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A review by dabow
Triple-Duty Bodyguards by Lily Gold
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Briar is an A-lister with a stalker that can only be handled by three ex-SAS agrents with thematic trauma.
This is the second Lily Gold RH I've read, and like with my previous read, I feel that she's done an amazing job with characterizing each of the 4 leads as distinct people with distinct interpersonal interactions. Also, Gold continues to nail the choreography of sex scenes with more than two people (in addition to the solo and two people scenes!). The external plot was a gripping thriller and enabled Gold to spend a lot of time on Briar's internal struggles, which I thought were great.
What I thought was weaker was the work on the three male leads' internal arcs. Matt's was the strongest, but still felt a little stretched due to some repetitive beats. Glen's was next strongest, but left to be superficial until (I think?) his final POV scene. Kenta really doesn't have much of an internal arc at all and has a quick internal struggle at the very end, after the plot has been resolved. In addition to this problem, I felt like I could have used more screen time for each of the male leads falling in love with Briar. We get some from her POV, why she likes them each for their own qualities, but a lot is left implicit in the other direction.
In all, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller reverse harem romance, particularly if in the market for humor and not in the market for alpha male leads. Do check out the content warnings before beginning.
This is the second Lily Gold RH I've read, and like with my previous read, I feel that she's done an amazing job with characterizing each of the 4 leads as distinct people with distinct interpersonal interactions. Also, Gold continues to nail the choreography of sex scenes with more than two people (in addition to the solo and two people scenes!). The external plot was a gripping thriller and enabled Gold to spend a lot of time on Briar's internal struggles, which I thought were great.
What I thought was weaker was the work on the three male leads' internal arcs. Matt's was the strongest, but still felt a little stretched due to some repetitive beats. Glen's was next strongest, but left to be superficial until (I think?) his final POV scene. Kenta really doesn't have much of an internal arc at all and has a quick internal struggle at the very end, after the plot has been resolved. In addition to this problem, I felt like I could have used more screen time for each of the male leads falling in love with Briar. We get some from her POV, why she likes them each for their own qualities, but a lot is left implicit in the other direction.
In all, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller reverse harem romance, particularly if in the market for humor and not in the market for alpha male leads. Do check out the content warnings before beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Sexism
Briar is a former child actor who alludes to bad things in the industry for a young girl. In addition, as a famous women, she is subject to a lot of upsetting online behavior. The main external plot follows a stalking case.