When contractor Tess Covington ends up in the emergency room on her way to her latest renovation project at a Denver lodge, she is shocked to discover that she is a late-presenting omega wolf shifter (not a beta non-shifter human like she thought). But Tess is in talks for her own home renovation show, which comes with a signing bonus that would enable her dad to afford much needed surgery, so the “show” must go on. When Tess arrives at the lodge, she meets the grumpy owner, Hunter Barrett, who is an alpha wolf shifter. Omegas and alphas are extremely compatible and drawn together, but Hunter has been burned in the past and is determined to avoid his new contractor as much as possible, no matter how much her scent calls to him. When Tess has trouble shifting for the first time and starts experiencing irregular yet intense heat cycles, Hunter is “forced” to help, and the pair become a sort of friends with benefits. Despite their forced proximity, Tess and Hunter are determined not to catch feelings for each other as Tess is only in town temporarily and Hunter’s home is the lodge.
The Mating Game is a steamy shifter romance featuring the forced proximity, fated mates, and grumpy with sunshine tropes. This would be perfect for fans of spicy shifter romances, like Bride and Mate by Ali Hazelwood, and fans of HGTV renovation shows or romances that feature home renovations, like Maggie Moves On and Story of My Life by Lucy Score. The Mating Game features themes and topics like change versus tradition, loss of parents, grief, illness, finances, appearance versus reality, loneliness and isolation, love and heartbreak, secrets and lies, and self worth. Although The Mating Game is a follow-up to Lana’s The Fake Mate, I believe that it can be read as a complete standalone (but if you have read The Fake Mate, you will get to see a few little cameos of Mackenzie and Noah in The Mating Game).
This is a seasonally appropriate read and even though The Mating Game isn’t a Christmas book, Tess and Hunter do get snowed in alone together at the lodge during a huge snowstorm, which leads to some delightfully cosy moments as well as steamy scenes and makes this book a great addition to any winter TBR list. I have read a lot of Lana’s books, but I feel like her paranormal romances (like Under Loch and Key and The Fake Mate) always end up being favourites as they seem to be more unique and memorable. I definitely hope that we see more paranormal romances from Lana in the future! Furthermore, without spoiling anything, at the end of The Mating Game, Lana does leave an opening for another book in her omegaverse, which I’m really excited about.
For me the only real downside of this book was that Tess’s stay at the lodge was temporary and thus, I found myself dreading the obvious upcoming expiration date to Tess and Hunter’s budding romance. Additionally, the problems and conflicts that arose were resolved really quickly at the end, which seemed unrealistic.
If you’re in the mood for a cosy and very spicy wolf shifter romance with some wintery vibes, then I highly recommend adding The Mating Game to your TBR or holiday wishlist!
The Mating Game is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Mating Game? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
Two wolf shifters reluctant to love discover there’s no fighting the call of the wild in this steamy romance by USA Today bestselling author Lana Ferguson.
Contractor Tess Covington has spent her entire life as a regular non-shifter human, so after she lands in the Denver ER with flu-like symptoms, it comes as a complete shock to be told that, no, she’s not sick—she’s actually a late-presenting omega wolf shifter. With her family in dire financial straits and a contract for her own television show on the line, she can’t afford not to complete the renovation job she came for. And given that her newly emerged wolf is in danger of going into heat, she’ll just have to do her best to follow the doctor’s advice to keep away from alpha shifters.
Alpha wolf Hunter Barrett has spent most of his adult life living by a routine, and a big part of that involves staying clear of omegas after having one stomp on his heart. So when the tiny contractor shows up at his place smelling like the one thing he’s determined to avoid, he thinks it must be some sort of cosmic joke. But with his lodge on the verge of failing and this sweet-smelling omega his only hope to turn things around . . . he’s left with few other options than to grin and bear it.
Set on avoiding each other as much as possible, they find things unexpectedly starting to heat up between them enough to thaw even the frostiest of hearts. Though even with the pair going head over paws for each other, there’s no changing that their fling has an expiration date. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they’re playing a dangerous game—one where the only thing on the line is their hearts.
