Revenge is a dish best served cold- ice cold. What happens when your fiancé cheats on you with the realtor who helped you buy your dream home? You get even…by building your vacation home directly next door to your douchebag ex. Clearly.

Dani brings petty to a whole new level; and honestly, it was hysterical.

This is a super cute, quick read full of witty and well written characters with a co-workers to lovers trope.

📌 Pub Date: January 4, 2022

I was given an ARC of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - Graydon House for the chance to read this book!

This book follows the main character who is looking for ways to get back at her ex fiancé for cheating on her. What follows is funny and charming. In her quest to get revenge she gets closer to the office grump! This was a good book with a lot of good tropes, the only thing is I thought it would be enemies to lovers but it’s more grump and sunshine!

Love at First Spite was not exactly what I was expecting, but in a good way. From the title, I was expecting an enemies-to-lovers type of romance, with plenty of animosity and verbal sparring. But I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the title seemed to be more of a play on the overall theme, rather than the romance you will find within the pages. Without getting too spoilerly, I'll just say that if you go into this book expecting something like The Hating Game, you'll probably be disappointed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this romance. There were a few times where I almost rolled my eyes at the actions of the female main character, but just passed it off as entertainment and/or shock factor and let it go. This was a quick read, nice and light for the most part.

TW: cheating spouse/divorce

I really wanted to get into this book but I gave up at the 30% mark. I even skimmed ahead to see if things got better but honestly they just seemed to get worse. Dani and Wyatt are both grown-ass adults and yet they can't sit down and have a normal conversation and communicate what they want; instead, even when one of them tries, the other basically ends up acting like an immature teenager. It was really disappointing, given that the opening chapter seemed pretty solid.

Always love a good sunshine & grump trope :-)
This one was fun and drama packed! Cheating fiancee? Check. Plan of spiteful revenge? Check. Hot ass architect? Cheeecccckkkk.
I haven't been super into romcoms lately but this one actually made me LOL and smile.

Love at First Spite is a rom-com about Dani, an interior designer who gets revenge on her ex-fiancé, who cheated on her with their relator, by buying the vacant lot next to his house (the house they were supposed to Iive in together after getting married) with plans to build a vacation rental that will mess with his views. For this plan to work, Dani has to team up with a grumpy architect from her firm, Wyatt.

This book was such a fun and fast-paced read for me! I had no idea that spite houses were a thing people did in real life before reading this book, so that was interesting to learn. The revenge plot of this book was really entertaining, and I love a good rom-com, so I’m overall really glad I read this book!

If you were a fan of The Spanish Love Deception and The Hating Game, I think you’ll enjoy this book as well!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

In spite of a certain light, breezy, fun quality, Love at First Spite fails to live up to its potential. With an underdeveloped love interested, confusing emotional motivation, and poorly written sex scenes, there is little here to recommend it -- and that's even before you get to the terribly messy ending. Not the worst way to spend a few hours, but certainly not the best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins is a book that takes on a unique way to get back at your ex. Why not get back at your ex by building a home right next to his, in the vacant lot you wanted to buy with the house you were going to share together? And the kicker...it blocks his gorgeous view.

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
After a sudden break up with her fiancé (who cheated on her with their realtor), Dani decides the best way to get over her ex is buying seeking revenge. With the help of her cousin and her new 80-year-old land lady, the 3 of them create a plan to purchase the vacant lot Dani wanted Sam to buy when he purchased their home. On that vacant lot, they will build a unique home that will block Sam's view completely.

Dani, an interior designer, needs the help of an architect in her firm. So she hires Wyatt, her in the moment enemy. She quickly learns that Wyatt is not her enemy, just a quite guy who is battle a medical issue he's wanting to keep under wraps so he keeps to himself.

The book was seriously so funny and quirky. I loved that the hero had an unusual medical condition and that he became vulnerable with Dani.

However, there is a moment that happens later in the book that just made the book from landing a 5 star to a 3.5 star read. I can't go into the details completely because it's definitely a spoiler but the resolution of a pivotal moment just didn't mesh with me.

