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Dreamland Billionaires #2
Terms and Conditions
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Romance (2022)Declan
I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.
Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.
I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.
Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2022
About the author
Lauren Asher
15 books49.2k followersJoin my Facebook group for exclusive content and sneak peeks: https://bit.ly/BandiniBabes
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About Me:
Lauren Asher is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of contemporary romance. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can’t help falling in love with and fictional worlds you wish were real.
Her favorite activities outside of writing include DIY projects, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenasher...
About Me:
Lauren Asher is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of contemporary romance. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can’t help falling in love with and fictional worlds you wish were real.
Her favorite activities outside of writing include DIY projects, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35,993 reviews
March 3, 2022
STOP because if there’s something lauren asher knows how to write it’s grumpy boy X sunshine girl!! 😝
this book had me dragging my inner eyelids on the concrete. lighting a cigarette next to my dad’s oxygen tank. constantly swinging my scooter on the sides of my ankles. and Shitting out my pain every morning. that’s how fucking-too good to be true- type amazing this book was. 🥵
every page, every scene, every fucking word was a banger. this book was like an addiction. i’ve had a lot of weird things enter my body but nothing gave me the amount of ecstasy that this book did. (i’m watching too much euphoria y’all) 🧎🏻♀️
i was on a whole other level yall. i was giggled, cackling, and straight up throwing my neck back at what i was reading on these pages. there were times i was so red in the face, I almost missed took myself for being caucasian /j…kinda 🥴
Iris, our main girl, deserves the world and nothing less. this quickly became one of those books in which i’m head over heals for the girl more than the guy. this plant loving queen was so fucking funny, smart, and over all a well rounded character. not to get all emotional and shit but she’s literally my new favorite comforter character and i saw a lot of myself in her. she’s an inspiration and i only wish i could at least be half as good as she is. 💚
this declan motherfucker can fucking get it. i do love reading about a possessive man. and when i’m telling y’all he is down BAD for her. i mean he is fucking DOWN INTO THE FUCKING GROUND, BURIED 6 FEET DEEP DOWN BAD for her. like are we just gonna forget that shower scene? come on. 😏
also the friendship between iris and cal?!? i’m already in love with this man and his book isn’t even out yet. the way he slammed the door in declan’s face…yeh that’s true friendship right there. i just know lauren is saving the best for last with him. it’s always the funny ones that get the best story in a series 😌
lauren asher brings groveling to a whole other level and with out spoiling it, all i’m saying is i’ve never read the trope as good as it was in this book. asher gave us the groveling but MORE. she did the fucking homework and the extra credit! 😩💞
also any book that takes place in chicago is already a win for me. these men are from chicago and they fucking act like it. and now i wanna go visit all the places mentioned in the book.🤩
needless to say but I’ll be snorting lines of cyanide because I’m bitter that i’m not living this Iris and Declan lifestyle. 🤚🏽
this book had me dragging my inner eyelids on the concrete. lighting a cigarette next to my dad’s oxygen tank. constantly swinging my scooter on the sides of my ankles. and Shitting out my pain every morning. that’s how fucking-too good to be true- type amazing this book was. 🥵
every page, every scene, every fucking word was a banger. this book was like an addiction. i’ve had a lot of weird things enter my body but nothing gave me the amount of ecstasy that this book did. (i’m watching too much euphoria y’all) 🧎🏻♀️
i was on a whole other level yall. i was giggled, cackling, and straight up throwing my neck back at what i was reading on these pages. there were times i was so red in the face, I almost missed took myself for being caucasian /j…kinda 🥴
Iris, our main girl, deserves the world and nothing less. this quickly became one of those books in which i’m head over heals for the girl more than the guy. this plant loving queen was so fucking funny, smart, and over all a well rounded character. not to get all emotional and shit but she’s literally my new favorite comforter character and i saw a lot of myself in her. she’s an inspiration and i only wish i could at least be half as good as she is. 💚
this declan motherfucker can fucking get it. i do love reading about a possessive man. and when i’m telling y’all he is down BAD for her. i mean he is fucking DOWN INTO THE FUCKING GROUND, BURIED 6 FEET DEEP DOWN BAD for her. like are we just gonna forget that shower scene? come on. 😏
also the friendship between iris and cal?!? i’m already in love with this man and his book isn’t even out yet. the way he slammed the door in declan’s face…yeh that’s true friendship right there. i just know lauren is saving the best for last with him. it’s always the funny ones that get the best story in a series 😌
lauren asher brings groveling to a whole other level and with out spoiling it, all i’m saying is i’ve never read the trope as good as it was in this book. asher gave us the groveling but MORE. she did the fucking homework and the extra credit! 😩💞
also any book that takes place in chicago is already a win for me. these men are from chicago and they fucking act like it. and now i wanna go visit all the places mentioned in the book.🤩
needless to say but I’ll be snorting lines of cyanide because I’m bitter that i’m not living this Iris and Declan lifestyle. 🤚🏽
February 24, 2022
“I’ll give you anything you want—anything at all—so long as you give me a chance to make you as happy as you make me. A dog. A family. A home. I want it all. These are my terms and conditions, take it or leave it because I’m not open to negotiations.”
coldhearted hero who only has a soft spot for his woman hits every single time!
plus declan grovelling and trying to do everything to get iris to forgive him and go back to him was so damn satisfying🤩
“Tell me you didn’t get her a dog because you thought it would make her happy.”
“Okay. I won’t.”
He rubs his face. “Shit.”
i need to completely forget about this book so i can read it again for the first time! that extended epilogue was unexpected but so beautiful, i'm just so in love with declaniris🤍
07/08/21
wait.. declan and iris are going to serve office romance with marriage of convenience and maybe with a side of pregnancy???? i need this NOW
February 16, 2022
IM SURE YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS BUT IRIS & DECLAN SERVED YALL 😮💨 let’s just say workplace romance, boss/employee, marriage of convenience, fake dating, & more! Iris was THE. BADDEST. A hardworking, funny, intelligent BOSSSSS bitch.. she is everything we all wanna be. & Declan? the GRUMPIEST fictional man w a soft spot for our mc!ALSO INTERRACIAL COUPLE??? the diversity we all want? It gave, it GAVE!!!! The quotes, the friendships, the spice, the love, the groveling.. this book had everything & more, let me shut up. just read it.
also, the little bits we got of Rowan & Zahra.. SENT ME OVER THE EDGE. my fine print heart cried.
“There’s nothing I want more than to turn a house into a home with you.” 🖤
also, the little bits we got of Rowan & Zahra.. SENT ME OVER THE EDGE. my fine print heart cried.
“There’s nothing I want more than to turn a house into a home with you.” 🖤
February 11, 2024
4.5 stars! I *liked* the first book in this series, The Fine Print, but I LOVED this book. Declan and Iris are soo cute. and this book has SO many good tropes: work place romance, marriage of convenience, kind of fake dating with the marriage of convenience. And very I hate everyone but you which I'm always a sucker for😅
I'm very excited to read book 3!
I'm very excited to read book 3!
January 19, 2023
instead of being called Terms and Conditions, this should be called Copy and Paste.
bcos this felt like The Fine Print in a slightly better font. slightly. and the main reason i finished this was for all of the Cal and Alana crumbs, bye💀
i felt that this (and The Fine Print) were both extremely repetitive. to the point that neither book had me hooked in the slightest. i kept putting this aside to do other things and wasn’t desperately inclined to keep reading. it got to the point i skimmed so much bcos i was incredibly bored and felt like i was reading scenes i had already read in both TFP and in this book.
it had the same repetitiveness resulting in me thinking “i swear i have read this encounter already within the book?” “that’s definitely already been said?” “surely not this AGAIN?” there was just so much back and forth of Declan being a shitty robotic husband and said something rude to Iris, Iris sulks for 0.57483 seconds while rambling in her inner monologue how she’s “gonna show him” and make him suffer... only for him to look at her like 🤨 while saying something mildly sarcastic that she thinks is the funniest shit in history, then she forgives him and they repeat the process all over again :)
literally all he had to do was mention his dead mother and Iris was rolling at his feet like a good lil lap dog.
but i think the repetitiveness of the book stems from the complete lack of plot. what was the end goal? the driving force? it felt too aimless with Declan and Iris just having basic interactions with zero stakes. there was nothing to cause any real conflict or tension. Lauren Asher relied on the romance to do so and it worked initially but quickly lost its momentum.
Declan legit could have been talking about this book bcos yes, he and Iris did the same exact thing constantly again and again, just like that damn tv show. but unlike Iris, i couldn’t read any more without getting bored. well, bored is an understatement.
i did, however, i like the romance in the beginning. but i had issues with it. the basic tropes were low-key my fave. the grumpy-sunshine dynamic of them. the fake marriage tropes. the classic tension-filled unbuttoning of the dress bcos the heroine can’t reach the back. shit like that. can’t pretend i didn’t enjoy a lot of these interactions. were they cliche? absolutely. but were they fun?! absolutely.
now my main issue was both characters are infatuated with one another from chapter one. the book really is insta-lust/attraction masquerading as a slowburn. they were way too comfortable for a fake couple from the get go— at their rehearsal dinner, for example, they both have no qualms or fumbling awkwardness to being touchy feely and intimate. there’s no buildup? they already have this easy-going relationship. you’d think there’d be some fumbling, some stiffness, uncertainty and awkwardness with their first public appearance as a “couple” but there wasn’t. so it was just boring.
this is all from their rehearsal dinner and i found it all waaaay too easy. they’re so casually touchy feely and i found it jarring. there’s no build up to this. i can’t help compare it to Rose and Jack from Marriage For One where they were so damn awkward when they made their first public appearance as a couple in a fake marriage. and yes, Jack and Rose were strangers while Iris and Declan have history... but he’s her icy-cold, stoic older boss and they’re not that close. sure they banter back and forth but this? idk, i wasn’t convinced. it was unsatisfying bcos the tension, the awkwardness and the buildup is the best damn part!!
it was just completely uninspiring. both the characters and the romance.
bcos Declan felt like Rowan, and i truly don’t know who i disliked more? and Iris laughed as much as Zahra did and man did it erk the fuck out of me😭 then the fact Iris’s sole personality trait was being Declan’s assistant didn’t really help her case either. she was so flat and generic.
she legit had no life. no friends. no hobbies. no passion. all bcos she worked for Declan and that ate up all of her time... and she didn’t see an issue with that?? and the whole thing with her job interview??? i– no words.
it’s also hard to root for Declan, and Rowan in the first book, when their whole capitalist vibe is constantly present within the book. it’s not easy to root for two guys who are aware of the shitty wages, working conditions, etc of their employees yet don’t really give a fuck bcos it doesn’t benefit them or the company. like Iris says this so casually:
it’s so bleak and disturbing, honestly. especially as a person who lives in a working class town, raised and surrounded by working class people, it’s hard to look past the Kane’s mindsets. idk why the author includes it tbh? i have read too many CEO-type romances in my life but never any like the ones Lauren Asher writes where im fully aware and uncomfortable with the amount of wealth the H has. i think bcos it��s so emphasised not only how rich they are but how shitty their workers are treated that makes it so nauseating and stark.
like this quote. idk if it was supposed to be charming and swoony? but i just found it gross:
maybe pay your workers above minimum wage before throwing your money around willy nilly.
usually in other CEO romances, we see the douchey rich guy but not much else beyond his sphere of wealth. and he usually gives to charity and holds charitable events etc that makes him a little more human. but seeing how the Kane’s wealth impacts the lives of the people they exploit... not the type of hero i like ngl. Rowan in book one only changed his tune to appease Zahra since she was one of the “poor people” he was “saving”. if he hadn’t met her, he probably would be the same capitalist douchebag we first met. now he’s just slightly less of a capitalist douchebag.
