BLOG TOUR} Love at First Spite by. Anna E. Collins | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Love at First Spite

Author: Anna E. Collins

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 1/4/22

Publisher: Graydon House

Categories: Contemporary, Adult, Romance, Office Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Graydon House for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this delightful, breezy romcom, interior designer Dani decides to get revenge on her cheating ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door.

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…

Content Warning: divorce, arson

This love story is one about revenge but in a very interesting and unique way. Dani wants to get back at her cheating ex-fiance by building a house on the adjacent property to his. Her cousin, Mia, and landlady, Iris, say they will help her out and they go into business of building a bed and breakfast and call it the Spite House. It helps that Dani already works at an architectural firm as an interior designer – she asks for help from the best architect in their firm, except she thinks he’s a miserable person. He helps her out and they start to get to know one another and that’s when the attraction between them grows.

My favorite part of this book has to be the relationship between Dani and her cousin, Mia. Iris, Dani’s landlady is thrown into the mix when she helps Dani by investing into the project but I’m glad Dani has her guidance because her own relationship with her parents isn’t the best. Iris and Mia is the friendship and support group that Dani needs when it comes to navigating her romance with Wyatt, and revenge on on Sam, her ex.

Wyatt is someone who is well respected in his field, and someone who is all about business and not so much making friends with anyone at work. He is reserved but he has his reasons. Interesting thing about Wyatt is that he has Meniere’s disease which involves the inner ear – I could somewhat relate because a few years ago I had an episode of vertigo that lasted almost 3 weeks. My ENT doctor mentioned Meniere’s disease but I wasn’t diagnosed with it. I was put on the same vertigo medication as Wyatt but I hardly used it because it made me nauseous. My symptoms was due to a virus and it eventually went away but it took almost a month and I remember thinking what if it didn’t go away? How would I drive or take care of my kids? So I could totally understand why Wyatt didn’t want his secret out at work. He didn’t want them to see him differently or as weak, especially since he is in a position of authority.

The romance progresses nicely but for awhile it’s a no-strings attached kind of situation. It works until both of them catch feelings. As far as Dani’s ex-fiance, Sam, he’s only in the story in the beginning and the end, and right away you can tell he’s horrible. But I would have thought Dani would have let go some of the resentment and thoughts of revenge while building the Spite House and hooking up with Wyatt.

The romance was just okay for me. I would have liked more chemistry between them. It was hard to get into Wyatt’s head because he was already such a reserved character but we only get Dani’s perspective in this story and it just wouldn’t been nice to get his.

The idea of a spite house is not something I would invest money in. But it is a unique idea! You must have to hate someone a lot to think up an idea like that and see it through though.

Why you should read it:

unique revenge idea
nice friendship story between three women
work place romance

Why you might not want to read it:

the revenge isn’t worth it
want more chemistry between Dani and Wyatt

My Thoughts:

I think this was an okay read. I would have loved a bit more chemistry between Dani and Wyatt. Although the idea of a Spite House for revenge is a unique and funny idea, in the end, it makes one wonder if it’s worth it. The best part of the story was the friendship between Iris, Mia and Dani, three women who are there for one another.

📚 ~ Yolanda

About the Author:

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.

Author Website

Twitter: @AEC_Writer | Facebook: @aecollinsbooks | Instagram: @aeccreates | Goodreads