This was my first Lana Ferguson and second omegaverse. And I have to say I’m not sure it’s for me. The dynamics of the two leads being wolf shifters was slightly uncomfortable for me to read, especially when one of the chapters was from their POV as a wolf. I could not. I’m sorry.

The leads had decent chemistry but there were aspects of the plot I could not overlook. Lana Ferguson I will read your next one!

Freaking love this! Whimsical, hot as hell, fun, and so good!
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I have to say I needed a change of pace when I decided to check out the new release by this author. I loved her previous book and knew this would be a wonderful choice, wolf shifters and all!

Guess what? I freaking love this book!

It is whimsical, hot as hell, fun, and so good! Ferguson has captured my attention once again and has delivered a fabulous book that doesn’t stop giving.

Both of her main characters are uniquely created and opposites in many ways. The balance and connection between the two is perfect! The romance is fresh and uber-steamy. And Noah? So hot! This is one book you can read over and over as you will enjoy it every time.

If you love a unique romcom that is delightful, memorable, and not a run-of-the-mill fake date trope, The Fake Mate is definitely the one to grab!

Thank you, Berkley and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Nanny last year by Lana Ferguson and fell in love with her banter and writing style. I was thrilled to get approval to read The Fake Mate's early copy. I was a little more apprehensive about reading this book since it is out of my comfort zone for fiction, however, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Think Grey's Anatomy mixed with Twilight. One of my favorite tropes is fake dating, so I loved the idea of fake mating. Both Noah and Mack are great characters in this book. I felt more emotionally connected with them than the characters in The Nanny.

Overall, I was impressed again with the quality of writing and how much I enjoyed the plot of The Fake Mate. I would highly recommend this book to fellow romance readers, even if it is outside your normal genre.

Could McDreamy be a werewolf? Fans of Ali Hazelwood and Grey’s Anatomy, get excited for your new favorite book!

Grey’s Anatomy meets werewolves and fated mates in this witty, lighthearted, steamy romance from Lana Ferguson. You'll love this if you’re looking for a cozy book to lighten up your day with fake dating, a werewolf alpha, and a fabulous mom & grandma duo.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-arc to review.

Honestly, any time I pick up a Lana Ferguson romance novel these days, I know I'm going to get something that is both steamy AND sweet, and that's exactly what this is. Not to mention this is a story I unabashedly devoured in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't get back to sleep and found myself incapable of putting it down. And while, yes, the blackmail element toward the end of the story did feel a little tired, the resolution of it was super satisfying! It might not be the best primer book if you've never read anything omegaverse before; there's a lot of shorthand that assumes the reader is familiar with the mechanics and concepts that exist. But this was a really fun blend of paranormal and contemporary, and I hope Ferguson writes more romances like this in the future!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun, spicy (VERY) romance. I love a dual POV romance, especially when fake dating is involved. The mutual pining was palpable, and the chemistry was off the charts.

I do wish I knew a little more about shifter romances, or that some of the more unique aspects had been explained a little better. As a newbie, I would have appreciated a tiny bit more background.

Otherwise this was an enjoyable read! It was a little spicier than I prefer, but that's just a matter of personal preference and nothing against the book itself.

3.5 stars

The Fake Mate was all vibes, not much plot. What made this book so good was how awfully adorable the FMC and MMC were. I love a good grumpy/sunshine trope! Also the werewolf was an added bonus. It wasn't too "wolf-y" but it made that aspect really fun to read about!

Drs. Mackenzie and Noah are wolf shifters. Yes, you read that correctly. Even further, Noah is an unmated Alpha (rare) and Mackenzie is an omega (also apparently rare). Mackenzie needs her Grandmother to stop setting her up on bad dates, Noah needs to appear to be mated to stave off possible discrimination based on stigmas about unmated Alphas. Thus, a fake dating... sorry fake MATING plot emerges.

Ok, so this book slayed. Here's the short of it: was it perfect? No. Sometimes the characters felt underbaked and the romance a little rushed. Though that is possible I am just a glutton for a slow burn. We do get some really cute moments of seeing Noah loosen up around Mackenzie, starting to smile at her jokes, make some of his own, and I loved it.

