Love at First Spite

A Novel

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

©2022 Anna E. Collins (P)2022 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Awesome

This is a new author to me and I'm so glad I gave her a try. 10/10 recommend.

Cute story about karma

Not as satisfying to me as her second book. But I enjoyed this because of the setting in Washington state and the great Danes. Great narration.

good fun. light on the sex

I really enjoyed this story. Not too long. I did lol at some scenes. the sex scenes were bland but the story was fun. the characters came to life and I like the little nuances/character details each character had. it made them feel more real

Entertaining, fresh concept

The synopsis of the book caught my interest and this was a new to me author. I have to admit that at first, the narration was off putting and took some time for me to get used to the voice of Ms. Winters. I know that narration can be subjective and I have to admit her voice "grated" on me at first, but I became accustomed to it. The story line between Dani and Wyatt was promising, although I thought it could use some more development to put the attraction and subsequent relationship on more solid ground. I loved the premise of a "spite house", and found the story line entertaining. The characters of Iris and Mia could have been fleshed out more as well. They had such potential to be hilarious. I think the humor of their characters was lost in the performance. Over all I would give this 3.5 - 4.0 stars. While this may not be a stellar listen, it was most certainly a worthy listen.

Push through and it’s good

The narration really bothered me but I pushed through and really enjoyed the story. The story had surprises and some predictability. Overall a good read.

No to this hero (and this reader)

I'm so tired of opposites-attract stories (like this one) in which the advertised grouchy/haughty/surly hero hardly demonstrates any actual pain-in-the-ass behavior — you just have to take the heroine's word that he is indeed a jerk. It's lazy writing and, in this case, it robs the novel of the very elements that should make the trope so delicious.

The reader's voice is also a little grumbly. (I don't really know how else to describe it.) Between these two issues, I could barely finish the book. Really frustrating.