If you read my last review from book #1 in the series The Fine Print you’ll remember I said something like…
“I’m excited to read book #2 and also scared because I just love Rowan and Zarah too much. Hopefully it meets my expectations and I can add Declan into my fictional boyfriend club :)”
Spoilers ahead of course so continue reading at your own risk.
That statement I said above - embarrassing. As much as I love Rowan and Zarah they were quickly forgotten about when I started Terms and Conditions. Besides the fact that I loved the representation (being a black woman myself) Iris was just such an easy character to connect with.
While we got a taste of the workplace romance in book #1, Declan and Iris working directly with each other made the tension so much more noticeable. And nothing says tension like getting fake married to your boss!
The sunshine x grumpy trope will never get old, but Iris gave me the female main character vibes I needed. She was confident and straight-forward and despite being in some difficult situations never sugarcoated anything. As we all know, that’s exactly what Declan didn’t know he needed.
One of my absolute favorite scenes was when Declan asked Iris to dance with him. She knows he hates events and socializing with people and he knows she loves it. They dance the night away until they are the last ones in the room.
But let’s not forget about the silent acts of service Declan does? We find out that he was so strict about what font the company used to type documents because he knew Iris had dyslexia and found out it was easier for her to read that way, and my poor little heart could not handle that.
Declan and Rowan, while different in many ways, both shared similar feelings when it came to the woman they loved; they felt undeserving of them.
“I don’t deserve you. Never have and never will, so long as I live.”
The last thing I will say about this book (because if I don’t stop this will just turn into a 20 page detailed analysis dissecting everything I love about this book) is the love language Declan and Iris invented for themselves. At a young age, Declan learned from his mom that when he gets so overwhelmed with feelings and can’t express them, he can look up that feeling and find it summarized in one word in a different language.
Iris soon picks up on this and it becomes their thing, quickly transitioning from words describing feelings, to saying I love you in almost every language.
“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”
Like I said, I gotta stop here for the sake of boring people, but feel free to keep scrolling and read some more of my favorite Declan quotes <3
Book Rating: 5/5
Spice Rating: 4/5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“How about ten words then?” I laugh. “I’d like to see you try.” “I am falling in love with you, Iris Elizabeth Kane.”
“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.”
“You’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, not because you signed a contract, but because you love me enough to stay without one.”
“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.”
“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.”
Comments