I really liked this story. It was a story about two people who knew each other as children and meet again years later, but fate intervenes in their love story. Anthony's delayed confession of interest towards Celia causes for the story to go a different route. Celia at this time is full of life, light and laughter when she marries for the first time.
I liked what the author did to convey the passing of time. Our heroine writes in her diary what married life is like. At the same time we see her light slowly fading away. She becomes a different person. She realizes that getting married was not the right thing to do.
After four years she is now a widow and fate intervenes again and brings Anthony in to her life again. He sees her how she has changed. She looks sad and withdrawn. He takes it upon himself to bring out that light in her again. When he accomplishes it it is when this love story really flourishes. They were great together and Anthony was such a romantic. He paid attention to the small details. His life had been a difficult one to survive with so much gossip and speculation, but Celia saw through all of that. She saw what a great man he was.
Great love story!!!
**Don't get fooled by the title....he was a rake who seduced and let himself be seduced!**

Really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a little sad, our H just missed the opportunity to court our h, as she's betrothed to another. Four years later, she's suffered through a tumultuous marriage, then widowhood and is just coming out of mourning when they are brought together again. Both had felt attraction before, though never acted upon it, now a relationship blooms, despite some difficult situations. This is third in a series, but stood alone quite well, I may go back and read the other books, I liked this so well. This was a brilliant story of lives and love.

Anthony Hamilton, Viscount Langford, was a scandal from the moment he was born has become a gambler, a fortune hunter, a womanizer and an infamous rake. He comes upon is vest friends sister, Celia Reece one evening at a ball and comes to her rescue. Anthony soon realizes she’s not a little girl any more but a beautiful young woman. Celia fondly remember Anthony too and encourages him to find happiness. When he decides visit her brother the Duke to ask permission to court Celia he finds out he has just become engaged to another. He’s not surprised Celia is young, beautiful, vivacious and much sought after. Forward a few years and Celia is now a widowed and much more serious and solemn than before her marriage. I loved seeing Anthony and Celia coming to know each other again and watching their relationship bloom and Celia coming back to life. Anthony has a way of noticing the little things that make her happy and bring the joy back into her life. A wonderful romance of old friends becoming new friends and fall in love.
I voluntarily read an ARC copy and this is my honest opinions and review for Net Galley.

4.5 stars - A Rakes Guide to Seduction was so engaging and entertaining that I hopped on Amazon to find more books by this author before even finishing the read. The characters are emotionally interesting, but not pitiful or exhausting. Even their flaws are endearing. She’s optimistic to a fault and he’s so honorable he’d rather scrape by or wager (he never loses so no much risk there) than receive help from his cousin.

During my search for more reads by the author I discovered that this isn't a new release, but rather a re-release. I think it was originally published in 2008. This is the first I’ve read it, but if you're like me - read a lot so it isn't until 4 chapters in that you realize you've read the book before - I thought I should give you a heads up.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read this book when it was first published and it was a pleasure to read it again. Anthony is a great character, a man who has the reputation as a rake and believes that he is not worthy of the love of his life. Celia is a widow who has known Anthony a long time and knows that he is a good man but she has lost confidence in herself in the years that she was married. They have a second chance at their own HAE. Will they have the courage to try?
Caroline characters have depth, intelligence, and a solid moral core. Anthony is honorable and Celia is strong, and they are better together than apart. That is what I loved about this story. Everyone deserves happiness and Caroline knows how to feed your craving for an absolutely wonderful love story.
Received a Complimentary Copy for an honest review.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Enjoyed the book. It was well written and most of the time interesting. Anthony has admired and then loved Celia for a very long time but did not feel worthy of her. He requests of her, to court her and finds she is to be married. She was unhappy in her marriage and then Bertie died. Events happen and they find each other for a HEA. I would recommend this book as a good read.

Beautiful story about people coming together. Caroline is an amazing story teller and sucks you into this world.

A Rake’s Guide to Seduction is the first book I have read by Caroline Linden and it won’t be the last. This one happens to be book three in a series and while I didn’t have all the background I would assume I would have gotten by reading the other books, I didn’t have a problem jumping right into this book.

Celia Reece and Anthony Hamilton are the main characters and while they seem to be drawn to each other, they come from very different backgrounds. Celia is the sister of a duke and Anthony is the most scandalous man in London. Because Anthony is a good friend of Celia’s brother, she has been in his presence off and on while growing up and while everyone in London thinks the worst of him and his actions, Celia looks at him differently.

