ARC Review: Fan Service by Rosie Danan
Pub Date: March 11

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the #gifted eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My goodness what a FUN book! I'm a huge fan of paranormal romances and this one just hit all the highlights that I usually love and had some additional elements that made me love it even more.

When she was younger, Alex used to run a fan site for the show The Arcane Files - a werewolf detective show. She also had a huge crush on the main actor, Devin Ashwood. That is, until she meets him at a convention and overhears him call her a freak who will die alone... Now an adult, Alex has never fit in in her small town. She works a few part time jobs to make ends meet and help cover her dad's medical bills. When none other but Devin Ashwood shows up asking for her expertise in werewolf lore because he just *might* be turning into a werewolf, she can't resist the mystery and the extra money isn't too shabby either.

I love a black cat/golden retriever type of relationship - Alex has a really tough exterior but is ultimately a pretty big softie once she opens up. Devin is just obsessed with her and I loved that for him (and her)! And as much as this is a romcom, the characters are also multidimensional. The tension throughout the book is just excellent!

If you want to just turn your brain off and read a super fun book, I definitely recommend this one!

This is the third werewolf novel I’ve read in the last six months, and each has a unique twist on the theme: How To Help for a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein uses witchcraft as the device for creating a monster that changes every night and has a larger than life appendage, while Ali Hazelwood’s Bride forces a match between a vampire and a werewolf and doesn’t shy away from knotting. Two involve a chase through the woods, two imagine other kinds of supernatural beings as real, and two feature a snowfall of feathers. All have in common the ability of the werewolf to partially or fully shift.

In Danan’s universe, art imitates life when a middle-aged child star and former lead of a very popular supernatural detective show The Arcane Files, on which he portrays the chosen one who turns into a werewolf at the full moon, actually turns into a werewolf. When he begins experiencing alarming shape shifts, actor Devin Ashwood hunts down Alex Lawson, the mod of his series fandom site, for help. He doesn’t remember their one meeting at a con where the then 25-year-old star dissed a 17-year-old awkward superfan after she froze at their paid photo op, and her crush is crushed under his obliviously cutting remarks. Alex launched the site as a teen and maintained it well into her adulthood, although it hasn’t been updated in years. When an email comes in to her admin address, she agrees to meet the actor reaching out for help, unaware she’s going to meet her former teen idol who she’s never forgiven for hurting her. Her dad’s medical bills make it easy to agree to assist Devin—for a fee. Life imitates art as they use the details of the show to test Devin’s strengths, weaknesses, and limits of control.

At first glance, a struggling to make ends meet gothy vet tech who still lives with her dad seems to have little in common with a wealthy celebrity, but they share sacrificing for their parents, parental betrayal, no college degree, a lack of close friends. Both lose themselves in stories, and both are playing an expected role for so long (the weird goth girl, the werewolf) that’s it’s hard to figure out where the persona stops and the person begins. Together, they learn to trust and be vulnerable.

Chapters are interspersed with excerpts from the Werewolf Support Group website, in a careful chronology to introduce the show. The description of werewolf characteristics and the order in which features change (eyes claws, jaws) follows Devin’s first shift in front of Alex. Trials undertaken on the show guide the tests Alex puts Devin through to strain his endurance, instincts, and submission.

Messages from Alex’s group chat with two friends she met during her tumultuous teenage years, when she faced the torment of bullying, the pain of her mother’s leaving, and the hurt of being humiliated by her idol, appear sporadically and help move the plot by providing the response from the outside world to Devin’s strange behavior. These excerpts show Danan’s range and serve as a unique way to contribute backstory and build character and The Arcane Files universe. Her signature sly wit and scathing humor orient around perfectly chosen sensory detail. Every sentence is finely crafted, snort out loud snarky humor abounds, especially a light disdain for Hollywood, and including shade from Devin’s agent of twenty years. The writing is peppered with a broad spectrum of gaming, television, movie, and pop culture allusions from Call of Duty to Teen Beat to Yoga with Adriene to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Wheel of Fortune, and Beauty and the Beast. The narrative is sprinkled with up to the minute slang (rizz, zaddy), chat acronyms (idec, stg) and conventions, like putting actions bookended with asterisks, like in 1990s chat rooms. Pop culture references are a touchstone for GenXers, like livejournal’s Frank the Goat (remember livejournal?), Jingle Ball, AO3, The Teen Choice Awards, and a plethora of celebrities. There’s a lot of turning of tables: the celebrity gets a crush on the normie, Alex’s friends label her new relationship with hashtags as if it were fanfiction.

