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simplymodest's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This book was so beautifully written. The way A.E. Valdez can build a character and make you feel and understand their feelings, their pain, and their struggles. Winter and Eve's story was one that touched my heart from the beginning. It had me laughing, crying, mad, and left me crying out of pure happiness by the end. If you haven't read this book or any other book by this author please pick them up you will NOT regret it.
themoonlightreader's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alenezela99's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
ashbask's review
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
briisbooked's review against another edition
5.0
This may just be this woman's best book yet.
A second chance romance done so well; an amazing plot with love, loss, forgiveness, and found family themes. I knew I was meeting Winter King, but, baby, I did not know I was meeting a new book boo. That man delivered in every way possible. He was the strongest and most developed character, in my opinion.
When I initially started this book and realized Eve would be the FMC, I was heated. She annoyed me in book #1, so I wasn't excited to be reading more about her. Although I had these feelings towards Eve, I decided to put them to the side and have an open mind about this complex character. Eve is stubborn, grieving, and, to a certain extent, lost. Eve carries a trait a lot of humans think they’ve mastered: the ability to fix everyone, and everything, which just did not work out for Eve time and time again. Eve is in a constant battle between what the heart wants and what the brain won't let happen. Valdez takes us on a journey through Eve's mind, and although it's frustrating at times, it's real and relatable for the reader.
When it came time for Mr. Winter King to be introduced again, the energy that came off the page was immediate. It was dominant, captivating, and grown. As I said before, Winter is the most developed character in the story. We see countless examples of this, from the therapy sessions to how he even recognized his worth when it came to Eve. Although, as readers, we know the end result is Winter and Eve getting back together, we don't know the process of getting to that point. It is a long and interesting one. This story shows that forgiveness is not linear. Winter struggled with forgiving himself for most of the book. Diving into depression and getting tossed into addiction, I’m just glad he made it out of that to become the charismatic, pressure-applying boss he was. They always say people have the toughest time extending themselves grace, and at some points in the book, I thought Winter would never end up extending it to himself. Through hard work and love from others and eventually from himself, Winter lives up to his last name, KING.
Now to the love part of this story: Who was Eve kidding?! She was never supposed to be with P*ssy Boi Noah?! Leading Noah on for so long was downright disrespectful to ALL PARTIES. I can say I am glad he read her for filth, but Noah needed to stand for something. SHIT anything!! Lmaoo. Letting your current girl’s ex punk you time and time again isn't it. Speaking of which, the resistible (according to Eve) Winter King would NOT let up. That man had Eve feeding him lasagna, gripping his thigh out of spite, and getting her panties SOAKED. How was she able to resist? I have no idea, because I would’ve folded like a fortune cookie, but everyone ain’t that easy. Eve applied the pressure right back and made Winter work for it, which my mans had no problem doing so, because when he dropped a MILL at the auction, that should’ve been the match that sparked the flame. LAWD THE MILLION DOLLAR SWEATHEART ON THE NATIONAL NEWS. PRESSURE. *cue One More Chance by The Notorious B.I.G.*
Valdez has a huge soft spot for family, and I can see that through all the books I’ve read by her. The love interests in her stories are always supported by a sense of family. Without spoiling anything about one of the strongest points in this book, I think if nothing else holds your attention, this surprise is one of the sweetest I have read in a while. Besides that, Noelle and Aspen love Eve hard and are the sisters Eve never had; it's beautiful to see. Winter and his four (
A second chance romance done so well; an amazing plot with love, loss, forgiveness, and found family themes. I knew I was meeting Winter King, but, baby, I did not know I was meeting a new book boo. That man delivered in every way possible. He was the strongest and most developed character, in my opinion.
When I initially started this book and realized Eve would be the FMC, I was heated. She annoyed me in book #1, so I wasn't excited to be reading more about her. Although I had these feelings towards Eve, I decided to put them to the side and have an open mind about this complex character. Eve is stubborn, grieving, and, to a certain extent, lost. Eve carries a trait a lot of humans think they’ve mastered: the ability to fix everyone, and everything, which just did not work out for Eve time and time again. Eve is in a constant battle between what the heart wants and what the brain won't let happen. Valdez takes us on a journey through Eve's mind, and although it's frustrating at times, it's real and relatable for the reader.
