4.2
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64,755 ratings
Rowan
I’m in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don’t get happy endings.
Not when we’re destined to ruin them.
Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything.
Especially not us.
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ISBN-10
1737507714
ISBN-13
978-1737507710
Print length
448 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Lauren Asher
Publication date
July 03, 2021
Dimensions
5 x 1.01 x 8 inches
Item weight
12.8 ounces
Because if there’s one lesson we learned from Seth Kane, it’s that love may come and go, but hate lasts forever.
Highlighted by 13,047 Kindle readers
Me: Because life isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Zahra: Of course not. But how can we appreciate the sun every morning if we don’t live through the dark?
Highlighted by 10,706 Kindle readers
ASIN :
B093DQNY17
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914 KB
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Supported
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Enabled
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About the Author
Self-diagnosed with an overactive imagination, Lauren Asher spends her free time reading and writing. Her dream is to travel to all the places she writes about. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can't help loving. She likes sharing fast-paced stories with angst, steam, and the emotional spectrum. Her extra-curricular activities include watching YouTube, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
1
ROWAN
The last time I attended a funeral, I ended up with a broken arm. The story made headlines after I threw myself into my mother’s open grave. It’s been over two decades since that day, and while I’ve completely changed as a person, my aversion to mourning hasn’t. But due to my responsibilities as my late grandfather’s youngest relative, I’m expected to stand tall and unbothered during his wake. It’s nearly impossible, with my skin itching like I’m wearing a cheap polyester suit.
My patience wanes as the hours go on, with hundreds of Kane employees and business partners offering their condolences. If there’s anything I hate more than funerals, it’s talking to people. There are only a few individuals I tolerate, and my grandfather was one of them.
And now he’s gone.
The burning sensation in my chest intensifies. I don’t know why it bothers me as much as it does. I’ve had time to prepare while he was in a coma yet the strange sensation above my rib cage returns with a vengeance whenever I think of him.
I run a hand through my dark hair to give myself something to do.
“I’m sorry for your loss, son.” A nameless attendee interrupts my thoughts.
“Son?” The one word leaves my mouth with enough venom to make the man wince.
The gentleman centers his tie across his chest with fumbling hands. “I’m—well—uh.”
“Excuse my brother. He’s struggling with his grief.” Cal places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. His vodka-and-mint-coated breath hits my face, making me scowl. My middle brother might look dressed to the nines in a pressed suit and perfectly styled blond hair, but his red-rimmed eyes tell a completely different story.
The man mumbles a few words I don’t bother listening to before heading for the nearest exit.
“Struggling with my grief?” Although I don’t like the idea of my grandfather’s passing, I’m not struggling with anything but uncomfortable heartburn today.
“Relax. That’s the kind of thing people say at funerals.” Two blond brows pull together as Cal stares me down.
“I don’t need an excuse for my behavior.”
“No, but you need a reason for scaring off our biggest Shanghai hotel investor.”
“Fuck.” There’s a reason I prefer solitude. Small talk requires far too much effort and diplomacy for my taste.
“Can you try to be nicer for one more hour? At least until all the important people leave?”
“This is me trying.” My left eye twitches as I press my lips together.
“Well, do better. For him.” Cal tilts his head toward the picture above the fireplace.
I let out a shaky breath. The photograph was taken during a family trip to Dreamland when my brothers and I were kids. Grandpa smiles into the lens despite my tiny arms wrapped around his neck in a chokehold. Declan stands by Grandpa’s side, caught in the middle of an eye roll while Cal raises two fingers behind his head. My father shows a rare sober smile as he wraps an arm around Grandpa’s shoulder. If I try hard enough, I can imagine Mom’s laugh as she snapped the photo. While the memory of her face is fuzzy, I can make out her smile if I think hard enough.
A weird scratchiness in my throat makes it difficult to swallow.
Residual allergies from spring in the city. That’s all.
I clear my irritated throat. “He would have hated this kind of show.” Although Grandpa was in the entertainment business, he disliked being the center of attention. The idea of all these people driving out to the edge of Chicago for him would have made his eyes roll if he were still here.
Cal shrugs. “He of all people knew what was expected of him.”
“A networking event disguised as a funeral?”
