Mortgage of Convenience

by Dani McLean

Welcome home.

Ever sent a drunk text to your ex and regretted it in the morning? Well, imagine pitching the debut novel you’ve been hiding to your agent, then waking up with a hangover and a deadline. Oh, and you have a debilitating fear of rejection.

Welcome to Bee Montgomery’s life.

The shy ghostwriter has always shied away from the limelight but may never get this opportunity again. So after five years away, Bee returns home with little more than a suitcase of secrets and a dream. What she really needs is someone confident to guide her.

Enter Sebastian Wolfe, her brother’s best friend. The older man spent his twenties avoiding commitment and his whole life trying to be the man his father never was, but the sexy ex-stripper secretly dreams of a white picket fence and a home of his own. He isn’t expecting to come up short on the deposit, or for the woman he shouldn’t want to offer the rest in exchange for his help to get over her stage fright. But if Bee can’t see how incredible she is, he’s more than happy to show her.

It’s not long before they’re stripping away more than her inhibitions, but as Bee’s deadline looms, she needs to decide if she’s going to keep playing house or return to her real life.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, LGBT, Adult, Friends To Lovers

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2024

About the author

Dani McLean is a Bi/NB Australian author who writes shamelessly fun contemporary romance with an open-bedroom-door policy. She loves coffee, karaoke, and stories that make you kick your feet up in the air. If lost, she can be found on Ao3, or echo located through her kookaburra laugh.

Reviews

[sama ୨୧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 stars 𐙚
I won’t lie, I am a little disappointed

💌 plot 💌

this book is a brother’s best friend, and forced proximity.

bee and sebastian have not seen eachother for five years when she left to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer and one day she comes back home, sees that sebastian can’t pay for his house so what does she do?!!? live with him. crazy. stupid. foolish decision.

obviously I knew this before picking it up but I was like hey why not? I do love forced proximity but apparently not this time. I expect angst, pining, “we shouldn’t be doing this but it feels so right” type of feels.. but no. none of that happened in fact it DIDNT feel right I lowkey wanted them to break up 😀

❓ what to expect ❓

➵ brother’s best friend
➵ forced proximity (if they stayed apart more I think I would’ve been happier)
➵ lots and lots of uncomfortable smut

🔆 the romance 🔆

honestly just very plain and boring. idk it might just be me that’s the problem but i felt no chemistry between the two mcs at all

there was no connection, their conversations were like trying to be deep and failing. they literally talked about hot sauce so much like what. as if it’s a goofy and quirky topic. I hate being negative in reviews and I feel really bad but ugh it just cannot be helped this is so so not for me ☹️

🌶️ smut 🌶️

it was really nothing special and nothing to remember there’s just too much of it and it’s very repetitive. it’s just him being like “ugh you’re so hot” and her like “omg I need you right now plzplz”

ngl it made me uncomfortable at times like I don’t usually really care too much about the writing or what they’re saying but this one.. this was weird. for example:

😀🔫 “I’ve always liked the idea of being woken up by a lover who was already taking what he wanted from me” 😀🔫

I’m not judging but… yeah im definitely judging. it’s just such a strange random creepy kink to have and then he goes and does it and im just sat there like uhhh..

also sebastian was like such a softie with not a dominant bone in his body but bee always tried to portray him as this big demanding assertive man and he’s just not.

🐺 “he’s a damn wolf, in name and action, establishing his territory, making it his own. 🐺

his name is sebastian wolfe that’s the point but like no… he was not a wolf. not even close. not that it’s a bad thing it’s just not who he is so stop portraying him like that 😭

🧸 in conclusion 🧸

the point is this is not my thing!! and I appreciate that but I’d still like to express my personal thoughts and experience <33 I hope if you do decide to read this that you adore it and love it more than I did!!

thank you netgalley for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

..and thank you mariam and fadheela for suffering through it with me. ily girls sm 🥹💓 the br was my idea and nobody had fun I sincerely apologise 😭😭 this experience taught me not to judge a book by its cover fr nothing will stop me though 🫡

