Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean was a fun read with a refreshing take on the of-convenience trope. I took me a little longer than usual to get into the story but Bee and Sebastian quickly grew on me and I enjoyed watching them develop their relationship and their relationship with others over the course of the novel. I struggled a bit with the flow of chapters, occasionally feeling as if I had accidentally skipped scenes, but this allowed me to pace myself. I really liked the exploration of growing out of friendships and really related to that thread of the story. Overall, a good read and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to read an ARC of Mortgage of Convenience through NetGalley.

#MortgageofConvenience #NetGalley

Such a good read! The dual POVs, the spice, the questions on what’s going to happen. I couldn’t wait to finish it and see if she actually got what she wanted.

This was a very wholesome story that also touched on some tough topics like alcoholism, childhood trauma, friendship break-ups, imposter syndrome, and so many others. I feel like the way they were handled was well done and realistic without overshadowing the primary storyline or taking over the emotional journey.

Bee is a delightful character and I really loved getting to follow her experience with taking a leap of faith and the rollercoaster that followed. It really demonstrated the reality of imposter syndrome in my opinion.

Sebastian’s journey was the heavier one, emotionally, for me. I think he demonstrated a common inner turmoil that a lot of people with similar experiences both in childhood and adulthood can relate to and identify with.

Overall this was a pleasant read!

Bee. The shy, quiet girl who moved clear across the country to chase her dream. Or so everyone thinks, in reality she needed a clean break from her overbearing family.

Sebastian. The cool & calm former male stripper who’s got confidence in spades. But nobody really knows how hard he’s worked to be so calm, cool & collected.

Bee's content with her job as a ghost writer. She tells herself it's no big deal she's never published her own work. But secretly, she'll always want to see her own name on a cover. Then, after a night of too much wine she drunkenly emails her agent her top-secret debut novel. Terrified that she won't cut it as a real writer she moves home. While she's crashing at her brother's she runs into his best friend Sebastian. Turns out she's not so over her schoolgirl crush on him like she though. When Seb needs help to achieve his dream of becoming a homeowner she's suddenly volunteering to co-buy. After all, she still needs a place to live. Plus, maybe he can teach her how to be confident so she can actually pull off this book. It's win-win, what could go wrong?

I really liked Bee & Seb together. Bee comes off as so reserved, but really she's not used to letting others see the real her because others always spoke-up for her. It was sad to see how bright she could shine on her own but then dulled when around her loved ones. When others weren't looking, she was adventurous & fun, but she always reverted to girl too scared of disappointing her family. I loved watching Seb help her understand that she didn't have to hide. He showed her that her happiness mattered.

The slow burn in this book was gold! Who knew shaving could be so damn hot!!! The number of times they *almost* & then when they finally give in it didn't disappoint. I will say that I wasn't as engrossed once the slow burn paid off though. After the initial hook-up I read the rest of the book at a slower pace. I still really enjoyed the book; it just didn't have me as hooked after that.

I also enjoyed the bestie break-up. Most books show the FMC with sisters or a life long best friend. Realistically, a lot of friendships fade after high school & watching Bee's & Morgan's friendship unravel was refreshing. I really appreciated that part of the book.

Plus, I unlocked a new level of feral with all the times he lifted her onto the counter. Not even in a sexual way, just because she needs to sit. IDK why this made me lose it, but damn if I didn't every time he did it.

If you like brother's best friend where he falls first & HARD then be sure to add this one to your TBR.

This book was a fast-paced slow burn if I had to describe it. Physically, the relationship was a slow burn, but romantically, it seemed fast paced and I would’ve liked to see the FMC resolve more issues before romantically leaping. I understand this is a forced proximity, friends to lovers, brothers best friend trope, but I didn’t jive with it. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t page turning, captivation either.

Things I liked:
•LGBTQ representation
•Ending a long-time friendship that no longer served one party and inhibited the FMC’s growth
•The support from the MMC—“I’d rather rip my own heart out than keep her from hers.”
•The cover is adorable

Things I disliked:
•Lots of redundant dialogue
•The FMC lacks confidence and has a grocery list of insecurities and it honestly doesn’t even grow by the epilogue even though the MMC supported her and tried to motivate her throughout the story
•I didn’t feel the chemistry in the writing

Thank you Net Galley, Victory Editing NetGalley and Set The Mood publishing for providing me with an ARC to read and review.

