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.

Read if you like:
🐺 Werewolf Shifters
❤️ Supernatural Romances
🩺 Workplace Romances
🥵 Spiceeee
💋 Fake Dating
🛌 Friends with Benefits to More
⛅️ Grumpy x Sunshine

I really, really enjoyed this one! I was feeling a bit slumpy prior to starting this one as I started it after dnf’ing another book and this was the exact thing I was needing! I got hooked with this one sooo quickly and really really enjoyed it!

I do have to say you need to liked a bit of a supernatural plot since both the MC’s are werewolves/shifters so it added something new to the romance plot.

This one did pair great tropes for me that I personally love with fake dating for mutual convenience with grumpy x sunshine, and workplace romance that all worked so well for me!

This one does get pretty spicy so maybe don’t read it in public once you get to the halfway point 😉

Thank you so much Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Twlight meet smart doctors and Rom.Com. This was fun enemy to lover story with a fatasy twist where doctors/ lovers are wolf shifters and they cannot control their animal instict of mating. Sometimes animal instict is same as human 6th sence.

📚✨Book Review✨📚

The Fake Mate
Author: Lana Ferguson

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I Liked:
🐺 I thought it was interesting that this was a shifter book, but they only shifted once for a few pages. I think readers who have never read any paranormal or shifter books, would enjoy this as their first foray into the genre.

🐺I enjoyed the fact that not only did Noah have a special “designation” amongst his species, but so did Mackenzie. I think it keeps them both on a more level playing field. I don’t like when the power dynamic is off between couples, especially in more contemporary books.

🐺This book had just the right amount of spice and plot. There was a strong storyline, but also enough to satisfy those readers who might be craving a little something more. 😏

What I Didn’t Like:
🐺These two dummies literally just needed to talk to each other! How can two people who are so dang smart, not communicate better. I say this knowing that smart people in real life are also often not good communicators.

Final Thoughts:
🐺Another hit from Lana Ferguson. She’s quickly become one of my autobuy authors. Can’t recommend her enough!



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I officially have beef with Lana Ferguson because how DARE she make me feel this way! I loved it. Will be recommending it to every single person I know.

Overall The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson just wasn't for me. Contemporary omegaverse stories are hit or miss. This one just felt like it was going in too many different directions and incorporating one too many tropes. Not a bad book! A/B/O fans will still love it. Traditional romance readers might struggle.

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson is a steamy workplace romance with a twist. The two main characters are werewolves. They enter into a fake relationship full of spice and banter. This romance is a great way to immerse yourself in a fantasy romance without getting lost in all the world building. Ferguson wonderfully explains werewolves while still making it an easy enjoyable read.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this dual POV, spicy, workplace, fake dating romance between an Alpha male shifter and an omega female shifter. Both doctors at the same hospital, this had tons of Grey's Anatomy vibes and all the best brooding, pining, dirty talking MMC traits I love in the best Ali Hazelwood books.

Highly recommended for fans of paranormal romance and books like Bride by Ali Hazelwood. I couldn't get enough of this one and really enjoyed the audio narration by Samantha Summers and Joe Arden. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

it took a bit to get into but once i got to chapter 5 i literally couldn’t put it down. my first lana book and it won’t be my last. this was so much fun!

Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates but what started off as a way to get people off their backs begins to feel very much like falling in love. Mackenzie Carter has been going on bad dates and she's tired of her Grandmother obsessing over her settling down. Mackenzie just wants to focus on her career in the hospital and avoid dating as much as possible, so when she lies to her grandmother and says she has a boyfriend... she accidentally uses the name of the one doctor that she'll have the worst time convincing to be her fake boyfriend, Noah Taylor. Noah Taylor is the interventional cardiologist and a bit of a misanthrope, he's known as the biggest grump in the hospital and people avoid him as much as possible, yet he's a genius and a wonderful doctor.... but he's hiding his own secret. Noah is an unmated Alpha, and someone snitched on him to the board of directors at the hospital and his job is on the line if he can't convince them he has a mate and doesn't have any legendary alpha rage issues. So when Mackenzie's proposal literally lands in his lap, he offers her a counter deal, she pretends to be his mate while he gets the board off his back and in return he'll help keep guys away from her and pretend to be her boyfriend for her grandma. Noah and Mack are complete opposites, she's fun and sunshiny while he's grumpy and a bit of a bore, yet the more time they spend pretending to be a couple the more they are actually beginning to fall for one another... and you know that once you try being friends with benefits... things are only going to get more complicated. Can Mack and Noah figure out who tried to get Noah fired while also figuring out their fake/real relationship situation? This was such a fun and cute read, Noah and Mack were a cute fake dating couple and I had so much fun with the grumpy x sunshine and fake dating tropes in this one. It's a fun paranormal romance and I would definitely recommend it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Soooo shifter is a werewolf!! This is one hot paranormal romance! Mackenzie needs a fake boyfriend to avoid her grandmother’s matchmaking. Noah needs a fake mate to convince hospital administrators he has his alpha anger control. The solution presents itself when Mack spurts Noah’s name to her grandmother. Both satisfied with the arrangement and confident that they would not fall for each other..they go about their life…until an invisible string of gravity pulls at them.

This was my first omega verse book and it certainly will not be my last. It was such a fun read! I love fake dating as a trope so taking it a step further with being fake mates had me hooked. Noah and Mackenzie were such a wonderful pair. Their chemistry was immaculate. I loved that the drama was high stakes enough to pull you in and blended really well with the romance. Overall I truly loved this book!