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| At First Spite by Olivia Dade |
At First Spite starts the Harlot’s Bay series of contemporary romances. In the first book, Athena Greydon moves to Harlot’s Bay, into the house she had bought for her husband-to-be as a wedding present, only for him to call off the wedding. Now she’s stuck with the house and mortgage, and to her horror, she’s next-door neighbours with her ex’s brother who caused the breakup.
Matthew Vine had a good reason to make his brother call off the wedding: Johnny wasn’t mature enough for Athena. He just didn’t think to tell her that. And he’s not about to admit, not even to himself, that he’s interested in her himself.
At first, Athena’s anger with Matthew makes her push him away, but little by little, the two become friends. He feels responsible for her and acts accordingly, which occasionally annoys her. But when she becomes depressed, he’s there for her. There’s not much romance as such until after the half point, when she has recovered, with a bit of drama when Matthew feels he needs to choose between his brother and her.
This was a lovely, grownup romance, though slow and much too long. Both MCs are closer to forty with lived lives and baggage. They behave their age too, and not like teenagers, like so often happens in these ‘mature’ romances. Nevertheless, both needed to grow up, and some grovelling had to happen, before the happily ever after. Emotions were fairly steady, but it’s a good romance for those who want more mature characters.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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