Romance Review – THE FAKE MATE by Lana Ferguson @berkleyromance
The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson Also by this author: Under Loch and Key
Published by BERKLEY on December 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the free e-copy of The Fake Mate and to Kristin Cipolla for the invitation to take part in the blog tour for this book!
I had never read a shifter romance prior to The Fake Mate, but after reading and loving Lana Ferguson’s spicy debut, The Nanny, I knew I wanted my first experience reading about shifters to be written by her. I made the right decision too. Not only is it a shifter romance, but it also features two of my favorite tropes, fake dating and grumpy-sunshine so I was definitely in my happy place reading this one.
The story follows Mackenzie (Mack) Carter and Noah Taylor, two wolf shifters who also happen to be doctors working at the same hospital. After a long string of disastrous dates, Mack has decided she is done with men for a while but is constantly having to dodge her grandmother, who is determined to find Mack a husband. As much as Mack loves her grandmother, she can’t take it anymore and during one particularly awkward conversation with her, blurts out that she is seeing Noah Taylor, the first man who happens to walk by while she is talking and absolutely the last man she would actually want to date. Desperate times call for desperate measures though, right?
Noah is dealing with a similarly sticky situation. He has hidden the fact that he is an Alpha male for years because of the stigma that surrounds that designation. When someone sends an anonymous tip to the hospital board, Noah has to either come clean to the board and risk his future or else convince them that he is nothing to worry about because he has a mate. When Mack approaches him to see if he would be willing to help her out, Noah, although shocked, reluctantly agrees since it sounds like this arrangement could solve both of their problems.
This was such a fun romance to read! Ferguson does a fabulous job with both the grumpy-sunshine and the fake dating tropes. I loved the initial snarky banter between the two of them and thoroughly enjoyed watching them get under each other’s skin. My favorite part of a fake dating relationship is when those fake feelings give way to something real and Ferguson handled this aspect so well. I adored watching Mack and Noah really start to open up to one another. That bond of trust that starts to build up between them is everything and I just ate it up!
The Fake Mate is full of humor and heart, as well as a heavy dose of spicy shifter love. It was everything I hoped my first time reading a shifter romance would be and more!
About Lana Ferguson
Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass.
When she isn’t writing—you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of Lord of the Rings.
Lana lives mostly in her own head, but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors.
Lana hopes to give the world all sorts of sexy stories between two dummies sharing a single brain cell—but until then: practice safe text, use commas.
Lana is represented by actual angel and anxiety-wrangling aficionado, Jessica Watterson at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
Lana’s profile art was designed by mooncrabdesigns.
Romance Reviews: Enemies-to-Lovers Edition
Happy Friday everyone! The work week after a holiday always feel extremely long to me but thankfully it’s finally over. We also just made it through our last big work deadline of the year so I’m looking forward to having some downtime between now and the end of the year. Even though I’ve been busy, I’ve still been reading as much as possible and this past week, I dove into some of my most anticipated enemies-to-lovers romance reads. I’m sharing my thoughts on them today and hope you’ll come away with some new books to add to your TBR. 🙂
Next-Door Nemesis Goodreads
Author: Alexa Martin
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e- copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I always know I’m in for a good time when I pick up one of Alexa Martin’s novels and that was definitely the case with her latest, Next-Door Nemesis. Who knew a romance between rival candidates for a homeowner’s association presidency could be so entertaining? Not me, but man, did I laugh my way all the way through this book!
Collins Carter is a television writer who is going through a rough patch and has moved back in with her parents for a while so that she can regroup. She’s not thrilled about being back in the neighborhood she couldn’t wait to get away from, especially since she keeps running into Nate, her archnemesis from high school, who is now also running for president of her parent’s neighborhood HOA and the culprit behind a recent unjustified complaint her parents received. Collins, who I loved because she’s so sassy and strong-willed, isn’t having it and decides to run against Nate.
All Nate Adams wants is a quiet life in his nice neighborhood. He figures the best way to make that happen is to become President of his neighborhood’s HOA. He is not excited to learn that obnoxious Collins has come back to town and he is furious when she announces that she is running against him. Needless to say, the gloves come off!