Declan does do some sort of sponsoring thing with kids. so yeah that’s cute and all, but you can do that AND give your workers a decent living wage so they can afford to, you know, live :) idk maybe im just in a silly goofy mood tho. and not Iris basically flinging her panties at him for doing the bare minimum of human decency when she finds out he sponsors kids despite JUST saying how bad the wages and morale of the workers are in his own damn company😍
she spent most of the book doing that tbh. just letting him get away with the bare minimum and never holding him accountable.
then the little scene at the hospital where he demands Iris have a private room bcos “money is no object” and that the nurse needs to understand this is the “real world”🙄 he was annoyed there was so much noise of people moving throughout the hospital... sir, that is how all hospitals function. i was legit there on Wednesday for one of my annual appointments and it was the exact same— they’re loud, they’re active, their bustling. waving your money and arrogance around as though it makes you better than everyone else? stfu please.
he says Fuck this place and the people in here. “We’re leaving.” bcos Iris has to share a room for like 2.68444 seconds while she gets her injured hand checked out. he truly acted like the hospital was a cesspit and that everyone was grossly below him... which i suppose, in his mind, they are. but damn, trying to root for him when he acts like that is almost impossible. questioning the doctor’s capabilities. being rude to nurses. making snuffy comments about how the hospital is ran. Declan, sir, your privilege is stinking up the waiting room so why don’t you just fuck off, yeah??
some people might say im being nit picky and this is just a romance so im thinking too hard about things... when the author includes that sort of thing, it’s hard for me not to notice it. i can’t look past shit like that bcos it distracts me from the romance. if i don’t like the characters as people, then rooting for their romance is impossible for me to do.
and the way Declan treats Iris during the inevitable conflict was just the final nail in the coffin for me. i was just skimming by that point and didn’t even know why he was being so mean... but i didn’t like him enough to care lol.
so in the end i was kinda fed up with this book. the only thing that truly kept me going was my baby Cal. stole the show hands down. any time he was on page, Declan and Iris who??? i can’t wait for his romance... Cal and Alana second chance romance WHEN?!?
bcos this felt like The Fine Print in a slightly better font. slightly. and the main reason i finished this was for all of the Cal and Alana crumbs, bye💀
i felt that this (and The Fine Print) were both extremely repetitive. to the point that neither book had me hooked in the slightest. i kept putting this aside to do other things and wasn’t desperately inclined to keep reading. it got to the point i skimmed so much bcos i was incredibly bored and felt like i was reading scenes i had already read in both TFP and in this book.
it had the same repetitiveness resulting in me thinking “i swear i have read this encounter already within the book?” “that’s definitely already been said?” “surely not this AGAIN?” there was just so much back and forth of Declan being a shitty robotic husband and said something rude to Iris, Iris sulks for 0.57483 seconds while rambling in her inner monologue how she’s “gonna show him” and make him suffer... only for him to look at her like 🤨 while saying something mildly sarcastic that she thinks is the funniest shit in history, then she forgives him and they repeat the process all over again :)
literally all he had to do was mention his dead mother and Iris was rolling at his feet like a good lil lap dog.
but i think the repetitiveness of the book stems from the complete lack of plot. what was the end goal? the driving force? it felt too aimless with Declan and Iris just having basic interactions with zero stakes. there was nothing to cause any real conflict or tension. Lauren Asher relied on the romance to do so and it worked initially but quickly lost its momentum.
”Another one?” he grumbles before shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
[...]
I hit the mute button, silencing the TV. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“You’ve watched eight episodes in a row of them doing the same exact thing.”
“And I could watch another eight more without ever getting bored.”
Declan legit could have been talking about this book bcos yes, he and Iris did the same exact thing constantly again and again, just like that damn tv show. but unlike Iris, i couldn’t read any more without getting bored. well, bored is an understatement.
i did, however, i like the romance in the beginning. but i had issues with it. the basic tropes were low-key my fave. the grumpy-sunshine dynamic of them. the fake marriage tropes. the classic tension-filled unbuttoning of the dress bcos the heroine can’t reach the back. shit like that. can’t pretend i didn’t enjoy a lot of these interactions. were they cliche? absolutely. but were they fun?! absolutely.
now my main issue was both characters are infatuated with one another from chapter one. the book really is insta-lust/attraction masquerading as a slowburn. they were way too comfortable for a fake couple from the get go— at their rehearsal dinner, for example, they both have no qualms or fumbling awkwardness to being touchy feely and intimate. there’s no buildup? they already have this easy-going relationship. you’d think there’d be some fumbling, some stiffness, uncertainty and awkwardness with their first public appearance as a “couple” but there wasn’t. so it was just boring.
I take a step out into the light before I’m stopped by Iris pressing her palm against my cheek.
She removes her hand, but I latch onto it and press it against my chest.
My thumb brushes the inside of her wrist.
She wraps both of her arms around my waist, drawing me toward her. Our bodies fit together like two interlocking puzzle pieces.
this is all from their rehearsal dinner and i found it all waaaay too easy. they’re so casually touchy feely and i found it jarring. there’s no build up to this. i can’t help compare it to Rose and Jack from Marriage For One where they were so damn awkward when they made their first public appearance as a couple in a fake marriage. and yes, Jack and Rose were strangers while Iris and Declan have history... but he’s her icy-cold, stoic older boss and they’re not that close. sure they banter back and forth but this? idk, i wasn’t convinced. it was unsatisfying bcos the tension, the awkwardness and the buildup is the best damn part!!
it was just completely uninspiring. both the characters and the romance.
bcos Declan felt like Rowan, and i truly don’t know who i disliked more? and Iris laughed as much as Zahra did and man did it erk the fuck out of me😭 then the fact Iris’s sole personality trait was being Declan’s assistant didn’t really help her case either. she was so flat and generic.
she legit had no life. no friends. no hobbies. no passion. all bcos she worked for Declan and that ate up all of her time... and she didn’t see an issue with that?? and the whole thing with her job interview??? i– no words.
She looks down at her plate. “Turns out people stop inviting you places when all you do is say no.”
“Why did you say no?”
“We lived two very different lifestyles. Most of my friends had nine-to-five jobs and worked only five days a week. At first, I tried to keep up with them, but eventually I was burning myself out. I had to choose between my job and my life, and we know how that went.” She motions toward me.
it’s also hard to root for Declan, and Rowan in the first book, when their whole capitalist vibe is constantly present within the book. it’s not easy to root for two guys who are aware of the shitty wages, working conditions, etc of their employees yet don’t really give a fuck bcos it doesn’t benefit them or the company. like Iris says this so casually:
Welcome to the Kane Company where employee wages are as dismal as company morale.
it’s so bleak and disturbing, honestly. especially as a person who lives in a working class town, raised and surrounded by working class people, it’s hard to look past the Kane’s mindsets. idk why the author includes it tbh? i have read too many CEO-type romances in my life but never any like the ones Lauren Asher writes where im fully aware and uncomfortable with the amount of wealth the H has. i think bcos it��s so emphasised not only how rich they are but how shitty their workers are treated that makes it so nauseating and stark.
like this quote. idk if it was supposed to be charming and swoony? but i just found it gross:
By the time the auctioneer steps away from the podium, I’ve spent over fifty-million dollars solely for the rush I get whenever Iris smiles.
maybe pay your workers above minimum wage before throwing your money around willy nilly.
usually in other CEO romances, we see the douchey rich guy but not much else beyond his sphere of wealth. and he usually gives to charity and holds charitable events etc that makes him a little more human. but seeing how the Kane’s wealth impacts the lives of the people they exploit... not the type of hero i like ngl. Rowan in book one only changed his tune to appease Zahra since she was one of the “poor people” he was “saving”. if he hadn’t met her, he probably would be the same capitalist douchebag we first met. now he’s just slightly less of a capitalist douchebag.
Declan does do some sort of sponsoring thing with kids. so yeah that’s cute and all, but you can do that AND give your workers a decent living wage so they can afford to, you know, live :) idk maybe im just in a silly goofy mood tho. and not Iris basically flinging her panties at him for doing the bare minimum of human decency when she finds out he sponsors kids despite JUST saying how bad the wages and morale of the workers are in his own damn company😍
she spent most of the book doing that tbh. just letting him get away with the bare minimum and never holding him accountable.
then the little scene at the hospital where he demands Iris have a private room bcos “money is no object” and that the nurse needs to understand this is the “real world”🙄 he was annoyed there was so much noise of people moving throughout the hospital... sir, that is how all hospitals function. i was legit there on Wednesday for one of my annual appointments and it was the exact same— they’re loud, they’re active, their bustling. waving your money and arrogance around as though it makes you better than everyone else? stfu please.
he says Fuck this place and the people in here. “We’re leaving.” bcos Iris has to share a room for like 2.68444 seconds while she gets her injured hand checked out. he truly acted like the hospital was a cesspit and that everyone was grossly below him... which i suppose, in his mind, they are. but damn, trying to root for him when he acts like that is almost impossible. questioning the doctor’s capabilities. being rude to nurses. making snuffy comments about how the hospital is ran. Declan, sir, your privilege is stinking up the waiting room so why don’t you just fuck off, yeah??
some people might say im being nit picky and this is just a romance so im thinking too hard about things... when the author includes that sort of thing, it’s hard for me not to notice it. i can’t look past shit like that bcos it distracts me from the romance. if i don’t like the characters as people, then rooting for their romance is impossible for me to do.
and the way Declan treats Iris during the inevitable conflict was just the final nail in the coffin for me. i was just skimming by that point and didn’t even know why he was being so mean... but i didn’t like him enough to care lol.
so in the end i was kinda fed up with this book. the only thing that truly kept me going was my baby Cal. stole the show hands down. any time he was on page, Declan and Iris who??? i can’t wait for his romance... Cal and Alana second chance romance WHEN?!?