Did I mainly request this ARC because I'm full on obsessed with the cover art? Abso-frickin'-lutely!

Mortgage of Convenience is a dual POV romance following Bee, a ghost-writer returning to her hometown for some much-needed focus time to write her first novel published in her own name, and Sebastian, Bee's brother's best friend. And they are both secretly in love with each other.

It's been years since Bee has spent any real time with the Sebastian, and yet they buy a house together in order to both get on the property ladder. And proceed to live together as roommates. But given that they are both deeply infatuated by the other, they don't stay 'just friends' for long.

Once I got past the poor understanding of mortgage applications and how long buying a house actually takes, I found the writing to be a little bit choppy and the dialogue a touch basic. Perhaps it was the inner mologue that killed it for me, because I found we were spending a lot of time in the characters' heads rather than having a real description of the setting.

What I did love was the exploration into sobriety, the discussion of biphobia, and the difficult conversation of growing up and out of friendships. All of these are important topics that I don't come across in books too often, and I really appreciated it as a reader.

Tropes:
↠ Age Gap
↠ Brother's Best Friend
↠ Bisexual MMC
↠ Dual POV
↠ Mutual Pining
↠ No Third Act Breakup
↠ Consensual Non-Consent

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Full review below.
This was so horny and not in a good way. It was really meh and I didn't like the characters that much. The worst thing about this book though is the smut scenes, they were so disgusting to say the least. The only redeeming fact about it is that I liked bee, I related to her a bit, other than that this was terrible.

This was cute, sweet at times in fact, the characters had a decent chemistry.

However, there was more telling rather than showing in terms of the writing.

Furthermore, I feel like they got together way too quickly and it got spicy… and felt kind of insta-love/insta-lust even though they’ve known each other for years. This type of writing/plot doesn’t appeal to me personally.

This book would appeal to an audience who likes easy, straightforward romance, with many spicy scenes mixed into it. I just felt like there was something lacking from it which is why I can’t give it a higher rating. 2.5 stars !

This book was so cute! I really enjoyed reading it. It's definitely not life-changing but I did have a good time with it.

Give me alllll the books with no third-act breakups!! I was living for the way Sebastian and Bee loved each other.

This was a super fun spin on the "convenience" trope and I definitely need a copy for the trophy shelf because I'd love to pick it back up when I need a fun, easy read with all of the following reminders:

-friend breakups are real and it's okay if they happen
-dreams are scary to chase, but trying and knowing is better than not
-it's okay to "crawl back home" in order to feel safe enough to chase said dreams

I'm really out here hoping and praying that Dani McLean will turn this into some kind of "Finding Home" or "Coming Home" series because I need to read more about Aiden!

Mortgage of Convenience is hands down one of my absolute favourite books.

Dani McLean takes the emotions and struggles of transitioning through your late twenties and thirties and spoke to my soul in this book!

Bee is an author who works as a ghostwriter. When she "temporarily" moves home to finish her own debut novel she is thrown back into her old life that doesn't quite fit her anymore.

Sebastian, Bee's older brother's best friend (swoon) is the boy who got away.

Through circumstances they end up buying a house together (because economy) and life for them both changes forever. Suddenly these independent humans have someone they can trust whole heartedly and as their relationship develops love blooms.

This book really hit home for me as she struggles with how her life has changed and trying to keep friendships alive. Bee's relationship with Morgan hit home hard as I have also been in the situation where a friendship has fizzled when alcohol became the driving force. It is something I wish I had read before this happened in my own life as it gives real insight and perspective into feelings and your right to change.

Overall this book was a pleasure to read. A brother best friend, relationship of convenience romance with spice and a warming message to accept and love yourself for who you are and a reminder that those who truly love you will never hold you back.

Dani McLean's first full length novel and it was masterful!! I was dying to get my hands on this dual POV, forced proximity, older brother's best friend, roommate romance from the second I saw the gorgeous Ink and Laurel cover and it absolutely did not disappoint!

Steamy and full of great emotional depth, I loved both main characters soo much! Bee is a ghostwriter finally taking a chance writing her own novel and Sebastian is a bisexual, ex-exotic dancer slash bartender who's been saving for years to buy his own house. When he comes up short at the bank, Bee offers to co-sign on the mortgage and thus begins a beautiful friends to lovers relationship.

