[Brittany’s Review]: Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins

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…

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I had really high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I feel like the book had the bones to create something great, but it fell flat for me.

The book is about a woman, Dani, who has sworn off men after her ex cheated on her. Dani then has this idea that to get back at said ex, she will build a house next to his and make him miserable. This house will be called “The Spite House”. However, she needs someone to help build the house…

In walks Wyatt, the hero and architect in the book. I overall enjoyed his character. He has some real life issues which add depth to the story that I wasn’t expecting, so it was a nice surprise. He has the grumpy personality while she is all sunshine.

The romance was cute. I liked the workplace/forbidden romance vibe I got.

I guess in the end I was thinking, “who builds a house just to get back at their ex”? Overall, it was a cute read. I liked seeing the couple go from coworkers to lovers and watching the build up. I was just hoping for more. But it was still cute.

Brittany

Hello! My name is Brittany. I’m a newbie nurse by day and an avid reader 24/7. I am a proud romance junkie and will read just about every genre as long as there is some romance. I love to spend my time with my 9 cats—yes, you read that correctly—and posting on my bookstagram account (@_darkreadings if curious). I’m also a hardcore JLA fan.