The second book in the series of Dreamland Billionaires by Lauren Asher.
"its not too late to start making better decisions"
"why would she stay? You never gave her a good reason to after the way you spoke to her."
"Ya'aburnee"
"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."
Could there be a relationship with Terms and Conditions applied to? In the current century this question wouldn't trigger even a fraction of surprise or shock in anyone. Probably with digitalization and artificial intelligence taking over almost all walks of our lives, it is only considered normal to think about conditionality in all spheres - seems like human behaviour and relationships are being re-crafted by AI ensuring a step-by-step clear process manual. Well, Lauren Asher's Terms and Conditions is nothing but a pure contemporary corporate romance, but the romance of a billionaire handsome hunk with a truly common woman with a learning disability.
The story is accurately intriguing, provocative, gripping, appealing and everything else that words might fail to describe. After the Book 1 - The Fine Print - this one is a perfect fit in the sequence of 3 books.
Declan can be considered an absolute handsome, insanely rich and a successful bachelor, but only if he belonged to the 20th century. His characterization is done with consuming precision and the events brilliantly peel off layers after layers developing him into the most appealing hero in the process.
Iris - just like her name is a dazzling young woman and assistant of Declan. The one who was successful to remain on job after almost all the applicants being fired in a span of just one day. The contrast used in portraying Iris is nothing but a skillful mind at work. Iris is a classic case of dyslexia, having had a challenged childhood - both due to her learning disability and due to an abusive father. She is someone who has always been reminded of not being enough, a failure until she pushes herself beyond limits to sail through her job of an assistant to the most difficult and demanding boss ever.
The theme is highly contemporary, Declan is planning for a contractual marriage to fulfil his late grandfather's inheritance clause to become the future CEO of the Dreamland Company. He is clearly aware of his scopes and knows he would fail at real relationships and hence, plans to go ahead for a marriage on paper, have a child through the On-paper marriage and become the CEO. Iris his assistant is a his team and helps him out plan everything, only to get herself caught in the contract eventually because the girl who was convinced for the marriage has been scared off away by Declan.
To quote Iris when she is being left with no other option but to rise to the occasion of marrying Declan, "A million colours bounce off the diamond, drawing everyone's attention towards the symbol of my impending doom" - this clearly indicates what she was signing up for and how her life was to change into nothing but a roller coaster.
Its only as the story progresses that we realize that Declan had always been secretly in love with Iris and hence, had brought about a lot of small but significant changes in the methods of work to support Iris and her disability.
It is quite cliched to read that it is all but Iris and her love that brings out the best in Declan and hence, the metamorphosis. For example, "But are you going to spend the rest of your life alone because you're too afraid to get close to someone? It's still the same loneliness no matter how you paint it" - Declan pondering to his self after his grandfather's lawyer Leo gives a long speech on marriage and companionship at a charity event celebrating his marriage to Iris. These words clearly suggest his inner turmoil.
The varied events have been dexterously plotted and penned down surfacing a rainbow of emotions. Moreover, under all circumstances it makes us not just love the characters and their decisions and reactions, but also essentially feel and live their moments.
Beyond everything that I've thoroughly enjoyed throughout my reading of this superb piece of literature is the use of those foreign words by Declan to express how he feels. Of course the words have been very educative and expressive, but what I liked about this is the way in which both the mother's (Declan's and Iris's) supported their children to overcome their weakness - Iris's mother helped her fight her peer pressure and low self-esteem by engaging her either in drawing and colouring while she poured her heart out or by tending to plants to overcome her loneliness; while Declan who found it always a difficulty to express what he wished to was engaged in a game of use of foreign words by his mother. This tradition of using foreign words was lost after his mother's death, only to be re-started again when he failed to express his love for Iris.
Here is a list of some of my favourites: Daisuki, Szeretlek, Ich liebe dich...
I would very much recommend this book to those who enjoy reading intriguing contemporary romances with a tinge of toxicity reflecting the real-world hardships and pursuit to leave no stone unturned only to secure that one person who means a world to you.
Happy Reading!
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