I didn't really know what to expect going into this one, wolves, shapeshiftedidn'trs, not sure if that's really my thing but I actually quite enjoyed it! First time reading a book by this writer but I am going to have a look at her others.
Mackenzie has been on so many bad dates that she has given up and would be quite happy to just stay single if it wasn't for her grandmother getting on her back constantly, when an opportunity arrives to become a 'fake mate' with the gorgeous Dr Noah Taylor she takes the chance and soon becomes experiencing things she never thought she would.
A very steamy romance shall we say.

I loved the idea of this however it was just a little too long. I found myself skipping some long paragraphs of monologues. Again I loved the storyline etc and it kept me reading so I finished it, the steamy scenes were great.

3.5 stars.

Mack’s grandma has set her up on one too many bad dates and she’s in desperate need of a fake date. Noah has lied to the board at the hospital they work at, telling them that whilst he is an alpha werewolf he is a mated one and therefore not a menace to society. The two agree to fake date to solve both their problems, learning a lot about themselves and each other in the process.

As a Twilight girlie I thought I would be really on board with werewolf smut, but it turns out it is a little bit odd to read it at the intense level in this book for me. I got used to it by the end thankfully, but it took me a while to get on board. I actually maybe needed more explanation of werewolf anatomy to understand why the specific werewolf aspects of the sex were as important as they were.

Overall I mostly enjoyed the characters. I’m always here for a grumpy x sunshine and these two definitely have Ali Hazelwood vibes. It was a little possessive for my liking, and whilst I understand that’s part of the werewolf natural instincts it bordered on the point where it makes me uncomfortable.

I think this book could have been shorter as it’s quite repetitive in internal monologue and each chapter ends on a poignant statement about their relationship that was made in the previous one using different words. I absolutely could have done without the third act break up. However I did feel like there were some very cute moments with Noah especially and his realisation of being in love with Mack was very cute with lots of memorable quotes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more when I heard about it. As an absolute sucker for fake dating (in this case fake mating) this book had me hooked from the off.

Mackenzie is a delightful leading lady who found endless joy in teasing Noah. Noah is such a perfect grump and my latest book boyfriend obsession. If you are a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, do not hesitate to pick this up, especially if you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis.

This book had me feeling tense in the 3rd act, but honestly, a lot of this book had me smiling like an idiot.

If you, like me, were/are a fan of reading werewolf/shifter romances on wattpad then this is the book for you (it is also very spicy). Don't expect them to be living in a pack though, it's set up more modern than that, we still get a grumpy alpha though.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Piatkus for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

-FMC has humour- sometimes its jarring
-Good smut
-Basic storyline... not always a negative as sometimes you just need something easy to read
-MMC = yes please
-Miscommunication that can be irritating as they both clearly do like each other for real!
-Shifter romance- this is my first one so i wasnt sure what to expect.. i will read more.

Needed a little more storyline and some less cheesy lines from the FMC- she also mansplained some bits which i didnt need her to do.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Fake Mate' by Lana Ferguson.

I enjoyed Lana Ferguson's other novel ages ago so when I recieved this Arc I was so excited but sadly I didn't enjoy this. It wasn't the writing style, I love the way Lana writes but it was the concept. I didn't read the blurb because I just assumed due to the author it would slap, but I probably should have read the blurb. This is an alpha-omega-heat-breed type book which is something I absolutely dislike and will avoid as much as I physically can. As a result of this, I didn't enjoy this book and I just felt overall uncomfortable but this is purely a me issue.

The fact that I'm rating a traditionally published omegaverse romance novel in the big old year of 2024 still feels a little wild to me (us fanfic girlies know all about this universe), but nevertheless let's continue.

For a romance novel this was good, fun even. I enjoyed both Mackenzie and Noah as character. Mackenzie had this fun larger than life personality with paired well with Noah's stoic one. The dual pov's worked well for me and I actually enjoyed Noah's chapters which was surprising because I can be a bit iffy when reading a male pov in a romance book because they're frankly more horny than anything else and yet Noah felt much more level-headed.

Don't get me wrong this book is for the smut lovers. I think I counted at least 6 different sex scenes all of which were well-written and appropriately steamy. I shouldn't have expected anything less for this trope.

I couldn't rate this any higher simply because beyond the romance there was no plot. Once the couple got together (sexually) the book became more about them having sex and a little self-doubt on both their parts. Also for having no plot beyond the romance this was a really slow read. I can normally smash through romances, but this just took a little longer for me.

