3.5⭐️ - there was a lot I enjoyed about this but some things that really frustrated me too.

The good:
The bi rep
Family dynamics
Mental health discussions
Sebastian

The bad:
Bee was soooooo unconfident it was frustrating
Morgan (though I did enjoy how this storyline resolved)

4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Spice

Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Brother's Best Friend
Age Gap
He Falls First
No 3rd Act Breakup
Bi Rep

i absolutely loved this book. the main characters were so fun to read & the story was addicting. i didn't want to stop reading & binged it in two sittings. sebastian is without a doubt one of the best book boyfriends i've read in a long time. brother's best friend + age gap just hits different. & he was just so good with bee - i ate it up. we love a man who falls first & hard. plus he was a bi king & i absolutely adore the way the bi representation in this book was written. *perfection* i thought bee was so relatable. i loved how she blossomed with sebastian. her issues were a little repetitive but overall it added to the story & i felt like it did help the plot move forward. the tension between these two was *just right* & it really made the spicy moments even hotter. overall i really enjoyed this one & would definitely recommend,

This was a sweet and fun romance! I have Dani McLean's other novellas sitting in my TBR pile (very close to the top!), but haven't yet managed to make it to them (I keep picking up too many other arcs) - when I had the opportunity to read this arc of her first full-length novel, knowing how much everyone in the book community loves her, I jumped right on it! I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed it and will certainly be moving her novellas higher up in my priority.

I liked the brother's best friend trope, becoming unexpected roommates, and how it was a chaotic life jumble that just all made so much sense while being completely messy and just... life, unexpected.

Bee was a little bit of all of us, trying to figure out her next steps, having left home at a young age and now returning to sort out a manuscript for her own novel (normally a ghost writer). She's moved in with her brother, while Sebastian, the brother's best friend, is trying to get a mortgage but the bank sees him as being just slightly too much of a risk, until he shows up at his appointment with Bee - suddenly a potential partner, who pipes up that she's there with hi m and has the missing savings gap, and boom... they have a house and a mortgage together! Now they're roommates, and she has to hide her obsessive cleaning and other strange habits while also hiding her long-time crush on him, and he has to hide his own since she's going to be leaving town again once she finishes her book - nothing can happen between them (plus, the brother would kill him).

It's totally relatable, fun and sweet - I definitely recommend this one to all! A very quick read you won't want to put down!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing, and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley and Dani McLean for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book as it was a really easy read for me. I really related with Bees character and how shy she was and how disabling that feeling can be. This book had some of my favorite tropes such as brothers best friend, found family, he falls first. I felt like there were parts that need to be more flushed out such as them buying a house together which all happened very fast but overall was a good read.

I fell in love with Dani McLean's Movie Magic Series last year, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest release, Mortgage of Convenience. I’m happy to report this did not disappoint.

A Little Bit of Plot
Bee Montgomery did a bad thing. Well, not so much ‘bad’, but one that puts her in a position that she’ll have to step into the spotlight for once. She’s moved home intending to submit her first manuscript under her own name - no more ghostwriting. Fate intervenes when her brother’s best friend (and long time crush), Sebastian, needs her help to achieve his dream: home ownership. Unbeknownst to Bee, Sebastian crushed on her for many years too. Sharing a space and co-owning a home will bring these two closer than ever. Will this be their forever-home or just a mortgage of convenience?

The Top Bun (The Pro)
Bee’s Journey

Returning home and having this timeline for manuscript submission looming over her is the perfect jumping off point for Bee to discover self autonomy. McLean opens the novel with Bee partying with her friend Morgan, almost against her will. We soon discover that Bee lives for and has built herself up for others. She has no sense of self. I think most of us have that same journey at 28. You aren’t quite 30, yet you’re not 21 anymore. Suddenly, going out to clubs is not as fun as it used to be. Bee says at one point “I don’t want to drink all the time and talk shit about other people and lose my weekends to hangovers”. When she starts living for herself, she begins to gain self confidence and self worth. We see her procrastinating less as the novel goes on. The more assured she becomes, the less she has to distract herself from problems.

The relationship she has with her brother also grows the more self confident she becomes. For those of us with older siblings with a wide age gap, it’s a difficult transition to being a little sibling to a friend. I think McLean does a wonderful job of presenting this transition in a very believable and entertaining way. I’m also assuming we are going to get Aiden’s book, and I hope soon, because I need it in my life.