———
🫶🏼 pre-read 🫶🏼

my second arc lets gaur 💅💅

trio br with my pookies fadheela and mariam <3
never done one with three people I can’t wait 🫡

riri didn’t love this so lowkey I don’t have high hopes 😀🔫

———

OMG OMG I GOT APPROVED FOR THE ARC🤭🤭
the cover is so beautiful 🥹💓

[fadheela ♡ (semi-ia dying w assignments) · Rating 2 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷“𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘𝓷𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮”ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Thankyou NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

💌02/18/24
➸ 1.5 stars

I'm being very generous with the rating here just know that😌✋🏻 I will try my very best to be civil here, since I was the one who applied for the ARC in the first place seeing that cute cover, but don't let the cover fool you

⤿ br with ma fav girls sama, mariam 💌🫶🏻 I had sm fun ranting abt this book with you guys!🤭🫶🏻

Ok, now back to the review, shall I say how much I loathed disliked this book while I was reading this?😍 You can literally see that now, since I didn't put much effort in writing this review, but as I promised, this review is going to be a full-on rant one🤭 tbh, half the time, no scratch that, almost every single damn time I wanted to dnf this, I wanted this book to finish for more than ever. I haven't felt this kinda feeling about a book in a while. If it wasn't for the br, and if we three weren't suffering together, I wouldn't even bother to read this. And also I just realised this is my very first 2 star read this year😇

what to really expect from this book:
🎯 brother's best friend trope
🎯 Dual POV (first time I wished to not have to know every thoughts)
🎯 forced proximity
🎯 a load of uncomfortable smut (wish I really had amnesia)
🎯 fmc has high insecurities (I've lost count the no.of times it's mentioned)

Bee Montgomery & Sebastian Wolfe- Honestly both were horny, they would literally jump at each other if given a chance, the torture I had to go through reading their individual monologues were too much to take *smiles in pain, crawls in pain* I wish I could undo all the details of this book from my brain💀

“I’ve always liked the idea of being woken up by a lover who was already taking what he wanted from me.”

“he’s a damn wolf, in name and action, establishing his territory, making it his own.”

I have nothing else to say after those quotes above, there are more like that, but I'll keep to these quotes for now.

Reading this felt like I wasn't reading some 390 pgs book, but some 1500 pgs book😭😭 I never thought I would ever say this someday but, reading my study texts felt like a better option then💀
At first I thought okay, it will pick up later, if not now, we three were gaslighting ourselves saying it would get better😃🔥🔫 I also sent long msgs to my besties irl (ofc I couldn't just leave them out of it😁) It really felt like I was reading both of the character's dairy entries, talking the same things over again and again👀 If I really have to be honest, while I was reading this, it felt like it belonged on Wattpad*.

*side note: I have read some really amazing books in Wattpad ngl, but the writing and everything about this book reminded me of those many books I read in Wattpad.

Will I ever recommend this? an easy NO😍
Will I ever reread this? maybe, keynote, "maybe" when the edited book comes out, I'll check it out, if I ever get to it, to see if there is any difference🙃

For the first time ever, I'm not quoting my fav quotes here, because I don't have any😍💘

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

💌02/16/24
I wish to bleach my brain out after this ARC🕳🧠, but I'm glad I wasn't alone in this journey😌 Full rant RTC soon.

