steamy and dreamy, and just what I needed to get out of a reading rut. love the two leads' unexpected chemistry and how their relationship develops so naturally.

2.5. There are a lot of elements, but they aren't all very cohesive.

Honestly, the book touched on more than I expect, from sobriety to friendships and then hitting what the characters mainly struggled with. Some of it, such as the friendship with Morgan, was nice because such topics in aren't normally in the books I read, but it also slowed the pacing down considerably.

The romance was completely meh. Both characters were into each other and always thinking about sex, so there was no tension pushing them/keeping them together. The only thing "convenient" about their shared mortgage was that it let them have way too many spicy scenes. Waaay too many. (Especially since some were kind of awkward both in descriptions and words, so it wasn't really working for me.)

There is no third-act breakup, and this is the first time I've ever actually said I think there should be a third-act breakup. Bee and Sebastian's relationship is entirely too relaxed and simple and easy, and the only factors that McLean tried to use to bring tension were their inner monologues worrying they aren't put together enough for the other. I mean, even the possibility of Bee having to move away for work tried to bring emotions out of readers, but it just felt flat and didn't go anywhere emotionally. Even the characters' emotions didn't go anywhere, as whatever they were feeling was mentioned for a bit before they had sex and it went away.

Some things I liked, such as Bee's growth as a character, but the rest of it didn't work well with the other elements. The idea is there, though.

thank you Netgalley for the arc

When Bee moves back to her hometown, she unexpectedly finds herself agreeing to buy a house with her brother's best friend. Chaos and challenges ensue. It was wonderful getting to know Bee and Sebastian and following their relationship. There was so much growth for each of them as individuals and as a couple. It was refreshing to see these characters work together to work on their struggles. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Did I love the book? No.
Did I like the book? Yes.

The writing seemed eh and just slow for me. The premise was very good but I feel like it could have been executed a little better. I'm sure others will love it but this just wasn't for me.

I was excited for this book based on the premise and the blurb, but, unfortunately, it just didn't deliver what I wanted this book to be.

For me, this story missed some fleshing out and basically just a genuine connection between the characters. I didn't connect enough with them to like them or to root for them. Bee felt flat at best.

I would have liked to know more about Bee and what really drives her, as well as I would've liked to know more about Sebastian and his background.

Thank you for the ARC, but unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.

Mortgage of Convenience had a great start with the plot immediately starting and the main characters being thrust into each other’s lives as roommates who have feelings towards each other. I really like the beginning and how Sebastian supported Bee with gaining confidence with her book and life in general, but by 60%, she was still second guessing everything and was still super closed off. I know it’s hard to make big changes like that so I understand why it was taking so long, but I feel like she wasn’t even really making baby steps of progress. I understood why she was waiting to tell Sebastian her feelings until she was 100% certain, but she would still do certain things that lead him on, BUT Sebastian also initiated a lot of the interactions when he knew she still didn’t know her feelings.

Mortgage of Convenience von Dani McLean ist eine Buch welches perfekt als Snack für zwischendurch geeignet ist. Wie zu erwarten ist das Buch kein literarisches Meisterwerk, jedoch gut als schnelle Unterhaltung geeignet ist. Wer ein Buch mit grumpy mmc und einfachem Plot sucht ist hier genau richtig.

I enjoyed parts of this (the first 50%) but it felt so repetitive and the characters felt a little one dimensional. The spicy scenes were fun. However because I didn’t love the characters I wasn’t super invested. If you like forced proximity and brothers best friend (in a chill way) then give this book a try because you might like it, it just wasn’t for me.

"Mortgage of Convenience" by Dani McLean offers an intriguing premise that blends romantic tension with personal growth, but ultimately, it falls short of delivering a satisfying story. The novel follows Bee Montgomery, a shy ghostwriter grappling with a fear of rejection, and Sebastian Wolfe, her brother's best friend and an ex-stripper with dreams of stability.

The concept of Bee pitching her debut novel in a drunken stupor and then scrambling to meet a deadline is ripe with potential for both humour and drama. However, the execution needs more depth to make the reader fully invest in Bee's journey. While relatable, her struggle with stage fright and fear of rejection is not explored with enough nuance to evoke empathy or interest.

On the other hand, Sebastian is portrayed as a confident yet commitment-averse man who secretly longs for a stable home life. His character feels one-dimensional, and his transformation throughout the story is predictable and lacks the complexity that could make his journey compelling.

The dynamic between Bee and Sebastian, which should be the novel's heart, feels forced. Their interactions, meant to strip away Bee's inhibitions, often appear contrived. Their chemistry fails to ignite the sparks that a romance novel hinges on, making their relationship feel more like a plot device than a natural development.

Additionally, the plot needs more focus. While Bee's return home and her quest to overcome her fears are central to the story, the narrative is bogged down by subplots that do little to advance the main storyline. This leads to a pacing issue that makes it difficult to maintain interest.

