This is a fun, cozy fantasy romcom. It’s the second book in the Charming Cove series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

Emma is a witch who needs to find a spectacular location to hold a gala so she can become a full member of her coven. Alaric is a vampire with an amazing mansion, but no desire to open it up to other people. However, he does need a fake girlfriend, so they strike up a deal.

Really enjoyed both main characters and all the secondary characters. Truly a found family for Emma (one of my favorite tropes!) And also… Penelope was fantastic!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for How to Fake Date a Vampire to come out August 31, 2023.

This was a super cute follow up in the Charming Cove series. I absolutely loved the first book, the Modern Girl's Guide to Magic, and this was a great addition to the magical world of Charming Cove.

This book centers around Emma, a witch trying to secure her place within her local coven. In order to earn her placement, she must successfully plan the important annual ball--an important witchy event where all of the yearly magic is gathered. She enters an agreement to fake date the local vampire duke in exchange for using his estate for the ball and romance ensues. Emma also has an adorable familiar, a skunk named Penelope, who I believe really carries the story.

While this is the second book in the Charming Cove series, it is a stand alone story. If you are looking for a cute, witchy romance with cozy vibes you'll probably really like this one.

About:Emma Willoughby is an orphan and part of the witches' coven. She has always wanted to belong somewhere and have a family. She finally gets the opportunity when the coven announces a contest to select the official witches. The contestants need to find an amazing place to host the party Nothing could be more amazing than the duke's garden though.
Alaric has recently broken up with his ex-girlfriend Katrina. His grandmother doesn't know that and she is coming back to his house to meet her.
Thus Emma and Alaric agree to fake a date but Emma is starting to find a familial connection in the Duke family and the Duke finds her fitting perfectly there.

Why should you read it?
*I would recommend this book to you only if you want a light read. If you are fine with things not making sense and just want a short and simple read then this is for you.

My review: The monologues were so repetitive I skipped most of them Nothing made any sense. The magic system was so flawed. You could do things as big as calling the dead back as ghosts and as small as hiding your face from the paparazzi. Everything was so convenient Emma never faced any challenges. The only saving grace of this book was Penelope the skunk and even she didn't feel like an animal She talked so much like a human it felt unrealistic even for some light reading.

Quick fun cozy read for the start of fall!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I absolutely adore the vampire and witch trope, the characters were so charming. I read it in a little less than 2 days, I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Bonnie Doon Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. My review on goodreads is published now.

It’s a fun quick read for fall.

This is a perfect read for the fall / Halloween season if you’re not into spooky or scary books.

Emma is a witch trying to join the coven in Charming Cove. To be entered into the Coven she must throw their annual party. Alaric needs a fake girlfriend to introduce to his grandmother to make some bad press go away.

This is a great lighten hearted book but I didn’t give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because sometimes I questioned some parts of the book.

The vampire aspect was not my favorite on how vampires were in this book.

Also Penelope the Skunk act like more like a human then a skunk… How do skunks know what the paparazzi is.

But Penelope did start to grow on me as the book went on.

There is only one spicy scene in the 300 pages so if you are a spicy queen this is not your book, but the character development between the two main characters makes up for that.

If you love:
🔺Witches and Vampires
🔺Fake Dating
🔺Third Act Breakups
🔺 Spunky Animal Sidekicks
🔺 Found Family

Genre
APK: Ebook
Pages: 302
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Standalone: Series Book 2 in the Charming Cove Series

Good but not great romance. I really like paranormal romance and I really like the fake dating trope (has it ever actually happened in real life?) so I high hopes for a combo of the two. But the paranormal felt almost like an afterthought here, especially with regards to the vampire aspect. Which seems odd to say since so much of the plot focuses on the annual witch ball, but that was my impression. While in the same universe as the previous book in the series, this book is a standalone and indeed does not seem to flow with the first book set in Charming Cove. Magical batteries? Apparently paying clients? Just a different feel from the first book.

Emma and Alaric are an okay couple, though the heat between them felt a bit forced. It was unclear to me just how recently Alaric's relationship with his ex ended but it felt fairly recent - a little too recent. A little slow-moving at points, I did enjoy Alaric's family dynamic, though I question how much Emma cared for Alaric versus how much she cared for his family.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title. The opinions herein are my own.

I just finished reading 'How To Fake Date A Vampire' This was a cute fantasy rom com. This was a quick, light read perfect for in-between larger reads. This is the first book I have read from this author and the second book in the Charming Cove series. If you are new to Fantasy romance and rom com genre this would be a prefect introduction into both. The story is light and enjoyable the relationship between to the two main characters is fun as well as the plot to the story. If you don't like a lot of spice in your books this is for low on the spice scale 1/5. I give this book 3.75 stars.