And, this is science fiction based on facts. There is such a thing as a super blue blood moon was a total lunar eclipse visible in the US only once every 150 years, though Danan takes liberties with the timing. Wolf behavior and werewolf lore are equally well-researched. It’s extra convenient that Alex’s father is a wolf conservationist—a career that puts him at odds with racehorse-obsessed Tompkins, Florida residents.

Queer representation is strong—Devin’s agent, the town librarian, and Alex’s best friend are lesbians, a coworker is gay, and Alex identifies as bisexual. Producer Brian Dempsey is closeted queer and the Arcane Files homoerotic overtones are not subtle. Trigger warnings include bullying, queerbaiting, and homophobia. The sex scenes are unconventional and off the charts hot; Devin’s choice for aftercare after a bondage scene is the icing on the cake.

The most masterful parts of the writing are Devin’s slow sorting out of what’s human-him and what’s wolf-him: the lycanthrope is all id and is reduced to simple rushes of words with no spaces in between (DarkBitterDelicate, FearSadnessPanic). As the moon wanes, he can more easily recognize when the wolf part is talking. As the moon waxes, the wolf asserts himself more and more until it takes over, feral. Once the full moon arrives, Devin is resplendent as a wolf and docilely dog-like as a human, snapping at bath water and terrorizing the mailman.

This is the manic pixie dream girl fandom homage that Buffy, X Files, and Dawson’s Creek fan didn’t know they were waiting for. A must-purchase.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #FanService via #NetGalley courtesy of #Berkley. A review will post to HLBB on 3/11/2025.

Another winner (mostly) from Rosie Danan. I am a fandom girlie and a romance girlie so this was right up my alley, even though werewolves aren't really my thing. I loved the fandom aspects of this, Alex's whole character, the wolf trials, and the relationship for the most part. I did have to mentally age Devin down while reading - having him be 42 didn't seem necessary and some of his behavior would have been marginally more acceptable if he was younger.

3.5 Stars

This was a very fun story, a cozy vibe with some deeper elements of past trauma and drama mixed into the backstories. The entire set-up of an aging actor turning into a real life version of the werewolf he portrayed on TV is hilarious and dynamic once it’s built up and out with great layers of a grown-up (and over it) fangirl and a documented fandom. That’s a healthy foundation to this story! It’s all a little kooky and crazy and the characters fit together well.

My problem is that I never really liked Devin Ashwood. His attitude and disdain for Alex went too far and didn’t ever turn around in a satisfactory way. He has some growth by the end and I love the eventual catharsis and HEA for everyone, but I was still hung up on all of the bad parts. There was a point I considered quitting but then something fun would happen and I’d get sucked back in.

Part of what had me hooked was a sense of nostalgia and the very strong Millennial vibes. Anyone of a certain age will connect with the WB tv era of watching Buffy, Angel, Smallville, storyline. There’s just the right amount of nerdiness thrown in amid the drama and romance and when all was said and done, I ended up enjoying it.

Such an amazing read, my favorite Danan yet! I love the little references to fan culture and the fun lampshading of certain tropes in the supernatural genre. Alex and Devin are both so real and concrete, each with their own pain and loss to overcome. I love Alex's spikey but loving nature, she truly is an excellent example of the rare lady grump. This is kind of a grumpy/freaked pairing, since Alex has such a protective exterior and Devin's main feeling in the book is "scared as the dickens." (Fair, I would also be freaked out if my TV show came to life.)

Devin moving past his traumatic past to forge a different future than he planned is so sweet and hopeful, I love that. Alex allowing herself to be loved and welcoming someone in is so meaningful and really brings the story home. I loved this book and honestly I've just talked myself into reading it again!

A werewolf paranormal romcom??? Sign me up RIGHT AWAY. Please and thank you!

This book is a love letter to fandom. Fandom in a time it wasn’t “mainstream” or “cool” to be obsessed with nerdy things. It is for those who grew up on fan fiction and the CW. It is for anyone who ignored bad CGI due to love of a story and characters that made them feel seen!

Devin Ashwood is a former teen heartthrob who played a werewolf FBI agent on TV. His show, the Arcane Files, had a cult following that dissected everything they could about the show, as fandoms do. Now 42 years old and clinging to the hope of an Arcane Files revival, Devin feels something isn’t quite right… and its either a nervous breakdown brewing, or he’s turning into an ACTUAL werewolf.