I enjoyed this book, it was a nice low fantasy romance that read more like a contemporary romance that just happened to have wolf shifters in the world. I haven't read much omegaverse, so there were a few places where I was a little confused about certain behaviours because I am not familiar with the genre, which could have been easily resolved with a sentence or two's explanation.

If you're a fan of Sarah Hawley, or Linsey Hall, this book has very similar vibes.

That fact that this book got me to enjoy a romcom speaks volumes!!
This has all the paranormal/ omegeverse goodness, as well as grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, workplace dating.
I'm really hoping we'll get a spin-off for a certain character but we shall see ..

I've been working in STEM (high tech) for ages but never noticed so much sexiness. I'm enjoying the STEM-com but I hope that people will not think that people is so sexy and witty.
Some are, some aren't like everywhere.
That said I had a lot of fun and ejoyed this novel
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

firstly thank you for this arc. i was a huge fan of lana's already both for the nanny and her online presence on insta - she is hilarious. this was my first foray into the omegaverse and it did knot disappoint. noah was a total simp, and alpha that was crushing harddddd on mckenzie. i ate this up and loved every second. i cannot wait to see what lana writes next, i will be first in line to read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was scared this book wouldn’t live up to the hype that had been making the rounds on social media since its release.
Let me tell you, I was happy to be proven wrong!
This is the first book I’ve read by Lana and it won’t be the last.
We had sarcasm, we had grumpy x sunshine, we had fake dating and we had knotting 🥵
It has all of the goods!
The story was well paced and written with care.
The character development for the MMC stole the show but I’m not mad about it.
I’d be happy to see Dr Noah any day of the week.
All in all this was an enjoyable, hot, funny read and I’d recommend it.

1.25/5 stars! I was interested in reading this book after the praise Ali Hazelwood gave it. She's one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I didn't realize at that point that Berkely represents both authors, which is clearly where the praise was really coming from, because this book...was not it. I understand that the author was trying to modernize omegaverse writing, which I applaud her for trying to do. But general readers are k(not) <-- see what I did there!? going to be able to follow that style of writing when it isn't set up that way and just thrown in randomly. It felt off and very uncomfortable for the duration of the read and I was only able to finish it because Ali had recommended it. So here's to me being more careful about author reviews and doing my homework.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

So this is not my usual kinda genre… but I loved the nanny and was keen to read more from this author- what a joy this was. Lana is a force and she is definitely one to watch in contemporary fiction! This was sexy, fun, and such a well written read. I don’t want to spoil the plot but this is a book you will read on your kindle and then rush to buy a physical copy too!

The Fake Mate is a new paranormal romance from Lana Ferguson, an author whose debut novel The Nanny has been incredibly popular in recent times, and this one was not disappointing either. For many, the omegaverse and paranormal romances maybe brand new to them and I think Lana Ferguson provided the perfect level of spice and wolfness in the Fake Mate universe. It didn’t feel out of place or unexplainable. For those who don’t know what the omegaverse is, it’s a type of wolf hierarchy of alphas, omegas and betas where in some cases they can shift into animal form. The men’s anatomy is slightly… different but nothing gross or unappealing.
As the title suggests, the main trope in the book is fake dating. Mackenzie or Mack is a career-focused woman who is determined to fulfil her potential as a doctor. With pressure from her grandmother to find her mate, Mack is seeking a way to ease the romantic pressure that’s been placed on her.
Top cardiologist Noah is another career driven person. He’s known for being a grump and extremely focused on his work and not much else. What the hospital board don’t know is that Noah is an alpha, something he masks using medication as there are preconceived notions that alphas are aggressive, even violent sometimes which isn’t the case. What’s rocked him is a threat to reveal his status to the board by an unknown person. In a desperate bid to ensure his job and prospective new job elsewhere, Noah agrees to be fake mates with Mack. It appears this deal will ease increasing pressure on both of them.
What wasn’t expected is the intense chemistry and ease the two have with one another. They board the gossip train that travels around the hospital incredibly quickly and both work hard to keep up the façade.
I loved Mack. She spoke her mind, was focused on herself and generally was a really fun character to read. Noah was the opposite and he was grumpy. So if you’re looking for a new grumpy/sunshine fake-dating romance with some omegaverse spice then I would definitely recommend this. The only reason I didn’t rate it higher was the fact that I wasn’t in love or obsessed but for me a three-star book is still really good, I read so much that I feel five star reads are rare to me.
Thank you for the eARC! I’m excited to read the next book Lana Ferguson releases later this year.

