Book Boyfriends and Booze

In Terms and Conditions, Declan’s path to becoming CEO hinges on fulfilling his grandfather’s unusual inheritance clause: he must marry and have an heir. Mildly inconvenient since he is neither married nor expecting a child. When his assistant, Iris, volunteers to be his bride, for reasons we still can’t quite understand, they enter into a fake marriage that seems like the perfect solution. But as they pretend for the public, real feelings begin to surface. What started as a business arrangement becomes complicated as their fake relationship starts to feel all too real, leaving them both questioning what’s truly at stake.

Alert! A Slow Burn Romance with Plenty of (Unnecessary?) Scenes 

If you thought you’d experienced a slow burn before, Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher will redefine it for you. Declan Kane is the ultimate grump, paired with the sweet and patient Iris in a fake marriage trope that really drags out the tension. If you’re here for the long game and character depth, you’ll get to know Declan and Iris on an incredibly detailed level—but don’t expect the spice to kick in early.

While the fake marriage setup feels authentic enough, with Declan and Iris agreeing to the arrangement to secure Declan’s inheritance, it doesn’t really make much sense why Iris would volunteer to marry Declan just out of the goodness of her heart, not to mention this story takes its time to get to the good stuff. There’s plenty of character-building and background, (dare we say, too much?) but some scenes feel like filler, taking us well past the 50% mark before things heat up. And even when they do, the spice is on the lighter side.

Why Declan Isn’t Quite the Ideal Book Boyfriend 

Declan has his moments, but he’s a complex case. His use of different languages to express his emotions adds a sweet, personal touch to his interactions with Iris, and it’s one of the book’s most endearing aspects. But let’s be real—Declan’s grump factor is off the charts. He’s so grumpy he borders on mean, often saying hurtful things with no filter, and when their big blowout happens, it’s hard to shake the sting of his words. It would be exhausting to constantly wait for grand gestures as apologies, especially with his billionaire resources, rather than seeing him genuinely work through his issues.  He’s a fine book boyfriend in the moment, but certainly not someone you’ll be pining over once the book is done.

The Verdict: Not the Most Relatable Book Boyfriend, But There Are Highlights 

Declan may be rich and occasionally sweet, but he’s no star book boyfriend for us. While his “I love you” in various languages is swoon-worthy, his meanness and lack of emotional growth keep him from being the dream partner we’d hoped for. If you’re ready for a serious grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a major slow burn, Terms and Conditions will give you all that and more—but with a lot of patience required and the spice is rather tame.