Faking for Real

Marked by His Alpha #8

by Sophie O'Dare, Lyn Forester

As a shy, artistic Omega, Basil’s never been lucky in love, but he has a plan to land a date with his crush, a sexy Alpha model from his art class.Volunteering to teach an art class at the Omega Youth Center is supposed to be the first step to Basil putting himself out there. If he can master teaching a room full of strangers, then talking to Aster, the hot Alpha who models for his class should be a walk in the park.

Too bad for Basil that he turns into a tongue-tied mess every time Aster even glances his way.

When a classmate gets a little too aggressive with Basil, though, and Aster comes to his rescue, Basil finds himself in a fake relationship that he wants to be real with every fiber of his being.

But is Aster the kind Alpha Basil thought him to be? Or is he a player just looking for a naïve Omega to toy with?This is an Alpha/Omega story with MM and mpreg. Themes fake boyfriends, overcoming shyness, and finding love.Scroll up and one-click to read this omegaverse series.

Genres: Omegaverse, M M Romance, LGBT, Paranormal, College, Romance, Novella

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2023

About the author

Sophie O'Dare is the alter ego of paranormal and sci-fi author Lyn Forester. She loves writing stories about guys falling in love with each other and all the shenanigans that go along with romance!

When Sophie isn’t writing, she enjoys curling up with a cup of coffee and her cats, when she can convince them to snuggle. Video games and reading are her go-to way to unwind after a long day, offering a perfect escape into other worlds. Between writing, gaming, and cat cuddles, Sophie’s life is fueled by creativity, relaxation, and coffee.

Visit her website to stay up-to-date on future releases and sales:

Follow her Newsletter: https://geni.us/sophie-odare-NL
Visit her website: https://geni.us/sophieodare

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

so fucking cute omfg shy/quiet Mc with tons of anxiety paired with a sunshine mc who gets the first mc to come out of his shell is my KRYPTONITE!!!!!! Basil and aster were adorable and I loved their dynamic:)

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Social anxiety rules Basil’s life. The shy comic artist has stretched his limits by living on his own, attending University, and teaching classes at the Omega Youth Center. He’s managed to meet all of his neighbors and talk to his students but he still finds himself tongue-tied in his college art classes. Especially around his crush, violinist Aster Woods, the live model for his class. When another Alpha becomes too aggressive towards Basil, Aster comes to his rescue and Basil suddenly finds himself with a fake boyfriend. A boyfriend he is unbelievably attracted to and wants to make his real boyfriend. Unfortunately, he still can’t find his words and blushes every time Aster looks at him. But what if?

These two are so cute. Basil is awkwardly adorable and Aster is the perfect gentleman. He was exactly what Basil needed, confident but not aggressive, patient, understanding, and supportive. He calmed Basil, never pushing him too hard but helping him to open up. There was a little bit of conflict, although I did expect more. I would have liked for there to have been a little more story because I enjoyed these two.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, low-angst A/B/O novella from the Marked By His Alpha world. In this book, Basil is a painfully shy omega who volunteers to teach art at the Omega Youth Center. He's also taking art classes and he finds himself drawn to the class's alpha model, Aster. Basil is experiencing some bullying from several other alpha's, which makes his university experience difficult. However, with Aster he encounters nothing, but kindness. When Aster offers to pose as his boyfriend to put the other alphas off, Basil agrees, especially since he wishes Aster was his real boyfriend. As the two begin to spend more and more time together, he begins to hope that his wish will come true. This book has a kind and magnetic love with a nice HEA.

[Shelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story

I enjoyed reading how a confident alpha helps a shy and anxious omega to further free himself of those ties. Basil is absolutely the sweetest but deals with limitations when it comes to meeting people or dealing with crowds. Aster doesn't have anxiety but has the ability to help Basil, after helping his younger sister while growing up. Aster is so sweet to Basil and takes the bouts of anxiety in stride. Great addition to the series.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This too has been a solid read in the Marked By His Alpha series. I love the author’s wit and I have been known to return to my favorite passages in the books multiple times. The protagonists are always written with great care and sensitivity and the love interests are always viable, honorable (young) men without any of the usual trappings of “Alphahood” (is that a word?).

[yazaleea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed by the fake dating. Unfortunately for me, I do love idiots in love so I did enjoy the « you are so good at this fake boyfriend thing » « … what do you mean *fake* boyfriend thing ». Minus point for the random rapey jerk, but ig omegaverses will be omegaverses…

Ugh, now time for Joshua’s age gap romance, my baby deserved sm better

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aster has had his eyes on Basil since their sophomore year, but because Basil was too shy, Aster needed to step up his game. He even signed up to be a naked male model in Basil's class. I admired the determination Aster had in pursuing Basil. And for the story itself, I did enjoy reading it.

 

[maqita:3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

AL ÚNICO AL QUE ME ATREVO A DARLE MÁS DE 3 ESTRELLAS PORQUE ES EL MEJOR, DEFINITIVAMENTE AHORA SI ESTE ES MI FAVORITO POR SIEMPRE PERO ME FALTÓ MÁS SIENTO QUE NECESITO MUCHO MÁS DE ESTOS DOS NECESITO 500 PÁGINAS MÁS DE ELLOS

[lori forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet loving story

This story is so sweet my glucose went off the charts!!!!! I just love how all the friends & other omega & even some alphas came together to help Basil overcome his social anxiety and find love with his alpha
Thank you - Lori

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This story was super cute! I love the history and this series. A great book that is Well written and easy to read!

[Airyn Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, review coming soon.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Not my favorite of the series, but still really sweet. Just not a lot of character development here, especially compared to some of the other stories.

[Neisha † The Poet † · Rating 5 out of 5]

S

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Least favorite so far...

[Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basil and Aster are so dang cute.

[Laina Gruver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25-4.5 stars

Basil and Aster’s story was so cute! While being harassed on campus, Aster comes to Basil’s rescue and pretends to be his boyfriend. Little did either of them know, they’d been crushing on each other for years.


*****
POV… first person (Basil)

Standalone or series… book 8 in series CAN be read as a standalone

Hangover… no

Recommend… yes

Reread… sure

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read: April 30, 2023
Second read: March 10-11, 2024