Olivia Dade can do no wrong and her first book in the Harlot's Bay series, At First Spite is proof! This enemies-to-lovers tale is contemporary romance at its finest and it would be a fantastic romance just like that, but Dade takes readers deeper and tackles real issues like mental health and childhood trauma with immense care. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

At First Spite
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Author: Olivia Dade

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Athena Greydon's fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. This is a problem, for several reasons: The house, originally built as a brick middle finger to the neighbors, is only ten feet wide. Her ex's home is attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third (aka the uptight, judgmental jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her) is living on the other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have some fun with the situation--by, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with the windows open. A woman living in a Spite House is basically obligated to get petty payback however she can, right?

Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he's kind of...hot? Dammit.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Harlot’s Bay series and it has started off with a BIG BANG! Dade is one of my favorite spicy romance authors. I discovered Dade through the prior series, Spoiler Alert and absolutely adored that series. I am finicky about my romance books, I will only read ones with cartoon like covers, I cannot explain why that matters, it just does. Athena gets dumped right before the wedding and has no choice but to move into the “Spite House” she bought her now ex-finance to slowly rebuild her life. The house is really narrow and small. The person that caused the breakup, Dr. Matthew Vine (the brother of her ex-finance), lives literally across the street, or rather alley from her. She does petty things, like Eroica audiobook as loud as she can have it, to get under his nerves. In the process, she finds that he actually listens to her, helped her move, and the loathe turns into another feeling. This follows the tropes of enemies to lovers, ex-finance brother, grumpy/sunshine, and plus size character representation.

I really loved how both of our MCs were broken, they healed together so beautifully, that it just melts my heart thinking about it to write this review. Just a tremendous amount of character growth. I would say the only con would be it is a really slow get together and the third act breakup, I really think we could have not done it here and the story would have been even more beautiful. Props to Dade for doing an outstanding job at mental health representation, done with grace and dignity. I love how Dade balances the really tough sensitive scenes with the heartfelt scenes to have a really balanced story. The characters were well fleshed out, well developed, had witty banter, amazing chemistry, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, spicy, thought-provoking, beautiful, and did I mention spicy? And let’s not forget to mention BRILLIANT!

Warnings: grief, anxiety, loss of a sibling (past tense, recounting event), and depression. Dade did such an amazing job with this book, I highly recommend picking up today. Dade balances witty humor with a deep dive into mental health challenges and does it in a way that really comes across as beautiful. I cannot wait for the second book, Dearly Departed, hopefully later this year. I just cannot say enough to go PICK UP THIS BOOK!

I've loved every Olivia Dade book I've read so far, and At First Spite was no exception. It's a difficult premise for an author to make work--our heroine is engaged until her fiance's brother talks him out of going through with the wedding, ostensibly because he doesn't approve of her, but also because he finds himself extremely attracted to her. She begins to fall for him as well in the aftermath, but our protagonists also have to deal with depression, burnout, and the aftereffects of family tragedy on their way to an HEA. Despite these darker themes, At First Spite still has plenty of funny and sweet moments, and I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and how much they loved one another.

I received an eARC of At First Spite from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for.this book. All of the humor, spice, and great characters I've come to expect from an Olivia Dade book were there. But I was surprised at how compassionate the description of depression was. And how accurate, at least to my experience. Its not often that someone gets it without having experienced it. (I sincerely hope Ms. Dade has not.) I look forward eagerly to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Somehow this is my first read of Olivia Dade’s, however, it won’t be my last.

As a plus size woman I appreciate plus size romances so much. This was STEAMY! I had such a great time reading this, I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed the journey so much! Highly recommend for romance lovers!

Olivia Dade has an incredible talent for creating FMCs that are incredibly relatable and that shows in At First Spite. Her characters feel real and alive on page. I didn't quite connect as much with the overall romance and chemistry between the two characters in this one, compared to her other books, but this was very fun and readable.

Love Olivia Dade’s contemporary romance and how well she writes rivals-to-lovers in particular. Also, her books have the best covers!

This was a great first start to a series. I enjoyed Matthews character but found Athena a bit annoying at times. I will definitely be continuing with the series when more come out.

Olivia Dade is an auto-read author for me. She's my favorite romance writer and I absolutely adore her.

At First Spite is another fantastic Dade read! We live for the forced-proximity trope and of course plus size representation is everything! Matthew (or should I say Dr. Vine) is the perfect love interest and I rooted so hard for him and Athena. Dade writes great tension and characters. I'm always ready for her next book!

