Overall a pretty cute sunshine/grump co-workers romance. The whole premise of this book surrounds a spite house which I think is what sets it apart but also where we see some downfalls.
It was nice to see a solid plot outside of the romance. The moments when Dani and her friends are planning how to get on every last one of Sam's nerves are great. I loved seeing them giddy over the little details; it reminded me of something my friends and I would do.
But there was a point when these cute moments sorta got lost. Dani spent a little too much time in the past for my liking; I wanted to reach into the page and slap her into her senses! Also, Dani's feelings and opinions flipped so quickly I swear I got whiplash.
I finished this book in one sitting, so it does a stellar job of keeping you captivated

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lovers of the Hating Game and You Deserve Each Other will find great joy in reading this debut novel by Anna E. Collins.

Dani Porter has moved to Seattle to be with Sam. We don't like Sam. Sam is the worst.

I was hooked from the first page as we start an epic story of revenge and new love. Dani has acquired a lot of land next to her ex-fiance and is hell bent on building a rental property that she is calling the Spite House just to piss off Sam.

She somehow gets the office curmudgeon architect Wyatt to help her with the home design. An epic tale ensues as Dani fulfills this task. With the help of great supporting characters Iris (her epic landlady) and Mia (her super witty cousin) we get to see Dani get over some of her fresh emotional wounds.

Wyatt is also a great distraction as steam starts to sizzle between him and Dani. Together they navigate how to start a budding fling. Wyatt shows us a very vulnerable side as he shares with Dani how he navigates specific health issues. I quite enjoyed this aspect of the story.

My one beef is that Dani and Wyatt have terrible communication skills. There is quite a bit of pettiness that got a bit old for me. This was a personal issue though and I think many others will enjoy that aspect of the story building process.

Sidenote: I LOVED reading about Dani picking up a craft she loves again! As a fellow crafter this made me so happy!

As always I would greatly encourage you to not skip the acknowledgements at the rear of the story. I have had many experiences of great growth from reading a writer's why. There was great insight into this book in those pages at the end. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

I thought this was a cute rom com! The writing style was different than I'm used to, some abrupt shifts in tone and topic at times, but I got used to it relatively quickly. I loved that there were duel story lines of both the relationship with Wyatt and the house. I was very interested in the plot, and couldn't put it down until I knew what happened. Wyatt was not my favorite RI, but if you're into the grump trope I would imagine he's perfect. I will recommend this to my friends!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of Love At First Spite.

I absolutely loved this book!! The opening sequence was such an interesting way to start a book and definitely pulled me in right away. The characters are so well written, the only thing I could have asked for was a Wyatt pov. Otherwise, this book was perfection. If you love Rom Coms then be sure to add this one to your TBR!!

#booksofhcc @harpercollinsca

If you’re a romance fan you will probably love this cute little story. I loved the enemies to lovers trope mixed in with the grump and sunshine personality trope. I did find the main character a little annoying at times but the side characters make up for it. If you don’t mind a slightly childish main character you’ll probably love this. The plot was solid and the writing was great.

Love At First Spite by Anna E. Collins
Tags: RomCom; Slow Burn Romance; Workplace Romance; Grumpy Hero

Interior Designer, Dani Porter finds herself unexpectedly single and with more than a bit of resentment after she finds out the fiancé she relocated for and was supposed to be buying a house with and marrying decided to have a ‘fling’ with their realtor. Who wouldn’t want a little revenge?
Fueled by that anger, Dani finds herself with the perfect opportunity to buy the small vacant lot next door and take out her frustrations by building a Spite House. Things become complicated for Dani as the project moves along and she finds herself torn between moving on and getting her revenge…

As a fan of both romcoms and revenge-y plots (i.e. Count of Monte Cristo and ABC’s tv show Revenge) – I was definitely excited for this unique romcom premise (the title and cover art were intriguing too 😉). This debut was a really fun read – it was fast paced, and very bingeable, had I the option I would have been doing a read/listen combo so I could have kept reading on the go.

Always a plus, I enjoyed both the leads in the story and felt they had good chemistry – I was rooting for them, and really enjoyed the slow burn romance / tension of the story (and the playful banter). I’m always a sucker for a mysterious and grumpy leading man – Wyatt fit this perfectly. I loved learning more and more about him as the story progressed, and I loved the inclusion of some chronic illness representation in a lead.

Another highlight I always enjoy seeing is some good secondary characters – in this case, I really liked the unlikely trio of Mia, Iris and Dani – who doesn’t love a little sisterhood thrown in? As to Dani, I like her story progression and the fact that she struggled with how to move forward. It felt real, if you are going to go in for revenge – can you really just give it up halfway and move on?

