This book was a ball of fun! I read it as we were entering the fall season, and I absolutely enjoyed the Paranormal vibes. This was a fun fake dating story that has the humor and writing that captivated me in Lana's debut, The Nanny. Noah and Mackenzie's banter made this story enjoyable and the book is definitely spicy and fun, I think there were times that I felt too lost in the book, but otherwise, this is a fun PNR book that will be fun to read in the winter.

I loved Lana Ferguson's last book and was looking so forward to reading this one but I didn't even end up finishing it. I could not get past the whole "wolf/shifter" aspect. It was a disappointment to find that there was more of a fantasy element to this story rather than a straightforward rom-com like I was expecting.

The Fake Mate
Pub Date: Dec. 5th, 2023

Read if you like:
🔬The Love Hypothesis x Shifter Omegaverse
🩺 Doctor Romance
🌦️ Grumpy/sunshine
👫 Fake dating and Dual POV
💜 Age-gap
🩻 Workplace romance

What I liked:
- I absolutely LOVE socially awkward men and Noah is no exception to that. A smart, bumbling, social outcast?? Hello, sign me up.
- I love Mackenzie so much!! This might be the only time where I will ever love a female character over a male (only by a tiny tiny amount). She loves soup, knock-off pink drinks, is admirably sociable, brave, etc,. She's perfect, and I loved spending time with her.
- This romance was super spicy and super funny! Noah and Mackenzie's dates were super cute, their little meet ups in the hospital, their texts/emails, and the ski lodge....chef's kiss, really.

What I didn't like:
- This book was a *little* long for my liking. I found myself skimming over a couple bits about either of the characters inner-thoughts, but it's not long enough where I would suggest you don't read it. Just long enough where I felt the need to dock its rating a bit...
- No epilogue showing Noah and Mackenzie actually mated! I know it's obvious they they will one day mate, but it would have been a cute moment to have at the end.
- (I liked The Nanny better. I'm so sorry. It had to be said. I still loved this book though! Obviously because it only took me a day to read it LOL).

I personally enjoy paranormal romances during the fall, but the setting of this book is also perfect for its wintery release date! I LOVE LOVE LOVED The Nanny, so if you feel the same, I would certainly check this one out!

I was nervous and excited to try this read - the cover art is gorgeous and I adore a fake relationship trope. Add to that the fact that the premise is a contemporary paranormal romance about wolf shifters? Yeah, sounded like a perfect fit for my fall reading vibe and a must try.

I was not disappointed- this was a cute, fast read that fit right into the cozy, magical / fantasy vibe I enjoy in a fall read. It was a nice mix too, since usually mine are witchy and this was a new type of read for me. It had a good balance of Contemp romance and paranormal tinge vibes.

It was an enjoyable read and I love an opposites attract, grump hero situation. Both our mains were good characters- I liked them both and was rooting for them as a couple. Perfect little, light afternoon escape read. I look forward to trying more by the author soon.

Delightful! What a fun twist on a contemporary shifter romance. The concept does require you to know about the omega verse going into this, but nothing a quick internet search can’t fix. Highly recommend!

It's not often you see a fake relationship blended with a fated mate setup, but this managed that particular combination deftly while making a setting where shifters are known and part of the regular working conditions believable. Throw in a surprise pon farr and you've got a winning recipe for all the feels.

3.5 stars

i really like this, i thought it was fun and i hope a lot of werewolf books like these come out in the future. i think the authors biggest problem is that these books are 400 pages. there’s no reason a romance book should be longer than 320 pages and this was no exception. i felt like the smut happened too soon. it was about 39% so the rest ended up being ok because the build up was gone. i also felt like these characters were too grown to be dumbasses. why are you confused as to why you can tell when his mood changes. you know why, don’t be dumb. other than that! i do recommend this book!

This book was so FREAKING cute! I ate this up and left no crumbs. After reading Lana's the Nanny, I already knew going into this book that I would love it & I absolutely did.

It was cute, fun, had a good paranormal plot, and such a fantastic amount of chemistry between the two main characters. Characters who are doctors. Who are also wolf-shifters. It could not be more perfect to me.

They were adorable, sweet, and their romance blossomed so beautifully throughout the entire book. I was hanging on the edge of my seat as I read it. The fake dating trope has always been my favourite, so add it on top of the omega verse and it's guaranteed to be a good read for me!

