thank you NetGalley for the arc!

firstly how cute is this cover!! I thought this was a fun take on the marriage of convenience trope expect this time they take out a mortgage on a house together. Sebastian knew what he wanted in his future and bee was apart of that. he was confident in himself and it was nice seeing him help bee learn her own confidence and how capable she was of doing whatever she wanted to do. I also really liked and appreciated the focus on friendships and making new ones as adults but also losing other ones as we get older because people change and just grow apart. whilst I did enjoy this, i wish we got to see some of their interactions before moving in with each other. it did lose me around the 60% mark because as much as I love spice and there was a lot of spice, I feel like it overpowered the emotional aspect of their relationship for a long time. I felt like we saw more of them denying their feelings whilst sleeping together than we did with them in an actual relationship. however, in saying that they did still have some sweet and tender moments which I liked, I also like the side characters and overall it was a very spicy, yet cute and wholesome read!

tropes:
-brothers best friend (& he ships them)
-forced proximity
-ghost writer x ex stripper
-age gap
-bi rep

releasing february 27th & it’s on ku!

This is a traditional romance with a twist on the theme of bisexual rep and a queer community. However, the author's choices, such as the MMC's non-interest in dating men even though he is openly bisexual, felt confusing and unrelated to the story. The book is too long and lacks enough story to justify its length. The sexuality piece seems like a marketing approach. I feel like if you are part of that community, you will be disappointed by this. It doesn't make sense for this plot at all, just a strange binary choice from a non-binary author. I did like some of the banter and I thought the writing was pretty good, but there was no major conflict, just a lot of insecurity on both sides. The best friend "break-up" was also very strange to me. The cover is awesome which is why I requested it.

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.

Super cute novel filled with pining and so. much. sexual tension. Loved the sex positive and queer rep. The spicy scenes were good and I enjoyed the sub-plots as well. Honestly, the loss of friendship scenes really spoke to me and I think those were especially well done.

What drew me to this book at first, was the cover. It really is quote cute.

This book started incredibly strong. Bee comes back home after 5 years because she hit an obstacle in her working career and she decided to go back rather than to face the situation head on. She goes back to stay at her older brother's, where she runs into his best friend, Sebastian (btw I'm a sucker for this name), the boy she's been crushing on for almost a decade.

It's a dual POV so we find out soon enough that Sebastian has a thing for Bee. So, when an innocuous lift back home to her best friends, leads to Bee co-signing off Sebastian's long awaited mortgage on house, they move in together.

Of course, the physical attraction is there, they avoid each other at firt, but every small little moment becomes flirty and humorous.

We come to understand quite soon that Bee has problems believing in herself and her insecurities make the book a bit slow. She's the one who moved to stay away from her family for a bit 5 years prior, to then being self conscious and scared to even strike up a conversation with people at a library while her actual job is ghostwriting so she deals with a lot of people all the time.

Sebastian was quite good though, he had a rough life growing up, and even though he still has his daily challenges with regards to his possible behaviours in specific triggering situation - which he's been going to therapy to help him - he's been doing pretty well. And also his arc is quite well executed in my opinion.

It thought there was going to be more spice, as it was kind of advertised, but many scenes faded to black.

Overall is an interesting read and I've been quite happy to have read this book. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

“How much time do you have?”
“For you? The rest of my life”
This book had me absolutely giggling and kicking my feet. Loved their relationship. Loved how much Sebastian brought our Bee’s true self.

I really enjoyed reading Bee and Sebastian’s story. Their relationship was real and wholesome. It was very easy to connect with them and cheer for them to heal and develop a strong relationship.

Sebastian was so supportive of Bee. He worked hard to get to where he was and I just loved reading his character development. I feel as if Bee would have been more likeable for me if her insecurities weren’t so forced for a majority of the book.

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.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

Firstly, the cover is so beautiful! A fun, loving and spicy romance.

I really enjoyed the romance between Bee and Sebastian. The relationship was supportive and loving. I love how Sebastian keeps pushing Bee to progress with her book and tell people about it. She has her insecurities that he helps her overcome and he is her biggest supporter!

I can’t wait to read more of this authors books.

Tropes:
- brothers best friend
- Age gap
- ghostwriter FMC
- ex stripper and bi MMC
- forced proximity

Spice 3/5 🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ Brother best friend
☆ Age gap
☆ LGBTQIA+ rep
☆ He falls first

I could relate to both Bee and Sebastian a lot. Not wanting to do something because you’re worried it won’t be perfect is the story of my life. Also that feeling of changing and out growing people in your life is so real. I went through that and I feel like it’s not talked about enough. It’s good to let people go sometimes.

