3.75 ⭐️

It Takes a Rake is the third installment of the Rogues to Lovers series. I unfortunately didn't realize this when I started the book - so I am going into this as if it is a standalone.

The story follows Leo Lockland upon his return home after working in London for a few years. He's been in love with his childhood friend Miss Kitty Beckett. She is an heiress who's passion is architecture and wants to be able to create designs with passion and flair. The two have a competitive relationship which follows into the architecture design contest happening at their sea-side town. Kitty trusts Leo enough to double check her calculations of her designs and in turn she teaches him how to become a rake to get the affections of the girl who holds his affections. (It's her. lol)

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it was a good foot in the door for historical romance. (I blame bridgerton's 3rd season coming up soon!) There were a few spicy scenes, the tension between the two was perfection.

⚡ Sexy banter & chemistry
⚡ Frienemies to Lovers
⚡ Rake Lessons 🔥
⚡ Supportive friends
⚡ Witty Banter
⚡ Forced Proximity
⚡ Secret Crush

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martin's Press for the eARC of It Takes a Rake by Anna Bennett.

I want to live in Bellhaven. I want to have a pint of ale at the Salty Mermaid. Is this possible?? No? Ok, well I enjoyed my time there while reading this series. This one is all about Kitty and Leo. Adversarial since they were kids and apprentices at Leo’s grandfather’s architectural practice. However, Leo has been in love with Kitty for years. When he returns to town, he wants to finally express his feelings. Of course, he can’t just spit it out, so Kitty and home make a deal. She’ll help him be a rake and he’ll help her with her design for a contest. This proximity will surely make her realize her love for Leo…..right? This was a pleasant journey and a good conclusion.

Kitty and Leo... an interesting pairing. Some of the plot points didn't stick with me and Kitty rubbed me the wrong way from the start but I loved Leo wholeheartedly. He was so sweet and precious. I wish he almost knew he deserved better? This was swoony and sweet but I just didn't connect with the characters the way I'd like.

A very funny but sweet story about finding the perfect match. The characters were beautifully done! There were moments I wish I could have shaken them through the pages and told them what idiots they were but the ending was perfect too.

Apprenticed to his grandfather an architect, Leo Lockland loves the lady who shares his architect table, Miss Kitty Beckett. They've always challenged each other in their designs. Leo's loved Kitty a long time, but she's convinced love is too painful. He's decided to take her instructions on becoming the rake Kitty says she wants, with hilarious results. His biggest obstacle is gaining her trust to confess his love. Seduction gives Leo hope, but an architectural contest will be a challenge for them both. Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is the third installment of the series Rogues to Lovers. Kitty is an architect, trying to make her way in a man's world. She also has no interest in opening her heart to anyone. Especially rakes, she can spot them a mile away and stays far away from them. When her childhood nemesis, Leo, who is also an architect, comes back to London and asks for her help in becoming more like a rake, she agrees to help him. And in return, he will help her with her architectural project for the contest held in town to design a new building. Little does Kitty know that Leo has always harbored a crush for her and this is his opportunity to get closer to her and win her heart.
This was an enjoyable frenemies to more story with likable and well-developed characters. Written with wit and a good dose of humor, the book kept me entertained from start to finish. A delightful story that will have you laughing and swooning!
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

Kitty Beckett had always been fascinated with architecture and building design, and while waiting to receive her inheritance, she worked at Leo Lockland’s grandfather’s firm. After Leo’s abrupt departure to London, Kitty wondered why he had left without even saying goodbye, but as so many people in her life have left her, she developed a hardened heart. Leo’s return to Bellehaven brought up her feelings of abandonment, as well as her competitive streak when the town announced a design competition.

I liked Kitty and her determination to be successful on her own terms, through her designs, and not solely as a wife and mother. Leo’s love and loyalty to Kitty and to his mother was admirable and I was cheering for him to win Kitty’s heart. This was a good read with an interesting storyline, and the ever-expected and always appreciated HEA.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I was really looking forward to this book after loving the first two books in this series. Unfortunately, this one was very frustrating for me.