Aside from the romantic relationship, this book also delves into Bee's toxic friendship with her childhood bestie who continuously puts her down and only wants to party and drink, while Sebastian is struggling over whether he can reconcile with his formerly emotionally abusive father.

This book delivers on ALL the feels, is sure to get your heart racing and make your toes curl and is perfect for fans of authors like Tarah DeWitt or Katie Golightly. I voluntarily read and reviewed an early digital copy and all opinions are my own.

oh my heart, i don’t think that there’s anything about this book i didn’t absolutely adore. All of the characters are so well done, their relationships. their personalities. chef’s kiss 🤌🏼

Bee is such a good representation of all of us ladies from 25-30 who just have no idea what they’re doing. Who we are. Where we need to be. What we want. Who we want around us. all of it. I have never felt more validated by a character ever.

I actually hated Morgan. When she continued to bash Bee down because she wasn’t wanting the same things Morgan was wanting anymore - no. Just couldn’t handle that. I think we’ve all been in a friendship of that nature - and you just realize that it’s time to split.

SEBASTIAN. i adore him. from his plant and animal planet obsessions to his full heartedly love of just being himself and pushing Bee to just be herself. He is just the biggest softy ever - adored him.

I wanted more Aiden. I feel like i can tell i will adore him too.

1000000000/5. 100% my favorite book by this author! Would recommend over and over!

I hate the use of parentheses it was weird and off putting. It read like role-play. And girl hate in 2024 is wild.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. Transitions between scenes are often confusing - locations seem to change or folks come into or leave scenes without being named, leading me to reread often trying to figure out what I’d missed. Additionally, the duality of Bee’s character didn’t quite work for me - that she was so confident in some arenas and not in others. In theory it could work, but it didn’t seem to be applied in a consistent way.

This was a new-to-me author and I'm not sure I will read her work again. MORTGAGE OF CONVENIENCE was a decent read, but I felt needed to get edited down significantly.

There's an entire side-plot of breaking off a toxic friend friendship that did nothing for the story but slow it down significantly. There's enough personal growth happening with this character that this plot was unnecessary and just dragged.

There also wasn't really a major conflict here. The entire thing standing in the way of Bee and Sebastian being together is the very slow confronting of their individual hesitations and a brother who doesn't even remotely care that these two are together romantically.

There was great chemistry between Bee and Sebastian. And I loved that there was a bisexual main character, but otherwise MORTGAGE OF CONVENIENCE was pretty lackluster.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️💫
𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: alcoholism, past verbally abusive parent
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

Forced proximity and best friend's sibling are a couple of my favorite tropes. I like how MORTAGE OF CONVENIENCE executes both of them. However, while it has all the ingredients to make a fantastic book, it just falls short. It starts out strong but then the pace slows down and drags on too long. Sebastian is a very interesting and layered individual and I really enjoy his character. Bee is a little more naïve and searching for her way. I tend to like stronger. more assertive female characters. Overall, solid read, beautiful cover, but not a 5 star read for it.

SOO happy with this book! i felt like the relationship between the characters and the storyline just made sense. I really enjoyed the flow and monologue between the characters. I enjoyed the angst between Bee and Sebastian and how their relationship had some sexual tension from the beginning. One of my favourite tropes is brothers best friend and this book did not disappoint. The connection the characters had and the honest conversations that they had truly brought their relationship to life! I found this book extremely easy to read and enjoy without dragging at any parts!

Like every good romance book I've read lately, Bee Montgomery flees from her life in the big city and returns home to her small town to find comfort while piecing herself back together. She's a ghostwriter who no longer wants to be hidden, so her best friend, Morgan, gets Bee a bit tipsy and convinces her to submit the idea for her own book. Now Bee is afraid that she's wrecked her whole career, but even worse than that is that the publisher said yes to the pitch! But after years of hiding who she is, fearful of disappointing the people she loves, Bee is determined to become confident and let that shine through.

Enter Sebastian Wolfe, the guy who is working hard to turn his life around and make something of himself. After years spent partying, drinking, and waking up with strangers in his bed, Sebastian decides that he's ready to settle down and have the life he's always wanted, and maybe he's missed his chance, but he's going to try damn hard to get it. He has worked for six years to buy his dream house, only to fall through because of some financial details. Luckily, he's best friends with Aiden, Bee's older brother, and owns the couch that Bee crashed on her first night back home. Being a good big brother, Aiden needs Seb to drive Bee back to where she's staying…right after, he stops at the bank to see about buying his dream house.

