Before : A Hybrid Theory Story

by Brit Andrews

Be careful with your secrets...

Freddie Miller has a secret to die for and if she wants to remain living she has a choice to make. But she doesn’t see marrying a vampire prince as a viable option. Not until he convinces her to choose him. But was it really a choice when the other options were death or imprisonment? To the public it’s a whirlwind romance with the man who saved her. In reality it’s an arranged marriage of convenience that was his parents’ idea.

You have to be willing to do anything to keep it...

The plans are set, the invitations have gone out, the dress has been made and this all started with a death. But how far would you go to keep your secrets? For a vampire witch hybrid who has never lived amongst vampires it isn’t so easy. She will give her life to the vampires and they will keep her safe. And nobody will ever find out what really happened that night.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 31, 2026

About the author

Brit Andrews lost a book when she was 8-years-old and has been writing stories ever since. She is a life long reader who has always loved all things paranormal, supernatural, fantasy and sci-fi often with some romance in there. It took her 30 years to decide to get serious about publishing a book but she got there eventually. Somehow she survived 39 years in a family of non-readers. Brit lives in Pennsylvania in a house full of shenanigans and boys. If she’s not reading or writing she can be found sewing and making book character pops.

Reviews

[Katie Rufo Barksdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate the story that author Brit Andrews creates and the journey she takes us on. The beginning of the book it took some time to set the scene. We have to learn about the world the characters live. This is a paranormal romance with spice in the second half.

The main character, Freddie, is so lovable and relatable. She is adopted and is half vampire and half witch hybrid. After an incident occurs, one of the most prominent families in the world takes her and her family in. She has the chose to be put to death or marry the prominent family's son, known to the masses as a vampire prince, Cannon.

We see Freddie very guarded in the beginning of the book. "So people can look at me and count the ways I am unworthy?"(p.24). She has been burned one too many times and is cautious of who she trusts and lets into her life. We watch her transform as her relationship with Cannon flourishes. Later in the story we see Freddie really come into her own. "My desire to fit in made me a bit of a people pleaser once upon a time but I knew better now." (p.233).

Cannon being a vampire is much older than Freddie. He assures her he will protect, support, and do his best for her. As Cannon grows closer to Freddie he is able to reflect on his upbringing and privilege. "Apparently, I had a lot of privileges that my wife did not. Well obviously, women in general had to be careful about things in ways most male presenting people didn't. (p.55). I also appreciate how he words his father's view of humans;"...he's never had a good opinion of humans. They are parasites that love to take and take until they bled everything and everyone dry. History supported this and history often repeated but with higher stakes." (p.49).

I loved how in this story we get to see Freddie and Cannon come together from the beginning. We get chapters from both of their point of views. We also get a couple of chapters from each of their mothers. I appreciated how we were able to see this story play out from multiple perspectives.

My biggest critique is I wish we were able to start the story with the night of the incident that Freddie had to defend herself to survive. If we were not able to start here, I wish there was a more in depth account of this evening which was the catalysis for this arranged marriage. It was a fantastic and unique novel but this lack of coverage made it feel like I was really missing an important part of the story.

I want to continue to read more of Cannon and Freddie's story. The pace of the story was good. At times, it just felt choppy about where we were in the story. There were parts I wish author Brit Andrews dug more into and others I felt we covered enough to move along. Overall good book! I will be continuing the series!

[A’Kirra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before is the prequel to Bewitch, and the story begins with Freddie being investigated by the Harrringtons for the death of the vampire who attacked her. His parents have summoned Cannon to help deal with the situation, but it's not the way he thinks. His parents propose that Freddie and Cannon get married to help "save" her life from other powerful people who might want to use her in the worst way. Freddie was given three choices, and her mind was almost made up on just dying, but Cannon came and basically pulled a Meredith Grey with the "choose me, pick me, love me" not love for real, since they basically just met at that moment. Cannon has convinced her that being married to him won't be as bad as she thinks and that he will do everything in his power to protect her because no one dares defy the Harrington clan, or else they will face the wrath of Belinda Harrington, and no one wants that. Freddie has her doubts because she's been rejected her whole life as a hybrid witch-vampire, and she is very cautious about who she allows in her space (rightfully so), and Cannon tries to ease her doubts, but those certain thoughts can't be erased as easily as he thinks. The majority of people have rejected Freddie because she is not a full witch or a full vampire, and that is very discouraging to someone as sweet as Freddie. So the thought of getting married and having a family was something she put on the back burner, since no one truly loves Freddie, the witch-vampire hybrid. Cannon extended family doesn't even like her since she's not a "pure" vampire, but none of them will go against Belinda or Hunt, the matriarch and patriarchy of the whole family. Even Freddie's extended family have been saying some slick stuff to her and about her, like she's some disease that needs to be taken care of. The only people who truly care about and accept her are her mom, dad, Oille, best friends, and now, in their own way, Cannon and his family. But even with them supporting Freddie, nothing is ever easy, since people from the past want to stir up trouble. Someone close to Cannon doesn't trust Freddie because of the situation that led her to marry the so-called Prince Harrington. Still, throughout the story, we see how Freddie and Cannon's relationship begins and the events that lead up to their wedding. (ARC Reviewer)

[MiSsE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going back to the beginning of Freddie and Cannon’s story was exactly the way to go. There’s something about getting to see how two characters got to where they are that makes their relationship even more interesting, especially when things aren’t quite what they seem.

