Bitter Prince by Eva Winners

The first in the Stolen Empire trilogy, Bitter Prince is complex with great characters. The book begins with Amon and Reina as children and takes this section of the story through their early adulthood. Their families are connected through their respective businesses, and there’s a lot of animosity there. This portion of the larger story happens chronologically, but Amon and Reina keep encountering each other (purposely for Amon). There are a lot of secrets and things that happen, and Bitter Prince traces their beginnings and how their families are connected. 

Something Winners does so well is that she creates these characters within her larger story universe that seem to get to me right away, and Amon and Reina had me hooked from the start. Growing up, they both experience some extremely serious traumas that helped shape them, but they’re such strong characters despite it all. Amon’s this quiet sort of dangerous and strong character, and Reina is tough in her own right but has this charming sass that I think makes her so likeable. Being a few years older, it takes quite a while to see their relationship transform into a more mature one, but when it does their chemistry is off the charts. 

And the storyline is totally compelling. So much occurs both on page and off with all the secrets that I found myself completely submersed in this fictional world filled with mystery and danger. Of course, being part of a trilogy, you do get a cliffhanger at the end, and it’s huge and not something I saw coming so I’m desperate to know what happens next. 

Bitter Prince is an enthralling first book in this trilogy and with how everything unfolds and how amazing the characters are I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you love mafia romances and shocking cliffhangers, then you do not want to miss this one.