Joy Bray came home from a road trip expecting nothing more than her own driveway—and found a stranger in her parking spot, a neighbor who turned petty into a full-time job. When no one claims the car on the Harborwood Residents app, Joy calls a tow and sparks a feud that escalates from slander and schoolyard shaming to sabotage, arsonous gossip, and finally, attempted murder. Harborwood Heights is a small, image-conscious coastal community where private parking is gold and social status is measured in shared posts and polite applause. Eldon Harper, a bully with a wounded ego, his smug wife Angela, and their unruly son Max weaponize local rumor mills and neighborhood spite. Joy fights back with guerrilla tactics: recorded speakers, social exposures, a strategically timed prank—but when her dog's kibble is poisoned and she becomes the unintended victim, the conflict flips from neighborhood squabble to criminal case. What starts as a one-woman stand grows into an alliance: Ellis Brewer, a kind café owner with his own reasons to distrust the Harpers, leans in to help. Detective Cameron Bauer’s investigation peels back layers of Harborwood’s surface civility. As Joy pushes, the town fractures—old alliances crumble, secrets leak, and someone pays the price. Parking Lot Wars & Poisoned Praises is a fast, darkly funny, and cathartic contemporary romance about neighborhood warfare, the cost of standing up, and finding love where civility fails. Expect sharp dialogue, clever revenge, and a slow-burn romance that blooms amid chaos.