The third installment in this series, this was a quick and sweet enemies-to-lovers romance. I found the main female character to be exhausting, but having read this author before, I think that was intended.

A swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers story, It Takes a Rake is a fabulous conclusion to the series. Kitty and Leo have been rivals for years ever since they both apprenticed with his grandfather. But it’s been years since Leo left without a note, and Kitty is still hurt from the loss.

Leo had an important reason for leaving all those years ago, though why still remains a secret. Though a lot has changed, one thing hasn’t – his feelings for Kitty. And he is so in love with her! The way he thinks about her and talks about her is super romantic, and I totally fell in love with him very early on in the story.

The story delves into their past and explores the beginnings of their relationship, which is equal parts rivalry and friendship. It shows how much they’ve always cared for each other, even if they didn’t always know it. I love all the ways Leo tries to show her he cares for her and how she slowly begins to see how much he has always loved her. He is so in love with Kitty, but she remains pretty clueless to the fact. I mean, the man tries to turn himself into a rake just to be near her and appeal to her. And he’s the opposite of a rake, which makes this even more sweet and sometimes quite comical. They have an amazing rivals-to-friends-to-lovers romance filled with angst, sexual tension, chemistry, and steam!

Throughout the story, Kitty teaches Leo how to be a rake, and he readily agrees to try since he knows that’s the type of partner she’s looking for. However, while teaching him about a rake’s unruly ways, Kitty slowly starts to realize how deep her feelings for Leo run, which is a problem because she is against marrying for love and craves her independence. Between her reservations, the fact that they’re competing against each other, and Leo’s secrets, this couple faces a lot of challenges. It’s interesting to see how they handle all of the obstacles in their way. And I love that Leo accepts nothing less than a love match. There are moments when he could have been with Kitty without expectations of love and forever, but as smitten as he is with her, he refuses to settle for anything less than what they both deserve, no matter how much Kitty protests and denies it.

I also like the messages about female empowerment and sisterhood that are seen throughout this series. In this story, Kitty enters a competition and is the only female entrant. However, she is grossly underestimated because of her gender even though she is as accomplished (if not more so) than the other participants. Kitty is determined to prove her skill and mastery of architectural design, and she the constraints put on women at the time. Each book in the series has a FMC that is independent, intelligent, and progressive, as are their male counterparts. And it was great to see the trio of women together again, and the strong connection they and their partners have formed feels more like family than friends.

Between the characters, the romance, and the setting, I inhaled this story. It’s fun and entertaining, it has strong messages, and there’s great banter and so much angst! Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I have not read any of the other books in this series but after reading this one I would really like to. This was a fun story with great characters who have grown up together. I loved the architect aspect of this story. It's not one you hear very often in regency romance books. I also liked that instead of trying to reform a rake they were trying to create one. That was also a new troupe. I am excited to see what else this author has to offer.

This is number three in the Rogues to Lovers series. This is the first book I have read on the series. It can definitely be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the characters and the tension between Kitty and Leo. This book had just the right amount of spice. I’m considering reading the first two books since I enjoyed this one so much!
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

IT TAKES A RAKE is the third installment in the Rogues to Lovers series featuring three women searching for their own chance to live happily ever after. Smart, snarky women and intelligent, gorgeous men stalk the pages of these books often antagonizing one another until they finally give in and admit they're in love. Each book stands alone, but it's fun to get to know each couple by reading the books in order as previous couples appear in subsequent books.

IT TAKES A RAKE features Kitty, a woman making her way in a man's profession. An upcoming, talented architect, Kitty breathes life into otherwise dry drawings and architectural plans with her unique visions which are not only functional, but beautiful. Kitty is disillusioned with marriage. She knows a rake when she sees one and refuses to allow herself to be charmed into giving up her dreams. However, there's one man she can't forget - the one who left her without a word of goodbye years ago. She won't allow him back in her heart.

Leo Larkwood leaves a promising career as an architect in London to return home and claim the girl he left behind. Leo is all about the numbers and while his drawings may not be the most beautiful, they're highly functional and accurate. He's carrying a big secret that involves a secret crush, but he knows she's skittish and won't accept him back into her heart unless he does something to gain her trust again. The opportunity presents itself in the form of an architectural contest to design a new building for the town. Kitty agrees to allow Leo to help her with her project by checking her calculations, and in turn, Kitty will teach Leo how to be a rake so he can woo his secret crush. Little does she know...

Kitty and Leo are great examples of frenemies in the romance genre. They both harbor strong feelings for each other but keep them hidden for their own reasons. Bennett does a fantastic job with the snark and banter as tension and sexual chemistry rise steadily between this pair. The plot line is unique with the competition element, and the pace increases steadily. Past couples make appearances in IT TAKES A RAKE, and as always, it's great to catch up with them.

Author Anna Bennett excels at delivering strong heroes and heroines who are likeable and easy to pull for. The sexy banter will have you salivating one minute and laughing out loud the next. Highly recommended to fans of historical romance with a punch.

“It Takes a Rake” is a entertaining tale of competitors turned lovers. It follows up the enjoyable “Girls before Earls” and “One Duke Down”.
It’s finally Kitty’s turn to blossom and go from mischevious orphan to our female protagonist. Our male protagonist, Leo, is no stranger to Kitty but their story has lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing while enjoying the slow burn of their romance.
I enjoyed this third book in a great series that truly shows don’t judge a book by its cover.

