How to Fake-Date a Vampire is a magical tale of romance, stunning displays of witchcraft, and familial love. Emma and the Duke (Alaric) enter a proposal - she’ll fake-date him to convince his grandmother that he’s happy, and he’ll let her host the Beltane Ball at his estate.

Emma and Alaric have an easy relationship that is fun to read about. At times, it does seem too easy, as they fall in love quickly, completely ignoring their rules of “no emotion”. Most of the secrets are revealed within the first few chapters, and forgiveness takes less than a page after a major argument. Whilst this made for a nice story, the lack of tension meant that the romantic get-back-together scene didn’t have much of a payoff.

The world building and surrounding characters were a highlight of the book! The Duke’s grandmother is incredible, with exuberant energy, great outfits, and a possible romance with a ghost. It was heartwarming to see how Emma craved a family, and the Duke’s grandmother wanted the same. The magical gardens, skunk familiars, and ghostly apparitions are a wonderful hallmark of Lindsey Hall’s Charming Cove Series!!!

I am always a sucker for vampire books and this one was a fun one! This is my first Lindsey Hall book (I think) and it was a pleasure to read. I'll definitely pick up more by her.

I really enjoyed this witchy romcom and a little different take on vampire lore. I absolutely loved a Modern Girl's Guide to Witchcraft and this was a great next piece to the series. Emma and Alaric were adorable, Emma's familiar was so fun, and the found family dynamic for Emma was heartwarming.

Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, found family - can't go wrong! A fun, light fall read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a cosy fantasy with hints of rom-com set in the modern world. Charming Cove seems like such a lovely place and I really wish it existed in real life. What brings the rating down for me from a solid five star read to a 3.5 is the fact that the book was supposed to be about fake-dating a vampire. But there's nothing indicating that the person is actually a vampire except for it being mentioned and that they spiced their alcohol with a bit of blood. That was very disappointing to me since I'm a huge vampire fan. It really felt like the duke was just a "regular" bloke with a titel and money. The other thing that kind or irked me was the fact that the book was more about Emma and her preparations for the upcoming event than it was about actually fake-dating the duke. But except for that it was a really cosy read and I did enjoy it. I just wish it could have been a bit more.

This was such a fun book! I loved every second of it! I’m a sucker for vampires and witches… the charming cove series is a fun series and I have enjoyed reading the books so far!

Special thanks to Net Galley for providing me with this ARC!

Fake dating for the win! This book was incredibly cute! Vampires and witches make for a romance story to make your heart melt! Loved the fake dating troupe and then supernatural aspect just made it even better! With October around the corner it’s the perfect book to put you in a festive mood! I definitely wish I could have had more about being a vampire or a witch but it was such a sweet romance!

I cannot wait to read more magical books by this author too!

#fakedating #witch #vampire #romance #lindsayhall #howtofakedateavampire #bookreview #netgalley

A fantastic cosy paranormal romance that I devoured in no time at all.

Definitely what I needed following a few serious reads beforehand. I adore a witch/vampire romance and always appreciate when authors make these magical beings “original” to their stories. For example, Hall’s vampires can come out in the day, don’t drink from humans and so on.

This was a fake dating/opposites attract with a dash of miscommunication story and it was spooky perfection. Penelope the familiar was the cherry on the cake!

I need to get my hands on the next book in the series asap!

I loved this sweet witchy rom com with my whole heart. It was just what I needed. Emma, Alaric, and Penelope are lovable and endearing. I especially loved the world building and magical humor that gave this book extra sparkle. Highly recommend for a feel good romance read!

