If you’re looking for fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, alpha x omega, paranormal, wolf shifters, all with spice… you’re going to want to read the fake mate.

I went into this book completely blind and i thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I’m a sucker for a paranormal/omegaverse romance so I might be slightly biased but I do think this is a good introduction book if you’ve never read anything along those lines before.

Was the plot groundbreaking? No… I found a lot of it predictable. But did I have a fun time reading, hell yes.

4.25 stars! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The story is very sweet and adorable. I couldn’t stop reading! The characters are funny and complex.

I liked the romance between the main characters, it was a little slow burn but not too much, everything was just the right amount.

It was a very enjoyable reading. I look forward to reading more books by Lana Ferguson in the future.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve tried to avoid all things vampire and werewolf since the Twilight epidemic in my teens. But this book left me pleasantly surprised. There was humour, real issues that both MCs struggled with as well as a sweet romance. The premise of the book is the MCs are doctors at the same hospital and they decide to engage in some fake-dating for personal reasons. In the FMCs case it’s to get her grandma off her back and for the MMC it’s to avoid disciplinary action.

The book has the perfect recipe for a solid romcom. There was fake-dating + sunshine FMC and grumpy MMC, and the chemistry between the two MCs were undeniable. Overall it’s a solid 3.5 star book as it was enjoyable but it did drag a bit before the third act.

Thanks Netgalley for providing the ARC.

P.S. highlight of the book for me was when ‘F**king Jessica’ made an appearance.

The read of 2024 to beat! 5 ⭐️’s for Lana Ferguson.

This was the most refreshing shifter romance I’ve read in AGES. It has everything…
🩺 Shifters
🩺 Fake dating
🩺 Grumpy/sunshine
🩺 He falls first
🩺 Alpha male
🩺 Clever, funny, loveable FMC
🩺 Dual POV

I love shifter and fantasy novels, particularly romance but sometimes find the drama of pack wars and the world ending a bit too much. I’ve been looking for something a bit different where the romance is the focus and this fit the bill perfectly. Even if shifters aren’t part of your usual genre choice it’s got something for everyone.

I was hooked by the blurb of this book and once I was a couple of chapters in couldn’t put it down. Noah is the most adorably grumpy alpha male, I loved him from the beginning. As a head of cardiology he’s also the most hilarious cliche for anyone in the medical profession. In fact all the medicine related content is pretty well done which, as a healthcare professional myself, is really pleasant as it makes it so much easier to become invested in the plot without becoming distracted.

“I find there isn’t much I don’t like where you’re involved” ✨swoon✨ The adorable inner monologue of a guy who is falling in love and has no idea gets me every time.

Mack is a young doctor plagued by a grandmother determined to marry her off to the first eligible shifter she can find. She’s strong, intelligent and quite frankly hilarious. The banter between her and Noah had me laughing into my coffee on more than one occasion. Watching her chip into his hard shell was brilliant.

“You think I’m great…I hung the moon. We are deliriously happy. You’ve never seen a model train in your life” 😆

Aside from our main characters there are some awesome side characters who are well rounded and really add to the plot. Parker, Mack’s best friend and IT geek is the sassy sidekick every gal needs. His boyfriend Vaughn adds another dimension (and some much needed fashion sense). Priya another of Mack’s friends helpfully asks all the Alpha related questions we all want answers to (*cough* knotting *cough*). Then there’s Paul, Noah’s only real friend and the guy that gives him ‘the look’ the first time he sees them together.

I could honestly rant about this book all day. As if all this isn’t enough there’s a gorgeous FairyLoot copy coming out in Feb!

If you love romance, fake dating or grumpy MMCs then this is the book for you. It’s also a fantastic introduction to the omegaverse if it isn’t your usual genre.

The story of Noah and Mackenzie. They work together, but this Alpha and Omega aren't really on each others radar until they both need a favour from the other. A fun read.

I think this was a great blend of omegaverse with romcom and I loved it!

You have all the shifter lore with knotting, alphas vs omegas that is typical of omegaverse with very minimal possessiveness. Plus, you have a nice plot, FMC that has friendships (all omegaverse books I read the FMC is alone in the ether or running away until she found the alpha), family, career..
It's fun, it's light and and it's SO CUTE!!!
I love how Noah is assertive and slightly dominant but at the same time he is a cinnamon roll! This combination was actually super fun to see.

I literally read this in a day and I had a great time!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely not for everyone! For my first werewolf-romance (or omegaverse for those of us who have spent too much time on the internet) it was definitely a big leap into the genre! Aside from the Omegaverse spice that maybe wasn't my cup of tea, this book was fantastic! The banter between the two mains, both of them so set on disliking each other, was fantastic. Every time they were in the room together sparks were flying in more ways than one.