This was a bit more of a serious romance. The slow-burn was good, and eventual hook-up satisfying. The depictions of self-sacrifice and depression were interesting in how each character was able to come to terms with their issue and deal with it in a way that felt genuine. Athena and Matthew truly deserve each other and their happiness in the end was well-earned. Recommended for those who enjoy a slow-burn romance with a bit of forced proximity and discussions of tough subjects.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a great book, and you will definitely like it if you've read and enjoyed Olivia Dade's past books.

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be honest and say, even though I KNEW I was going to love whatever story Olivia Dade gave me, because she has such a way of twisting my heart and making me happy with her words…

Two brothers being in love with the same girl just makes me want to run away from the book as far as possible. And I was scared that this might be the book where my distaste for that trope and my distaste for love triangles would beat out my love for the author.

I am so very happy that Olivia proved me wrong. She EXCELLED in creating a situation where I found myself rooting for the Older Brother. Where I found myself giggling and swooning over the chemistry Athena and Matthew had. Where I CRIED because the internal struggle Athena goes through has NOTHING to do with picking which brother she wants to be with and EVERYTHING to do with working on her mental health and realizing she was worthy of more than what she was going to settle for.

This isn’t a story where she lingers in the past, but it is one where she sinks into the unknown and tries her best not to drown. It’s a story where depression shows up and it made me cry to see some moments that I’ve gone through myself reflected, and yet she isn’t villainized for this. She isn’t unloveable or gross or unworthy. And to see how people in her life care for her and show up for her had me weeping at night.

Also MATTHEW. God my heart was unprepared for his POV. For his pain and for his self sacrifice. I just wanted to bundle him up with so much love. Even when I wanted to shake him and go “ WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” It was out of love and knowing he deserved HAPPINESS.

Please PLEASE pick up this book. It has so much to tug at your heart strings but I didn’t even begin to touch all the moments that made me ugly cackle. The way other characters in the small town had me wanting books of them next. Just a pleasure all around.

At First Spite by Olivia Dade is a contemporary rom-com and the first book in the new Harlot's Bay series.

After Athena's fiancé breaks up with her just before the wedding, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she bought him with her life savings as a wedding gift. Her ex's home is connected on one side, and his brother Matthew--who convinced his younger brother to leave Athena in the first place--owns the house on her other flank.

I enjoyed Spoiler Alert by this author, so I was excited to see a new series from her! I love the concept of spite houses, and thought it was really cool that this book was set within my home state.

As someone who suffers from depression, I think she did a great job featuring a neurodiverse heroine here. I don't read a lot of "ex's sibling" romances, but I was along for the ride for this story.

I laughed out loud several times, which was a great balance to the darker themes of the book. When Athena is trying to mess with Matthew, one of the things she does is to loudly play erotic monster romance audiobooks with her windows open. These scenes were so hilarious!

Tropes in this book include: ex's brother, enemies to friends to lovers

This was spectacular!! The characters were charming, it was well written, and a perfect description of what it feels like to have depression. I really connected with this character and loved this story.

This was a BEAUTIFUL story! I was not expecting this to handle certain topics that moved me to tears. The characters were wonderful and I loved the story from start to finish. The plus size heroine was amazing to read about and the way her mental health was dealt with so tenderly pierced my heart in the best way. I can't wait for the rest of this series!

Note for Readers: The author and I follow each other on social media and have been friendly for some years. Regardless, this review is my honest opinion.

Content notes: Grief, depression, death of a child (off page but recalled in the book).

Dear Olivia Dade,

I look forward to your books every year – it’s not unusual for them to turn up in my best of lists – and you are a reliably good author for me. I know I’ll always like a book from you, possibly even love it.

At First Spite is a book I liked a lot but did not love. From what I’ve read online already I may be an outlier here.

When the book begins, Athena Greydon, 37, is engaged to Dr Johnny Vine, 31 and they are celebrating their engagement in Johnny’s home town of Harlot’s Bay, Maryland. Athena’s friends and family aren’t at the party so, apart from Johnny, Athena doesn’t know anyone. Johnny’s off talking to friends and at the buffet, Athena meets a handsome man around of about her same age or perhaps a little older and they hit it off, bonding over mutual insatiable curiosity and love of potato-based food. Then it turns out that this stranger is Dr Matthew Vine, Johnny’s older brother whom she had not met previously, the same brother who has been trash-talking Athena since the engagement began and who has made it clear he does not support the marriage. She then overhears an argument between Johnny and Matthew where Matthew says more negative things about her, so it’s fair to say Athena is not in the Dr Matthew Vine the Third’s fan club. (By the by: what kind of self-respecting fiance leaves his betrothed alone for so much of the engagement party, especially when he knows she doesn’t know any of the other guests?)

