This was such a treat. After reading and loving The Nanny, I was so excited for what Lana Ferguson would put out next, and this did not disappoint. I really loved how a generic hospital setting was elevated by the fact that these two are wolf shifters. There's really no other way I can describe it other than that it is so camp. I'm obsessed.

As for Mack and Noah's relationship, we know Lana is gonna keep us fed with the spice. And she delivereddd!! And not only was the spice fantastic, Mack and Noah's chemistry was off the charts and their relationship progression was super satisfying. I can't wait to read what Lana puts out next!

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC :)

I was looking for something light and fun to read and The Fake Mate was just what I needed.. It’s about Mackenzie (Mack) Carter and Noah Taylor, who are both doctors and wolf shapeshifters. This is a steamy romcom with fake dating and grumpy/sunshine MCs.


Mackenzie (Mack) Carter has been working in the ER for the past year. Her gran, who she loves dearly, wants to see her settle down and has been setting her up on dates that have been disastrous, like the one who was a mansplainer and even one who asked if she could keep her tail in her human form while having sex.  Mack does not want to go on any more awkward blind dates so she lies and tells her gran that she is seeing someone and when her gran asks for a name, Mack tells her Noah Taylor, a handsome but grumpy doctor that she works with whom she barely knows.


Noah is a well-respected interventional cardiologist and the department head at the hospital with a reputation for being a grouch. He is suspicious about why she needs a fake boyfriend but sees it as an opportunity. It turns out he needs a fake mate because someone filed an anonymous complaint with the hospital board that he is an alpha shifter and could be dangerous. (In this world, it's not a big deal to be a shifter--humans know about them and don't think it's any big deal--but alphas have a reputation for being scary.) Noah is facing a disciplinary hearing because he didn’t inform the board of his alpha status when he was hired. People are afraid alphas might not be able to control their temper but if an alpha has a mate they aren’t considered a threat. Only one person at work knows about Noah’s alpha status and Noah wanted to keep it that way--he has been taking hormone suppressants to mask his scent. He asks Mack if she would be his fake mate so the hospital board won’t fire him. She agrees and they begin their fake relationship.


She tells her best friend Parker, who works in IT in a cubicle in the basement about the fake dating, and he is the voice of reason warning her to be careful. Soon their Mate status becomes the focus of gossip around the hospital. I was surprised that people had so much time at a busy hospital to talk about their love life and this went a little over the top for me but maybe it was meant to add humor to the story.


I liked Mack. She was chatty, full of sunshine, beautiful, and always saying funny things to try and make Noah laugh. She was raised by her grandparents after her parents passed away when she was younger. Her gran was a lot of fun and she along with Mack’s friends from work were made me laugh with their banter.


Mack and Noah start seeing more of each other as they plan their Fake Mate dates. They are of course--it's a romance!--wildly attracted to each other and there is a nice buildup of tension between them, especially when they decide to be fake mates with benefits. The Fake Mate has many spicy hot scenes and is even a little steamier than Ferguson's last book, The Nanny.


As they continue to fake date and real have sex, the two begin to develop real feelings for each other. Noah turns all possessive alpha for Mack and it’s sweet that he’s there for her when she goes into heat. Mack is the perfect fake mate for Noah, even standing up for him when he needs her most. The two are the kind of couple you completely believe in and I really liked their interactions both in and out of the bedroom.


I haven’t read a lot of shapeshifter romances so some of the terms used in the story were new to me like alpha, omega and knotting plus I couldn’t wait to see them both shift. I felt like the author did a good job introducing the shapeshifter world without making it overwhelming.


This is a charming feel good romance with sweet and funny moments and entertaining banter. There is a mystery as they uncover who is causing all the chaos for Noah and Mack. I recommend this book to readers who like shapeshifter romance or want to escape with a story that is fun and different from typical rom coms.

