The Fake Mate is a steamy contemporary romance, with some paranormal elements, that is perfect for fans of romance authors like Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, Chloe Liese, and Talia Hibbert. I would also recommend The Fake Mate to fans of paranormal romances like A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, or Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman. Tropes present in The Fake Mate are close proximity, fake dating, friends-with-benefits, grumpy with sunshine, workplace romance, and fated mates. Themes and topics include discrimination, stereotypes, blackmail, matchmaking, insecurity, loneliness and isolation, abandonment, love and sacrifice, and secrets and lies.

I thought that The Fake Mate was very unique compared to other werewolf/ wolf romances I’ve read in the past, like the Twilight or Shadowhunters series, in that wolf shifters aren’t a secret, nor do they live in a hidden fantasy world. Furthermore, The Fake Mate was more of a Grey’s Anatomy-like romance that just so happened to include some paranormal elements, which I found delightful yet different from what I was expecting. There were a ton of steamy scenes throughout The Fake Mate as well as some swoon-worthy moments, both of which I think fellow romance readers will enjoy. I will definitely be reading more of Lana Ferguson’s books in the future!

On the downside, I felt like the third-act conflict was predictable and was resolved unrealistically quickly. I also personally felt like some of the wolf shifter terminology could have used some more explanation as I sometimes found myself guessing. Lastly, I thought that the main characters spent too long doubting or hiding their true feelings and insisting that their relationship was still fake, which was a bit frustrating.

If you love Grey’s Anatomy, spicy contemporary romances, and paranormal elements like wolf shifters, then you should definitely add The Fake Mate to your TBR list!

Mackenzie Carter and Nate Taylor both work at the hospital and seek each other out for a mutually beneficial fake relationship. Nate is an Alpha who hid who he was and the hospital is not happy about that. He needs a Mate fast to get back into their good graces. Mackenzie is sick of dating and wants to get her grandmother's constant nagging to settle down, off her back. Using Nate as a fake boyfriend can do that for her. But when Nate finds out Mackenzie is an Omega Shifter things become complicated and soon enough their fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.

I requested this book without much thought because I heard such good things about Lana Ferguson's first book. I assumed I knew what this was going to be about based on the cover and title, so when I opened this and found out they were wolf shifters I was in for a surprise. I have never read a shifter novel or really know anything about them. If you are like me and went in not knowing anything about shifter romances, I suggest doing some Googling because there was some verbiage and anatomy I wasn't quite sure about. That being said I devoured this book! We get to the point pretty fast in the first couple of chapters which I love. This is definitely not a slow burn! This is a fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance with some fated mates undertones. I loved that we got dual perspectives of Mack and Nate. It brought a lot to the story to see each of their perspectives. Lana Ferguson knows how to write spice and it was PRIME! Mackenzie is so personable and loveable. Nate's grouchiness is somehow adorable. I will definitely be going back to read Ferguson's first novel!

This was pretty close to a 5-star read for me. The reason I didn't rank this higher, was the third act break up was horribly cliche and has been done a thousand times. Spoiler Alert! Instead of Nate breaking up with Mackenzie, to "save" her, I would have much rather seen him confide in her and come together to fight "the bad guy" But that is my personal opinion!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 12/5

⭐️: 4/5

Wolf shifter Mackenzie Carter needs to get her grandmother to stop setting her up on terrible blind dates, and Noah Taylor needs a solution when someone divulges to the medical board of their hospital that he’s an unmated alpha, a designation that has an outdated stereotype of being potentially dangerous. They two agree to become fake mates, since it seemingly solves both of their problems, but when their agreement morphs into a real friends-with-benefits relationship, lines start to blur about what’s real and what’s fake.

