How to fake date a vampire was a lighthearted read perfect for the run up to autumn. This wasn’t a dark book with blood sucking monsters but rather a brooding duke who ages very slowly and isn’t driven by his need to eat people. Emma is a witch determined to prove herself to her coven. The whole fake dating scenario comes by accidentally but works out in both Emma and Alaric’s favour. Emma is tasked with planning a grand ball and the duke’s estate would make the perfect venue, but he is stubborn and says no. That is until his grandmother mistakes Emma for his girlfriend and things fall into place. In exchange for fake dating Alaric, he would provide his estate for the ball.
This was lighthearted, cozy and easy to read. It wasn’t full of drama and emotion but it was entertaining and different to the usual grumpy/sunshine fake dating tropes out currently. The cover is great and it seemed unique. Thanks for the eARC!

i liked this, it was enjoyable for the most part.

how to fake-date a vampire follows along emma who is a witch striving to prove herself in the witches' coven. she is currently on the lowest tier in her coven and her position is not promised. in order to prove herself and maintain a secure position, she must plan the most spectacular ball. after a rather strange encounter, she agrees to fake date a duke alaric who needs to keep up a ruse of having a significant order to his grandmother, in exchange for using his large eloquent home to host this ball.


although this is a part of a series, i read this as a standalone and although jumping into this world was very confusing at the jump because i was not expecting this to be a modern-day fantasy, with cars and modern-day tv shows, it was relatively easy to piece all the puzzles together.


i would recommend this book to anyone new to the fantasy genre, who loves fake dating, who does not mind a slight third-act/miscommunication (it wasn't that bad), and who is interested in finding out how to fake-date a vampire😋.

as for how i felt about this book, i think i would have this enjoyed this more when i was easing myself into the fantasy romance, as i tend to enjoy high-stakes fantasies more. i do not have anything negative to say except that i did not feel any personal connection with this book, but hey at least i did not hate any characters 😌


Thank you to Linsey Hall, Bonnie Doon Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you are looking for a light yet magical read, then this book is for you. It boasts of a witch with low self-esteem who eventually realized just how powerful she was. Then, there’s the untrusting (yet handsome) vampire duke who fell in love with the beautiful girl who was not impressed with his title or his estate. Add a cute yet sassy familiar and a sprinkling of other lovable characters and you got yourself a read that will have smiling all day.



Sounds like the perfect formula for a fun romance, yes? Well, get ready to feel giddy as you ride along the duke and the witch’s journey of self-discovery, attraction, feelings of hurt, and love. This guy-falls-first trope of a story is what you need if you want to take a breather from crime thrillers or reads that make you ugly-cry.

I didn’t read the first book in this series before I read this one and you can definitely read it as a stand-alone!

This book was such an easy, cozy, feel good read. It was so relaxing to read this book and I devoured it within a sitting. I genuinely enjoyed it!

Will I be buying the the physical copies eventually? 100%!

I think if I didn’t read the first book in the series, I would have enjoyed this a little more but it was just a copy of the first book with just slight differences. She’s an orphan, who’s really bad at magic (but turns out to be super duper powerful) and he’s a millionaire who everyone loves and wants and he finds her cute and unique…. Which she wasn’t. There’s a competition that she needs to win otherwise she’s out of a job and she has a sarcastic familiar who likes to eat all the time. This book was basically a copy and paste.

I got getting second hand embarrassment from the main character throughout the entirety of the book. I kept forgetting he was a vampire.. like he drank blood with his wine… that’s the only vampirey thing he did…

I really wanted to enjoy this and I think if it wasn’t basically copied entirely I would have but it was cringy, the storyline was flat and I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the first

Thank you for netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange of if honest review

Thank you Netgalley and Bonnie Doon Press for this ARC. Available Now!

Really cute, sweet read.
Book 2 of the Charming Cove series and centres around Emma - the hopeful Witch, and Alaric - the emotionally scarred Vampire.
The characters developed nicely and were easy to like. The different family dynamics were really lovely too.
It was fluffy, not too intense and super quick to read.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet, fun little thing. I don’t mean that in a derogatory kind of way, I genuinely found it very sweet!

I had a great time reading about Emma and Alaric. Their chemistry was really well done, and although I would have loved a bit more background info about Emma, I liked how the characters in the book are built up and their interactions with each other.