💌02/11/24
First time doing a trio br with my favs sama & mariam🧸💘 Let's hope this actually goes well🙂

💌02/05/24
OMGG!! ANOTHER ARC GOT APPROVED🤧 THIS IS INSANE, I HAVE SOO MUCH TO READ NOW😭😭

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ★

honestly, i don’t have much to say about this book so this review will be short. the tension in this romance was not in the room with us and i have never met two hornier characters in my life. Bee’s insecurities were so repetitive to read about and there will never be a scenario where i enjoy watching someone constantly have no backbone in defending themselves. Sebastian was more tolerable and i actually thought he was really sweet and supportive.. whenever he wasn’t embarrassing me with his cringy dirty talk. there’s too many sex scenes in this book and none of them were actually good, so i started skimming them. i loved seeing the bi rep though and i also liked Bee’s brother Aiden. i appreciate that this book was short, cause i don’t think i would’ve finished it if it wasn’t.

thanks to NetGalley for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. happy release day !!🥳

“I never knew where I belonged until now. but it’s here, with you.”

🧡no third act break up
🧡brother’s best friend
🧡forced proximity
🧡LGBTQIAP+ rep
🧡mutual pinning
🧡found family
🧡first person
🧡roomates
🧡dual pov
🧡age gap

Bee, the female main character, was an ambitious author plagued by self-doubts. her overly ambitious phone call to an editor on a drunken evening made her collide with the blank page syndrome, which may or may not have been connected to her impostor syndrome that sent her running back to her hometown. the growth of her character was fascinating to observe because of how she had to juggle with all her day-to-day struggles. for exemple, she stood up for herself and realized that her longest and dearest friendship was more consuming, in a pejorative manner, than anything. Bee’s personality’s development bloomed gradually with the way she gained confidence with the help of the male protagonist, Sebastian.
Sebastian’s character was a breath of french air with the rep' he offered to the narrative, combined with the health way he navigated his masculinity and sexuality. i loved his bond with Bee’s brother and how for once the brotherly homo-sapien act wasn’t a clichéd, jam-packed with testosterone phrasing "stay away from my sister!!!! hohohaga.🧌". but instead, Bee’s brother was more concerned more about Sebastian. and how Bee might broke his heart because he never had a stable household growing up and in addition he had only casual hookups until he decided to be celibate. therefore he didn’t have a model depiction of a healthy matrimonial relationship.
the romance, however, felt a bit rushed for my liking and its synchronization with the characters’ developments didn’t work very well. but all in all, it was a fast pace and enjoyable read. would perfectly fit as plate-cleanser!

many thanks to netgalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

———
me requesting arcs bc of the cute covers💅🏽

[RiRi&#x1f48c; (back in January) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“𝙄'𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙥 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩
𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨.”

It took me longer to finish this book than a fantasy book with more than 800 pages…Every time I started reading this book, I was only able to get through 10 to 30 pages before nodding off or turning to TikTok🥲🥲. The book wasn’t even slow; in fact, it was a bit too fast for me, especially the romance!! So if you want to read something (really) quick, go for it! If you prefer slow burn, stay far away from this book!!😭


𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:

I didn’t really connect with them, especially Bee. The only thing I really liked about her was her cleaning obsession (I’m a clean freak). Sebastian was really cute, but again no connection…


𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:

💌
"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 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

💌

“𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦.“
💌

𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙼𝚈 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝.🫂

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗰𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

જ⁀➴
MY ARC GOT APPROVED!! YAYYY🥹🤞🏼🤞🏼

[meg *ੈ✩‧₊˚ (semi ia) · Rating 1 out of 5]

was meh


omg omg omg

i got the arc for this!!! i can't wait to read it 🤍

[mariam (Cardan's tail's version♡) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have the energy to write a full review but here is why I hated this :

1- The writing was so basic, the inner monologues were horny af, I just wasn't in the mood of reading about two ppl lusting from the first 2 pages okay ?

2- again, I like insta love esp if it is so lusty like where is my slow burn huh ? This is a me thing I guess

3- seriously I couldn't care less about them, I kept getting second hand embarrassment

4- this should be the first thing but anyways THE SMUT SCENES??? WTF WAS THAT BRO, they were epically disgusting to say the least, too horny for me and the dancing scene wasn't it at all 🙄. It was like super cringe and def not my thing, seriously I just wanted to ball my eyes out.

5- seriously who named Sebastian that name ? AUTHORS I URGE YOU TO STOP USING BASIC NAMES.