March 11, 2023
The last 80 pages ruined the book for me.
WTH happened?
WTH happened?
August 18, 2023
Declan annoyed me so much with his rudeness and the whiplash of his moods. Please attend therapy for your daddy issues. Iris was sweet and she didn’t deserve to be belittled like that for all the years she worked for Declan.
January 12, 2022
I've had time to comprehend this book and I still stand by saying that these are the only terms and conditions I will ever willingly read. I never knew I'd be leaving a peace of my heart with Declan and Iris but I guess I missed that part in the fine print.
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the only time i'll ever read the terms and conditions is if it's written by lauren
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the only time i'll ever read the terms and conditions is if it's written by lauren
Want to read
June 20, 2021I’m not even done with book 1 but I SWEAR TO GOD IF THIS ISNT DECLAN AND IRIS BOOK I DONT WANT THEYRE MUST BE ENDGAME LAURENT! YOU HEAR ME!? E.N.D.G.A.M.E
February 6, 2023
3.75 fuck declan, i want iris
February 25, 2022
"I want to leave this world before you because I can't imagine having to go through a single day without you."
Crying, screaming, throwing up because I don’t have my own Declan.
Terms and Conditions is the second book in the Dreamland Billionaire series which follows Declan and Iris. If you love age gap, marriage of convenience, boss/employee with lots of tension then this book is perfect for you!
This book follows Declan who has to complete his grandfather’s inheritance clause by getting married and having a family. Declan needs to find someone to marry him and Iris, Declan's assistant, steps up and agrees to marry him so he can get his inheritance. The more time Declan and Iris spend together pretending to be in love the more the lines blur and things start to feel real.
Declan and Iris are the definition of soulmates and I enjoyed every page of their epic love story. The tension between them was amazing. Watching Declan the grumpy businessman go soft for Iris was just perfection.
I 100% recommend this book and all of Lauren Ashers books!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
April 20, 2024
3.90!
“How about ten words then?” I laugh. “I’d like to see you try.” “I am falling in love with you, Iris Elizabeth Kane.”
Ahahah this is a sign for me to understand that rereading a book doesnt always mean that the rating would increase for you because it certainly was not the case here. The writing was good, I don't have any problems with the style of Laurens writing, I actually found it very pretty and decent but what mattered more to me was how she executed some things and I don't think some of them were done well because it was a fairly large book like around 500 pages and there was a lot of time to do some things in a book in a well mannered way but hmph.
Iris and Declan, I think Iris is over hated for the third act breakup because if I was with a man who I had done everything for and had sacrificed most for him for years!! and he treated me like that I would have been pissed too so what she did was totally justified. Anyways, I liked her character a lot she was sweet and charismatic where Declan was broody ( another case of grumpy x sunshine) I think that trope was done really well. I liked how Declan groveled!! it was actually really nice to read because some characters dont grovel much and are accepted *cough* Aedion *cough* but yeah I literally have nothing else to say about them.
The romance was the best part I liked the marriage of convenience trope a lot it was done really well! and the first 50 % was reallly nice especially the development and with how everything was going. I was actually happy and thought that this could be five stars but then the middle part dragged so longgggg and I did not know what to do because the same thing was happening over and over again?? but then the last parts romance was good. (my review so messy because I am tried and I want to get it done with or I know ill come back to it a month later)
Another thing that I liked was the relationship between Cal and Iris!! that is how bestfriends act and if you do disagree I am sorry but you do not know what true friendship is like.
Also the main problem was the long page count with slow pacing and the third act break-up which I did not want. *fingers crossed that i'll like book 3*
Dirty air> Dreamland
___
Reread#1 in preparation for love redesigned. I remember liking it enough to give it a four and also Roxy getting mad at me because it wasn't a five?? I literally can't remember anything so let's see how this reread fares...
“How about ten words then?” I laugh. “I’d like to see you try.” “I am falling in love with you, Iris Elizabeth Kane.”
Ahahah this is a sign for me to understand that rereading a book doesnt always mean that the rating would increase for you because it certainly was not the case here. The writing was good, I don't have any problems with the style of Laurens writing, I actually found it very pretty and decent but what mattered more to me was how she executed some things and I don't think some of them were done well because it was a fairly large book like around 500 pages and there was a lot of time to do some things in a book in a well mannered way but hmph.
Iris and Declan, I think Iris is over hated for the third act breakup because if I was with a man who I had done everything for and had sacrificed most for him for years!! and he treated me like that I would have been pissed too so what she did was totally justified. Anyways, I liked her character a lot she was sweet and charismatic where Declan was broody ( another case of grumpy x sunshine) I think that trope was done really well. I liked how Declan groveled!! it was actually really nice to read because some characters dont grovel much and are accepted *cough* Aedion *cough* but yeah I literally have nothing else to say about them.
The romance was the best part I liked the marriage of convenience trope a lot it was done really well! and the first 50 % was reallly nice especially the development and with how everything was going. I was actually happy and thought that this could be five stars but then the middle part dragged so longgggg and I did not know what to do because the same thing was happening over and over again?? but then the last parts romance was good. (my review so messy because I am tried and I want to get it done with or I know ill come back to it a month later)
Another thing that I liked was the relationship between Cal and Iris!! that is how bestfriends act and if you do disagree I am sorry but you do not know what true friendship is like.
Also the main problem was the long page count with slow pacing and the third act break-up which I did not want. *fingers crossed that i'll like book 3*
Dirty air> Dreamland
___
Reread#1 in preparation for love redesigned. I remember liking it enough to give it a four and also Roxy getting mad at me because it wasn't a five?? I literally can't remember anything so let's see how this reread fares...
January 8, 2023
"Daisuki
Szeretlek
Ich liebe dich"
So after deliberating on it for a few minutes, I'm gonna give it 3 stars.
Here me out, I went in with extremely low expectations, to the point that my expectations were in a negative. I admit, I fully wanted to trash talk this book cause of The Fine Print. But it did impress me a fair bit, in my opinion 3 stars is not a bad rating. Or maybe the Fine Print was so bad, it makes Terms and Conditions look good 🤷♀️
It is a decent, enjoyable read. Let's go over the tropes-
✔️Dual POV
✔️Marriage of convenience
✔️Workplace romance
✔️Grumpy x sunshine
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Interracial couple
✔️Billionaire romance
✔️Fake dating
It's lighthearted, not over the top unlike the first book in the series which is so full of cliches that you would want to gag. Don't get me wrong, there's a fair amount of cliches in this one too but it's balanced quite well. One of my favourite scenes from this book would have to be when the couple help each other in dressing up- with Declan zipping Iris's dress up and Iris helping him with the bow tie. It's such an underrated, and sweet moment it made me swoon.
When it comes to the couple, Declan is by far the better one. Even though he presents a tough exterior, he's a marshmallow at heart for Iris. He's ready to open up, try new things just for her. He's willing to put in effort and that's so sexy in a man. The only off putting thing about him that I found was when he thought of Iris's ass as "globes". I found it creepy, immediately made me put the book down for the day *bleh*. It was giving women written by men vibes. Honestly, Lauren Asher should know better being a woman herself. It's disgusting 😭😭
Coming to Iris, initially I found her to be quite likable, intelligent and such a humorous personality. However, once I got into the second half of the book, I realised that there's zero character development in her. She's stubborn, selfish- extremely and has no regard for Declan or his feelings whatsoever. Some of the things she did in the last 25% of the book were shocking and manipulative. For instance- as Declan's assistant when she screwed up in the workplace, Declan had every right to be angry and correct her. But what she does is victimize herself, cause she has dyslexia (which FYI Declan was not being rude about) but she continued to throw drama over it for so many pages and unnecessarily victimizes herself. She proceeds to manipulate Declan to grovel for forgiveness. I mean the man raised a very good point- "So, this is how it's going to be? You're going to punish me whenever you don't get your way? What's next, withholding sex because I did something stupid like comment on your job performance?" It's quite an assessment of her character and 100% right. She proves that multiple times in the second half.
Compared to Rowan and Zahra, Declan and Iris have better chemistry, and intelligence. But Zahra and Iris are no better than each other in the end. Also, can I add how Zahra's presence annoyed me a lot in this one? Pfft. Another character that started to bother me in the second half was Cal. He is too biased and has no original thought of his own, sort of like Iris's pet. I'm worried about his book tbh.
Anywayyy, the 70% of the book is quite well written and enjoyable. It's what happens in the last 30% with too much of Zahra (for me) and Iris' bitchiness that I dropped my rating from 4 stars to 3. It does have its moments, highs and lows but overall it's decent.
Its a hit or miss kind of book tbh. You'll either like it or absolutely hate it. I'm probably going to read The Final Offer when it comes out, hopefully it's got likable characters.
Szeretlek
Ich liebe dich"
So after deliberating on it for a few minutes, I'm gonna give it 3 stars.
Here me out, I went in with extremely low expectations, to the point that my expectations were in a negative. I admit, I fully wanted to trash talk this book cause of The Fine Print. But it did impress me a fair bit, in my opinion 3 stars is not a bad rating. Or maybe the Fine Print was so bad, it makes Terms and Conditions look good 🤷♀️
It is a decent, enjoyable read. Let's go over the tropes-
✔️Dual POV
✔️Marriage of convenience
✔️Workplace romance
✔️Grumpy x sunshine
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Interracial couple
✔️Billionaire romance
✔️Fake dating
It's lighthearted, not over the top unlike the first book in the series which is so full of cliches that you would want to gag. Don't get me wrong, there's a fair amount of cliches in this one too but it's balanced quite well. One of my favourite scenes from this book would have to be when the couple help each other in dressing up- with Declan zipping Iris's dress up and Iris helping him with the bow tie. It's such an underrated, and sweet moment it made me swoon.
