A solid 3.5/5 stars

Emma is a witch and Alaric is a reclusive vampire Duke who (of course) is swoon-worthy but mildly grumpy and private. Their worlds collide when they embark upon a mutually beneficial arrangement, they will pretend to be a couple so that Emma can use the Duke's home to host the Beltane ball and win the approval of her coven and the Duke can appease his grandmother with seeing him happy and in a relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

This was a quick, cozy read perfect for curling up with a cuppa and a warm blanket. The romance was light and fun and the characters were lovable, especially Penelope the skunk. This book makes an excellent palate cleanser on the heels of having read a series or a more high-stakes story.


-Fake dating
-Grumpy/Sunshine
- Light, magical world
- Vampires that aren't typical

Many thanks to Bonnie Doon Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a copy of this fun book.

Emma is desperate to become a full witch in the Charming Cove coven. As an orphan this is the only family she has ever known. When she is offered an opportunity to move from apprentice to full member, she grasps it with both hands. This opportunity is to find and host the annual ball which is used to gather joy for the next years' worth of spells. Emma decides the only way to win is to have the ball hosted at the local Duke's estate. She did not count on the Duke being a grump.

Alaric the Duke of Blackthorn has come home to Charming Cove to spend time with his grandmother, Vivian. He is also trying to protect his grandmother from truths that his past girlfriend sold to the press. His return does not include hosting a ball and dealing with an apprentice witch. However, he has a great idea! Emma could replace the ex girlfriend, in a fake way, of course.

Will Emma convince Alaric to host the ball? Will Emma agree to be Alaric's fake girlfriend? Will it remain fake? When will Vivian realise that this has all been a ruse?

This is a lovely, light and funny found family story. This is the first of the Charming Cove stories I have read but I will definitely be going back and reading the first and any more from Linsey Hall. It was fun to read the story unfold and see how Emma and Alaric reacted to various situations. The side characters are hilarious and almost steal the show.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Bonny Doon Press and Linsey Hall for this early release copy.

I really enjoyed this book - more than the rating is telling you. I read this book in a day - absolutely inhaled it. However, (and I think that's quite a big detail but you tell me) there is nothing in this book that is vampiric. You could take out the vampire storyline and maybe 3 words would need to be changed. I'm not a vampire expert (apart from watching Twilight, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries so basically a master in the field) but to me vampires need to have at least 2 of these characteristics: be dead, live forever, drink blood, drink blood from the source, have fangs, be somewhat.. pale, not sleep, sparkle - I DONT KNOW but something. This vampire does none of these. It's alluded that he has some speed but that's it. There are mentions of drops of blood put into their martinis.. THAT'S IT! So yeah. Despite loving the story I was sorely disappointed by the lack of vampire in this how to fake-date a VAMPIRE. It's a great witchy magic-realism story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC! It is greatly appreciated 🙏

My final thoughts are that I had a great time, but I'd probably wouldn't read it again. So a solid 4 🌸

A little background on how I rate books: If a book is great but wasn't mind-blowingly good, aka I won't have the urge to re-read it, then it's a 4 or 4.5 tops. A 5.0 for me is always a book so outstanding or catching that I want to re-read it again.

While HTFDAV was very enjoyable (I did laugh a lot) it was also very foreseeable. It had the best contemporary romance has to offer, mixed in with some spooky season paranormal vibes (I mean, hey, witches and vampires) and I had a great time for sure. The dialogues were super funny, and the female lead is just such a mess (in a good way!) that I can relate to her SO MUCH. Penelope is also comedy/sass gold 🤌 If you haven't read this book yet, I'm definitely recommending you do. It's perfect for this year's spooky season. But alas, I wouldn't read it again. Well, not everything can be a fourth wing or ACOTAR, right? But I will keep an eye on this author for future releases. 👀

This is the prefect feel good witchy rom-com! Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes so nailed it from the begging,
I liked how he is the most guarded due to bad break-up how he decides to give himself a chance!

Totally loved it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“She drew me to her like the sun, and I was a helpless planet in her orbit”

• I wanted to first thank Netgalley and the publishers for sending me this ARC for my honest review! I haven’t read the first book in the Charming Cove series but I think this can definitely be read as a stand-alone. (I will be immediately going to read the first one now though!) If you enjoy witchy romances and “fake dating” tropes, this will not disappoint!