The Fake Mate felt like it was specifically made for me. Hospital romances are so underutilized and it seems like they're hiding in the supply closet just waiting for their moment to shine. I love reading books with medical settings, both fiction and nonfiction alike. What makes The Fake Mate so unique was the wolf element. It was such an original concept that I couldn't help but applaud the author's creativity. I have heard rumblings of Lana Ferguson's popularity on TikTok and I can see for myself that it's well-founded. I was immediately attached to the main couple and I knew they were true mates despite their attempts of folly.

The Fake Mate had a really neat premise and I was fully invested in their journey. The addition of the mating scents and keeping up appearances was so unique. That meant the couple had to make furtive meetings to uphold the mating scent. Sweet hugs and rubbing necks was a great example of the tenderness that comprised their relationship. I adored seeing how their dynamic evolved over time as they developed true feelings for each other. My main complaint was the use of the word "slick". It grossed me out and I never want to hear that term ever again.

Lana Ferguson thoroughly impressed me with The Fake Mate. I currently have The Nanny on hold from the library and I'm waiting with baited breath for my turn to come. The chemistry was undeniable, the creativity was unmatched, and her originality was off the charts. I read this book in a single day and it made me wanna howl like a wolf. These two lupine doctors were a match made in heaven. If I worked at that supernatural hospital, I wouldn't believe she was The Fake Mate for a single second!

The Fake Mate proves that I will happily and willingly read any book Lana Furgeson writes no matter what the genre. I didn't read the synopsis when I decided to read this book. I saw Ferguson's name as author and was sold because I loved her debut The Nanny. Later, I read the blurb and wondered what I had gotten myself into. I probably should have guessed by "Mate" in the title, but it didn't occur to me. I am pretty vocal about avoiding shifter romances. They are just not books I'm into normally. I mean, I've read a few. I'm just not interested in the genre. That's all. BUT. I loved this book. I had to get used to all of the alpha, omega, knot, heat, and neck sniffing talk at first, but the writing and romance was so much fun!

My favorite thing about this book was the characters and their developing romance. Mackenzie was smart, bubbly, and well-liked by her friends and peers. Noah was smart, highly regarded in his profession, kind of a grump, and very frowny. People were a bit intimidated by him. They had medicine in common but were opposites otherwise. When they end up in a mutually benefiting fake relationship, it's no surprise that people have a hard believing these two have been hiding a relationship. Their intense chemistry and developing like for each other even surprises them. There's a ton of sweet, caring, extremely passionate (Don't let that cute cover mislead you!), and fun moments between them in this book. Mackenzie and Noah were adorable together. I absolutely loved every minute I spent with them. So much so, that if Ferguson wrote another shifter romance, or maybe one about an alien or vampire, I would read that, too.

I just love Lana Ferguson writing. This book is perfect for the fall season. A shifter, fake dating. romcom? It’s what I always needed but never thought about. Funny and spicy, this was a fun read.

Let me just start off with the dedication: it was cute & made me laugh which is a great way to start a book. I know a lot of people who never look at the dedication page or read the author’s notes but I do because it gives me a peek at the person behind the writing and I love that☺️

No spoilers here since it’s not out until December 5th BUT pre-order it right now. I already have because I like to have physical books with cute covers💜 The Fake Mate was so cute & fun & spicyyyy🌶️ So if you want a quick romance read with plenty of cheesy lines and a good amount of spice, then this book is for you! And if you’re an omegaverse fan then it is definitely a book for you🐺

A little synopsis:
Mackenzie is an ER doctor and wolf shifter with a track record of disastrous dates and an overly interested grandmother who’s set her up on those bad dates. So she does what any normal person would do: lies to her grandmother about being in a relationship. But she doesn’t stop there, she gives her gran the name of a physician she is certainly not friends with and definitely does not vibe with. At least he’s a shifter.