Eight months later, Athena moves to Harlot’s Bay a single woman, Johnny having finally caved to Matthew’s urgings and broken off the engagement only weeks before the wedding. Athena had purchased the spite house immediately next door to Johnny’s house in the bay as a wedding gift for him. (Well, she used all her savings for the deposit but she still has a mortgage. Is it really a gift if you bring the mortgage too? I admit I was a little confused by this.) Now that they’re not together, Athena, having quit her job in preparation for moving to the area in order to live with Johnny once they were married, has no money and nowhere else to go. So, she moves in to the spite house.

Up until that point, Athena had been largely supported by her parents, who are well-off as a result of lucrative careers as paediatric cardiologists. Athena has multiple degrees and has been something of a career dilettante – staying in a job for a few years, and then moving on due to boredom or burnout. Matthew raised Johnny after their parents checked out following the death of their middle brother, Adrian, as a baby (only slightly older than Johnny was at the time). Matthew was eight. Johnny has been indulged and supported by Matthew for his whole life, perhaps to try and make up for the lack of other family. Matthew still pays half of Johnny’s student loans even though they are both paediatricians who (a) have jobs (Johnny works with Matthew in the practice he co-owns with his best friend Yvonna) and (b) own their own houses free and clear (Matthew’s house was gifted to him by his parents, Johnny’s house was willed to him by his grandmother). Why can’t Johnny pay his own loans?

Much of Matthew’s initial resistance to the relationship between Athena and Johnny was because he feared he would end up supporting both of them instead of just Johnny. (Johnny had told Athena he would support her until she found her next career and she should take all the time she needed to decide Which makes me question that spite house mortgage again.) Plus, they’d only known each other a couple of months before getting engaged. From where Matthew is standing, it all looks very reckless and unwise.

After Matthew met Athena in person, his reasons changed, even though he feels ashamed about it. In any event, Matthew knows that Johnny would never make Athena happy in the long term. And, he couldn’t bear seeing her married to his brother and long for her for the rest of his life. Matthew feels a lot of guilt about his part in breaking them up but he still believes their marriage would not have been successful.

Athena is aware of the first reasons for Matthew’s objections, if not his later ones. She’s hurt and angry and stung. She’s determined she will not take more from her parents and hasn’t told them she has basically no money and no job and she’s in a house only ten feet wide by necessity rather than choice.

As it happens, while the spite house is directly attached to Johnny’s house, Matthew’s house is on the other side of a narrow alleyway on the other side. Athena’s and Matthew’s windows into the alley are effectively windows into each other’s houses.

Athena is initially very angry with Matthew but after a while they develop a friendship because Matthew apologises genuinely and because he feels so much guilt he accepts all of Athena’s pranks (signing him up for newsletters, multi-level marketing calls, etc) as his due. And, because, let’s face it, they belong together. After a while, Athena realises that Matthew is actually a really nice guy and they do have a lot in common. Johnny is away on the honeymoon-that-wasn’t and Athena and Matthew start to spend a lot of time together.

However, Athena’s mental health is at rock bottom and she falls into a deep depression. Matthew, already desperately in love with her, helps her see what’s happening, cares for her and helps her to get treatment. Those are some of the most beautiful and moving parts of the story.

Along the way, Athena falls in love with Matthew too. But… she used to be engaged to his brother and how can Matthew betray his beloved sibling that way? How could they possibly be together?

I felt it was a reasonable thing for Matthew to be worried about, particularly given the dynamic between the siblings.

Athena’s thinking was a little different.

Yeah, it was weird that she’d been engaged to his brother. She got his hesitance. She didn’t share it—Johnny was a grown-ass man who’d dumped her of his own free will, and he’d get over any damage to his ego sooner or later—but she got it.

I thought that Athena was being incredibly naive and unrealistic.