• Charming Cove is full of amazing characters, both living and dead 👻 I really loved Emma and her desire to have a place in Charming Cove and have a family finally, after doing without her whole life. Alaric was as you’d expect any vampire duke to be, but his grand gesture at the end would’ve swept me off my feet as well 🤭 The real star of the show here is Penelope and her wittiness - I love the concept of an animal being a witch’s “familiar” and helping them like a little sidekick. (Think Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

• This was such a cute read and perfect for anyone looking to get into the spooky mood with October approaching quickly! I cannot wait to see what’s up next for Charming Cove ✨

Sunshine meets grumpy broody vampire- always a win. I enjoyed this! Perfect for a fall release. Thank you NetGalley for allowing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Cute, short and sweet. Not particularly memorable, but rather enjoyable anyway. 🙂

New witch in town Emma is trying to get in good with the local coven, and is recruited to plan the Beltane ball. She agrees to be vampire duke Alaric's fake girlfriend in exchange for hosting the ball at his estate.

Super easy read, this has a cozy feeling to it. The romance is adorable, as they come from different worlds and try to find a way together. Entertaining light romcom to curl up up with by the fire and a glass of wine (or a cuppa).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Thankyou Netgalley and the publishers for this arc.

As soon as I saw this I just had to request it straight away, I read The Modern Girls Guide To Magic back In August and I absolutely loved that. I didnt think it could be topped, but wow this one had me smiling and a few little tears. It was everything that I love in book. And of course like the first one my favourite character was the familiar. Penelope the skunk who'd of thought i'd love a skunk so much! I really enjoyed the whole family side to this book and how the relationships developed.

I really hope there is going to be a 3rd in the series because I need more!

Emma seizes an opportunity to prove herself to her coven, striking a deal with the vampire duke. She pretends to be his girlfriend to appease his grandmother, securing access to his estate for the Beltane Ball. Oh, and she has a skunk as her adorable familiar 😍.

I found this book delightful! It was fast-paced, engaging, and had a charming quality, making it a perfect autumn read. My favorite character was Pennelope, and I related to her knack for snacks.

However, the book had some repetition due to the dual POV, often rehashing the same information. Additionally, it tended to over-explain things, which I felt wasn't necessary. Despite these flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed the read!

This book was cute but at times a bit silly. I’m giving it two and a half-ish stars. The book trope is obviously in the title. At times I felt it was very repetitive constantly mentioning that it wasn’t a real relationship. I also noticed that Emma suddenly started saying the word "bum" towards the end of the book. She said it so frequently to the point of it being odd and distracting. There was a missed opportunity for more character development. The story seemed rushed at the end. There was all this build up and it fell flat to me on the end. I did enjoy most of the characters but like I said before, I think the character development could have been better. Overall it’s a fun read and I enjoyed revisiting Charming Cove

Book Review 📚
How To Fake Date A Vampire by Lindsey Hall - 4.5/5 ⭐

I jumped so quickly to read this book, after having huge success with reading The Modern Girls Guide to Magic. This is the 2nd book in the Charming Cove Series and I enjoyed this book equally as much as I enjoyed the first.

Hall has such a talent for writing these romance fantasy books, it's actually amazing. I'm not usually a romance fan, but hall is the one author I will run to for a romance. They're fun, cute and just simply amazing reads. So light and easy to read yet full of mysteries and questionable actions. I love it.

The characters in How To Take Date A Vampire are strong with unbelievable development along the way. It helps that our FMC is "looking" for herself. But Hall always makes the journey seem realistic and life-like. Yes ok fantasy isn't life like, but the problems they face are very real life. I can't wait for more in this series and I'll definitely be ordering my physical copy to join The Modern Girls Guide To Magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

A witch walks into the bar bathroom and says to the vampire...

It sounds like a setup to a joke, but really its this laugh out loud adorable story about Emma your adorable neighborhood witch and Alaric your typical brooding vampire duke. The real star of the show might be Penelope, our absolute queen of a familiar.

Emma has to plan a ball to get into the good graces of the Coven, since she hasn't really found a knack for charming goats or her magic. Unfortunately for her the key to success is charming the very un-charming Duke. Turns out she isn't the only one in need of a favor since like all Dukes the time is counting down for him to get married... To keep the pressure at bay he needs a little witchy help. The banter and conflicts are real and natural even in the supernatural setting and it is totally a must read feel good book for spooky season!

