The second book of The Dreamland Billionaires trilogy focuses on the eldest of the three grandsons, Declan Kane. That’s right, we’re hoping right into this one; so if you haven’t read my review for the first book, The Fine Print, please see yourself to that review to understand what’s going on. Back in Chicago, Declan’s task for his portion of the inheritance is to marry a woman and produce a child from said marriage. Seems like an easy enough task, except for when you factor in that Declan hasn’t dated anyone in, well, ever and he’s also known as the dickiest, cutthroat billionaire. That’s where his assistant of three years, Iris, steps in. She’s been tasked with finding him the perfect woman to marry and carry his child– contractually only. But, Iris’s world is flipped upside down when she volunteers to be Declan’s new wife in the spur of the moment after his “fiance” decides she’s not up for the task right in the middle of their engagement party. Good thing no one’s seen the happy couple yet, right?
They decide that, even though it’s a crazy plan, it’ll have to work. Iris has been the person closest to Declan and knows him like the back of her hand, after all. To be perfectly clear, Declan is completely and totally against the idea from the second Iris stepped into the role, but seeing as the odds are stacked against him, he sees no other course of action. The novel follows the couple trying to prove to Brady Kane’s lawyers, Declan’s father, and themselves that they’re a happy couple just trying to start a life together after hiding their relationship for so long.
Now, let’s talk characters. Declan is, at first, no improvement to his younger brother from the last novel. He’s the same emotionless, “I-don’t-care-how-you-feel” type of guy, hence it’s hard to find him a viable candidate for the role of “wife”. He’s forced Iris to work through holidays, weekends, and sicknesses for his own benefit and he doesn’t seem to understand there’s a problem with that. How could you when you have one thing on your mind: becoming CEO. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here; His grandfather’s will wasn’t what started him into this frenzy the way it was for Rowan. No, Declan has been working on a proposal for Dreamland Tokyo for a while now. So, at least he’s consistent. I also have to give it to him that he defrosts into his human form a lot quicker than Rowan did. He shows a soft side for Iris a lot quicker than what I was expecting.
Speaking of Iris, she’s must more of a realistic and enjoyable character (& love interest) than honestly any other character in this trilogy so far. She’s not known for making the best decisions, like volunteering to be her boss's fake wife, but she’s working on it. Unbeknownst to Declan, Iris has been applying for positions elsewhere. Working for him has just become too much of a strain in her life. But, after she’s rejected for the entry-level position she last interviewed for and with some joking from her best friend, Cal, who happens to be the middle child of the Kane trio, she decides that becoming Declan’s wife makes sense, right? She’s witty and she’s smart for the most part. And, she’s a team player! I mean, she’s known about the whole inheritance deal from the get-go but now that she’s a Kane, she’s going to stop at nothing to get Declan his portion of the inheritance. Even if it means falling in love with him along the way.
In all honesty, from the first page of this book, I was hopeful. I enjoyed this premise much more than that of the first, and I was already enjoying the separation from Dreamland Park. There weren’t any weird choices that seemed to force any chemistry between the characters because there was genuine chemistry there! There is still that weird heat they feel when they touch (we should get this family checked out). Their relationship seemed to be progressing at the right pace. Plus, I liked that the characters had more backbone than that of our first book. Iris may have agreed to be Declan’s wife, but if things aren’t going to benefit her she’ll fight till they are. Declan is also a more enjoyable lover than his brother. Where Rowan would bribe Zarha with gifts and gestures, Declan would do these things for Iris just because he loves her, no strings attached. I was genuinely enjoying this book for a while, but with how much of a miss the first book was for me, I knew I could get off this easy with the second.
WARNING: This paragraph contains slight spoilers. If you wish to proceed without spoilers please continue to the next paragraph. Then it happened. The third-act breakup. Now, I don’t hate a good third-act breakup in the right scenario, but here it just felt forced. At this point in the novel, the couple doesn’t have much tension, and things seem to be going their way relationship-wise. They are having some tension from outside sources, but in my opinion, this would have been the perfect time for them to truly prove what a power couple they are by banning together to take Declan’s father down. The whole fight they have just seemed so out of place and random in the novel that it really took me out of it. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty pissed. This was also at the very end of the book so there isn’t much time for the couple to make things right. Declan pulls some really out-of-character moves at the end of the book to win Iris back, which ends up working, even if it is out of character for Iris too! It was very much the same ending as the first book.
If the novel hadn’t made a complete 180 in the end, I probably would’ve given this one a SAVE. I was really enjoying the dynamic and the obstacles they were overcoming. Plus, it was nice to see a guy fall first. However, because the ending was such a contrast to the rest of the novel, that it completely ruined it for me. I was really holding out hope with this one, only to be let down. But, hey, maybe the third book will be better! Keep an eye out for that one.
Ciao for now, Wednesday
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