I always set into a new Isla Olsen novel with incredibly high expectations. Given how much I loved The King and Jai, its easy to say that my expectations for Three's a Crown were pretty high. While the book was good, it didn't quite meet the level I've come to expect from Isla's other works.

Three's a Crown has a lot of the things I love. It has a second chance romance. It has a rivals-to-lovers. It has insane chemistry between all three leads. Its low angst and has a nice level of steam. It just seemed to be missing something I couldn't quite put my finger on - and after sitting on it for a day, I still can't quite put my finger on.

This book is the story of the prince of Korova, Aliksandr, his ex-boyfriend/head guard, Boyd, and the new guard, Lennox. Each of these men are pretty well developed and have amazing chemistry with one another. The dynamics between each individual pairing are remarkable. But there's something missing in the triad, and it could very well be the lack of time spent with them as a trio. Almost every encounter in the book was either Alik and Lennox, Alik and Boyd, or Lennox and Boyd. For a book with an MMM central romance, there wasn't a lot of time spent between all three of them to really see how that dynamic plays out in the long run. I also had a really hard time with Boyd's character and the very stereotypical Scottish accent, but as I'm not Scottish nor have I ever had a lot of interaction with anyone Scottish - as in from Scotsland - I can't quite say if it was a poor narrative choice or a personal hurdle that I had to overcome.

That said, I still greatly enjoyed the book. I think it would've easily gotten a five star review if we got to see the trio together more. While I did love getting to see a lot of the individual dynamics - something that is often missing from MMM books, the trio aspect didn't feel as believable because of the lack of time. As mentioned, the characters themselves were wonderful. The communication between the three of them was (mostly) very good. There were a few points where it could've been improved and still felt realistic, but in general, very good.

It was another pleasant read from Isla Olsen, though not my favorite of her works and not quite as good as The King and Jai. This book can be read as a standalone and I devoured it very quickly, even with the few points against it.

** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR FOR HONEST REVIEW **

Three quite different men come together in what starts as a little bit complicated to build a relationship between the Prince of Korova (Aleksandr), the head of security (Boyd) and a new on loan security guard (Lennox).
I really enjoyed the characters as individuals and what they build as couples and then as a triad. Aleksandr and Boyd have a history together with feelings still there but when Lennox comes over from the US to help watch over the King's children, there's no denying the attraction between him and Boyd and the fun of the slightly antagonistic relationship that starts between him and the prince. There's a different dynamic with each duo and then when they all come together as well. It's a sweet battle for Boyd's affection to start with and develops into so much more.
I liked that it plays out alongside the same timeline of book one of the series, The King and Jai. There is fun, a good amount of heat and a good amount of emotional connections between the MC's. This was a romance that's really easy to enjoy and has quite a low angst level. I love Isla Olsen's writing and this is another hit from them.
I received an ARC via Gay Romance Reviews and am happily giving a review.