When it comes to the couple, Declan is by far the better one. Even though he presents a tough exterior, he's a marshmallow at heart for Iris. He's ready to open up, try new things just for her. He's willing to put in effort and that's so sexy in a man. The only off putting thing about him that I found was when he thought of Iris's ass as "globes". I found it creepy, immediately made me put the book down for the day *bleh*. It was giving women written by men vibes. Honestly, Lauren Asher should know better being a woman herself. It's disgusting 😭😭
Coming to Iris, initially I found her to be quite likable, intelligent and such a humorous personality. However, once I got into the second half of the book, I realised that there's zero character development in her. She's stubborn, selfish- extremely and has no regard for Declan or his feelings whatsoever. Some of the things she did in the last 25% of the book were shocking and manipulative. For instance- as Declan's assistant when she screwed up in the workplace, Declan had every right to be angry and correct her. But what she does is victimize herself, cause she has dyslexia (which FYI Declan was not being rude about) but she continued to throw drama over it for so many pages and unnecessarily victimizes herself. She proceeds to manipulate Declan to grovel for forgiveness. I mean the man raised a very good point- "So, this is how it's going to be? You're going to punish me whenever you don't get your way? What's next, withholding sex because I did something stupid like comment on your job performance?" It's quite an assessment of her character and 100% right. She proves that multiple times in the second half.
Compared to Rowan and Zahra, Declan and Iris have better chemistry, and intelligence. But Zahra and Iris are no better than each other in the end. Also, can I add how Zahra's presence annoyed me a lot in this one? Pfft. Another character that started to bother me in the second half was Cal. He is too biased and has no original thought of his own, sort of like Iris's pet. I'm worried about his book tbh.
Anywayyy, the 70% of the book is quite well written and enjoyable. It's what happens in the last 30% with too much of Zahra (for me) and Iris' bitchiness that I dropped my rating from 4 stars to 3. It does have its moments, highs and lows but overall it's decent.
Its a hit or miss kind of book tbh. You'll either like it or absolutely hate it. I'm probably going to read The Final Offer when it comes out, hopefully it's got likable characters.
April 12, 2024
✩ 1.25 stars.
i was struggling with this book from the beginning but kept going for cal’s scenes. it was a disaster for me, to be honest. i genuinely highlighted nothing but some of cal and iris’s dialogues which were the most entertaining for me.
☁️ declan was a carbon copy of rowan plus the mommy issues. it felt to me as if the author didn’t know which route to take with his character. she wanted to make him this hot grumpy asshole with an impenetrable cold exterior when he just came off as plain and boring… declan, babe, have you ever considered therapy?
☁️ i wanted to like iris so much and i seriously tried! but somehow she reminded me of zahra from the fine print who i wasn’t a fan of. to me, terms and conditions is another version of the fine print but with a couple of changes.
declan: *breathes*
iris: HE’S SO FUNNY! *proceeds to trip on air from laughter*
☁️ for the romance, it’s hard to detect any because unfortunately, i didn’t feel the chemistry between declan and iris. when i expect a marriage of convenience, boss/employee romance, i think of angst, jealousy, TENSION, and trying their best to deny they have actual feelings for one another! here, it was insta-lust and you could just tell from chapter two that declan was infatuated with iris. if he’s already head over heels this early on then what’s the point in me reading the rest of the book? i wasn’t able to see the connection between them (except for maybe their past but? what did they bond over? what did they do except go on fake dates and annoy me with mr yakura. couldn’t care less!!)
what i liked about this book: <3 callahan kane <3
i knew he was going to be my favorite since day one. so far he managed to not make his whole personality based fully on his father. he is actually interesting. i really hope his book is better than the fine print and terms and conditions. alana and cal better give me the second chance romance i need from them!
i was struggling with this book from the beginning but kept going for cal’s scenes. it was a disaster for me, to be honest. i genuinely highlighted nothing but some of cal and iris’s dialogues which were the most entertaining for me.
☁️ declan was a carbon copy of rowan plus the mommy issues. it felt to me as if the author didn’t know which route to take with his character. she wanted to make him this hot grumpy asshole with an impenetrable cold exterior when he just came off as plain and boring… declan, babe, have you ever considered therapy?
☁️ i wanted to like iris so much and i seriously tried! but somehow she reminded me of zahra from the fine print who i wasn’t a fan of. to me, terms and conditions is another version of the fine print but with a couple of changes.
declan: *breathes*
iris: HE’S SO FUNNY! *proceeds to trip on air from laughter*
☁️ for the romance, it’s hard to detect any because unfortunately, i didn’t feel the chemistry between declan and iris. when i expect a marriage of convenience, boss/employee romance, i think of angst, jealousy, TENSION, and trying their best to deny they have actual feelings for one another! here, it was insta-lust and you could just tell from chapter two that declan was infatuated with iris. if he’s already head over heels this early on then what’s the point in me reading the rest of the book? i wasn’t able to see the connection between them (except for maybe their past but? what did they bond over? what did they do except go on fake dates and annoy me with mr yakura. couldn’t care less!!)
what i liked about this book: <3 callahan kane <3
”Cal breaks through the crowd and raises his drink in the air. “Family therapy is on Thursday nights. Don’t be late!”
i knew he was going to be my favorite since day one. so far he managed to not make his whole personality based fully on his father. he is actually interesting. i really hope his book is better than the fine print and terms and conditions. alana and cal better give me the second chance romance i need from them!
July 24, 2023
2.5 ⭐
Zahra and Iris could swap husbands and no one would notice ☠️
OVERALL THOUGHTS Lauren Asher really said COPY AND PASTE. This book was the exact copy of The Fine Print. The only terms and conditions that I see were "You are obliged to use the exact same formula, an identical male love interest, just switch the names and use the fake marriage trope". So don't mind this review being repetitive, I had no choice. Again like with The Fine Print, the idea was good, the execution not so much. And now I'm wondering, how did it happen that I had enjoyed Throttled that much??? This book could have objectively been rated even lower, but you know, I'm trying to not be so harsh. The beginning of this book was pretty nice, I liked the opening chapter... and since it was Iris's POV, I noticed the pattern. Everytime the story was told from her perspective, it became more bearable. But then a Declan chapter would come (almost wrote Rowan), and everything would go downhill again. Plot points were nice, I like how these books have actual things happening in terms of work and life not tightly connected to romance. So yes, romance was the biggest issue here. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THESE TWO PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE. I said the same in my The Fine Print review, and that statement works here as well. Again, I must confess, I have grasped a bit more chemistry from Iris and Declan (Rowan 2.0) than Zahra and Rowan (Rowan the Original). Still, it's nowhere NEAR a good relationship. And maybe you are wondering, why didn't you rate the book 1 star if you didn't like it?
Like I said, I'm being a good human today, and also two genuine reasons:
1. I like Iris a lot, just like Zahra, maybe even more than Zahra, yes, more than her
2. CAL CRUMBS GAVE ME LIFE (which makes me both very optimistic and scared for the third book. Based on his behavior in the first two books, I think he's going to be my favorite brother. And also, if the author destroys his character in the last book, I'm going to be SO UPSET).
One more thing, disability representation is everything in these books. It makes me so happy to see conditions like Down Syndrome and dyslexia in popular fiction.
CHARACTERS
IRIS I LOVE WOMEN! She was strong, beautiful, independent, everything I look for in a female protagonist (and protagonists in general). She treated people around her with so much care and respect (except for Declan's father ofc, but that prick doesn't deserve nice things). She was dedicated to her job a little bit too much, and I honestly feel like she put so much on the line for a man who doesn't deserve her. She was always there to save the day and basically ran all of Declan's business for him. And that didn't stop him from blaming everything that went downhill on her the first chance he got. And THE WORST, SHE FORGAVE HIM! Iris, I love you girl, but please stand up. Smh, I'll give you a simple representation of romance in these books: We have two shells left on the coast of an abandoned island. And these two shells end up falling in love. OF COURSE THEY WILL, not like any other options were available? Not a single one of these characters has a friend (Cal doesn't count), a colleague, someone to contact for advice, an acquaintance they meet in the elevator. THAT'S WHAT MAKES THESE BOOKS SO UNSERIOUS. If you want me to genuinely believe in someone's connection, you have to work a bit harder than putting them in a room together alone.
DECLAN I have no words for this man. Dear romance authors, you characters aren't grumpy and sarcastic, they are rude pieces of shit who don't deserve anyone's love and forgiveness. Adopting a stray dog won't get you a personality! I'm sorry but it's the truth. Iris shouldn't have married him in the first place (she wasn't money hungry so the whole thing didn't bring anything to the table for her), let alone stay with him. And before you attack me, cooking a meal once and throwing two or three foreign words here and there (that was so cringe and he couldn't stop) doesn't make you a (good) human being. Imagine receiving a random picture from a person that put you down in the worst way possible captioned LONGING???? The only thing I would long for is the BLOCK CONTACT button.
End of rant, I'm so sad I didn't like this book. CAL's story is next, I at least hope he's a decent human being.
Zahra and Iris could swap husbands and no one would notice ☠️
OVERALL THOUGHTS Lauren Asher really said COPY AND PASTE. This book was the exact copy of The Fine Print. The only terms and conditions that I see were "You are obliged to use the exact same formula, an identical male love interest, just switch the names and use the fake marriage trope". So don't mind this review being repetitive, I had no choice. Again like with The Fine Print, the idea was good, the execution not so much. And now I'm wondering, how did it happen that I had enjoyed Throttled that much??? This book could have objectively been rated even lower, but you know, I'm trying to not be so harsh. The beginning of this book was pretty nice, I liked the opening chapter... and since it was Iris's POV, I noticed the pattern. Everytime the story was told from her perspective, it became more bearable. But then a Declan chapter would come (almost wrote Rowan), and everything would go downhill again. Plot points were nice, I like how these books have actual things happening in terms of work and life not tightly connected to romance. So yes, romance was the biggest issue here. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THESE TWO PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE. I said the same in my The Fine Print review, and that statement works here as well. Again, I must confess, I have grasped a bit more chemistry from Iris and Declan (Rowan 2.0) than Zahra and Rowan (Rowan the Original). Still, it's nowhere NEAR a good relationship. And maybe you are wondering, why didn't you rate the book 1 star if you didn't like it?