6- I didn't understand shit from the epilogue and I couldn't care less

7- I already forgot everything about this book which says a lot

Onto the this gave me PTSD shelf this goes
The only redeeming fact about this book is that I read it with my bestiess 🤭🤭
------------
Buddy reading with my baeess Fadhee and samasemo 🤭💗💗 I am not optimistic though

[Belle Terese · Rating 4 out of 5]

you GUYSSSSSS!! 😩💖 this was such a perfect, fluffy and RIDICULOUSLY spicy brother’s best friend, age-gap, self-healing novel and i truely loved it so much. when i tell y’all that some of the spice in here had me HOWLING and i was tryna read it in public like 👀.

bee and sebastian had such special storyline’s, not just as a couple but individually. in particular, i really resonated with bee’s struggle with growing out of friendships, and how important it is to put yourself first, rather than try to salvage something that no longer serves you.

SEBASTIAN 🔥🔥🔥 i went bloody feral over this man. you know and ex-stripper, bi king is gonna DELIVER and he DID 🙌🏼😩. i loved him so much i just wanna give him a hug.

this was the first novel i’ve read by Dani and i absolutely enjoyed every minute of it and i can’t wait to read more!! 4.5⭐️ 2.5🌶️. enjoy my thoughts while reading:

- the way he recognises he scent straight away 😩😩

- bahahah sis i am HOWLING about the house and laundry comparison 😂😂 that’s so me

- ahhh…daddy issues

- YESSSSS SEB PART OF THE BI CLUB!!!

- the house on his arm 😭😭 i get it now

- ooft that was HOT 🔥🔥

- this whole plot around growing out of friendships is so important i went through something similar 🥺

- so proud of bee for breaking off that friendship with morgan. i feel seen

- aww the tattoo ❤️

- heck yes no third act breakup! 🙌🏼

- i hope there’s gonna be a book for aiden and cassie…😉

[Cas (Fia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost, I want to say that I absolutely love the author. Her movie magic novellas are my favourite.

This book just didn’t work out for me. The love story was not very cohesive in my opinion.
The writing style felt a little bit different from what I’m used to from the author. Idk how to describe it, it just felt weird. The storytelling was not smooth and I couldn’t understand the jumps from one thought process to the other, that didn’t make sense and happened way too much. Some of the dialogues seemed absolutely redundant too.

Bee and Sebastian buy a house together and move in. They’ve had crushes on each other for years now. it seemed like a cute premise and it was. Bee is an author, she needs help with confidence and asks Sebastian to help her which honestly seems a little ridiculous but ok. In return, Sebastian is grateful for her helping him get the house.

I loved the queer representation, sobriety talk, and the importance of mental health being mentioned. But, unfortunately, the book has never ventured more deeply into these topics. They were kind of just brushed over and that’s it.

I think if you love slow burn, brother’s best friend, a lot of inner monologue, cozy vibes, and dealing with a lot of self doubt and insecurities, then you will like this book. Just don’t expect it to have a strong plot or a lot of romance development.

Also, Bee ending the longest friendship she has ever had was really enjoyable to read about. It’s a very important conversation to have and I love how it was handled.

I really hoped this book could have been stronger and I would have enjoyed it much more. For each their own though.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc <3

[Mus✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.5

⚜️Dual POV
⚜️Brothers best friend
⚜️No third act break up

I really don’t like giving books 2⭐️⭐️ and below ratings but I just saw a couple quotes that were in this book and cringed so hard I couldn’t fight the urge anymore to lower my rating.

The beginning of the book was pretty good, fast paced and straight to the point of the story. It really drew me in and I was liking it quite well,however it got quite boring and extremely weird at times too.

I barely felt any of the tension that these tropes usually bring up and thought Bee was being over dramatic at times. Sebastian while having faults of his own was a pleasure to read about.
But while this wasn’t my favorite read, I did enjoy a very select few aspects of it and could see why others may enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Shrez (Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 trope! 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.

