At First Spite

Athena Greydon's fiancé has broken off their engagement, and she is left in the house she bought for him on impulse. It is a spite house: an absurdly narrow building put up generations ago for the sole purpose of annoying a neighbor. Her ex's home is attached to one side of it.

A few feet away on the other side lives Dr. Matthew Vine, the ex's brother. Athena sees him as uptight and judgmental, and she holds him responsible for talking her ex into walking away. Getting back at him should be simple.

It turns out not to be. Matthew keeps turning up to help, and he listens far more than she expects. She also has to admit, to her annoyance, that she finds him attractive.

This is a small-town contemporary romantic comedy and the first book in the Harlot's Bay series. The romance is a slow burn that runs on a grudge. Alongside the humor, the book treats body image, grief and depression with real tenderness, so the tone is funny on the surface and warm and sincere underneath.