Shifter romances aren’t usually my thing. The only real exposure I’ve had to the genre is any allusions to them that a more stereotypical fantasy or romantasy book may have, so I admittedly had to Google some of the…stranger…things that are referenced in this book, and honestly, I’m still confused. But regardless of that, I really didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did. I loved that this was a pretty typical workplace romance/fake dating/friends with benefits romantic comedy book, just with the added twist that the two main characters are you know, supernatural creatures. I loved the banter between the two, and a grumpy/sunshine relationship always makes my day. The fact that the two main characters aren’t fully human kept this book from being just another one of the same genre that exists in so many forms by so many different authors. The respect between the two characters was refreshing as well. The one thing that never changes for me however, is I ALWAYS find the best friend character of the FMC to be so meddlesome and annoying. This book was no exception. But that’s such a small thing, and overall, this book was sweet, spicy, and unique.

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

✨Nooo not blackmail your so sexy aha✨

Two wolves (lol) live inside me: The one who loves knotting and the alarming amount of fluids it involves and the one who hates blackmail. Do what you will with that information.

✨

Before pick The Fake Mate up, I was in a major slump and needed something light and sexy. All in all I really couldn’t have chosen a better book. The main characters were easy to root for, the omegaverse element was exciting, and the coworkers/fake mate plot had a nice pace. The knotting was a bonus. Or maybe it was the main character…

Whatever genre this is, I’ll take some more please! We weren’t overloaded with paranmoral elements and there wasn’t a “I need to save this town from a big baddie” type of vibe from the other witchy/paranmoral contemporaries I’ve read. It was simply two doctors who happened to be wolf shifters, which was completely normal in their world. I think it was a great balance of paranormal and contemporary romance, at least for my tastes.

There was a different kind of baddie though: blackmail. I really didn’t like the bad guy and I REALLY didn’t like how blackmail entered the chat at eighty percent and was like let’s ruin everything! I will never understand why the blackmailed character doesn’t just confide in the other one and trust them to make their own decisions!! It’s frustrating ALWAYS.

So while I loved most of this book, I definitely hit a wall with about twenty percent left. The repercussions lasted a while, and I was just so annoyed at Noah for being a huge dummy. It was kind of remedied with grovel orgasms, but he still wasn’t the one to make the first move. He should’ve been the one to initiate the apology scene, not just hoping she’d maybe see through the lies.

Overall, I’m really happy Lana tried shake-it-up-Chicagoed and went with an omegaverse sophomore novel. It was unexpected and deeply fun. Also I know the next book is now the hockey one (and I’ll be SAT), but we got a teaser of a different book at the end of this one and OH MY GOD. I need it biblically. I’m so ready for a good hate-fucking book.

✨

As a little bonus, I do believe we got to see Wanda show up from The Nanny! It’s fun to think of these two books living in the same world. Just think about Aiden’s already impressive penis skills getting a KNOT. Maybe Noah should go bite him or something.


⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️.75/5


- One random note: I hope we get the deleted scene of them marking each other because lowkey I feel cheated that we didn’t get to see it!!! It’s always my favorite part whenever it’s involved in Kresley Cole books. Like they resist so long and the tension has been building for that moment!!



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley and to PRHaudio for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved this book! It was hilarious, heartfelt, and spicy. I didn’t know exactly what I was into before going into this book, but it exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to shout out this book to everyone! What a fun story.

This was a fun fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, omegaverse romance! Mackenzie and Noah are both doctors and wolf shifters, and up until they started fake dating, they really had no interactions, and Noah was the resident grumpy doctor. I loved the tension that built up to them being together while fake dating! One thing I didn’t love was the third-act breakup/conflict because it could’ve easily been resolved had they just communicated. Overall, this was a fun, spicy read!

Absolutely solid abo shifter fic!

I know the trope can go to some dark places, but this was like a Hallmark edition that didn't hold back on the spice!

The characters, though based in fanfic, are still endearing and fun - it's hard not to root for them.

Well written, and the story was wrapped up nicely!

