Faking it with a vampire duke should be easy, right?

I’ve got one chance to prove to my coven that I’m worth my wand. But to do it, I’m going to have to make a deal with a vampire duke. I get to use his gorgeous estate in Cornwall to host the Beltane Ball–and in exchange, I’ll pretend to be his girlfriend. But it’s all a show for his grandmother.

The rules of our fake relationship are simple:
No flirting. No emotion. No sex. Easy, right?

Except I can’t seem to ignore the allure of the infuriating and devastatingly sexy vampire. Falling for a duke isn’t an option, though. I would lose the anonymity that protects me and my coven, and that would ruin my life–and the lives of the other witches in my coven.

So yeah, totally easy.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire is a fun, frothy romantic comedy full of laughter, love, and magical hijinks. It’s the second in a series of standalone romances set in the seaside village of Charming Cove. The books do not need to be read in order.

3.5 stars

This delightful, light, fluffy read blends fantasy, romance, and magic into a sweet story.

The seaside setting of Charming Cove is… well, charming. It gives you a small town feel and is very warm and inviting. We don’t get to meet too many people in this town, but those whom we do meet are likable characters. I would’ve enjoyed it if the town and its residents played more of a role in the story. I also would’ve liked more description of the setting and events. We got a little bit, but I wanted more. I wanted to be fully immersed in this fantasy world, but felt like I was only able to dip my toes in it.

Emma and Alaric are easy characters to like, relate to, and ultimately root for. It’s a dual POV, so we’re able to understand each of their points of view. However, we get more of Emma’s POV, and at times, when I was reading in Alaric’s POV, I had forgotten that and thought it was Emma’s until I read a sentence that didn’t fit quite right, and then I remembered it’s Alaric’s POV. I don’t know if I learned that much more about Alaric from being in his POV. I think the book could’ve just used Emma’s POV, which would’ve worked for the entire story.

The romance between Emma and Alaric is very cute and sweet. There is some language and one spicy scene, but it’s not too graphic. I thought they made a really cute couple, but it does lean on the insta-love side quite a bit. They fall pretty soon and quickly for each other, ignoring the rules they set when they first planned the fake dating scheme. At times, it was obvious they both were falling for each other, but wouldn’t communicate their feelings, which was a bit annoying. I also wished we saw more of them together, trying to fake date, but much of the story is about Emma preparing for the town’s ball. It’s very predictable, but that didn’t ruin anything for me. Overall, I enjoyed their romance.

I also loved the found family element in this story. Emma just wants a family of her own, and she finds it within her coven as well as Alaric’s family. I love the relationships she builds with Alaric’s family members. I also really enjoyed Emma’s skunk familiar, Penelope. She’s sassy, caring, witty, and humorous. She brought some funny scenes throughout the story. She was a nice touch, and now I want a skunk familiar! (lol)

One big problem that I had was that Alaric is supposed to be a vampire, but he hardly acts like one. All of the traits we know about vampires do not apply in this story. He can be out in sunlight; he can eat and drink normal food and beverages; he doesn’t attack people for their blood, he gets it in a bag; he doesn’t sleep in a coffin…and so on. So, what makes this guy a vampire? I would’ve liked more evidence that he actually was a vampire!

Overall, the story was engaging and compelling. I think the pacing was great and didn’t really slow down too much. I wish it were a little longer so we got more time at the ball at the end, but it’s a pretty quick read. I’ll admit, it’s a little cheesy and a bit too fluffy at times, but this was exactly what I needed and wanted when I read it. It’s overly sweet, verging on too nice without a lot of conflict, but it was still a fun read. It’s light, whimsical, and magical, though I wish we had a bit more magic in it. It’s perfect for a fall read or a spooky/Halloween feel-good read with some supernatural elements.

I definitely got cozy fantasy vibes from this book. Now, I want to read the first book in the series. I believe this is the type of series where each book can stand on its own without reading the others. Definitely recommend if you like warm, fuzzy rom-coms with a bit of enchanting magic and love!