The premise of this book is great, and I think it could really appeal to the cosy market. But the writing just didn't grab my attention and the characters didn't have any substance.

It was interesting. First time reading this kind of story. Totally loved it 👾 such a fun read. Completed it in two days🥰
Definitely recommend 💗

Going into this book I was excited. I thought it was a fun interesting read and was grateful to be chosen to read it. Starting off, it was very cheesy, which part of me expected. As I went on there were parts that made me cringe, but with comedy that can kinda be expected. The book is very cliche with its romance, as most romances are. At times it was hard to keep reading, I kept losing interest. It didn’t have the grab factor where I wanted to keep turning the page. So far, the topic of fake dating doesn’t seem to be the main point, it seems like the ball that Emma has to throw is priority. I expected more scenes with Emma and Alaric fake dating as per the title. Through out the book there is constant explaining, it takes away from the story. I find myself getting lost in the explanations. There was no build up of the attraction. One moment they are like yeah no, then the next they are infatuated with one another. It kept me asking what? A lot of the words were old fashioned and stood out and did not fit the book well. In many aspects the book was predictable. The writing appears juvenile rather a young adult book. There is potential with this story. Although predictable, cute happy ending.

I couldn’t put this book down 5/5 stars. I was super excited to receive an arc of this book because Linsey Hall is one of my favourite authors. How To Fake Date A Vampire is the second book in the Charming Cove series. I have read both books and can’t wait for the next book in the series. This books release day is August 31, 2023. Thank you to Linsey Hall, Bonnie Doon Press and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you Bonnie Doon Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so excited for the chance to read the second book in the Charming Cove series, and this one was even better than the first! Alaric and Emma’s story is now my new favorite witchy love story.

Emma has been tasked with coming up with the location for the Beltane Ball, in order to be admitted to her witches coven. After a chance meeting with the Duke at the local pubs bathroom, she decides to pay him a visit; and ask to use his estate and garden to host the ball. Begrudgingly the Duke accepts, but only if Emma agrees to be his fake girlfriend, to impress his Grandmother Vivian. As the ball gets closer Alaric and Emma are faced with a few different obstacles they must overcome together to make the Ball happen. The more time they spend together, sparks start to fly. And what began as fake dating begins to feel more real than ever before. Will these two be able to pull off the Ball, and what will happen now that their relationship is feeling real? Well you’ll have to read to find out!

A sweet love story, a swoon worthy and tear filled HEA, and a beautiful tale of found family! Possibly one of my most favorite witchy reads yet! Pick this one up to read this fall season, you won’t be disappointed. And dare I say I’m looking forward already to another book in this series? Possibly Lily’s story?

I saw the second book of the series available and bumped it up my reading queue just in time to release the review with the previous work. I did not read the blurb with any concentration. I just knew that the story was in the same world. It turned out that the background I already had of Charming Cove is unnecessary here; this story can be read as a standalone since almost everything is self-explanatory.
There is another competition here, of a sort, anyway. Our lead protagonist this time around is an orphan who wants to belong to a bigger family. She gets her chance when she is tasked with the opportunity to design and host the biggest town event. Her magic has not made a clear appearance yet (just like in the previous book), and we are left guessing what it could be till they all finally figure it out.
There are vampires in this story, but the more regular kind. There is not much that sets them apart from the other magical community, so it still felt like I was reading a normal rom-com rather than a magical world based narrative.
As the title suggests, there is fake dating involved, although it does not stay that way for long. I liked the portrayal of working relationships, even the ones that stem from enmity or competition. It is a relief to read about some probable interactions since some of the more dramatic books tend to have outlandish hostilities among the people introduced to us.
Since this series is not following any particular group of people, even if there is another one to follow this, I cannot predict who or what it might be about. That said, I would still recommend this series to fans of even the normal non-magical genre since the magic is but a literal sprinkling on top and the basis for trials faced by the protagonist and nothing more.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This was a super cute quick read! Personally I love the Vampire x Witch trope and these two were just adorable together. Maybe a bit too insta lovey for my liking but for those that love sweet and fluffy it would be perfect. I also loved the little familiars the witches have, I thought they were really sweet.
I think the one huge drawback this book had for me personally is how un-vampiric Alaric is, there is probably 3 mentions of blood throughout the entire book and no contributing factors depicting him as a vampire at all. Emma on the other hand is depicted very well as a young cutesy witch going through her training.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for honest review.

This book contained the least convincing vampire I've ever read on paper. The casual mention of blood mixed with liquor a couple of times is essentially the only thing that even remotely alluded to the Duke not being human.