Lana Ferguson, oh my gosh. This book had me giggling and kicking my feet I enjoyed it so much. I loved it and Noah and Mack. I was a bit worried the shifter aspect would toe the line, but it was perfect. I find with mmc, I sometimes have trouble when possessive and protective become obsessed, but Noah was great I didn’t have any ew moments! Now, the 3rd act breakup was coming a mile away and could have been solved without said breakup but I get it plot, so I’ll let it go. Just glad Mack put 2+2 together because it was very obvious. Such a cute book, and the perfect way to finish my reading for this year!

I am so in love with this book! A completely swoon worthy Alpha/Omega shifter romance, it is the perfect mix of sweet and sexy.

Tropes include: fake dating (obviously), grumpy/sunshine, fated mates. I'd have loved to see a little bit more of the paranormal, but otherwise I can't fault a single page.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for sending me a ARC of this book.

I was so excited as I love a paranormal romance and this was Omega romance which was just great, add the fact that there is 🪢 in this book was just delicious. We don't just have fake dating we have fake mating, grumpy sunshine, he falls first.

Mackenzie & Noah are both doctors and Mackenzie needs a boyf to get her nan off her back and not go on anymore bad dates and Noah needs a mate so he doesn't give the board of directors don't worry about a unmated Alpha and how his temper might be out of control.

I love the classic feel of thos romance with the added paranormal spice.

I enjoyed this book immensely - especially as a sucker for the 'mate' trope, fake or otherwise!

Grumpy cardiologist and Alpha, Noah, meets vivacious ER resident and Omega wolf, Mackenzie, in this new and fabulous take on shifter romance. In a bid to get grandmothers and a hospital board off of their backs, they enter into a fake mating arrangement... only it's not quite as simple as it should be.

As she makes him smile, and he makes her melt, things are bound to get complicated.

The style was just right, and I adored Noah's outwardly abrasive but unsure character.....and even more so when the commanding Alpha makes his appearance.

Sweet and Spicy, Paranormal and Contemporary - something for everyone.

Such a fun and spicy supernatural romance book!

I really enjoyed The Nanny also by Lana Ferguson and The Fake Mate is a fun and spicy supernatural romance with a fake dating trope that I loved just as much. Both Mackenzie and Noah separate and together are great characters and I couldn’t put this book down..
The only reason for not a five star is because the pacing felt abit slow in places otherwise loved it! 4.5/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Fake Mate is a fun, steamy paranormal romance that captivated me from start to finish. I was so invested in the relationship between Mackenzie and Noah that I couldn’t put the book down, and I found myself very quickly addicted.

The chemistry between doctors Mack and Noah is something else, and their fake dating scheme is top tier. As wolf shifters, their sizzling attraction is slightly different to that between normal humans, and believe me when I say it is HOT. Fear not, though: on top of all the tension and steam, there’s also some fantastic character development and an emotional insight into both of their lives. I guarantee you’ll finish this book loving them both, and it won’t just be because of Noah’s somewhat unique bedroom abilities. *raises eyebrow*

This is my first book by Leah Ferguson, and I’m already looking forward to reading more. Her prose and imagination really suited my paranormal story tastes, and I enjoyed what I think is my first outing into the Omegaverse. My Google search looks a little unusual now, but I’m here for it!

The Fake Mate is one of the best romances I’ve read this year, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone who likes spicy paranormal fiction (just an FYI: it is really spicy, so just keep that in mind if that isn’t your thing). I enjoyed every page of it, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a sequel featuring Mack and Noah — I’d love to know what the future holds for them, and if they’re still running around the woods chasing their wolfy selves every now and then. I’m choosing to think they are!


4.5/5.

Gave it a shot but really not quite my cup of tea with the whole fantasy/wolf vibe and didn't realise that was an aspect of it when requesting to be honest. Sorry, I'm sure it's a fab book!

The Fake Mate is a delightfully fun and spicy omegaverse romcom that I absolutely devoured over the past few days! Being my first Lana Ferguson book I didn’t know what to expect, but the book delivered exactly what I needed: a fun, fluffy read that I couldn’t put down!

The main characters, Mackenzie and Noah are absolutely lovable and the chemistry between the two of them is insanely good! The bit I enjoyed more however was the romcom setting: both of them are doctors in a very Grey’s Anatomy coded storyline. I’ve been on a fantasy kick recently and this was an amazing palette cleanser!

The reason this was not a five star read for me was the pacing. The book felt a bit long at points and the plot had moments when it was dragging, but I still had great fun with it!

Whilst it didn’t take at all from my enjoyment and the rating, be warned that this book absolutely expects you to understand omegaverse terms, and as someone who doesn’t usually read it, I had to do some Googling (maybe don’t click on images… or do).

Thank you the Little, Brown Book Group for the eARC!

As far as fake dating goes, this was great! The initial attraction, turning into friends with benefits, then the slow realisation of developing feelings.

