Love at First Spite: A Novel

Written by Anna E. Collins

Narrated by Lila Winters

Falling in love is the ultimate payback in this delightful, breezy romcom about an interior designer who teams up with an enigmatic architect at her firm to get revenge on her ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door

“Filled with sizzling chemistry and delicious revenge, Love at First Spite had me smiling from start to finish. This is one debut you don’t want to miss!” —Kate Bromley, author of Talk Bookish to Me

They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.

That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…

“Rollickingly, fast-paced… Fans of Emily Henry’s tales will enjoy Collins’ imaginative rom-com.” —Booklist

“Wyatt is the perfect grumpy romance hero with a heart of gold. An enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story that’s sure to delight rom-com fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781488213090

Anna E. Collins

ANNA E. COLLINS is a Seattle-area author who writes stories about the lives and loves of women. Once upon a time she was a teacher, and she has a master's degree in educational psychology. Love at First Spite is her first novel. Visit her website, aecollinsbooks.com, or find her on Instagram, @aeccreates.

Reviews for Love at First Spite

[noey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was so cute! I really enjoyed the main characters even if parts of the plot were a bit out of left field.

[Seloff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun lighthearted read and the narrator
narrator was very good.

[Jessica Adolfo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was so much fun. I loved it so much. Totally invested in everything about this book and the audio narration was great.

[Eve Pendle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So much suspension of disbelief needed here. It started really strong but became much more chic lit than contemporary romance. Fun though.

[SerendipityReads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is SO RARE that I give a book five stars, or put it on my LOVEDDD!!! list.
But this one made the cut!!

It didn't hurt that something about the writing gave me "Hating Games" vibes, because that's my favorite romcom.

And maybe it was nothing more than the fact that it kept me similarly engaaged: This book was completely unique, and kept my FULL attention, from beginning to end.

(I listen to audiobooks, so sometimes I'm able to just give things half my attention, and still get the gist, because the execution of the trope is so cliche)

In my opinion, this book offered strong writing, creative storytelling, and just enough humor. The "Spite House" premise taxed one's credulity a bit, but come on, it's a romcom, and besides, what book DOESN'T require some suspension of disbelief?! THankfully the revenge factor wasn't belabored TOO much, and was playful when it was. As the book wears on, and the reader loses interest in that project, so does the h, and honestly it just felt like a relief for everyone when *MAJOR SPOILER REDACTED HERE!!!*

The ex-boyfriend was one of those "wait, WHY did she date this pinecone for so long?!" types, but in terms of secondary characters, the landlady Iris was quirky and colorful enough to make up for the fact that a few of the others were barely fleshed out.

I read in some reviews that not all readers liked Wyatt (the H), and found him too detached and "hot and cold" to really relate too. My mileage varied. I did find him to be a bit "Josh from Hating Games"-ish, and the addition of his vertigo issues added to my vision of the character beyond what even the author described. Given their "secret workplace romance", his trauma from the way his last relationship ended, and some other factors, I personally found his "hot/cold" demeanor understandable.

In fact, I'll go so far as to say that MOST of the conflicts that arose between them were REALISTIC even. Did they have some stupid miscommunications sometimes? YES, AND SO DO REAL PEOPLE. Did they jump to some dumb conclusions that they had to go back and apologize for sometimes? YES, AND SO DO REAL PEOPLE.

The spice level was just this side of being "closed door", and I DIDN'T EVEN CARE, because what WAS described?! WAS FREAKING HOT. Waaaaay hotter (to me) than reading the 150th exact same sounding scene of P in V action.

I also really enjoyed the narration by Ms. Winters.

Is it quite "Hating Games" level for me? Not quite, but it ALMOST made it. Like other reviewers have said, at the end there is a BIG plot point that is exacerbated by another plot point, creating a BIG HUGE ISSUE.....and the way the characters went about solving that issue was.....problematic, at best. But honestly, you don't even really care. By that point you're just ready to get The Pinecone off the page, and for the H and h to GET TOGETHER FOR GOOD, already.

So, yeah. A little weak at the very end, but this is definitely an author to watch, and a book to check out if you like romcoms and want to read something that ISN'T just a total rehashing of the same old story lines all over again. A solid 4.80 stars from me!!

[Sara Jackson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narrator did great, this story is all set on a ridiculous attempt at revenge that was hard for me to just go along with. I liked the heroine, but always cam back to why are you wasting your time sticking it to your ex?