I really enjoyed Lana Ferguson’s The Nanny so I was super excited for The Fake Mate and it didn’t disappoint! This shifter romance follows Mackenzie Carter and Noah Taylor, two members of the hospital staff who need a fake mate—Mac because of her meddling but well-meaning grandma and Noah because of his shifter designation as alpha being uncovered—but the more they know each other, they more they question if this might be fate. So first, in the time it took me to receive the book and start it, I had forgotten this was paranormal (I read the description when I request a book or buy it, but not typically before starting it), so that threw me off for a second when starting it, but I was hooked on these two right away. It’s a grump/sunshine fake dating and Noah and Mac just have wonderful banter and chemistry and it’s just so fun watching Mac take Noah out of his shell. There’s also such a gentleness between these two. And wow is it steamy. I do think there were times it felt a little too heavily focused on the steamy parts but I also think it worked with the primalness of the shifters. I just really enjoyed the connection of these two and the writing over all. Very fun read!

This was a really sexy romance! It started off a little slow for me as things slowly built between Noah and Mackenzie, but wow did Lana Ferguson deliver! There are quite a few scenes that left me fanning myself LOL

Things to look forward to:
- stern brunch daddy MMC
- opposites attract
- workplace romance (both are medical doctors)
- age gap-ish (MMC is 36 and FMC is 29)
- fake dating/mating/scenting
- alpha & omega pairing
- forced proximity
- off the charts sexual chemistry and steam (get ready for lots of: dirty talk, knotting, good girl praise, etc)
- consent! In shifter romances, sometimes consent isn't 100% clear, but I loved how it was handled here.
- hilarious friend group/secondary characters (loved Parker!)

As much as I enjoyed the story, the third act break up wasn't my favorite. It felt forced and I never like when one character makes a unilateral decision to "save/protect" the other instead of just talking things out. The resolution with Dennis also felt sloppy and too convenient. I'm still confused how what Parker/Mackenzie did was any different from what Dennis did to Noah. It seems there should have been repercussions for everyone, but I can understand how that ending might not fully work with the romance HEA. LOL The ending was sweet though and Lana Ferguson has fully cemented herself as a Queen of steam. Excited to see what she writes next!

I both read and listened to the audiobook of The Fake Mate and the casting was fantastic! Joe Arden and Samantha Summers both gave wonderfully enthusiastic performances and this one was really a treat to listen to!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars

Note: The Fake Mate leaned more contemporary for me, which is a bit different from other paranormal/shifter romance I've read, but I still think it would be a great read for those looking to get into the paranormal romance genre.

CW: death of parent (past), parental abandonment (past), grief, blackmail

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and Lana Ferguson for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so freaking good! This was my first Lana Ferguson and I will definitely be picking up The Nanny soon. Mackenzie and Noah were the perfect grumpy/sunshine pair. The banter between then was on point. Noah had such a soft and gooey center, I loved him so much! The paranormal aspect was done just right; I loved that the shifter elements were there but Ferguson really made her own spin on them! The third act was going a way I wasn’t sure about, but then Mackenzie’s character arc totally pulled it off. She was fierce and emotional and honest in the best of ways. Noah’s mom and Mackenzie’s grandma were stand out aid characters. Absolutely adorable!

Lana Ferguson's books are just getting better and better. I love the Grey's Anatomy vibes with Alpha/Omega romance. I read the Bride by Ali Hazelwood and I was saying this Wolfy/Interspecies Romantasy needs to be it's own genre. Lana Ferguson is affirming it. Wolfy romance? Check. Forced proximity? Check. Enemies to lovers/Opposites attract? Check. Fake mating/dating? CHECK CHECK CHECK. I love the soup thing because everyone has their own vices. The bad dates are so funny and modern they have to be realistic from Lana's own dating life or something. The plot was predictable but the romance wasn't. I really hope that people give this author and book the chance it deserves because I hate the timing of this release like it should be Valentines day or something on a full moon. Thank you so much to Lana Ferguson, The publisher, and Netgalley for letting me howl about this beauty!

