Title: Love at First Spite
Author: Anna E. Collins
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
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…
This was a breezy, fun read. I liked Wyatt way more than I liked Dani. She was way too focused on revenge and being petty and spiteful for me to truly like her—and she was very oblivious to all her faults and how hurtful she was to those around her. I’ve never cared for people who try to justify their own bad behavior.
Wyatt was a great character, though, and his struggles with his health issues made him very relatable. I enjoyed the secondary characters, too, and found the setting to add charm to the story (loved the gnomes and the dogs!). This was a quick, fun read.
Anna E. Collins is from the Seattle area. Love at First Spite is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 