Now onto the elephant in the room! The omegaverse! I never... EVER thought I would see the day that I would be reading an Omegaverse story. And the complete honesty is that I think I find a fully fictional omegaverse easier to read than a fanfiction omegaverse. In my mind, i know that this is a weird fantastical paranormal universe with characters that are new to me and can thus engage with the silly ABO stuff with no problem. When it's like my favorite ship from my favorite media... harder to deal with the ABO.

But it was fun! and silly! I will say... this is just the Love Hypothesis but Omegaverse. They're fake dating to get Mackenzie's grandma off her back, and for the board to leave Noah alone for him to get a new job. Beyond that... Noah is so clearly Adam Driver-coded that it's insane. Like... look at that cover. That's so clearly Adam Driver.

I don't have much in the way of detailed review, it's pretty much exactly what you expect when you hear omegaverse wolf shifters fake dating in a hospital. The characters were both likable, not cringy, not too over the top. I LOVED that the 3rd act breakup was clearly resolved by Mackenzie being like "does he think I'm stupid? I literally know exactly why he's pushing me away.... dumb idiot." And this book was thin on the plot, heavy on the smut and constant horniness. Which was exactly what I needed to catapult me out of a string of mediocre reads! I am both shocked and extremely entertained by the fact I enjoyed this book so much!

I don't know if I can say it is a lifelong favorite or a long-lasting staple like its muse, the Love Hypothesis, is for me, but I can sure say this is one hell of a read. By god do I love a socially awkward reserved grump who has a filthy mouth <3

Lana Ferguson nailed it with her first book and this one was pretty great, too. I’m not a huge fan of paranormal, but this was well done and a great book. If you haven’t read her first book, definitely grab that as well, but this is a great author and an auto buy Author for me now as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I am unapologetically such a sucker for werewolf romances, and I definitely enjoyed this one. It was more unique than the usual since it's a contemporary romance with some werewolf details sprinkled in.

I really liked Noah and believe he should be protected at all costs. Mack was OK; I think she was being a little obtuse/selfish toward the middle when he was clearly having feelings and she thinks it's a good time to propose friends with benefits.

Also not really a fan of the 3rd act breakup. The whole I'm gonna leave you for you to protect you is bullshit. I think he could have groveled more imo, but I'll allow it. We also miss a very important event at the end, so booooo.

But overall recommend for contemporary romance and werewolf romance 3

Mackenzie Carter navigates pressure from her nosy grandmother to find a perfect mate which leads her impulsively claim she’s dating Taylor, a cardiologist hiding his true nature. Could their fake dating arrangement possibly lead to more?

I liked Lana’s debut, The Nanny, so I was excited to see that her sophomore book, The Fake Mate, especially since it went into a different direction. This paranormal romance explores fake dating, grumpy-sunshine, wolf shifters, and set against a hospital backdrop. I was engaged in the two distinct perspectives in this novel. The banter and chemistry between Mackenzie and Noah was a great balance of sweet and spicy. There were a few of cheesy moments which weren’t for me and I wasn’t a fan of the glands concept. I found that Noah’s reason for fake dating was justifiable, but Mackenzie’s reasoning came off as silly. Overall, this was a 3.5 star read for me, but I rounded to 4 stars on GoodReads.

2.5 Stars

I believe this would fall into the romantsy category, although it’s heavy on the romance, and the only fantasy is that they are werewolves. Although Noah and Mackenzie do shift once in the book, the majority of the time it was just lots and lots of talking and thinking about being a wolf. The rest of the book is sex. Or that’s how it feels.

Mackenzie and Noah are doctors at the same hospital in a world where werewolves are known and accepted into society. They enter into a mutually beneficial fake relationship but soon real feelings develop. Opposites in personalities and a fun side cast, there was definitely comedy and a few laughs, but the inordinate amount of time spent on wolf thoughts was a little too much for me. As someone who has not read many if any shapeshifter books, I also didn’t understand what some of it meant, but my takeaway is that werewolves are a horny bunch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot begin to describe how happy I am to see more paranormal/shifter romance books becoming mainstream. This is a fabulous first book for those interested in shifter/omegaverse romance!

This was so hit and sexy, so sweet, and so satisfying to read! Noah is a dream, and Mackenzie is such a great, strong willed FMC. The dual points of view always get me, as does a fake dating trope, so I was pulled in from the beginning!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

The Fake Mate is Lana Ferguson’s follow-up to the steamy The Nanny and could not be more different. It follows Mackenzie Carter, a doctor in desperate need of a fake boyfriend to get her grandmother off her back. Oh and she is also a werewolf. She finds her solution is cardiologist, Noah, who is an alpha in need of a fake mate. The grumpyxsunshine dynamic is in full force in this paranormal romance.