Like I said, I'm being a good human today, and also two genuine reasons:
1. I like Iris a lot, just like Zahra, maybe even more than Zahra, yes, more than her
2. CAL CRUMBS GAVE ME LIFE (which makes me both very optimistic and scared for the third book. Based on his behavior in the first two books, I think he's going to be my favorite brother. And also, if the author destroys his character in the last book, I'm going to be SO UPSET).
One more thing, disability representation is everything in these books. It makes me so happy to see conditions like Down Syndrome and dyslexia in popular fiction.
CHARACTERS
IRIS I LOVE WOMEN! She was strong, beautiful, independent, everything I look for in a female protagonist (and protagonists in general). She treated people around her with so much care and respect (except for Declan's father ofc, but that prick doesn't deserve nice things). She was dedicated to her job a little bit too much, and I honestly feel like she put so much on the line for a man who doesn't deserve her. She was always there to save the day and basically ran all of Declan's business for him. And that didn't stop him from blaming everything that went downhill on her the first chance he got. And THE WORST, SHE FORGAVE HIM! Iris, I love you girl, but please stand up. Smh, I'll give you a simple representation of romance in these books: We have two shells left on the coast of an abandoned island. And these two shells end up falling in love. OF COURSE THEY WILL, not like any other options were available? Not a single one of these characters has a friend (Cal doesn't count), a colleague, someone to contact for advice, an acquaintance they meet in the elevator. THAT'S WHAT MAKES THESE BOOKS SO UNSERIOUS. If you want me to genuinely believe in someone's connection, you have to work a bit harder than putting them in a room together alone.
DECLAN I have no words for this man. Dear romance authors, you characters aren't grumpy and sarcastic, they are rude pieces of shit who don't deserve anyone's love and forgiveness. Adopting a stray dog won't get you a personality! I'm sorry but it's the truth. Iris shouldn't have married him in the first place (she wasn't money hungry so the whole thing didn't bring anything to the table for her), let alone stay with him. And before you attack me, cooking a meal once and throwing two or three foreign words here and there (that was so cringe and he couldn't stop) doesn't make you a (good) human being. Imagine receiving a random picture from a person that put you down in the worst way possible captioned LONGING???? The only thing I would long for is the BLOCK CONTACT button.
End of rant, I'm so sad I didn't like this book. CAL's story is next, I at least hope he's a decent human being.
June 30, 2022
I can’t stop thinking about Christmas dinner with the family.🎄
Between Zahra’s belly laughing, Iris’s wheezy laughing, 2 men who mostly refuse to smile at all cost and 85 children by that time, it’s going to be a hoot. I don’t know the story of brother 3 yet, but honestly, is it going to make this family more sane?I’m not holding my breath.
Ok, I’m clearly not a fan. FYI: This ‘review’ will most likely be a rant (a long one) with major spoilers.
First of all, this book is basically ‘The Fine Print’ with some small adjustments. I wasn’t that exited about the fine print, so I wasn’t really planning on reading it twice. And honestly, this one is worse. I was going to give it 2 stars because I think I smiled twice or something? I also thought it was kind of cute he made everyone use Ariel because he read that it was an easier font for people with dyslexia. But I changed my mind because honestly this book doesn’t really have a storyline? Like what’s the point? We’re going back and forth a bit and that’s it. It’s also toxicity at it’s finest.
Let’s get this small annoyance out of the way first. Chapter 2 (Declan) and Chapter 3 (Iris); They are already going on and on about how they get warm and fuzzy over a laugh, and how they are trying to keep their feelings to a minimum. ‘I shouldn’t touch her like this, it blurs to many lines’.
Why?
You’ve known each other for 3 years and have never had any romantic feelings or moments together whatsoever and now all of the sudden someone laughs and we’re losing our mind?
How? Why? What changed?
Also, why should I care? I don’t know you, we’re on page 19.
But my biggest issue with these books is the ‘character building’, if you can really call it that. The men are both in their mid thirties, they are so completely emotionally dysfunctional, to a point where it’s hard to believe. I know there are pricks in the world, but Declan and Rowan are the most one-dimensional ‘I’m an asshole and I don’t want to change’ characters I’ve ever seen. Apparently there’s not a single person in the world that likes them and they want to be alone for ever and ever.
Until a woman blinks at them or whatever and they lose all control of their emotions. How does that make sense. Especially with Declan and Iris since they’ve known each other for years and now all of the sudden he’s always been in love with her. No, you weren’t? Why change the story halfway through the book?
I also have an issue with the women in these books, mainly because they laugh at everything. Luckily Zahra laughs like Santa Claus and Iris laughs like she has a lung disease, so we can tell them apart. But seriously, that’s 90% of their personality. Until they have the tiniest thing to be upset about, like this scenario towards the end of the second book:
So, they got into an argument, like their first one. Iris immediately thinks about ending her marriage, jumps on his private jet and leaves without telling him, refuses to come home, refuses to talk to him and quits her job. They argued because he is angry that his abusive father is trying to sabotage an important business deal they've been working on for years. She said he wasn't handling it the right way, he told her to stay out of it and he's still the boss (which honestly, valid. Yes, you’re a team, but also, you’re his secretary and you don’t have the credentials to be the CEO of a billion dollar company) and now he’s ‘using her learning disability against her’ and he isn’t worthy of her because apparently he’s the biggest menace on the planet. Seems like a well balanced, reasonable reaction.
Of course we find out Iris was right all along, despite it actually being his job, so logically he should know how to handle a situation like this and she really has no a clue as this is NOT HER JOB.
I can't.
And then they really saved the best for last..
there’s this comment in the last chapter:
“Anxious Declan is my favorite Declan because it’s the version of him no one else knows about.”
Please tell me you didn’t just say the favorite thing about your husband, the love of your life, is his anxiety, which showed because he was waiting for your approval and he’s scared you’re gonna run again because he thinks that he’s unloveable. Literally his own words. Unlovable. How is this romantic.
I’m not going to talk about both epilogues, because I don’t like them and I don’t want to.
Between Zahra’s belly laughing, Iris’s wheezy laughing, 2 men who mostly refuse to smile at all cost and 85 children by that time, it’s going to be a hoot. I don’t know the story of brother 3 yet, but honestly, is it going to make this family more sane?
Ok, I’m clearly not a fan. FYI: This ‘review’ will most likely be a rant (a long one) with major spoilers.
First of all, this book is basically ‘The Fine Print’ with some small adjustments. I wasn’t that exited about the fine print, so I wasn’t really planning on reading it twice. And honestly, this one is worse. I was going to give it 2 stars because I think I smiled twice or something? I also thought it was kind of cute he made everyone use Ariel because he read that it was an easier font for people with dyslexia. But I changed my mind because honestly this book doesn’t really have a storyline? Like what’s the point? We’re going back and forth a bit and that’s it. It’s also toxicity at it’s finest.
Let’s get this small annoyance out of the way first. Chapter 2 (Declan) and Chapter 3 (Iris); They are already going on and on about how they get warm and fuzzy over a laugh, and how they are trying to keep their feelings to a minimum. ‘I shouldn’t touch her like this, it blurs to many lines’.
Why?
You’ve known each other for 3 years and have never had any romantic feelings or moments together whatsoever and now all of the sudden someone laughs and we’re losing our mind?
How? Why? What changed?
Also, why should I care? I don’t know you, we’re on page 19.
But my biggest issue with these books is the ‘character building’, if you can really call it that. The men are both in their mid thirties, they are so completely emotionally dysfunctional, to a point where it’s hard to believe. I know there are pricks in the world, but Declan and Rowan are the most one-dimensional ‘I’m an asshole and I don’t want to change’ characters I’ve ever seen. Apparently there’s not a single person in the world that likes them and they want to be alone for ever and ever.
Until a woman blinks at them or whatever and they lose all control of their emotions. How does that make sense. Especially with Declan and Iris since they’ve known each other for years and now all of the sudden he’s always been in love with her. No, you weren’t? Why change the story halfway through the book?
I also have an issue with the women in these books, mainly because they laugh at everything. Luckily Zahra laughs like Santa Claus and Iris laughs like she has a lung disease, so we can tell them apart. But seriously, that’s 90% of their personality. Until they have the tiniest thing to be upset about, like this scenario towards the end of the second book:
So, they got into an argument, like their first one. Iris immediately thinks about ending her marriage, jumps on his private jet and leaves without telling him, refuses to come home, refuses to talk to him and quits her job. They argued because he is angry that his abusive father is trying to sabotage an important business deal they've been working on for years. She said he wasn't handling it the right way, he told her to stay out of it and he's still the boss (which honestly, valid. Yes, you’re a team, but also, you’re his secretary and you don’t have the credentials to be the CEO of a billion dollar company) and now he’s ‘using her learning disability against her’ and he isn’t worthy of her because apparently he’s the biggest menace on the planet. Seems like a well balanced, reasonable reaction.
Of course we find out Iris was right all along, despite it actually being his job, so logically he should know how to handle a situation like this and she really has no a clue as this is NOT HER JOB.
I can't.
And then they really saved the best for last..
there’s this comment in the last chapter:
“Anxious Declan is my favorite Declan because it’s the version of him no one else knows about.”
Please tell me you didn’t just say the favorite thing about your husband, the love of your life, is his anxiety, which showed because he was waiting for your approval and he’s scared you’re gonna run again because he thinks that he’s unloveable. Literally his own words. Unlovable. How is this romantic.
I’m not going to talk about both epilogues, because I don’t like them and I don’t want to.
August 18, 2023
“I couldn’t care less about anyone else’s happiness besides your own.”
I don’t know what it is about these books that bring me joy, but they are giving me some motherfuckin’ joy. 😍
I mean, I enjoyed book 1, but this? Is more my speed, more my language.
Iris is a force. My girl has not had it easy. From being bullied for her learning differences to growing up in an abusive environment, to not being able to complete her studies, I don’t even know where she found the strength to continue.
But her determination, the way she consistently pushed through every set back was admirable to read about.
Her sense of humour was unmatched.
Plus her friendship with Cal was such a highlight in this book!
Declan and his whole grumpy and angry demeanour? I related to that idiot. Hard.
Him and his brothers all have tragic backstories. So much of your childhood shapes you and I like how Lauren Asher highlighted that.
Declan took on the protective role, shielding his brothers from his father’s wrath.
A lot of Declan’s struggle came from not wanting to be like his father but having those traits within him anyway, whilst trying to change and recognising those traits.
