Caffeinated Reviewer

Sophia Rose is here with a review of The Fake Mates by Lana Ferguson, where two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates and things don’t go exactly as expected in this steamy paranormal romance.

Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates but unexpectedly find something real in this steamy paranormal romantic comedy by Lana Ferguson.

Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately. Model train experts, mansplainers, guys weirdly obsessed with her tail—she hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.

Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist and all around grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the same day he’s called to meet the board has to be kismet, right?

Mackenzie will keep her grandmother off her back, and Noah will get a chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate—a mutually beneficial business transaction, they both rationalize. But when the fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.

Sophia Rose’s Review

A paranormal medical romance was definitely going to get my attention and I remember spying one of the author’s earlier releases and being tempted, but couldn’t fit it in.  So, I was glad to spot The Fake Mate with a fun romance trope placed into a mash up of medical and hot as a firecracker paranormal romance.

The Fake Mate caught my eye because I do like the fake dating trope as well as grumpy-sunshine romance pair a lot, but also was curious about a paranormal in a medical setting.  The hospital setting was background to the romance and character’s werewolf situations, but still had a visible role.

I’ve read plenty of paranormal romance in the last decade, but this was my first ‘omegaverse’ paranormal though I’d seen mention of them about.  I point out this interesting tidbit because there are certain elements to this style shifter romance.  First of all, there is the obvious that is even mentioned in the blurb of dominance statuses: alpha, omega, and the rest.  In Lana Ferguson’s worldbuilding, alphas like Noah and omegas like Mackenzie are the rarer groups.  I thought it was a fun premise that he’d been hiding his alpha status so he could be left be to just follow his career and nobody get testy that his furriness would turn into the big bad wolf of the hospital, but also, that Mackenzie was keeping her omega status under wraps because, she, too, would stir up fuss if others knew.  In truth, she was so sassy and confident particularly about what she wanted and needed that I could see how she fooled people even Noah when they started up their fake mating arrangement so he could keep practicing at the hospital and she could get her family off her back.  His own nature kicked in while he thought he was just faking it and startled him with his possessiveness.

Many times paranormal romances dive into the sexy side faster than the relationship is at developing and The Fake Mate is no exception.  I tend to like more slow build, but I go with it for PNR.  But, here’s where that omegaverse-style plays in with much of werewolf mating related to heats, scents, and intense need.  The steamy sex is augmented by something particular to alpha wolves when mating omegas.  In-te-resting…

All in all, it stayed fairly light in tone, reveled in the spicy mating, and was pretty much what I was expecting when I picked it up. I hope the author writes more of her entertaining paranormal romances that I can recommend to others who are into the genre.

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About Sophia Rose

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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