The side of Cal’s lips lifts into a small smile before falling back into a flat line. “You’re right. Grandpa would be horrified because he always said Sunday was a day of rest.”
“There’s no rest for the wicked.”
“And even less for the wealthy.” Declan stops by my other side. He stares at the crowd of people with an unrelenting scowl. My oldest brother has intimidating people down to a science, with everyone avoiding his pitch-black stare. His suit matches his dark hair, which only adds to his cloak-and-dagger look.
I’m somewhat jealous of Declan since people typically talk to me first, mistaking me for the nicest child because I happen to be the youngest. I might have been born last, but I most certainly wasn’t born yesterday. The only reason guests take the time to speak to us is because they want to stay in our good graces. That kind of fake treatment is to be expected. Especially when all the people we associate with have a moral compass pointed permanently toward hell.
An unknown couple walks up to the three of us. A woman pulls out a tissue from her purse to dab her dry eyes while her counterpart offers us his hand to shake. I look down at it like he might transfer a disease.
His cheeks flush as he tucks his hand back into his pocket. “I wanted to offer my condolences. I’m very sorry for your loss. Your grandfather—”
I tune him out with a nod. This is going to be one hell of a long night.
This one’s for you, Grandpa.
I stare down at the white envelope. My name is written across the front in my grandpa’s elegant cursive. I flip it over, finding it untampered with his signature Dreamland’s Princess Cara’s Castle wax seal intact.
The lawyer finishes passing out the other letters to my two brothers. “You’re required to read his individual letters prior to me reviewing Mr. Kane’s final will and testament.”
My throat tightens as I break the seal and pull out my letter. It’s dated exactly a week before Grandpa’s accident three years ago that led to his coma.
To my sweet little Rowan,
I choke back a laugh. Sweet and little are the last words I’d use to describe myself since I’m as tall as an NBA player with the emotional range of a rock, but Grandpa was blissfully ignorant. It was the best thing about him and the absolute worst depending on the situation.
Although you’re a man now, you’ll always be the same little lad in my eyes. I still remember the day your mother gave birth to you like it was yesterday. You were the largest of the three, with these fat cheeks and a head full of dark hair that I was sadly jealous of. You sure had a pair of lungs in you and you wouldn’t stop crying until they handed you over to your mom. It was like everything was right in the world when you were in her arms.
I reread the paragraph twice. It’s strange to hear my grandpa talk about my mother so casually. The subject became taboo in my family until I could barely remember her face or her voice anymore.
I know I’ve been busy with work and that I didn’t spend as much time as I should’ve with you all. It was easy to blame the company for the physical and emotional distance in my relationships. When your mother died, I wasn’t sure what to do or how to help. With your father pushing me away, I devoted myself to my job until I became numb to everything else. It worked when my wife died and it worked when your mother met a similar passing, but I realize that it set your father up for failure. And in doing that, I failed you all as well. Instead of teaching Seth how to live a life after great loss, I showed him how to hold on to despair, and it only hurt you and your brothers in the end. Your father parented in the only way he knew how, and I’m the one to blame.
Of course Grandpa excuses my father’s actions. Grandpa was too busy to pay close enough attention to the real monster his son turned out to be.
As I write this, I’m living in Dreamland, trying to reconnect with myself. Something has been bothering me over the last couple of years and it didn’t click until I came here to reevaluate my life. I met someone who opened my eyes to my mistakes. As the company grew, I lost touch with why I started this all. I realized that I’ve been surrounded by so many happy people, yet I have never felt so alone in my life. And although my name is synonymous with the word “happiness,” I feel anything but.
An uncomfortable feeling claws at my chest, begging to be released. There was a dark time in my life when I could relate to his comment. But I shut that part of my brain off once I realized no one could save me but myself.
I shake my head and refocus my attention.
Growing old is a peculiar thing because it puts everything into perspective. This updated will is my way of making amends after my death and fixing my wrongs before it’s too late. I don’t want this life for you three. Hell, I don’t want it for your father either. So Grandpa is here to save the day, in true Dreamland prince fashion (or villain, but that’s going to depend on your perspective, not mine).
