It Takes a Rake
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4.2 • 12 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The swoony, frothy finale to the Rogues to Lovers series from award-winning author Anna Bennett.
She’s about to face her biggest challenge yet…
Since she was a girl, Miss Kitty Beckett has been adept at finding trouble: sneaking brandy, running away, and getting under the skin of the boy who, like her, was an apprentice to an architect. Now Kitty’s a talented heiress who can take a dry building plan and breathe life into it with her pencils and paints. Also? She can spot a rake at a hundred yards—and she won’t be tricked or charmed into marriage. Certainly not by a man who might interfere with her dreams. When Bellehaven Bay announces its first ever architectural design contest, she vows to win—with a little help from her childhood rival.
Turning her buttoned-up nemesis into a certified rake.
Leo Lockland, a hardworking architect with a gift for numbers, has returned home after a few years in London, and he has secrets. The biggest? He’s been in love with Kitty since they were both apprentices. She refuses to give her heart to any man, but Leo’s determined to beat the odds—even if it means learning how to be a rake. Fortunately, Kitty’s willing to tutor him in the nuances of fashion, flirtation, and seduction in exchange for his help with the contest. But the whole plan would fall apart if she knew how he felt, so he’ll have to be very convincing.
Let the lessons begin…
Leo proves to be a surprisingly quick study in the ballroom, on the beach, and in the bedchamber. Before long, he’s softening Kitty’s hard edges with his wicked words and kissing his way past all her defenses. Perhaps she’s a bit too skilled at teaching, because her lessons are threatening to backfire, putting her closely guarded heart in grave danger…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bennett concludes her Rogues to Lovers series (after One Duke Down) with this witty Regency. Four years after leaving home to become a London architect, Leo Lockland returns to Bellehaven Bay, the seaside home he left behind—and to Kitty Beckett, an heiress who apprenticed alongside him in his grandfather's architecture firm and for whom Leo has pined for years. Though Leo has always gotten "under her skin," Kitty now seeks his mathematical genius in assisting with her entry in a local architecture design contest. In exchange, she agrees to help "predictable, principled, and nice" Leo become a rake in hopes of capturing the interest of the woman he desires—though Leo does not disclose that the object of his affections is Kitty herself. As she guides Leo to act rakishly in his manner, dress, and kisses, she feels the effects of Leo's charms, but she also fears surrendering her heart. Readers will see, however, that Kitty, an admirably candid and tenacious woman unafraid to express her opinion, is the perfect match for Leo, whose genuine, easygoing manner simultaneously intrigues and frustrates her. This sends the series out on a high note.
Customer Reviews
It takes a rake
Leo has strong feelings for Kiddy. He suspects she might feel the same, so he goes through different steps to get her to trust and love him back!
Awesome & Amazing!
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.
Challenges
They made a deal. He will help with her design questions (mostly numbers), and she will teach him how to be a rake so he can attract the woman he wants to impress. What Kitty doesn’t know is that the woman Leo is secretly in love with is her. Kitty wants to win the design competition to prove herself as an architect. Kitty isn’t sure she wants to find love or marry. She doesn’t want to be left alone, again. Leo has some family secrets and old hurts that have been an obstacle in his life and career. This is a slow-burn (on Kitty’s part) romance with lots of humor, a bit of drama, a moment of chicanery, and a wonderful happy ending. Entertaining story.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.