This is much different from my typical read and I enjoyed it! Ferguson gets right into the world-building and the fake dating. Noah and Mackenzie had a fun chemistry with plenty of steam. It is fast-paced and I appreciate Ferguson showing she can write multiple genres.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute. And hot. Not as good as the nanny BUT I loved that Mackenzie was older - 29 and 36 is much better than the girl in the nanny who was like 25.

This is a contemporary romance but with shifters and werewolves and knotting and omegaverse. It feels kind of strange because of that - like the world is weird. Who is a shifter? Like everyone we met if a shifter except Parker it seems but also I’m not 100% sure. There was some confusion there for sure but once I just ignored it I felt much better overall.

Noah made the book for me. He is communicative, sweet, swoony, filthy. He falls first FOR SURE. The heat scene was TO DIE FOR. I wish we saw them in their wolf forms more. The central dilemma felt very predictable but I think Noah and Mackenzie made it worth it. Plus I just KNOW Noah’s cousin Hunter is going to be a lead in the sequel to this.

The one thing I truly hated, the use of the word SLICK. Like good lord every wetness, every suck, every moment of sex Mack or Noah are talking about her slick. Sounds like a WET ROAD. Goodness gracious. It’s worse than WET MESS. Nope.

I almost didn’t want to finish this one, and it was really because I knew when the conflict came I was going to be a mess!! I know it gets resolved, but I love the main characters and they were so cute and oblivious for so long, and then they were JUST STARTING TO ADMIT THINGS!! Anyways, I did finish it and it was superb, and also I learned a lot of the uhhh “omega verse” that I had never delved into, but not in an overwhelming way!!

Thank you for the ARC, and I will definitely highly recommend this!

As an intro to the omegaverse, I appreciate the way the author fit themes of contemporary romance with some topics I was VERY unfamiliar with 😭 just like her first book, I liked this one and appreciated a lot of her writing style and plot structure, but felt like something was missing to connect with the characters more. This was a fun, quick, somewhat strange (haha) read.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm not sure I have the right words to describe this steamy alpha/omega wolf shifter grumpy sunshine fake dating love story. It sounds like a lot, but is just the right amount of everything. Noah and Mackenzie together are perfection. The way they care for each other is so sweet and their love scenes so hot. The shifter aspect is not something I've read about before, but is a fascinating twist. This is a book you're going to want to read and reread and then reread it again.

Lana Ferguson is officially an auto-buy author for me now! This book was so freaking cute and I absolutely adored it.

This was the perfect blend of so many of my favourite tropes with a cast of lovable characters. Mackenzie and Noah have so much chemistry it practically leapt off the page and their personalities were the perfect complement to each other. Not to mention Mackenzie’s grandmother, Noah’s mom, and Parker who brought a lot of fun to the story and helped flesh out their characters.

I was having such a good time reading this that I just didn’t want it to end. Give me more!!

100% recommend. If you’re not reading this book, what are you even doing?

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Fake Mate was my first "knotting" book and I overall enjoyed it!

MacKenzie Carter needs good luck in the dating department. Only a year until she's finished with residency, her grandmother is at her tail to find love. Fed up with it all, she creates the lie of all lies: she's dating broody cardiologist Noah Taylor.

Noah Taylor is an Undercover alpha. Undercover until an anonymous tip comes in to the hospital board. Feeling pressured, he needs to show the big playmakers that he's not a messy alpha. He needs a mate. Who else better than MacKenzie Carter, who's just asked him to be her fake mate.

Tensions fly quickly as both broody and sunshine clash. But what's once fake starts unraveling into something more. Something neither has had before. Something that brings out the very animal that they are.

The Fake Mate was an enticing grumpy sunshine/ fake dating tale that I enjoyed listening to. Joe Arden brought the right level of grumpy and sexual desire into Noah. I found myself rooting and fully invested in him! Samantha Summers allowed me to envision MacKenzie as warm and bubbly. Both narrators brought this story to life. While there is some knotting involved, I felt the whole alpha/omega situation not overwhelming for a newbie. Fans of fake dating/ workplace romance/ enemies to lovers will adore this one!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH audio for the alc/earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.