I understood and felt that to my core!
I like that we get to see the relationships between him and his siblings evolve throughout these books. Whether they’re good or bad.
“Don’t look at me that way. I don’t have nearly as many daddy issues as the other two.”
“That’s because you got a whole host of other problems.”
“It makes me layered.”
“No. It means you need to seek therapy.”
The tropes in this one were especially good too. Marriage of convenience, with fake dating, with forced proximity AND a grumpy/sunshine dynamic WITH banter? Yes. 👌🏾
I’ve been having such a good time with this series and I can’t wait to read Cal’s story. I Amazon Primed that baby before I even finished this book.
I don’t know what it is about these books that bring me joy, but they are giving me some motherfuckin’ joy. 😍
I mean, I enjoyed book 1, but this? Is more my speed, more my language.
Iris is a force. My girl has not had it easy. From being bullied for her learning differences to growing up in an abusive environment, to not being able to complete her studies, I don’t even know where she found the strength to continue.
But her determination, the way she consistently pushed through every set back was admirable to read about.
Her sense of humour was unmatched.
Plus her friendship with Cal was such a highlight in this book!
Declan and his whole grumpy and angry demeanour? I related to that idiot. Hard.
Him and his brothers all have tragic backstories. So much of your childhood shapes you and I like how Lauren Asher highlighted that.
Declan took on the protective role, shielding his brothers from his father’s wrath.
A lot of Declan’s struggle came from not wanting to be like his father but having those traits within him anyway, whilst trying to change and recognising those traits.
I understood and felt that to my core!
I like that we get to see the relationships between him and his siblings evolve throughout these books. Whether they’re good or bad.
“Don’t look at me that way. I don’t have nearly as many daddy issues as the other two.”
“That’s because you got a whole host of other problems.”
“It makes me layered.”
“No. It means you need to seek therapy.”
The tropes in this one were especially good too. Marriage of convenience, with fake dating, with forced proximity AND a grumpy/sunshine dynamic WITH banter? Yes. 👌🏾
I’ve been having such a good time with this series and I can’t wait to read Cal’s story. I Amazon Primed that baby before I even finished this book.
January 1, 2023
Declan Kane speaks Arabic. And it was so. Fucking. Hot.
October 31, 2023
—— 3.75 ✰ stars.
Mood of the book: pov by Ariana Grande and Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls.
“Someone who could prove that love can heal a soul as much as it can destroy it”
After rereading all my notes, even though the score will still be 3.75✰ I am going to give it 4✰. The initial reason I didn't give this book the 4✰ is the final conflict, just ridiculous and unnecessary.
About the plot:
As in The Fine Print, Terms and Conditions is about the task that Declan has to complete to receive his share of the inheritance, which is to get married and produce an heir. The candidate that his assistant, Iris, chooses suddenly decides to break the contract and it is Iris who offers to marry Declan in exchange for financial compensation.
The slow burn of this book is very good, I really liked it and like its predecessor in the series, Lauren Asher's writing is very easy to read and very addictive, and once again I must praise her for the inclusion of the book, which in this case is dyslexia. As a person who suffers from dyslexia, I really liked being able to relate to Iris's difficulties, even though we don't have the same type of dyslexia, and I really admired her throughout the book for not letting that be a problem for her to get what she wanted.
About the characters:
- Declan: Like Rowan, he has strong daddy issues, although in a different way, in this case Declan believes that he does not deserve to be loved by anyone.
“What’s the point of letting people in when they always leave anyway”
He is very introverted and talking to strangers is not his thing and I loved his grumpy behavior about it.
“At least I don't have to pretend to like people today”
But what I liked most about him were the subtle way of showing affection to Iris and the things he did to help her with her dyslexia without her knowing.
Sweet moments:
“—We both know you actually like my brain. – I like your heart more”
“—I'm enjoying the view. – Says the man who hasn't even looked outside once. – That’s not the view im talking about”
“—Ask me why I hate when people use Times New Roman instead of Arial. (…) I read somewhere online that sans serif fonts are easier for people with dyslexia to read, so I changed my requirements”
“ – I did some research on how people with learning differences like yours do better with verbal and written instructions”
In short, I think Declan is a much more complex character than Rowan, with more real fears and anxieties that justify his cold and harsh behavior.
- Iris: WOOOW queen Iris okkkkkkk!!! I loved Iris as the female main character, she is a strong, determined woman who knows what she wants and who has very real traumas and difficulties. The only thing that I disliked a little was her way of acting in the third act conflict, I think it was a bit exaggerated, she had every right in the world to be angry but doing such a drama was a bit excessive in my humble opinion. She taught Declan that not every house is a home, to love and let others love you, and that life is more than just existing and that's what's really important.
"-- Anyone can buy a house, but not anyone can buy a home. A home is more abstract. Its not a place, but a feeling I can't describe, so you will have to take my word for it”
Words in other languages seemed to me to be the sweetest thing in the world and the most tender.
“She taught me how some people need a hundred words to express a single thought, while some people only need one word to share a hundred words” My personal favorite is Daisuki.
The smut has hardly caused me to cringe, which is something new and very good.
Finally, I would like to share a quote that I really liked and that made me shed a tear:
“For someone hell-bent on succeeding at everything, he truly fails at life. I want to help him realize that there is so much more to everything than merely existing. That if he spends any more years skipping out on what is truly important, he will regret it.”
Lastly I feel this review is a bit over the place but I had a lot of thoughts to share hehe 🥲
Mood of the book: pov by Ariana Grande and Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls.
“Someone who could prove that love can heal a soul as much as it can destroy it”
After rereading all my notes, even though the score will still be 3.75✰ I am going to give it 4✰. The initial reason I didn't give this book the 4✰ is the final conflict, just ridiculous and unnecessary.
About the plot:
As in The Fine Print, Terms and Conditions is about the task that Declan has to complete to receive his share of the inheritance, which is to get married and produce an heir. The candidate that his assistant, Iris, chooses suddenly decides to break the contract and it is Iris who offers to marry Declan in exchange for financial compensation.
The slow burn of this book is very good, I really liked it and like its predecessor in the series, Lauren Asher's writing is very easy to read and very addictive, and once again I must praise her for the inclusion of the book, which in this case is dyslexia. As a person who suffers from dyslexia, I really liked being able to relate to Iris's difficulties, even though we don't have the same type of dyslexia, and I really admired her throughout the book for not letting that be a problem for her to get what she wanted.
About the characters:
- Declan: Like Rowan, he has strong daddy issues, although in a different way, in this case Declan believes that he does not deserve to be loved by anyone.
“What’s the point of letting people in when they always leave anyway”
He is very introverted and talking to strangers is not his thing and I loved his grumpy behavior about it.
“At least I don't have to pretend to like people today”
But what I liked most about him were the subtle way of showing affection to Iris and the things he did to help her with her dyslexia without her knowing.
Sweet moments:
“—We both know you actually like my brain. – I like your heart more”
“—I'm enjoying the view. – Says the man who hasn't even looked outside once. – That’s not the view im talking about”
“—Ask me why I hate when people use Times New Roman instead of Arial. (…) I read somewhere online that sans serif fonts are easier for people with dyslexia to read, so I changed my requirements”
“ – I did some research on how people with learning differences like yours do better with verbal and written instructions”
In short, I think Declan is a much more complex character than Rowan, with more real fears and anxieties that justify his cold and harsh behavior.
- Iris: WOOOW queen Iris okkkkkkk!!! I loved Iris as the female main character, she is a strong, determined woman who knows what she wants and who has very real traumas and difficulties. The only thing that I disliked a little was her way of acting in the third act conflict, I think it was a bit exaggerated, she had every right in the world to be angry but doing such a drama was a bit excessive in my humble opinion. She taught Declan that not every house is a home, to love and let others love you, and that life is more than just existing and that's what's really important.
"-- Anyone can buy a house, but not anyone can buy a home. A home is more abstract. Its not a place, but a feeling I can't describe, so you will have to take my word for it”
Words in other languages seemed to me to be the sweetest thing in the world and the most tender.
“She taught me how some people need a hundred words to express a single thought, while some people only need one word to share a hundred words” My personal favorite is Daisuki.
The smut has hardly caused me to cringe, which is something new and very good.
Finally, I would like to share a quote that I really liked and that made me shed a tear:
“For someone hell-bent on succeeding at everything, he truly fails at life. I want to help him realize that there is so much more to everything than merely existing. That if he spends any more years skipping out on what is truly important, he will regret it.”
Lastly I feel this review is a bit over the place but I had a lot of thoughts to share hehe 🥲
February 28, 2022
@ Lauren Asher,
but next time, try harder 🖤
book 1 review
but next time, try harder 🖤
book 1 review
September 13, 2024
Reread #1 - ALLURE's September Group Read
Why do I kind of hate Declan after this read??? lol
I still enjoyed this one a lot, and would definitely rate it a solid 4after the reread. There was so much love and growth packed into this that it made up for the shitty times.
What a jerk though! I'm happy to see that Declan wants to stop continuing the pattern here, but it took a long time to get to that point. Their spice and evolution were excellent though, so I can't complain.
I audiobooked it this time and at first the narrator wasn't meshing well with me haha. But as time went on I stopped noticing, so I think that speaks for the writing in my eyes!
----------------------------------------------
4.5 ⭐️‘s
From the jump, Iris and Declan steal the show. They are an entertaining couple with an equally fun story! I didn't like the whole "Is Iris setting this up because she likes me?! Eww" schoolyard vibe in the beginning...
But that's just because I'm a tension gal — Be oblivious, Declan! haha
But their chemistry and dynamics are killer. I am a sucker for fake dating, so fake marriage did the trick! I love the forced proximity throughout the book. It was also super cute how quickly Declan became accustomed to spending every second with Iris.
Now the big fight ...
He blew up on our girl Iris for something so small. Her reaction had me laughing a bit too. Without giving anything away... I found it a bit unbelievable on both ends, but Declan always redeems himself. Being inside their minds means you witness firsthand all of the growth Declan makes internally throughout the book.
The last things I'll pick at are the grinding of molars, wheezy laughs, and "globes" of an ass LOL.
But all in all, this was a fabulous read. I adored the cute dates, surprise trips, and "cheeky banter" between the pair. It may not be a perfect five-star, but it is worth the read!
I still enjoyed this one a lot, and would definitely rate it a solid 4after the reread. There was so much love and growth packed into this that it made up for the shitty times.