This book was absolutely fantastic and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Just on vibes alone, this was freaking amazing! There were a few parts of the story that was meh to me but the connection I felt between these two completely overshadowed it. I could not stop smiling, they were that cute. 😍

Noah is a huge grump but Mackenzie is super sweet and sassy so the two of them together are hilarious. The banter was funny as hell especially with how serious Noah is because Mackenzie is so unserious. They would seem like oil and water but they're somehow perfect together.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

I. Loved. This. This is the first time I've read an alpha/omega story traditionally published and I want more of it. I don't know how people who have never read such a fanfic will feel about it but it's also a good way to introduce people to it. However I think it could do a much better job explaining terminology to people at the start. The other tropes in this are really fun, workplace romance and fake dating!

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson was cute... from what I remember.

I read this a little over a week ago and I'm already forgetting what happened. However, if you're looking for a fun quick fake dating book then this one goes on my list of recommendations (because how good are they most of the time anyways).

I would definitely argue that this is one of the better rom coms I've read this year, but there still wasn't anything "wow" that popped out to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher foor an advanced copy of this book.

Ferguson’ books are already and automatically becoming my favorite and I can’t get enough. I grabbed this one for a quick break between some longer series I’ve been reading. This was the perfect mix of hot steaminess and super sugary sweetness. Although this is merely the second book by the author but I’m just so happy to be reading an another Fergsuon story. They seems to be positively the best! Loved and adored it

I didn't end up finishing this one but it wasn't the book's fault. I definitely think you'll enjoy this if wolfy paranormal romance is your thing.

What a fun read with lots of spice!! (I wish I had a dollar for every time I read the words “knot” and “slick”.)

My biggest issue with this book is the writing style and general vibes. I, personally, didn’t care for the writing in this story. Additionally, The Fake Mate felt like a lackluster version of The Love Hypothesis with doctors and wolf shifters instead of PhDs.

If you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood and are looking for spicier boos, this one is for you! Sadly, it just didn’t work that great for me. Thank you for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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!

There were times it felt a bit repetitive and a couple of inconsistencies in what the characters said. Hopefully, those inconsistencies will be cleaned up in the final version. The repetitiveness made the writing feel a bit green. I think the author could have varied her word choices to help with this, too.

This was definitely a spicier book than I typically read, and the fact I decided to read it while on an 11-hour plane ride back from Europe made for an interesting experience, to say the least haha.

I did like Mackenzie's character as well as Noah's – I particularly liked how sweet he ended up being under all those walls he put up. They both had to learn to open themselves up and be vulnerable. I liked seeing them grow.

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

The Fake Mate is wildly sexy and addicting! Fans of Ali Hazelwood will adore this read by Lana Ferguson. I really loved Mackenzie and Noah and I am nominating Noah for book boyfriend of the year. I have never read a shifter romance, but if Lana Ferguson chooses to write one again, I am on board 100%. If she is planning on writing another I hope it’s soon.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Mackenzie Carter isn't so lucky in dating lately and only a year out of residency her grandmother's obsession of her finding a mate and settle down is driving her crazy. So she decides to lie and blurts the first name she can't think of and of a person she would never date, Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.
On this side, Noah is a interventional cardiologist and an unmated alpha, forced to hid the latter because of the stigmas surrounding it. When an anonymous tip risk ruin everything, he's left with two choices: come clean and risk his carreer or find a mate. Like the ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend. Slowly though, the lines between real and unreal become to blur and they start to fall in love with another.

The fake mate is the story of two wolf shifters who agree to fake mate to get advantages of this situation, but that slowly mature into something more steamy and real for both of them. I really liked this book. It's my first book about shifters, so I was really curious and I wasn't disappointed by the story. It's a quick and funny read, a very steamy paranormal story, even though slighly predictable. I do enoyed the story, though.

Thanks so much to Berkeley for this advanced copy of The Fake Mate!

WOW did I enjoy this book! Whenever I’m starting a new romance I’m always nervous to see how slow the upstart is, but this one I couldn’t put down right from the beginning. I loved the almost enemies to friends to lovers plot with a fake dating plot on BOTH ends. The drama set in the hospital felt like a great episode of Grey’s Anatomy and the steam was steaming. Overall, such a fun, romantic and dramatic read — can’t wait to continue to read whatever Lara Ferguson writes in the future!

This was genuinely such a fun read! It was perfect for preparing for the fall/spooky season with the MCs being shifters. Adding the trope of fake dating made it a chef's kiss! This book was spicy, fun, and cute - a joy to read.

I honestly went in hoping for a fun read, and instead I got a book I couldn't put down.

I truly loved this book and the inner battles that both Mack and Noah have bring both characters to life. I loved the dual POV throughout and how it was a mix of different types of stories that worked so well together. If you want a great vacation book, weekend book, rainy/snowy day read this is it.