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*

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!

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!