Terms & Conditions

Article Written By: Lindsey

Disclaimer** This review may contain spoilers and is firmly based on my opinion**

Title: Terms & Conditions

Author: Lauren Asher ~ The Dreamland Billionaires series

Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2022

Category & Genre:  Romance fiction

Page number: 480

Tropes:  Office romance, arranged marriage, inheritance scheme

Synopsis from the book jacket:

“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.”

Why did I choose this book to read?

I read THE FINE PRINT, the first book of the series, quite some time ago and completely forgot about it afterwards. I stumbled upon the series again on my shelf and determined it was finally time to finish the storyline and read the last two books of the series.

What did I like about Terms & Conditions?

I liked that Iris not only betters Declan, and softens his rough edges, but teaches him how to balance himself. He’s all work and putting everything else on the backburner, so I appreciated that she taught him that working isn’t the most important thing in life and that life is not comprised of one singular goal.

I also like how fast paced the book is, despite being as long as it is. I didn’t feel like it was lagging or dragging on and Lauren Asher consistently kept things interesting. I appreciated her character arcs' growth progression and the way she shows them trying to break out of old and troublesome habits to become their better selves. 

Where did Terms & Conditions go wrong for me?

I didn’t like Iris’s fast agreeing to this whole marriage plot, it didn’t seem believable to me. There was barely any hesitancy, barely any forethought to the entire thing and I thought that made her character seem very hollow. I don't know anyone who could go through something like this willingly with no questions or hesitancy. 

I also didn’t like how stark the power imbalance between Iris and Declan was. Iris willingly gave personal stories and details about herself to Declan and it was not properly reciprocated. In the end I felt like Declan knew Iris fully, but she still didn’t know him. He doesn’t directly talk about his mom, just mentions her in small doses with no details, and he never fully reveals the abuse his father put him through and why he took the brunt of it to protect his brothers. He just alludes to it. In my mind it showed he doesn’t fully trust Iris, and I felt like it took away from their love story.

Here are some of my favorite quotes…

“Some people need a hundred words to express a single thought, while some people only need one word to share a hundred thoughts.”

“Marriage is like going on a road trip with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, except you have no map or fancy GPS system to help you out.”

“We're only as strong as our biggest fear...Embrace your fears and grow from them or spend the rest of your life fighting them at every turn.”

My character connection…

I relate to Declan's character a lot. Not the romance aspect, but his other personality traits. He’s supremely dedicated, obsessive, a major workaholic, and those traits really stand out to me. I can understand working so hard toward something that you’re willing to do whatever it tkes to make things happen so that all the time and effort you put into it isn’t wasted. I also appreciate his care and love for his brothers. He’s the eldest and grew up protecting them at the cost of himself. I really respect that and admire his devotion.

Star Rating: 2 stars

Spice Rating: 2 stars

Final Verdict: 

It wasn’t my favorite, but it didn’t suck. The entertainment was there, but I wasn’t changed fundamentally by any means. I think this was a one time read, but if I had to, it wouldn't be a chore to reread it. I think that says it all right there.