The writing style, though competent, needs to compensate for the lack of engaging characters and a compelling plot. The dialogue often feels stilted, the story's emotional beats land differently than intended, and the moments meant to be heartfelt or transformative fall flat, leaving the reader unfulfilled.

In conclusion, "Mortgage of Convenience" had the potential to be a heartwarming and engaging read but was ultimately hindered by its shallow character development and unfocused narrative. While the idea of a shy writer overcoming her fears with the help of a charming ex-stripper is appealing, the execution leaves much to be desired.

To be honest, I only read a few chapters of Mortgage of Convenience and I just couldn't get into the book. There wasn't anything I particularly disliked about it, but I somehow had no motivation to keep reading after a while.

I found this to be a very cute read. Loved the concept of the book and loved the BI representation in this book!!!

The story dragged on a little too much and as much as I tried to get into it, I just couldn't. The book just wasn't for me.

i originally was going to dnf but i hate doing that i pushed through and i just don’t think it was for me the book was well written i liked the characters it just wasn’t for me. i appreciate the opportunity to read.

Uh. Well, that was certainly a book that took me weeks to finish. I felt like it started off strong and then it went downhill. The romance felt forced, it was a lot and a little all at once. The writing felt clunky and all over the place. I liked the premise, the LGBTQ+ rep, and some of the little moments Sebastian and Bee were great, but there was no tension, no excitement or lead up. They just felt like two horny teenage roommates. I have heard the other works by this author were great, so I’ll definitely try something else by them.

This book was good, but just not great. The spice was hot, but overall I found the characters to be bland and I was bored by their relationship. Loved the bi man representation, but that and the spice couldn’t save this book for me.

Thank you to Victory Editing & NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mortgage of Convenience. MoC has so many of my favorite tropes brother's best friend, forced Proximity (let's buy a house together on a whim?), age gap, so much Pining, and some scenes that will be living rent-free in the brain space for a while.

What I wasn't expecting was to relate to Bee's reckoning with a long-time friendship that was no longer serving her, especially when this friend was so focused on consuming alcohol at every social (and even non-social) function. I have had similar experiences with People I was very close with but now see maybe once a year, and even though there wasn't a big falling out with these relationships, it's sometimes difficult to accept when relationships evolve and, sometimes, fizzle out. This Particular storyline really resonated with me and I thought it was handled super realistically. I appreciate how Dani includes very relatable characters and life situations into her stories, MoC included.

<i>I remember the first night we met. Instant crush. Older, cocky, cool. And so fucking sexy. The eyes, the smile. But I was barely nineteen, and he kept his distance, so I slotted him into my
"unattainable hotties" collection and got on with my life.</i>

First of all: I stopped reading at 43%, so it’s a DNF, but I just couldn’t take it anymore (sorry for everyone who loves this book).

Story 🌟🌟🌟
Do I get why bee needed to buy a whole fuc**** house for this whole interaction to happen?
No.
Did I feel the connection between those two?
Well, I read about it, but I couldn’t really feel any sparks (it’s me, isn’t it?)

Characters 🌟🌟🌟
I like Sebastian. He’s nearly forty (his words, not mine, he’s 36) and works in a stripper bar he danced when he was younger. He’s bisexual and is scared about caring for a plant, but also wants a house and a family (funny huh)
He’s still really nice and supportive.

I’m not so sure what to think about bee.
Would I buy a house with my childhood crush aka big brothers best friend and completely drain my savings so he can help me feel better about making a risky decision career wise?
Girl, you just bought a whole house! With a guy you only talked a bit in the years before? Like wtf
That’s the definition of a risky decision?

Relationship 🌟🌟🌟
Okay, so both know they are into each other (obviously with all these horny glares), but instead of speaking with each other, they torture themselves and the other…
For what? For the miscommunication trope? Can you really call that miscommunication? I mean the horny vibes are communicating pretty good, they just ignore it?
It took us nearly half of the book for them to finally realize and do something about these feelings (Hallelujah)

Writing 🌟🌟🌟
I thought it was an okay writing. There was nothing special about it, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve ever read (those I Dnf).
It was written in two POVs which made it a bit enjoyable than just Bees or just his POV.
Still, kinda tiring.

This book had a lot of potential. I like the brothers best friend trope and especially when a romance has dual pov. I liked the female character‘s journey, but unfortunately I didn’t really connect with the romance. It was a very fast and easy read, though, and I would recommend it to friends that like long pining, the brothers best friend trope and characters who develop alongside their relationships.

This book was cute, I wanted more from the plot and characters though. It felt like something was missing. I will say the spice was spicing though. I needed more of that as well

this was *in fiery* a potentially nice book and nice trope....
But in reality it did left me a little disappointed....... first chapters were complicated to read i had to read back and foward to understand what the author wanted to convey...
FMC is a ninny and insufferable
MMC too much a good guy too accommodating to her.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC
2 stars