It’s obvious all along that Matthew and Athena belong together. But I did have a disconnect. Why was she ever with Johnny? They didn’t appear to have much in common. There wasn’t a lot of Johnny in the book really. I was told he was charming and funny but I didn’t see much of that for myself. Mostly he was a sponge who expected others to do things for him and who didn’t have much of a backbone. What attracted Athena to him in the first place? Why were they engaged? There is a suggestion that perhaps Athena was looking for an exit from some unhappiness in her job and in her life’s direction and got together with Johnny to give her that off ramp but it was not really explored. And it doesn’t explain why Johnny was engaged to Athena. (I liked Athena very much. But why did Johnny like her?) Of course, me believing in Johnny/Athena runs the risk of me being conflicted by Matthew/Athena so this may be one of those dilemmas where there is no perfect answer.

Also, on page at least, it never bothered Matthew that Johnny had been intimate with Athena. Maybe I’m just weird but that would bother me. I’d at least think about it. I think I could move on from it but it would not be a non-issue.

Matthew is a such a caretaker I was very very glad when I read this:

Matthew had spent his entire life protecting others and taking on their burdens. His parents. His brothers. His grandmother. His patients. Her. But who protected him? Who shouldered his burdens when he labored under their weight?

I’d have liked to see more of Matthew being taken care of actually but that wasn’t really the story. Still, there were glimpses enough that I could tell that Athena would be there for him in a way he had not experienced before.

Athena meets a number of people in Harlot’s Bay and makes good and strong friendships. One of the links between these friendships is a mutual love of erotic romance, particularly monster-fucking books. While I have read and enjoyed a few monster romances I can’t say they’re my go-to reads. The “excerpts” featuring an arachnid monster (shudder), a yeti and a guppy-man, were, I think designed to lovingly parody the subgenre. They were pretty bad – deliberately so but still, bad. At lot of the humour in the book comes from these stories. I suspect others will enjoy this humour better than I did. Me, I felt a little disconnected from it.

There were some beautiful things in the book. They way Matthew took care of Athena when she was deeply struggling and at her lowest with depression, for one.

“I know you’re lost right now, Athena. I know you’re damaged. But you’re seeking new worlds, sweetheart, and sometimes that’s what happens. It doesn’t mean you’ll never set sail again. And no matter what happened before, no matter what happens next, you couldn’t be anything less than glorious if you tried.”

I enjoyed the friendships Athena built so easily. Her curiosity about life and just about everything. Harlot’s Bay itself was fascinating; the backstory and it’s quirky street and business names. I’m very curious about the mysterious “Sadie Brazen” and her narrator. I’m glad that by the end, Johnny and Matthew had a much healthier dynamic. Up until then, even though based in love, their relationship seemed very unhealthy to me.

Perhaps because some of the humour didn’t quite land for me, I found the story more melancholy than intended. It does explicitly with some heavy topics. Those heavy topics are treated with care and sensitivity but there were times I found them hard going.

At First Spite has much to recommend it and I certainly liked it but other of your books have worked better for me.

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

I think I have a crush on Matthew, the male protagonist of this book! The story was so entertaining and cute, even if the premise sounded kind of crazy ot me. As all of Olivia Dade's books it was just a great read and i'd recommend it to all romance lovers!

This book was one of the first romances that I’ve read in a long time where I was legit STOKED to see where it would go. It was romantic, heartfelt, healing, sexy, and just…so fucking great.

🏠 REVIEW: At First Spite 🏠

If you're looking for contemporary romance fan fiction of Mark Darcy, specifically as played by Matthew McFadden in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, then this is your book.

SUMMARY: Athena is feeling lost at her own engagement party until she connects with a tall, dark, and handsome party guest – who just so happens to be her fiance Johnny’s older brother – the same brother who’s been naysaying the couple’s engagement from the start. Fast forward 10 months, and Athena is single, jobless, and broke – and forced to move into the only property to her name: the alley-width “spite house” that shares a wall with her ex-fiance’s home.

This was a fun contemporary romance with strong P&P themes: A happy-go-lucky pushover convinced he shouldn’t go through with a marriage; an uptight and responsibility-driven older brother who falls for a forthright heroine determined to speak her own mind; overheard conversations and more.

I liked it and thought it had one of the least depressing on-page representations of depression I’ve ever read. It was empathetic and kind to a character who needed to be cared for, and that felt so unusual to me!

If you’ve made it this far and this sounds like something you would like, then check it out! It came out Feb. 13 and is now available everywhere.

Thank you to @netgalley @avonbooks and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

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Sweet and sexy rom com; enemies to lovers. Written in Olivia Dade's signature style- great characters, banter, tension, and chemistry.