the description was promising, but this fell flat for me.

Certain aspects I really loved like the queer representation and conversations about mental health, but after it was brought up it never came up again. I wish these topics had been incorporated more throughout the book to make it more cohesive and less of a ticked box.

My main issue was that I didn’t understand the conflict?? Pitching her book drunk was admittedly not the best idea ever but it was approved and the entire book was finished before she even moved home… and then she buys a house.. for what ?? Idk

I think of this was written as a litfic it could’ve ATE! Especially since I’m not a fan of insta love or fully grown men acting childish.

Thank you to set the mood publishing for this arc!

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

plot:
this book is a second chance romance, and forced proximity.

bee and sebastian have been broken up 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. for a second chance 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:
➵ second chance romance (with no angst)
➵ 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</b> 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!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this and can I say that I loved this book! This book is not only an arrangement that leads to romance but it also has an amazing plot of self discovery and amazing LGBTQ+ rep and I thought that it was great. I really loved the character of Bee and how much she developed through the book and Sebastian melted my heart bc he was so cute.☺️ Definitely a new book bf of mine.
This review is also on my Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199350426

I really wanted to like this more, but it was just okay for me. I felt like the plot could have been developed much more, and the characters definitely could have been fleshed out more; they felt v ery one dimensional to me with no depth. I do think that the premise was really cool and I loved that there was representation in this book when it comes to Sebastian's sexuality (he is bisexual). The cover of this book is just so cute and I LOVE it! A lot of this felt rushed to me though, and I just wish it had more of a build up and didn't immediately jump into the main plot and the spicy scenes. It was really cute overall, with low angst and no third act breakup, which I like.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dani McLean and Set The Mood Publishing for the eARC of this book!

Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and uplifting story about self-discovery, growth, and the power of human connection.
The book opens with Bee coming back home after making a
"mistake".
. She ends up agreeing to buying a house with her brother's best friend Sebastian. The pair both of things that they need to work through and their connection — it sizzles from the pages.
This book also deals with older adults that come to terms about what friendship is and that it is okay to grow apart from unfulfilling relationships.
Thank-you to the author and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

A sweet, heartfelt read. This romance isn't necessarily a rom-com, but the unique trope lends to both characters growth both individually and together. I loved that there is no 3rd act break-up. This book tackles a lot, but stays lighthearted throughout. What I found particularly unique is the conscious loss of friendship, letting go of toxicity and growth of the FMC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Set the Mood Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited about this book when I first heard about it. I just finished, and I have a bit of mixed feelings. Overall, I think it was an okay book. I enjoyed Sebastian as the MMC a lot, and I love that he is supportive of Bee and open about his sexuality as bisexual. I like how he helped remind Bee of her accomplishments and pushed her to be strong and accountable in her choices. Bee is working on her confidence for most of the book, and it just felt like there was something missing.

I think there needed to be a more well-rounded plot points. It felt like we’d meet Bee’s new friends and they weren’t fully developed as characters, we’d meet Sebastian’s mom and it didn’t feel like an actual meeting. This continued to happen throughout the book, and it was difficult to continue due to wanting to know more about a subject. I also wish there was more build up between Bee and Sebastian. Almost immediately, they’re homeowners together, so there really isn’t any tension or work up to them liking each other.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75-4 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Brothers best friend, close
proximity, slight age gap and found family

I had a hard time rating this one and I ended up adding an extra star because of how fluffy this book was and how much I loved it ( it was an easy read and I read it in one sitting)
I adored Bee and Sebastian’s story ( surely we’re gonna get an Aiden book in the future) and really enjoyed the found family aspects as well as the character development, which felt right and not rushed.

A good, cosy and easy read and perfect for if you want a spicy fluffy book to devour.

The cover was cute and the premise sounded great. I love marriage of convenience/fake dating and this is similar. It started out cute and fun but then all of a sudden 6% in and we’re headfirst into the plot. No build up, didn’t really get to know the characters.

