to resist, it’s a challenge from a Montgomery. . .

A teasing bet.

Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect 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 incarceration has clarified 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 to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. . .

A dangerous enemy.

Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. 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 dastardly 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 . . .’
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4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.

A Wicked Game is the third book in Kate Bateman’s Ruthless Rivals series and is a historical romance with a bit of adventure and danger.

I really love Kate Bateman’s writing style, one of my top favorite authors. Her stories are always so engrossing and the characters have such great chemistry and banter.

There isn’t a lot of angst in this book. After initially reading the synopsis, I thought that this may be pretty angst heavy, but once Morgan discovers the true source of the map that led him into such trouble, he more or less lets it go. There’s a good dose of danger toward the end when everything comes together which I am here for, but I will admit that I wish that the villain hadn’t been quite as obvious and quickly resolved. That was the only aspect that felt like it was a bit rushed to me.

I definitely recommend this book, I’m really loving this series, it is one of my favorites. I wouldn’t say that you need to read the books in order, but you should at least read the first book to understand more of the feud between the two families. But I do think the whole series is well worth the read. I will be rereading the series soon and I would love to see plenty more books featuring these families.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an eARC of A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman with me. This is my honest review.

Historical romance is a genre I love, but it can be pretty dry at times! Not A Wicked Game, though. This one was filled with sea captains, cartographers, bets, and lots of tension. The main characters felt like equals and their antics were incredibly enjoyable. Lovers of historical romance should flock to this one.

Although the plot is much thinner here than in the previous books in the series - the murderous French captain gets maybe ten pages total - the relationship between Harriet and Morgan is a lot of fun. Their banter is top-notch, and although it's relative common within the genre for the man to be more invested in the idea of marriage than the woman, it's done particularly well here. Just a fun read all around.

I thought this was a super sweet romance and just really well-done. Morgan and Harriet essentially grew up together and were unfortunately subjected to being a part of a long-time family feud. Thankfully that did not stop the two from developing feelings for each other. When Morgan is getting ready to ship out to fight Napoleon, Harriet tries to hide her fear by making him a bet, if they win the war and Morgan comes home, she'll grant him three kisses. Morgan, of course, takes that bet which is the catalyst to finally bringing these two together. While at sea, Morgan comes to terms with his love for Harriet and when he returns to London, he is ready to convince her of not only his feelings but her own.

The chemistry between the MC's and the action towards the end helped keep things moving, so this was a fairly quick read. It was so lovely to have the hero already know what he wants and he just goes for it. I wasn't mad about not having any angsty back and forth, do I love her or don't I. I think the flashback scenes more than made up for having their childhood relationship be pretty closed door. There were a lot of little sweet touching moments between Morgan and Harriet, it was a really good read.

Kate Bateman continues to write stories that historical readers love. Morgan and Harry are no exception. A feud between their families has kept them at odds; but sometimes the right person for you is the one that should be oh so wrong.

I couldn't put this book down. Wonderful read.

I really, really wanted to love this story just based off the blurb. But honestly, it was just ok for me. I honestly didn't feel like Morgan actually cared about Harriet. It felt more like his revenge was worth more than anything else, no matter what he had to do to get it. And that included marrying her. I just was on the fence about the whole story. The writing is good, don't get me wrong. I just felt like the "romance" to it was all secondary and kind of just thrown in to make it go under the romance category. Definitely wasn't my favorite book in this series and I am not sure if I want to continue it.

This was my first Kate Bateman book, but not my last. I loved how the couple teased each other and basically every interaction they had before confessing their love to each other. I really hope that the last Davies brother gets a book, because he seemed like a great love interest and a great main character

This is classified as an enemies to lovers romance, but I didn't get that at all. There was no tension between them. They were at it from the get go. The bedroom scenes suffered, as well as all the other scenes. This one was boring because the plot was thin. There was too much lust between them that the romance of the book suffered. I didn't like Harriet and Morgan. They were flat and no chemistry between them. My least favorite in this series.

I was hoping for more banter.

Enemies to lovers. Captain Morgan and Harriet have always spared with each other since their families were feuding with each other. He has returned from the war to claim his three kisses and determined to increase the number to 3 Davies and Montgomery couples.

This book what such an absolute delight! Every book in this series has been so good and this was no exception.

In this book, we follow Harriet and Morgan. They have been rivals since childhood, but Harriet has secretly pined for Morgan for years. He went to sea, but now he is back to exact revenge on a mysterious map maker who’s incorrect map led to the deaths of some of his men.

I love the world Kate Bateman has created in this series and I have found that I am absolutely and unashamedly a ✨HO✨for Welsh main characters. I don’t know what it is, but he accents are just… just trust me and try out the audiobook. You can thank me later. 😉

The banter and tension between these two was both funny and endearing. I was absolutely rooting for them and I really hope we get several more books in this world! 🤞🏻

I am really loving Kate Bateman's Ruthless Rivals series. The tension between the Davies and Montgomerys is so much fun, especially when they keep pairing up! Every book in this series has been a true adventure, and this third installment, A Wicked Game, is no different. Harriet Montgomery (cousin to the landed Montgomerys) has taken over her father's mapmaking business. When a seemingly faulty map leads Captain Morgan Davies to be captured, he sets out to make the cartographer pay, not knowing it is in fact the woman who has captivated and infuriated him for years.

This was such a fun book, Morgan and Harriet are both enamored of each other from the start but neither wants to say anything, so they frame everything as bets and games. There is plenty of adventure and craziness in this historical romance, and was a joy to read. I can't wait for the next book in this series!