[booksarebetterjess · Rating 4 out of 5]

M O R T G A G E O F C O N V E N I E N C E

⭐⭐⭐⭐
i loved this book, so sweet and slow and heartwarming.

bee montgomery returns home to her small town after living in a different city for a few years working as a ghostwriter - her dreams of writing her own stories seeming just out of reach. she slips right back into her old life, but she starts to realise she's not the same bee she was before and that maybe she wants more/different. one thing that has not changed, is her brothers hot bff, sebastian wolfe.

in an attempt to put herself out there and challenge herself, she agrees to go in on sebastian's mortgage so he can afford his dream home. in exchange, she wants his help in pushing her to write that book she's always had in her. they buy the property and move in together - let the forced proximity commence.

i loved how they both opened themselves up to each other and supported each other in life. i also liked that her brother supported the relationship from the get go.

i'm so grateful to be part of the street team for this book. thank you for the arc @danimcleanwrites 🫶🏼
all opinions and edits are my own, photos are not.

i can't wait to read whatever dani writes next. a shopping list? ok 🙋🏼‍♀️

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ A Brother's Best Friend Age Gap Romance! *

This was so cute! I'm always looking for any type of LGBTQIA+ rep on books. This definitely had that, and then some!

This book follows Bee, a successful ghostwriter who's grown tired of telling everyone else stories, and on a leap of faith -and a bottle of wine- decides to email her publicist about her own novel she's trying to write. What she doesn't see in that moment is the spiral that she will fall through at the thought of her book actually becoming something more than just a hypothetical. When she leaves her life to go back to her hometown where her brother still lives, she's afraid to admit that she might have ruined her career by trying to reach for something unattainable. Also, the fact that she's had a massive crush on Sebastian, her brother's best friend, for over a decade should make things just awkward enough to get her rethinking every single one of her life choices. When she ends up at the bank with Sebastian, taking a meeting where they're discussing how difficult it would be for him to get a mortgage approved on his own for the home of his dreams, she jumps at the chance to help him. And also maybe the possibility of finding some stability in the chaos that's fallen into her life.

The premise of the book seemed a bit too much at first, but I genuinely liked the beginning of this book. I loved the bi-rep in this book, and I thought the conversation about Sebastian and his struggles to understand and come to terms with his sexuality -and what that means and doesn't mean to him- was so refreshing! It was wonderful to read. Seb is truly a great example of how traumatic life can get before you can truly feel liberated and free.

I also liked that one of the main themes in this book is how to navigate a friendship breakup. Those f**kers are so painful, but they also make you realize how much you've grown. There's also a lot of talk about alcohol, but not really about alcoholism which I thought was odd. I would've liked to see Bee take a more caring role, or maybe show some concern for the person who's been her best friend for a decade and now has an obvious drinking problem. Either way, Bee fits the youngest child syndrome trope to a T!

I can't give it five stars because the ending got really slow for me, and I can't say I loved the writing. Still, the story itself is beautiful!

🌶.5 / 5

Thank you so much Net Galley for the eARC!*

[Reading in Brussels · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I wanted to love this book, it did not work out for me. The writing is clunky, there is no smooth flow to the story. They are more like bouts of tiny scenes happening instead of a whole act, if that makes any sense.
I like a vulnerable FMC, one who has insecurities (bc who doesn't), and works on them. What I found hard to like with Bee is that, she was completely submerged by her insecurities. It seemed like that was her extent of her entire thought process, except for the part where she was into Seb ofc. The fact that she needed her hands to be held at all times made me feel very uncomfortable. I think that what's lacking in her character story is that, she seemed to be always insecure. There was no moment that she felt like a strong character. What are her areas of confidence?
I could not grasp who these characters are as a whole, beyond surface level.
And please, don't get me started on that lame "who did this to you".
I gave up at 30%.