You each have been given a task to complete to receive your percentage of the company after my death. Do you expect anything less from the man who writes fairy tales for a living? I can’t just GIVE you the company. So to you, Rowan, the dreamer who stopped dreaming, I ask you one thing…
Become the director of Dreamland and bring the magic back.
To receive your 18% of the company, you’ll be expected to become the director and spearhead a unique project for me for six months. I want you to identify Dreamland’s weaknesses and develop a renovation plan worthy of my legacy. I know you’re the right man for this job because there’s no one I trust who loves creating more than you, even though you lost touch with that side of yourself over the years.
I loved creating. Emphasis on the past tense because there’s no way I would draw again, let alone willingly work at Dreamland.
An independent party will be contacted and asked to vote on your changes. If they are not approved, then your percentage of the company will be given to your father permanently. No second tries. No buying him out. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, little lad. I had to work to make the Kane name what it is today, and it’s up to your brothers and you to make sure it lives on forever.
Love you always,
Grandpa
I stare at the ink until the words blur together. It’s difficult to concentrate on the lawyer when he discusses the splitting of assets. None of that matters now. These letters put every plan on standby.
Declan shows the lawyer out before returning to the living room.
“This is utter bullshit.” I swipe the whiskey bottle from the coffee table and fill my glass to the top.
“What do you have to do?” Declan takes a seat.
I explain my impending task.
“He can’t demand this of us.” Cal rises from his chair and starts pacing.
Declan runs a hand across his stubble. “You heard the lawyer. We either go along with it, or my ability to become CEO is null and void.”
Cal’s eyes grow wilder with every ragged breath. “Fuck! I can’t do it.”
“What could possibly be worse than losing your percentage of the company?” Declan smooths out his suit jacket.
“Losing my dignity?”
I give him a once-over. “That still exists?”
Cal flips me off.
Declan leans back in his chair as he takes a sip from his tumbler. “If there’s anyone who has a right to be pissed, it’s me. I’m the one who needs to marry someone and impregnate them to become CEO.”
“You know babies are created by having sex, right? Is that something your internal software is capable of learning?” Cal’s pushing for a fight he can never win. Declan prides himself on his reputation as America’s most untouchable bachelor for a reason other than sleeping around.
Declan plucks Cal’s letter from the floor and gives it a bored glance. “Alana? Interesting. Wonder why Grandpa thought it would be a good idea for you to reunite again.”
Alana? I haven’t heard that name in years. What does Grandpa want Cal to do with her?
I reach out to grab the letter from Declan but Cal rips it out of his hand before I have the chance.
“Fuck off. And don’t speak about her again,” Cal seethes.
“If you want to play with fire, then prepare to be cremated.” Declan tips his glass at Cal. His gaze flickers between the two of us. “Regardless of our personal thoughts on the matter, we don’t have a choice but to proceed with Grandpa’s terms. There’s too much at stake.”
I will never allow our father to obtain our shares of the company. I’ve waited my entire life for the ability to control the Kane Company with my brothers and I don’t plan on losing to my father. Not when we’re fueled by something far stronger than the need for money. Because if there’s one lesson we learned from Seth Kane, it’s that love may come and go, but hate lasts forever.
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Lauren Asher
Lauren Asher is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of contemporary romance. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can’t help falling in love with and fictional worlds you wish were real.