When it came time for Mr. Winter King to be introduced again, the energy that came off the page was immediate. It was dominant, captivating, and grown. As I said before, Winter is the most developed character in the story. We see countless examples of this, from the therapy sessions to how he even recognized his worth when it came to Eve. Although, as readers, we know the end result is Winter and Eve getting back together, we don't know the process of getting to that point. It is a long and interesting one. This story shows that forgiveness is not linear. Winter struggled with forgiving himself for most of the book. Diving into depression and getting tossed into addiction, I’m just glad he made it out of that to become the charismatic, pressure-applying boss he was. They always say people have the toughest time extending themselves grace, and at some points in the book, I thought Winter would never end up extending it to himself. Through hard work and love from others and eventually from himself, Winter lives up to his last name, KING.
Now to the love part of this story: Who was Eve kidding?! She was never supposed to be with P*ssy Boi Noah?! Leading Noah on for so long was downright disrespectful to ALL PARTIES. I can say I am glad he read her for filth, but Noah needed to stand for something. SHIT anything!! Lmaoo. Letting your current girl’s ex punk you time and time again isn't it. Speaking of which, the resistible (according to Eve) Winter King would NOT let up. That man had Eve feeding him lasagna, gripping his thigh out of spite, and getting her panties SOAKED. How was she able to resist? I have no idea, because I would’ve folded like a fortune cookie, but everyone ain’t that easy. Eve applied the pressure right back and made Winter work for it, which my mans had no problem doing so, because when he dropped a MILL at the auction, that should’ve been the match that sparked the flame. LAWD THE MILLION DOLLAR SWEATHEART ON THE NATIONAL NEWS. PRESSURE. *cue One More Chance by The Notorious B.I.G.*
Valdez has a huge soft spot for family, and I can see that through all the books I’ve read by her. The love interests in her stories are always supported by a sense of family. Without spoiling anything about one of the strongest points in this book, I think if nothing else holds your attention, this surprise is one of the sweetest I have read in a while. Besides that, Noelle and Aspen love Eve hard and are the sisters Eve never had; it's beautiful to see. Winter and his four (
booksandcurlz's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Here I am thinking that Snow and Elle’s story was cute… Winter & Eve’s story said hold my beer.
This book is long and the burn is slowwwwww for a second chance romance.
I’m not going to complain because the character development was impeccable. Winter’s grief healing journey was incredible even when I felt so sad for him.
As for Eve, well I kind of had it out for her. She was driving me up a wall for the most part just because she was just so oblivious to other people’s feelings.
There is a lot to unpack in this book but the friendships and relationships formed and repaired throughout the book were amazing. 👀 I can’t wait for more stories in this universe.
This book is long and the burn is slowwwwww for a second chance romance.
I’m not going to complain because the character development was impeccable. Winter’s grief healing journey was incredible even when I felt so sad for him.
As for Eve, well I kind of had it out for her. She was driving me up a wall for the most part just because she was just so oblivious to other people’s feelings.
There is a lot to unpack in this book but the friendships and relationships formed and repaired throughout the book were amazing. 👀 I can’t wait for more stories in this universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
bookish_wife16's review against another edition
4.0
Winter’s Eve -A.E. Valdez
Thank you for the opportunity to review this eArc. I am honored and thankful for this highly anticipated story.
I love the Kings. These three brothers have an amazing relationship. They undoubtedly have one of the best brotherhoods I’ve read about. But the arrogance of Winter is unmatched. I loved his personality because he didn’t care. What he wanted he got. Period.
The main thing I loved about this story was the mental health representation. The therapy sessions with Dr. Maddox were not only healing to Winter but to myself. I loved that grief was tackled in this as it’s something we all have or will be introduced to. It’s a tough discussion and it was written well with how Winter dealt with it.
