Lots of potential here. This was a cute little romcom about a ghostwriter who wants to step out of the shadows and her older brother’s best friend who get thrown together in homeownership. Bee helps Sebastian with the home loan and his traumatic childhood, Sebastian helps Bee with her confidence and writing under her own name.

However, the whole book had a disjointed feel to it. Scenes would randomly start and I had no idea how we got there. Plus, some of the characterization felt off. Sebastian was pretty fleshed out, but Bee was a little off-kilter. There were so many character traits and anxiety symptoms that she displayed, but it never felt cohesive and often her character would read at odds with itself over the course of chapters.

Also, I just have to say that the whole catalyst of their relationship was the most unbelievable thing I have ever read (and I’ve read some unrealistic things!). You’re telling me that this passing acquaintance that you’re giving a ride home refuses to wait in the car so she sits in on your mortgage meeting? I could never.

Anyway, this was cute and sweet, but also didn’t make a ton of sense at times!

5 stars. I expected the book to be good, but I liked it even more than I expected!

Bee is a writer who needs support to know how to be visible - she is always used to being a little invisible, because she used to work as a ghost writer. Sebastian is the best friend of Bee's older brother, who wants to buy a house. Bee and Sebastian end up helping each other and buy a house together and become roommates. It was wonderful to watch Bee and Sebastian's house turn into a home.

There were many things I liked about the book. The main characters were interesting and quite realistic. Both had their own burdens from the past to carry, and together they got through those things as well. The book dealt with important issues - mental health, alcohol use (or refusing it), and who are the kind of people you want to keep present in your life.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read this book again.

WHAT TO WAIT:
* Age gap
* Dirty talk
* Dual pov
* Forced proximity
* Hea
* Big brother’s best friend
* Steamy

Got lucky enough to get the ARC for this!
Brothers best friend, roommates to lovers and no 3rd act breakup! Tell me less! Loved seeing the complexity of outgrowing a friendship, that is not something we often see. It was really well represented. I loved plant daddy Sebastian! This was super cute and enjoyed every minute of reading this!

⭐️: 3.75/5
🌶️: 4/5
Format: 📱

This was a really good one! McLean's biggest strengths are in creating situations that are realistic and relatable, and in the spice. Those spicy scenes are putting in the work! 🥵 Overall, this is a perfect cozy romance. There's no giant dramatic climax--rather, the plot and development work together to get you toward the characters' resolution in a way that feels closer to real life.

What I loved most was that the FMC, Bee, struggles with things that could be considered mundane, next to a fantasy or epic novel, but in everyday reality, are intense stuggles that a lot of people face. Through her writing, McLean shows us healthy ways to deal with our own baggage and trauma, and how we can do hard things. Bee works to get out of her own way in an internal development arc, but also deals with growing out of a close friendship, and how to act and have hard conversations around it.

We also see something that I'm personally really happy to see represented, which is a character working through drinking culture. I've had a period of my life where I was sober for medical reasons, and societal pressure to drink is astronomical. Everyone pushes you to do it. So to see main characters who talked freely about the choice to not drink was really refreshing.

The spice itself was great. We get some really good descriptive scenes, a couple that are some good fantasy fodder, and we get a lot of it!!

Some things that weren't my favorite were the pacing and setting development. A lot of the beginning of the book felt very sudden and quick, and I was missing more transition between events at that beginning there. Throughout, there were a couple scene shifts that were a little abrupt as well, but nothing too intense.

This was such a cute book.

I love the romance and that the spice didn’t overwhelm the story line. It was just enough.

Sebastian is definitely such a wonderful character and I love how he helps Bee embrace her true shelf so she is able to be comfortable with who she is.

They are such a cute couple and I love how their relationship unfolds.

This was a really cute read!! I enjoyed reading about Bee and Seb discovering their feelings for each other. I struggled in the beginning with Seb's immediate attraction to Bee, it seemed like it came out of nowhere. However, it was just a really cute love story and I am so glad I read it.

Bee is a ghostwriter who moves back to her hometown to write her first self authored book. Sebastian, her brother’s best friend and her secret longtime crush, is trying to purchase his first home and Bee volunteers to buy in to help him afford it

There were things I really liked about this book. I enjoyed the writing, it was smart and entertaining. The open door scenes were were super steamy and the initial tension and pining gripped me. I just didn’t feel any type of way about Sebastian. I didn’t dislike him, but I can’t say I felt strongly for him either. I think given his past and relationship with his dad he was overcompensating on always being calm and instead he was just flat. I wanted more personality from him. There was also some redundancy, mainly with inner monologues from both characters. At one point I had to check that I was on the right chapter because I felt like I’d already read what was in front of me. Bee was self deprecating so often that it started to wear me down. I did enjoy this author’s witty writing in general and I’d be interested to read more in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for my review!

I thought it started off great and then I wanted to claw my eyes out (respectfully).

When I saw the book, I thought the cover art was adorable and that the plot summary drew me in because I am a huge fan of this type of trop! The book just was not as good as it is set up to seem.

There was way too much happening all at once for it to be enjoyable and the writing was in all honesty, messy.

