BOOK REVIEW 📚 of How to Fake-Date a Vampire by Linsey Hall

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the chance to review this story 💗

”It’s the Duke of Blackthorn, you muppet. That’s what the big deal is. Handsome, wealthy, powerful, famous.”

Book 2 in the Charming Cove series, How to Fake Date a Vampire was cosy, sweet, and at times, hilarious.
The seaside town of Charming Cove is all abuzz when the Duke of Blackthorn, a reclusive vampire, returns to his estate outside of the village. Emma Willowby, a witch and
a recent transplant to the Cove, couldn’t care less. After a chance, meeting in the bathroom, and seeing the gorgeous specimen that he is, (and wholly embarrassing herself), she hopes to never see him again. As an orphan, who was shuffled into multiple foster homes as a child, Emma has always longed to belong somewhere. Working tirelessly to improve her magic, she is competing against four other apprentices for an offical spot in the Aurora Coven. It isn’t going well.
When the opportunity to organise the annual Beltane Ball, a success that would mean a guaranteed spot in the Coven, is offered, Emma leaps at the chance. It’s imperative the Ball goes smoothly to allow the witches to gather the joy needed for next years spells. When Emma approaches Duke Alaric about holding the Ball at Blackthorn estate, he offers her a deal: his cooperation in exchange for pretending to date him, something that will bring happiness to his beloved, ailing grandmother. But during the preparations, she discovers he might not be the cold and unfeeling jerk his reputation suggests, and could Emma have discovered where- and with whom- she finally belongs?

I am really enjoying this series! HTFDAV is similarly sweet with tasteful spice, and I liked the new take on vampires, making them not the immortal beings of tradition. I found some moments so funny, like the hilarious Regina George-like introduction to the Duke.
The back and forth banter between sassy Emma and her fellow characters was great, and meeting some of the personalities from Book 1 was a nice touch. The Dual POV worked well, and was very important towards the end. The plot did leave me with some questions, for example; if she had been raised an orphan, how did Emma know she was a witch?
But with characters like a matchmaking Grandmother, a vain skunk named Penelope and tropes of ‘He falls first’, ‘Fake relationship’ and ‘Found Family’, this book was such a success.
This review will be posted on Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed receiving this book as an ARC from Netgalley. The titles snagged me and I knew I needed to read more!

The book features fake dating (obviously) but it’s so much more than that. Emma finds a family within Alaric’s, comes into her own as an official witch, and even gets chosen by a rather picky and prickly Familiar, Penelope.

Emma and Alaric enter into an agreement to protect
each other’s interests but I think they both knew they’d end up falling for each other. I liked that it was clean and wholesome, light, and funny. It discusses grief and loss so there is a depth element to it.

I had no idea it was a part of a series so I will definitely go in and read the first one asap!

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

This book was like a kiss of sunlight during a rough time. It felt so refreshing to dive into it, without falling on something that will torture your mind.

It’s easy, funny, cute, and adorable.

I loved reading how Alaric was seeing Emma - he was heels over head for her way before her and I love that. He was represented as a son of his father, but this duke was actually more of a grandson, than anything. He LOVED his grandma, and how he wanted to protect her… Alaric got my heart.

Yes, I do love vampires, but in this book, it’s not very highlighted though. We know that he is a vampire, and she’s a witch (love the mix, to be honest) but it’s not something that will play a major role in the plot.

The writing was fluid, and easy to understand.

Also, yes there is “spice” but not in an explicit way only once but even like that, the scene was cut short, and it was a pleasure. I’m starting to get - a lot - tired of the smut thrown at us for absolutely no reason.

Linsey Hall, you did an amazing job.

There is one thing that bothered me, is the “easy” plot on the grandma. I saw the end coming, at around chapter five, but I still really enjoyed my reading.

"How to Fake Date a Vampire" by Linsey Hall is a delightful blend of paranormal romance and humour. The story follows a young witch who enters into a fake relationship with a vampire duke to prove her worth to her coven. The arrangement seems straightforward, but as sparks fly between the two, things quickly become complicated.

Hall crafts a fun and engaging tale filled with witty banter, magical intrigue, and undeniable chemistry. The characters are likable and relatable, and their interactions add depth to the story. The fake dating trope is executed with a fresh twist, keeping readers entertained as the stakes rise.