I wasn't familiar with shifter or omegaverse dynamics, but I really enjoyed this, it was still a good contemporary romance set in a work place.

There was a little drama, the third act break up was quite brief and resolved quickly and happily, but I'm not sure I was a fan of the reasoning behind it.

I really loved the characters though, their grumpy/sunshine dynamic and the chemistry. And the spice was fantastic.

I was so hooked at the beginning of this story. I loved the awkwardness between Mack and Noah, the fake dating/mating, and the paranormal element. Watching their chemistry grow as they spent more time together and Noah becoming less grumpy the more enamoured he became with Mack was delightful but it felt like the plot sort of petered out quite early on, and there was heaps of spice but these two weren’t spending much time together on-page and since dialogue between characters is essential to building chemistry and to showing their romance developing, it was disappointing we missed it. There’s one point where they’re talking about spending a weekend together to get to know each other and I was so hyped to finally see that side of their relationship only for it to happen completely off-page and I would have loved so much to really see these two together more as a couple. It’s a really fun and flirty read with so many elements to shout about (meddling grandmas, dramatically comical rumours, frowny mmc perfectly repping the grumpy in the grumpy vs sunshine trope) but I definitely needed more emotional connection between these two and that means dialogue and non-spicy intimacy please!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

"The Fake Mate" is a paranormal rom-com written by Lana Ferguson.

Light, sizzling and fun novel, characterized by a fast pace and short chapters. The brisk story, captivating characters and simple style kept me glued to the pages from start to end, prompting me to devour it in less than a day. Between an excellent grumpy x sunshine and sizzling fake dating, the protagonists made me repeatedly roll with laughter. The spicy then seemed to me really tasty, with some steamy scenes that made me swoon a lot!


The story takes place in a contemporary Denver, except that in "The Fake Mate" there are shifters, whose presence is globally known and accepted. Mackenzie works in an ER, is in her final year of residency, and is a shifter accustomed to hiding her Omega nature because of prejudices about her category. Reeling from a series of disastrous dates, pressed by her grandmother's constant obsession with finding her the perfect mate, she suddenly finds herself lying. A small and innocent lie, like dating someone, just to get some respite. Nothing serious, until questioned, she blurts out the name of the latest likely man: Noah Taylor, nicknamed "The Big Bad Wolf of Denver General." An interventional cardiologist as skilled as he is grumpy, known for his gruff and aloof attitude within the hospital. Noah, in turn, is a shifter who has spent his entire life hiding what he is: an unmated alpha. But when an anonymous tip brings this revelation to light, he is faced with two choices: confess everything to the board and risk his career or find himself a mate. So when the talkative and overly sunny Mackenzie asks him to be her fake boyfriend on the same day he has to meet the board, he interprets it as a sign. It's a win-win deal for both of them: Mackenzie gets her grandmother off her back, and Noah gets a chance to prove that he can keep working without a real mate. Everything is perfect, until the pretense begins to blur into attraction and the situation gets out of hand for them.

I really liked Mackenzie and Noah, protagonists with their respective first person povs! I found them well characterized and really very funny. As mentioned above, their dynamic features several tropes, including two that I particularly love: grumpy x sunshine and fake dating. And both, in my opinion, are handled beautifully! Mackenzie is sunny, bubbly, witty, and lighthearted, while Noah is sullen, grumpy, reserved, and with little sense of humor. This creates hilarious interactions to say the least, with her poking and prodding him and filling him with jokes and him not knowing which way to turn. Throughout the story then they have a way to open up, confront each other and get closer, with some very sweet scenes. And what can I say about the spicy?! I found it definitely hot! Mackenzie and Noah have incredible chemistry and strong sexual tension, which results in some very juicy steamy scenes! Okay, maybe I would have liked a few less misunderstandings, but overall they won me over!

All in all, this is a very fun and sizzling paranormal rom-com that I enjoyed so much!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Lana Ferguson and also my first introduction to the Omegaverse.

It follows Mackenzie, an Omega, and Noah, an Alpha. (If anyone is not familiar with those terms, I would suggest doing some research into the Omegaverse as I will say this book assumes you already know a lot about it. It throws around terms like omega/alpha/scent/heat/glands/etc
without any real explanation behind it, so some research maybe needed.)

It’s a really easy to read, steamy romance with a lot of comedic and sarcastic banter which you know I’m a fan of. It also has grumpy/sunshine trope which you know is always a plus for me. The MMC also gives me Kylo vibes, so you know I’m in.

It’s funny and sweet, keeping you hooked throughout the whole book. Would definitely recommend to any romance reader, but again some research maybe needed! Would I read anything in the omegaverse again? - I’m not too sure, but can’t wait to read many more from this author and see what they come out with next!

I loved this book and its similarities to the love hypothesis!
I finished this in less than 24 hours and I will be recommending it to everyone