To start, Kitty was completely ridiculous and unbearable. She picked fights for no reason and had to constantly be right.I honestly didn't understand why Leo even liked her.

I did enjoy some aspects of the story, especially Leo's way of declaring his love. Also, the time spent together while Kitty was giving him her rake lessons was enjoyable.

I have read so many books by Anna Bennett, so having this one not work for me was a first. I will absolutely keep reading her books and hope that this one was a one-off.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It Takes a Rake 🌹💔

I read the previous book in the Rogues to Lovers series and Kitty has been a favorite character from the beginning. I was very much looking forward to her story, but ultimately, it wasn’t the five star read I was hoping for.

Kitty is an heiress and intelligent architect who has decided love is not an option. Leo, her former childhood nemesis and fellow architect peer, has returned to Bellehaven and wishes to finally own up to the fact that he’s totally in love with Kitty. He plans to woo her with his gentlemanly ways, however, Kitty wants a rake who will let her live her life on her own terms and never fall in love. Kitty ends up giving Leo lessons in rake-hood and starts to recognize her own feelings for him, but this terrifies and confuses her. They’re also competing in the Bellehaven’s architecture competition and there’s some weird stuff about why Leo left London without notice years ago.

Due to being orphaned at a young age and then subsequently being pawned off on multiple boarding schools by her uncle, Kitty has serious abandonment issues, which totally makes sense! What I didn’t like, is how she never even tried to work through these concerns. She and her uncle have repaired their relationship (to a point), she has two very close friends, and Leo, all of whom she could have confided in, but instead, she made the decision she didn’t need them and was going to pursue her life on her terms. Which again, fair, but she could still pursue her dreams and be happy and find a loving partner?! If she’d just talked to her friends about her fears so much of her worries could have been alleviated. Again, it all makes sense that she would avoid this due to the deep rooted fear of abandonment she had, but it was extremely frustrating how rigid her thinking was throughout the book.

Leo comes back to town to take over his grandfather’s architecture firm. He left London suddenly a few years back and has his own demons to fight regarding the reasons he had to leave. I felt this plot line didn’t add much to the story aside from setting up the third act miscommunication. It was never fully resolved in my eyes, and could have been removed and the story would have barely changed.

I feel like this review has been pretty harsh, so here’s what I did enjoy! Leo. Ha! He was such a sweetheart but he let that rake come out to play and it was so much fun! Rake lessons are quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes, and this book was a good example of how to do it. Leo is a gentleman, and that never changed throughout the book as much as Kitty tried, aside from maybe a few moments, ahem the croquet scene and subsequent climbing into her bedroom that night. I appreciated the fact that Kitty and Leo both liked Leo for who he truly was and not a stylized version of himself. Kitty was smart, strong, and opinionated while also being a wonderful friend and belle of the town! I really loved her, even though she drove me mad with her some of her actions. Leo and Kitty together are adorable and sweet and hot and just perfect! I really enjoyed the childhood nemesis/actually I’m kinda in love with you angle we had here!

Overall, I did enjoy the book even if it wasn’t what I had hoped. I will continue to read Anna Bennett and any other Bellehaven Belle’s she brings our way!

I received a complimentary arc via netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading It takes a rake. I liked the friendship between Leo and Kitty and the plot of the story. It was a four star rating.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing the chance to read and review the book.

Filled with page turning delight. I loved the chemistry and the sizzle.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

“’You were foolish to trust me- your competition. And you’re foolish to trust him, too,’ he added, gesturing toward Leo. Kitty curled her fingers into her palms. ‘He is nothing like you. He is honorable, loyal, and good.”

“She turned toward Leo and let her love for him wash away her anger. ‘It seems that despite my best efforts, I was unable to change who you are at your core. And if you want to know the truth, I’m glad. Though you can be extremely vexing at times…. I wouldn’t want to change a thing about you.’”

Kitty Beckett and Leo Lockland have been rivals since childhood, but Leo has a secret. He has been in love with Kitty for years, and now that he is back in town, he is ready to win the love of the woman he has been pining after. Kitty doesn’t care about marriage or men; all she wants is to be taken seriously as an architect. When a competition to design a new building in their seaside paradise, Kitty vows to win at all costs. She will lose something more important that the contest when her heart gets involved.