Eve honestly got on my nerves. I understand she was hurt but the whole Noah situation irked me. Like girl, stop fooling yourself and lying to this man. You know who you want and Noah was not even in the same league. It was the having a boyfriend but not acting like it when Winter was around for me. But I digress.
I loved Reign and everything that was him. He pulled at my heart strings seriously. Reign was definitely wise in his years and his situation brought light to the other ways of how people may deal with grief. I loved how the relationship between Winter and Reign strengthened and developed. They were what one another needed. This was an important piece to this story.
I am glad these two finally figured it out. I don’t want to go into much detail and spoil it. This is truly a slow burn. I honestly think this could have been a bit shorter as some parts were really slow for me. But my overall takeaway is that this had great mental health representation for a black man. It’s needed and I’m glad we have more and more stories like this. Our men deal with so much that I hope they don’t see it as weak when they need help mentally.
I loved the strength of who Winter was at the core. I loved how Amanda wrote his character and the depths of him. Eve had a lot of layers and I’m glad those layers got peeled back because she stressed me out. Lol.
“I’m Winter fucking King. Don’t forget that name because I’m coming for your your life”- THE Winter King
Thank you for the opportunity to review this eArc. I am honored and thankful for this highly anticipated story.
I love the Kings. These three brothers have an amazing relationship. They undoubtedly have one of the best brotherhoods I’ve read about. But the arrogance of Winter is unmatched. I loved his personality because he didn’t care. What he wanted he got. Period.
The main thing I loved about this story was the mental health representation. The therapy sessions with Dr. Maddox were not only healing to Winter but to myself. I loved that grief was tackled in this as it’s something we all have or will be introduced to. It’s a tough discussion and it was written well with how Winter dealt with it.
Eve honestly got on my nerves. I understand she was hurt but the whole Noah situation irked me. Like girl, stop fooling yourself and lying to this man. You know who you want and Noah was not even in the same league. It was the having a boyfriend but not acting like it when Winter was around for me. But I digress.
I loved Reign and everything that was him. He pulled at my heart strings seriously. Reign was definitely wise in his years and his situation brought light to the other ways of how people may deal with grief. I loved how the relationship between Winter and Reign strengthened and developed. They were what one another needed. This was an important piece to this story.
I am glad these two finally figured it out. I don’t want to go into much detail and spoil it. This is truly a slow burn. I honestly think this could have been a bit shorter as some parts were really slow for me. But my overall takeaway is that this had great mental health representation for a black man. It’s needed and I’m glad we have more and more stories like this. Our men deal with so much that I hope they don’t see it as weak when they need help mentally.
I loved the strength of who Winter was at the core. I loved how Amanda wrote his character and the depths of him. Eve had a lot of layers and I’m glad those layers got peeled back because she stressed me out. Lol.
“I’m Winter fucking King. Don’t forget that name because I’m coming for your your life”- THE Winter King
rudireads2's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Winter’s Eve is a lesson in forgiveness and new beginnings. This story follows Eve and Winter, two former lovers with a tumultuous past who are reintroduced when Eve’s best friend gets engaged to Winter’s brother. Ten years after Winter skipped out on Eve, Winter is determined to get the girl, but he refuses to be the only one doing the chasing. This story is layered and beautifully encompasses how difficult loss, grief, healing, accountability, and forgiveness can be. It’s not your average second chance romance and I loved every second of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
codewoo10's review against another edition
5.0
winter’s eve
This is a good book. I enjoyed reading winter and eve’s story. This is a slow burn romance and the journey to happy ever after is amazing. The author allows us to experience growth of the two main characters from pain and tragedy to healing and love. The love was there from the beginning but getting over the hurt and fear is rewarding. I give the book 5 stars because the writing is seamless without proofreading errors, the characters are lovable and the story is complete.
This is a good book. I enjoyed reading winter and eve’s story. This is a slow burn romance and the journey to happy ever after is amazing. The author allows us to experience growth of the two main characters from pain and tragedy to healing and love. The love was there from the beginning but getting over the hurt and fear is rewarding. I give the book 5 stars because the writing is seamless without proofreading errors, the characters are lovable and the story is complete.