I enjoyed the playful, spunky read and look forward to reading more by this author in the future. I think fans of books like The Hating Game and authors like Lauren Layne, Sophie Sullivan and Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House Books / Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions offered are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I really enjoyed it and would recommend.

A fun novel with meaty descriptions.
The protagonist uses her brain to devise a plan to heal the wound in her heart.
Her overreactions to the eventual love interest's communications lapses were a bit eyeroll-inducing but not out of place.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is such a cute opposites-attract and workplace rom-com. Dani decides to build a tiny rental house next door to her cheating ex out of sheer spite and needs the help of an architect. Enter Wyatt, her grumpy, unapproachable coworker. As the project progresses, Dani starts to catch feelings and it becomes less about revenge and more spending time with Wyatt.

I really loved the dynamic between Dani, her cousin, Mia, and her eccentric landlady, Iris. I also liked how Collins delved into Wyatt's chronic illness and the effect it has on his life. The dialogue was snappy and fun.

All in all, this is good fun, if a bit predictable. A promising start for Anna E. Collins!

After Dani’s fiancé cheats on her with the realtor, she decides to buy the lot next door and build a vacation rental that will block his perfect view. Dani recruits grumpy Wyatt (an architect at her firm) to draw up the plan. The Spite House is meant to be a revenge project, but Dani finds herself wanting more that just revenge.

This was a quick read for me, and I enjoyed it. However, I feel like building a whole house to spite an ex is a ridiculous plot for a romance book - and honestly, Dani felt more focused on the ex and the house than she did on Wyatt and her new romance. I hated that Dani and Wyatt did not just talk to each other, and I hated how Dani handled her ex at the end of the book. Overall, it’s a cute book.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC! Love at First Spite comes out on January 4, 2022.

We meet Dani on a paintball field, mucking up her wedding dress, with her cousin & best friend, Mia. She finds out her fiancée cheated on her a month before their wedding. Scorned, she cancels the wedding and moves out. With help from her friends and new landlady, Dani decides revenge is best served through real estate - she buys the lot next to her former fiancée, and intentionally builds a two-story home to block his view.

My issue with this book is that seemed to be that the above paragraph IS the dominating plot, as opposed to the plot where she meets Wyatt through work, thinks he hates everyone but ultimately finds out he's had a crush on her and is thrilled to find out the wedding didn't go through. Some of the pacing is off for this book, though, and for a character that I really enjoyed, he doesn't get a lot of page-time. I wasn't ultimately sure if this was a romance book or a book just about the main character, Dani.

I have mixed feeling about Love at First Spite.

What I loved:
I loved most of it. Workforce forced proximity enemies to lovers? Sign me up. I loved Wyatt and how Dani peeled back layers and got to know the real him. Their chemistry and connection was great! I also loved the architect/interior design elements. It’s not something I’ve read about in a romance before.

What didn’t work for me:
Building a whole house to spite your ex seems a little extreme. I know he was in the wrong, but they did so many things to purposely annoy him. It just seemed petty. And then him committing arson to burn it down was another extreme and I’m not sure that them breaking and entering and blackmailing him was any smarter of a decision.

I looooooooved this!!

It had me absolutely immersed from page one. The characters are magnetic (have I been as obsessed with a LI as much as Wyatt Montego? I don't think so), and the plot compelling and fun. Steamy, swoony, and perfect.

A big thanks to Graydon House for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This a nice story with cute characters. The chemistry and buildup didn't seem to be quite as good as some others I have read recently. Also, the major conflicts have to do with a lot of miscommunications and misunderstandings that just talking to each other could easily work out. But, overall, I liked it and will recommend to other contemporary romance readers.

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.

RANDOM NOTES~~
Content Warning: divorce, arson

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.

FINAL THOUGHTS~~
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.

Read if you like: grump/sunshine trope
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After Dani’s engagement ends, she wants to get revenge on her ex. So she buys the lot beside his house to build a vacation rental on. The person who draws up the plans for the house is Wyatt, a handsome architect at the firm Dani works at. Both have sworn off dating for different reasons, but the more they get to know each other they realize they find comfort in each other’s company.
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I loved the concept of getting revenge on an ex! Was a fun start to the story and made Dani reflect on what is worth it in life!
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CW: sexual content, cheating, invisible illness, fire/arson, alcohol use.

Loved this one! For anyone who wants to read just a real good rom com, then Love at First Spike is probably for you. I was pulled in from the beginning and enjoyed it all the way through to the end! Thanks for the opportunity to read early!

