Praise for
Under Loch and Key
“When Lana Ferguson said she was going to write a book about the Loch Ness Monster, I had no idea what I was in for. I should have known it would include a funny, relatable heroine, copious amounts of spice, and the sexiest hero that ever graced a kilt. You WANT to read this!”
—Ruby Dixon, New York Times bestselling author of By the Horns
“Under Loch and Key is Lana at the top of her game. Unique, atmospheric, playful, and so hot you’ll be looking for the nearest loch to cool off in, her books are everything I’m happy to reach for time and time again.”
—Tarah DeWitt, USA Today bestselling author of Savor It
“Ferguson puts her own ingeniously clever and wonderfully whimsical spin on the Loch Ness Monster legend and the Scottish romance with a delightful rom-com that delivers plenty of cheeky banter and heartfelt musings on the importance of family, as well as love scenes hot enough to warm up the coldest Scottish loch.”
—Booklist
“Lana Ferguson is the only author so far who can convince me to read ANY genre of romance I normally wouldn’t pick up, just to devour the book in a single day and absolutely love it.”
—The Gloss
Praise for The Game Changer
“It is no secret that I have and will always devour anything Lana Ferguson writes. The Game Changer is her first dab at sports romance, and boy, I was immediately obsessed. This book has Ferguson’s addictive brand of delicious spice and storytelling, plus one of the tropes I’ll never get tired of reading: brother’s best friend. Besides, we get to follow a giant ginger on skates around the ice and a baker who calls him Cupcake. It doesn’t get better than this.”
—Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author of The Fiancé Dilemma
“The Game Changer is a fun tale to read that revolves around the world[s] of hockey and baking. Ian and Delilah are two likable characters trying to do the right thing even as those around them try to tell them what to do. Readers will enjoy their banter and watching them fall in love. Don’t miss this enjoyable tale.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“A real banger…. The Game Changer has sensuality, banter, wit, and romance in spades, and I promise you will not be able to put it down once you start reading it.”
—Romance by the Book
Praise for The Fake Mate
“An overall delightful experience…. Funny, sweet, and very hot, The Fake Mate is the ideal venture into mystic romance.”
—Shondaland
“A steamy, worthwhile romance with plenty of banter, tapping into the popular grumpy-meets-sunshine trope.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Charming. Funny. Primal. Ferguson’s paranormal romance manages to be sweet and spicy at the same time, with two likable leads who can’t ignore their wolfish urges…. Readers will tear through this omegaverse novel.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Nanny
“Ferguson makes the will-they-won’t-they sing with complex emotional shading and a strong sense of inevitability to her protagonists’ connection…. Rosie Danan fans should snap this up.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“This steamy romantic comedy puts a modern spin on traditional tropes, bringing the falling-for-the-nanny and secret-past storylines into the twenty-first century.”
—Library Journal
“Everything about The Nanny is enjoyable: the plot, the pacing, the compelling characters, and especially Ferguson’s wise and funny voice. It’s also extremely refreshing to see sex-positive characters who approach intimacy with maturity…. If you’re a fan of dirty talk and slow-burning chemistry, you’ll love The Nanny.”
—BookPage (starred review)
Berkley Titles by Lana Ferguson
The Nanny
The Fake Mate
The Game Changer
Under Loch and Key
Overruled
The Mating Game
BERKLEY ROMANCE
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2025 by Lana Ferguson
Excerpt from The Final Score copyright © 2025 by Lana Ferguson
Penguin Random House values and supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader. Please note that no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.
BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Cover art by Monika Roe
Cover design by Rita Frangie Batour
Book design by Alison Cnockaert, adapted for ebook by Molly Jeszke
Interior art: Wolves, moon and paw © happy.designer / Shutterstock
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ferguson, Lana, author
Title: The mating game / Lana Ferguson.
Description: First edition. | New York : Berkley Romance, 2025.
Identifiers: LCCN 2025013619 (print) | LCCN 2025013620 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593953693 trade paperback | ISBN 9780593953709 ebook
Subjects: LCGFT: Fiction | Fantasy fiction | Romance fiction | Werewolf fiction | Novels
Classification: LCC PS3606.E72555 M38 2025 (print) | LCC PS3606.E72555 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6--dc23/eng/20250428
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025013619
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025013620
Ebook ISBN 9780593953709
The authorized representative in the EU for product safety and compliance is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D02 YH68, Ireland, https://eu-contact.penguin.ie.
prhid_prh_7.3a_154102923_c0_r0
Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Excerpt from The Final Score