I'm sure this book is not a reflection on the authors talents, and maybe this book was just not for me. I will still be looking at her other works to see if there's something else she has written that may fit better.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book proved to be a challenging read for me, taking longer than expected to finish, despite its relatively fast-paced nature. While the plot unfolded swiftly, especially in terms of romance, it might appeal more to those seeking a quicker narrative. If you're a fan of rapid storytelling, this book might be a good fit, but if you're into slow-burn romance, you might want to steer clear.

Here are some excerpts from the book that stood out to me:

"How much time do you have?"
"For you? The rest of my life."

"Your dreams are valid, Bee. More than that, they're as beautiful as the dreamer. Don't dull them for others, and don't stifle yourself from chasing them."

"He built a bookcase. More than that, they're about as beautiful as the dreamer. Don't dull them for others, and don't stifle yourself from chasing them."

Overall, the ARC approval brought excitement, and the cover design played a significant role in piquing my interest. It's clear that visual elements can be influential in attracting readers.

Another reader shares their enthusiasm after receiving the ARC, expressing eagerness to dive into the book. The use of emojis adds a lively touch, underscoring the anticipation.

In contrast, there's a more critical review that acknowledges a love for the author but notes that this particular book fell short. The critique centers around the cohesion of the love story, changes in writing style, and issues with storytelling. While positive elements like queer representation, sobriety talk, and mental health discussions are acknowledged, they are considered not thoroughly explored.

The final part of the review provides insights into the plot, character dynamics, and themes, hinting at a slow-burn, brother's best friend trope, inner monologue, and self-doubt. The reader appreciates certain aspects but expresses a desire for a more robust plot and a better-developed romance.

Dani Mclean has me since fake relationship/mortage brother best friend trope but what kills and defeats me are the incredible characters, and how they contrast with the story. I'm struggling to find the right words to review this book, all I think is "it's great, incredible, amazing”.
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I love each Dani Mclean character, I have read the series of novels and her previous series The cocktail series, and her characters are perfect to get lost in its pages and fall in love again and again
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But with this book my mouth was completely open, I don't know from what magical place Sebastian Wolfe came from but I hope the door remains open. If no one else talks about how perfect cinamon roll bookboyfriend he is, they read the wrong book.
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Bee returned to her hometown in search of a little time away to face difficult things in her carrer, nothing better than returning to the place where one feels safest. But when she arrives things are not as expected and on an outing with her best friend she ends up sleeping at her brother's house in front of her best friend and former crush.
With a few years of distance she thought that everything had been left behind but being close and seeing him on the verge of an anxiety attack the first thing that occurs to her is to jump to help him, even if it brings unexpected consequences such as confessing the truth behind her return and end up in living together, accepting each new challenge he can think of
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This book filled my heart and made me want to continue reading more prologues. I really loved them.
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I felt so much for Bee, my heart completely understood her, and sometimes it is harder to break up with friends and family than with a partner. They are difficult situations to face that leave wounds that are very difficult to heal and it is very difficult to regain confidence to make new relationships.That's why Sebastian is perfect, and she is perfect for him.
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I loved this book and hope it's the first in a series, maybe? hopefully..
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Thanks to Dani Mclean for give a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion
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Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
I thought this was a really cute 'close proximity' trope about an aspiring author, Bee, and her brothers best friend, Sebastian. They've had secret feelings for each other for years, and buying a house together immediately starts to fan those flames. This is very spicy, quick moving, and really sweet. It's LGBTQ+ forward and supportive.
If you're looking for something incredibly profound I don't think this is it. It does try a bit with touching on bisexuality, sobriety lifestyle, defining friendships...but I'm not sure that any of those B story lines really hit home as hard as they could? There are snippets here and there that are great but alot of those underplots are really muddled. I also don't entirely get why Sebastian needed to 'help' Bee? The driving tension there, other than to get them to hook up, is really lacking.
But if you like spice (it is SPICY) and just a cute rom-com, this does the trick!

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean
POV: Dual
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶
Tropes: Brother’s Best Friend, Minor Age Gap, Hero MMC, Force Proximity, LGBTQ+, Slow Burn.

Let me start off this review by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I first requested it because of the cover (it’s too gorgeous for words!!) and I was hooked from page one. Bee and Sebastian just have the sweetest most genuine relationship and it really plays out well over the pages. There were so many points throughout the book that I felt myself relating hard to the characters… and that isn’t easy to achieve at all.

I will be keeping my eye out for any more books from Dani McLean and highly recommend this book.

I recently had the pleasure of receiving an ARC of Mortgage of Convenience from Victory Editing (NetGalley). I just finished reading it in one sitting and this novel includes a lot of tropes that I know a lot of you would enjoy (because I sure did!)

🧭 mutual pining
📚 dual pov
🧭 brother's best friend
📚 he falls first
🧭 age gap
📚 bi rep
🧭 no third act break up

One of the standout features of the book is the chemistry between the characters. The amount of tension, as well as pining, got me giggling and kicking my feet. I’ve always liked the idea of boy-obsessed trope — there’s just something about the fmc thinking they’re hard to love and there’s the mmc who loves them like it’s breathing.