I felt that some parts were a bit rushed or cut short from what I would have liked, but all in all this story hit the good spots! I particularly enjoyed Penelope. I want a skunk now. Not to forget, big shoutout to everyone’s favorite gran, Vivian! (I need more Vivian in my life)

This was a cozy and fun supernatural romance. I am always a sucker for fake dating, but the addition of a little mystery, magic, and found family had me hooked.

I thought that Alaric and Emma were great together and I enjoyed seeing their "relationship" grow. This is definitely an instalove story, so if you are looking for something slow burn or with a lot of character depth/development this may not be your favorite book, but it was just what I needed to ease into Fall.

This is a cute story, I'd call it paranormal lite. While the characters are witches and vampires, they seem rather neutered compared to other such types in other books. The witches cannot accomplish much without stored energy or herbs. The vampires are on the other hand more like fancy humans. They drink blood usually with alcohol, however they don't seem to get anything from it since they have the lifespan of a human. Their bite also hurts. They are also not hindered by sun, silver, religious stuff etc. Kinda takes all the fun out of being a vampire to be honest. That said the story follows the usual fake girlfriend and billionaire boyfriend tropes. The characters need to fake a relationship to appease relatives and in exchange for getting to use the estate for a witches ball. It is a cute story with some feels, the romance section seems rather rushed as though the author was embarrassed by it. A couple paragraphs and done, thank you moving on. The story is more about the tension and the does she/does he kind of feelings. It has a HEA that was pretty predictable. This is a light, cute and fluffy style romance so if you like those you'll enjoy this book. Thank you to netgalley for an ARC so I could right this honest review.

I really liked it!
I was definitely in the mood for a witchy book since spooky season is starting, and this one was an excellent book to start off the season! I really liked every aspect of the book and will definitely be going back for the first book! This was an easy and enjoyable read, I loved the characters and just really flew through.

How to Fake Date a Vampire was a quick and fun fake dating paranormal romcom. This is the first book I've read by Linsey Hall and I can't wait to read more. The author's writing is perfect for when you want something light hearted and easy to read. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked and rooted for this fake dating couple from the beginning. They had amazing chemistry from their first encounter onward and I loved their cute banter. This is a slight spoiler but this book sadly had my last favorite romance tropes, the miscommunication trope leading into the third act breakup. It usually messes up a good romcom for me but I still really enjoyed this overall. I'd highly recommend even if you're like me and don't normally enjoy those tropes.

Thank you to the author, the publishers, and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Since Emma has arrived in town, she has been train to gain the respect from her coven, doing different types of work to shown herself. But nothing is working out, and she's feeling like an outsider each day. Until she meets a handsome man in a bathroom.......
But let's say this is Emma fault for not reading the signs hahahaa.
Alaric is the duke, not just a normal duke. A vampire duke living....

A deal is going between the two. They are going to fake date for a while until they both have what they want. Emma, the state for the ball. And Alaric, to see his grandma happy.

Just let me tell you!! I loved a lotthis book! It's really cute and is easy to reed. Where going to see how the magic from the witches work and a lot more than vampires.
Something that I loved a lot, was Penelope!! She's Emma families and she's a skunk. A cute and funny skunk that I just want to hug and give her kisses. She's lovely.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press, for the ARC.

This was more like 2.75/5. The story was cute, quirky, and a fun read but it was a little too fast paced for me. The relationships were instant and lacked the depth they needed to be able to connect with the story in any way. I did find the characters really enjoyable though so all in all an adorable fall read if supernatural romance is your thing!

This book is so cute, and very much a cozy fantasy. Really enjoyed the whole concept! Very easy to read. This book feels so magical!

Unfortunately I was unable to enjoy this as much as I wanted to. I loved the premise and I think our MC is written fairly well. The humor in this is very enjoyable and I love how goofy it felt overall.

However, my issue started in Alaric's first POV (spoilers ahead):
This was an extremely under edited chapter. It was repetitive, super 'telly' vs 'showy, AND it made the pacing of the romance feel as it if had just leapt ten steps ahead when they barely knew each other (and had only spoken like twice before this moment). Examples:

"I loathed the attention I received for being a duke, and she didn't give it. She made me feel like a person." (My note: This feels very one dimensional and cliche) I mean how many times have we seen this trope before?

"I'd been a right bastard when she'd asked to use the estate, but I was wary of letting anyone close after what Katrina had done." (My note: Goodness show don't tell) Can we not learn this naturally? It's such an telly way to show his trust issues.