She needs someone to fake date & he needs a fake mate. What could possibly go wrong?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🐺Romance
🐺Dual POV
🐺Delightfully awkward moments
🐺Lots of alpha energy

The book was well written and engaging with great characters and an interesting plot. I didn't want to put it down! I'll definitely be recommending this one to friends(:

I was unaware what a wolf shifter was before reading this novel. I now am fully aware of what a wolf shifter is. I am not a fan of paranormal books, so it makes sense. Both characters are wolf shifters and they are doctors at a hospital in Denver. The two need to pretend to date. Mack needs someone, so her grandmother stops setting her up on dates. Noah needs someone, as the hospital board was told he was an Alpha. After some steamy moments, they realize they are perfect for one another.

This was the perfect sick day read - I got approved for it, was super bored so I picked it up, and then binge read it in six hours. It was so much fun! The Fake Mate is a contemporary paranormal romance and the two main characters are doctors who also happen to be werewolves! If you like the fake dating trope or shifter romance, this will be the book for you.
Mackenzie Carter is a kind young ER doctor establishing her career while also trying to avoid another bad date set up by her grandmother, and she accidentally puts her foot in her mouth when she panics and says she’s dating Noah Taylor. Noah is the head of the cardiology department and is known to be a grouchy, intimidating werewolf, but he’s in a situation where pretending to be mated to Mackenzie is good for his career so the pair come to an agreement. For the hospital board to be okay with his status as an alpha wolf, they pretend to be mates but for Mack’s grandmother, they are merely in the dating stage of things. It’s a complicated deceit, and one that ends up with them falling for each other as one might expect.
This book is an absolute riot of laughs and is surprisingly full of steamy scenes. Those cutesy cartoon covers are a LIE, but I admit I’d rather read that in public than something with like, shirtless chiseled Fabio on the front. I was super invested in the romance and both characters getting their happy ending. I was super pissed that they went through the whole third act breakup thing (spoiler) because I really hate that trope 95% of the time. I could see it coming from almost the very beginning of the book and the reasoning behind it was flimsy and entirely because the characters didn’t communicate like real adults. That being said, I loved the rest of the book and thought Mack’s bad jokes were fabulous and Noah was the perfect gentle grump.
Overall, I was delighted by this and it made for a perfect sick day binge read. I know I’m posting this review quite early, but I didn’t want to wait to hype it until December! It’s really good and has definitely encouraged me to pick up more contemporary paranormal romance.

Y'all I ate. this. book. UP! 4+ stars. 4.25? 4.5? I can't decide, I just know it was deliciously fun.

I devoured this in two sittings in less than 24 hours and the only reason it took me that long was because I was so rudely interrupted by real life and having to do things. Had I started this on a lazy weekend day it would have been a one sitting read, I did not want to put it down. It's funny, it's sweet, it's GrumpyxSunshine and Fake Dating (two of my favorite tropes), and it's Reylo coded. This is a romance novel that was made for me, it is deliciously fun.

I will say this book assumes you already know omegaverse mechanics because it's throwing around concepts like omega/alpha/scent/heat/glands/etc without any real explanation, so if you need a primer on all that head to google first or learn the way god intended, like the rest of us did: on accident on AO3.

Wow, what a departure from The Nanny, which I read earlier this year. There's still a workplace romance and both novels are intentionally sex-positive, but that's about where the similarities end. The biggest difference is that this one has a paranormal/urban fantasy element front and center - both of the main characters are wolf shifters. They're also both doctors at a hospital in Denver, with FMC Mackenzie "Mack" Carter in the Emergency Department and MMC Noah Taylor in Cardiology. The main trope here is fake dating - Mack needs someone to pretend to date her so that her grandmother stops setting her up on horrible dates and Noah needs someone to pretend to be his mate now that the hospital board has been tipped off that he's secretly an Alpha. Apparently Alphas are considered to be dangerous and unstable, and he's afraid he'll be fired, but mated Alphas have a much tamer reputation. They decide to help each other out, and of course things get a bit complicated. I definitely enjoyed their whole sunshine/grump dynamic, and the shifter thing was fun, though I would have liked a little more world-building to better understand that whole situation. Overall a fun and surprising read.

