Review: A Reckless Match

A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

According to the Montgomerys, the pig was stolen. According to the Davies clan, it got lost. 

For over 500yrs the Montgomerys and the Davies have had a contentious neighborly relationship. Whether it was a pig or woman who started it, Madeline Montgomery and Gryff Davies have kept the feud going. Teasing and pranks were pulled while kids and while Gryff was away fighting Napoleon for three years, both have actually missed each other. When Maddie learns that her father has lost the family fortune in a stock scam, she's hoping that the Davies siblings all stay in London and don't show up for the handshake Henry VII decreed to try and stop the feuding between the two families. On the Spring Equinox, a member from each family must meet on the strip of no-man's-land between the two estates and shake hands, if someone from a family's side doesn't show up, the other family gets the land. Maddie needs the money that could come from owning the land but with minutes to spare, the worst Davies shows up. 

“Well, well. Maddie Montgomery. Did you miss me, cariad?” 

With a light and sweet tone, A Reckless Match starts off the Ruthless Rivals series. I enjoyed the set-up of the English Montgomery's endlessly feuding with the Welsh Davies and loved how the author gave our couple's fathers an undercover friendship from it. From the start, it was obvious that Gryff liked Maddie, he's candid in his thoughts of how much he cares and missed her. Maddie was struck by lightening and he thinks about how when he heard this, how shaken he was. Their teasing and back and forth always had a lightness and little sizzle that made you want them to never leave each other's side because they were a fun couple to be with. 

He shouldn’t be goading her, of course. It could only lead to trouble. But teasing her was a pleasure he’d missed out on for three long, miserable years. The memory of her face was something he’d fallen back on when times were particularly hard. Wounded, exhausted after battle, he’d often reminded himself to stay alive, if only to spite her. To tease her just one more time. 

The plot has the two discovering an underground cave on their no-man's-land and while exploring it, learning that smugglers are using it to hide their barrels. It's a lighter mystery that works to keep them together and pulls in some side characters, Gryff's brothers, Maddie's cousin, and an unwanted suitor of Maddie's. I usually like a little tease alluding to future couples but this had some overkill in that department. Gryff's brother Morgan and Maddie's cousin Harriet and Maddie's older brother Tristan and Gryff's younger sister Carys, are obviously future couples and they seem to have an extremely similar relationship and set-up as Maddie and Gryff. Did I enjoy Maddie and Gryff's relationship? Yes. Do I want to read the exact same dynamic three times in a row in the same series? Not really. 

The expression in his eyes was one of undisguised admiration and Maddie’s heart missed a beat. He’d called her remarkable. 

There wasn't a lot of exploring of our character's make-up, I know Maddie's mother died when she was ten and Gryff was off soldiering for three years, the focus is solidly on the here and now and the teasing with wanting more between the two. I greatly enjoyed the first 60% of this but started to get a little restless, especially when I hit 70%. Maddie and Gryff are trapped in a cave and even though we're in the back-half of the book, their relationship felt exactly the same. They still are doing the fun teasing and I still felt the sizzle but where was the relationship growth? The last 40% just didn't give me the development between the two that I was looking for, their relationship felt exactly the same as when I was reading in chapter one. 

Ten years of teasing and flirting— yes, that’s what it had been, she could admit it now— had always been coming to this. This bonfire. 

The all too easy match-ups have me a bit worried for the future couples' stories and Maddie and Gryff's relationship didn't really change from the start to the end enough for me. However, the majority of this story was plain fun with it's light tone and the little bit of sizzle to their teasing. There were also numerous interesting tidbits included about the times that were engaging and had me going off to read more about. If you're looking for light sweet teasing with a sizzle, this would be one to pick up.

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