Not to mention, each of the characters have depth and are very interesting. Hot girlshit is having daddy issues right? That feeling of wanting a family, or being a family kind of guy, but you’re scared of having your own because you didn’t grow up with stable parents to look up to. Always afraid of just like being your father. It’s nice to see complex and flawed characters who have to overcome issues like that and help each other grow and heal.

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐬.”

Overachieving burnt out girlies can relate (aka me). Like why do our greatest strengths often become our greatest struggles? Impostor syndrome is waving.

Overall, this book balances the wholesome moments with tension and pining (AND 🌶️🌶️) that keeps you hooked from the start. Despite tackling personal issues, the book maintains a feel-good atmosphere that makes it a joy and easy to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves this genre.

PS. Make sure to read the content note/warning before starting the book incase some topics are triggering.

Loved it!!

This book held my attention all night; I anticipated a sweet romance to lull me to sleep, but Dani McLean's storytelling captivated me. Loved the adorable romance from Bee and Seb, it kept me giggling.

I really enjoyed this book! There was a lot of representation that I love to see in romance novels. I feel like a bisexual male stripper is a rare MMC in contemporary romance, so it was a very unique and interesting perspective. I always enjoy a dual-perspective book. My only issue is that the plotline of the main characters purchasing the house seemed to happen super quickly, before I could really connect with the characters. I wish there had been more of a build-up to them buying the house together, but maybe there was a previous book where we get to see their characters that I don't know about. The cover art was absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you Mood Publishing and Dani McLean for the opportunity to review Mortgage of Convenience in exchange for a fair review.

A cute, light-hearted force proximity romance. The premise of this story sounded great; the writing didn’t do it justice in my opinion. However, I did enjoy reading the sweet vibe of the cream-puff romance featured in the story.

A very slow-burn romance that made the pacing of the book a little strange for me. Everything seemed in slow motion, yet Bee and Sebastian were thrust into forced proximity very quickly. I felt they spent a little too much time tiptoeing around each other and a lot of time internally reflecting on their situation, without leading to any action. Everything fell in very quickly at the end feeling a bit rushed to get the HEA in.

I didn’t click with Sebastian and Bee as much as I hoped. They had great chemistry together and I loved how sweet, thoughtful, and romantic Sebastian was. Bee felt a little immature at times, but she was only in her mid-twenties and felt like she still maturing into herself. She could have probably done with a bit more growth on this on her character arc, but overall she was a likable character but not one I gelled with as a reader. I like her anxiety and lack of confidence, it resonated with me as a reader but I didn’t buy into her motivations or goals for writing a book – she seemed to be doing just because of the plot, especially if she had all those savings couldn’t she have written the book where she was living?

A solid 3-star romance read with nice characters, very sugary sweet with a sizzling of sensual spice in the bedroom scenes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the kind of book that keeps you up all night and you finish at 4 in the morning because that’s exactly what I did, I was expecting a cute litttle romance that would put me to bed and then I can finish over breakfast NO dani McLean clearly knows 1000 ways to pique my interest because i could not put the book down.

The romance between bee and seb needs to be studied it’s the cutest, fluffiest immensely adorable pining thing you’ll read and the relationships that were explored in this book is something to write home about.

This book felt like it came at the right time to me because it deals with toxic friendships and learning to let go of some things in life because it’s simply not right and I feel like this a topic that should be explored more.

I have come to really really like Dani’s style of writing the thought process from bee and character development is so enlightening and inspiring and just loved the relationships explored in this book.

Also seb as a plant dad was the cutest thing the author is clearly to kill me with fluff.

Massive thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with this ARC

The plot of the book was really good, the story seemed to fast paced almost for my liking, im interested in more of the authors books. I did have trouble sitting and focusing on the story as much as i enjoyed it. This is my favourite trope when it comes to romance books, the first chapter really had me thinking id be hooked but after the first chapter it didnt live up to my expectations

What a sweet book!
I love plays on words, so this title was great for me. The cover is also adorable.
The fact the Sebastian was a bisexual man made this book for me. It’s so uncommon to see that rep in MF contemporary romances and those bi babies need love too! Bee and Sebastian had great chemistry and had a good give and take in their relationship. They both had times where they needed the other person and were able to be there for them.
Bee had so many issues with being authentic, which is relatable AF. She shoved herself into a box built of others’ expectations or preconceived notions until she got some shoves in the right direction from Sebastian.
Sebastian had a hard time coming to grips with his abusive childhood and finding a way to achieve his dreams. Bee was an emotional and financial support that he needed.
I got a bit annoyed at how long it took Sebastian to be completely up front with Bee and how Bee handled the whole “let’s keep this a secret from my brother thing”.
Overall, well written book.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: abusive parent (off page), emotionally abusive/manipulative friend, discussion of homophobia, discussion of housing insecurity

I’m not sure if it’s just me at the minute, but I feel like I’m being thrown into these books like halfway in? I just feel like there’s no background to the characters and we’re already supposed to know everything and like them all? What?