I love that Bee’s brother wants them together! Too many books have the brother get mad that his best friend would date his sister. If he isn’t good enough for your sister, maybe get better friends.

I hate that Sebastian’s mum wants him to talk to his dad. Some people don’t deserve your time or forgiveness.

Overall, I really loved this book. The characters have great chemistry and I can’t wait to read more of Dani’s books.

Oh man was this a cute book!! Honestly had me sold just based on the MMC having tattoos. The amount of times I kept smacking my desk/pillow while reading this is astronomical!! The butterflies were on steroids. Sebastian and Bee are so frickin cute together, and I love that they push each other in achieving their goals in life. This book was also WAY spicier than I thought it would be, and I loved every second of it. The smut was SO good!! I love how Dani McLean approached the topics of having an estranged parent and essentially breaking up with a friend. It was so comforting to read as these are things I have dealt with, so reading some of the advice given from one character to another really touched the heart. I'll definitely be checking out some of their other books when I get the chance!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mortgage of Convenience
By: Dani Mclean
After five years away, shy ghostwriter Bee Montgomery returns home with her unpublished debut novel manuscript and a dream of getting published. However, her debilitating stage fright and fear of rejection threaten her chances.
Needing confidence and guidance, Bee turns to her brother’s bold, freewheeling friend Sebastian Wolfe. Sebastian secretly yearns for his own family and home but lacks the funds to secure a deposit. He sees Bee’s talent and potential and makes her an offer: he’ll coach her to overcome her anxiety in exchange for money to cover his deposit. Bee agrees.
As Sebastian gently pushes Bee out of her comfort zone, her confidence grows. Emotional intimacy soon blooms into a physical relationship as well. For the first time, Bee gains the courage to envision a bolder, brighter future pursuing her passion.
But Bee’s deadline looms. She must soon pitch her novel to her agent. As the date nears, Bee second-guesses her dream and new relationship. Will she retract from the limelight and fall back into her quieter past? Or will she finally embrace the talented author within? Though failure still scares her, Bee has a rare opportunity to publish her creative work and secure an emotionally rich future with Sebastian. She hoped for a guide but wound up finding so much more.

Tropes:
✨Brothers Best Friend
✨Age-Gap Romance
✨Forced Proximity
✨Friends to Lovers
✨Dual POV
✨Bi Representation
✨Confidence Lessons
✨Long-term pinning
✨He Falls First
✨Roommates

Spicy Chapters:
14, 19, 23, 29, 29
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️.5/5

💭Thoughts:
I Loved the depth of these characters. They are each struggling with their own mental health. They are not only able to find love with each other, but also help each other heal. The tension between these two was amazing. With just a hint of forbidden romance (She’s my best friend's baby sister, He’s the unattainable hot older guy).
This was a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy, sweet romance with just a hint of spice!

I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review:

This book had all my favorite tropes! Since Dani announced this book, I have been FERAL FOR IT!!!

Bee works as a ghost writer and after a drunken night she pitches her book to her boss. She moves back home to work on her book and ends up in a mortgage of convenience with her brother’s best friend, Sebastian. Oh Sebastian! The tattooed ex- stripper and plant daddy of my dreams! After Bee and Sebastian end up buying a house together and living together, Sebastian helps her build up her confidence. There’s healing, support, and so much mutual pining! I highly recommend this book!


🖤brother’s best friend
🖤he falls first
🖤age gap
🖤bi rep
🖤tattooed plant daddy
🖤steamy and domestic
🖤no third act breakup

My rating: 5 ⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Comes out 2/27

Thank you NetGalley for my E-ARC copy!

This was a fun take on the marriage of convenience trope! I enjoyed Bee and Sebastian and really enjoyed Bees inner monologue. However, the pacing was a bit slow and the stakes didn’t feel high enough. I wished we had seen more of Morgan so those bits got a bit more impactful and same with Sebastian and his dad. It just lacked the oumph for me, but was still an enjoyable read!

I wanted to really like this book, but I couldn’t finish it.
The book jumps right into the story with no background information about the characters or why she moved back to town, and I just felt like I was missing something. It wasn't until 30% in that I was beginning to understand what was happening, and by that point the momentum was gone and the book was dragging a little bit. I didn’t really care about the main couple or her problems. I DNF at 51%.