But, that's just my opinion. Others totally loved the book.
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨
🌿 Forbidden Romance
🌿 Office Romance

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🌿 LOL Moments
🌿 Seeking Revenge
🌿Fast Paced Read
🌿 Grumpy Hero w/ a Gem of a Heart
🌿 Girl Power

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 3.5 stars

When a couple breaks up, some people move on with their lives in a healthy way, and others seek revenge … or in the case of interior designer Dani Porter, they build a “spite house” next door to their cheating ex to be exact. Sound extreme? You’re right, it is, and if you’ve ever wanted to live out your revenge fantasies vicariously through someone else, then Anna E. Collins debut novel Love at First Spite is for you!

Love at First Spite has everything you could want in a revenge-worthy break-up novel - a scumbag ex, outlandish comeuppance, and a new fling on the horizon. The characters in this rom-com are bold, and their shenanigans are even bolder. To what lengths will Dani go to make her ex’s life miserable? You’d be surprised!

My feelings for Love at First Spite are mixed because while the plot sounds fun and entertaining, I was never really invested in this novel and had difficulty connecting with the characters. The book starts strong, but starts to lose its way the further we delve into this wacky plot. I almost feel as if it would have been better if Dani’s new love interest - the stoic, brooding architect at her firm - had been written OUT of the storyline. He is supposed to be an enigma, which he definitely is, but his moodiness and mystery felt out of place in this otherwise kooky book.

Recommended to those who loved How to Love Your Neighbor, Lucy Checks In, and Built to Last.

Imagine your fiancé cheating on you with your realtor right before your wedding.. Dani Porter does what every broken-hearted gal dreams of, she seeks revenge against her ex by building a spite house.

I enjoyed this quick read! I had never heard of a spite house before reading this book, so that was a new one for me 😂 however I love the concept. The story is cute and funny in some parts ,but I do feel like it was overkill in areas. We got it.. your ex cheated on you - the revenge was heavily stretched out.

❤️ What I loved: The characters - Dani and Wyatt were super sweet in a typically enemy to lovers troupe. Dani’s cousin, Mia, stole the show for me…She had some of the best lines! Super quick read with tiny chapters.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5stars

This was such a cute read. I loved the way things played out. The ex revenge was cathartic and the romance steamy. I'll be looking forward to reading whatever Collins writes next!

Love at First Spite was such a hilarious and sweet book! It has a revenge plot, a grumpy architect, lots of flirtation, a workplace romance and solid female friendships.

Dani Porter finds out her fiancé is cheating on her with their realtor. She impulsively decides to buy the lot next to the house he bought for the two of them to live in, and build a vacation rental. This Spite House would be just to annoy her ex-fiancé. Dani has sworn off men after this debacle with her fiancé and decides to focus on revenge.

While Dani is an amazing interior designer, she needs an architect to help design the house. Enter Wyatt, a grumpy yet handsome architect in her office who is willing to help draw up the plans in exchange for some design work for his Nana. Dani doesn’t let Wyatt know her ex-fiancé lives across the street. Wyatt is still getting over a serious relationship who dumped him when his health was going through some issues. He’s very sensitive when it comes to love as a result of this. As they get to know each other more, something begins to blossom with them both.

This story was absolutely adorable. The spite house reminded me of Larry David’s spite store and all the things they add to the house just to annoy her ex-fiancé made me laugh. They added gnomes, wind chimes, a fire pit, and a flag of a rival university just to really push his buttons.

Dani has a good friend Mia and Mia’s bf’s older auntie Iris who also provide some comic relief. Iris even has a room to spare where Dani moves in. The two women act as confidantes and partners in crime to Dani throughout the book.

If you love enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, or workplace dating, this book is for you. I genuinely laughed out loud at some of Dani’s antics. Thank you so much to @graydonhousebooks and @aeccreates for my gifted copy. Love at First Spite is on sale now!

I was in a reading slump till the moment I opened this book. If you love The Hating Game or enemies to lovers trope you're in for a treat. I thought it was interesting how everything started off where Dani's heart was broken and to get revenge came up with the Spite House just to mess with her ex. Wyatt a seemingly uptight co-worker is the last person she'd ever expect to help her out but help he did and I loved seeing the connection between the two. I mean Dani did start off with some preconceived notions about the guy I mean he did put up a tough and no nonsense vibe and it was interesting seeing how he was with her when they weren't at work. Then theres that romance and just everything about this book was just a fun overall read. If I didn't just read this book I would've defiantly tried to reread it again. Maybe give it a couple of days before I pick it up again because it was that much of an enjoyable read to me.