I was cautiously optimistic when I happened onto The Fake Mate by Ferguson on Netgalley. Her previous book has so much hype surrounding it in the romance novel world, but I was disappointed at the character building and story line.
I can officially say, I was wrong to be cautious. The Fake Mate follows two wolf shifters living in the human world navigating the immense amount of shifter stereotypes to survive in the cutthroat world of medicine. I thought Ferguson took a rather interesting approach that separates her story from all the other paranormal romances. She created a world where shifters are known, and (for the most part) accepted into society.
Mack and Noah circle each other through the novel, fighting the pull of nature and attempting to navigate a relationship that was both fake and real. Ferguson’s character building was astronomically better this time around and I was pleasantly surprised and excited to continue reading.

I loved this new book from Lana Ferguson, author of The Nanny. You think you know a fake dating trope until you add wolf shifters and an actual alpha male into the mix! Mackenzie and Noah come together to get her grandmother off her back and the hospital administration off of his by pretending to be mates. But soon enough, real sparks and pheromones start to fly and the two find themselves coming together for real. Fabulously spicy, with two delightful main characters! I hope Ferguson brings us back to this world in her next book!

The two main characters were fantastic and fun.

The premise of the story and how it plays out isn't anything new, but Mackenzie's sarcasm and sass really make the relationship.

That being said, there were a few things that kept it being a full five-star rating. I may be in the minority, but the "knot" situation (or at least the continued obsession with it), was uncomfortable. Like, it could have been a super sexy detail but because everyone around Mackenzie kept mentioning it and she kept thinking about it was kind of ick. Also, I felt like there wasn't a ton of character development for anyone but Mack and Noah. Not that it's overly necessary with a romance, but it was like their relationship took place in a cardboard cutout town except for a handful of interactions with family/friends.

A sweet ending that tied up the story neatly.

What you can expect to find in The Fake Mate
-STEM leads
-alpha/omega pairing
-🌶🌶🌶 scenes
-grumpy/sunshine
-fake dating(mating)

Dr. Mackenzie Carter needs her grandma to get off of her back. She's not quite ready to settle down yet and her recent string of bad dates isn't helping matters. Dr. Noah Taylor has been working as a cardiologist for a number of years, but he's hiding a secret. He's an alpha shifter and an anonymous tip has let the board know about his secret. He needs to nip the stigma in the bud. When a chance opportunity presents itself - Mackenzie and Noah find themselves pretending to be fake mates. Mackenzie gets her grandma off her dating life and Noah is able to put the board at ease. Win-win, right? Except the more time Mackenzie and Noah spend with one another the more they seem to want to turn their fake relationship into something help. Will these two find a way to give their budding relationship a chance?

Did I have to google "what is the omegaverse" while reading The Fake Mate? Yes, yes I did. And oooohhh does Lana bring the heat in The Fake Mate. My pages were smoking while reading this spicy, shifter romance. If you read Lana's debut The Nanny you know that Lana can write a spicy scene and she did not disappoint in The Fake Mate.

This shifter romance was so spicy but also very sweet. Noah was always so gentle with Mackenzie. And I loved how badass and fearless Mackenzie was. The third act breakup felt a bit forced and I felt not entirely necessary, but I still ended up binging this shifter romance.

If you're looking for a sweet, spicy, shifter romance with the fake dating/mating trope - I recommend you pick up The Fake Mate.

This book gave me EVERYTHING. I think this is foremost a great shifter novel with just the right amount of monster, a great take on paranormal romance and great for those that haven’t read a lot in the genre but want to dip their toes in!

The dialogue was witty, modern and flowed with the story and the banter made me fall absolutely in love with Noah and Mack. The Fake Dating scenario made sense as well as the stakes for why the couple had to do so.

