This was a sweet read. Bee has always had a crush on her older brother’s best friend, Sebastian. When she moves home and realises he might not be able to afford his dream house, she offers to go in on the mortgage with him since she needs a place to live anyway and figures they might as well help each other. I thought the title and premise was very clever!

I do enjoy a dual pov when both characters are pining for each other and you’re waiting on them to figure it out. And it doesn’t take long for Bee and Sebastian to realise this and get it on, which is quite refreshing! There wasn’t an agonising or tedious slow burn element that you sometimes find in roommate/forced proximity romances. Although they were complex characters and their relationship had issues to figure out, a lot of the book was just a drama free relationship - two people falling in love and figuring it out. Worth mentioning it is 🌶️ spicy 🌶️ Also found the portrayal of Sebastian’s bisexuality very interesting - like a reminder that it exists on spectrum, with him being physically interested in guys but not having any real desire to have a relationship with men, and reference to his journey to equate that with being bi. Oh, and a VERY cute epilogue.

What to expect:

- brother’s best friend
- forced proximity
- roommates to lovers
- bi MMC
- very spicy

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: childhood trauma (recounted), emotional abuse, anger issues, alcoholism/sobriety, CNC (somnophilia), mild homophobia (bi-erasure), emotional manipulation/toxic friendships
standalone: yes
final thoughts: SEBASTIAN. I loved his character so much 😍 I love an “it’s always been you” SIMP and when he said “Part of me wishes my mom still wrote my name on the tags of my clothes. It would mean having my brand on her right now. Goddamn, am I in trouble” I knew I was going to love this couple.
The mutual pining was so good and a slowburn without being too drawn out. I loved the uniqueness of the forced proximity and watching them try to navigate their shared space while pretending not to be in love with each other- SO CUTE. I loved almost everything about this book and highly recommend

read this book if you love

😬 angst
🏝️ forced proximity
💓 slowburn
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🧠 “it’s always been you”
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🌈 LGBT+ representation
💞 childhood crush
🔢 age gap (28/36)
👦 brother’s best friend

I have been trying to finish this book for forever and I have barely made it past 50% and I’ve decided to stop because it’s not for me. The concept of the story is cool, “brother’s best friend whom I’ve been crushing for years and now I’m back in town and he needs help with buying a house so I decided to help him and now we own a house together, let’s see what happens” kinda thing and I was here for it but the writing and characters themselves just aren’t interesting and “hooking” enough for me, maybe it is for someone else but I tried reading it and didn’t enjoy it!

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Dani McLean for the ARC of this book. I think this book was fairly enjoyable and of course the cover is gorgeous (done by one of my favorite illustrators).

Read this book of you enjoy:
✨Brothers best friend
✨Forced proximity
✨Open door spice
✨Bi rep (MMC)

I honestly kept going back and forth with this one. Admittedly, it took me much longer to read because I'd pick it up and then get distracted by another book, so I had to keep coming back to this one to make progress. I really enjoyed the Chance series of novellas that were published last year, and while this book isn't in a series with those - the FMC did move home from Chance so that was a fun little connection between the stories. Also, this is my first full-length book by this author as well.

I think the bones of the story are good. And there are some decent tropes highlighted in the plot. I appreciated the Bi-rep in the storyline and thought it was handled really well. There were times that felt a bit repetitive, the MCs were a little flat, and the repetitive insecurity from the FMC was a little grating at times. There was sort of chemistry between the two MCs, but then the open door scenes became a bit overwhelming. All in all, I'll definitely give more stories by this author a try, but this one wasn't my favorite of hers.

What I loved: It is so refreshing to see bi representation from a male mc! I also loved his nonconventional profession. The chemistry between Seb and Bee was amazing & I absolutely love the forced proximity trope. The spicy scenes were really well done. I also really enjoyed the side characters and a writer fmc.

