3.5 / 5 stars!

A sweet endearing love story but was just missing something for me!

Really liked the characters, their story and the tropes! Those were done really well!

Thank you to NetGalley and author Dani McLean for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! X

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but sadly I couldn't finish it. This was my first read by Dani McLean and I was looking forward to it, but I didn't love the writing style. I'm not sure if all of their books are written like this, but I'm absolutely willing to give another title a try. For this one I just didn't vibe well with the characters, I couldn't really feel their emotional connection up to the point I read. I'm hoping another title will keep me hooked, because I've only heard good things about this author from fellow fans of indie reads!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

Overall: 4
Spice: 3

Tropes
Forced Proximity
Forbidden Love
Brothers Bestfriend
Mental Health Rep

This started out slow and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Two people agree to live together to prove the people in their lives they are different than what they are known for. During the course of living together to help each other heal from past traumas and understand they are not their past. Towards the end you were rooting for them to get together.

Okay, I liked this but didn’t love it.

I thought the story was cute but it fell short. For one, this cover is GORGEOUS!!! However… the story was slow. There was no chemistry between Sebastian and Bee. It was very insta lust and a lot a spice, again not bad, but I would’ve liked if they actually talked more.

While this one ultimately ended up not being for me, I enjoyed the concept! A brother's best friend romance with lots of forced proximity due to sharing a mortgage. Such a fun spin on the marriage of convenience trope, but I wanted the author to lean into the pining more. Bee and Sebastian both had feelings for each other for years before the start of the story, but we don't really get enough of that history and pining to ramp up the chemistry. The writing style was also a bit choppy and the pacing resulted in some plot lines being too drawn out. However, there were plenty of sweet lines and the author can certainly write a solid spicy scene! Sebastian was also the hugest cinnamon roll sweetheart. Ultimately, I enjoyed the story, but was left wanting more!

If you want to read this book then don’t let my review stop you. This is one of those books that you can either really enjoy or just not get into and there is nothing wrong with that.

Listen this book had some aspects that I really love like forced proximity and dual POVs. I just can’t put my finger on exactly what it was that kept me from getting into the book and that is what brings my review to 3⭐️.

~Thank you to NetGalley and author Dani McLean for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

Really endearing and cute love story with really good representation. Felt like it could've been 100 pages shorter

The plot was super interesting and I was immediately impressed by the tropes and themes in the summary. The writing ending up feeling a little flat and the characters a little underdeveloped, but ultimately, this was a cute read.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in trade for an honest review!

This book had the making to be a favourite of mine but it just didn’t click! I felt like I didn’t connect with either main characters because him being bisexual and “not dating men,” just didn’t resonate with me. The tropes had the potential to make this funny and quick witted but I just didn’t find myself flying through! I made it to the end after a slump, but this could’ve been so much better than it was and because of that it was disappointing!! But apart from that it was quick and it was easy to process.

Thank you NetGalley!

I thought this story was so sweet! Sebastian was a bit unexpected, but I liked how the relationships between him and Bee developed and how they supported each other! Fake dating / marriage of convenience are some of my favorite tropes and I loved this spin on it. Highly recommend if you're into similar stories!

I had high hopes going into this book (I mean that cover is phenomenal) but idk. I can’t quite place my finger on what didn’t work for me with this book but it just wasn’t all there. Bee was really annoying to me. For someone who want to be treated like an adult, she seemed super immature.

It took me awhile to read this book, I don’t think i connected with the writing style as much as i wanted too but despite that I still did enjoy the book and think it was a fun read

Oooooof this was spicy and great. Siblings bestie is a great trope and this is a great iteration. She helps him buy a house, almost on a whim and suddenly she’s growing into the person she wanted to be and so is he and they are banging it out and it’s fantastic.

I really liked this. I loved the moral of the story - there was no drama around Bee and Seb getting together. It essentially was through a 'mortgage of convenience'. It allowed Seb to get the mortgage and Bee get over her fears. Doing this together, they fell for each other. Simple. Beautiful.

It was spicy and I liked that. The chemistry between the two characters was on point.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dani for allowing me a copy of this ARC.

4 Stars

I assumed this was a rom-com at first, but that wasn’t correct. Instead this was a really heart rendering, romantic story about two people who just need help and need each other.

Mortgage of Convenience is the story of Bee and Sebastian who buy a house together and make a bargain to help each other. For Sebastian it’s help securing the mortgage and for Bee it’s help raising her confidence and getting past her fears.

This was romantic, spicy, thoughtful and bittersweet with its exploration of things like anxiety, negative self talk and fear. I loved watching them fall in love and I appreciated that there was no unnecessary third act break up. It was a lovely read that left me feeling satisfied.

I didn’t love the epilogue as it wrapped up too much too neatly, but that didn’t otherwise impact my enjoyment.

*Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of the ARC in exchange for a review**

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity!

This was such a hilarious novel. It was done so well, as the synopsis gives you a lot of expectations, the novel delivers it perfectly.
If you are a reader who is also a writer or if you work in the publishing industry you’ll love this. It is so relatable and entertaining.
Also, this couple was so hot together lol

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

Mortgage of Convenience revolves around Bree who just moved back to her hometown to work on her debut novel and her brother’s best friend Sebastian, who she has an enormous crush on since she was a teenager. When Sebastian gets declined for a loan to buy his dream house Bree steps in and applies for half of the loan. They find themselves owning a house and becoming roommates. And we follow them navigating through their new roommate situation and feelings.
It was a cute story, but I did miss that the novel didn’t contain a lot of backstories. I wish it was a little more information of how they interacted to each other as teenagers and young adults.

Thank you so much for giving me opportunity it review your book. I personally couldn't finish the book it just didn't spark my interest. Its a well-written book and I feel that other readers will love it. I'm so sorry that I couldn't finish the book and I won't be posting a review on my socials as I don't like negatively posting about books

This was a new-to-me author and I enjoyed reading this book!

A ghostwriter, Bee has pitched her own book but is afraid to do so since she gets nervous when she has to put herself out there. Sebastian thinks buying a home is the first step toward achieving the stability he never had as a child. He's also really encouraging and supportive. I love Sebastian! The focus of the book was on the Bee and Sebastian's personal conflicts and growth as individuals navigating their relationships with others and with each other. The forced closeness only intensifies their longing for one another, which has been building for a while. I loved Bee and Sebastian's bond.

Thank you to NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My toxic trait is wanting the brother to get super pissed when he finds out that his bestie is banging his sister. Although this book didn't have that, I absolutely loved it! This was the perfect blend of wholesome (the brother shipping them, them helping heal each other with and without really meaning to) and spicy, and I ate up every word! One of my favorite tropes is the marriage of convenience, but a MORTGAGE of convenience is such an awesome modern spin on it! Sebastian is the epitome of book boyfriend material, and Bree reminds me so much of myself in how she chaotically goes through life that I couldn't help but fall in love with them as individuals and as a couple.

This book is sexy, spicy (yes, that is different from spicy), swoony, sweet, and so much fun!