Before There Were Three: Ethan & Rhett

By: L. A. Witt

Narrated by: Charlie David

Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Before Kieran....

Seattle, 2000 - Ethan Mallory is counting down the days until he moves back to Toronto. He loves Seattle, but it's time to go home.

So it's just his luck that, with a month to go, he meets Rhett Solomon. Their chemistry is off the charts, and in bed, Rhett is everything Ethan's been craving. He's witty and charming outside the bedroom too.

Ethan's not about to change his plans for a man he's just met, but what could this become if they had a little more time? Is this just a sizzling hot last hurrah before he returns to Canada? Or is leaving Rhett behind a huge mistake?

©2016 Lori Witt/L.A. Witt (P)2016 Lori Witt/L.A. Witt

Before There were Three

What can I say. I don't think L.A. Witt has ever written a bad book, lol. This one included.
It was good to see how Ethan and Rhett's story started. This book precedes The Distance Between us, which is the full story of their life after years of being together. I did like knowing how their story starts but I'm not quite sure it's actually needed, since book one is great by itself. I also did read the entire series before actually getting to this book. But overall this story was well written just like the others.
The Audio was good, I don't think I have listened to one of Charlie David's narrations before? But I think he did a pretty great job with this one. Really made these characters story more likeable for me.

A good look at the start of Ethan & Rhett, 4 stars

After reading the book to which this is a prequel, The Distance Between Us, I was definitely interested in seeing how Ethan and Rhett had come to be in the first place. Since I became perturbed with Ethan in Distance, I was hoping to see a better side to him when he and Rhett first started out. I’m happy to say that was the case, and while that leaves me a bit more aggravated with him for Distance, here in Before There Were Three I thought his character was much more likable.

I loved the way Ethan and Rhett met in this book. It’s a strong meet-cute, and immediately drew me in to their story since they quickly hit it off. One thing that’s certainly not lacking in this book is their physical connection. They connect quickly, and over…and over…and over…and just for kicks, over again. There is no doubt that they are sexually compatible, with their physical chemistry almost a living, breathing entity in itself. So much so that it almost threatens to take over the story until a bit past the midpoint of the book when the emotional aspect of their connection begins to make itself known.

With as strong of a connection as these two form, it does make me wonder exactly how they could have gotten to the point they ended up at in Distance—though that’s a pondering for that book’s review. And while Ethan seemed in a much better place in this prequel, the first half of the story still made him seem like he was mostly in it for fun (which is what the two of them intended at first), and was kind of emotionally detached in the beginning.

The story clearly shows how Ethan and Rhett’s relationship slowly evolves from hookup to friends with benefits to more, with a strong emphasis on the physical side of their relationship prevalent throughout the entire book. It’s a good look at how their relationship came to be, though as strong as their connection is here it still leaves me puzzled how things could go so crazily sideways in Distance. 4 stars for the story, and a strong 18+ warning for adult language and quite a bit of explicit, crazy hot sexual content.

The narration: I always enjoy Charlie David’s narration; his smooth, deep voice is always a pleasure to listen to, and he keeps things on an even pace throughout the book. While there’s not a broad delineation in voices between the characters, it’s still easy to understand who is speaking since the story is told only from Ethan’s point of view. He definitely brought the story to life, and sure as heck gave the numerous physical scenes a VERY realistic touch. 4 stars for the narration.

A great prequel to The Distance Between Us

Before I get to my review I want to explain something. Before There Were Three: Ethan & Rhett is considered a prequel to The Distance Between Us which is also a series title – or it was. It appears that The Distance Between Us didn't start out as a series but ended up a part of a "universe" of books that all have Wilde's dance club in common. Thus, you may find references to a series called The Distance Between Us and one called Wilde's on Goodreads. It can be a bit confusing.

The author's website only references the Wilde's series. She indicates that Before There Were Three: Ethan & Rhett takes place before The Distance Between Us but is best read after that book. I haven't read The Distance Between Us and thoroughly enjoyed Before There Were Three: Ethan & Rhett anyway.

Now on to my review…

This story is hot, hot, hot! As in lots of sex hot. 😊 Ethan's date for the evening doesn't show. While he is waiting he sees Rhett across the room and their eyes connect. They end up going to a club together which leads to a whole lot of hotness and sex.

The difficult thing for these two is that Ethan's job is ending and he's supposed to return to Toronto, Canada in just a month. While things move very quickly for the two of them it may not be enough for Ethan to stay in Seattle instead of returning to Toronto.

I loved listening to this book. Charlie David's narration is fantastic. He captures the feel and pace of the story perfectly. I've never found L.A. Witt's writing lacking and this story is no exception. The epilogue for the story is perfect; it leaves Ethan and Rhett with a very nice HFN (happy for now). So, even if you haven't read The Distance Between Us, I believe you will find Before There Were Three: Ethan & Rhett a very satisfying story to read or listen to.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***