Anthony is at a disadvantage as he doesn’t have anything other than a reputation and when Celia catches his eye at a ball he takes a leap and goes to her brother to ask if he can court her. Unfortunately for both of them, he is too late and this is the beginning of the turn in both of their fortunes because while Anthony continues to change his standing, Celia gets married to a man she thinks she loves.

Celia’s story is unfortunate. It is clear that she and her husband moved too quickly and didn’t really know how to live with each other outside of London where they have others around them. Add to that, her husband tends to take off without her and their relationship truly suffers. When an accident takes her husband’s life, Celia finds herself back with her family and it is pretty jarring to her to be surrounded by a lot of people after spending years in the countryside with only her father-in-law to keep her company.

When Celia goes back to her family, her mother decides to put together a party to get her back into the fold. Since her brother is good friends with Anthony, he invites him to the extended event and he turns out to be the only good thing Celia sees in the whole thing.

Eventually these two are able to recognize that they are what the other needs. Not only to heal but to be happy and although they have various challenges in their way, they do ultimately get their happy ending. I did enjoy this book and like any historical romance, found this to be a fairly quick and engaging read. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Celia Reece thought she was marrying for love but reality sadly disillusioned her as she found herself in the cold north of England in a loveless marriage. After four years, she returns to her family, a widow questioning her own instincts. Her mother is determined to lift her from her depression by arranging a house party with many eligible men amongst the guests including reprobate, Anthony Hamilton, who has managed to avoid all her mother’s efforts to separate him from Celia.
I enjoyed this Victorian romance, it wasn’t predictable and had me interested all the way through.

Caroline Linden’s A Rake’s Guide to Seduction is a twist on the second chance romance. The novel is part of the Reece family series and was originally published in 2008. Ms. Linden’s books are on my keeper shelves because I enjoy her descriptive writing style and her engaging characters - - this book did not disappoint.
I adored Anthony Hamilton as he wasn’t what everyone in society assumed him to be. The author never misses an opportunity for someone to mention that Anthony sleeps with married women, gambles and is wealthy. Anthony Hamilton fascinated English society. Celia Reece loves to hear about her childhood friends escapades and has promised her mother than she would not associate with Mr. Hamilton.
Caroline Linden takes a chance with the storyline in A Rakes Guide to Seduction when Celica marries Lord Andrew Bertram, not Anthony Hamilton. Celia and Bertie travel to the country to live with Bertie’s aging father. During the next four years, Celia records the details of her life in her journal. In the journal she describes her heartbreaks; her husband constantly ignores her, she is not allowed to visit London for the season and most importantly, she is unable to get pregnant. Bertie prefers to hunt, fish and party and Celia takes on the role of caregiver to Bertie’s father.

Anthony Hamilton is invited to a house party given by Duke of Exeter. Celia’s mother, the Dowager Duchess of Exeter has invited a group of Celia’s friends to the house party to cheer up her newly widowed daughter. Anthony and Celia get a second chance to renew their friendship. Loved that Anthony understood how lonely and out of place Celia felt at her own party. His anonymous notes were heartfelt and showed he cared for her. Anthony kept to himself at the house party but his actions indicated his feelings towards Celia. The couple’s chemistry sizzles --- but do they have a chance for happiness? Most of Celia’s family and friends believe that Anthony is a womanizing gambler. Will Celia believe in their love or make another mistake?

There were a lot of minor characters in the book. I enjoyed catching up with the Reece family members but I thought Rosalind, Celia’s mother, overplayed her hand with respects to Anthony. It was hard to keep track of Celia’s former friends and their husbands. I did enjoy Anthony’s uncle and her niece Molly. I liked that the author used the journal to move the story forward by four years. This plot device worked as the reader saw how Celia matured during her marriage while her husband’s life wasn’t changed at all. Loved the subtle storyline that the author wrote throughout the novel—about not judging people for their actions, not by their title, clothes or their fortune. There were a few surprises at the end of the book which added to my enjoyment of it!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I like how it treated the main character's depression as a serious problem. That took time to resolve itself. I like how it portrayed the hero, as a person who worked hard at all of his gains, and frankly, I'm a sucker for the bad timing trope. So... I enjoyed this story.

Celia Reece and Anthony Hamilton belong together. They missed their chance once. They have a second chance.

