I loved Lana Ferguson's debut, The Nanny, and was so excited to read this one. The Nanny was hot with great characters. The Fake Mate is all that and also has fake dating and wolf shifters. Who are doctors. And work in the same hospital. And it’s grumpy-sunshine. Totally checking all of my boxes.

Mackenzie and Noah are both doctors and both wolf shifters. Aside from that they don’t seem to have anything in common except they both have a need for a fake mate. Mackenzie wants to slow down her matchmaking grandma and Noah’s gunning for a promotion and he’ believes he's a better candidate with a mate.

The banter and their interactions made me laugh out loud. The extended friend group and family members were perfect (I hope we get more books in this world). And the spice was perfect. The fact that they are wolf shifters and live in a world that has humans and shifters was a cherry on top of a very good romance sundae for me. I have read paranormal romance for years and love seeing it become more mainstream.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

thanks to the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own.

I am a contemporary reader, through and through, but after enjoying The Nanny so much, I wanted to give The Fake Mate a try. I have never read a shifter romance before, and I must admit, those aspects of the story were a bit out there for me, but the characters, the romance, and the humor were so strong that it didn't hinder my enjoyment in any way.

Mackenzie was tired of her grandmother's endless matchmaking and fibbed that she was dating someone in an attempt to stop her grandmother's attempts. Her lie involved none other than broody Noah. Noah was dealing with own troubles. An anonymous tipster notified the board that Noah failed to disclose his status as an alpha. Due to the widespread beliefs that an unmated alpha is dangerous, Noah hatched a plan that could be mutually beneficial for both him and Mack. They would be fake mates solving Noah's issues with the board while also keeping Mack's grandmother at bay. As with most fake dating situations, real feelings got involved.

I found this to be a delightful grumpy-sunshine romance. I loved the banter and the way attraction gave way to sharing pieces of themselves with each other. Mack had a tendency to hold those at arm's length due to feelings of abandonment from her childhood. Noah was a workaholic who kept his distance from others as he hid his alpha status. Both slowly began to trust the other and found comfort together.

All that stuff made me mushy and I loved it, but I also spent a great deal of time laughing. As with her previous book, Ferguson packed this one with humor and hijinks which provided me with a great deal of amusement. Though I may have found the shifter aspects odd, those aspects were, at the same time, somewhat interesting.

Overall, I adored getting to know Mack and Noah. They were a couple I could root for. It pleased me to see them open their hearts to something real, and I was ecstatic that they found that in each other.

I was so excited to get this one, and it was cute, I just feel like I needed MORE. It kinda missed the mark for me.

Lana Ferguson’s novel, The Fake Mate, is a captivating stand-alone romantic tale. The story follows Mackenzie (Mack) Carter, an Omega wolf shifter who works as an ER doctor at Denver General. Mackenzie’s grandmother constantly pressures her to settle down and find a mate, causing Mackenzie to fabricate a fake relationship. In the hospital lunchroom, Mackenzie approaches Noah Taylor, an Alpha wolf shifter who is a top cardiologist and the one in charge at the hospital. She asks him to take a picture with her as proof of their fake relationship. Noah initially resists but later agrees when Mackenzie offers to be his fake mate to help him convince the board that he is stable and in control.
As the fake relationship progresses, Mackenzie and Noah grow closer, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Their friends-with-benefits arrangement soon turns into a full-blown romance. However, their happiness is threatened by Noah’s unpleasant coworker Dennis, who threatens to expose Noah’s true identity as an Alpha with violent tendencies. In a heartbreaking decision, Noah breaks things off with Mackenzie to protect her, but with help from her friend Parker, Mackenzie uncovers the truth and fights to win Noah back.
Ferguson’s The Fake Mate is a well-written and entertaining romantic story with diverse characters and an engaging plot. While the steamy sex scenes may be excessive for some, the book is a must-read for fans of romance, shifters, and steamy scenes. The characters of Mackenzie and Noah are loveable and relatable, and readers will undoubtedly root for their happy ending.

The Fake Mate is a spice filled sexy shifter romance that will have you kicking your feet and smiling the whole time.

Mackenzie and Noah are shifters working in a hospital who happen to both need a “fake mate”. After dozens of awkward and weird first dates, Mackenzie is tired of her grandmother setting her up or asking when she’ll settle down. Out of desperation she chooses the first person she sees to ask the favor of fake mating her. Expecting the answer to be no she is surprised when Noah, her lucky new stand in, says yes.
Noah is an alpha shifter and because of his status, he fears that the hospital will fire him because he lied when he accepted his position as head of Cardiology. Fake mating Mackenzie will secure his position since being mated would mean his employers will see him as less of a liability.
They both agree to keep things strictly professional… or as professional as their situation can get. What they don’t expect is for their arrangement to feel more real with each moment they spend together…

My review:

I had fun reading this. It was spicy and easy to read. I do wish that there was more detail about Alpha and Omega dynamics as well as time spent explaining the logistics of being a shifter in general. I did however really enjoy Mackenzie and Noah’s relationship. I loved how protective Noah is of Mackenzie. That man is totally obsessed and I ate it up. I also found it hilarious how some rando named Jessica knew all their business. That had me cracking up.