While the premise may sound light-hearted, the book also touches on themes of identity and the consequences of revealing one's true self. Overall, "How to Fake Date a Vampire" is a charming and entertaining read that will appeal to fans of paranormal romance looking for a mix of humour and heart.

Review posted on GoodReads

Incredibly cute and funny fantasy rom com. I spend the entire book smiling and giggling. The FMC is cute and hilariously awkward. Very low stakes, so just cozy vibes all around.
Some of the tropes I encountered when reading:
-Fake dating (obviously)
-“Dislike” to lovers - though the dislike didn’t last long
-Only one bed
-“Grumpy” Sunshine (I think that was the intention. But they were mostly sunshine all the way through, especially when together)
-Animal sidekick (my favorite character is Penelope)
-Miscommunication (not a fave- but it was to be expected as it is primarily a romance book)
-Found family (all FMC really wanted was a family)

Overall an extremely enjoyable story. It can easily be read as a stand alone (I have not read anything else by this author, though I guess I will have to now, since I enjoyed this so much).

Faking it with a vampire duke—easy, right?

I’ve got one chance to prove to my coven that I’m worth my wand. But I'm going to have to make a deal with a vampire duke. I get to use his gorgeous estate in Cornwall to host the Beltane Ball--and in exchange, I'll pretend to be his girlfriend. But it's all a show for his grandmother.

My summary - A small town witchy romance. Quick & easy read that’s a very light fantasy, especially if you’ve already dipped your toes in the fantasy genre. I would recommend as an easy read to start in fantasy if you’re looking for that OR a light breezy romance read for anyone else.

3.75 🌟

I really loved the first book in this series and I jumped at the chance to read this ARC. This is a very light read and nor complicated to follow by any means.

This book is the perfect cozy romance for fall. A little bit witchy, it follows Emma as she tries to fully join the local coven by planning a ball. The only thing is she needs an amazing location... and the only one that fits the bill is the hot, reclusive vampire Duke's mansion. Luckily for her, he needs a fake girlfriend. Shenanigans ensue.

This book was cute and light hearted. It's definitely a quick read and can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the characters (although not sure why his being a vampire matters.. it's barely ever referenced in the book). Only downside is if you hate the miscommunication trope being thrown in almost at the end, creating a breakup so there's conflict... it's in this book. Other than that, I enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to Bonnie Doon Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I would give this 3.5 stars/5. I really enjoy reading about the witches and other magical folk in Charming Cove and the first book in the series was great. I felt like this book had less character development and the love story between Emma and Alaric felt rushed. I understand that they begin "fake dating" but they fall for each other very quickly and without a lot of "real dating" mixed in.
One thing that I've really enjoyed in this series is the writing of the supporting characters; from the animal familiars to the family and friends of the main characters they are all interesting and add to the story in wonderful ways. The Beltane Ball ending was magical and, like Aria's plant magic in book 1, I really enjoyed Emma's spirit magic in this book. I would say this is a great, cozy, fall read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of the book.

Perfect fall read!

This was so cozy and relaxing! It's definitely a low stakes high reward read, just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

3.25 ⭐️ A duke vampire and an orphan witch walk into a bar...

...then she spills a beer all over herself and accidentally walks into the wrong bathroom. Boom - meet cute. I know what you're thinking, is it really all that cute that the first time the fmc and mmc see each other is with her wiping her crotch in a dingy bathroom? I don't know. I still haven't made up my mind about it, personally, but that is the beginning of their story.

I was really intrigued with the plot after reading the blurb, but I do have to say I think I like the concept more than the execution. I felt like I couldn't really connect to the characters, even with the Dual POV. The only one I liked was the grandma, but everyone else I could take or leave. The whole time I was waiting for one of them to finally do something that the other could react to. Something that would show their personality in a way that would be meaningful enough it could spark a certain something in the other, and would bring some tension into their relationship. It never came. It's all 'faking' it until it just isn't. Then there's the useless third act breakup because of a misunderstanding -imo, the absolute worst trope - which they fix and end up together. But why? There was no chemistry between Alaric and Emma, or at least not enough to grant this particular kind of ending. Also, the mmc is the one who refuses to just ask for clarification after overhearing a single sentence, but there's zero amount of grovelling or the fmc giving him a slightly hard time for it. He treated her like dirt and she's like, oh well, you like me now, right? And that's it. Ugh, the lack of backbone is astounding, especially because that's not consistent with her character at all. Anyway...