The forced proximity part was icky to me sleeping in her brothers house. The writing wasn’t great and I didn’t like either MC.

It could have been good if executed better. DNF at 30% unfortunately. Thanks net galley and the publisher for the arc.

3/5 ⭐️The cover for this book and really caught me and I was so excited to read it! It has so many of my favorite tropes (friends to lovers, brothers best friend, closed proximity, age gap), but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

Bee is back home to retreat from a huge career move to lick her wounds, and doesn’t want to let anyone know what’s going on. She runs into her childhood crush - her brother’s best friend, Sebastian, who somehow she ends up buying a house with, something both of them need at the moment.

I liked Bee, but I found it really hard to relate to her. She’s a closeted clean freak and semi introverted/closed off - but after years of not seeing Seb, she randomly decided to buy a house with him? I felt like there were some inconsistencies within her character, esp with her relationship with Morgan and Aiden.
I liked the representation that Seb stood for, but felt like his character wasn’t as explored as much as it could have been - the stuff with the house, his dad, it was mentioned a few times, but felt like there could have been a bit more of a deep dive into it,

I also felt like the relationship between Bee and Seb was rushed - yes they’ve known each other for years and the communication was AMAZING but even the transition to their first spicy scene, I thought I missed a page or two because it felt so rushed/random to me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Get ready to dive into a whirlwind of laughter and love with "Mortgage of Convenience" by the talented Dani McLean. This delightful rom-com delivers all the feels with its hilarious antics and heartwarming romance.

Meet Bee Montgomery, the queen of sending drunken texts to her ex, and Sebastian Wolfe, the charming ex-stripper with a heart of gold. When Bee finds herself in a bind with a looming deadline and stage fright to boot, she turns to Sebastian, her brother's best friend, for help. Little do they know, their unconventional arrangement is about to take them on a journey filled with unexpected twists, steamy encounters, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Dani McLean weaves a tale that is as witty as it is heartwarming. With sparkling dialogue and endearing characters, she invites readers into a world where anything is possible, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

As Bee and Sebastian navigate the ups and downs of their newfound connection, they'll discover that sometimes love comes when you least expect it. With humor, charm, and a healthy dose of romance, "Mortgage of Convenience" is a must-read for anyone looking for a feel-good escape.

So grab your favorite snack, curl up with this charming novel, and prepare to be swept away by Dani McLean's enchanting storytelling. You won't be able to put it down!

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley , Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Author Dani McLean for the opportunity for this ARC.

This story follows Bee and Sebastian, Bee is a ghost writer who wants to write her own stories and Sebastian is an ex-stripper who’s dream is to own a house and not be like his dad. Sebastian is Bee’s brother’s best friend, she’s had a crush on him for years and so has he. Bee agrees to help Sebastian if he helps her be more confident, which leads them to fall even more for each other. I would definitely recommend this book you will find the following tropes;
- Brothers Best Friend
- Age Gap
- Ghostwriter x Ex-Stripper
- He Falls First
- Bi MMC
- No 3rd Act Breakup
- You’re My Home
- Steamy & Domestic

Separate review will be posted on my Instagram @ readwith.isa_

The moment I thought my reading slump was over...then I read this book and it's back with a revenge.

This book started off well, but the more I read the worse it got. I'm not one to be harsh on authors but I think this book didn't live up to it's expectations at all.

Spoilers ahead:

-1 star : Most of us will know by now that any good romance books have this budding romance, the couple gets together and then something terrible is revealed...leading to a breakup. Whereas in this book, we have a conversation which lasts 1 page, nothing bad happens and the couple stay together. For a romance reader I felt like the ending was rushed and nothing really happened in the book.

-1 star : I hated the characters, the name Bee was just not for me, felt like I was reading a children's book and not an Adult romance novel. Although the sex scenes were quite spicy, they were also weird and made me skim over some aspects of them. I often enjoy sex scenes but

-1 star : I really wanted to dnf this book, however I had already read 60% of the book and assumed it could get better, I was in fact wrong and it did not improve.