While this story was told in the same universe as the previous book in the series as there was a cameo from a former character and the setting is technically the same town. This didn't feel like a sequel at all, magic didn't even seem to work the same way as it did in the first novel.

For some reason this book just didn't hit the mark for me. The writing felt stilted and a bit too cheesy, I overall liked the characters, but it was a predictable read.

Even better than the first book in this series of standalones, I enjoyed diving into this paranormal romance with my favourite trope - fake-dating! The way these two characters were dancing around each other was delightful and I was completely hooked on their chemistry throughout and the amusing interactions between the pair - goat interactions especially. It was nice to see them both opening up to each other though I felt as though Emma didn’t share as much as Alaric did, and we seem to get to know more about him than he does about Emma but he’s an interesting character with some serious baggage hanging over him (the trust issues kind) which give him depth and open their romance up to some drama. The Beltane Ball was a great way to bring these two together, and to give Emma chance to get to know Alaric’s family, as well as throwing lots of obstacles in Emma’s way. She’s a powerful and clever witch and she definitely shines here! A fun and suitably angsty fake-dating romance that you’ll no doubt love.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Linsey Hall is a new to me author, and this is a fun take on the fake dating trope with witches and vampires, and a good laugh. It had very little spice, which was a disappointment for me, but the book itself was pretty good. The was only 1 explicit scene and it was short. It is a cozy, sweet romance for the upcoming fall season.

Emma is a young witch on a mission to become an official Coven member and finally have the family she's always wanted. Alaric is a reclusive, vampire duke who's been burned by women in the past. So when Emma gets an opportunity to plan the coven's annual Beltane Ball, she knows the only place worthy is the Duke's beautiful estate. Luckily for her, the Duke needs her for something too - to be his fake girlfriend. Oh, and there's also a humanlike, skunk familiar to contend with.

This is a mostly sweet (one short, explicitly spicy scene, although not extremely detailed) romantic comedy. It's got an awkward and adorable meet-cute, a witch on a mission, a lovely found family aspect, and a little drama to keep things interesting.

However, I think "A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Duke" would be a better title, as the vampire aspect was not a part of the plot aside from the odd blood-topped cocktail. The author made it clear that they weren't vampires like the movies or myths, they were basically rich humans.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️

This book gave me all the cozy feels that I needed in my life.

Emma is the town witch. She isn't as powerful as the other witches in the coven. So, when the time comes for her to shine, she takes it. Host a Ball! It's not easy though since she has to come up with a better venue than her rival. And what better venue than the estate of Duke of Blackthorn.
The only problem is that the the duke doesn't like having so many people in his home but when his grandmother mistakes Emma for his girlfriend, he begs her to play along in exchange of using his estate for the ball.

I loved the cozy vibe that the author created with this book. My favourite thing about this book is hands-down Penelope. She's Emma's familiar and I absolutely adored her. (Is it weird to want to be like a skunk?) And I liked all the side characters. The family dynamic and the friendships made the book so wholesome.

I will say though that I did not like the third-act breakup. It didn't feel natural and was very unnecessary. It was as if the author wanted to write a third-act breakup just because every romance book has one but she couldn't properly deliver it. On top of that the reconciliation happened way too quickly and easily for my liking.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and if you're looking for a cozy, wholesome romance, definitely pick this up, especially during Halloween if you're someone like me who hates reading horror and would rather read a romance between a witch and a vampire.

Find the review on Goodreads, published on Aug 25

If you are in need of a cozy romance book with a healthy dose of paranormal, stop looking around and go pre-order How To Date A Vampire by Lindey Hall. I have to admit that I'm a little biased as I recognized myself almost instantly with the main character. Emma is clumsy, prone to accident, and just plain awkward at times. I stopped counting the number of times I locked myself out of my car. Unfortunately for me, I do not also have a hot, dark, steamy Duke living in my town who's also a vampire and single. Oh, and did I mention rich? In rich, sexy, mysterious, single vampire. (Cue my obsession for Damon in Vampire's Diaries.l Anyhow, soon Emma finds herself needing a favor from him, a favor he will grant in return of her pretending to be his girlfriend for a while. There's your forced proximity and the beginning of a cute like puppies in a basket love story. Be mindful that this is not a very spicy book. They will definitely do it a lot, just not in the book.

I fell in love with the characters and the book itself. Somehow, the pace is fast, so I didn't want to put it down, but slow enough for me to feel like I had known Emma and Alaric all my life. The story is funny and refreshing like a lemonade on a hot day. lts cozy and predictable while keeping you guessing on what's next. It will make you ask how come you have never heard of this author before and go look out at her other books. I, for sure, am definitely going to follow her closely from now on.