Just as Anthony decides that he wishes to change his life and ask for Celia’s hand, she marries another. Anthony goes about building his business and fortune. She thought she had a love match, a fairy tale marriage. Sadly, she was mistaken. Including her diary allowed us to see just how mistaken she had been. After four years of a miserable marriage, Celia’s husband dies and she returns home. She and Anthony are reunited at a country house party given by Celia’s mother. Anthony has always had the reputation of being a rake. His reputation, although only partly deserved, follows him to the house party. Some of the guests, particularly Celia’s mother do their best to keep them apart. Celia is in a deep depression, but seems to come more alive when Anthony is around. Will the feelings they had for each other resurface? If they do, will the pair be able to overcome the objections and problems, so that they can be together? There is a lot working against them.

This is the final installment in the Reece Family Trilogy, although Mama seemed to be working toward a story of her own. Anthony and Celia were the typical rake and starry-eyed debutant at the beginning of the story. The hurt that the two endured caused them to mature and approach a new relationship with some caution. Most of the characters were familiar, but there were some additions that made the story more interesting. Anthony’s uncle was great. He kept his cool and was able to handle Mama. The story flowed along nicely until just before the end. Then there were several surprises – really wild. This one has just the amount of romance, angst, and excitement. Don’t miss it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed it and the comments are my own.

I think Caroline Linden is a wonderful historical romance author. That said, I thought this was a bit slow. I love a naughty rake - but in this case, there was really only allusions to Anthony's bad behavior and in the end, most of it was rumor and not fact. I liked him but didn't fall in love with him quite as quickly as our heroine Celia did. She's a marvelous character who comes into second bloom when Anthony finally begins to court her...but I disliked the initial story line & frankly, it broke my heart. I hated that they liked each other so early on but were separated for 3 years while she suffered in her marriage. I was reminded of Ms. Sarah McLean's latest - The Day of the Duchess - and much like that story, although I can get behind a slow burn romance, sometimes the delay makes me grit my teeth and wish I could force them to be honest with each other straight from the top.

The romance is sweetly satisfying, the sex is delicious (Ms. Linden is soo good at bedroom scenes), and the story is compelling.

Not my favorite Caroline Linden but enjoyable nonetheless.

I have not read the other books in the series, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. Ms. Linden has done a superb job with Anthony and Celia and their emotional connection years after Anthony had asked the duke to court her. The author takes the reader out of the dazzling ballrooms of London and focuses instead on what happens when a young woman's idea of love is sadly mistaken.

Anthony Hamilton is a scandalous rake, liar, seducer of woman, cheater at cards-everything the ton can think of to gossip about. Too bad most of it is untrue although that hardly seems to matter as the gossip seems to increase the more Anthony retreats from Society. Celia thought she was in love and unfortunately, she endured 4 years of a disastrous marriage. Now a widow at 22, she's a mere shell of her former self. When Anthony sees her current state of melancholy, he vows to lift her spirits and thus begins his outpouring of his feelings through daily letters to the sad widow.

I loved how the romance and eventually love blossoms between Anthony and Celia. From daily notes, to walks in the garden, to gazing at the stars, Celia begins to see Anthony as more than just her brother's friend. She begins to see the joy in life again and Anthony is thrilled to see the change in her. I could have been perfectly happy with this aspect of their relationship because it was so clear what they were feeling about each other without the numerous the sex scenes. Given that one sex scene was necessary to move the plot forward, I could have skipped the others as they are graphic in content. If you like a spice in your regency romances, you'll definitely enjoy this book.

Anthony Hamilton has never thought of Celia Reece as anything other than his best friend's little sister, but all that changes when she makes a flippant comment about marriage. Suddenly, Anthony notices how much Celia has grown up. Not only that, but marriage to someone like her could be exactly what he needs! Imagine his surprise when he learns Celia is engaged to another.

Celia has barely returned home after her miserable failed marriage when her mother decides to throw a house party. Sure, Celia's out of morning, but how is being around a bunch of people supposed to make her happy. There's only one person at the party that Celia really cares to spend any time with and that is her brother's friend, Anthony. He is the only one who seems to be able to understand what she's going through.

Anthony sees the old Celia underneath her calm, quiet exterior and is determined to revive her spirit. He wants to show her that she is still a vibrant young woman with a wonderful life ahead. Anthony has no idea where his actions will take him, but he cannot deny that he still cares for Celia. This time, Anthony will not let Celia slip through his fingers.

A RAKE'S GUIDE TO SEDUCTION is absolutely beautiful. I cannot imagine how Celia felt in her marriage, isolated and alone. It is not hard to imagine why she has withdrawn into herself. Anthony is her cure! And she is certainly the soothing balm to his soul as well. I shed many a tear over their heart-rending love story, especially in the beginning. Poor Anthony. I just wish he had fought for her hand in the beginning, but still, life went on, and he and Celia did get another chance. A RAKE'S GUIDE TO SEDUCTION is a glorious ending to author Caroline Linden's REECE FAMILY trilogy!