[Michelle Entebi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 wholesome ⭐️s


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
I requested this book on a whim because I liked the cover (sue me).

This was my first book by the author and I would pick up more of her books in the future.


Smiling, I bite back the words I so badly want to say. You’re precious to me. Stay here. Stay forever. Be mine.

read if you like
- brothers best friend
- age gap (8 years)
- exstripper MMC
- bookish FMC
- bi mmc
- cinnamon roll mmc
- forced proximity
- plant daddy


🌶️spice: 3/5

characters:
- Bee 3⭐️ (very insecure for my liking)
- Sebastian 5⭐️
- Aiden 5⭐️
- Morgan 0⭐️
- Cassie LOVED HER 5⭐️


This book comes out February 27th!

[ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ . 5

this is what you would call sickly sweet.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[kelseyandherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when golden hour light shines through your windows and it's warm, soft, and comforting after a long day? Mortgage of Convenience is golden hour light.

The relationship between Sebastian and Bee is so ooey gooey and tender. I loved how supportive her brother was of their relationship and that it was an on-going conversation between him and Sebastian. I loved Bee's growth. And the spice was definitely spicing!!

If you're a fan of Dani's Movie Magic novella series, you will absolutely gobble this book up!

[☆ jess ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

honestly this just wasn’t for me. i just had no interest in it. i really wanted to enjoy it but unfortunately it fell so flat. i was so close to DNFing but i decided to push through.

the main characters buy a house together because he can’t afford it himself and she’s got money that she can use to help him. one thing leads to another and their chemistry becomes undeniable.

if you love best friends brother then give this book a go :)

[mel ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

˚₊ ❥ 𝟑/𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 」

Though I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to, I definitely will try out more books by this author. At first, I had high hopes; it hooked me in, but eventually everything got so repetitive. The main thing for me were the insecurities from Bee. I understand having insecurities, but it was over so many silly things. Also! the romance felt a bit too rushed; it didn’t have much tension, but not everyone loves what I love so.

[Jeeves Reads Romance]

How far did I get? Technically, I finished it, but I started skimming about halfway through. I wanted to give the author the benefit of doubt, in case the issues were just with the ARC edition - they were not. I flipped through the finished version, and it was the same way.

Why did I stop? The writing was not living up to the potential of the premise. Other readers have described the writing as choppy, and that is 100% true. It jumps from one scene to the next with zero transition, so I spent a lot of time trying to get my bearings. By the time I'd figured out what was happening, it would shift to the next scene. So I spent a lot of time confused, and then the characters' decisions didn't always make sense. Like... our heroine buys half a house, even though she only plans to be in town temporarily? She knows her brother's best friend can't afford it on his own (neither can she), so I'm still not exactly sure what her game plan was there. The home-buying process is not particularly quick or easy, yet they still hadn't communicated their plans before the paperwork was signed. And what she wanted in exchange was kinda ridiculous. Some of the other compelling elements were wildly underdeveloped. So there were a million things that had me scratching my head.

Was I enjoying it initially? I was! I've heard great things about this author's work, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the premise is right up my alley. So I went into this with a whole lot of enthusiasm, and I initially really enjoyed that it jumped right into things. The hero is also such a sweetheart, and there was so much to love about the dynamic between them. There are also some fantastic, intimate moments and these little glimpses of greatness. Those kept me hooked for awhile, until the writing issues started overtaking the plot.

Would I finish this? I skimmed to the end, so I know how it all ends up. The romance still felt underdeveloped, with very strange pacing. I would definitely try the author again, but I'd wait until there were some solid reviews out first.

Who would I recommend this to? It gave me Tarah DeWitt/Hannah Bonam-Young vibes, which is a major plus and the biggest reason I'd revisit the author's work in the future. So if you're a fan of that kind of vibe, then McLean might be a good fit for you.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[M ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alright where do i start..i was very excited to read this book (and my first requested ARC!!). I thought the cover was pretty and the plot summery seemed promising but unfortunately, i was left pretty disappointed by it.

