This story felt original and fresh and still like curling up with an old friend. I savored the tension between the characters and the steam was STEAMING! Lana Ferguson writes like she means every word and the intention behind it makes me a forever fan. Loved every single page of the Fake Mate and can't wait to read everything her fingers tap out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially since this is a very tame way to introduce people to omegaverses. I really liked the medical spin on it where both the female and main characters were superior in their job positions and two different spectrums of the medical field. Also, I absolutely devoured their banter/tension. I absolutely love Lana’s writing and how quick she can grab you go through the characters, but also the plot

This is absolutely perfect. The spice! The wit! The swoons! My first of Lana Ferguson's, and I will henceforth read everything she ever writes.

I was so certain at the beginning of this book that it would be a 5 star read for me, but the second half was basically non stop smut which became repetitive and boring, and the third act break up is always a struggle for me. Definitely recommended to fans of spicy paranormal romance with a lighter vibe.

I said this multiple times as I was reading… possibly the spiciest/smuttiest traditionally published book / romcom marketed book I’ve EVER read.

Mackenzie and Noah decide to become Fake Mates for mutual benefits - Mackenzie needs her grandmother off her back and Noah needs to convince the hospital board that, as an alpha, he is “tame”. But when the fake-mate act turns to a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur…

SO good!! The setting, narration, spice, character development EVERYTHING screamed fantastic. I think this is definitely a top romance for me and I will be reading more of this authors work – ASAP.

In my omegaverse/shifter romance era!!! tropes: fake dating, grump x sunshine, age gap, fated mates, workplace romance, omegaverse

I really loved this story and the setting we got in the hospital with them as doctors. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and grumpy sunshine is another favorite. The paranormal aspect to this was intriguing as I grew up on paranormal romance and it was fun to get back into that type of story.

Thank you #netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review

I had the most fun reading this spicy paranormal romance between werewolf shifters, Mackenzie and Noah. I’ve only read a few books in the alpha/omegaverse world but I love changing up my romance reading this way.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-workplace romance
-fake dating
-fake mates
-wolf shifters
-spicy
-paranormal romance

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A steamy and fun paranormal romantic comedy with a fan fiction-like writing style (in a good way). Made me want to read more paranormal romance.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

₊ ⊹”because when i’m with you… i don’t feel like i’m just going through the motions in life. when i’m with you… i feel like i’m actually living.”₊ ⊹

*:･ﾟmy thoughts┊ i cannot believe i was approved for the arc of this LAST YEAR and i’m just now getting around to reading this, smh. i’m so peeved at my past self for not picking this up earlier, because i loooved this!

leaning more towards a 4.5 star rating, but as we all know, goodreads sucks ass in the half-scale department so i’m choosing a solid 5 stars for this book. i really enjoyed lana ferguson’s debut, so i had pretty decent hopes and expectations going into this one. very happy to say that they were not only met, but surpassed. her writing is so easy to fall into and love, and she creates such fun characters that i can’t help but enjoy reading about.

mackenzie and noah were *chef’s kiss* magnificent, and i loved (almost) every bit of this book. the whole werewolf thing isn’t something i usually turn to, outside of a few books i’ve read previously, but honestly… i get the hype. i really do. something about that whole like innate/baser instinct thing that they physically cannot not be together just hits different, right? at least for me lmao

i really adored mackenzie’s character, she was such a spitfire and i really connected with her abandonment issues, ngl. and noah, sweet baby alpha noah. he was such an awkward but really fucking hot mmc and i looooooooved him so much. maybe a little too much. their chemistry was top tier and i loved the dynamic they had going on. the spice? outta this world. it had me panting like a dog (ha ha ha)

i think my biggest qualms with this book were the lack of wordly development and, of course, the third act breakup/plot. firstly, i kinda was disappointed we didn’t get to learn more about the world they lived in, considering it had humans and shifters cohabiting pretty seamlessly. we did get the whole spiel about the alpha stereotypes and whatnot, but i would’ve liked to see more about the society, i guess? and then for the third act events, i just wish noah had communicated with mack. i understood where he was coming from, and it definitely pulled at my heartstrings and provided a really great reconnection moment, but idk. i’m of the opinion that if you can avoid having a third act breakup, you really should. so that irked me a little, but not enough to really dock any stars off or anything.

overall, this was a really, really fun read and i’m so happy i finally decided to pick it up (really, shame on past me for not reading my arc in time). i actually bought a copy from target when i was like 20% of the way through because i knew i was going to really love it and wanted to have a copy for my shelves. this author has been hitting it lately with her works, so i’m really exciting to read all of her future novels! <3

Oops, I've joined the Omegaverse.