I don't think you can call this a 'clean romance' because there are open door scenes - they literally do it right in the open their first time-, but omg the writing was so boring and tame that it might as well have been. There was no passion there, just two characters going through the motions... and then they were done. I've seen car commercials with more passion that the 'spicy' scenes in this book; this is mild salsa at best, and as a person who could consume a ghost pepper in book form and only crave more, it felt like it felt short in every way. And the worst part is that I love when books don't do spice because it's not a main focus for the characters. If it feels unimportant to the relationship, make it not have any steamy scenes and that's fine. Here, the intimacy felt almost forced.

It's a cute paranormal romrom, but nothing stands out. There are thousand of books that explore this genre, and do it better.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 5
🌶 / 5

Also, ps: Why would you have vampires that live just as long as humans? What's the point of a vampire then? Just the blood thing? That's also not explored AT ALL here, so no. The duke was just a duke that added bottled blood to his drinks sometimes... He could've been human and it wouldn't have made a difference.

Thank you so much Net Galley for sending me this eARC! This review has already been uploaded to Goodreads :)

This is just what I needed! A cosy fantasy romance with one of the best opening lines I’ve read in a while!! Loved it

Thank you NetGalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In How to Fake-Date a Vampire, Lindsey has put together a cute story set in a cozy environment, with a pinch of fantasy, lovable characters and an awesome pet/side-kick. It's an easy, quick read, with things happening swiftly and efficiently. Perfect for those who enjoy:

- Fake-Dating (obviously)
- Small town romance
- Fantasy set-up in a contemporary, realistic environment
- Found family
- One bed (mild)
- FMC trying to find her place
- The best pet/familia/side-kick ever written

It's a good read if you don't want to have to pay a lot of attention to understand the world or if you rather not have a lot of depth in the characters and story. It was not, however, the best read for me. I prefer to have a bit more of character and relationship development in the books I read. Every plot and subplot in the book could be spotted from miles away, and the characters were quite plain, as much as they were predictable. Many of the dialogues and interactions felt way too forced to me, and not at all realistic.

Emma is a cute, potentially relatable main character, but I found that too often she didn't stand by her own ideas or thoughts (not giving details in order to avoid spoiling the book for anyone who hasn't read it), which is a trope I really dislike. She constantly doubts and contradicts herself, even in her own thoughts.

Alaric has de premise to be a great brooding, scorned-by-previous-girlfriend male main character, but I found that I wasn't really that "attracted" to him. Every time he describes how the situation with her previous girlfriend evolved, then ended, I couldn't help but cringe, because so much of it implies him being too naive or blind or stupid for what I expect from a love interest. Also, the way he feels about Emma veers dangerously close to insta-love.

Penelope is hands down the best character in this book. She's Emma's familiar, and a witty, greedy, funny bitch at than. Lindsey really did a great job bringing her to life and giving her such a strong, well defined personality.

In briefing, pick it up if what you fancy is a light, quick, romantic read. I wouldn't recommend it if what you're expecting is what is commonly understood for Romantasy.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire grabbed my attention because the cover is very similar to The Witches of Thistle Grove and similar books. And of course the fake-dating trope.

While there were various elements in this book that should have grabbed me, for the most of the book I felt it was very lack lustre. It didn't quite manage to grab me by any of the events or information we got.

The characters were enjoyable but I also didn't we feel we got enough depth. There were plenty of opportunities but it ended up skimming over a lot of things. Like what did Alaric's father actually do except the bit of fraud. Because there was alluded at a great deal but nothing that was revealed beyond what Emma specifically asked for. And I tought it was weird that when it was explaining time Alaric didn't really explain about his father and reporter to his grandma. Or at least that wasn't a scene we got. It also skimmed over most of the ball even thought that was the big event for Emma, and how this whole thing started.

I just felt like I was missing things. The ending was also wrapped up a bit too neatly. The reporters too easily dealt with magic.

Having said that, I do see good things here. It wasn't a bad book. The idea of Charming Cove that has a secret side for the magical community and some of the magical ideas were a lot of fun.

