Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is a forced proximity romance. Bee and Sebastion hadn't seen each other for five years, but then she came back home and saw that Sebastion couldn't pay for his house and just decided to be roommates. Like, wtf? That is so stupid. Yeah, go move in with someone you haven't talked to in five years—what a perfect idea!!! They shouldn't be together, in my opinion; there was practically no chemistry between the pair, and the smut was so awkward I had to skip through parts of it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 44%

The synopsis sounded great but the book wasn't working for me. It felt like the author was checking off topics for representation but never went in depth at all. Bee, the FMC, was incredibly over dramatic and it honestly drove me crazy. She was also very insecure in ways that I just couldn't see past. There also wasn't great chemistry between the leads. I'm sure this book has its audience but that isn't me.

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani MacLean immediately gave me Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey vibes—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me. The plot felt flimsy at best and practically nonexistent at worst. There was little real conflict, just a lot of whiny faux-angst that didn’t add much depth to the story.
The writing leaned heavily into “millennial humor,” which pulled me out of the narrative more than once. Instead of feeling sharp or relatable, it often felt forced. I also struggled to connect with the characters—Bee and Sebastian had such similar inner dialogues that I kept forgetting whose point of view I was reading. Their chemistry, which should have been the heart of the story, was sadly lacking.
It also felt like the author poured too much of herself into both protagonists, making them read more like extensions of the same voice rather than two distinct people. As much as I wanted to root for their relationship, it never quite sparked.
While the concept had promise—Bee's struggle with insecurity and Sebastian’s desire for stability could have made for a compelling, emotional romance—the execution just didn’t hit the mark for me. Ultimately, I found myself more frustrated than invested.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @58%

I liked the idea of this but the reality it too choppy.
Scenes end and start. The dialogue feels immature. So do the characters. Very repetitive themes- Bee wants to be confident, and is given several opportunities, but it just doesn’t happen. Her friend is an alcoholic that they always brush over. Sebastian is a super hot ex stripper that now works the strip club bar. Whole plot was rushed into.

I don’t know how this feels like nothing is happening but also rushed?

Things go from being really hot with so much tension to nothing. Then all of a sudden they’re banging and there’s no description?! But it’s not closed door either. Lots of inference with actions going on.

This writing is just filled with counterintuitive aspects.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Set the Mood Publishing for this digital ARC.

*Mortgage of Convenience* by Dani McLean is a light, romantic story that combines elements of a marriage-of-convenience trope with a bit of family drama. The characters are likable, and McLean does a solid job of building a connection between them, which makes the eventual romance feel believable, though not groundbreaking.

The plot is engaging enough, with a few twists and turns that keep things interesting, but it often feels predictable and follows a somewhat familiar formula. While the dialogue is witty and the chemistry between the characters is charming, the emotional depth didn’t always come through, leaving the story feeling a bit surface-level at times.

Overall, *Mortgage of Convenience* is an enjoyable read for fans of lighthearted romance, but it doesn’t quite offer anything new or particularly memorable in the genre. It’s a fun, easy read but may leave those looking for a deeper connection or more complex plotlines wanting a bit more.

DNF - unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me! I read about 30%. Did not post full review to goodreads etc due to dnf.

This was a quirky, light-hearted story with great character development. I really enjoyed it and totally recommend.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

It is always a delight to be blown away by a book from an author you’ve never read from before! I love little surprises like this, brings me so much joy as a reader!

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is a fun, light-hearted romance with a bit of a twist! The story follows Holly, who’s in a bit of a financial bind and ends up in a fake marriage arrangement with a guy named Ethan to save her home. It’s one of those "fake dating turns real" type of books, and honestly, it’s super cute and easy to get into.

What I really liked about this book is the chemistry between Holly and Ethan. They start off with this no-strings-attached arrangement, but of course, things get complicated (in the best way). They’re both kind of quirky and relatable, and watching their relationship slowly shift from awkward to something real is really sweet. The plot is light and fun, with just the right amount of tension to keep you turning the pages.

The pacing is pretty quick, so you can easily breeze through it in a day or two. It’s not a super deep book, but it’s perfect for when you just want a feel-good romance with some funny moments and a happy ending.

Happy ever after with some hints to neurodivergent characters and also queer characters. The LGBTQIA+ components were mentioned at random times and I wish there had been more to that plot line.

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is a captivating, heartwarming romance that hooks you from the first page. The story follows two characters who enter into a marriage of convenience, only to find that their fake relationship starts to feel more real than they ever expected. McLean delivers a perfect balance of humor, emotion, and sizzling chemistry, making the slow-burn romance a delight to read. The characters are well-developed, with relatable flaws and growth, and the plot is full of heart and surprises. This book is a fun, engaging read that will keep you hooked until the very end. Highly recommend!