Firstly, i didn’t feel like the characters had any chemistry between each other. Their scenes and interactions felt forced and it made it hard for me to get into the story and connect with both MCs. I’m sad to say it but i was bored. It felt like i was reading a 500 pages book instead of 260 pages. The dialogue was repetitive and the storytelling was confusing and all over the place, it was difficult to follow. If you like brother’s best friend, insta love and forced proximity, i think you might enjoy this book a little more than i did. Overall, this book didn’t work out for me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[maddison · Rating 1 out of 5]

glad that’s over

[April | Aprilsbooknook_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I spent six years dreaming of buying this house. Do you know what I dream of now? You.”

💭 Sebastian has one BIG dream. Save money, buy the dream house, settle down.

Bee is home temporarily. Trying to get her head on straight while she finishes her manuscript.

When Seb finds out that he doesn't have enough of a down payment for his dream house Bee jumps feet first into homeownership with him. What harm can come from owning a house with your older brothers HOT best friend, who you have had a crush on for.... Forever?

I am OBSESSED with the chemistry between these two. It was straight fire every time they were in close proximity. I loved the character development with Bee. With the help of Seb, she was finally breaking out of her shell and learning to live for herself instead of her people pleasing ways.

And then we have Sebastian. Ohhhh our sweet cinnamon roll of a grumpy hero. I absolutely adored this man so much. I love how he just went after the things he wanted. I love that he didn't care about any judgement.

“Do you think there’s such a thing as a harmless lie?” My brother answers first. “No, I don’t. But not every lie hurts the hearer.”

CAN WE TALK ABOUT AIDEN? Bees brother/Sebastians best friend.. guys. The way it was so refreshing that Aiden was who he was. The way he supported Sebastian always. The way he looked after him. The way he CRAVED a friendship with his sister. I just CANNOT WITH THIS MAN. I literally cannnnot wait to find out if we get his story. I already know it's going to be utter perfection. 🥹🤌🏻

[mags ♡⋆｡˚❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay where to start... Grab some tea bc I have big feelings...
Tropes
- mortgage of convenience (hey, that's the title!) - basically they both buy a house together because it's convenient, but we don't ever fully get an understanding of why Bee agrees? It's not that well fleshed out
- brother's best friend
- sexy ex-stripper (but this is barely mentioned)

Pros
- Sebastian is sexy. He's hot.
- Bee is writing a book. I liked that.

Cons
Holy fuck this book was disappointing. Firstly, was it just me or did it feel like the paragraphs and chapters ended at weird times? I got my boyfriend to read the last bit of chapter 22 and he agreed that it seemed like the author was ending the chapter mid thought. This happened a few times throughout the book and was so noticiable that I had to mention it.

Secondly, this book was SO POORLY FLESHED OUT. I'm not sure if the author had too many ideas, or too few. Nothing meant anything and the characters motivations were never truly explained. Why did Bee agree to buy a house with a guy she barely knows? Why did Bee move back home?(because she is writing a book is such a shit reason). Why did Sebastian want to buy that specific house? (again with the shit reasons, because the first house he and his mom rented was two streets away? Seriously? Again, what's with this specific house???)

Thirdly, who the fuck is Bee??? And I don't mean who is the character, I mean who is she as a person? I'm so sorry Dani McLean but Bee Montgomery (brilliant name) has to take the cake for the worst romance heroine in existence. She's such a nothing character that it fully mad me mad. She's annoying, she has no spine, and her biggest achievement of the book - ending her friendship with Morgan - was done not because SHE thought it was a good idea, but because SEBASTIAN did. Bee sucks.

Smut
- Yes this is going as a con. The smut added zero anything to the book and my god even somnophilia couldn't make it interesting.

