Title: It Takes a Rake
Author: Anna Bennett
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
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…
I liked both Leo and Kitty, but Kitty seemed a bit illogical to me. Her closest friends made love matches, but she thinks those are pointless. She’s mad at Leo for having feelings for her, but she was jealous of his mystery woman before she knew it was her. And she gets irrationally angry with him without even listening to his explanation for things. So, I didn’t like that aspect of her personality at all. I enjoyed their repartee a lot, but Kitty was a bit too much of a diva for me.
Anna Bennett lives in Maryland. It Takes a Rake is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
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