I agreed to give a fair and honest review in return for this ARC. As if a rake really needs a guide to seduction. Well written story!

I'm still very much unsure as to how I actually feel about this story. I read and enjoyed the first novel in this series, but I missed the second. When I originally picked this one up, I didn't feel like I had missed anything by not having read the second one. There were no spoilers from it, and I enjoyed seeing characters from the first novel as well as getting to know the ones from the second.

I enjoyed the build up, seeing Anthony humble himself before Celia's brother only to be told she had accepted someone else. I loved seeing her marriage in her own words, from her journal instead of wasting page after page on the actual happenings. Honestly, even though I had a feeling what was going to happen, I had expected there to be more of a scandal from that end. Some forbidden secret to come to light later on, so it was a bit disappointing to have the story seem to go one way, only to backtrack and take a different path.

The romance between Anthony and Celia was ...... ok. There were times when it seemed like it was entirely one sided (he seemed to be more involved than she was), and times when they seemed to be better off as friends. Oh don't get me wrong, they definitely had chemistry, I just don't feel as though we always got to see the full extent of it unless they were bedding each other.

Overall, I am sure this story will still appeal to those who have enjoyed this series thus far, and may still appeal to those who enjoy historical "second chance" romances.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Anthony Hamilton is the only son of the Earl of Lynley, but some believe that the Earl is not the real father of Anthony. An intelligent man, he simply goes by the name of Mr. Hamilton, instead of Viscount Langford and supposedly lives a depraved and immoral life. Thus, he is great gossip fodder for the ton.

Celia Reece has known Anthony for quite some time now as he is a friend of her brother, David, and has visited the Reece family estate, Ainsley Park, at school holidays. They had all shared some fun times when they were children, but now his reputation means she must avoid him as she enjoys her first Season.

Celia is the sister of the current Duke of Exeter and she is quite popular with the very eligible young men. She also has a dowry of 200,000 pounds.

When Lord Euston declares his love for her and attempts to kiss her against her will, she is rescued by none other than Anthony Hamilton. Although Anthony lacks the funds for a wife, he wants nothing more than to marry Celia. However, she has now become engaged to Andrew (Bertie) Bertram. After their marriage, they live at his estate, Kenlington Abbey. Life for Celia and Bertie is rather dull as Bertie’s father is quite demanding that they remain there and he is also hoping that Celia will soon produce an heir. But problems with Bertie continue to grow and their marriage is not a happy one. Before long, Bertie falls ill and dies.

Back at Ainsley Park, Celia’s mother and family are all trying to help her with her grief. They decide to have a house party with numerous friends of Celia’s attending. Anthony Hamilton is one of them. Soon, they renew their acquaintance and a spark is ignited. However, too many people still think he is a rogue and are telling her to stay away from him. But can she? Will her friends and family stop hovering around her and allow her to make her own decisions?

This is an OK book but I found that the meddling of Celia’s mother, Rosalind, and some of her friends really started to grate. The book dragged with so much indecision and discussion. Thus, I could not give it any more than 3 stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved the hero, Anthony Hamilton in this book. Although misjudged by everyone, he handled things well. Celia had unfailing belief in Anthony's goodness and honesty which made her likable as a character. Their interactions showed how well suited to each other they are.

I feel Caroline Linden does an excellent job in showing the hero and heroine falling in love and this book was no exception.

This book is standalone although part of a series.

This was really good! Somehow I was unaware of Caroline Linden's earlier work. I'm glad it's being reissued for new audiences. Anthony Hamilton reminds me of Captain Wentworth but with a reputation of George Wyckham (somewhat undeserved, though). His heartfelt plans to win Celia early on are too long in the planning stages and he misses his opportunity. I really liked how the reader gets to see snippets of Celia's journal entries over the years of her unfortunate marriage which really drive home the change in Celia from naive and carefree to somewhat downtrodden and disillusioned. When she and Anthony reconnect after her indifferent, and oftentimes cruel, husband dies, they are more evenly matched in temperament and outlook. Seeing them navigate the path towards admitting their feelings for each other and believing that each one deserves a second chance at love is very compelling.

My only minor gripe is that the climax issue seemed forced. I know there has to be one last big drama before they get their HEA but I felt like they had been through so much on their own, throwing in an external issue was unnecessary. Thankfully it's all resolved very quickly and doesn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to Zebra/Kensington and Netgalley for providing an ARC of the re-release for review!