Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Feinted Love
AUTHOR: Elle Keaton
SERIES: Crimes of the Heart #1
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 17, 2020
BLURB:
A gambit for love, a half-baked revenge plot; one hot Seattle summer…
Arnie
One minute I’m minding my own business enjoying the sunshine, next I’m wearing my iced coffee.
I’m going to teach Tobias Barrington a thing or two; first: you don’t always get what you want. I have no idea what the second is, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Falling in love with Tobias is not on the list.
Tobias
I’ve never forgotten Arnie Ferguson, or the night we had together. When I find him again, I want to get to know him—as more than a friend.
I may come from a wealthy family; but I know better than most that money can’t buy happiness. But brash, socially awkward Arnie Ferguson makes me think happiness is possible when you let your heart choose.
REVIEW:
Feinted Love is a delightful twist on a second chances theme; instead of wanting to reunite after spending one night together seven years prior, Arnie has revenge in mind. Arnie and Tobias met at Tobias’ mansion where he held a massive drunken party during freshman year of college. Arnie happily lost his virginity to Tobias that night, but then was unceremoniously chucked outside with the other revelers when the cops arrived to bust up the party. Although Arnie thinks of Tobias often, he doesn’t see him again for seven years when he shows up in the café where Arnie works.
“Tobias Barrington is an entitled jerkface, and on top of that, he stole my virginity,” I announce. The only person who can hear me is my roommate, Duff, who is less sympathetic that I expect him to be.
Arnie doesn’t seem clear on what his revenge will look like as he bumbles through what he dubs Operation: Teach Tobias Barrington a Lesson. He admits to himself that he knows full well his plan is ludicrous.
But, alas, Tobias is a genuinely wonderful guy, not a rich playboy who used Arnie at the party, and much to his disgust, Arnie finds himself attracted to Tobias. Tobias, meanwhile, is interested in establishing a real relationship with Arnie. To complicate things, Tobias uses his best friend, Charley, to pose as his fake boyfriend to make Arnie jealous. Arnie has tricks up his sleeve, too, and enlists his bestie, Duff, to come on to Charley to distract him from Tobias.
The narrative flows nicely and keeps the pace perky. The plotline is engaging and lots of fun. Arnie and Tobias are both easy to like. There are strong side characters, too, including Duff and Charley. I’m a bit fuzzy on Charley’s story. Neither his job nor his relationship with his ex-boyfriend is clear. It would be nice to better understand the reasons for his surliness. Duff also appears to have man trouble and seems depressed. We’ll find out in October when Duff’s book, The Heart Heist, is released. That’s followed in November by book three – Charley’s story – in the Crimes of the Heart series. Arnie’s mother is an important character here. Her relationship with Arnie is pivotal to his growth and increase in maturity which inform the decisions he makes regarding Tobias.
Elle Keaton provides a satisfactory resolution to the conflicts and leaves us with a feel-good happy ending. I really enjoyed Feinted Love and hope you will, also.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: