A Wicked Game
The Ruthless Rivals
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4.4 • 38 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A Wicked Game marks the third book in Kate Bateman's popular regency romance series, Ruthless Rivals.
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 . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A childhood rivalry evolves into a passionate attraction in Bateman's effervescent third Ruthless Rivals Regency (after A Daring Pursuit). Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies spent their childhood in Wales trying to best one another in a series of escalating bets. Their highest-stakes wager comes in young adulthood: with Morgan off to fight against Napoleon in the Royal Navy, Harriet challenges him to come back alive—if he does, she'll grant him three kisses. Morgan returns from his harrowing experience two years later and heads to London determined to track down R. Crusoe, the mapmaker whose incorrect map led to his shipwreck and imprisonment. He's shocked to learn that R. Crusoe is none other than Harriet herself, who's been working with British intelligence to put false maps into French hands. Morgan is dismayed at Harriet's involvement in this dangerous endeavor, which has made her the target of a Frenchman seeking buried treasure. He's determined to protect her—while also cashing in on his promised kisses. The duo's barbed banter and constant competition proves a delicious prelude to seduction and love. Regency fans will be drawn in by this fast-paced romance and its strong-willed heroine.
Customer Reviews
See AllDelicious!!
Smiling the whole time reading “A Wicked Game” by Kate Bateman!! Book three of the Ruthless Rivals series is about oneupmanship and a teasing rivalry to keep the 500 year animosity between the neighboring Davies and Montgomery families alive. However, Mapmaker Harriet Montgomery and Captain Morgan Davies, to put it nicely, are childhood frenemies who pine for each other!!
Their teasing banter is delicious!! Both Harriet and Morgan have a quick wit. Neither wants to concede to the other. They do call a truce when one needs help from actual enemies.
Before the war, Harriet and Morgan made a bet, three kisses granted if Morgan survived. He absolutely made it back home to collect. Just to torture Harriet, he warns her the lip locking will be anytime and any place on her person.
If you love rivals to lovers, enemies to lovers, then this book is for you! We anticipate and are tortured alongside Harriet as to when and where the kisses will be, driving the book to be a fast read with the comfort of knowing Morgan’s swoon worthy intention!!
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Wicked!
The feud started with a pig, or maybe a woman, and went on for centuries. To the younger generations of Davies and Montgomery, the feud has become a way for them to pester each other relentlessly. When Captain Morgan Davies returns to London after the war, he has two goals. He wants revenge on the mapmaker he feels responsible for his capture, and he has a prize to claim from a bet made with Harriet Montgomery – three kisses if he returns from the war. These two have been attracted to each other for a long time, but have not revealed their feelings to each other. Morgan and Harriet’s story is a wicked game filled with bickering, snarky, flirty banter, and sizzling chemistry. How long will it take them to realize they belong together? Along with the fun comes action, intrigue, and danger in the form of a French officer looking for a particular map. Morgan and Harriet are great together and totally entertaining. Their friends and family are fun and likeable. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
Not very daring 3.5
This book was alright. Little to no excitement or adventure. Like eating a bowl of warm soup: just fine, slightly tasteful.