The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson on December 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Paranormal / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
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“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 actually living.”
The story follows Mackenzie and Noah, two doctors who work at the same hospital but have never spent any time together. Noah has a reputation for being a scary grump, while Mackenzie is friends with everyone she meets. When Mackenzie discovers that Noah’s job is on the line because he never disclosed that he’s an alpha shifter without a mate (and they have a reputation that precedes them), she realizes that faking a relationship might benefit her as well. Shortly after, the two make their new “relationship” work-official, and Noah goes off the suppressants that have been minimizing his alpha hormones, as someone would if they were happily mated. It doesn’t take long before things start changing between them, as Noah reveals a side of himself that he’s been hiding from everyone and their hormones start wreaking havoc on their systems. And when the two start adding some sexual benefits to their previously platonic relationship, things quickly start spiraling out of control.
Am I… am I into paranormal romance again? This delightfully different, deliciously spicy love story has me questioning everything. It’s been years since True Blood and Twilight and all the paranormal things that oversaturated the market back in the day, and it seems like I might finally be able to sit down and enjoy something involving shifters again. I’m a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine, fake dating relationship any day of the week, but it’s always fun when there’s a new spin on the familiar trope. This is exactly that – Noah and Mackenzie start playing with danger the moment they start spending time together, and heating things up in the bedroom makes things even messier. There’s a TON of spicy moments, most of which advance the relationship in some kind of way. I loved that they were so intimate and revealing, in addition to simply being pretty sexy.
I gave this Ferguson’s second novel another five stars! She is on a role and quickly becoming a favorite author. The paranormal element is front and center throughout the story, yet it was easily understandable even to those who haven’t read much if the genre in a long time. Their gossiping co-workers explain anything the reader might need to know, lol, and the overall tone is both sexy and playful. It was just exceedingly entertaining, and so incredibly easy to binge. I loved it!