England - 1813 and 1815

Before Morgan Davies left to fight Napoleon, his lifelong "enemy", Harriet Montgomery told him that if he returned unscathed, she would grant him three kisses. The Davies/Montgomery families have been rivals for generations. But lately, the present generation has let slip some of that animosity, even marrying one another. While Harriet secretly has adored Morgan since childhood, she knew she must maintain her family's dignity by spurning the handsome rogue. However, it's obvious by her challenge to Morgan that he may stand a chance with her.

Unfortunately for Morgan, his ship and crew are captured by the French governor of Martinique after the ship runs aground when their map of the area proves faulty. De Caen, his captor treated him and his men cruelly, and Morgan is determined to find out who manufactured the map. At the Admiralty, he is stunned to find Harriet Montgomery in Lord Melville's office, and that she was the person who developed the map. Harriet had taken over her father's map making business when the older man began losing his sight. She was hired by the Admiralty to provide false maps that were smuggled to the French by British spies.

Harriet is relieved that Morgan has returned, but it will take more than the three kisses she's promised him to allow him to woo her. But when he teases her with his "threats" of when and where he will kiss her, she is intrigued. Morgan has kept the thoughts of those kisses in his heart while being held captive. He has always thought of the cheeky, outspoken Harriet as a challenge, and a woman after his own heart. How to woo her is another thing, though. How was anyone to know that Morgan would use the map of a captured French ship when his own map is destroyed?

There is someone else who is determined to discover who made the fake maps. De Caen is in London to find the mapmaker, and he wants to exact vengeance for his country. While Morgan tries to find a way to get Harriet to trust him, and to use those three kisses to get her to love him, he is also worried about protecting her from De Caen. Can he woo and keep her safe at the same time?

Book 3 of the Ruthless Rivals, A WICKED GAME is entertaining, sensuous, and, well, wicked.

This third installation in Kate Bateman's series on the rival Davies and Montgomery is just as much delicious, swoony fun as the first two.

Bateman's twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope--by introducing families that have been feuding across the Welsh-English border for centuries--compounds the long-simmering attraction between the leads with the sizzle of the friction they feel (or pretend to feel) in honor of this long-standing tradition. In the actual staging it's a polite pretense that these families are, by now, in any way feuding rivals when Maddie and Gryff, Tristan and Carys have made such a passionate success of their matches. But it adds fun to the setup to know that clever, sharp-tongued Harriet Montgomery was always trying, and usually succeeding to one-up bold, recklessly handsome, devilishly charming Morgan Davies, so when she dares him NOT to die stupidly when he joins the British Navy and sails away to the wars--and promises him three kisses if he succeeds--their childhood rivalry takes its first step from the teasing of rivals to the torments of unrequited love..

The conflict that opens the story is that Morgan has returned to London determined to wreak revenge on the mapmaker, Crusoe, whose erroneous map ran his ship aground and landed him in a French prison on Martinique for several months. This conflict is quite speedily resolved when he learns (and I don't think it's a spoiler to say this, as Harriet has been introduced as a mapmaker in the previous books) the mysterious Crusoe is no less than the woman who is also the target of this other scheme: collecting those three kisses. Thereafter, the plot of the book turns to how long it will take Morgan to wage his seductive battle to convince Harriet that they are perfect for each other, and that they are both going to be the winners in this battle of wits and hearts.

I love Kate Bateman's books for any number of reasons: the plots and pacing are fast-paced and keep me hooked, the writing is polished and flawless, the characters are utterly charming, the settings feel fully realized, and there are nuggets of history that delight this nerd to no end. Here, the discussions of map-making, and Harriet's knowledge thereof, becomes not just an interesting dimension of her character but a lovely metaphor for what she wants out of her life: adventure in uncharted waters.