Both Collins and Nate are ultra-competitive and it is hilarious watching the two of them go after this presidency so hard. There are endless over-the-top antics and shenanigans along the way, until they finally start to catch feelings for one another. Martin’s dialogue in these scenes is just so smart and fun, and I actually live in a neighborhood that has an HOA so I found the antics and the drama all the more relatable and entertaining.
If you’re looking for a romantic read that is pure fun from start to finish, be sure to check out Next-Door Nemesis. 4.5 STARS
Do Your Worst Goodreads
Author: Rosie Danan
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e- copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I was drawn to Rosie Danan’s new romance Do Your Worst because it features a fun and unexpected enemies-to-lovers pairing, an occult expert and an archaeologist. Danan is such a great storyteller and I couldn’t wait to see what she was going to do with these characters. I was not disappointed either!
Riley Rhodes comes from a long line of curse breakers and while most of her family has shied away from their talent for dealing with the supernatural, Riley decides to turn it into a legitimate business. When she is hired to break a curse on an infamous Scottish castle, she expects that she’ll be flying solo the entire trip and is pleasantly surprised when she meets Clark, a handsome archaeologist at a pub soon after her arrival. They hit it off quite well until Clark learns who she is and why she is in Scotland. It turns out that Clark is actually surveying the same site. He is reeling from a professional scandal that has tanked his reputation and feels this new job is his one shot at redemption. When he learns that Riley is a curse breaker, he assumes that she is running some kind of scam and tries to get her fired. Needless to say, sparks fly!
I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and had a really good time with this one, especially since the cursed castle seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to Riley and Clark. Somehow no matter how much the two of them try to stay far away from one another, they keep ending up together and can’t understand why. The snarky banter between them was hilarious, and oh boy, the steam once they finally stop trying to resist one another was off the charts! I also really loved the book’s setting. It doesn’t get much more atmospheric than a Scottish castle with paranormal vibes!
Do Your Worst is the perfect choice for readers who enjoy stories that are full of adventure, spice, snark, and a dash of the paranormal. 4 STARS
Woke Up Like This Goodreads
Author: Amy Lea
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e- copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Imagine being 17 years old and planning for your senior prom one minute and waking up to find that you’re 30 years old and about to marry your high school archnemesis. That’s the premise of Amy Lea’s latest book Woke Up Like This, and boy is it a good time!
I’m a huge enemies to lovers fan and have also been loving time loop romances lately, so this book really called to me. I’ve not read one before where both main characters ended up traveling through time together so I really appreciated Lea’s unique approach to an otherwise familiar concept. I also really enjoyed the way these characters are portrayed. Even though they supposedly cannot stand each other, Charlotte and J.T. are forced to rely on one another since they are each other’s only constant as they navigate their future lives. It was a lot of fun watching them try to puzzle out how in the world they could have possibly ended up engaged to be married at the age of 30 based on the hostile nature of the relationship between their 17-year-old selves. And of course, it’s just chef’s kiss watching their feelings for one another start to change the more they are forced to hang out together.
There’s definitely a theme in this story about the importance of slowing down to appreciate all of life’s moments versus just always speeding ahead to the next milestone. Even with that message though, I’d still say Woke Up Like This is a great choice if you’re looking for a fun and light read that you can breeze through in a few hours. 4 STARS
Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Stranger Upstairs & Christmas Presents
Hi, Sharon back with another edition of Thriller Thursday. I hope those who celebrated Thanksgiving had a great day. And even though it is now the festive holiday season, in my heart it is always spooky season. 😀 This week I have Lisa M. Matlin’s debut novel, The Stranger Upstairs and Lisa Unger’s, Christmas Presents (see incorporating festive and spooky in my readings LOL).
The Stranger Upstairs Goodreads Author: Lisa M. Matlin
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Publisher: Bantam
The Stranger Upstairs is Lisa M. Matlin’s debut novel and what a debut it was. The Stranger Upstairs was a creepy thriller that had an Amityville Horror vibe. I borrowed this book from the library, but I am definitely going to be buying a copy to have in my collection.