I also liked meeting the characters from the first book, and it made me want to read about them. I haven't actually read the first book but that didn't get in the way of me understanding this book. They can easily be read as standalone books.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

DNF at 19%

I wanted to like this one, I really did. The problem? In an effort to make the hero seem like a vampire, he seemed like a fake person and I wasn't ever able to really believe in the relationship.

I am unable to recommend this title.

A charming tale about a witch with a ball to throw and a vampire with a grandmother to please. Their paths cross a couple of times in some unfortunate ways before a deal is struck. It’s simple, he’ll help her with the ball she needs to arrange, and she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend while his grandmother is in town. Only, they soon find their bargain is anything but simple.

I loved this! Cozy vibes, which being set in Charming Cove how could it not, with a great supporting character line up. Themes/Tropes: bargain trope, witches, vampires, balls, unsuspecting powerful FMC, sassy animal friends, found family, grumpy sunshine.


Reviewed on Amazon & Goodreads. Will reference in future Instagram and TikTok’s @cursebreakerbooks

The book was a quick, breezy (and fun!) read. However, I was pretty disappointed. Alaric—the titular vampire—was just a young duke. The only thing that made him different from any human was approximately every four chapters he would drink a blood cocktail! There's so much potential for a vampire rom-com, so I was let down by this aspect.

This was a super fun read! Witch/Vampire romance, emotional and humorous but in the sweetest way. The relationship between the MC's was one I kept rooting for, and the side characters added depth and intrigue to the plot. If you like paranormal romance with a small town/light humour feel, you'll enjoy this book!

5 out 5 stars!!! This is being added to my top ten books of this year. This was the most perfect paranormal romance book I could ever ask for. And you can ask my partner for proof that I audibly sobbed at the end, which I honestly was not expecting this little rom-com to be so moving.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Linsey Hall for the opportunity to read and review this ARC, I am so beyond grateful!

It is beyond just a romance where they fake date and find feelings between eachother in the end. It is about what it means to lose, to love, to find a family, and a home. Our main character Emma is an orphan who has never known what family and having a normal home feels like, all she has had was her coven that she might not even have if the Beltane Ball she signed up to host goes wrong. Emma goes up against her “rival” Lily to become a higher ranked witch, but she has to come up with something that would blow away the other witches and one up Lily’s idea as well. And she is just in luck, the mysterious Duke has just moved back in town which gives her a chance to ask if Emma could use their mysterious manor that all the town has been talking about and have their annual witches ball. Alaric at first says no but then when his grandmother arrives and thinks that Emma is the girlfriend she has heard so much about over the phone. As the real girl is now Alaric’s Ex-girlfriend, but not wanting to break his grandmother’s heart as she is falling ill, he strikes a deal with Emma; If she pretends to be his fake girlfriend and it goes successful, Emma can have her witches party at his manor.

This book was so beautifully written, I didn’t expect to fall in love as much as I did with all of the characters, and there was so much more to them than their relationship which I see a lot of romances do where they dont focus on the characters as well as the romance. The family that they created through the fake relationship made me smile throughout the book. And the ending, although I will not get into for spoilers but it was so beautiful and tied the whole story so wonderfully together.

“She drew me to her like the sun, and I was a helpless planet in her orbit. I would need to be careful to keep as much of myself reserved as I could. This was just too dangerous”

I highly recommend this book, especially as the fall season is approaching, it has all the witchy and paranormal vibes with the perfect romance and heartwarming, cozy story!

Emma has been a bit lost for most of her life but when she finally settled in Charming Cove she found her slice of heaven. She desperately wants to be part of the local coven but to do that she need to make an impact. How better than by sorting out the Beltane Ball, witchy society's event of the year!

Enter Alaric. Hot, rich as any Duke should be...and a vampire! His gran is unwell and he has the paparazzi on his tail. He needs a girlfriend fast. He and Emma can solve both their problems in a few weeks. They just have to not get tangled up together!

The characters were endearing and flawed. Alaric is quick to assumptions and Emma is quick to take offence. Emma also allows other opinions of her to rattle her nerves. Alaric is composed and used to the finer things and Emma is messy, chaotic and very much a commoner. They have a couple of touch points were their lives kind of intertwined and a shared hatred for someone!

This was a cosy, sweet and funny romcom with a side of hotness in the bedroom (or garden as the case may be!)