The plot to smut ratio was INCREDIBlE and the passionate scenes were well written and took great care with consent in the omegaverse character world. I often times think that some authors who use this world waylay consent and its importance for the submissive (usually omega) females need and I loved that it was not the case with this novel.

The romance swept me up and I was incredibly invested in these two being together. Great cast of side characters and a conclusion that made me SO happy.

I look forward to reading much MUCH more from Lana Ferguson, this was incredible!

I absolutely loved this book, it was funny, it was steamy it was angsty and it was highly entertaining read. It was Greys Anatomy meets wolf shifters and make it a steamy rom-com. Lana Ferguson has now become an auto buy author for me!

A fun paranormal romance with a lot of spice and a lot of heart!

When an overbearing grandma and some workplace discrimination put doctors Noah Taylor and Mackenzie Carter in a compromising position, the best course of action seems to be to fake a relationship and hope for the best! But when feelings grow and other more sinister objections are in play, it doesn't seem like either of them will come out of this unscathed.

Overall, I found this to be a cute read! I didn't enjoy the author's previous book, but I love paranormal romances and I found this book to be enjoyable and a fun addition to the genre.

It feels like the author had fun and is a fan of the genre as well as knowledgeable about the different dynamics. I'd caution those who aren't as familiar with the alpha/omega/omegaverse subset of the genre to go in with an open mind as it can be confusing and isn't fully explained throughout.

As for the characters, I enjoyed both Noah and Mack. They felt genuine and not over the top in their grumpiness or commitment phobia. Once they established their feelings, there wasn't too much push back on either side with the exception of outside forces keeping them a part. I found that refreshing instead of the usual dramatic third act breakdown. But know there is slight miscommunication so brace yourself! And there quite a few side characters to keep track of and some of those relationships are more fleshed out than others but side characters definitely added to the story.

I did find this to be rather formulaic and predictable, but it still made for a fun, light read that I didn't mind enjoying in between heavier reads. And the spice was hot hot HOT and made up for any shortcomings of this book.

Read For:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Fake Dating (Mating? lol)
Workplace Romance
Shifter Romance

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this a lot.

I'm a big fan of fake relationship combine with force proximity. Also you have grumpy dude who is secretly a sweetie.

I love the way this book started out. These two people haven't hung around each other before but just so happen to be in the vicinity when they both have a need for a fake relationship.

This might be the first book with alpha knots and omega slick where the two are actually shifters! The sister part doesn't come into this very much. I think they only shift once in the whole book.

If you read omega verse you'll recognize a lot of the set up.

What didn't work for me as well is how shallow their relationship ended up being. I was super excited to have them get to know each other while they're in a fake relationship and they did. But it wasn't that evident. We didn't get to hear deep conversations or have them have huge revelations. Both of which I enjoy!. Their biology started taking over their feelings. It kind of went down the traditional omegaverse road which was to have them smell each other and not being able to resist.

I did appreciate that consent was super important and there was no accidental mating.

The other thing I didn't enjoy was the dude caving in to blackmail. And the fact that they didn't talk enough to build trust.

This is a really cute book and I think a lot of people will like it but it's not one I would read again. I might be interested in meeting the author again though.

Safety deets
- No OM/OW. The heroine has been dating a lot unsuccessfully. She also has several guys who are interested in her. The hero doesn't seem to have interest in any woman. And has no real history of dating for years and years.
- Concert was amazing!
- there is no epilogue showing them mated and together, however it's pretty obvious that they are committed and will work out.

This was a fun, sexy cute read. It was keeping me up at night reading. I enjoyed the fake relationship that builds. Y

This book is a whirlwind of emotions. It has fake dating, omega/alpha trope, and the humor. The storyline flowed well and moved enough to make sense. Normally books with fake dating take a turn where they end up finally together, then not, then back together. This had that, but it was done really well. I loved that it wasn’t a rushed relationship (marriage/babies). They still were figuring out themselves first and the book showcased that well