Finally, I AM SO SORRY NETGALLERY AND DANI MCLEAN. I tried so hard to be positive about this book, the synopsis sounded so good, but by golly... It gets a (derogatory) three stars because I liked that Sebastian is a plant daddy and I want Dani McLean to keep writing because I know she can do better than this.
(Thanks for the ARC, sorry for the bad review xx)

[whatssophiareading · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

The first chapter of this book really pulled me in, but then ultimately just didn’t live up to my expectations. It fell a little flat for me. First, the scene in the bank, leading to the whole premise, was just too much of a reach for me to buy into lol. Second, I didn’t love the FMC. She was SUPER insecure and made things out to be a huge deal that really weren’t, like hiding how much she likes to clean. The conflict with the best friend threw me off as well — honestly I think her best friend needed help and instead the focus was on the FMC’s journey to accepting herself even if that meant she would be judged by others for not liking to drink. What? Someone get her friend to AA!!

The sexual chemistry at parts was really good. This wasn’t erotica but definitely spicy! I wish there had been more tension between the MCs, this was a bit too much insta-love for my liking, but it might appeal to another reader!

Thank you NetGalley, Dani McLean, and Set The Mood Publishing for a free copy of Mortgage of Convenience (coming out February 27th) in exchange for an honest review.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[The Bookish Chimera - Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Each breath comes with a different feeling. On the inhale, I belong here. On the exhale, I’m not sure where I belong.”


Sometimes a book finds you when you don’t know you need it. I picked Mortgage of Convenience mostly because the MFC is a writer. What I found, however, was so much more than that! 

This story is about finding a home, in a place, your person(s), but first yourself. I loved that journey. Deeply. So deeply that it’s hard for me to find words. I rarely read a bi representation that resonated so intensely in me, and I wish I could have read such books when I was younger. But in this book, I also found an incredible transformation, where Bee discovers herself, the way to accept to be seen and shine. I adored her character, she’s so fragile, like a hiding mouse at first, but she learns how to speak for herself –without crushing anyone. Her story was so inspiring (I wish younger-me could have read that too). And Sebastian… oh, Sebastian… I loved how he’s such a pillar to Bee, never judging, always encouraging –but not pushing– despite his own struggles. This book has zero toxic masculinity (like the author said, Sebastian is all green lights –even his eyes), no drama, and so much great domesticity. Yet, the story of Bee and Sebastian –how they learn to live together in that house they bought together on a “whimsy”, how it feels so natural–was a great page turner. This book  will become for me, I’m sure, a place I’ll want to revisit, to read again just to recharge and keep my chin up. 




(thank you to Netgalley for giving me that ARC in exchange of my honest review)

[Caitlyn]

Thank you NetGalley and Dani McLean for an ARC of Mortgage of Convenience in exchange for an honest review.

I was highly excited to receive an ARC copy of this that I dove right in and started reading on the spot at work. At first, I thought the pacing was pretty well done, but that all changed around 20% in.

I am choosing to DNF at 30% due to the pacing of the story and the writing felt quite choppy. I couldn't find myself to be interested as the story went on due to these reasons.

I found myself pausing reading to imagine the scenes happening in real life and it would be extremely weird or awkward if they did happen. I could not feel connected to the characters or the story.

Although I wasn't the target audience of this story, I hope to read more from Dani in the future.

[Maja | MajaicalReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5⭐️)

Let me just start with that I really connected with the FMC, which made the story feel surprisingly relatable. 😍 She’s finding herself as an adult, learning by trial and error, which felt very true to life. The romance was sweet, and the MMC was loving and supportive 🥰 There were some wonderful, thought-provoking moments, but a few parts felt unnecessary and slowed down the pacing.

My main frustration with this book was with the inconsistent “open door” policy. The book has a open door policy, BUT more often than not it would build up to spicy scenes, but then suddenly close the door, making the scenes feel incomplete 🥵 I don’t need everything on the page, but if there’s so much buildup, it’s disappointing when the moment abruptly cuts away.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it to be an easy read with some memorable parts, but these issues kept me from rating it higher 🤍