A wonderful conclusion to this series.
Kitty & Leo were angsty and steamy. I loved them. Give me academic rivals turned friends to lovers and I will gobble it up.
I enjoyed the setting and the competition. I liked that they had a shared interest too.
The romance is for the rivals to lovers, take lessons, and he falls first lovers! I definitely recommend!

Fun, charming, and a satisfying conclusion to the series. I love that Kitty and Leo (felines, haha) actually talk and listen to one another. Assumptions may be made, but they’re not so stubborn that they’re unmovable. Just a joyful story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Kitty's story has been a long time coming. I have really enjoyed the setting and this group of friends in this series. Kitty is the third friend in the Rogues to Lovers series and after getting snippets of her in previous books, seeing her grown and working towards a career as an architect is so satisfying. Leo is her long time friend who left her. When he returns, she has a hard time trusting in him. But he is so steadfast and kind and listens to her rake lessons with such devotion that she falls for him just like we do. It was fun and quick and just the right break from heavier books for me!

Thank you so much to the publisher fur giving me access to an arc of this! I’ve previously enjoyed Bennett’s other books in the series. I think this one was cute but at times it felt less anchored in the historical aspect. I wish I would’ve liked this one more but it was still a decent time!

Well written, but I had a hard time finishing it. If it weren’t for receiving this in exchange for a review via NetGalley I wouldn’t have finished it.

The good:

The book is well written. It moves at an acceptable pace, not too slow or too fast. Leo is a fantastic character. He was not problematic like many male characters these days, and I enjoyed getting to know him.

The bad:

I found that I kept forgetting this was a historical romance. It didn’t take me back in time and felt very modern. The MC was not my cup of tea. I love a strong female lead, but Kitty wasn’t strong, she was just overly stubborn. I can see why the author wrote her that way, and if overly stubborn characters do not annoy you, then you’ll likely enjoy this more than I did. In my opinion, Leo deserved better.

Overall, I was not impressed, but would recommend this to anyone who wants to try a historical romance with a more modern feel.

Compared to book 1 and 2 this one was a let down and it's all because of Kitty who has not grown since book 1. She is still childish, stubborn and immature.

Leo comes back home after 4 years in London. His feelings for Kitty are still strong and he wants to win her. There is a design competition and Kitty ans Leo come to an agreement, he helps with her calculations, she helps him develop into a rake to woo his mystery woman. He is an amazing man, loves his family, honorable, kind and well liked.

Circumstances with his family, keeps Leo away at one critical moment and instead of talking to him about it Kitty decides to walk away from the realationship. urghhh, I would like to shake some sense into this child-pretending-to-be-a-woman. Luckily before things turn sideways she actually develops an actual brain. Disappointed!

This one was a lot of fun - I loved the previous book in the series, so I was excited to read about Kitty's story. Though I think I prefer the first book over the sequel, this book was equally wholesome and entertaining. I'm excited to read whatever Anna Bennett puts out next, and in the meantime, I'll be recommending her stories to my friends.

I devoured this book in a day or two. I liked how it turned the trope of a male rake who was afraid to live on its head. I also loved Leo and my favorite parts were from his perspective. Kitty could be a little frustrating at times but I liked her better at the end.

A beautiful love story about two young strong willed people who have to come to grips with their own lives.
Leo has been in love with Kitty for what seems like forever but circumstances force him away from her.
Kitty feels alone in the world and does not want to trust her heart to anyone.
As they come back together after years apart, each of them has to figure out what is really important in their lives.
Storyline is well developed and smooth. Easy to adore Leo with his devotion to Kitty and his little quirks.

After being away for years, Leo has returned and discovered that his years of love and pining for Kitty are still very much present and believes he needs her help to become the kind of man to catch her eye.

Despite some issues with historical inaccuracies, some issues with Kitty, as well as communication difficulties on Leo's part, I found this to be a quick and easy read… and enjoyable once I came to terms regarding my own grievances with the story.

While this concludes the Rogues to Lovers series, you could easily read this without feeling lost if you haven't read the previous two titles.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for the DRC

Loved reading the awesome and amazing romance story. Miss Kitty Beckett makes a deal with Leo Lackland to help Leo become a rake to get the woman he loves and Leo helps Kitty with the calculations on her architecture project. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story.

This is a new to me author and I haven't read the other stories in this series and had no trouble jumping in. I loved Leo HR felt developed and mature. He has returned home after the death of his father to court his childhood love. His Deal with his trauma in an adult way , father situation, and didn't take it out on kitty. Now kitty, she seemed so childish. How she went about in her search for a husband, her architecture designs being so over the top, and her over the top anger so quickly. I 100% believe he loved her .... I'm not sure I felt kitty love for him. But she knew what she wanted and demanded Leo give her exactly what she want and I LOVED that. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leo and Kitty are childhood friends who both learned architecture as apprentices working for his grandfather. When Leo left town suddenly, Kitty's belief that one should never fall in love, but only believe in oneself, was solidified. Now he's back, and he's asked her to teach him to be a rake, so he can win over a mystery woman. Kitty helps, not realizing the mystery woman is her. As they work together, they grow closer, and there's the tantalizing prospect they'll end up together. But all of the obstacles are based in misunderstanding and pretty-little-foot-stomping refusal to speak, to clear the air, which seemed immature and a little contrived.

This was such a fun read! Leo is absolutely adorable and his love for Kitty is so sweet and swoonworthy. Kitty’s stubbornness did get a bit frustrating at times, but overall this was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also liked the chance to see how the characters from the two previous books were doing, because I loved those too.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!