At First Hate Paperback – September 7, 2021

I have read so many of K.A. Linde stories and I can never get enough of them. I love that some of them always refer back to NC or are set in NC. I love that some of the people from her other series, like Camden Percy and Katherine Van Pelt and even Penn and Court Kensington all the original members of the group from the Cruel Trilogy and all the other wonderful stories I have read. I said that about K.A. Linde to let you know that her stories are always filled with wonderful characters and for me I always wanting more of the people in the series. I loved Marley and Derek and I like that they first met at a football game in Savannah, Ga. I like the idea of them going to UNC, Chapel Hill the Tar Hills and Duke.Marley and Maddox Nelson are twins that were dropped off by their mother when they were two years old to live with their grandparents. Their Gran and Gramps raised them and they loved them dearly. Marley aka Mars aka "Minivan" was attracted to Derek Ballentine the first time she went to his party and saw him defending his sister against this young man, whether she, Amelia wanted him to or night. When this story begins they are in the present and Marley and Maddox is grown and so we have to be taken back to when they were younger to understand the dynamics of what is happening with Marley and Maddox. Derek is tall with hazel eyes just gorgeous with of course a gorgeous body. He comes from wealth, his father is a lawyer one of the best in Savannah and Marley is the daughter of a woman, Hannah Marie, who never wanted her twin babies. I really enjoyed this story, of course there is angst, drama and such colorful characters. It was captivating, alluring, compelling, thought provoking and oh so exciting. If I start really talking about this story I might give away the plot, so I don't want to do that so I say get this Marley and Derek's story it will be well worth reading. It didn't hurt for me that it had connections to the Carolinas and Georgia. It is a great read, I highly recommend this book and get the next one to about Maddox which I will be reading shortly. Hey after you finish if you haven't read any of K.A. Linde's other books I recommend you invest time and money it is well worth it, it was for me.

At First Hate is the 2nd stand alone book in the Coastal Chronicles series. It's a 2nd chance, enemies to lovers trope that is well written with lots of angst, has depth, likeable characters, a real life plot and a HEA. Love the relationship of the FMC and her grandmother but also the lifelong best friends!Derek Ballentine is rich, a player that goes to a private school and plays basketball. The complete opposite of smart, middle class, public school, cheerleader, Marley Nelson. He sees her at a football game and asks her to his party where they kiss then have words.They go off to separate colleges, then reconnect while at Harvard for grad school. It's a serious relationship that last a year. Marley has trouble trusting Derek and he of course lets her down and they break up and she swears to never get involved with him again. 3 times is not the charm!Marley returns home to Savannah for her grandma's funeral and is knocked for a loop when she finds out that Derek is representing her mother in contesting the will. They have been in and out of each others lives for 15 years and this time she's willing to go toe to toe with her enemy and not lose everything she holds dear.

Enemies…Friends….Enemies…FriendsThe one person that you want to avoid appears in all the right places! A heated kiss at a high school Halloween party starts years of torment for both Marley and Derek! You will love Marley and hate Derek because he can never get his crap together and never makes the right decision! Does this sound familiar?? Not the same story line and Derek is a great character.Marley and Maddox Nelson, twins, abandoned by their parents, being raised by their grandparents and just trying to find their place in the teenage world.Derek Ballantine comes from local money, attends a Catholic Boy School and trouble rolls off of his body!One Halloween night Marley and Derek shared a kiss but due to his reputation that unseen kiss creates gossip and unwanted attention that Marley doesn’t like. Marley knows her place in the world and she does not plan on letting Derek ruin her plans!College…..a chance encounter at a party and they are right back in high school and Derek is there to remind Marley that she is the challenge he has never tackled! While Marley is interested in friendship Derek has no idea what that word means. After a devastating encounter Marley is left heartbroken and spends the next few years chasing relationships that will never create the spark that she has from that first kiss!Years later her grandmother has passed and the vultures (mom and sister) decided to challenge a will! Derek is a local attorney and once again their paths will cross. There is no win or lose in this situation and 15 years later will they figure it all out or will he devastate Marley by winning the court case!A lot of back and forth, I love the history throughout the story because everyone wants to know what happened! Absolutely love the story and the characters and friends makes it a great read!

I really wanted to live this book. I like romances. I enjoy steamy books.This is a steamy romance.It goes on and in, back and forth from years before to today and back again.The end is exactly what I knew it would be.Saying it’s an OK book says it all.I didn’t really enjoy it.

I'm not usually a massive fan of alternating timelines but it worked perfectly here. Couldn't read this book fast enough!