Review of Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean – ★★★★★

Mortgage of Convenience is a delightful blend of humor, romance, and self-discovery that I wish I’d had in my 20s. Bee Montgomery’s journey from a shy ghostwriter to embracing her dreams and self-love is both inspiring and relatable.

Sebastian Wolfe, her brother’s best friend, is the perfect mix of charm and complexity, making their chemistry sizzle off the pages. Also he is just HOT! Their “mortgage of convenience” arrangement was fun and brought unexpected warmth and genuine connection and showed the care they have for each other at the start of the story.

Dani McLean’s witty dialogue and engaging storytelling create a sexy, smart, and lovely narrative about finding your voice and navigating life on your own. This book is a heartfelt reminder that sometimes, the path to acceptance and happiness is found through unexpected partnerships.

— TL;DR: A charming romantic comedy about self-love and unexpected connections, this sexy story is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and joy!

(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 🤍

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

She’s a ghost writer with a secret personal project, he’s a former male stripper and also her older brother’s best friend. In an impulsive moment, Bee helps Sebastian buy a house, turning them into longing roommates.
This book is 5/5 spicy open door. Lots of great tropes we all like. Low conflict which leads to a light and fun read.
Thank you NetGalley and Dani McLean for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

1.5

Mortgage of Convenience follows Bee as she moves back home after five years of being away. She has drunkenly pitched a book idea to her agent, and hungover and panicked she returns home, at the same time running from her deadline and hoping to find something to make her go for it. Now, Bee has to deal with seeing her long-time crush Sebastian (who is her brother's best friend) as well as find a way to work around her own insecurities and take control of her own life.

I went into this book expecting it to be a cute rom-com type of book, something that reads lightly and quickly and taking it just at face-value this is that, however, my biggest complaint here is that the story lacked substance but also seemed to drag incredibly. The pacing was really off, and there was a lot of telling and not showing, especially in regard to the characters' relationships. More than once we were just supposed to believe there was a significant relationship between them when it wasn't established whatsoever.

Bee is an interesting main character to follow. She is riddled with insecurities, and she seemingly has no ways or coping mechanisms to deal with them. In the beginning, it seemed to me like we were going to watch her gradually get better at dealing with her feelings, but it did seem a bit lacklustre overall. There comes a point near the end where she makes significant progress, however the amount of repetition of her not having a backbone (specifically with her friendship with Morgan) was getting annoying to read about. I did enjoy the overall discussion of facing a time where you have to break up a long friendship, as that is something that is extremely difficult to do, but there was something lacking in the execution.

The main focus of the novel is definitely the relationship between Bee and Sebastian, and I can't say I enjoyed it too much. I felt as if there was nothing done to establish how they feel about each other, how well they know each other. At moments I thought they were mere acquaintances and at others it seemed as though they used to be extremely close before Bee moved away. Their relationship progresses as Bee offers to give Sebastian half of the money for a house he intends to buy, and the two move in together as roommates. This, again, seemed so abrupt as I was assuming they weren't even that close. From that point onwards, most of the plot is them thinking about having sex (or having sex) and while I do think Sebastian was more interesting and better fleshed out than Bee, man did he have some cringy lines.

Another weirdly unexplained relationship was between Bee and her brother, Aiden. For the majority of the novel it is clear they both wish to have a better, closer relationship and yet somehow they both end up missing the mark every time they try establishing it. We spend a lot of the novel guessing why that is so, and only find out at the end (we are just told the reason, but I think it could've been introduced into the story more organically). I did enjoy the fact that this story didn't take the "overprotective brother" route, and quite differently to most, Aiden was more worried about Sebastian than Bee (which was for a good reason too, I think).

Most of the book is just Bee and Sebastian being horny for each other, and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, without having their connection established and the rest of the plot pushed to the side so this could be the main focus, I really couldn't manage to care about their relationship too much. There was very few other things happening, Bee was trying to deal with her insecurities regarding her work and self-worth, and I think shining more light on those in a more substantial way would've added some (quite needed) depth to the novel.

As always, these are just my thoughts, and maybe I have simply expected something different than what the book delivered, so if you are interested in this book, do not let my review stop you!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ebook in exchange for a review!

I liked all the pieces in here, but just didn't love how they were all put together. every time there was a cute moment, it was too quickly followed up by a smutty line.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Bee and Sebastian. Sebastian is Bee’s brother best friend. Bee comes back home. Bee goes with Sebastian to the bank to hear about his mortgage application. The bank informs him that he needs more cash to get the mortgage. When Bee hears this she tells Sebastian that she has twenty thousand dollars he can have with her being on the mortgage too they agree. There is an attraction. They each have issues it together they work them out and fall in love.

Loved this book and the characters. Sebastian is the ultimate book boyfriend and I really enjoyed the relationship between him and Bee.