Emma is a witch who is relatively new to Charming Cove. She's working on securing a spot in her coven, and when given a task, she makes a deal that could change everything.
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It's time for the Beltane Ball, and the person who finds the best venue gets the chance to host it. Emma suggests Blackthorn Hall, but the Duke who lives there isn't interested. Alaric is a vampire and Duke of Blackthorn. He wants his private life kept private, but when a witch with big ideas comes calling, he realizes they could help each other. He needs a fake girlfriend to fool his interfering Granny, Emma wants to use his family home for the ball. Win/Win. As long as no one finds out, of course...
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Linsey Hall knocked it out of the park again with the cozy vibes. The second book in the Charming Cove series has even more of the good feels. The cozy seaside village, crazy found family, quaint shops, and magical hijinks all add to the atmosphere. I also can't forget the ridiculously cute familiar that steals the spotlight in these books. Penelope the skunk was a fūcķing delight, and I'd love to share some bacon sandwiches with her any day.
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Overall, the story was a good one, but it was a little *too* similar to book one. A magical challenge, sabotage, FMC hates the MMC for an easily explainable miscommunication, FMC doesn't know her powers, the outdoor §ex. It's all done well, but it's a copy of the first book. I enjoyed Emma and her exploration of her powers, but Alaric was kind of left swinging in the wind. Nothing really made him a vampire besides the fact that he put blood in his cocktails. It was like the author just needed another supernat to check a box. I will say he got some points back for having his very own Beauty and the Beast library. But then he lost more again for instigating that ridiculous 3rd act breakup.
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Even with those complaints, I had such a fun time reading this. It's the most cozy, ease in to spooky season type of book. And the humor and comraderie alone keeps you interested. Big thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC, I had so much fun being back in Charming Cove!

(3.5 stars rounded up.)

I absolutely loved this trip back to Charming Cove!! It would work well as a standalone, but I enjoyed cameos from Aria, Boris and Catrina from Book 1.

This was the cutest little feel-good story. My fav character has to be Penelope 🦨 so sassy and fun! 🥓 I would love a side story of Pen and Boris 🦡

So glad I received this eARC, I can’t wait to see whose story is next in this series! 🔮

If you love fairy tail type stories this is the one for
you .I very much enjoyed this story . I would love to read more of this type . I think you will enjoy it as much as I did . Was such a wonderful love story also.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire by Linsey Hall is a paranormal rom-com and the second book in the Charming Cove series. We alternate first-person points-of-view between our two main characters.

Emma wants nothing more than to become an Official Witch so she can finally have the family she's desired her whole life after jumping around between foster homes. When the coven announces the apprentice who has the best idea for their Beltane Ball will become Official, she lobbies for hosting at the manor of local vampire duke, Alaric. They strike a deal to fake-date one another so Emma can put on the ball of her dreams and Alaric's grandmother can finally meet his "significant other."

This was really cute, like the first book in the series. Though characters from the first book are referenced a few times, you can likely read it as a standalone.

Similar to the first book in the series, I really liked the vast majority of the characters here. I especially loved Emma's skunk familiar, Penelope. The magic system is still cool, especially with the addition of revelation sticks and joy batteries in this installment.

There were a few parts of the book that were pretty weak in my opinion. Firstly, the third-act breakup (miscommunication, one of my least favorite tropes) was very milquetoast and Emma forgave Alaric way too easily. Secondly, the ending in general felt way too rushed. Finally, we didn't get much world-building here about how vampires work in this universe and I'd love to have learned more about them. We are mostly just shown that they spike their alcoholic drinks with blood, which wasn't enough detail for me.

If you're looking for something light and charming, try picking this one up! It's a cozy fantasy romance that's a quick and cute read.

Tropes in this book include: grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, found family, forced proximity

CW: light stalking (by papparazo)

3,5/5 Stars

This book was nice. That’s probably the best way to put it. It was entertaining and fast-paced, and very easily readable in one sitting, but I don’t think it’ll really stick with me. Which is fine, not every book has to be groundbreaking, but I had hoped for a little more.

That being said, I love the fake-dating trope and this book definitely delivered on that front. I also like the two main characters, and while I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication as the main conflict between love-interests it kind of worked in this one and while they fell in love very, very quickly it was still really sweet.

One thing that I found to be a bit of a let down was the vampires themselves, because they could’ve been replaced by regular, rich humans and it wouldn’t have made any difference in my opinion. I just think that if an author puts vampire in the title then there should be at least some fangs and maybe a bat or two, not just a squirt of blood in a martini every now and then.

Overall, a fun and very quick read, but nothing very new or groundbreaking. I’d definitely recommend it to people who are trying to get into fantasy and fantasy romance, or if you just really like the genre in general.