Some will say this is a slow burn, and I agree to a point. Sebastian is in 100% from jump street, but Bee needs to discover who she is first before she can love him back as an equal. Lucky for us, we get to see that growth.

The Meat (The Con)

There’s honestly not much I didn’t enjoy about this book. I may have gotten frustrated with Bee for her hesitancy at times, but I think that’s the whole point.

The Bottom Bun (The Pro)
This book is hot, y’all

Holy crap on a cracker, this book is hot. The sex scenes? They are plentiful. One stripping scene in particular..well, both actually, are hot as hell. I think I’ll just quote bits to prove my point:

“”Open your mouth.” With a grunt, he slows and stops, thumbing over the reddened head of his cock, collecting theprecum before raising it to my lips. “Taste me, beautiful” Keeping my gaze locked with his, I suck his thumb into my mouth and moan at the taste of salt and skin.

HOT.

Not convinced? Here’s another:

“Touch yourself,” I rasp. “I want to watch.” His hand is slick, covered in me. It’s easily the most erotic thing I’ve seen. I want to see him get himself off. Want to see both of us coating that gorgeous cock of his.

Not doing it for you (are cold and dead inside?) last one:
“You want this, don’t you?” I take myself in hand again, pulling my underwear down until it’s sitting tight under my balls and stroke myself, keeping an infuriatingly slow pace. I want - no, I need - this to last. “My cock. You need it.”
She moans loudly. “Yes.”
“Bee.”
She licks her lips, not moving. Waiting. “Yes?”
My voice is rough. “Come here.”

And everyone comes. End of story.

In summation, this is a gorgeous novel with really wonderful character study. Seb and Bee are both transitioning to different stages of their lives, and are lucky enough to find in each other the perfect yin to their yang. Also, check out McLean’s back catalog, you won’t be disappointed!

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is a captivating and heartwarming romantic comedy that explores themes of fear, self-discovery, and the power of love. The story follows Bee Montgomery, a shy ghostwriter grappling with her debilitating fear of rejection, as she navigates the complexities of pursuing her dream of becoming a published author and finding love in the charming Sebastian Wolfe. Bee, a talented but insecure writer, reluctantly returns to her hometown after five years to confront her past and pursue her dream of getting her debut novel published. Along the way, she reunites with Sebastian, her brother's charismatic and enigmatic best friend, who possesses a secret longing for a stable and loving life. As they work together to overcome Bee's stage fright and help her meet a looming deadline, an undeniable chemistry ignites between them. Sebastian, with his unwavering confidence and determination to help Bee succeed, becomes a source of strength and encouragement for her. However, as their connection deepens, Bee must confront her fears and decide whether to pursue a meaningful relationship with Sebastian or return to her old life, leaving both her dreams and her heart behind. McLean's writing is witty, engaging, and emotionally resonant. She deftly portrays the characters' vulnerabilities and triumphs, making them relatable and endearing to the reader. The banter between Bee and Sebastian is sharp, humorous, and charged with sexual tension, creating a delightful slow-burn romance."Mortgage of Convenience" is a delightful and satisfying read that captures the essence of contemporary romance. With its relatable characters, heart-fluttering romance, and exploration of personal growth and self-discovery, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers.

DNF @ 40%
i would have loved to get an alternate timeline where we see the MCs interacting in the years before and get to see what kind of relationship they had back then. their feelings for each other felt sudden and like they just surfaced out of the blue. i don't think the reason for them living together was reason enough- it was a little far fetched so the situation just felt forced. the reveal of why the
FMC moved back to her hometown was anticlimactic and the
"convenience" part of their arrangement only felt convenient for him. i didn't feel their connection at all- i think having more of their backstory, seeing more vulnerable moments and having deeper dialogue would have changed that.
I'm sad i wasn't able to get into this story bc i do think the characters, setting and tropes had such great potential.

This book was so cute! I enjoyed every second of it!
I think I highlighted too many of Bees thoughts because I identified with her so much! She was such an adorable character and seeing her facing her fears and finding her voice was amazing!

Sebastian 😮‍💨 this tattooed bisexual protective man. I love him so much ♡ men who goes to therapy and work on themselves are so freaking hot!