Her favorite activities outside of writing include DIY projects, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
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Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5
64,755 global ratings
Kindle Customer
5
What I thought about the book
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book was absolutely amazing! The romance was in pare. The spice in the book was also on pare. And I am one that LOVES spice in a book! It keeps things insisting in a book. This book also shows you that anyone and everyoycan have secrets... Weather it's your Best friend, family member, lover, and so on anyone can have secrets. Zahras secrets was about her ex-boyfriend, how her idea/sketch plan was taken from her by him and didn't even mention her name at all. And the money he got from HER freaking idea he used to buy a ring for another girl! So on top of taking her idea he was also cheating to top it all off! I know for a fact that I wouldn't trust anyone for a long while if someone did something like that to me. Rowan on the other hand had Manny Manny secrets. His soft side for one. He never showed people he was a hard head and just wanted to get stuff done and over with and move on. Like all he had was work work work and no play. And it wasn't until he hung out with Zarah that he showed his soft side. His creativity. He CAN ACTUALLY DRAW!!!! I never thought I a million years that he could draw. But when him and Zarah started working together he seen that she has amazing idea. Traffic ideas actually, but when it comes to showing them she couldn't because she couldn't draw to save her life sooo a random guy "that Rowan knew" drew the ideas for her (it was Rowan being that guy by the way.) His love for Zarah throughout the whole entire novel you will see changes from Rowan the more he hangs out with her and works with her he loves her and adores her more and more. His mentally and emotionally abusive father... his father is the whole reason why Rowen stopped drawing because he was constantly bringing Little Rowan down. Telling him to get out of the clouds and to stop drawing because work is what makes the money and what have you. As well as other things that has happened to him in the past. This story shows people that nice people and love has the power to thaw a broken/ice cold heart even if they are not trying to and people can probably learn a thing or two from Zarah because there are so many hateful people out there now a days. On top of everything the bickering back and forth throughout the book was absolutely amazing! It had me laughing, giggling, and kicking my feet through the novel. I loved this book from page one!
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Melissa Joseph (Book Addicts Reviews)
5
Perfection!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
5 adorable stars!
This is book one in the “Dreamland Billionaire” series. This can be read as a stand alone.
Wow!! I heard a lot of back and forth about this book. I almost didn’t buy the series but I had this feeling that I needed them. Boy, was I right! Usually it takes a lot for me to get into a “billionaire romance” but this one hooked me from the very first chapter. I love the grumpy vs sunshine trope when done right. This was perfect.
Rowan is everything a girl could want. Yes he frustrated the hell out of me and Zahra but it was all worth it. My little diamond in the rough!! These two fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Zahra is an amazing woman as well. The amount of love and strength she has is incredible. I love how her mind works. I, also, really adored that she gave second and even third chances when she knew there was more than meets the eye.
This was a lengthy book and I worried I would grow bored but I did not. Not for a second. It kept me interested the entire time. I had about 100 pages read between working and then last night sat down and read the rest of the book in one sitting. I couldn’t walk away.
This author is new to me but I am sooo glad I bought the whole series. I will be reading them all!! The writing is meticulous and the character development was on point. There are so many characters I must know more about. On top of that I actually love all the ideas for Dreamland. This book was so damn entertaining. It’s a definite must read.
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Riniya
5
5⭐️ 3🌶️
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
Tropes/ Key Points:
✨Enemies to lovers ✨Two Person Love Triangle (Secret Identity) ✨Slow Burn ✨Dual POV ✨Who Hurt You? ✨Positive Disability Representation ✨Plus size FMC ✨GrumpyxSunshine ✨Employee/Boss ✨POC FMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rowan works for the happiest place on earth. Well, he doesn’t work there, he belongs to the family who owns it. Dreamland is a fairytale filled with theme rides, hotels, amazing cast members and the best restaurants and chefs money could buy. Except for him, it’s a nightmare and a reminder of a dark moment in his life.
Now that his grandfather has passed on, in order to claim his inheritance and take on the company, he must fulfill a task as instructed in a letter. He needs to be the director of the park for six months, and make it better. But, when he hires Zahra, things start to spiral out of control. He can’t stay away from her, and after accidentally kissing her when she isn’t intimidated by him, all bets are off. She’s under his skin and he isn’t sure if he wants her out.
Zahra is a dreamland prodigy. Her entire family worked there and it made sense for her to take up employment at the theme park too. But when an ex took her ideas for a new section of the park, changed a few things and submitted it before cheating on her, she regales herself to working in a hair salon.
That is until she drunkenly submits a creative idea that instead bashes the very ride her ex created. She is called into Rowan’s office and offered a promotion to “creator”, something she always dreamed of. Suddenly finding herself working with the most overbearing boss ever, she realizes that she can’t get him out of her head, and wants to uncover everything that makes him tick.
I did not want to read this book. I kept seeing it all over TikTok and Instagram, but it never appealed to me. I’m not sure what about it caused me to want nothing to do with it, but It didn’t seem like something I would enjoy. Maybe it was simply bad marketing on the posts I was seeing because… WOW.