All in all I thought this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who likes paranormal romance and spice.

My rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨

I just love a fake dating situation. Especially when they both need a fake date or mate in this situation. Mackenzie told her grandmother that Noah was her fake mate and when she went to say something to him, he happened to be on board for his own reasons.

This is so steamy and very open door with some very unique to shifters things happening. Love how his status and hers are a 💣 combination. It was a surprise to both of them.

This shifter world taking place in a hospital with doctors was so unique. They are usually out in the wild or working on bars in other books I read. This had a huge grumpy / sunshine, genius vibe going on with banter and sarcasm.

While all this is going on there is someone undermining his job. Her friends are pretty amazing side characters. And Fing Jessica!

Thank you berkleyromance for e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This was such a fun read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for my advanced copy of The Fake Mate.

I did not read this one by the pub day but I purchased the audio through audible and started listening as soon as it became available yesterday.
The audio was so good!
The Fake Mate is dual POV and there are two narrators.
Samantha Summers & Joe Arden did an amazing job.

Other Things I Enjoyed

✨ The book is set in Denver. One of my favorite cities.
✨ The hospital setting. This was a great fake dating workplace romance.
✨ The banter and chemistry between the main characters.
✨ The romance. Lana Ferguson writes couples I am invested in and can root for.

Lana Ferguson's 2024 release The Game Changer is officially at the top of my most anticipated releases of next year. I look forward to reading it ❤

The Fake Mate is an engaging and passionate romantic read that introduces captivating characters with a unique twist - they are shifters. This delightful story will particularly appeal to fans of fake relationships, as Ferguson skillfully incorporates a paranormal element into this popular trope.

ok so this book was my first omegaverse book and wow! if you are at all curious about omegaverse but you're intimidated or don't know where to start, this is a great place to start. very beginner friendly. but just because it is beginner friendly, doesn't mean that veterans in omegaverse won't enjoy themselves because this book was soooo great!
mackenzie needs a boyfriend only to get her grandmother off her back. noah needs a mate in order to appease the hospital staff with his alpha status. it's seems the the ultimate arrangement for them both, especially since they barely know each other. but as they spend more time together, they realize that things are going to get a lot more complicated. noah is very adam driver coded and i have no choice but to stan. he is a grumpy cardiologist with an ooey gooey cinnamon roll center and i was LIIIIIIIVING for it. i was so jealous of mack half of the time because i wanted noah to myself. AND MACK. mack is so hot too and i loved being in her pov. i was semi afraid that there was going to be too much "im not like other girl" energy because of her omega status but she was a delight. obviously, there were times where i was frustrated with both of these idiots but it really wasn't that hard to get through.
plz plz plz pick this up. if you like ali hazelwood and reeceally like smut, then you will love this. and also read Lana's other book The Nanny.

thank you Lana and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Whoa! I was not prepared for the level of spice in this book but I am not complaining about it at all! 😂😉😍 This was one of my favorites of the month especially because I love the fake dating trope. I thought Mackenzie was hilarious and Noah was the perfect amount of brooding. I also loved that it was dual POV - my preference in romances. 4.5⭐️

All of my favorite tropes and twists wrapped up in a neat little perfect package

Lana Ferguson is auto read for me so I was ecstatic to get this arc. I loved Noah and Mack so much they were so so so perfect.

The mutual pining and lust was perfect mixed in with the shifter heats.... was absolutely incredible

PLUS THE KNOT OMG. LOVE.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this book!

"Mate is...a pretty big upgrade from me asking you for a selfie."

I became such a fan of Lana Ferguson after reading The Nanny and I knew that I was going to vibe with the future books that Lana would write. What I didn't expect is for her next published book to be able two wolf shifters!

This book was amazing, chaotic, cringey, romantic, dramatic all in the best ways possible.

I love how both of these characters are doctors and successful in their respective departments. Noah is so reserved and shows very little emotion on a daily but when he is with Mackenzie it brings out this different side of him. He was so smitten by her from the start. And Mackenzie was such a smart, sassy female character and I love her banter with Noah. Having them both being wolfs meant they could relate and understood the importance of having a scent. When Mackenzie has a moment of her body going into "heat", Noah was right there to swoop in and to save her which was quite a chapter!! Noah definitely was swoony and it was no wonder why Mackenzie fell for him. He was just so delicate and caring towards her.

"I'm not letting you get away from me, Mackenzie."

If you aren't familiar with Lana's prior work then you know she knows how to write a sex scene. These scenes were so good and the chemistry between the two was very apparent. She is so descriptive in her writing and I love how she doesn't just show the female's point of view but also the male point of view. Some parts were a little cringey but I also wouldn't change a thing? This was my first knotting book so I had no idea what to expect and I am not sure that I disliked it??? Will I be running to read all the shifter romances? No. But will I if Lana writes them? YES!

I love that Lana isn't sticking to a specific type of book. Her first book was a single dad & nanny, this one shifters and her next is a hockey romance. I love the variety and I know I'm going to love the next book based off the snippet that was provided at the end of the ARC.