This is the second in the Charming Cove series, but it can be read as a standalone. Again, we are back in the sweet, small, witchy, costal town and we meet one of the newest residents, Emma, with her friends. Even though she is still known as the "new girl," she has lived there for two years. She is focused on finding her place within the community when she has a run in with the town's celebrity, you guessed it! The Vampire. This fake-dating romance was so fun, and I was definitely in the mood for the dynamic. Along with the Found Family Emma keeps acquiring it really is one of those books that puts you in a better mood. Of course, there are a few challenges to overcome in the relationship and their lives. We watch our characters grow and open their hearts in the delightful anticipation of a Happily Ever After.

The Charming Cove series is absolutely adorable. I have my eye on the third in the Series, "Romance Rules for Werewolves." I am going to try to save it for when I need a strong dose of dopamine. It comes out Dec 7th.

Thank you to Linsey Hall, Quill and Bonnie Doon Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy of How to Fake-Date a Vampire.

I started off enjoying this and towards the 50-page mark it fell flat for me.
Emma was a pretty irritable character and Alaric was meant to be a vampire? I know this is a cosy romance novel, I just kind of expected more from a vampire.
Every page I kept having to drag myself through, nothing was gripping me.
It was very cliche and predictable Also I was expecting more of a build-up.
There was a lot of explaining in this book and I got lost trying to keep up!
Maybe this style isn’t for me.
3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC so I could write this honest review!

How to Fake-Date a Vampire is an adorable paranormal rom-com. It has some truly absurd laugh out loud moments. I loved Emma and her precious familiar Penelope. Aleric could have been human except for the blood drinking out of a glass. But even with that this was a fast paced romp that I truly enjoyed. Though this is part of a series it can be read stand alone just fine.

i really liked this book, it's a perfect light-hearted romcom with just the right amount of magical elements. i especially loved penelope, she's just so funny and sarcastic. the main characters in this book were pretty likeable, and i did enjoy reading about their love story. emma is so cute, and alaric is definitely boyfriend material. as a loyal fan of the fake dating trope, i was not disappointed. the reason that caused them to started fake dating was also quite heartwarming and not unbelievable like in some other books. all in all, i think this is a great read and i'd definitely recommend it, especially since its fall now. 4/5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley & Publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review ❤️

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this book. I was expecting more fake dating, tension, buildup etc but it felt more about the ball itself.

Some of the sentences of what the characters said just felt quite off and things happened suddenly like a switch (e.g Penelope, FMC & MMC attraction etc) like different aspects popping up suddenly.

The book was quite short and felt it could have been a bit longer to explore themes and relationships in more depth and flow.

“She smiled, and I found that I wanted to make her smile like that every day, forever.”

Bringing back all the cozy, witchy vibes from the Charming Cove world, we meet Emma, a witch hoping to prove herself to her coven, and Alaric, a vampire duke who avoids the public and paparazzi that follow him, like the plague. In wanting to impress her fellow witches, Emma strikes a deal to fake date Alaric in hopes of throwing the coven’s annual ball at his private estate.

This book was all the warm hugs and spooky vibes I was looking for the start of fall! It was fun to see Aria from book one in the background, but this can be read as a stand-alone too!

I honestly enjoyed this more than the first- the characters just were hitting a little sweeter for me and I look forward to going back to Charming Cove when book 3 comes out!

Also, I loved Emma’s familiar Penelope the skunk just as much as I loved Boris - Aria’s familiar. I can just picture her with her cute little pink bow- so sweet!

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This is the second book in the Charming Cove series and follows witch-in-training, Emma, and vampire duke, Alaric. In order to earn a spot at her coven, Emma is in charge of planning the annual Beltane Ball. The biggest problem is trying to convince Alaric to let her host it at his estate - his famously private estate. Lucky for Emma, Alaric needs a fake girlfriend to show his grandmother after a disastrous break-up. As the two spend time together preparing for the upcoming Ball, they find that maybe they have more in common than they initially thought. This is falling into the 'not for me' category. I didn't really connect with the characters or the writing style. I found Emma and her whole plot to feel more YA than I was expecting which just isn't my vibe. This YA-ish plot also clashed with the more adult romance elements. I wanted way more from Alaric than we got and I never really got a good handle on his character or backstory. I did really love the world of Charming Cove and all the different types of magic or magical creatures we get to see. Also, Penelope the skunk was far and away my favorite part of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC. Publication date was August 31, 2023