But I also love that Bateman's characters in this series, though they delight in tormenting each other, aren't cruel. They don't set out to attack or harm each other in ways that we are then supposed to forgive and forget in time for the HEA. Rather, Bateman takes us along kiss by kiss, heartbeat by heartbeat, as these two grow closer and fall more deeply in love, and it makes the story a complete joy to be part of. Morgan is a hero we WANT Harriet to be won by; Harriet is someone worth a man who is courageous and noble and brave and honorable, besides being cheeky, confident, and droolsome. It was the warmth to their teasing and their discovery of each other that most drew me to this book, even as the scenes of passionate play had my eyeballs steaming. This is exactly the kind of romance I want to escape into.

Go ahead, join in Harriett and Morgan's WICKED GAME, and then just try to put the book down--I dare you.

This was a wonderfully engaging read, I devoured it quickly! The chemistry between the main characters was palpable, and the steamy scenes fit the story well and had the right amount of variety. There were a few nitpicky continuity issues I had or small things I wish had been written slightly different, but overall, another lovely addition from this author. I also have never read an epilogue so intriguing that made me want to read more of the series and potential new characters!

4.5/5
An inaccurate map and a long-ago-made bet draw two childhood nemeses back together in this stellar conclusion to Kate Bateman's Ruthless Rivals series. Fiercely intelligent and packed with longing, this delightfully wicked addition is sure to be a new favorite.

A Wicked Game is a very well done spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope. The animosity is not just between our protagonists, but extends back through their family lines for hundreds of years. Harriet and Morgan are both well-drawn mature characters. I especially enjoyed her passion for mapmaking and the glimpses into both Napoleonic espionage and early cataract surgery. The steamy bits were steamy and the intrigue was intriguing. I'm very interested in the next book in the series to see who conquers Rhys's heart.

oh my sailor please come home and give me a kiss

What to do when you have had a crush on your childhood nemesis since you were young? One of you is going thrown in a bet about three kisses and the other one is going to use said bet to deliciously seduce you into marrying him.

God, this book like the two before was so much fun! I love these two families keep pretending they are enemies when all of them have crushes for each other, the delusion!
I think compared to the other two the adventurous and shenenigangs side of the plot was a little toned down, but we still got some action.
THOSE THREE KISSES EH. Harriet was panting and waiting for him to come home and claim his kisses but sneaky Morgan made her wait for it and then went and twisted the bet into his favour to seduce her.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advance copy.

I enjoyed A Wicked Game and would recommend it to fans of historical romances with a bit of mystery and adventure or those who like the “enemies to lovers” trope. The hero is a naval captain and the heroine a mapmaker; they have known each other since childhood and have a history of secret attraction and outward bickering. The author makes them both interesting and likable characters, and their attraction feels very real. There are two previous books in the series; I enjoyed this without reading those but will likely go read them next!

Thank you i really love reading the story. It was a great read I cant wait to see what is next in the books!

I loved Morgan and Davies relationship when she also strikes a bet that Davies should give her three kisses if he returns in one piece.
And then sets to go look for revenge on the cartographer that had him imprisoned.
I couldn’t put this book down it was so good.

THE REVIEW
Harriet makes a bet with Morgan so he will have incentive to stay alive while at war. If he comes back, she will grant him three kisses. When he returns her tortured her by not mentioning the bet for weeks and when he finally does, he points out that Harriet never said where on her body the kisses had to be…so she is left on edge about where and when these kisses would occur!

It became clear to Morgan after being imprisoned in a French jail that he loves Harriet and can’t live without her…now he just needs to convince her of that! And, with the advantage of the dare she made, he is sure to win!

Morgan and Harriet were just the cutest! Childhood friends turned lovers…seriously! Their banter and teasing was spot on and witty and the way Morgan slowly, calculatingly breaks down her walls was so romantic! She couldn’t see past there banter to realize that Morgan has always loved her but regardless she didn’t want to be married to someone who left for months at a time for the sea. But of course, we get our happy ending and I couldn’t be happier for them! It was also fun to catch up with the previous couples as well!