This was such a great book. I really appreciated that the book was really focused on character growth of both the MMC and FMC and that the characters were really complex. The chemistry between the two of them was SO good. it was nice to read a romance that really focused on the friendship between the characters and showed all the small reasons they love each other on top of the really well written spice. The queer representation was so great as well and really heartwarming. I loved seeing a bi MMC where his queer identity is really a part of who he is, even when dating a girl, and the discussions of bisexuality were important and appreciated. My critiques are small. Some scenes felt a little repetitive or just out of place. Also, the entire book the FMC is slow to commitment and then it feels like suddenly she's ok with it. But other than that I really loved this book and I would absolutely recommend it to everyone.

I was initially drawn to this book with great anticipation. It seemed to encompass everything I enjoy in a story: the allure of forbidden romance between a brother's best friend and a shared living situation, promising intimate moments, and more. However, my enthusiasm quickly waned as I delved into the narrative, reaching only about 40% of the way before deciding to abandon it altogether.

The pacing left much to be desired, vacillating between rushed and sluggish, creating a disjointed reading experience. While the premise hinted at a long-standing connection between the two main characters, it failed to deliver any meaningful exploration of their history or shared experiences. Consequently, the sudden revelation of affection between Sebastian and Bee felt contrived and lacking in authenticity.

Moreover, Bee's internal conflict regarding her career aspirations felt trivial and inadequately developed, undermining the believability of her character arc. Her reluctance to embrace her own talents and the dynamic with Sebastian, who inexplicably aids her in overcoming these insecurities, struck me as forced and disconcerting.

Regrettably, I found myself unable to connect with the protagonists on any meaningful level, rendering their supposed passion for each other unconvincing and ultimately uninteresting. Sebastian's character, in particular, elicited discomfort rather than empathy, contributing to my decision to discontinue reading the book.

In conclusion, while I had hoped to be swept away by the allure of this story, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. For now, I have chosen to set it aside, without plans to revisit it in the foreseeable future.

This started off so strong and I really did look forward to picking it back up every time I’d read some more. There were some loose ends that dragged on a bit that I’ll expand upon that lead me to a solid 4 stars.

So first off I loved that these two MCs were so secretly into each other. It was just really fun and fluffy to read their mutual pining and this is best friend’s sister but it isn’t all that forbidden. I definitely recommend this solely for their super cute moments flirty and situations that added humor to the story.

Unfortunately, the FMC’s goal of getting over some insecurities just lasted way too long for me. It was hard to reconcile the character in my head at times and I’m not sure her characterization was always consistent. At first she’s miss independent moving away on her own 5 years ago but then we find out she never really left her place but then also was traveling all the time to interview her ghostwriting clients, just a bit confusing.

I loved the MMC!! Thank you for casual bi rep particularly in a man. He was also swoony but still had his own personal challenges to get through and I liked his individual journey. I just loved his place of work as well. I want more from those cast of characters. Yes this is spicy but I did expect a bit more. There’s a lot of summarized scenes which is kind of a bummer.

There’s also a storyline on platonic friendships that I also thought was well done. Overall, I’d recommend this book. Thank you to set the mood publishing for this ARC.

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!*
This review has already been uploaded to Goodreads :)

Thank you @netgalley and @danimcleanwrites for this ARC copy of 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 available on the 27th February 2024 ❣️

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰;
♾️/5 stars!!!
Wow I absolutely LOVE this book so much I could cry that it’s over, everything from beginning to end I adored, Bee for starters she is so relatable and I saw myself in her so much, seeing her become the best version herself made me so emotional for everything she overcame and the things she managed to achieve I’m so proud of her 🥹 and Sebastian oh my well wow he is now definitely added to my list of never ending book boyfriends!! He was so supportive of Bee and pushed her to believe in herself all the way through all while having a hard time figuring things out for himself is was so lovely to see them both grow as a couple and as individuals, and the spice wowwww top tier definitely 😅 all I need now is a book about Aiden asap!! I can 100 say this is now added to my favourite books, definitely recommend this to everyone!! ♡ ♡

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬;

“𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦."

“𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳. 𝘐 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘴. 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸”

“𝘗𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘌𝘢𝘵. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴.”

“𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦."

“𝘐𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘛𝘉𝘙 𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺, 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱.”

•

Firstly thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
I really wanted to like this book, the concept sounded great. However for me the story fell short. I love spice but the story proceeded without any emotional depth from the characters and I found it more of a chore than a pleasure to read.