REVIEW
When ER doctor Mackenzie Carter's grandmother becomes obsessed with her love life, she asks grumpy cardiologist Noah Taylor to pretend he's her boyfriend. But Noah has a counteroffer. Pretend to be his fake mate so that he can keep his job after his alpha status is discovered.
As I've mentioned many times, fake-dating and grumpy/sunshine are two of my favourite tropes, and, while I've never read high fantasy shifter stories and therefore can't speak for the accuracy in those terms, I did go through a brief phase of reading MCU Omegaverse fan fics some years ago (best not to ask), so I feel suitably experienced to say that it had many of the elements I would expect in this genre. I was, however, curious to see how the story would navigate the fated mates and knotting rituals common in these stories. I think the author did a good job for the most part. The intimacy was well-written, if a little too frequent, but I particularly loved the transition from fake-dating to real feelings (especially from Noah's POV). Their chemistry was palpable throughout and there was also excellent banter, both between Mack and Noah, and between them and their friends Priya, Parker, and Paul.
I was thoroughly enjoying Noah and Mack's story, their chemistry and the development of their relationship, and was on course to rate this as a solid 4.5 read. But then the drama kicked in at almost 80%, and it was just SO implausible. The blackmail was flimsy, with zero physical proof, only hearsay, and yet Noah caved immediately. Dennis felt like a pantomime villain, popping up occasionally with the most random comments, and yet Noah was shocked when he was revealed as the bad guy? I dislike drama for dramas sake, and I really had to push past those chapters unfortunately. That said, I appreciated how Mack rallied and the ending was adorably satisfying.
Not perfect, but a cute twist on the fake-dating trope.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5 but rounded up to 4
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥.5

P.s. I also hope that Liam finds his HEA because he seemed really sweet.

Favourite Quote:

"I don’t think I ever even stood a chance of touching you and then just walking away."

This was such a fun read! I love books which mix rom com with the supernatural. A great palette cleanser between the more intense fantasy books I like to read. I want more books like this!

This received 4.7 stars from me.

It was incredibly enjoyable to me. It was an entertaining quick read. This is a book that would definitely get me out of a reading slump. It follows two doctors, one an Alpha and the other an Omega, who agree to be fake mates (fake dating) in order to help one other out.
It’s a duo POV Romance with slight fantasy(Omegaverse) However I will say that it is definitely different to your average Omegaverse book and feel like it could have been delved deeper into that and provided more details on the Omegaverse for people who are new to it. On the other hand, it was refreshing to see a modern take on the Omegaverse and would definitely like to see more of this.

Overall, It was a great read and would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an e-ARC of Lana Ferguson's The Fake Mate in exchange for an honest review.

3,5⭐️

It was really fun and all, I LOVED THE DOUBLE FAKE DATING and it's perfect for beginners looking to get into omegaverse, but it was too long and it the middle I lowkey lost interest, cus it dragged too much, still it was nice

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this!

I said in a recent review I wanted more supernatural rom-com's and this definitely fit the bill! If you've ever had any experience with fanfiction, then you'll probably recognise the familiar alpha/omega dynamics going on in this world. It very much felt like I was reading a fleshed out fanfic sometimes, but that was a definite plus for this book as it was so easy to read and enjoyable.

Mackenzie needs a fake boyfriend to ward off her grandma, who's determined to set her granddaughter up in the romance department. Noah needs a fake mate for his job, as there's a risk of him facing disciplinary action for not revealing he's an alpha. In this world, alphas and omegas are rare and have their own stereotypes, so it makes sense that these two work together to fulfil their individual goals.

Mack is determined not to let her being an omega affect her life, nor does she believe in the whole fate and mates thing. Noah has been on suppressants his whole life, so doesn't even know what being an alpha even is anymore.

Both of them get a crash course in how their biology is actually a lot more important than they realised. These two just worked together, and they had fantastic chemistry. Noah had a dry wit that matched with Mackenzie's upfront humour, and their willingness to help each other out was great. Not only that, but I enjoyed that the drama wasn't them giving in to their hormones and feelings - they were both mature adults about it who realised that they could be very good together.

Noah was also a consent king - even in the midst of it, he was still making sure she was okay with it.

If you're looking for hot sex scenes with a wolf shifter world in a contemporary setting, then this is definitely for you!