TROPES
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Disabled/Wounded/Scared Hero, Gamma Hero, Rake Hero, Soldier/War Hero, Protective Hero, Aggressive Heroine, Bluestocking Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Working Heroine, Sailor Hero, Cartographer/Map Heroine, Five Star, Three Steam

A Wicked Game was a delightful read. I really liked how Morgan and Harriet kept daring each other throughout the story and how the dares progressed the story along. I love a hero who acknowledges his feelings early on for the heroine and does everything he can to win her over. The chemistry was amazing between both characters. A Wicked Game was a five star read for me.

“If you win, and return home unscathed, I’ll grant you three . . . kisses.” Morgan blinked. In all their previous interactions, they’d never bet with anything so physical. So intimate. With anything he’d wanted more.”

“He was lucky to be alive, and the only new adventure he wanted was the challenge of having Harriet as his wife.”

“Even if he hadn’t ruined her in strictly technical terms, she’d ruined him. For every other woman, ever. She’d won, and she didn’t even know it.”

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. Even when I hated you.” His lips quirked and he shook his head at that wonderful contradiction. “You’re etched into me like one of your maps. Engraved upon my heart. You’re a fire in my brain that I never want to put out.”

I can’t say how fast I dropped everything to read this when I saw it on @netgalley
It’s one of the end of year releases I’ve been looking forward to the most. I’m not sure how I stumbled upon the Ruthless Rivals series to begin with but I’m so glad I did. The series tells the story of two neighboring families in the English-Welsh border, the Davies and the Montgomerys who have a 500+ year old feud. Of course, this generation of Davies and Montgomerys solves their rivalry in a decidedly sexy way 😆.
The third (but hopefully not final? 😏) book in this series focuses on Montgomery cousin Harriet, a mapmaker, and Davies brother Morgan, a captain in the Royal Navy.
Unlike the first two couples in the series, who leaned more toward the true rivals side, Morgan and Harriet from the jump (even back in book 1) had a very clear undercurrent of sexual tension; their bickering hiding an obvious attraction.
Morgan gets “not like other heroes” points for being very clear and honest with himself about his feelings towards Harriet from the very beginning. It’s always nice when the tables turn and it’s the heroine who has to stumble onto the realization of her feelings, and the hero is already there.
Morgan and Harriet’s banter is so funny and entertaining and now that Gryff and Rhys are both more established characters in the series, their handful of scenes where the Davies boys are bantering was hilarious to read!
I’m not going to give anything away but the last chunk of this book had me smiling like a dork the entire time from how sweetly romantic it was!
There’s also a little bit of intrigue as a B plot but I really love that Kate Bateman has consistently found the sweet spot of how much B plot is just enough B plot and it doesn’t feel like we’re moving away from the core romance of it all. Just enough intrigue to make it entertaining!

A Wicked Game is a wicked delight from start to finish. This is the third book in the Ruthless Rivals series. You don’t need to read the first two books in the series before this one, but those books go into more detail on the long standing Montgomery-Davies feud. A Wicked Game focuses on Morgan Davies, a captain in the Royal Navy and Harriet Montgomery, a mapmaker.

There are so many things I love about this book. For once, the hero doesn’t take until the last chapter to realize he is in love with the heroine and wants to be with her forever. Morgan knows early on he wants to marry Harriet and puts his numerous skills to work trying to get Harriet to see how perfect they are together. Of course, Harriet is a bit dense when it comes to Morgan, and she doesn’t realize he loves her. As someone who tends to be a bit dense myself, I can appreciate this in her. There are so many fun parts in this book as Morgan has a chance to show Harriet they are meant for each other - while he collects three kisses from her that he won in a bet. The foot race had me laughing out loud.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I fell in love with Morgan myself when one of the men from his ship told Harriet how he would constantly speak of her, using her to rally them when they were at sea. Morgan is toe curlingly wonderful - charming, protective and determined to win over Harriet. I love that Harriet made a useful career for herself and outsmarted everyone with her maps, and I loved her custom maps! The relationship between Harriet and her father is charming, and I love how Morgan respects that and even helps her with him.