Enter our FMC, Alex, who back in the day was the Mod for the show’s biggest fan run website. She basically wrote the handbook to being a werewolf in the Arcane Files lore. So desperate Devin finds her old site he reaches out to her is desperation to get a handle on whatever is happening to him. Too bad for him, Alex has her own issues with Devin that go way back…

This book was SUCH a good time! The first half especially shined for me. Devin is this absolutely clueless himbo that’s a little self-centered, but with a heart of gold. Watching him try to wrestle with his possible transformation is both hilarious and at times very heart warming. Alex has a hard exterior, but is a softie on the inside grappling with her place in the world after having more than her fair share of setbacks. I loved how Rosie Danan was able to have her characters have a good amount of depth and backstory for a funny paranormal romance.

The first half tension was SO GOOD. Devin trying to wrestle control of his wolf while also trying to sort out his growing feelings towards Alex was just *chefs kiss*. Learning the werewolf lore was actually really interesting (yes, still ridiculous) and FUN. The second half lost me a little bit, because there were a few cringey moments, and I thought it drug out just a bit, losing some of that amazing tension.

Overall though this was just a real good time! I would highly recommend when you are looking for something goofy and different with some good tension. Shout out to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for access to this eARC! Look out for this book in March!

*insta post coming soon!*

Fan of supernatural stuff or not, this was a fun read.

If you like Supernatural, Buffy, X-Files, you name it, you will love this. If you hated all of that, well you might just love this for the enemies to lovers with the ex-favorite Hollywood actor the book has. That part, great!

Anyways - I feel like this book is truly for all millennials, because we all experienced that TV in the 2000-2010s, so this brings back some of the nostalgic feels.

This book made me laugh, Alex is so cool but also relatable. Her small town jerks were possibly a little too small town jerkwad-y but at the same time, sometimes they are like that, so maybe that's the case here. I love the way this all tied together. Love the different POVs.

This gave a different spin on the never meet your heroes (even though she already did). But maybe meet them again if this situation happens?

4.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my ARC.

If you love fanfiction or Supernatural or Supernatural fanfiction you are going to love this. If you're a fan girl/gay/they you'll enjoy this homage to your world. If you spent any time on tumblr in the 2010's you'll go wild for this. Thank you, Rosie Danan for seeing us and for writing this book for us.

Ok, I really wanted to like this- I am a lifelong sci-fi/fantasy's campy TV fandom gal. Supernatural, Buffy, X-Files, Xena, you name it. The premise really appealed to me. I just didn't feel a like of emotion between the leads. I enjoy a steamy romance but the steam felt kind of forced. Really wish I could rate this one higher. 3 * for all the fandom inside jokes.

Fan Service made me genuinely laugh, which is rare for me in a book. I loved Alex as a main character. She was cool, funny, and relatable, and unlike many of the other heroines I've been seeing in romance novels lately. Obviously, this is a good recommendation to anyone who liked Teen Wolf in high school, but I would also recommend this to anyone who has been feeling sick of the sameness of so many rom-com heroines. Also, this would be good for anyone who doesn't like the MMC to be cool and suave - though Devin might think he's cool, chapters from his POV show that he's kind of a loser (meant in a totally complimentary way!). My only issue was that, for some reason, I feel like this took me forever to read. I'm not sure if there was something about the writing style or the pacing, or if it was just me personally, but I didn't zip through this one the way I normally would through a romance.

This was so fun! Devin was VERY endearing, and I loved Alex and all the fandom elements of this book. This honestly might have been five stars if not for the way COVID haunted the narrative and yet no one masked and the multiple "during the pandemic" mentions made it seem like it's over (it's not. please wear a mask).

Rosie Danan wrote my all time favorite contemporary romance (The Intimacy Experiment) so I am predisposed to love her stuff. But this one was a miss for me unfortunately. I never really felt the chemistry between the two main characters, and the female character read incredibly young for a 34 year old. It was also really long so the story drug out a lot for me.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC In exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f paranormal romance
-love letter to fan fiction and teen shows
-incredible chemsitry
-raosting you is my love language
-second chance at love
-queer rep
-he falls first and hard
-golden retriever werewolf energy

This book really just solidified that Rosie Danan is one of the most talented writers out there. This book just sucked me in. The increidble sexual tension, the wit, the humor, the relatable insecurities. She just writes the most down bad men who don't even realizethey're simping yet simping so hard. I'm already ready to reread it. An immediate favorite.

