Spotlight & Giveaway: A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Kate Bateman’s new release: A Reckless Match

Meet the Davies and Montgomery families – two households locked in an ancient feud, destined to be on opposing sides forever. Until now…

 
CAN LIFELONG HATE

Madeline Montgomery grew up despising––and secretly loving––the roguish Gryffud “Gryff” 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 “devilish” Davies siblings. Since he’s off being scandalous in London, it’s not like she’ll ever see him again…

TURN TO TRUE LOVE

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 seeing 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?

A Reckless Match is the first in a new regency romance series by Kate Bateman about two feuding families, and reunited childhood enemies whose hatred turns to love.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from A Reckless Match 

Chapter Three
For the briefest of moments Maddie registered the shocking sensation of his mouth on hers: a flash of banked heat. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over.
She blinked in stunned bemusement as he stepped back and released her hand.
Gryff Davies had just kissed her.
Kissed her!
Maddie frowned. Considering she’d spent the best part of a decade imagining precisely this moment, it was somewhat of an anticlimax. She’d dreamed of something more prolonged. More—dare she say it?—thorough.
Yet despite its brevity, there was no denying that the dizzying brush of his skin had been enough to leave her own lips tingling, and her cheeks burning with heat.
She was fairly certain she ought to slap him. Not because he’d offended her maidenly sensibilities, but because he hadn’t done a decent job of it. The man was supposed to be a rake. If he was going to ravish her, he could at least do it properly.
As if sensing her violent thoughts, he took a step back, out of reach, and sent her an unapologetic grin.
“No need to hurt yourself, cariad. I’ll consider myself slapped.”
Before Maddie could formulate a response, he strode back to his horse—a huge, handsome bay that made poor Galahad look like a knock-kneed donkey in comparison—and mounted in one fluid movement.
Maddie realized her mouth was hanging open. She snapped it shut, and strove for something pithy to say. Unfortunately, all that came out was, “Ohhh. You—”
He held up a hand. “I know, I know. Cad. Scoundrel. Libertine.” His cheeky smile did something funny to her insides, and the way his gaze lingered on her lips caused an unwanted flutter in her stomach. “Let’s add rake and reprobate as well, just to be thorough.”
He pulled on his riding gloves with brisk efficiency, controlling the huge stallion with just the power in his thighs, and Maddie did her best not to stare at the lean muscles that rippled beneath his tan breeches.
“So, that’s the pact sealed for another year.” His lips twitched in amusement. “If you’ll excuse me, Miss Montgomery, I’ll bid you good day.”
He sent her a jaunty salute, fingers to eyebrow, and urged his mount forward. She had to press back against the low side of the bridge to avoid being trampled.
Maddie finally found her voice. “Will you be taking up residence at Trellech Court?”
His broad shoulders lifted beneath his dark jacket. “For a while. There are plenty of estate matters that require my attention.”
A stab of sympathy pierced her. “I’m sorry about your father.”
He shrugged again, but his smile dimmed. “We rarely saw eye-to-eye, but thank you. I wasn’t able to attend the funeral. It took three weeks for the news to reach me in Portugal.”
Maddie nodded. “My father attended.”
“To gloat, no doubt.” His lips quirked in cynical amusement.
“Not at all. He wanted to pay his respects to a worthy adversary. You know how much they loved annoying each other. He hasn’t been the same these past months.”
“I’m not surprised. They’d turned mutual animosity into an art form.”
That was true. The two men had celebrated each other’s losses, whether with money, women, or cards, for at least fifty years. In recent times they’d taken to outbidding each other at auction, on everything from thoroughbreds at Tattersalls to the rare books they both collected at Christie’s. But that gleeful one-upmanship had ended with the old earl’s death.
Maddie frowned. She’d initially attributed her father’s bad mood to the demise of his longtime rival. The thrill of outfoxing his adversity was gone. He was miserable without someone of equal cunning against whom he could plot and scheme.
And of course he missed Tristan. Her older brother had taken himself off on a Grand Tour of the Continent as soon as Napoleon had been exiled on Elba, to study the art and architecture he so admired. He’d been away for months.
But those hadn’t been the only reasons for her father’s uncharacteristic brooding. Six weeks ago he’d finally admitted the truth: The Montgomerys were teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. He’d invested—and lost—an enormous sum in the great stock exchange scandal that had consumed the capital last year.
The debts were crippling. Not even the sale of Newstead Park, the seat of the Montgomery clan for countless generations, would cover the losses. Still, his outrageous suggestion that Maddie save them all from ruin by marrying their ancient-but-wealthy neighbor, Sir Mostyn Drake, had come as a nasty shock.
Maddie had always thought of herself as a dutiful daughter, stoically prepared to make any sacrifice for the good of the family. But the idea of marrying the lecherous, twice-widowed Sir Mostyn was simply too much.
Unfortunately, in the weeks since father had made his pronouncement, she hadn’t come up with a better solution.
The grim reality of her position chased away any lingering glow she’d felt from Gryff’s outrageous kiss. For a few brief minutes, before he’d arrived, she’d thought her problems were over. Now she was back in the same, hopeless predicament as before.
Her misery must have shown upon her face, because Gryff’s brows lowered in what, on any other man, might have indicated concern.
Maddie choked back a bitter laugh. Gryff was a Davies. He didn’t care about her happiness; he’d laugh himself silly if he knew how low his foe had fallen. He’d relish the thought of them penniless and destitute.
Shame and impotent frustration made her clench her jaw, even as the prick of tears threatened behind her eyes. She swallowed hard.

From A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman. Copyright © 2021 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
 
 

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Meet the Author:

Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of historical romances, including her RITA® nominated Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, the Bow Street Bachelors series This Earl of Mine, To Catch an Earl, and The Princess and the Rogue, along with the novels in the Secrets & Spies series To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart, and A Counterfeit Heart. When not writing novels that feature feisty, intelligent heroines and sexy, snarky heroes you want to both strangle and kiss, Kate works as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several popular TV shows in the UK. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England. Follow her on Twitter to learn more.

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