Am I… am I into paranormal romance again? This delightfully different, deliciously spicy love story has me questioning everything. I devoured it in one sitting, stayed up WAY too late reading, and am left with the desire to read more of its kind. 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 only checked this one out because of that fantastic cover and my sincere enjoyment of The Nanny, but it took no time at all to realize I was going to love this. It’s like a contemporary grumpy/sunshine, fake dating romance with a twist. The biggest difference is that our leads are both wolf shifters, so faking a relationship comes with some unintended consequences. I loved that the characters were the kind of opposites who complemented each other perfectly, I loved their chemistry in and out of the bedroom (and there’s a whole lot of time spent in the bedroom!), I loved that I never quite knew where the story was going to go next. It felt familiar and fresh at the same time, and I just absolutely ate it up.
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.
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. Noah is such a sweetheart once he shows his softer side, but he’s also insanely protective and smitten with Mackenzie after those hormones flood his system. It was fun watching the alpha side of him come out to play, and Mackenzie really was a great partner for him. The paranormal element is front and center throughout the story, yet it was easily understandable even to those who are new to the genre. 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!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rf1FS3
Audio Note:
The audio is excellent! I’ve been listening to a lot more Joe Arden recently, and I’m loving his voice. He’s got that deep growl that works perfectly for a wolf shifter (especially in the plentiful spicy scenes!), but he also infuses so much emotion and personality into his performance. Samantha Summers also does a great job, and her upbeat voice embodies Mackenzie well. It’s dual narration with a runtime of around 11 hours, so it was kinda too much for a single day… which is why I was up so late listening, lol. I can’t even remotely recommend this one as a workday listen, as the spice is prevalent throughout the entire story. These two start feeling the effects of their hormones early on and it doesn’t take a lot of time before they’re hitting the sheets, so keep that in mind when listening. The lighthearted vibes were fantastic in audio though, and this is one listening experience that enhanced the story – without a doubt. Highly recommended in the format.
Audiobook: https://amzn.to/47M3oVT
Blurb:
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.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rf1FS3
About the Author:
Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. 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.
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