What a jerk though! I'm happy to see that Declan wants to stop continuing the pattern here, but it took a long time to get to that point. Their spice and evolution were excellent though, so I can't complain.
I audiobooked it this time and at first the narrator wasn't meshing well with me haha. But as time went on I stopped noticing, so I think that speaks for the writing in my eyes!
----------------------------------------------
4.5 ⭐️‘s
From the jump, Iris and Declan steal the show. They are an entertaining couple with an equally fun story! I didn't like the whole "Is Iris setting this up because she likes me?! Eww" schoolyard vibe in the beginning...
But that's just because I'm a tension gal — Be oblivious, Declan! haha
But their chemistry and dynamics are killer. I am a sucker for fake dating, so fake marriage did the trick! I love the forced proximity throughout the book. It was also super cute how quickly Declan became accustomed to spending every second with Iris.
Now the big fight ...
He blew up on our girl Iris for something so small. Her reaction had me laughing a bit too. Without giving anything away... I found it a bit unbelievable on both ends, but Declan always redeems himself. Being inside their minds means you witness firsthand all of the growth Declan makes internally throughout the book.
The last things I'll pick at are the grinding of molars, wheezy laughs, and "globes" of an ass LOL.
But all in all, this was a fabulous read. I adored the cute dates, surprise trips, and "cheeky banter" between the pair. It may not be a perfect five-star, but it is worth the read!
July 19, 2023
— 3 stars ✰
"fake marriage or not. iris is destined to be
with one man and one man only. me"
there were a lot of popular tropes (fake marriage, office romance, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine), third act breakup without any groveling, money being spent like it was nothing, cheesy love declarations & hero who is secretly obsessed with her since the beginning
let's start with the parts i liked about this book
poc representation, how they used foreign words to express themselves, him being wrapped around her finger, CAL 💞💘💕💗 his book better be good, and moments that made me swoon
also, the writing has improved so much since the fine print!!
"i am falling in love with you, iris elizabeth kane"
okay, now my problems with this book
every single chapter, they do something together. every single. one. does she not want to have like.. idk??? some time for herself? i get the part of forced proximity and all that but the tension would've been so much better if they didn't spent every single minute with each other!!
him spending 50 millions just to make her smile?
in what world do we live in?
it was written purely for booktok, i said what i said
the way declan acted towards end was so out of character, the way he talked down to iris made me so incredibly mad. like, who are you to say all this shit and don't get me started on how he didn't even really grovel. he, what, was alone for like a week just for iris to take him back immediately?
"fake marriage or not. iris is destined to be
with one man and one man only. me"
there were a lot of popular tropes (fake marriage, office romance, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine), third act breakup without any groveling, money being spent like it was nothing, cheesy love declarations & hero who is secretly obsessed with her since the beginning
let's start with the parts i liked about this book
poc representation, how they used foreign words to express themselves, him being wrapped around her finger, CAL 💞💘💕💗 his book better be good, and moments that made me swoon
also, the writing has improved so much since the fine print!!
"i am falling in love with you, iris elizabeth kane"
okay, now my problems with this book
every single chapter, they do something together. every single. one. does she not want to have like.. idk??? some time for herself? i get the part of forced proximity and all that but the tension would've been so much better if they didn't spent every single minute with each other!!
him spending 50 millions just to make her smile?
in what world do we live in?
it was written purely for booktok, i said what i said
the way declan acted towards end was so out of character, the way he talked down to iris made me so incredibly mad. like, who are you to say all this shit and don't get me started on how he didn't even really grovel. he, what, was alone for like a week just for iris to take him back immediately?
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 5, 2022Dnf @ 25%
IRIS DESERVES BETTER. Declan can eat a bag of dicks.
IRIS DESERVES BETTER. Declan can eat a bag of dicks.
September 24, 2024
╰┈➤ 3.75 stars!
this book didn't hit as much as the other two, but i still enjoyed reading it! i can definitely say that it was worth my time!
౨ৎ declan. this man is DOWN BAD, and when i say that, i meant it in a way where he's literally worshipping the ground she walks on. he didn't know about it at first, which sucks, but he came around! thank goodness for that because i was about to shake this man out of his mind for him to be aware of his feelings! also, this man is sooo hot and his soft spot for iris just makes me smile so muuuch! i mean, who wouldn't want to see a man getting all sappy for his girl, right?!
౨ৎ iris. she is a plant queen, and i truly love her for that. this woman is so smart, that's why i get why declan didn't want her to resign. she can handle his hotheadedness, and i think no one could ever do it like her. this woman's patience for declan is literally never ending. moving on to her side of life, it was sad to see having a hard time committing because of his past. it sucks that we often question love because we didn't get to witness it firsthand, but declan made her believe that it was possible for her to have a real, and healthy love.
all in all, i think that there were times where their chemistry was missing, but when i was near the end, all the missing chemistry from the start were literally oozing out at the last part! also, santi was mentioned in this book because declan was an F1 fan!
౨ৎ favorite lines/quotes:
"You make tonight somewhat more bearable."
"Forelsket."
"I found my newest addiction, and it happens to be my husband."
"It's cute you think you can outrun me, but I'll give you a head start just to make things interesting."
"Learning how to forgive is just as important as asking for it in the first place."
"These are my terms and conditions, take it or leave it because I'm not open to negotiations."
this book didn't hit as much as the other two, but i still enjoyed reading it! i can definitely say that it was worth my time!
౨ৎ declan. this man is DOWN BAD, and when i say that, i meant it in a way where he's literally worshipping the ground she walks on. he didn't know about it at first, which sucks, but he came around! thank goodness for that because i was about to shake this man out of his mind for him to be aware of his feelings! also, this man is sooo hot and his soft spot for iris just makes me smile so muuuch! i mean, who wouldn't want to see a man getting all sappy for his girl, right?!
౨ৎ iris. she is a plant queen, and i truly love her for that. this woman is so smart, that's why i get why declan didn't want her to resign. she can handle his hotheadedness, and i think no one could ever do it like her. this woman's patience for declan is literally never ending. moving on to her side of life, it was sad to see having a hard time committing because of his past. it sucks that we often question love because we didn't get to witness it firsthand, but declan made her believe that it was possible for her to have a real, and healthy love.
all in all, i think that there were times where their chemistry was missing, but when i was near the end, all the missing chemistry from the start were literally oozing out at the last part! also, santi was mentioned in this book because declan was an F1 fan!
౨ৎ favorite lines/quotes:
"You make tonight somewhat more bearable."
"Forelsket."
"I found my newest addiction, and it happens to be my husband."
"It's cute you think you can outrun me, but I'll give you a head start just to make things interesting."
"Learning how to forgive is just as important as asking for it in the first place."
"These are my terms and conditions, take it or leave it because I'm not open to negotiations."
February 25, 2022
3⭐️
y'all i was so ready to give this a 3.5 but that last chapter... fucking SAVED it. don't get me wrong, it was WAYYYYY better than book 1. it started out so well too that i devoured it. BUT BUT i'm still a little disappointed because i did think that we'll have daddy declan grow and mature through a family, like the contract said... but we never got a daddy declan :) and that's what pissed me off. yes after sleeping on it, i don't remember shit so minus a point hehe.
tropes:
- age gap
- grumpy/sunshine
- marriage of convenience & fake dating
- best friend's brother
- workplace (boss/assistant)
- hero falls first
- hero doesn't care about sex until her
- slowburn
- forced proximity
- family drama (daddy and mommy issues)
- jealous and possessive hero
the tropes in this book complemented each other, i really think it matched their vibes. i didn't think it would be such a slowburn but it kinda was? i just kept thinking "when y'all gonna fuck already". i also found zahra still very annoying so i was bored when she showed up and was saying bla bla bla ugh. BUT i do think that i liked declan way too much so i'm upping my rating for him because the shit he does.
THE WAY THIS WAS IN CHAPTER FUCKING TWO. i was instantly hooked and couldn't stop reading because HELLOOOO???
we love a possessive hero. we LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE this way too much... i was just oh my... he's hot when he's all woof woof on people.
bitches come and go bruh. but you know i stay. where do i fucking find a declan? heheheh please :) i'm begging you please :) PLEASE PLEASEEE.
yes i did tear up for them :) but like in a happy way you know... IDK why i cry at stupid shit like this but when someone dies i'm all :|.... IDK OK.
ok now for the cal talk... I CAN'T WAITTTTTT for his book. i mean he's the only one who doesn't have any mommy or daddy issues. THANK FUCK. he's also just so fun and cool that idek how he's related to these grumpy men. ugh <3 <3 <3 <3
“Ya'aburnee. As in you bury me. A rough translation for the way I want to leave this world before you because I can’t imagine having to go through a single day without you in it.”
y'all i was so ready to give this a 3.5 but that last chapter... fucking SAVED it. don't get me wrong, it was WAYYYYY better than book 1. it started out so well too that i devoured it. BUT BUT i'm still a little disappointed because i did think that we'll have daddy declan grow and mature through a family, like the contract said... but we never got a daddy declan :) and that's what pissed me off. yes after sleeping on it, i don't remember shit so minus a point hehe.
tropes:
- age gap
- grumpy/sunshine
- marriage of convenience & fake dating
- best friend's brother
- workplace (boss/assistant)
- hero falls first
- hero doesn't care about sex until her
- slowburn
- forced proximity
- family drama (daddy and mommy issues)
- jealous and possessive hero
the tropes in this book complemented each other, i really think it matched their vibes. i didn't think it would be such a slowburn but it kinda was? i just kept thinking "when y'all gonna fuck already". i also found zahra still very annoying so i was bored when she showed up and was saying bla bla bla ugh. BUT i do think that i liked declan way too much so i'm upping my rating for him because the shit he does.
“Every look.” The unsteady beat of my heart floods my ears. Her breath catches in her throat as I cup her cheek. My thumb strokes her soft skin, rubbing back and forth like I could brand my name with touch alone. “Every touch.”
“Every single kiss…is nothing but a lie.”
THE WAY THIS WAS IN CHAPTER FUCKING TWO. i was instantly hooked and couldn't stop reading because HELLOOOO???
“Fake marriage or not, Iris is destined to be with one man and one man only.
Me.”
“Talk about her like that again and I swear I’ll make your last twelve months as CEO absolutely miserable.”
“If I had it my way, you would wear an ankle monitor so I could always know where you are.”
we love a possessive hero. we LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE this way too much... i was just oh my... he's hot when he's all woof woof on people.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping my wife.”