Because of the mixed reactions I had to multiple messages in this book, I ended up lowering my rating (to one star bumped up to two because it's a debut) and writing a more critical review than I initially drafted. I decided to just keep this short and stick to one major point. There was a lot to like about Love At First Spite. It was well written, had a good dose of humor, and gave some familiar tropes a unique spin. What initially caught my interest was that the author chose to add some depth to the plot by including an unusual, both emotionally and morally, topic within the frame of a romantic comedy. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work.

In order for an act of revenge, in this case the “spite house”, to be even considered as conceivable, there has to be some really strong emotional motivation. A spiteful act is, by definition, mean-spirited and malicious. I just didn’t get that from either the situation or the main character, Dani. Likewise, I expected an equally strong emotional resolution - heart-felt or at least sincere. Instead, I was left with the feeling that this whole episode was brushed off with a “no harm, no foul” attitude. Dani seemed more genuinely concerned with the paperwork she didn’t mail or the problems in her new relationship. Even those problems appeared to be due mainly to assumptions and miscommunication rather than any concerns for untruths and spitefulness. As written, the ending seemed straight out of the rom-com playbook rather than provoking thought or the “tongue-in cheek cautionary tale” that the author envisioned in her notes. Perhaps some soul-searching by even just one of the central characters (Wyatt or Iris might have been obvious choices) would have raised the necessary questions or doubts to give the ending some meaning and substance.

I tried this one and couldn't really connect with the characters and found myself not super invested. I found it to be a little extreme what they were doing to get "revenge". Thanks for the opportunity to review.

DNF at chapter 11. I can’t get on board with the premise of the story. I just don’t like how the whole thing is to spite an ex. I’m all for revenge, but buying land and building a vacation rental next to your ex? Pass.

This sweet and steamy read is set in Seattle, which is always a win in my eyes. I had a lot of emotions throughout the book, I felt angry, disgusted, gleeful, and more…all in the span of just 320 pages.

Dani Porter just found out her fiance has been cheating. With the realtor that helped them buy their house no less. She’s out for revenge and hatches a plan with her bestie and new landlord to buy the vacant lot next to her ex and build a spite house. She’s going to need an architect though, one who won’t cost an arm and a leg to do a small, one-off design. Enter Wyatt Montego, the super-serious, and stern architect working at her firm. She doesn’t want to team up with him, but she’s low on options.

Oh how I love dislike-to-lovers, forced proximity, and workplace romance tropes, they get me every time. I really loved their banter as well, and they were both very loveable characters even if I did want to shake them after some of their terrible decisions. There is a little bit of reality suspension that you need to embark upon before diving into this one, but it’s a lot of fun.

It’s also open door. There aren’t a lot of steamy scenes, but when they do pop up they are pretty hot. There’s also loads of tension build-up between the main characters all the way through the book.

I was a bit wary of jumping into this one because of the reviews, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.

I really liked Dani and Wyatt. They’re both smart and driven and have been hurt in past relationships. It was fun reading them slowly morph from colleagues to friendly to more and I absolutely adored the slow burn build up. Mia and Iris are both fantastic secondary characters and provided common sense and levity when needed.

Plot wise, it was good. There’s a bit of push and pull towards the end and of course, everything could have been fixed with a conversation, but then the make up wouldn’t have been so sweet.

Overall, it was a fun story with a relationship I could really root for and I’ll definitely be looking into Anna’s future books.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Dani is an interior designer at a major Seattle architectural firm. Wyatt is an architect at the same firm. Dani dumps her fiancée after finding out he was cheating. Everyone is afraid of Wyatt at the office. I wanted to like this book. The premise was okay. I’m not sure why everyone was afraid to be around Wyatt at work. He wasn’t mean, he just wanted to do his job. Dani buys the lot next to her ex so that she can build a house and annoy him. Wyatt agrees to be the architect on the build after Dani, her cousin Mia, and her new landlady help her come up with the money for the lot and the build. Dani is definitely holding onto the past when she decides to build the house. I can understand Mia kinda getting behind Dani’s plan, but her landlady? I would’ve like to understand Wyatt’s point of view a bit more, understand what he sees in Dani. I actually feel like Mia was more rounded a character than most of them.