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Alpha for Appearances
An upper-crust omega. A gruff mechanic. One fake bond that feels way too real.
Julian Whitmore needs a mate—fast. Not for love, but to convince his powerful grandfather he’s settled down and secure his inheritance. His solution? Hire a rugged alpha to play the part.
Rafe Maddox needs cash. Raising his niece and running a garage in Queens doesn’t leave much wiggle room. Pretending to be a rich omega’s perfect partner? Fine. He’ll fake it for three months—no feelings, no problem.
But chemistry doesn’t care about contracts. When the lines between real and fake start to blur, Julian and Rafe realize their "arrangement" might be anything but.
Alpha for Appearances is a swoony, steamy full-length omegaverse romance featuring a bratty omega, a protective alpha, only one bed, found family feels, accidental heat, and a guaranteed HEA.
Book 1 in the Manhattan Mates series.
Contains brief mentions of mpreg in the epilogue.
Julian Whitmore needs a mate—fast. Not for love, but to convince his powerful grandfather he’s settled down and secure his inheritance. His solution? Hire a rugged alpha to play the part.
Rafe Maddox needs cash. Raising his niece and running a garage in Queens doesn’t leave much wiggle room. Pretending to be a rich omega’s perfect partner? Fine. He’ll fake it for three months—no feelings, no problem.
But chemistry doesn’t care about contracts. When the lines between real and fake start to blur, Julian and Rafe realize their "arrangement" might be anything but.
Alpha for Appearances is a swoony, steamy full-length omegaverse romance featuring a bratty omega, a protective alpha, only one bed, found family feels, accidental heat, and a guaranteed HEA.
Book 1 in the Manhattan Mates series.
Contains brief mentions of mpreg in the epilogue.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 16, 2026
cute story need’s editing
I liked the characters and the plot was understandable the issue was the writing - author forgot what day it was, used the same breakup four or five different times but it was like it was the first time they were breaking up. Forgot who said or was saying what. Repeated several sentences or whole dialogue paragraphs multiple times like she forgot she used them already. Cute story but middle to end was very muddy.
I liked the characters and the plot was understandable the issue was the writing - author forgot what day it was, used the same breakup four or five different times but it was like it was the first time they were breaking up. Forgot who said or was saying what. Repeated several sentences or whole dialogue paragraphs multiple times like she forgot she used them already. Cute story but middle to end was very muddy.
September 11, 2025
There were very distracting editorial issues throughout. There would be a paragraph like:
This thing happened. It was really rough.
Followed by the next paragraph:
This thing happened today. It was really hard to deal with.
It seemed like a section was edited with better writing but the previous attempt remained, creating a weird echo effect that was clearly not intentional. There were also deep motivation problems where one character would make a decision and in the next, the decision vanished like it had never been made. Would have been a cute (if predictable) book but those made it hard to read.
This thing happened. It was really rough.
Followed by the next paragraph:
This thing happened today. It was really hard to deal with.
It seemed like a section was edited with better writing but the previous attempt remained, creating a weird echo effect that was clearly not intentional. There were also deep motivation problems where one character would make a decision and in the next, the decision vanished like it had never been made. Would have been a cute (if predictable) book but those made it hard to read.
April 17, 2025
Nice and fast paced book, I liked how the characters' relationship was built throughout. I think the beginning and the middle are really solid. Having said that, I have a few issues, mostyly with how certain things were handled.
1) The child is portrayed in a weird way: she's too grown up, too perceptive and mature for her age. Maybe this is me, but I hate it when children act like adults. Since the child plays a big role in the story (there's a subplot of a legal battle for her custody, which is what motivates the alpha to accept the contract), I wish her character had been more believable.
2) Once the main characters realized they had feelings for each other, everything felt too rushed. For example, . In my opinion, this book should have been a bit longer to explore and show their connection growing instead of jumping into back-to-back, similar sex scenes.
3) There's a crucial custody hearing scene that felt really off. The author used it to further the main couple's relationship, which I don't mind; quite the contrary, I think it could be a great way to develop a subplot of the book and the romance altogether. However the way the author wrote the development of the MC's relationship in this scene made the hearing very different from how they actually are, so it felt less serious than it was, it felt like stakes weren't as high. That was a huge let down, because that's a very important part of the book that didn't quite deliver.
4) One thing that did not make sense was .
5) By the way, this is a content warning of something that happens at the very end of this book: . I feel like this should be mentioned because some people - such as myself - really dislike that kind of twist.
1) The child is portrayed in a weird way: she's too grown up, too perceptive and mature for her age. Maybe this is me, but I hate it when children act like adults. Since the child plays a big role in the story (there's a subplot of a legal battle for her custody, which is what motivates the alpha to accept the contract), I wish her character had been more believable.
2) Once the main characters realized they had feelings for each other, everything felt too rushed. For example, . In my opinion, this book should have been a bit longer to explore and show their connection growing instead of jumping into back-to-back, similar sex scenes.
3) There's a crucial custody hearing scene that felt really off. The author used it to further the main couple's relationship, which I don't mind; quite the contrary, I think it could be a great way to develop a subplot of the book and the romance altogether. However the way the author wrote the development of the MC's relationship in this scene made the hearing very different from how they actually are, so it felt less serious than it was, it felt like stakes weren't as high. That was a huge let down, because that's a very important part of the book that didn't quite deliver.
4) One thing that did not make sense was .
5) By the way, this is a content warning of something that happens at the very end of this book: . I feel like this should be mentioned because some people - such as myself - really dislike that kind of twist.
March 11, 2026
I devoured this one in just a few short hours. Julian is an omega who has his focus on work. In order to get his inheritance he needs a Alpha to pretend to be his mate. Little did he know when he choose Rafe the mechanic who's just trying to take care of his niece he would be finding his mate.
This is a sweet yet spicy Omega and Alpha Fated mates romance. I'm very much in my MM romance era and this one was perfect it had all the feels. I love both Julian and Rafe they are perfect for each other. This is my first book by the author but I'm hooked I enjoyed her storytelling and plan to continue the series the next one is already on my kindle.
This is a sweet yet spicy Omega and Alpha Fated mates romance. I'm very much in my MM romance era and this one was perfect it had all the feels. I love both Julian and Rafe they are perfect for each other. This is my first book by the author but I'm hooked I enjoyed her storytelling and plan to continue the series the next one is already on my kindle.
November 10, 2025
Delightful. From the get-go I was hooked. Knew it was going to be a scorcher and it didnt disappoint. I wont repeat the blurb other than to say, it is far more than that. 2 men with their own baggage to carry - or discard perhaps - a 10 year old with more wisdom and perception than most adults, loyal friends, family you'd like to smack or sack, and pheromones that just wont stop. Loved the read, impatient to start book 2
September 25, 2025
intriguing
Rafael & Julian & flo story had all the various emotions. Each emotion was palpable as you read on in the book. The characters were relatable for different reasons.
Rafael & Julian & flo story had all the various emotions. Each emotion was palpable as you read on in the book. The characters were relatable for different reasons.
December 13, 2025
tre stelle solo perché sono carini e perché ha detto “i dreamed about this. about you” e quindi si
December 28, 2025
It’s not terrible. But it is very bland and basic and feels like someone’s first ever attempt to write a book.
January 28, 2026
Honestly I enjoyed it. I thought it was cute and sweet. With the perfect amount of angst and depth for this type of story. It was mostly fast paced which I also loved. ♥️
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews