[Book Review] I Love You Subject to the Following Terms and Conditions

I Love You Subject to the Following Terms and Conditions (Contract Killers #1) / Erin Lyon

In a world where marriage doesn’t exist—only seven-year contracts—you don’t marry, you sign. You don’t divorce, you breach. And sometimes, you just expire.

Kate is struggling to find her footing. She gave up a career she hated to pursue the law, and now she’s buried in debt and unemployed. At least she’s signed to an amazing guy—hot, sweet, and committed. 

Enter the contract killer, the man who pursues only signed women. No commitment, no hassle, all the fun. But Kate has enough fun on her plate… until her partner doesn’t re-up their contract. 

After an epic but well-deserved meltdown, Kate gets practical. She accepts a job with her uncle’s law firm, practicing signing law—the one type of law she swore she’d never do. And the contract killer? Now that Kate is single, she’s no longer his type, but he still wants to be friends. Yeah, that’ll work. Kate may be heartbroken, but she’s not impervious to this sexy, smart, and complex man. But hey, it looks like he may not be impervious to her either—signed or not. 

With biting wit and charm, I Love You Subject to the Following Terms and Conditions is hilariously relatable, for the millennial set.

I have a confession to make. I totally didn't realize what this book was when I requested it. I saw Macmillian Tor/Forge listed as the publisher, read the description, and got in my head some sort of Science Fiction assassin/romance plot line going on in my head. After all, I strongly associate Tor with a number of amazing SF/F authors.

This book did not involve science fiction nor assassins. I'd be upset, except it was honestly a well written romance novel without falling into many of the genre traps that make me want to beat my head against the wall. In fact, the book calls out various types of behavior as highly inappropriate! The main love plot line was predictable, not just because the book blurb tells you they're not so impervious to each other's charms as they'd like to think. But the characters were relatable, and the Contract Killers, for all their flaws, don't dive into full-on Pick-Up Artist territory.

The actual gripe I have with this book is that I feel this love story could have been told in a single book instead of ending at a dramatic social break. A little trimming here and there, maybe one or two fewer potential suitors (if I'm reading things correction, there are one or two flagged for the next book), and we'd have a tighter story that maybe could be told in a single book.

Definitely a fun read, and I plan on reading the next installment.

Advance Reader Copy courtesy of Macmillian Tor/Forge via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; changes may exist between galley and the final edition.