At First Spite (Harlot’s Bay #1) by Olivia Dade (Review by Erin Pullman)

Rating: 4.5/5

At First Spite is a hilarious and heartfelt rom com from Olivia Dade, the beloved author of Spoiler Alert, All the Feels and Ship Wrecked. It marks the first book in a new series set in the fictional town of Harlot’s Bay, Maryland, a place with a long-storied history of welcoming women who need to start over after “burning their lives down,” as one character puts it.

Athena Greydon was set to arrive in Harlot’s Bay as the wife of Dr. Johnny Vine, a charming local pediatrician who has promised to love and support her as she contemplates yet another career change. But after Johnny’s uptight older brother Matthew convinces Johnny to break things off a month before the wedding, the unemployed Athena has no choice but to move into the Spite House she’d bought Johnny as a wedding present. It’s a ten-foot wide, barely livable home attached to Johnny’s that was originally built to spite the neighbors. On the day she moves in, Athena learns that Matthew lives just on the other side, with nothing but a four-foot alley separating their homes. She can’t even look out her own windows without coming face-to-face with the man who ruined her life.

While Athena sets about a revenge scheme involving some hilariously petty pranks, Matthew is determined to make up for some of the damage he’s done. When the help he offers becomes an unexpected and much needed lifeline, he and Athena must decide if they can turn this spite house into a love nest.

Readers love Dade for her ability to portray heavy topics with laughter, joy, and deep empathy. Each and every one of her books drives home the point that we all deserve love, no matter what the world says about us, or even—as Athena and Matthew learn—how we feel about ourselves. At First Spite touches on grief and clinical depression and includes discussion about the death of one character’s sibling as a child, but the story remains funny, joyful, and sexy throughout. Athena and Matthew are well-rounded, relatable characters who challenge each other in surprising ways and draw out facets of each other’s character that will delight readers. One running joke involving monster-themed erotica (which the whole town seems to be obsessed with) gets a bit overplayed by the end, but otherwise, these are characters you’ll want to spend time with. Their journey to an HEA is satisfying, swoon-worthy, and well-earned.  I can’t wait for a return trip to Harlot’s Bay.

This book is for you if you enjoy:

• Enemies-to-lovers
• Forced proximity
• Small town romance
• Open door sex scenes
• Nerdy humor
• Mental health rep
• Plus-sized heroine