The Fine Print

The Fine Print (2021) is a contemporary romance by Lauren Asher. It is the first book of the Dreamland Billionaires series and follows Rowan, the youngest of the Kane brothers as he and Zahra Gulian embark on a romantic journey from enemies to lovers through their work together in the Dreamland amusement park. The novel also follows Rowan’s journey of self-discovery as he returns to the park to accomplish the task set by his grandfather, Brady, so that he can earn his share of Brady’s inheritance and save the company from his father’s control.

This guide refers to the 2022 Bloom Books edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include descriptions of physical abuse, emotional abuse, alcohol addiction, and a brief mention of suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

The Fine Print opens on the funeral of Brady Kane, the founder of the Dreamland amusement park and its associated companies. Rowan Kane, the youngest of Brady’s three grandsons, attends the funeral while trying to avoid the many attendees. At the reading of the will, the three brothers, Rowan, Cal, and Declan, discover that their grandfather put conditions on their inheritances, giving each of them tasks to complete before they can claim their respective windfalls. Rowan’s task is to take over the role of Director of Dreamland Park and create a plan to improve Dreamland, as judged by a committee that his grandfather has secretly chosen.

At Dreamland, Rowan meets Zahra, a woman who works in the park’s salon for children and whose family has worked at Dreamland for many years. The two clash immediately, especially when Zahra, not realizing who Rowan is, criticizes the company for its low pay and terrible health insurance policies. He dismisses her complaints, but their paths are thrown together again when Zahra, at her roommate’s urging, shares a proposal for the annual employee submissions, when employees are encouraged to share ideas on how best to improve the park. Rowan had agreed to call for these submissions early so the Creators would have more raw ideas to work with to accomplish his plan of increasing revenue, but Zahra fears that she will be fired when she realizes that she accidentally sent in her drunken, critical draft. Instead, the Creators and Rowan appreciate her honesty and her ideas, and Rowan hires her to join the Creator team.

Zahra eagerly accepts her new position, but she does not tell anyone that the Nebula Land project, which was submitted and undertaken two years ago by her ex-boyfriend, Lance, was actually her own project; Lance blatantly stole her work and passed it off as his own. Now, rather than make this fact known, she offers suggestions for improving the project and other areas of the park. Her plans impress the team, and Rowan believes that her ideas will help him to achieve his goals. The two are attracted to one another despite their mutual dislike, and one day, Rowan oversteps his bounds and spontaneously kisses Zahra after a meeting. Later, they agree to forget about the kiss, with Zahra promising not to extort him as other women have done in the past. Zahra continues to thrive on the Creator team, reminding herself of her skills and rebuilding her self-confidence after the pain of Lance’s betrayal and affair.

Although Zahra’s presentations are impressive, her drawing skills are nowhere near as good, and she becomes embarrassed when Rowan points this out. He offers to have a colleague make the drawings for her plans, but secretly, he is the one who draws her concepts. As time goes on, they interact via text, but Rowan pretends that he is someone named Scott. Their texted conversation topics expand beyond the drawings and park plans, and they begin falling in love with one another. Meanwhile, in real life, Zahra sees new sides of Rowan through the buddy program she creates for those with Down syndrome and through their work together, and as her affection for Rowan grows, she believes that she is falling for two separate men. As Rowan secretly works on the drawings to help Zahra, he faces his own demons; for example, when he first tries to draw, he must work through a panic attack brought on by memories of his father’s verbal abuse. After that first drawing session, he remembers what it is like to truly enjoy something and savors the feeling of getting into a creative flow.

When Rowan finally admits that he is Scott, Zahra pushes him away, infuriated by the deception. Having been hurt by lies before, she refuses to listen to his explanation. He promises her that if she hears him out and does not believe his apology, she can quit Dreamland. His explanation of his traumatic childhood, and of the adult experiences that have led him to distrust everyone, help her understand his reasons for lying to her. They start a casual sexual relationship, but Rowan quickly intensifies their encounters, treating Zahra to extravagant trips and opening up to her as he has done with no one else. When he takes her to New York for a signing with her favorite author, Zahra learns that he arranged the event just for her, and she begins to think that he wants more than just a casual relationship.

Despite Rowan’s growing desire to stay in Dreamland with Zahra, his brother, Declan, guilts him into returning to Chicago and becoming the CFO of the company. Shortly thereafter, Zahra catches pneumonia and faints, hitting her head, and she is hospitalized for several days. During this time, Rowan distances himself from her, feeling that he has allowed his feelings for her to obstruct his plans; he is also afraid to admit that he cares so deeply for her. When he regrets this decision only a few days later, Zahra is too hurt to give him another chance. She also believes that he lied to her again, because she discovers that she is on the secret committee tasked with judging his project and believes that he has just been using her.

Rowan realizes that love is worth the pain and uncertainty that come along with it, and he realizes that he wants to be the man he is becoming with Zahra. He tells Declan that he will stay in Dreamland despite their plans. Zahra discovers at the committee meeting that Rowan did not know about her role on the committee, and Rowan proves his commitment and desire to stay by presenting a new project. The project is informed by all that he has learned from Zahra and other park employees about the problems within the park and the employee working conditions. He also publicly declares that he intends to stay at the park and make sure the plans go through. The committee votes in favor of Rowan’s plan, awarding him his shares of his grandfather’s empire. Zahra allows him to explain himself again, and they reconcile. Rowan implements his plans, and he and Zahra marry and have children, remaining part of the park family as well.