I love this author so much and can’t wait for more books from her ♡

This book had potential and the writers style was cute. Disappointed because I really wanted to like this. I enjoyed the premise of the shared mortgage and Bee/Sebs relationship. However, the social/political insulations throughout just took away from the story and led me not being able to finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Set the Mood Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐.5
first of all, bee was insufferable. the repetitiveness of her insecurities was too much. a lot of us deal with this in our daily lives — i don't need to read about it incessantly as well. bee also felt like her entire personality was based on the characters around her. it was like she had no thoughts or courage of her own.

sebastian was a vibe, though. we stan a bi, golden retriever, plant daddy king.

as far as 🌶️goes? i actually didn't mind it. i would've liked more tension & i didn't really see sebastian being a dom daddy, though. it felt a little too forced.

First off, I went to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for giving me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review. Don’t let the cover for you as there is a lot of uncomfortable smut in this dual POV that really isn’t necessary.

The FMC has a lot of insecurities and if I had a dollar for every time it was mentioned I would have a lot of dollars. Well, this book is 390 pages of pure torture and angst. It took me ages to read it as I wasn’t interested as I thought I should’ve been. There was so much potential for things to be developed in so many places, especially with all the wolf comparisons, and the whole alpha male type beat, but honestly so surprised that I actually finished this.

Would I read it again? I don’t know. It depends on how well the actual published version is in comparison to the arc. But if you like uncomfortable smut, a dual POV that isn’t necessary, an inner monologues that were unnecessarily horny, then this is for you.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This is a sweet romance that follows Bee and Sebastian as they decide to mortgage a house together.

It's really nice to read such a nice MMC who promotes honestly, living as your authentic self and working hard to get over toxic pasts.

The characters are really nice together and there's quite a bit of spice which is well written.

Sadly, I didn't connect entirely with the story so I would give it a 3.5 stars. It almost felt like the story was trying to achieve too much. The book is well written and an easy read.

Me, when I read the title of this book: "Yeah, that's fair". I mean, in this economy? Totally believable plotline.

Jokes aside, this book was great! It was sweet, hilarious and spicyyyy!

I love a good forced proximity romance and this was definitely it!

Sebastian was such a sweetheart! I loved how supportive and caring he was. The chemistry between the two was also off the charts! I was rooting for them and couldn't wait for them to finally get together!

Bree was such a relatable character. I wished we could have seen her progress a bit more towards her goal, I feel like her development mostly happens in the second half of the book.

Honorable mention to the spice in this book, I thought it was top-tier!

Honestly, I can't recommend this book enough, it made me laugh out loud and swoon A LOT. I'm really hoping Aiden eventually gets a book too!

DNF @ 45% - Got continuosly triggered from the female main character's insecurity and OCD tendencies. In the end, I decided to dnf it because it was too much for me and my mental health. I really liked the writing, the premise and the BI rep, though, and I'll be checking some other book by Dani McLean for sure.

I won't be posting any reviews on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon or Instagram since I've not finished the book.

Thank you, in any case, for the opportunity of reading Mortgage of Convenience.

I really need NetGalley and Goodreads to offer partial star options. If given the option to display true star reaction: this would be a 3.5

I have read a few of Dani's novellas, and was really excited to get a full novel from her. I really loved Bee and Sebastian. I enjoyed following them on their individual and mutual journeys of growth and seeing how they supported each other. Aiden was brother gold --- his relationship with Bee made me smile. Ellie (Sebastian's mom) and Cassie (Bee's new friend) brought a lot of joy and wisdom to the story and I kinda wanted to hang out with both of them and form a Girl Squad! The spicy scenes were plentiful and delicious and Sebastian was absolute book boyfriend goals. I saw a lot of myself in Bee, with her anxiety, insecurity, and people-pleasing tendencies. It was cathartic to watch her face her fears and learn to make better choices and have faith in herself; lessons I may implement for myself.

I did feel like there was a good bit of hyperbole that had me rolling my eyes a little bit. And the toxic friendship took up a tad more book space than I would have liked. But aside from that, this was a really solid contemporary romcom and I am grateful to the publishers for the opportunity I had to read a review copy.

Read if you enjoy:
- Men who cook, love plants, and have gold star bedroom skills
- female bonding & found family
- Journeys of self-discovery
- Making a house a home

Read with caution if you are triggered by: toxic friendships, abusive parent (in the past and off the page, but relevant), Crippling insecurity, open-door spicy scenes.

Mortgage of Convenience is a quick, fun, and heartwarming read. In my opinion, it's a great character-focused palette cleanser with the bonus of adorable cover art and a cute title.

This book had a strong start as the plot was set up and we got to know the characters, but ultimately fell flat for me. The characters lacked nuance and the story lacked depth. There was a lot of jumping around with the timeline and with the conversations. I found a lot of the dialogue to be hard to follow as many scenes lacked context about their physical surroundings or actions. I also found the writing to be very repetitive.