Freddie has a secret that could get her killed, and marrying a vampire prince was never exactly part of her plan. What looks like a whirlwind romance to everyone else is actually an arrangement built around secrets, survival, and keeping the truth buried. And the more you learn about what brought them together, the more you realize there’s a whole lot more going on beneath the surface.

I really enjoyed getting to see the events leading up to 𝓑𝓮𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱 and learning more about Freddie and Cannon’s relationship. The mix of vampires, witches, secrets, and a marriage neither of them originally planned on makes for an interesting setup. I also love that this story gives us a closer look at the beginning instead of simply picking up where the previous book left off.

If you’re already invested in the Hybrid Theory series, this is one you’ll want to read. Freddie and Cannon’s story has a lot more to it than meets the eye, and sometimes you need to know what happened BEFORE to understand everything that comes after. 🧛🏽🧙🏽‍♀️✨

[Sheila Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before is a spicy paranormal romance with vampires, witches, an arranged marriage and family politics. Freddie is a vampire-witch hybrid who has always struggled to fit in and after an attack changes everything, she ends up married to Cannon Harrington, the heir to a powerful vampire Family.

I liked Freddie because even after everything she has been through, she still cares deeply about her family, her students, and the people close to her. Cannon surprised me too. Their marriage begins in a difficult situation, but I liked that he makes an effort to listen to Freddie, respect her boundaries and show her that she is more than an obligation.

The Harrington Family brought a lot of drama, especially because not everyone is happy about Freddie becoming part of such a powerful vampire Family. I also liked learning more about the vampire customs, the blood-sharing, the Family hierarchy, and Freddie’s past with the coven.

Overall, I really enjoyed Before and getting to know Freddie and Cannon. As a prequel, it gives a good start to their story while still leaving plenty for the rest of the series. Thank you, Brit Andrews, for the opportunity to read this ARC. I really enjoyed it!

[Yati Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came into tbe book a bit hesitant because of the authors note related to it being a prequel. Standardly, I have not had the best of luck with prequels...but I was actually really entertained with this book. I love the fact that it is not love at first sight...maybe attraction but with alot of romantacy today because mates are so obvious it is hard to find a truly relatable lust to doubt to what i hope will be love in the upcoming books. Although thay ending was a bit sad, I am eager for the next book!

[Cindy Luebke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely like the story of Cannon and Freddie. I guess my reasoning for a 4 instead of a 5 is i would have liked a little more backstory on both of their lives before all the wedding stuff, more build up.

In a way it seemed like they both went along with the idea of their feelings rather quickly and it all progressed fast for complete strangers, especially since Freddie says she needed an emotional connection for any kind of sexual happenings. But I did really enjoy this book and look forward to the remaining books to see what happens

[Jacklyn Lisette Hurtado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read this as an arc reader!

Overall, this was nice prequel, although it did take me a little while to become immersed into the story. As for Freddie and Cannon, I think think the dynamic between a Vampire-Witch Hybrid and a Vampire can have its potential especially if a certain family tries interfering or plotting something against them. I hope something deeper flourishes between them in the future because this miscommunication towards the end of the book definitely got to me.

I am excited to read how they both get to grow with eachother and on their own.

[Crystal Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
Loved the idea of this story. It meshes all the paranormal ideas together in one story. However the story is a little choppy and the ending I wouldn’t call it a cliffhanger but definitely a little incomplete. I am excited to read next volumes of the story to finish the idea. I’m hoping to find out what exactly happened to Freddie? Why is Des so mean? Freddie and cannon parents story and how it intertwines with their kids and why they wanted them married.

[Ashiiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. i will definitely be devouring the rest of the books ASAP! Would highly recommend if you enjoy paranormal romance. Or even if you don't. Very relatable FMC. Couldn't help but root for her.

[Taylor · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I enjoyed being able to experience the beginning of Cannon and Freddie’s relationship. The multiple POVs gave amazing insight on how everyone felt and adapted to the couple’s marriage. I loved that we saw more of their personalities.

[Marquisha Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book, it was something different for me. I wish I could read more of Freddie and Cannon in their world.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for this ARC.

I was happy to receive the ARC for this book as I’ve also read the other books in the series. If you’re new to this author and the series, this is the perfect way to start. We get to see how Freddie and Cannon’s relationship starts and how it progresses before we get to the other books. We also got more information on how the world they live in, became the way it was (if you read the other books before this you know what I mean). I did feel like there were some unnecessary chapters/perspectives, but all in all I did enjoy this read.