SYNOPSIS

After their grandfather died, the Kane brothers received a letter from him outlining what each needs to be accomplished in order to receive their inheritance. For 25 billion and being named CEO, Declan, the oldest, must marry someone and have a child. Declan’s assistant Iris has worked tirelessly in order to find a woman willing to sign a marriage contract and marry Declan in exchange for money. Declan scares each one off, the most recent one being the day that the engagement announcement was to take place. With people waiting, and no fiancée, Cal, Declan’s brother, suggests Iris steps in. She does and now she and Declan are due to get married and stay together for at least three years. What could possibly happen?

RECAP AND REVIEW

This standalone book is the second in the Dreamland series. It is told in a dual perspective by Declan and Iris. It’s a workplace romance with a marriage of convenience and an age gap.

I loved this book. The first one left me with a lot of mixed emotions because the main male character is…a lot. Declan has a similar sort of intensity and disengagement with reality, but I enjoyed him infinitely more. He seems to have a better understanding of himself and comes to a breakthrough at the end. I love self awareness.

Declan puts on a show of indifference, when he doesn’t have a temper. He’s intelligent, hates small talk, and people, and strives for perfectionism, sometimes to a fault. Iris is a hard worker, sometimes to a fault, and doesn’t let her dyslexia hold her back. She knows her worth and doesn’t let Declan push her around like he’s used to doing with others. She’s clever and resourceful.

The pacing of this book was unexpected, in a good way. I like that we jumped right into them getting married within the first hundred pages. There wasn’t much fluff.

I enjoyed all the dynamics that were going on here. From Iris also hating Declan’s father to the test that Iris’s grandma and mom put Declan through to Cal and Iris as besties. Even the business relationship with Mr. Yakura was interesting and served a greater purpose.

Declan and Iris are worth the hype. People’s reaction to their engagement and marriage was funny, cause it was like everyone could see their chemistry before they did. Their relationship is full of banter. Declan’s jealousy of his brother in the beginning was amusing. Iris fighting her feelings throughout the story created tension, especially with how Declan would purposefully tease her. The way they look out for each other was endearing. I also enjoyed the workplace aspect of it, which I didn’t like in the first book. Iris brought up great points and the way it played out made sense and was necessary.

Declan and Iris have a chemistry that I love to read in romance books and I enjoyed every second of it. It helps that they were also kind of friends before everything happened so they know each other well, even if they don’t know everything.

The way the first book was tied in was cute. I like that the author didn’t drop the storyline of Declan being mad at Rowan for uprooting their plans over a woman. We got to see a different, more malicious, side of their father, who we know was abusive after their mom died. We even got to see more of Cal, who is the subject of the final book.

The end of this book made me emotional. Iris had every right to be upset because words do hurt. Though I’m sure he was only speaking recklessly, he hit an insecurity he knew about and didn’t fix it right away. It hurt me how much they were both hurting. Iris’s mom had wise words and Declan put thought into how to get her back after the third act breakup.

OVERALL

Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I was hopeful because I’ve heard great things about this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve been in a slump and their love and interactions had me smiling and wanting to continue on. I see why this one is everyone’s favorite. I haven’t read the third one yet, but I don’t know if it could compete.