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A review by dinohakari
Ethan by Ella Frank
3.0
Before I write this review, I want to clarify that I loved Zane and Ethan. I liked their dynamic, the sex appeal of both, how they know and understand each other. It is a couple in which I see great potential to develop an incredible story.
Now with the review. I know I've said several times that some of my reviews have been difficult to write, for different reasons, but none of them, and seriously none, were as difficult to write as this one. Partly perhaps because, as I have also said on several occasions, I am not a big fan of polyamory or threesomes (when it comes to already established relationships) and also because this time the third party is female and I stopped reading books. with women MC years ago. So I knew this was going to be hard, but unlike the last polyrelationship books I've read lately, trying to get out of my comfort zone, and which I really liked because the third person contributed to the plot and to the others. characters, and because it brought that missing piece that enriched the story... In this... NO.
But a big part of why I find it so hard to write this is the author. I really want to write a 5 star review but I can't and it's so painful .
This book was a must read for me because of the author. I love her books. There's only one Chicagoverse story and two characters I'll never love and they happen to be two of Chloe's parents. That being said, I think Ethan and Zane don't need a third person to be whole (as was the case with Julien and Priest, who were looking for a third person to complement them and found it in Robbie). The relationship between them is solid, they know each other, understand each other and love each other, and aside from the fact that SOMETIMES they need a third part to satisfy some physical/sexual/control need, emotionally they don't need it. At least not in this first installment.
I also didn't find Chloe an attractive character. At least not so that the two of them, an established couple, decided right off the bat (and without it being known beforehand that they were interested in/looking for a third permanent person), to incorporate her into their relationship as their submissive. She is mischievous, "innocent", adventurous, fearless and she wants to push the limits. But does her first experience of crossing her boundaries have to be in a BDSM club, with two men she barely knows, lying to their parents and taking a risk like that? For two men she doesn't know and just because they are simply hot and their dominance is attractive? No. They need to build something else. I mean, I'm NOT an expert on the subject, but I've read quite a few books on the subject, and one common thread is trust. But how do you trust someone you don't know? And they, as experts on these issues, should know this.
Another thing that strikes me: Why is this book called Ethan if we know more about Zane and Chloe than we do about Ethan himself? Yes, there are still two more books, and for sure we will know more about him and the backstory of him, but... Why then name this book after him? And also, why would Julien's restaurant cater to a publicly homophobic person? I understand that it served as a cliffhanger in this part of the story, but I don't see any point in it. Not for a person like Julien and his husbands.
Anyway, I could go on but I don't want to keep adding negative things. I really hope the story improves in the next two books. I would love to revisit this review and be able to change it for the better.
I was given an advanced review and voluntarily wrote a review.
Now with the review. I know I've said several times that some of my reviews have been difficult to write, for different reasons, but none of them, and seriously none, were as difficult to write as this one. Partly perhaps because, as I have also said on several occasions, I am not a big fan of polyamory or threesomes (when it comes to already established relationships) and also because this time the third party is female and I stopped reading books. with women MC years ago. So I knew this was going to be hard, but unlike the last polyrelationship books I've read lately, trying to get out of my comfort zone, and which I really liked because the third person contributed to the plot and to the others. characters, and because it brought that missing piece that enriched the story... In this... NO.
But a big part of why I find it so hard to write this is the author. I really want to write a 5 star review but I can't and it's so painful .
This book was a must read for me because of the author. I love her books. There's only one Chicagoverse story and two characters I'll never love and they happen to be two of Chloe's parents. That being said, I think Ethan and Zane don't need a third person to be whole (as was the case with Julien and Priest, who were looking for a third person to complement them and found it in Robbie). The relationship between them is solid, they know each other, understand each other and love each other, and aside from the fact that SOMETIMES they need a third part to satisfy some physical/sexual/control need, emotionally they don't need it. At least not in this first installment.
I also didn't find Chloe an attractive character. At least not so that the two of them, an established couple, decided right off the bat (and without it being known beforehand that they were interested in/looking for a third permanent person), to incorporate her into their relationship as their submissive. She is mischievous, "innocent", adventurous, fearless and she wants to push the limits. But does her first experience of crossing her boundaries have to be in a BDSM club, with two men she barely knows, lying to their parents and taking a risk like that? For two men she doesn't know and just because they are simply hot and their dominance is attractive? No. They need to build something else. I mean, I'm NOT an expert on the subject, but I've read quite a few books on the subject, and one common thread is trust. But how do you trust someone you don't know? And they, as experts on these issues, should know this.
Another thing that strikes me: Why is this book called Ethan if we know more about Zane and Chloe than we do about Ethan himself? Yes, there are still two more books, and for sure we will know more about him and the backstory of him, but... Why then name this book after him? And also, why would Julien's restaurant cater to a publicly homophobic person? I understand that it served as a cliffhanger in this part of the story, but I don't see any point in it. Not for a person like Julien and his husbands.
Anyway, I could go on but I don't want to keep adding negative things. I really hope the story improves in the next two books. I would love to revisit this review and be able to change it for the better.
I was given an advanced review and voluntarily wrote a review.