Name: Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia's review of After Eve by J. B. Lexington
Item: After Eve
Rating: 4
Author: Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

J. B. Lexington

After Eve

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

After Eve is an amazing sequel to Forever Eve. I was curious to see how the author would continue with the story and I was pleasantly surprised. The story starts 5 years after we last saw Izabel in Forever Eve, where she is happily married to the handsome Henry and has two adorable baby girls.
The story is told in two timelines, the present with Izabel suffering through psychological effects of a terrible trauma that occurred, and a past time line which gives us insights to the time of this terrible event.
The way the author intertwined both timelines was perfect, in a way that would keep us completely intrigued at what happened and at the same time receiving bits and pieces of information as we progress.
My favorite parts were ofcourse the spicy scenes, which the author is an expert at writing! I was blushing and giggling at the sizzling hot scenes between Henry and Izabel. HENRY IS A DREAM, where can I find mine? 😅

Also I loved how our girl Natalie has found someone, Ben, who I found completely adorable.

Overall a quick and romantic read, with strong family moments, also with important mentions of mental health issues. I absolutely recommend!

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

After reading 
  Forever Eve
 I was very excited to immediately dive into the sequel. I really enjoyed the romance between Izabel and Henry in the first book, and was hoping to get more of them here. I got my wish! 

The story picks up five years after the events of the first book. Izabel and Henry are married and have two lovely daughters, the 10-month-old twins, Hope and Faith. Though the chemistry and maturity that characterizes Henry and Izabel was still strong, their bond was not without obstacles to overcome. Bo, Izabel’s ex abusive husband, is still very much present in their lives. Both Henry and Izabel are determined to help him, but doing so creates a chain reaction of events which threatens to destroy the balance of Izabel and Henry’s lives if they don’t learn to overcome their traumas, both as individuals and a couple.

I will admit I was not enthusiastic about the Bo still being a part of Izabel’s life. I’m not as forgiving as Henry and Izabel when it comes to the things he’s said and done in Forever Eve, but that just adds to the kindness and generosity of the characters J.B. Lexington has created. I did enjoy the strain in the relationship between Izabel and Henry that was born from the events of this book, which I found very realistic. Every couple, even the most united, goes through some hard moments and I love how Izabel and Henry went through lots of personal growth and then took the time to communicate, which is the cure-all for every problem. I praise the author for such a realistic representation of everyday life, even while giving us many steamy and beautiful moments between this couple.

I also really enjoyed the great space given to mental health in this series. Izabel’s journey in After Eve is intense. It may not be the same kind of trauma she had to overcome in Forever Eve, but overcoming loss, PTSD and post-partum depression is no easy feat. Once again, the author takes us into the gutter along with Izabel before showing us the light. The message that comes from Izabel’s journey is once again one of hope—hope that hardships can be overcome by finding one’s inner strength and being unafraid to open up and lean upon those you love. To look for the positive in the beautiful things surrounding us and that make our lives worth living.

A special mention in this review must also go to Natalie, Izabel’s best friend! We’ve always known her as a party girl with no strings attached, but she really went through great growth in the five year gap between the two books. In this book more than ever, Natalie stands in the front lines to guarantee Izabel’s happiness and I’m a sucker for such strong friendship bonds, especially between women. Girls supporting girls should always be the norm!

Thank you once again to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of After Eve, which releases on December 8!

After Eve is the anticipated sequel of Forever Eve, which I finished a few days ago and loved. Since I adored Izabel and Henry in the first book, I was excited to see where their story would lead. Needless to say, I enjoyed seeing the moments of their happy married life. It was everything I could ever wish for, especially after everything that Izabel has gone through in the first book. Henry is…perfect. There’s no other way to say this. He’s the dream man, or at least he’s mine. Back off ladies, I claimed him. (Also, the twins were adorable!)

However, not everything is as flowery as it may seem. Something happens in Izabel’s life that leaves her deeply wounded, and she goes through a process of grief that puts her mental health in a bad place. Despite what she preaches to her patients, Izabel begins to shut everyone out, including Henry. The pain was so perfectly described by the author that I felt it as if it were my own, even though I didn’t share the sentiment. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away anything about this short but beautiful, heartbreaking story. You’ll understand what I mean when you read this book. 

One of the things I loved most about Forever Eve was the Past Life Regression therapy sessions and the flashbacks of Eve and Charlie. I missed seeing that in this book and I was hoping we would see something else happen. Who knows, perhaps another past life. It was such an interesting aspect of the story and one I didn’t even know existed until I read this series and read more about it. 

The representation of mental health in this book was done very well, and I encourage everyone who likes reading about these topics to give this series a try. Both books are short and filled with content that makes you reflect, and everything is wrapped-up in a very enjoyable and addicting story. I wonder if we’ll get to see more of Izabel in the future. (And no, I’m not saying this because I want more Henry. *sweats*) With a series presenting Past Life Regression therapies, anything can happen, right? 

I’m so grateful to the author for sending me an early copy of this book to read!

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia &
After Eve by J. B. Lexington

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Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia &After Eve by J. B. Lexington

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Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia &
After Eve by J. B. Lexington