I know this would be someone's cup of tea but OH MAN IT SURE ISNT MINE LOL I simply cannot with animal shifters, and now I know this hah. The sex was definitely hot but not for meeee

This was my first book by Lana Ferguson and I enjoyed it. I knew nothing about wolf shifter romances or that there was an entire omegaverse handbook for the romance world, so this was definitely eye-opening for me!

A fun and relatively easy read that was enjoyable. I'll be keeping my eye out for what Lana Ferguson does next.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not what I was expecting, which probably means I didn't read the description beforehand. I picked up what I thought was a contemporary modern romance and instead got a paranormal omegaverse open-door romance. Once I adjusted my expectations though, the main characters had great chemistry and the tropes (grumpy meets sunshine and fake romance) were smoothly incorporated into the plot. The main characters agree to be fake mates, Noah because his job is being threatened and Mackenzie because her grandmother won't stop pressuring her to settle down, and predictably end up falling for one another. They are both wolf shifters and work amongst humans in a hospital setting, where Noah's rival is trying to get him fired for not disclosing that he's an alpha wolf. Some of the paranormal concepts (knotting?!) were a bit... odd... but overall it was a fast-paced and should be an enjoayble read for anyone into paranormal/shifters romance novels.

I loved The Nanny from this author earlier this year, so when I got the ARC of The Fake Mate, I had to jump in! And omg I loved this one so much. It was so different from the author’s previous book as far as tropes, but the romance and characters and writing hit just as right for me. This has wolf shifters who are both doctors, fake dating/fake mates, alpha/omega, knotting, dual POV, and tons of steam! I swooned over Noah and Mackenzie together.

The story starts with Mackenzie exhausted from terrible dates and her Gran desperately wanting her to settle down. It’s not that she doesn’t want to someday, but her last few dates have not gone well to say the least. So she ends up telling a little white lie and says she’s seeing someone at work…and then names the resident grumpy doctor as her boyfriend. Mackenzie is an ER doctor in the hospital and Noah is a cardiologist at the hospital. He also has quite the reputation of a surly grump who keeps to himself and never smiles. To appease her grandmother (who raised her), Mackenzie ends up asking Noah for a selfie together to prove to her Gran that they’re “dating”. After she explains the situation to him, Noah ends up flipping the script on her and asking if she’ll pretend to be his fake mate!

Noah is a shifter like Mackenzie, and had been keeping it a secret that he’s an alpha. It’s rare nowadays, but it still has a lot of stereotypes surrounding the designation, and the hospital board would be more at ease if he was a mated alpha as they’re supposedly more docile and easier to manage. Mackenzie agrees to help him out and thus begins their fake mate situation at work! Once they start spending more time together and he realizes she’s an omega, things get even more complicated… Then she thinks a friends with benefits idea will go fine, I mean why not right?

I just loved every minute of this read! While wolf shifters, they only shift once in the story and I feel like if you’re new to wolf shifter romances it’s easy to not feel lost in this one. Humans and shifters live and work together in this world and it’s easy to see this as a coworker/hospital romance. I loved their chemistry together and couldn’t get enough of how perfect they were. He’s more serious, while she lightens him up. I loved seeing it turn into real feelings, he gets possessive, we have tons of knotting 🔥, the soup night, the cabin 👀, the horny exam room shenanigans. This was just a delight and I can’t wait for whatever this author writes next!

I received an ARC from Berkley, all thoughts in this review are my own. The Fake Mate is out December 5, 2023!

Thank you @NetGalley @PRHAudio @berkleypub @berkleyromance @lanafergusonwrites for the digital & audio galleys of The Fake Mate.

I previously LOVED The Nanny so this was one of my highly anticipated titles.