If you have never read a shifter romance before, I think this would be a great beginning book to terminology and the mechanics of them. Check this book out if you are looking for an paranormal/omegaverse romcom, fake dating, workplace romance & bonus dual POV!

Swoon Meter: 9/10
Karaoke: sadly no
4.5 rating

This book is on my list of Best Books of 2023. It’s got some of my favorite tropes like fake dating and opposites attract. I loved how true the love story felt and how they supported each other.

Mackenzie and Noah are both doctors working at a hospital. They’re also both wolf shapeshifters. In this world, shapeshifters are aren’t considered unusual. Noah is an alpha, with XL size and good looks. There’s a stigma around unmated alphas, and Noah neglected to tell the hospital. Now someone has turned him in. If he can be find a mate it won’t be an issue.

Mackenzie has suffered through a string of awful blind dates, but her grandmother keeps trying to set her up, so she tells her she’s got a boyfriend named Noah. When she tells him, they decide that fake dating will solve both their problems.

As their partnership progresses, Mackenzie has an issue and needs to go away to shift (the hospital has paid shifter leave). Noah goes with her and takes their relationship and romance to a new level.

There is some fairly graphic steamy scenes so beware if this isn’t for you. If you like a good steamy scene, this book is for you! 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I could knot believe how much I loved this book. I think that Lana Ferguson is becoming one of my favorite authors that writes steamy romances with so much heart I can’t handle it. I loved watching these two fake their way into mating. I appreciated how engaging this was and the drama that unfolded was unexpected but I was here for it. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Lana Ferguson does it again but with a paranormal romance book. This story follows an omega, Mackenzie, who needs to find someone she can fake date but finds alpha Dr. Noah. This was a very cute story and very different from Ferguson’s debut novel, The Nanny, as it has wolf shifters. I enjoyed the world that the author created for her characters along with the fun storyline that was built. The conflicts were entertaining and I liked how the pacing was. This book is told from both Noah and Mackenzie perspectives.

Mackenzie is the FMC and I really liked her character. She’s a sweetheart who loves her soup but is also an omega. Hey story was great and I really enjoyed seeing her develop in the book. Noah is a grumpy cinnamon roll and his connection with Mack is gold. I loved how caring he was and seeing his protective alpha roll come out. His character development was also great and I loved seeing his perspective of the world. There were many side characters in this world. I enjoyed Mack’s best friend but honestly, the MCs stole the spotlight in this book. There is a good level of spice and the chemistry between the couple made it so much better. The romance is fake dating, workplace romance, and fated mates.

The ending was great and I was so sad to see this character go. I loved their story and now I have to wait a year for Lana’s next book to come out. This was a great book and I recommend checking it out especially if you are looking for a contemporary paranormal romance.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The Fake Mate was a fun escape into the Omegaverse with a touch of rom-com comfort, all the chemistry and spice, and fake dating with a twist!

Mac has been experiencing a bit of bad luck recently in the dating department, and with the pressure from her grandmother to settle down and find a mate, she seeks out an opportunity in the form of her coworker Noah, a renowned, handsome doctor with a grumpy attitude—to pretend like they're mates to help each other out. Together, they realize there may be a very real spark between them and nothing fake about it at all.

This was such a fun read! I loved seeing the two, with a great sunshine and grumpy dynamic, fall for each other. It had the perfect amount of romance, spice, and drama.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was an utter delight. Witty and steamy. Couldn’t ask for a better slump breaker.

Full thoughts here. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0fKReHLxa6/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I have never read a shapeshifter romance before. While I love fantasy, romantasy, and romance books, but have just never had the desire to pick one up. But I’ve heard great things about Lana Ferguson’s books so when Berkley sent me a copy, I decided to give it a whirl.

From the first chapter, we are immediately thrown into the plot and into the mist of Mackenzie and Noah’s fake romance. While both Mackenzie and Noah have different motives to needing a fake date, their undeniable chemistry quickly leads them into uncharted territory.

This book was a delight to read! I love a good grumpy meets sunshine romance trope, and though it had the fake dating trope, which is my least favorite tied in, I didn’t mind because it was executed so well! There are a few things that rely on the reader having read a wolfie shapeshifter romance before, but it didn’t take away from the story. All in all, if you need a steamy romance with hilarious banter and chemistry, then this is the book for you!



The Fake Mate comes out December 5, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

It's publishing day!

Mackenzie Carter is an omega werewolf who has bad luck with dating. Noah Taylor is alpha werewolf pretending to be a beta. When they start fake dating so he can keep his job, they don't particularly like each other. Of course, we all can see where that one is going.

The thing is that this book took me forever to get through just because it never really sucked me in. It maybe felt a touch too long as well. I finished it! And I felt accomplished! But I honestly don't think I had as much fun as I was expecting. This is definitely a good intro to omegaverse because it's not overly paranormal in comparison to other books in this genre, definitely more contemporary romance.

Overall, cute, and a little feral. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for my eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Berkley for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, shifters, fake dating, grumpy sunshine, so spicy 🔥

I absolutely loved the Nanny, so I was very excited for this one. I loved it. I could NOT put it down. It's not overly paranormal. Just the right amount. It was funny, sexy, and I highly recommend it!