What I didn’t love: introspective moments in books are always insightful and can give us a greater look into a characters motivation and past, however, I felt that this book was too much in the characters heads for me. I know the characters had always had feelings for one another, but I also found that this book was a little too insta love for my liking.

Overall, I am so happy I got the opportunity to read Mortgage of Convenience and am looking forward to future novels by Dani McLean. Thank you NetGalley!!!

Overall Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

This book was the perfect mix between plot and spice!
I loved that Sebastian made sure that Bee made the moves in order for her to essentially take control of her life and decide what she truly wanted from him, even if it broke his heart. I honestly think that everyone needs a Sebastian in their lives.
Bee was just trying to find herself and it was so amazing to go on that journey with her.

Spicy Rating
🌶🌶🌶 out of 5

This one surprised me! Definitely thought that this would have been more of a strictly plot book, but the spice was thereeeeeee. And Bee's fantasy.... that Sebastian played out, 10 out of 10. 🥵

The ending was the perfect conclusion to the story and it was so sweet.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book to review.

This was a decent read but didn't leave me with any excitement and felt a bit disappointing from my expectations. I was so excited for this but it just wasn't it for me.

I am super sad to say that this book was just not it for me. I loved the cover art, the summary and a little bit of each chapter but overall, it was pretty hard to get through. The spice level was unnecessarily high and it distracted from the plot moving forward.

I really wanted to like this more but it felt slow at points and hard to connect to. Bee’s anxiety was incredibly high but didn’t feel sufficiently addressed other than ‘speak positively’. I appreciated the idea of outgrowing a friendship but the idea was also repeated verbatim with no acknowledgment that the female character brought it up first. Sebastian was sweet but definitely not the ‘wolf’ Bee tried to make him seem.

I thought it was a pretty good book and well written. Their chemistry was very good, actually so good you could feel it! Everything was so freaking cute!

I love that the main character is a writer. This book is so cute and just an overall happy read. I really enjoyed this book up until about 50%, and it just got repetitive. The inner dialogue of the FMC got annoying at times too.

When I read the title of this book I thought I was going to read about two characters who pretend to be in a relationship and eventually fall in love, which I totally love ♥️, but what I got was so much more.

This book gives us two main characters who we see grow throughout the book and who learn to trust in themselves and each other.
The most important part of this story are its characters, and it is the characters that keep you reading and loving this book. I loved ♥️♥️ the interactions we were presented with and how everything was centered in the relationships between the characters and how they all try to figure out to be themselves while growing.

The romantic relationship between the main characters was 🧑‍🍳 💋 (chef’s kiss😂), but what really kept my attention and made me enjoy the book was how each of the characters helped the other become more and more themselves; and have the courage to present themselves to the world as they truly are.

I would definitely recommend this book to all the romance lovers ♥️.

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ex-stripper turned homebody helps shy but impulsive heroine with her confidence and secret writing career while she's supporting him by co-signing on the mortgage to buy his dream house together.

Their mutual secret crushes wont remain secret for long though and this turns into a super sexy read.

My first but not last read by Dani McLean.

Mortgage of Convenience

Summary:
Bee Montgomery, a reserved ghostwriter, accidentally commits to her first novel in a drunken moment, waking up to both a hangover and a pressing deadline, haunted by her fear of rejection. After spending five years away, she's back home, armed with nothing but dreams and hidden truths, seeking courage to step into the spotlight. Sebastian Wolfe, a former stripper with aspirations for a stable, homey life, is a friend of Bee's brother who finds himself in need of cash. Bee proposes a deal: she'll cover his financial shortfall if he helps her conquer her stage fright. Their partnership leads to them peeling back layers beyond Bee's fears. Yet, as the deadline draws near, Bee stands at a crossroad between continuing their cozy facade or braving her true reality.

Thoughts:
I felt hooked from the beginning. I loved Bee and Morgan - I thought the friendship was a nice mix, Bee being more shy/reserved and Morgan being more confident/out there. I felt a bit shocked by the turn in friendship between them and thought it was a bit strange. Overall, with the twist… I thought it was an important lessons on how you can outgrow relationships.