Dani Porter is out for revenge. She was supposed to get married and live happily ever after in a beautiful house, but now she's sleeping on her cousin's couch after her fiancé cheated on her with the realtor who sold them said beautiful house. Dani knows she should be the bigger person, but where's the fun in that? She decides the best way to get back at her ex is to make his life miserable, and she knows just the way to do it. Dani's going to buy the vacant lot next to her ex and put up the most obnoxious rental home.

As an interior designer, Dani already has plans laid out, but she needs an architect who won't mind working on her project she's aptly named the Spite House. But her plans hit a little bump when the only person at her firm available to take on the job is Wyatt Montego, who's as handsome as he is stuck-up. Wyatt is known for taking charge of his projects, but Dani refuses to let anyone come between her and her sweet revenge. As the pair spend time together both on- and off-site, Dani starts to realize there's more to Wyatt than his grumpy façade, but will her petty quest ruin her chances to build something real?

I thought the premise of this sounded hilarious, but I didn't love it as much as I was hoping to. It was a fun ride, and I liked the girl gang vibe Dani had with her cousin Mia and her landlady Iris, but I think Dani's revenge plot was a little too extreme. Dani is so laser-focused on annoying her ex and there's so much time placed on this house, only for it to wrap up in such an underwhelming way. I did like seeing the relationship between her and Wyatt grow, and thought they were cute together, but there was never any part that had me particularly rooting for them. Everything about this, from the plot to the characters, just felt a bit average. If you're into workplace romances and are looking for a quick read, then I still think this would be a good one to pick up. I just don't think it's going to be that memorable for me.

I LOVED the beginning of this book, but only liked the ending. It had a great premise and a really strong start, but the actual love story in it felt a little rushed. That could just be me though, I'm not usually a fan of books where the MC gets over their ex and then fall for somebody new in a short period of time., but requested this one because it sounded super fun. Thank you Harlequinn and Netgalley for the arc! I'm definitely going to recommend this to people who love a petty main character

At first, I thought this was a hate-to-love story, but upon reading the summary more in-depth, I was still intrigued by the premise. I was hooked by the first page. Love at First Spite was a fun, office-place romance with a lot of chemistry.

A month before their wedding, Dani‘s fiancé Sam cheated on her with their realtor. Now, she finally moves out of her cousin Mia‘s apartment to a room in Iris‘s house and begins nursing an idea: building a Spite House AirBnB on a small lot next to Sam’s house to block the gorgeous view. Mia and Iris love the idea and help fund the project, and Dani ends up working with Wyatt, a seemingly stuck-up architect who works at her firm. Although she dislikes him at first, the more time she spends with him, she realizes that he isn’t as unkind as he seems, and the two of them grow closer.

I liked the writing! It was so easy to fall into Dani’s head, and I couldn’t put this book down. The premise was also fun, with Dani and Mia and Iris decorating the would-be house with everything that would anger Sam.

I also liked the characters. Over the story, Dani gradually realizes that she doesn’t want to hurt Sam anymore although the Spite House was just too good to pass up at first. Wyatt was a great love interest and had his own worries. Both Mia and Iris prove to be good support systems for Dani, and I liked reading all their scenes together.

The romance was great! Dani and Wyatt had a lot of chemistry; while he came off as cold at first, at least to Dani, it was obvious that he was just quiet. As they get to know each other, she learns that his work persona is different than out of the office, primarily because he likes to hold his work colleagues at an arm’s length. I liked reading about them growing closer and learning more about the other person.

Love at First Spite had a great romance and a fun plot. I also really liked the characters and their dynamics. If you’re a fan of Sarah Hogle’s or Emily Henry’s books, I think you’d like Love at First Spite!

.Dani is having a rough go of things. When she finds out her fiance is cheating on her with the woman who sold them their house, she has no choice but to leave. She never really loved the house, and she honestly didn't really love him much to be honest.
When she gets the idea to build a "spite house" next door to him though, things start to get interesting. Dani needs an architect to help her, and oddly enough, the broody man in her office agrees to help her out. Wyatt has always been the office grump, and gets near no one, but when Dani starts to see the real him will she be able to let go of her spite and just be happy?
I did enjoy this book even if the premise was really uncomfortable. Wyatt was super sweet and his feelings were valid when he questioned why Dani was doing the things she was. I understand wanting revenge, but how can you let go if you are holding onto all that spite? I would have liked to have seen a little more push and pull between Wyatt and Dani but I did love them together. 3.5 stars for this fun romance.
Thank you to Graydon House, Netgalley and Anna E. Collins for an early copy.