A review by melaninbooklover
Winter's Eve Then, Now, & Always: A Three Kings Novel by A.E. Valdez

5.0

I was patiently waiting for book two of the King Series once I read in book one that Eve and Winter had a past. In this book we learn that Winter and Eve were engaged 10 years ago but after the death of his father Winter called off the engagement leaving Eve in the dark about why he left. Getting no closure Eve tried moving on with her life but Winter showing back up brings out those old feels. Now all Eve wants is to guard her heart. Eve loves Winter but is determined she will never give him her heart to break again so she finds comfort in a safer option. Winter on the other hand knows he hasn’t moved on and is ready to get his woman back.

This was a slow burn I didn’t know I needed. One thing I like to see in a second chance romance is the actual work put in to get back together, and Winter put in the work a million dollars’ worth to be exact. I enjoyed the fight Eve put up. Sis was determined to make it work with Noah but with the pressure Winter put on her I am surprised she held out so long. But I don’t blame sis, Winter left her without so much as a word and although I understood Winter’s reasons Eve deserved more than an “I’m sorry let's move on”.

I also enjoyed how vurnable Winter was as he healed and dealt with his grief. Winter was dedicated to make changes in his life, learn to deal with his father death, and forgive himself for the mistakes he made while on his grief journey. Reign was a great addition to the story. I found myself fully invested in Reign and his situation just as much as I was invested in Winter and Eve.

I enjoyed the family/friendship dynamics in this book. The King Brothers brotherhood was my favorite. Not only did the brothers handle business together, but they were immature as hell together as well. Their fighting had me cracking up. And Winter was petty as hell in every situation. But they also rallied together every single time. This book took me through it emotionally. I laugh and cried reading this. I love Amanda’s writing style and can’t wait to see where this series goes next!