Unfortunately I will not be recommending this to book to friends and family.

This one took me a little while to get into. I had to keep taking breaks. To be honest because of that, I was a little bored. All the tropes are my favorite so I was really excited! I really liked seb but was easily annoyed by Bee unfortuantely. I felt like I was skimming through a lot 😅 the spice however, very hot !!! Overall I’ll give it a 3/5! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is very spice forward from the first page! I thought the characters felt immediate and I thought it was a good romance read.

4.5/5
🖤🖤🖤🖤⚡️

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

Ohhh this story! I loved this love story. It was so much more than just a love story too. I’ll get into that in a moment, but I need to gush over Bee and Sebastian first! Our story starts off with ghostwriter Bee coming back to her home town, crashing at her brother’s, then finds herself saying she wants to sign a mortgage with her brother’s best friend and her love term crush, Sebastian. The beginning started off a little quick, but after I read the whole story, I’m glad that part was fast because it gave me more pages of Bee and Sebastian. Their cute quirks are what made me fall for them each individually and then together as a couple.

There were also some elements in this I really enjoyed reading that I don’t see too much in other books. Like Morgan and Bee’s relationship changing and growing apart, her meeting Cassie as an adult because finding friends as an adult is hard, Sebastian’s relationship with his father, and Bee not wanting to drink alcohol just to socialize and feeling the strain of that social norm. Friend break ups happen when you grow apart or grow up and see some “friends” in a different light. I felt seen reading this. I applaud Dani McLean for taking that on in this book and sharing that real ugly truth of life.

A few short blurbs that will make you want to read this even more:

🪴 Gus reminds me of the love fern from how to lose a guy is 10 days.

🧼 domesticated steamy romance? Yes, please.

☕️ Bee’s love for tea. Because girl, same.

📚 when Seb puts together the book case for Bee

👻 also finding out the author is also a fellow Supernatural fan, really sold me to make sure I push her other books up my TBR!

Huge thank you to @ victory editing and @ net galley for selecting me to review this ARC!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing, for this ARC! 

3/5 ⭐️ 

Release Date: February 27th

📖: Brother’s best friend, age gap (8 years), found family, representation, forced proximity, and dual POV

Bee has been a ghostwriter for 5 years, and after a drunken email to her publisher, she finds herself following her dreams of writing her novel. We follow her as she struggles with potential failure, toxic friendships, a longtime crush, and finding out who she truly is without hiding or pleasing others. 

This was a cute, lighthearted read. It was low angst and tension. I enjoyed the open communication between both main characters. I had trouble connecting with Bee and her decisions at times, and I would have liked a few more details about how she made a decision and the aftermath. Sebastian was such a sweetheart throughout and was extremely supportive of Bee while also managing his expectations for the future. If you’re looking for a low-stress read, this might be for you!

4.25 stars

This was a very sweet, fun book. The premise was a little far-fetched - I cannot imagine impulsively dropping all my life savings on a house with someone I only kind of know when I don't even have plans to stay. But once you move past that you're left with a cute story. I really liked the relationship between the characters and the way they supported each other.
This is a very low conflict book which unfortunately meant that it started to drag a little around halfway to 2/3 of the way through. I found that I was just widhing something would happen. You get a lot of sweet moments between the characters and some external conflicts that they have to resolve but for the most part its just vibes.

Read if you like:
-forced proximity
-slow burn
-brothers best friend


Thank you to NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing for the ARC!!

DNF 30%

I tried, I really tried but Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.
The premise of this book had potential, but honestly just very plain and boring. I felt no chemistry between the Bee & Sebastian.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a cute take on forced proximity. I had trouble connecting with Bee. Her motivations for signing the mortgage were never really clear, and at time it felt like she was still 20, which was frustrating.