It’s no secret that I am a huge Anna Bennet fan. Her books are something different from the astronomical amount of historical romances that I’ve read where the heroes always have daddy issues and claim the line will end with them or the heroine is a clever and beautiful spinster whose avoided marriage until she is 26.

Anna always gives her characters interesting quirks and hobbies, but they don’t come off as pretentious. Her heroines always seem very genuine to me, and Kitty followed that trend. She had hopes and dreams more than marriage, and she was a talented architect in her own right. She has a mistrust of people, and Leo had to work extremely hard to gain her trust back from his previous mistakes. When he broke it, she didn’t immediately forgive him, which was refreshing. His grand gesture to show Kitty he loved her was adorable. It showed how much he respected her and her talents.

Leo was a sweetheart. Probably my favorite hero of Anna’s. He is so thoughtful and intentional with Kitty. Everything he does is to win her heart, and he is a genuinely good man. I thought this was delightful and was easily my favorite in the series.

If you’re a fan of other low angst historical romances like those of Vivienne Lorret or Christy Carlyle then you don’t want to miss this release.

~ Michelle

One of my most anticipated reads of the year was It Takes A Rake by Anna Bennett and it did not disappoint! This third and final book in the Rogues to Lovers Series is the perfect historical romance book to add to your TBR!

As if I couldn’t adore Anna Bennett’s writing even more, Kitty’s story just solidified my love for this series!

I absolutely adored this historical romance! Both Kitty and Leo were fabulous characters and I loved the trajectory of their story! From childhood nemeses to reluctant friends to lovers, I could not get enough of this book. And having it all set in Bellehaven Bay and having the Bellehaven Belles making cameos in the story makes this novel even more delightful!

Honestly, Leo might be my new favorite book boyfriend! His unwavering love for Kitty was so adorable and quite a few scenes had me fanning my face! The way both Kitty and Leo grew in this story both with their own insecurities and in their feeling for one another, was so enjoyable to read about and I was so sad to have this book end.

Whether you’re reading this as a standalone novel or reentering Bellehaven Bay, this novel is perfect for any fans of historical romance!

*I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked this one. It took me a few days to read it, so it wasn't one of those books that I just can’t put down, but I did finish it, so it’s good. It doesn’t have too many unimportant stories or long unusual names that I can’t remember. I liked Kitty and Leo and the whole story of the contest. However, I don’t think that I will remember it in a few months' time and I probably won’t read it again, so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

What a fun read! She is full of expectations and boy is she full of spunk. He is her long time co-worker. Imagine being an architect during the era when women were to stay at home. I like the contrast of what was correct for the era versus what she was. Her designs are whimsical and functional. Her heart is surrounded with thick walls. A delightful story and kept me up way too late. Loved it!

It Takes a Rake was a great read featuring a romance between childhood rivals.

Miss Kitty Beckett has come a long way from the troublemaker she was as a girl. Now a talented heiress, Kitty knows exactly what she wants to do with her life and getting stuck in marriage isn't on the list. When Bellehaven Bay hosts its' first architectural design contest, Kitty is determined to win but it may take a little help from her childhood rival. Leo Lockland has been in love with Kitty since they were kids but he knows she has no intention of falling in love. Hoping to change her mind, Leo asks Kitty to give him rake lessons so he can win over a woman. He just leaves out that the woman he wants to win over is her.

Rake lessons is a trope I have come to love in historical romances so I was excited to pick this one up based on that alone. I was also looking forward to getting Kitty's story as I really enjoyed her character in the previous books in the series. Kitty has a lot of abandonment issues with the way her parents died which has made her adamant she'll never marry for love. Leo has been in love with Kitty pretty much since the moment he met her. It was obvious immediately during their interactions that it makes me wonder how Kitty never saw it. The rake lessons are so much fun and I loved that it backfired on Kitty and made her start to fall for him instead. The chemistry between the two is amazing and the steamy scenes are very well done.