Sebastian and Bee had so much potential (I mean male stripper? How fun is that?) and I would have really loved to see more of their personalities and development - and maybe a touch more pining and angst to build up their chemistry.

While I admit that this book wasn’t a favorite for me, I have an enormous appreciation for the representation in Mortgage of Convenience. Dani McLean touches on things that I've rarely found (if ever) in books I've read in the past and would love to see more of in the future of my journey as a reader. And Dani, being queer themselves, laced in so much free and casual representation from all over the queer map.

One example of the representation I so appreciated is the topic of outgrowing friends. It’s something that resonates with me and can be so hard to go through no matter how needed that transition may be. Yet, you don't often see it amongst all the perfect sidekick besties in romance novels.

Another example - and probably the most meaningful to me - is that the MMC is bisexual and through exploring his attraction to men he has discovered that he is only really physically/sexually attracted to men rather than interested in a relationship. I love that it's valid to him and those he surrounds himself with simply because it's his truth. It's something I identify with as a bisexual woman and it is so nice to see this type of more niche representation.

Mortgage of Convenience didn't end up being the book for me but it is for someone! I will definitely be giving this author another chance - I have my eye on some titles already.

Honorable mentions to the tropes in this book.
- Brother's best friend
- Age gap
- Forced proximity
- Arrangement of convenience
- Man obsessed
- Sober and sober curious MCs
- Found family

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Set The Mood Publishing for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've posted my review on Storygraph, Goodreads, and will be posting my review on Amazon once the title is released and can be reviewed. (Links included)

It kinda hard for me to understand why there are so many bad reviews about this book because i actually enjoyed it. But I get it. Even though i did enjoy it, it kinda felt rushed and more like a first draft. Like Giulia said to Bee “ there’s potential there “ but I think there should’ve been more writing and details about a lot of things but most importantly why did Bee leave home? yes it was mentioned but i feel like it could’ve shown better. What was her relationship like with her parents? I also wanted to read more about Aiden and see him & Bee’s relationship come together instead of it just being as simple as it was, thrown in there. This was my first age gap read, after reading this one i want more. The spice was spicy & a good amount was put into it. A lot of people were talking about Bee’s threw them off & cause them to look at the book sideways, but it was a fantasy of hers, it didn’t make the book TERRIBLE. Anyway, most things in the book were predictable so the excitement wasn’t there. To me it felt as if Dani wanted the book to be relatable & it was ina way for me at least, because i’m also a people pleaser, but it felt like it wasn’t all the way there. It seemed she thought of a relatable topic, started it but didn’t finish. I get Bee was described to be a private person but it felt more like she was a private character due to the fact it was barely much said about her. The ending was a predictable happy ending & was definitely too short and simple. Overall i rate it 3/5 nothing more nothing less. I would read it again if only the feedback was taken and applied.

The beginning of the book had me hooked but the chapters slowly started to get longer and more tiring to read. However the plot and idea of the book was well shown but the end product didn’t live up to the expectation. The lives of the characters were realistic and well written but the story dragged around half way through. But the book itself was comforting in a way, as the characters were relatable and they all had a distinctive energy/feel that stood out.
I would recommend it but it’s not a fast paced read so if your looking to get out of a slump or a quick read i would recommend reading this another time but it was 100% worth it. :)

anyways, the cover of this and the premise was really drawing. i thought it was unique and the author’s writing style was simple to follow. the characters were okay. i didn’t really love them, didn’t hate them. i couldn’t relate to them in the way i typically look for, but they had some thought and flesh to them. i think what really threw me off with the book was the plot. it wasn’t exactly all over the place, but i didn’t see how everything connected and i wanted there to be a little bit more depth to it. nonetheless, it was still enjoyable at several parts and was fast-paced!

Cute title and cute cover!

If you like insta-love, dual POV, brother's best friend, age gap (slight), bookish FMC, LGBTQIA+ representation, and smut - you will probably like this book.

As a whole this book was cute. I liked that they end up sharing a house together - I wanted a bit more tension but with both of them already being head over heals for the other, it felt more just like two horny characters just waiting for the other to make the move. I liked that Bee was a writer and that she was working through her insecurities, but at some point in the book - the insecurities wore on me. Believe in yourself girl!

There were some smaller side stories and some worked well and others left me feeling they were unresolved (Morgan)

This book also didn't have the typical third act breakup, which I liked.

Solid 3/5
Spice 3/5

Many Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.