The MC were fabulous together. The chemistry & smut were on point. Judging by the cover, you’re going to think this will be a steamy rom-com about two doctors & dog or a doctor, a vet & a dog. Just go ahead & get that ideation out of your b/c that is only partially accurate.
I now have knowledge of how shifters mate. I was unfamiliar with some of the terms & turned to my trusty friend, Google for some help. I rate the book a solid 4 Stars overall, although the “mating” did weird me out a little. Don’t let that turn you off though. I have seen that others familiar with shifter mating absolutely LOVE this book! I did enjoy it very much, it was just that one aspect that got me. Kudos for originality, also. I 100% did not see that coming AT ALL.

Romance, Shifter, Smut & Lana Ferguson fans, you’re going to want to grab a copy of this one on 12/5!

QOTD: what is something that made you cringe while reading?

“Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately….her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees & the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.

Noah Taylor….has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board & risk his career—or find himself a mate….”

#PRHAudio #LanaFerguson #Berkley #ARC #Audio #Audiobook #Review #December #Steamy #Spicy #Smut #Shifters #Alpha #Omega #Knot #Doctors #Romance #RomCom #Mating #Heat #Love #Fiction #Adult #Paranormal #Fantasy #Werewolves #Booksta #Books #Reading #TBR

Mackenzie needs a boyfriend to appease her grandmother and Noah needs a mate so the hospital board doesn't fire him for not disclosing his aphla designation. What better arrangement or them than to help each other out of their respective sticky situations.

This book is sweet and funny and fan yourself hot! I adore the way Mack teases Noah and manages to get him to loosen up. Their relationship is so cute. Watching Noah grow and fall for Mack captured my heart. He only thought he was happy before Mack came crashing into his life.

If you're a spice lover, this book is absolutely for you. It's almost too hot to handle!

Lana Ferguson really knocked it out of the park with this book!

I adored literally EVERYTHING about this book. Not only is it a great introduction to the Omegaverse for those unfamiliar, but Lana’s voice is as fresh and punchy as ever.

I might have to officially dub her Banter Queen because there were some of the funniest back and forths I’ve read in a while contained within these pages.

Mack and Noah are such interesting characters and I love how much they balanced each other out (both in personality and in designation). This was a funny, spicy, and heartfelt follow up to The Nanny, and I can’t wait to see what Lana writes next!!

It is a pleasure to read Lana Ferguson's The Fake Mate. The characters are vivid and engaging, and the plot is fast-paced and exciting. The writing is witty and humorous, and the story is filled with unexpected twists and turns. The ending is satisfying and wraps up the story neatly. Having read this book, I'm eager to read more by Lana Ferguson. Well-written emotion and romance are abundant in the plot. The story will keep you riveted and touch your heart.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group, Lana Ferguson and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. I'm sure Lana Ferguson will continue to write captivating and heartwarming stories. All in all, The Fake Mate is an enjoyable and addictive read. Lana Ferguson has truly outdone herself with The Fake Mate - it is a lovely novel!

→4.5 stars

lana ferguson keeps getting better and better! I loved The Nanny and The Fake Mate was such a great follow-up novel, even better in my opinion than her first. the relationship was better, the plot had me intrigued, and the spice had me giggling and changing up Spotify playlists (iykyk).

The Fake Mate was an exploration for Ferguson into the world of paranormal romance and she nailed it (no surprise there since she mentions in the acknowledgments about a friendship with Ruby Dixon)! I think a lot of paranormal romance, especially in the Omegaverse, have a hard time not coming across cringey and icky, but this was just the right amount of spice and relationship for me! I loved Noah and Mackenzie, yes I did enjoy the fact that we have the same name. Noah, such a sweet lil idiot for being a nationally accredited surgeon. Mackenzie had to straighten him out multiple times throughout the book when he either doubted himself or their relationship. While I detest third act breakups, I did enjoy the way this was resolved and that it didn't drag on. I will be reviewing and recommending The Fake Mate at my library's Winter Book Buzz, where library staff choose five books to read and recommend to patrons. I'm looking forward to Ferguson's next novel in 2024!