One thing leads to another, and after hearing about his dream house and the little bump in the road, Bee hops in and helps Sebastian out. Now she owns a home with her brother's best friend, who happens to be her crush for the last decade, while in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. After a few weeks of working on her new book and getting reacquainted with small-town life, Bee sees all this as a blessing, especially after meeting her new buddy, Cassie, who likes to read as much as she does.

As Bee and Sebastian grow closer, Bee also learns that she doesn't need to be who people expect her to be: the party girl who loves to drink every night and hates her job and is basically a carbon copy of shallow Morgan. Instead, she can be herself, which is a million times better, and still have fun.

Besides loving this book, the cover, and the overall vibes, this was a great romance book because it was fun. Also, it already got bonus points from me because it is a dual POV, and it's broken up into chapters! Along with this, a content warning at the beginning of the book, which we love, talks about topics that some might find sensitive. Make sure to read this before continuing to read the book. It's not a big deal, but being prepared for what you're walking into is nice.

First off, this book is an excellent example of bisexual representation! Sebastian repeatedly talks about his journey of accepting his sexuality while not feeling "queer enough" since, while he's attracted to men, he doesn't want a romantic relationship with men. This was perfect! It accurately depicts what happens in real life in the queer community, especially for those who identify as bisexual but don't feel "bi enough." There's no language that puts Seb down for this preference or shaming because of it. Also, the queer bar/spicy club, which is where he used to dance and now bartends on the weekends, is giving everything. This open, loving, and accepting place needs to exist in reality. It's so safe and doesn't give weird vibes, instead allowing a safe space for people to be themselves.

Another aspect of the book handled gracefully is why people might choose sobriety. Bee deals with the downward spiral of her friendship with Morgan, and Seb is there to help give words to the feelings that are coming up. Does she ever hang out with Morgan where drinking isn't involved? Does she even like drinking? Sebastian has chosen to be sober and doesn't judge others for choosing to drink. He's a bartender, for goodness sake! But the safe space and characters, like Cassie and Seb, provide a safe space for Bee to discuss and decide for herself. This is something that is a sore spot for many people, and normalizing choosing not to drink alcohol is important.

Morgan is a crap friend. Just because you've been besties since high school doesn't mean that you have to die in the same nursing home together, holding hands. And Bee realizes that this friendship no longer serves her or brings her joy. All Morgan wants to do is drink and talk trash! At one point, she even manipulates Bee into thinking some girls at a club are making fun of the way Bee looks, which, to Bee's horror, is not true once she confronts the girls. When Bee goes to break up with Morgan officially, she is horrible once again and pulls all of the guilt-tripping narcissist crap right back out. These break-ups are almost worse than real break-ups, and this is handled beautifully in the book. All the feelings were worked through, and Bee's inner monologue allowed insight into how she handled it in a healthy, respectful way. She didn't trash Morgan but instead said why this was happening.

Holy cow, this is a deliciously spicy book. Sebastian is a tattooed, bearded plant dad who wants only to worship Bee. Bee is pretty kinky herself. It was amazing! Also, it used actual sex language during these scenes, which is always preferred (by me, at least) because it allows for clear understanding and acceptance.

There's so much more to these characters, like how Seb's mother was able to escape a rapidly escalating abusive marriage that allowed him to see what he didn't want his family to look like. This fear was deeply rooted in Sebastian, and his inner monologue through the story was how while he was afraid of turning into his father, he was determined not to because he wanted a better life and to be a better man. Bee is the baby of the family by eight years and feels as if she needs to follow in Aiden's perfect steps, to only be perfect and do what is expected of her. Not to cause problems or freak anyone out. This change in perspective is shown by Bee wanting to hide her relationship with Sebastian from Aiden rather than tell him right away. They had to build up that trust before she was able to fully be herself to her only sibling.

Overall, Mortgage of Convenience is a fantastic romance book to enjoy if you're looking for something that has depth but doesn't go too deep.

Thank you to Victory Editing for allowing me to be an early reader of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is scheduled to be released on February 27, 2024.

This book was very cute! I loved the premise. It was well written, but it took me a few sittings to get through.