I really liked this one! I'd love Book 1 in the Charming Cove series, so that comes as no surprise at all. My favorite thing about these is definitely the way that Hall plays with magic in new ways. In Book 1, it was the plant magic. In this one, it's the spirits. So often, witchy romances use the blandest magic possible, so I love seeing something new and innovative in them. As for the actual romance, I really liked it as well! Emma and Alaric were adorable and I loved the found family aspects. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books in the series!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Comment

3.5 stars

How to Fake-Date a Vampire was a fun, light-hearted read to kick off the start of spooky season. It’s a charming, whimsical rom-com that even beginners to romance and fantasy can enjoy. It is very easy to follow along and very low stakes, making it a great cozy read.

Our story follows Emma, an outsider who is trying to find a family of her own by any means necessary. She is currently an informal member of her coven, and in hopes to become a permanent member she volunteers to plan their annual magical ball alone to prove herself as a witch. Emma makes a deal with local duke and vampire, Alaric, to fake-date so that he can please his grandmother and so that she can host the coven’s ball at the estate.

The romance and found family trope in the book is truly heartwarming. I loved reading about Emma flourishing and realizing family comes in all ways, you just have to open yourself to it.

My favorite aspects of this was the actual magic in the book, particularly with one sassy Penelope. She was the absolute highlight of the book and I wish I got to read even more of her. I also enjoyed reading about Emma’s discovery of her own magic.

However, i was left feeling a little let down with the lack of magic outside of the witches. Alaric and his family were vampires which didn’t seem to serve anything to the story as there wasn’t much vampirism in the book besides a single blood cocktail. I think if there wasn’t going to be much built around the vampirism, he would have been better served to be a human or a fellow witch since the focus was on the general magic.

Thank you, Linsey Hall, NetGalley, and Bonnie Doon Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.✨

This was a cute story that I enjoyed. The town is so much fun and the quirky things that happened made me laugh a bunch, which I enjoyed.

I liked the main characters, but I was unable to connect to them. I think this book needed more - more time with the characters to learn more of their back story and to be able to feel for them and to connect to them. I'm also not a fan of the miscommunication trope and this was present in this book. It was only for a little bit, so it wasn't too bad, but I still didn't like that.

This is such a fun, fluffy romance. I imagine this would be akin to if we were watching a romance blossom in Halloweentown. A more adult Halloweentown that is.

You have Emma who is trying to climb the ranks in her coven and become a chosen witch. In order to achieve such a feat, she volunteers to plan one of the biggest events in her town, known as the Beltane Ball. Achieving to hold the ball at this regal estate is a feat no witch has been able to pull off before, so along with her possible promotion, she also risks being kicked out of her coven if she is unsuccessful.

To her benefit, she manages to strike a deal with the vampire duke Alaric. His beloved grandmother is visiting and is very interested in meeting her grandson’s girlfriend. Prior to her arrival, he had mentioned he had found the perfect woman he was planning to marry and wanted her to meet his grandmother. Unfortunately, his former girlfriend Katrina felt he was taking too long to propose and grant her luxurious lifestyle he could she was entitled to. He broke off the relationship after discovering Katrina was leaking his family’s secrets and scandals to the local press. The news leaks in turn also had a negative effect on his grandmother. Wanting to protect her from any further emotional damage, Alaric strikes a deal with Emma where they both stand to benefit. In exchange for allowing her to have her ball take place on his majestic estate, she promises to pretend to be his girlfriend.

There is an undeniable chemistry between the two, however the lines between love and professionalism start to blur the more their fake relationship develops. And it’s not just her coven and his family they need to hide their secret from. The nosey paparazzi are at every corner watching any and every move, waiting for any opportunity to expose them.

This book was so enjoyable to read and full of loveable characters. I would highly recommend picking it up if you want a lighthearted romance with a Halloween element to it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire is a funny; intense story.

I really really loved the first installment of this series and I couldn't wait to delve into the next part of the series.
But for some reason I had trouble getting into the story.
I didn't feel connected to the story and I think the plot was a bit of the hook.
We spend all this time with Emma preparing for the ball, so the fake dating a vampire duke is pushed all the way to the back of the story.
Also... when you write a vampire story... please show us a vampire. Not a guy who says he is a vampire and then no vampire action. You can add some cozy vampires to the story. this was just... not it.
Luckely Penelope saved this story for me.

I really enjoyed this one. I think it was fun, had a well-paced plot, some character development and a great romance. I did feel like there were a lot of side characters that I wished to know more about. Overall I liked this and thought it was a great follow up to the first in this series. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Aria in this one as an ode to the first book. Also, I again liked the multiple POV’s to get more into the minds of the characters