I love all of Kate Bateman’s books, but this one has been my favorite. I loved Morgan and Harriet, and I couldn’t put their story down from their initial kissing bet to their very satisfying happy ending! A Wicked Game is a joy to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and publisher, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Wonderful Stars
Publishing: December 27, 2022
Series: Ruthless Rivals #3
Pages: 304

Kate Bateman never fails to deliver in this series. “A Wicked Game” is the third installment in the Davies and Montgomery families ongoing love and hate saga. So much a fan of this author and always look forward to her stories.

In this story you have Morgan Davies and Harriet Montgomery are at odds as with all the Davies and Montgomery clan. He is sharp witted, and she is sharp-tongued. Morgan is set to go off to war and strikes up a bet with Harriet that involves three kisses should he return in one piece. Upon his return, Morgan does not find her directly to collect on his bet, but after being imprisoned by the enemy because of an inaccurate map, he sets out to seek revenge on the cartographer he believes set him up for capture. As he gets involved in his investigation, he soon learns that the cartographer he seeks is none other than Harriet Montgomery. Here’s where the frenemies-to-lovers trope gets more and more interesting. As the banter continues between the two, Morgan realizes his every growing attraction to Harriet and devises a plan to not only collect on his kisses but ensure that she finds a way into his bed. Harriet too understands her growing need for Morgan and dreams of much much more than just his kisses.

There is so much to love in this story. Morgan is handsome and rebellious, while Harriet is infectious and strong-willed. Lovable characters who have close-knit families to boot. I loved how the brothers interact and look out for one another…something that makes them such lovable and virile men. This book was a hard to put down read for me as I needed to find out the epilogue in this tryst. There is a well-written plot, romance, mystery, and witty moments that incorporates everything that makes this story so wonderful. Again, me having a hard time putting this one down as it was just that good. Okay as I’ve not touched on what I look for in historical romances and that is whether the story brings the hot and steamy...well it was hot and one step above steamy…spicy and spicy. The slow burn and banter to getting to that place was so on point.

Ms. Bateman does an excellent job of keeping you invited page by page and the character development of each person within the story. This could have very well been a standalone from the series and I can’t wait for the next…getting to know Rhys Davies. Delightful and wonderful. If you have not started this series, I totally recommend that you do...you won't regret it.😍

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book via NetGalley. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall 4.5/5 stars rounded to 5 based on enjoyment.

I’ve had my eye on this series for a while but hadn’t requested any ARCs for the previous books in the series because I wasn’t sure I would like them. Then of course Caroline (@salty_caroline_reads) convinced me to read them by describing the absolute bonkers plot of book 2. Still haven’t read book 1 or 2 but when I saw the ARC come up for Wicked Games I HAD to get it. Let’s not forget the synopsis sounds amazing (hello childhood enemies to lovers 🫶🏼).

Have to say I really enjoyed Kate Batemans writing style and loved how easily the book flowed. Truly appreciate the flashbacks/references to their childhood memories of each other. Also, the prologue? GUTTED ME!

The relationship building was so seamless and loved the direction she took with Morgan and Harriet. Will admit I was expecting a really angsty and really lusty book based on the synopsis but didn’t hate the lack of angst (def delivered on the lust). Harriet and Morgan were such likeable characters and I thought their antagonistic relationship was really funny. Also we get dual POV which wa a great but I feel like there was more Harriet than Morgan and I would’ve appreciated more Morgan POV.

Will def be reading book 1 and 2 and can’t wait for the next one!!!

This book was just outstanding. I just had so much fun reading this story. I’m really excited to see what’s next from this author.

I loved this book. I have read the previous books in the series and enjoyed them, too. Here we have Captain Morgan Davies and cartographer Harriet Montgomery finding their way from being enemies (of a sort) to lovers. They grew up playing together, provided playing means competing and verbally sparring as much as possible. Before he goes to war, Harriet tells Morgan that if he returns, she will allow him 3 kisses. And of course, return he does. And the kisses are hot - and in some ways, totally unexpected for Harriet. Morgan knows he loves Harriet from the start. It takes her a bit longer, but she does get there. She is also not so obtuse as to exasperate the reader, which is appreciated.