"As a result, I was rarely in a position where I felt awkward. And yet, she managed to bring it out in me. I kind of liked it, though that was ridiculous." (My note: You guys have barely spoken.)

"I could tell her. I should. It was just that after Katrina's betrayal, I'd become gun-shy. . ."
"Damn it, I liked that about her. Not that it mattered--- it would be a long time before I trusted anyone again."
"And I liked it. No. I wasn't supposed to like anyone right now, especially after what Katrina had done."

My thoughts:
This man's POV needs a lot of work. They are super repetitive, one-dimensional and cliche, and there's nothing about them that makes him feel like a rich character. Not like Emma.

Another thing was, the transition between Chapter one and Chapter two was super jarring. I couldn't tell it was a completely different day and it confused me a lot for a minute there.

I think overall this book is really good and goofy and cute, but it could have some more depth and another round of edits.

Thank you SO much Victory Editing for my e-ARC!

This is a sweet, cozy read perfect for fall rolling in. I would have liked to see our fmc's backstory fleshed out a little bit more, we learn so much about the duke that it make emma come across a bit one-dimensional at times.

This book was super cute! I thought the scenario for them to fake date was semi-believable, which doesn't always happen. I want to live at the estate, it sounded beautiful. I would have liked there to be more character development with...really any of the characters. But I thought this was very cute. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cutesy romance, good fall vibes too. The estate gives me Pride and Prejudice vibes. It's cute, but I gave it a 3/5 because I was looking for more plot in general.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

What I liked: PENELOPE AND GRANDMA VIVIAN. They saved this book. Whenever they appeared my interest peaked a little bit. Penelope was a gem and great familiar to have around. Also the fact it was set in Cornwall.

What I did not enjoy: The main characters. They were flat and boring. Also the insta like from his side? Wasn't a fan. As soon as he spoke to her he noticed her lips and how his thoughts suddenly turned "darker". The whole plot around the ghost seemed boring to me. Perhaps it was just my taste in books, who knows.

Overall: Wasn't the worst book I read so far. If you like insta-love, not the best lines, magic, vampires & witches, this might be for you.
This just wasn't for me.

I'm a huge fan of fake dating and was excited to see this play out between Emma, our witch FMC and Alaric, our vampire MMC! thank you to Author Linsey Hall and Netgalley for providing this second book in the Charming Cove series.

Alaric was unlike any other vampire I've read about. He was essentially a human who drank blood spiked with alcohol at formal meal times, but I appreciated this softer aspect of him. The author didn't create him as a vampire for any blood lust reasonings, he was simply another of many magical beings who inhabit their community.

One of my favourite aspects of the story as following the coven and witnessing the competitive streak between the witches in a new way. It's been fun in both books to have a magical competition parallel to the romantic storyline and I'll definitely be reading any future books in the series!

🪄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 • 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀 𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 🪄 
 
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 
SPICE: 🔥.5 
 
I went into this book blind, but I’m happy to say it was a delight, and I loved it. This is Book 2 in the Charming Cove Series, but can absolutely be read as a standalone! This was a quick, easy read with a ton of heart and a sweet story of fake dating and found family. Needless to say, I was 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥!  
 
Emma is an apprentice witch trying to secure a permanent spot in her town’s coven so that she can find a place where she belongs. Alaric is a vampire Duke who needs to have a girlfriend in order to keep his grandmother in good spirits. When their first meeting goes less than perfect, they need to team up to get what they both want.  
 
This is an adorable fake-dating story (that doesn’t feel fake at all) and Emma and Alaric were absolutely precious together. I loved that Emma was a bit of a mess, and even though she struggled with her insecurities, she was just so endearing. Alaric was suave, caring, a little bit stubborn, and overall just swoony. I loved how they both couldn’t fight their attraction.  
 
The book was made even better by the cast of side characters that stole the show at times! Vivian, was a trash tv binge-watching treasure, and Penelope the skunk familiar (you read that right 😆) was the best kind of diva.  
 
Despite being a bit Insta-lovely, and having a bit of miscommunication, this book had enough depth to make it heartwarming, and the emotional bits enhanced an already cute love story.  
 
If you are feeling your witchy vibes, this is the coziest of the cozy stories and just an absolute delight from start to finish! 
 
Thank you, @NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press, for the early review copy. This review is voluntary and honest.