As for Bee & Seb… I thought the dynamic between the two was good and surprising. Usually in brother’s best friend romance, the brother isn’t fond of something happening between the two. Though that wasn’t the case and I thought it was refreshing.

You watch Bee go through the struggle of learning to be confident and believe in herself. Which is the main dilemma of the novel. She isn’t one to really put herself out there. I wish there was more between her and Seb when it came to her coming out of her “shell” about pursing her dream.

I thought overall that the story between the two was wholesome. I thought the background of Seb was well rounded. He was a stripper, he’s bi, a player who’s slowed down, and struggles with daddy issues. I thought it was nice to get to know the characters as individuals.

The spice in this book was different - going into a sleep kink? - I think that’s what it would be considered. Bee expressed to Seb that she’s fantasized about being woken up to someone going down on her. I honestly thought this was an interesting twist - this isn’t really something you read about. I think the spice was a little repetitive but that could simply just be a personal opinion.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the story of Bee. I felt understood in the sense of having a dream but being the person in your own way is hard. To be able to pull yourself out of your comfort zone and fight for yourself is a tough. I thought the book did a good job at displaying that. I wish Bee and Seb held out a little longer but I was also just excited that they got together. I would definitely recommend this book to others who don’t mind spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

I just wrapped up “Mortgage of Convenience” by Dani McLean, and I’ve got some thoughts for you. The setup involves a brother’s best friend romance with Sebastian Wolfe, a former stripper, and Bee Montgomery, a ghostwriter. It’s an intriguing premise that promised a lot of excitement.

However, I found the pacing a bit challenging to follow. At times, Sebastian and Bee’s relationship progressed quickly, and at other moments, it felt like it hardly moved. It was a bit disorienting, as I struggled to grasp the rhythm of their story.

But, let me just put it out there—I need a Sebastian Wolfe in my life. The man is a masterpiece. Tattoos, long hair, a love for plants… Yes, please. He’s the book boyfriend we’ve all been dreaming of.

The book has an adorable cover and introduces themes and tropes that I typically enjoy, yet it didn’t fully meet my expectations. It’s engaging but left me wanting something more substantial.

I appreciated the inclusion of queer themes, discussions about sobriety, and the importance of mental health. These are significant topics, but the book only skimmed the surface of these issues rather than exploring them in depth.

Now, the part about Bee cutting ties with her longest friendship? That was the content I was here for. It was raw, real, and handled with a grace that made me nod along, thinking, “Yes, this! More of this, please!” It’s such an important conversation to have, and I’m here for the way it was portrayed.

“Mortgage of Convenience” has its highlights, the overall experience felt lacking in depth and clarity. The book navigates through important themes but doesn’t dive deep enough into them to be fully satisfying. This book definitely had moments that shine, especially with a book boyfriend who’s basically a walking, talking dream, but overall, I was left craving a bit more depth and a little less confusion. Still, worth a read for Sebastian alone—just maybe keep your expectations in check and enjoy the ride for what it is!

Thank you NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing for the eARC!

What a cute and easy read. It involves a more unique situation of friends getting a mortgage for a house together (though I probably this is becoming more common) and when love blooms from innocent cohabitation. I enjoyed the shenanigans and supportive friend circle in this read as well as the way the author had LGBTQ+ represented.

i couldn’t get into it right away and didn’t manage to finish it on time. i can’t really say much about it as i only red about 10% of it.
maybe i’ll get back to it one day.

This was a fun read from Dani McLean. Sweet and spicy, Bee and Sebastian were a soft pair that helped each other overcome their respective traumas and helped each other heal

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc. Unfortunately this just wasn’t the book for me. Bee was just a lot. The writing style didn’t work for me. I’m sure this will be a good fit for others though.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. There was no real connection and the characters seemed pretty boring to me. I'm really sad because the blurb sounded promising and the cover is so cute.