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

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson is a fun and quick read, good for people who like their romance tropes (fake dating, alpha/omega relationships, bad boy is really cinnamon bun). There's a little bit of angst about the "realness" of the relationship, but a Happy Ever After in the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I'm not sure why, but I wasn't expecting this to be a paranormal romcom and didn't even realize it until i started reading. Normally I don't do well with surprises when it comes to books but I LOVED THIS ONE. I even squealed with delight when I found out! I guess whatever Lana Ferguson writes is going to be amazing no matter if her characters are paranormal or humans!

Mackenzie and Noah <3 I love them so much!! Noah is a grumpy shifter doctor that underneath all his grumpiness is just a softie. Mackenzie the sunshiny shifter doctor that helps bring of the Boogeyman of Denver General out of his shell after she asks him for a selfie to get out of going on bad dates set up by her grandmother. We love when characters are developing feelings for one another but still carry on the charade that it’s still fake. SO OBVIOUS TO ANYONE BUT THEM THAT THEY ARE IN LOVE!!!
I gobble up these tropes every time!!! 5 ⭐️

Grumpy x sunshine ✅
Fake dating or in this case mating (🤪) ✅ Just bang to get it out of our systems and think we won’t fall for each other ✅
Call me alpha 🥵 ✅
Knotting 🤭✅

Taking fake dating to a whole new level with the addition of omegaverse and done so well. I was so charmed by the characters and the unique take on the trope. Great intro to omegaverse too if you’re new to that world, this was an easy entry that really allowed you to fall for the characters and their journey to realizing their true feelings.

Lana! Sweet geez. You know, for someone who claims aren’t “into romance books,” I have somehow been swayed to coming out all because of you. Thank you for the publishing gods to match you and Ruby, Ruby for bringing The Nanny to my attention, and you being so kind, fun, and wonderful to let me read a perfect book. Wait. Thank you for writing that perfect book. And then writing this one! Look. Everyone. Read this book! Sometimes you have to just trust booksellers to know a great book when we read one.

Well, this one took me by surprise! In a good way! I really enjoyed Ferguson's previous book and was excited to get my hands on her other one. However, I won't lie and say I was a little skeptical when I read the fantasy aspect of the plot summary. I was worried it would be too cheesy or take over too much of the story and be distracting (like too Twilight-y). However, it was not! In fact, it totally added to the story line in a positive way and didn't feel overly embellished or ridiculous. Despite the fantasy aspect, I felt like the whole story could still work without it with a few tweaks because the overall plot was based around the characters and their feelings and development, with the fantasy aspect just being a supporting background part, which I really appreciated.
Noah was the perfect leading man, a bit broody and overly worried about professionalism and his career, and MacKenzie was his perfect counterpart. She was quirky enough but not over the top be annoying or unbelievable. They were cute together and it was an enjoyable relationship to read through!
Really enjoyed this and it makes me excited for Ferguson's next works!

A paranormal fake dating romance?! Sign me up! I loved the concept of how the magic/shifting/mating works. I thought it was well crafted. I wasn't in love with the miscommunication troupe, but overall it was a fun read.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing this advance reader's copy for an honest review.

It took me a while to wrap my head around wolves but once I did, I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read more from Lana Ferguson.

Supper cute, a bit of a strange take on werewolves. Could have ended a bit better but still not a bad story.

I absolutely loved this read, it was a quick easy read for me. The way shifting was written was unique and enjoyable as it was important to the story but didn't over take it. A easy read and perfect for fans of feel good paranormal.

I was HOOKED while reading this book! Like I said no to sleep to read this. The chemistry, the tension, the pining, THE SPICE{!!!) and the looooove was all done so well.
I am incredibly new to the omegaverse, but i'm glad this was the first book in that world that I decided to read.

Lana Ferguson is a talent and I cannot see where her writing career takes her.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC I received of this book. This is so not my usual genre, but something about the description seemed fun and I’m glad I requested it! As anticipated, “The Fake Mate” handles the fake-dating trope really well with solid tension, with the added bonus of fun banter and side characters. As I mentioned, this isn’t my usual genre, but I felt the shifter aspect of the story was solid as well. This book was <i>fun</i> and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the celebrity references. (Tim Allen?!)

Thank you to the Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "The Fake Mate" by Lana Ferguson in exchange for an honest review.

Mackenzie Carter is a ER doctor, who also happens to be a wolf shifter. Cardiologist Noah Taylor (and alpha shifter) works in the same hospital. Unmated Alphas like Noah are unfairly considered dangerous, because their hormones make them aggressive and unpredictable (rumors of mauled hikers abound.) Noah's been on suppressant drugs for years to hide his alpha status and he's considered a grumpy yet brilliant physician. But someone has recently found out about his undisclosed alpha status and reported him to the Hospital Board, who duly call him forward to explain himself. When Mackenzie asks him to pose as her fake boyfriend to prevent her grandmother from arranging YET another bad date, Noah agrees, as long as she also poses as his mate.

And so they set off on the shifter equivalent of fake dating: fake mating. Fake mating is very similar to fake dating, except WHOA HORMONES. Because Mackenzie has secret status too: she is an omega. Where Alphas are stereotyped as uber-aggressive, omegas are rumored to be oversexed and baby crazy. Thing is, this pairing makes them crazy compatible, at least in the hormonal department. So much so that it actually causes her to go into heat ahead of schedule. It was an .... interesting... detail, because the condition seems to be like the unholy combination of influenza and nymphomania. (Maybe that's how canines really are? I have no idea.)

The story is very steamy (I practically needed a shower after reading, there's so much discussion of scenting). It makes for a hot time, but there really isn't much focus on the two of them developing their relationship apart from sex. I would have liked to see more bonding in the non-bedroom way. In one scene, the pull of attraction gets strong, she cracks a joke, and Noah thinks, "Humor is good. Humor makes me feel less like I want to kiss her." That line irritated me because I think having a laugh together contributes to emotional intimacy and increased emotional intimacy makes for better sexual intimacy.

Maybe it's different for people who can transform into wolves? But honestly, they don't even do that much. They only shift into wolves once. The shifter aspect mostly just explains the the pheromone angle and some very particular aspects of shifter sex. Like real canines, he *ahem* "knots" during the act, and they are therefore locked together for at least half an hour after the main event. (I will not be explaining that further. Either read the book, or look it up.) Otherwise, they seem more like humans with some animal abilities, rather than animals with some human abilities.

So if you want a steeeeeamy, lust-filled romance, this is a great story for you. If you want something where the protagonists admire their love interest in addition to wanting to jump their bones, it might not fit the bill. If you really prefer protagonists' bearing to be more heavily influenced by animal behavior, again, maybe not for you. But this is a relatively light, uncomplicated faking mating story. Fun, fast, easy to enjoy.

Lana Ferguson's debut, The Nanny, was one of my top reads in 2022 and I have been eagerly awaiting The Fake Mate. I am certainly not a paranormal reader, let alone venturing into the Omega-verse, but I was willing to go outside my comfort zone for Lana.

Lana is such a stellar writer - her banter is top notch and I loved this book. I had a tough time with some of the alpha/omega/shifter pieces but not enough to not love this book immensely, only further cementing that I will read absolutely anything Lana writes!

4.5 Stars