4.75 stars!!!

never meet your heroes... you may not like who they really are... UNLESS he's a werewolf with golden retriever tendencies and is also hot !!! then like maybe meet your heroes...

i had SUCH a fun time reading this book! the quirky and fun dynamic between devin and alex kept bringing a smile to my face. this book was refreshing and unique in so many ways. i was giggling & sweating! the closet scene actually was too hot for its own good. but more than just a fun werewolf romance, this book touches on being an outcast and being in the spotlight -- how these two scenarios can BOTH radically change the way your mind functions, the pressures you put on yourself, and the pieces you lock away from others. i loved watching both devin & alex face those struggles and learn how to overcome them, finding happiness on their own and then with each other.

thank you Berkley & NetGalley for the eARC! this is my honest review.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Devin, a washed up actor who was on a 13 season long drama about a werewolf navigating his life and job, is now experiencing very strange symptoms. He believes he’s turning into a werewolf. He turns to the mod of a fan page for his old show for help figuring out what’s wrong with him. Alex is less than thrilled to help Devin because of a bad experience she had with him at a con, but she needs the money Devin offers.
I’m completely obsessed with this book! Paranormal romances with vampires and werewolves were what got me into reading the romance genre many years ago, so this threw me right back into those feels. The way this book addressed werewolves was completely new to me and very interesting. And the romance?! Talk about pining. This book really was about 2 imperfect people just trying to make it through the day. And together, life might just be even better.
Fan Service is available 03/11/2025

Not my favorite Rosie Danan. I’ve been chasing the high of The Roomate since I read it and I felt this one missed the mark. It took me forever to get to the end and I was hoping for a grand something at the end and was just overall disappointed. I felt Devin was very unlikable (which was kind of the intention) but there was not enough to redeem him for me to be able to root for his and Alex’s relationship. After reading the description this was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I was left wanting.

The moment I read the description, I knew I had to have this book. I absolutely love werewolves and shifter romances in general. Something happened in my childhood (god knows what) that inexorably linked shifters with my sex drive so now it's a kink of mine. Cool!
This book captures everything I love about a paranormal tv show on CW and makes it a romance book. I loved watching Alex and Devin work together to figure out what was going on with him and the fact that they did a lot of that at the vet clinic she worked at was comedy gold!

Devin and Alex are from all appearance very different. He is very confident with people he doesn't know but has insecurities about deeper relationships. She sort of has issues with both but has a lot of trouble with connecting with new people. I thought it was really interesting how two very different life experiences lead to similar issues and liked seeing them resolved together.

This is definitely a paranormal romance that will be very accessible to contemporary romance readers. A lot of the paranormal world building happens through the framework of a TV show and Devin is the only paranormal character. I do think paranormal romance readers will also enjoy this one assuming they enjoy a romcom.

Oh my, how I loved this book! I could not put it down from the moment I read the first page. The story follows Alex Lawson, a dedicated fan forum creator for a supernatural TV show called The Arcane Files, and Devin Ashwood, the show’s star who unexpectedly becomes a real werewolf. When Devin seeks Alex's expertise to understand his transformation, the two form an unlikely partnership.

As someone who has recently discovered the magic of paranormal romance, this book hit every craving I had. Devin's newfound supernatural identity and Alex's expertise, combined with her willingness to help, were an absolute delight to read. The chemistry between these characters had me completely hooked.

Beyond the romance and humor, the story reached an emotional depth through the unlikely relationship between Alex and Devin. They each helped one another work through personal struggles, and the way everything came together in the end was truly beautiful!

I don’t know, but I wasn’t a fan of it like I thought I would be. I enjoy reading the spicy, but the buildup wasn’t there. The chemistry between Alex and Devin was a bit off from the start. I think Rosie wanted a rival or enemies-to-lovers trope in Fan Service, but it makes no sense since Alex and Devin didn’t know each other too well. They just had a misunderstanding. It doesn’t give off rivals or enemies to lovers.

This was such a fun read. If you have ever been a fully engaged fan of a tv show or book series and are looking for those like-minded people look no further than Alex and her friends. She has been a part of her (Supernatural-esque) fandom since she was a young teen despite having her devotion to the show (or more specifically the show's main actor) sorely tested by Devin (said main actor). Of course, like all good characters, Devin isn't exactly a completely irredeemable villain. He has troubles of his own and some good points to go along with the bad.
This would have been a great rom-com on its own, but the addition of the paranormal werewolf aspect of the novel both upped the ante and set it apart from other romance novels. And the werewolf lore was actually interesting and made a lot of sense for how it was introduced.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a slightly steamy paranormal romance with great leading characters.