The architectural design contest was a fun premise and I was interested to see how it would work out. The contest is for building something that will go in town on main street so whoever wins will get a lot of exposure for their design. Kitty is very talented but she's a woman so people inherently dismiss her talents based solely on her gender. I like that Kitty doesn't let that stop her and that she was determined to win anyway. The contest plays out in a way I wasn't expecting but I was happy with the direction the storyline went.

Overall It Takes a Rake was a fantastic book and I would highly recommend the book if you're looking for a great historical romance.

The third story in the Rogues To Lovers, Miss Kitty Beckett and Leo Lockland both enter a architectural contest. The story is engaging with a well written storyline that held my interest until the end. I enjoyed seeing these two with their ups and downs get a happy ending. The story is well worth reading. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Miss Kitty Beckett is the last of the Bellehaven Belles to find love. She would rather be single and enjoy being an architect than to find her true love. Kitty would love to be a mom some day so maybe she will find a man willing to have a marriage of convenience.

When Leo Lockland moves back into town from London, Kitty is genuinely surprise. Kitty and Leo used to be apprentices together in his uncle's architect company. They had a fun friends/enemies relationship. What Kitty didn't know is that Leo has been in love with her for years. Now he just needs to convince her that they would be wonderful together. Kitty believes that Leo is back in town to find a wife and goes about helping him be a rogue in order to attract the woman he is interested in.....little does she know that it's herself! ;)

When the town announces an architectural design contest, Kitty really wants to win. She convinces Leo to help her. Things are going well until Victor Kirkham, Leo's architect friend from London shows up and throws a wrench into the situation. As Leo and Kitty spend more time together, lines start to get blurred. Just when it looks like Leo is going to get the woman of his dreams, everything falls apart. It will take the action of a true rogue for Leo and Kitty to find their happy ending.

I really enjoyed this frenemies to lovers story. Leo was the perfect man for Kitty. He really knew her and knew what mattered most. Kitty never thought she would find true love but Leo was right in front of her all this time just waiting. This book was fun ending to this really enjoyable series.

I was so happy to receive this eArc from St Martins Press, as I was lucky to read the first two in this lovely series as well. I loved Leo and I liked Kitty some of the time. This is a hero falls first novel. Although Kitty appears to have been through a lot in life and I could relate to her feelings about how everyone treated her, she came across as a PIA as far as Leo was concerned. I think it was because we didn't really get to know her past well enough to understand her reactions at times. We were told a few things, but we didn't get to feel them, so it made her come across as a pain who overreacts. Even though I could relate, I felt her response to Leo's fail, was immature and way over the top. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book, it just caused a few eye rolls. It does have a great ending. All opinions are my own.

It Takes a Rake is the third installment of the Rogues to Lovers series by Anna Bennett. This was my second time reading a book by this author (the first being the second of the series, One Duke Down.) I enjoyed that other book but this was even better! I neglected all my household duties so I could finish it in practically one sitting.

Kitty Beckett is known for being a tad bit rebellious but she's also an aspiring architect. She was an apprentice for years to Bellehaven's resident architect; along side his grandson Leo. They have annoyed and verbally sparred with each other side childhood until the day Leo just up and left with no goodbye. Now, Leo's back to take over his grandfather's firm when a contest is revealed. Whomever can make the favorite plans for a new town building will get to see those plans come to fruition. Kitty wants to prove to everyone that she can be an architect just as much as the men in town. Leo has plans to prove to Kitty that he's been hopelessly in love with her since the first day they met.

Leo is gone for Kitty since page one. I loved their dynamic. They had the best witty and snarky banter back and forth but you could see them growing and becoming more comfortable with each other. I do kind wish for a different reaction when Kitty learns that Leo has loved her all along but all the conflict in the book is very short lived which I appreciate. It was just a sweet, easy, enjoyable read and I can't wait to pick up more of Anna Bennett's books.

Tropes include: loved you since I met you, rake lessons, bluestocking heroine, competition, miscommunication (short lived), hero falls first, spice in a cave, grand gesture, frenemies to lovers, love is for anyone but me, heroic rescues (for a minor character)

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Bennett, and St Martin's Press for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #NetGalley #AnnaBennett #ItTakesARake #RoguestoLovers