When Elle Keaton offered me the opportunity to review the third book in her Crimes of the Heart Trilogy, I asked if it could be read standalone, and she immediately offered me the first two to catch up and I'm glad she did! The characters all recur in the series and you truly benefit from reading all three stories in order, so let's dive in and meet everyone!
One hot Seattle summer. A half-baked revenge plot. A gambit for love.
Arnie
One minute I’m minding my own business enjoying the sunshine, next I’m wearing my iced coffee. Of course, the perpetrator is THE guy I’ve never forgotten—it seems though that he’s forgotten me.
I’m awkward and generally have no clue what I’m doing, but this time Tobias isn’t brushing me off.
Tobias
I've never forgotten Arnie, or the night we had together. When I, er, run into him again, I realize want to get to know him—as more than a friend.
I may come from a wealthy family and I know money can’t buy happiness. But brash, socially awkward Arnie Ferguson makes me think happiness is possible when you let your heart choose.
nerd/geek, comedic elements, awkward, rich/poor, reunited, revenge-sort of, medium heat, shy lover, on the spectrum, loyal to a fault.
Feinted Love is a first person, dual POV, following Arnie Ferguson and Tobias Barrington as they do their best to awkwardly fall in love. Standalone, No cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed. Heat level, 3+. opposites, awkward love, rich/poor, drama queen, comedic elements, second chance
Heather's Review:
Arnie is adorable! No matter how ill thought out his revenge plot is, the fact that he works toward what his heart wants is truly endearing.
Feinted Love is truly low angst, and a very nice level of heat. It also introduces us to several of the characters who feature in the second and third books. For me, it was a quick read with humour, believability and just enough quirk to make me want to move on to the second book...
**Feinted Love is currently free to buy on Amazon, so why not take a chance**
A gorgeous stranger wanders into his life one summer night and Jacob knows he's in trouble; he's going to break all his rules and probably his heart.
Duff Cleveland knows better than to open himself to love, that’s how you get hurt.
Jacob De Rossi is a family guy; he’s got the house and the picket fence he's just missing the man.
Something about Jacob has Duff wanting more, but how many just one more time’s can a dedicated hookup artist justify? He can hardly handle the life he’s living, having an actual boyfriend is impossible isn't it?
Jacob’s not letting Duff go easily. It’s obvious, to him at least, that Duff needs someone in his corner, and he is the man for the job.
Will Duff admit his heart is safe in Jacob's hands, or turn his back on the one thing in his life that makes sense?
tragic past, high heat, found family, hurt to comfort, reluctant lover, family is everything, the wooing is the hardest part, angsty, when grandparents interfere...
The Heart Heist is a first-person, dual POV, following Duff Cleveland and Jacob De Rossi as Jacob woos Duff's reluctant heart. No cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed. Heat level, 4+. Can be read as a standalone but you may enjoy it even more if you read Feinted Heart first.
Heather's Review:
I love the contrast between the high heat encounters and the slow burn relationship... the fact that Duff is so secretive and Jacob is so smitten is a wonderful contrast and the way the relationship builds in tiny increments, despite well meaning friends is fabulous
I do think that you could start with just The Heart Heist, but having read book 1, the antics of the side characters make so much sense...
How do you repair a broken heart when you were the one who broke it in the first place?
Charley
It's been four years since Simon broke up with me, but who's counting? I'm fine these days, thank you very much. I don't need a man to make me happy.
♥
Simon
Past me had to make a choice. Current me knows it was the wrong one. Future me hopes I can fix it. I've never stopped loving Charley this is my last chance; our last chance.
♥
The Boyfriend Gambit is first-person dual POV. Simon lays all his cards on the table in an attempt to win Charley's heart back. No cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed. Heat level, 4+. Can be read as a standalone but you may enjoy it even more if you read Feinted Heart and The Heart Heist first!
second chance, love/hate/love, interfering friends, found family, feisty grandmother.
Heather's Review:
Bring on the family drama! This one had a few twists I wasn't expecting and the drama definitely added a layer to the story! For this book, I think you definitely need the backstory from books 1 and 2, because Arnie features as a very prominent side character and so does another character, whose story you need to know to really get the full effect...
The Boyfriend Gambit really was a culmination of the series and is the one you should least likely want to read alone...
I'm sorry that the story ends here because I'm definitely going to miss Nonna and Nonno and all of the guys!
Rating: Book 1 4 stars, Book 2 5 Stars, Book 3 4.5 Stars for a 4.5 Stars overall
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