This was so much fun and a very easy way to get into alpha romances. I'm not a beginner with monster romance, but I didn't feel overwhelmed or slightly grossed out, which is how I usually feel when I'm reminded of knotting. This was really enjoyable, and I liked these two together.

This was my first entry into the omegaverse. It really prepared me for Bride and honestly it is better than Bride. For those wanting to dip their toes in omegaverse, start here.

I love that werewolves are coming back onto the reading scene. This was such a great romance take on the werewolf romance. The omega verse stuff is kind of not my cup of tea, but she did it well.

I'm an "I'll try anything once" type of reader and I also enjoyed Lana Ferguson's "The Nanny," so I figured, why not read my first Omegaverse story? Turns out I was in for a wild ride, which I suppose shouldn't be surprising. I think I learned that the Omegaverse is not for me, though I certainly learned a lot and had fun doing it.

I really loved The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, so I was very excited to read her new release, especially because it involved werewolves. What made it even more fun and unique was that both characters were werewolves. Usually, it's only one of the characters (usually the male) that is a shifter. It took me a while to get into this one. However, I did finally find my groove and started to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that was short lived because the MMC, Noah, got on my nerves! I personally felt like he was too sensitive, overly grumpy, and extremely jealous. It was unattractive and a turn off. I do look forward to Lana's next book though which involves a Lochness monster?! It sounds really fun and cute.

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Lana Ferguson for the eARC.

The Fake Mate is out now.

Expect fake dating/mates, wolf shifters, spice galore, true love, and workplace romance in this new contemporary romance. Not only is it spicy but it has fantastic banter between love interests and lots of hilarious plot points. It also does a wonderful job explaining the lore of the Omegaverse world.

Honestly, this book was fine. Nothing new or out of the blue, and it fit the tropes well. The werewolf twist is what kept me going through it to see what would happen

I adored The Nanny by Lana and now this book has cemented her as an auto-buy author for me. The writing is so smooth and always has me laughing. Noah was a big sweet misunderstood grump and I love him. I love that we don’t spend too long on conflicts or misunderstandings. If there’s a conflict, we move through it quickly and, I just loved this book! Highly recommend

This book has NO RIGHT being this good. I loved the dynamic so much between our main characters. I think the premise of rare alphas and omegas didn't necessarily fit with my usual ABO universe but the adjustment was easy. Overall it was a fun romp that's very Reylo coded.

The Fake Mate is a romance novel about two wolf shifters named Mackenzie and Noah who work at the same hospital in Denver. Mackenzie is fed up with dating, but her grandmother is pushing Mackenzie to find the one and settle down. When Mackenzie tells her grandmother the lie that she is dating a fellow doctor in an effort to please her, she ends up creating an elaborate plan to have some freedom from dating for a little while. Mackenzie proposes the plan to Noah, the very grumpy cardiologist at Denver General. Noah agrees as he could also benefit from Mackenzie’s plan due to some troubles he is having at work. Mackenzie and Noah start their fake relationship and it ends up not being so fake after all.

I loved Lana Ferguson’s debut and was so excited to read The Fake Mate. I was looking forward to the paranormal aspect of The Fake Mate, but this ended up being the part that made me not love it. Mackenzie and Noah are wolf shifters, but this element of the book is almost nonexistent outside of their romantic relationship. In The Fake Mate, it is just a normal fact of life that some people are wolf shifters, so the fantastical/magical element of this paranormal romance is very minimal. The character’s wolf shifter status is mostly used for the romantic plot of the book and without saying too much, it just wasn’t for me! Besides this element, this is a fun romance with great characters, an interesting storyline, and great banter.

If you like the idea of a romance with a light paranormal element, or if you just love the fake dating trope, pick up The Fake Mate!