Forty years ago, Black Wood House was the scene of a brutal murder/suicide. Bill Campbell bludgeoned his wife Susan to death with a hammer. He then went to kill his daughter Janet, but she was able to run from the house and escape. Bill then committed suicide. No one knows where Janet is, as she has not been seen in forty years. Black Wood House has sat decaying all this time, until social media influencer Sarah Slade buys the house and plans to fix it up and then resell it. Not long after she and her husband move in, strange things start to happen. The new wallpaper they put up in the bedroom just falls off, Sarah is hearing footsteps in the attic, and she has started receiving threatening notes. With each day, Sarah’s life spirals out of control, and she becomes convinced that someone is trying to kill her. But who? Her husband, her neighbors, or the house itself?
WOW! I don’t even know how to explain how good and creepy this book was without giving anything away. I think Matlin did an amazing job of bringing Black Wood House to life. At times I actually felt like it was another character in the book. The more that Sarah spiraled out of reality, the more she thought the house was talking to her and feeding off her anger. And I was convinced as well. I got chills so many times while I was reading this book.
Sarah was a very complex character, and she had a lot of secrets. I liked her, but then again, I didn’t like her. LOL! As her secrets were revealed I moved to the “didn’t like her” end, but then when I learned more about her childhood, I moved to the “I like her” end. When things started progressing in the book and Sarah started going off the deep end, I had no idea what to believe. I have to say I loved Sarah’s cat, Reaper. What a cool name. Reaper can feel the vibes the house is giving off. When Reaper gets sick, Sarah is positive one of her neighbor’s poisoned him. But then Sarah starts getting sick as well. Is it the house or is someone breaking in and torturing her?
By the end of the book, I could not read fast enough. I just had to find out what was really going on and how this would end. I thought the book was going one way, but then Matlin threw in some twists and took it in a direction I so did not anticipate. If you are looking for a creepy thriller that will give you goose bumps and make you look over your shoulder, then I recommend Lisa M. Matlin’s, The Stranger Upstairs. 4 stars
Christmas Presents Goodreads Author: Lisa Unger
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Publisher: Mysterious Press
I love Lisa Unger’s books, so when I saw her new book, Christmas Presents, I knew I had to read it. What better way to kick off the holiday season than with a mystery that takes place around Christmas.
Ten years ago, just before Christmas, Madeline Martin was attacked by her boyfriend, Evan Handy. Madeline survived, but her best friend Steph did not. Also, on that night two of Madeline’s other friends, sisters Ainsley and Sam Wallace went missing. Evan was convicted of killing Steph and has always been suspected in the disappearance of Ainsley and Sam. Madeline’s father, Sherrif James Martin, has been obsessed with finding the girls right up until he had a stroke a few months ago. Madeline now owns a local bookstore, The Next Chapter Bookshop, and while she has tried to move on with her life, this time of year always brings back the memories of that night. When Harley Granger, a true-crime podcaster, comes into the bookstore one night just before Christmas, he tells Madeline he is doing a podcast on the cold case of missing Ainsley and Sam. Madeline wants nothing to do with the podcast, that is until Harley tells her that in the past ten years, three other woman have gone missing in the area, most recently a young exotic dancer named Lolly. With Evan in jail, who has taken these women and are they connected to Ainsley and Sam’s disappearance?
The story is told from the POV of Madeline, both in the present and we also get snippets of her remembering the events that lead up to the night Evan killed Step and attacked her. We also get the POV of Harley as he works on the podcast and tries to find clues that will lead to finding out what happened to the missing women. And we get the POV of Lolly, the last woman that went missing. I loved how Lisa Unger set the story this way. Each chapter and POV just added to the mystery of what was going on.
Unger did a great job in creating the characters in this story. I really liked Madeline. She was such a strong character. She harbors a lot of guilt over Steph’s death and is just trying to get on with her life. But when she finds out that other women have gone missing and they could be connected to Ainsley and Sam, she works with her childhood friend Badger and together they use sheriff Martin’s files to try and figure out who is responsible for these disappearances.
Harley Granger was a character I loved to hate. He was not a bad guy per se, but his approach on his podcast just shed him in a sort of bad light for me. I really liked getting Lolly’s chapters. Those just gave me the chills, knowing she is being held captive, but not knowing what her fate is going to be.
If you are looking for a Christmas themed mystery with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then check out Lisa Unger’s Christmas Presents. 4 stars