My throat bobs. “You’re growing a bit too comfortable with that nickname for my liking.”
“I use it to remind you of your place.”
“And what’s that?”
“Mine.”
“We could have one kid or five, so long as you only have them with me. I’ll give you the minivan life, solely if you want it.”
bitches come and go bruh. but you know i stay. where do i fucking find a declan? heheheh please :) i'm begging you please :) PLEASE PLEASEEE.
“I could spend the rest of forever with you and it still wouldn’t be enough time to finish everything I have planned for us.”
“Daisuki.” His deep thrust makes me gasp.
“Szeretlek.” He presses his lips against my forehead. My pulse flutters at the gesture, sending a rush of pleasure all the way to my toes.
“Ich liebe dich.”
“Ask me why I hate when people use Times New Roman instead of Arial.”
“Are you serious right now? What does that have to do with any of this?”
“Because I chose it for you.”
“Want to know why I kept the cactus?”
I nod.
“Because it was the first time someone got me a present that made me laugh.”
“Ask me why you were denied the job transfer.”
“Tell me you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t let you go.”
yes i did tear up for them :) but like in a happy way you know... IDK why i cry at stupid shit like this but when someone dies i'm all :|.... IDK OK.
ok now for the cal talk... I CAN'T WAITTTTTT for his book. i mean he's the only one who doesn't have any mommy or daddy issues. THANK FUCK. he's also just so fun and cool that idek how he's related to these grumpy men. ugh <3 <3 <3 <3
January 18, 2024
YouTube review is now live!!! Watch here: https://youtu.be/f5iLaCpAngA
pros & cons
pros: my curiosity about this author is now satiated
cons: i read this
___
check out my TikTok
pros & cons
pros: my curiosity about this author is now satiated
cons: i read this
___
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February 26, 2022
I’m gonna start this off by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it absolutely did not disappoint. I love the story so much it is so good I am obsessed with it. Let’s start off with Iris everything to do with her I’m obsessed with. I’m obsessed with her wearing bonnets to sleep, I’m obsessed with her outfit, I’m obsessed with her personality I just love her and I see so much of myself and her! The way that we see Declan grow throughout this book is absolutely beautiful, I’m obsessed. The progressive of the relationship to me was absolutely necessary and I absolutely enjoyed every step of the way. I love all the push and pool all the compromise and everything in between! The epilogue and the extended epilogue are absolutely fabulous, and the way that Declan proposed at the end had my heart through my hands. I really love Cal’s involvement in the storyline and how he is Iris‘s best friend and I’m very excited for his book! This book was perfect for me and for that I gave it five stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2023
This started on a rough patch for me, I think the reason how they found themselves in this marriage of convenience was not convincing enough for me. After that it was a fun and I enjoyed it.
February 24, 2022
definitely better than the fine print. but this book series would make 100x more sense if it was a mafia book
(also black woman getting bent over purr)
(also black woman getting bent over purr)
October 18, 2023
➳3.75✰
so, i was kinda torn between giving it a decent 3 star and a slightly better 3.5 star, but in the end, i settled on a 3.75 star. it's not quite deserving of a full 4 stars (sorry, but that's just how it is), but giving it only 3.5 stars felt a bit harsh lol ♡
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ the plot:
declan is destined to become the next ceo of the family’s media empire. but here’s the only problem? his grandfather’s inheritance clause. essentially, he has to tie the knot and have a child to get his share. but here's the twist: iris, declan's assistant, picks as his potential spouse, who backs out at the last minute. but guess what? iris steps up and offers to marry declan herself, in exchange for financial reimbursement.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ the writing:
just like the first book in the series, lauren asher's writing effortlessly sweeps you away into a world that is both straightforward and utterly addictive. the slow burn is nothing short of extraordinary, leaving me utterly enthralled from start to finish. i must commend her once again for her brilliant inclusion of dyslexia within the narrative, a touch that adds depth and authenticity to the story.
i can't help but swoon every time declan affectionately refers to iris as his wife. the way he says it just melts my heart over and over again. it's like a warm embrace that fills me with joy and happiness. there's something so special about the way he acknowledges their commitment and love for each other. it's truly a beautiful thing to witness.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ characters:
declan- throughout the majority of the book, i found myself in a state of utter confusion, desperately trying to unravel the enigma that was declan. i must admit, i harbored a deep-seated hatred towards him and everything he stood for. these negative emotions persisted until the very end, as his character failed to exhibit any redeeming qualities. yet, against all odds, i eventually found myself coming around. imo, his character lacked the charm and likability that one typically seeks in a protagonist, but strangely enough, i found solace in accepting this fact.
iris- she is an absolute powerhouse and the queen of the book, commanding attention with every page turn, just like she commands the heart of declan. i can't get enough of her - her passion for plants is just one more reason to adore her. she's a fierce and hell-bent woman who knows exactly what she wants, despite the traumas and encounters she's faced.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ these quotes:
Iris speaks to one of the plants in a hushed voice, stroking one of its leaves while apologizing for uprooting its life. She’s insane. There’s no other way to describe someone who coos at plants like they’re children. At least she’ll make a decent mother.
~stopppp!! i already know you’re head over heels in love with her.
“How does it feel to have someone in your space?” “Loud.” “Imagine how you’ll feel once you have a child running around here and screaming.” “I’ll invest in a bark collar.”
~declan babe i’m with you on this one.
“I’m enjoying the view.” She glances out the window. “Says the man who hasn’t even looked outside once.” “That’s not the view I’m talking about.”
~aaaahhh declan, i'm on my knees! 🛐😭🫶🏼
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ what i disliked:
the third act conflict was utterly superfluous! it seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever. i dare say, it felt a tad exaggerated. while i understand her right to be angry, the whole spectacle seemed a touch excessive, if you ask me.
Between planning a wedding and working overtime, I can’t find enough hours in my day to get everything done.
~declan let the girl breath!!!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ final thoughts:
this book is a quick and enjoyable read, with a simple writing style, but it's not my absolute favorite. i didn't feel any strong emotions after finishing it. the enemies-to-lovers aspect felt like it was missing.
tropes:
❥・age gap
❥・office romance
❥・marriage of convenience
❥・grumpy x sunshine
❥・enemies to lovers
❥・forced proximity
❥・fake dating
pre- review: lol this book has seriously messed with my head! one minute, i'm like, "nah, i don't want them to be together," and the next minute, i'm like, "damn, i want them to hook up!" rtc
tbr: i was completely taken by someone's (read- shei 🤭) review of this book, so i just had to give it a try! 💘
so, i was kinda torn between giving it a decent 3 star and a slightly better 3.5 star, but in the end, i settled on a 3.75 star. it's not quite deserving of a full 4 stars (sorry, but that's just how it is), but giving it only 3.5 stars felt a bit harsh lol ♡
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ the plot:
declan is destined to become the next ceo of the family’s media empire. but here’s the only problem? his grandfather’s inheritance clause. essentially, he has to tie the knot and have a child to get his share. but here's the twist: iris, declan's assistant, picks as his potential spouse, who backs out at the last minute. but guess what? iris steps up and offers to marry declan herself, in exchange for financial reimbursement.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ the writing:
just like the first book in the series, lauren asher's writing effortlessly sweeps you away into a world that is both straightforward and utterly addictive. the slow burn is nothing short of extraordinary, leaving me utterly enthralled from start to finish. i must commend her once again for her brilliant inclusion of dyslexia within the narrative, a touch that adds depth and authenticity to the story.
i can't help but swoon every time declan affectionately refers to iris as his wife. the way he says it just melts my heart over and over again. it's like a warm embrace that fills me with joy and happiness. there's something so special about the way he acknowledges their commitment and love for each other. it's truly a beautiful thing to witness.
"Get my wife whatever she wants."
"I'd like my wife to be taken care of in a private suite,"
"What are you doing?" "Helping my wife." "You're growing a bit too comfortable with that nickname for my liking.”
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ characters:
declan- throughout the majority of the book, i found myself in a state of utter confusion, desperately trying to unravel the enigma that was declan. i must admit, i harbored a deep-seated hatred towards him and everything he stood for. these negative emotions persisted until the very end, as his character failed to exhibit any redeeming qualities. yet, against all odds, i eventually found myself coming around. imo, his character lacked the charm and likability that one typically seeks in a protagonist, but strangely enough, i found solace in accepting this fact.
You hate when people smile. Except making Iris grin feels like a personal victory.
iris- she is an absolute powerhouse and the queen of the book, commanding attention with every page turn, just like she commands the heart of declan. i can't get enough of her - her passion for plants is just one more reason to adore her. she's a fierce and hell-bent woman who knows exactly what she wants, despite the traumas and encounters she's faced.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ these quotes:
Iris speaks to one of the plants in a hushed voice, stroking one of its leaves while apologizing for uprooting its life. She’s insane. There’s no other way to describe someone who coos at plants like they’re children. At least she’ll make a decent mother.
~stopppp!! i already know you’re head over heels in love with her.
“How does it feel to have someone in your space?” “Loud.” “Imagine how you’ll feel once you have a child running around here and screaming.” “I’ll invest in a bark collar.”
~declan babe i’m with you on this one.
“I’m enjoying the view.” She glances out the window. “Says the man who hasn’t even looked outside once.” “That’s not the view I’m talking about.”
~aaaahhh declan, i'm on my knees! 🛐😭🫶🏼
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ what i disliked:
the third act conflict was utterly superfluous! it seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever. i dare say, it felt a tad exaggerated. while i understand her right to be angry, the whole spectacle seemed a touch excessive, if you ask me.
Between planning a wedding and working overtime, I can’t find enough hours in my day to get everything done.
~declan let the girl breath!!!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ final thoughts:
this book is a quick and enjoyable read, with a simple writing style, but it's not my absolute favorite. i didn't feel any strong emotions after finishing it. the enemies-to-lovers aspect felt like it was missing.
tropes:
❥・age gap
❥・office romance
❥・marriage of convenience
❥・grumpy x sunshine
❥・enemies to lovers
❥・forced proximity
❥・fake dating
pre- review: lol this book has seriously messed with my head! one minute, i'm like, "nah, i don't want them to be together," and the next minute, i'm like, "damn, i want them to hook up!" rtc
tbr: i was completely taken by someone's (read- shei 🤭) review of this book, so i just had to give it a try! 💘
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