Kate Bateman writes the enemies to lovers trope so well here - Morgan and Harriet's bickering sessions are witty and clever. I really liked both of the main characters individually. The map mix-up did not get drawn out as I was afraid it would, and instead Morgan is proud of what Harriet has managed to achieve. The flow and pace of this book were also excellent. The sexual tension was so good, and the slow build-up to inferno draws the reader in. This book has a minimum of angst and no real "big bad" - yes there is a villain but he is not the main or even much of a focus throughout most of the story. It felt more realistic to see Harriet and Morgan's relationship evolution without those kind of elements.

Overall 5 stars. I was sucked in and put off other things I was supposed to be doing in order to continue reading. I look forward to Rhys' story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

I was absolutely thrilled to receive this ARC - I love Bateman, and I’ve been particularly enjoying this series.

As expected, this turned my shitty day around; there was some delicious tension between the two characters, and all in all, the story and characters were quite sweet.

I also appreciate Bateman’s ability to write enemies-to-lovers in a harmless, witty way, rather than the vaguely abusive behavior you see more often than not.

No criticisms, no thoughts, just pure enjoyment. I already can’t wait for the next one - I absolutely devour these things.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Wicked Game is the story of childhood rivals turned lovers. Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his imprisonment and suffering during the war. He has also vowed to claim the winner’s prize for his safe return―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. This book is the 3rd in the Ruthless Rivals series, but it works really well as a standalone.

The opening to this story was very cute, it clearly established the tone of Morgan and Harriet’s relationship and explained their rivalry and revealed the underlying attraction to each other. The banter between Morgan and Harriet was really fun, and ratcheted up the sexual tension between the two. Harriet was a great FMC, who was intelligent and witty. Morgan was quite swoon worthy, and I loved how much he loved Harriet and how sure he was that she was the one. The secondary characters were all well developed and helped push the story along. And the subplot about some missing French gold added another layer to the story. If I had to say there was anything negative about this story it was that there wasn’t a lot of angst. The two main characters were both besotted with each other and just needed to get out of their own way.

Overall this was a really great book. Kate Bateman is clearly a great writer with great skill. The pacing was perfect, the problems were realistic and the reactions of the characters were understandable. A perfect cozy love story. I’d definitely recommend this book to a friend, and am excited to go back and read earlier books in this series.
Read and reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.

"He was both the port and the storm, the safe haven and the treacherous deep. And God, she was drowning."

What You'll Find:
✔️Historical Romance
✔️Enemies to Lovers
✔️Family Rivalry
✔️Secret Crush
✔️Dual POV

"If there was one thing impossible for a Davies to resist, it was a challenge from a Montgomery."

This series is all about two families' rivalries. And the fine line between love and hate. A Wicked Game was no exception. This one tells the story of Morgan and Harriet who have been at each other's throat since childhood. Despite both of them harboring deeper hidden feelings. When Morgan goes off to war, Harriet hatches a scandalous bet that she is positive will ensure his safe return. And return he does, looking to collect on more than just that bet.

I really enjoyed both MC's. Morgan is such a playful charmer. He's irresistible. Though Harriet always seems to meet him at his level. Going toe to toe with him. And I loved that. They had great banter, an undeniable connection and sizzling chemistry.

"This is a wicked game."

"A very wicked game," he agreed. "But there's no one I'd rather be playing it with than you."

This had everything I look for in a historical romance. Great characters and plot. Steam, fun and swoony feels. Oh, and a little danger to keep you on your toes. Overall, a fun addition to a series I have loved!

*I received an ARC from SMP Romance via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely.

This was a delight, and fantastic. All the books in this series are fairly similar, with a long standing rivalry btn 2 houses resulting in lots of star crossed lovers who can’t admit to themselves that they dig each other. Morgan is a dream, the fact that he starts out the book thinking about marriage to Harriet and wanting to make it happen is unusual and I was into it. Harriet’s reluctance is a little muddled, plot wise, and I wasn’t as into it. It’s hard to manufacture a plot and both parties are into each other from the beginning. Their banter was fantastic. The heat was really great, and the kissing bet was precious. Loved it.