This book was honestly such a great read. I don’t tend to reach much Contemporary Romance as I lean to Fantasy, but this one really takes the cake. I love the way the characters meet and how the book almost instantly establishes the personality of the main couple. Rowan is a grump who keeps people at a distance, whereas Zahra is a sunshine who makes a bitter old man smile and eat out of her hand with an offer of cookies. They are total opposites and boy do they attract.
I like the way the book gives us banter between the two of them, and even between Rowan and Zahra’s sister, Ani. I had so many moments of actually laughing out loud at the verbal sparring between the cast of characters. Banter is my weakness.
Zahra is also such a powerhouse. She is strong, confident and such a kind person that it actually had me believing in humanity again…. Over a fictional character. I do like the way that she isn’t one dimensional though, the author gives us a backstory and nods to dark moments in her life and how she came out of them. It fleshed out her character so much that I felt like I was reading someone I could know in the world. She is sunshine, but she isn’t all sunshine, and that was so refreshing.
I hope the next books are this good cause I already got them!
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65 people found this helpful
sherrejon
5
All the feels, the scorching heat, and a swoony H that made me get mushy
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Gah. This book was everything! We have a grumpy H, a feisty h, and magnetic chemistry that forces them to gravitate to each other.
Zahra has worked for Dreamland for years, in the beauty department. Dreamland is a theme park (reminds me of Disneyland🥰❤️) and has many components that make this place magical. Mr. Brady Kane passed away; he had a special relationship with Zarah. When his will is read, his three grandsons are given individual letters with certain expectations and guidelines in order to get their piece of the pie. Rowan is tasked with working at Dreamland for six months during which he must find a way to improve it so that it can progress and do well in the long run. Because of this, he proposes his creative department to come up with a way to fix and improve the theme park.
Zahra has always wanted to do more in life, and when this opportunity to present for the creative department comes up, she goes for it. When Rowan sees and hears her presentation, he’s enthralled, but then when he sees her drawings/graphics, he realizes she needs help. Out of all the creators that presented, her proposal is the best. There’s something about her that draws him to her, whether it’s her feisty personality or her outlook in life, but he wants to help her improve her project; plus, she doesn’t necessarily sensor herself around him 💁🏻♀️. So he adopts a different persona in the form of secret text messages in order to get a little bit more into her head (since he and her have had some… um… issues) and ends up gasp helping her by going back to a previous passion of his- drawing.
Of course, the chemistry, the connection, is undeniable- they can’t help but pant around each other. I mean, I felt every breath, every heartbeat, every butterfly- AND I LOVED IT. These two are opposites, but OH EM GEE, hold on to your horses because they are so damn filled with thick chemistry that I’m surprised they didn’t burn buildings down with the heat 🔥🥵. When it comes to deep connections, being opposites WORKS because these two are FIRE! 💦😅🔥🥵. A simple handshake sent zings up all our bodies lol 😉😋. Jeeezus it was amazing 👏🏻🔥🥵. I especially looove how much of a… um… giver Rowan is😉.
Besides the smexual tension, we get soul deep connections as well. I mean, there were so many scenes where I just wanted to hug them because of how beautiful, sad, heartwarming, inspiring, or gut wrenching their stories were. I mean, from the pin story, to the swing, to the books, to the future plans of Dreamland, to the letters from Brady, my eyes were misting left and right. And gawd I loved the secondary characters- especially Ani, Zahra’s sister with special needs ❤️.
When Rowan grovels, HE GROVELS!!! It doesn’t last long, but dayummmm, he puts other Hs to shame!!!
Looooooooved it!!! Highly recommended ❤️❤️❤️
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️ -no cheating, owd/omd -past suicidal thoughts -past parent death -harsh father
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36 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer
4
Perfect book that got me out of a slump!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
The book I read before this wasn’t for me, so reading this was SO refreshing. The plot was steady, had just enough spice for me after quite a long reading break, and had more to offer than purely smut for the whole book. I adored the characters, and felt they had good depth. If Lauren Asher decided to write a second story on Rowan and Zahra, I would read it, no doubt.
Vague spoilers ahead The reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 was because, as a personal preference, I’m not a giant fan of time jumps where significant events take place. However, seeing as the author wrote three books for three brothers, I understand why she did it. I can’t wait to read the other 2 books!
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