Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Score is a new fave of mine. I loved this story, the characters, everything!

I really liked "Pretend You're Mine," the first book in this series. I requested this one before I realized that it followed the exact same timeline as "Pretend You're Mine." SO much of Gloria and Aldo's story was already told in "Pretend You're Mine." I didn't feel like this book was necessary at all. I would have enjoyed the book so much more if it showed more of Gloria & Aldo in high school or if we didn't know as much about Aldo's injury/recovery in the first book. This book followed the exact same events, just told from Aldo & Gloria's perspective, so it was like reading the same book twice. Read the first one, and skip this one!

Gloria is determined to reclaim her life after escaping a toxic relationship that consumed a decade of her life. With newfound freedom, she indulges in makeovers and margaritas while rediscovering her sense of self in her mother's kitchen. Despite the scars from her past, Gloria refuses to be defined by her trauma.

Just as she decides to take a break from men and focus on herself, Aldo Moretta, a charismatic hometown hero, enters her life. Aldo's charming words and flirtatious gestures sweep Gloria off her feet, leaving her both exhilarated and anxious. As Aldo prepares to deploy for six months, he expresses his desire for a date with Gloria upon his return, igniting a whirlwind of emotions within her.

Their connection deepens with a single, unforgettable kiss before Aldo's departure. But fate takes an unexpected turn when Aldo's deployment is cut short by an injury, thrusting Gloria into a role she never anticipated: the hero for both of them. Now, Gloria must navigate the complexities of love, sacrifice, and resilience as she charts a new path forward with Aldo by her side.

Gloria and Aldo are such a cute couple and I loved them and their relationship. What I really didn't like was how there was nothing really new in this book. This sequel follows the side characters from book one. But instead of it being a different time line it follows the exact same time line as book one. So you know exactly everything that will happen and we get scenes word for word the same as book one. Which made this book so boring. We already knew all the major twists. It probably would have been more surprising if you hadn't read book one but doesn't that defet the purpose of having a series. I really feel let down by this series so far compared to her newest small town romance. I really hope that I like the 3 book better since it follows a side character who we didn't see much at all. So it should be all new content.

This book was amazing, I love the plot and the characters.
This book really did keep me engrossed throughout.
I honestly cant wait for more books in this series.

Finally mine is book two in Lucy Score’s Benevolence series. Score does it again with great characters and the perfect romance.

I read Pretend You're Mine, which is the first book in this series and absolutely loved it! Lucy Score is such a funny, good, engaging author. I loved getting a glimpse of Gloria and Also in Pretend You're Mine so I was excited to start this book immediately after reading Pretend You're Mine. I will say that I had deja vu throughout most of this book, in that there aren't many 'unique' scenes until about 70% of the way through the book. You are very much seeing Aldo and Gloria's POV in many repeat scenes with Luke and Harper, which made it a fast read, but also kind of boring. I kept holding out to see if we got more interaction with JUST Aldo and Gloria, and while we did eventually get some of that, I wished we explored it more instead of rehashing everything we read in Pretend You're Mine. I would recommend this book, but I would say, don't read it if you just finished Pretend You're Mine. It will be too repetitive for most readers. I read in the author's note that she wrote this book 3 years after Pretend You're Mine, so I understand that at the time, she was probably 'refreshing the reader's memory' of what happened if they read this 3 years after the first book, and in that case. I think this book would work, but I don't recommend reading them back to back like I did.

I’m not sure what it is about Lucy’s books but something just doesn’t click all the way. Maybe it’s that some characters feel over engineered or over complicated, maybe it’s that the story often feels longwinded instead of tight and focused, but while it’s an ok story and straightforward plot, nothing ever sticks as memorable. I felt like I could out this down easily and maybe come back to it or maybe not and I wouldn’t feel bereft of not seeing it to the end.

DNF, just not the romance for me. No one felt like a real person and it was just a tad too dramatic, but I'm sure there are people who will love this book. Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC.

It's a Lucy book. You know what you're getting. I think a lot of people are going to have trouble with the fact that Gloria was in an abusive relationship and at first glance, it appears that no one ever tried to help her. But give it time, because that's going to be explained in a way that makes sense, especially if you have an understanding of how abuse often works.

Definitely can be read as a standalone, however I preferred to read it in order. Aldo and Gloria needed this story, Gloria needed this second chance at life and it felt so empowering watching her grow. Truly an emotional read

Ok so I was not a big fan of the first one but I really continue reading this series because of this couple and NO REGRETS!!!
Lucy Score really out did herself in this one and I'm so, so in love with this book and I'll pick up the final one RIGHT NOW.
I'm really enjoying to read more of lucy and she's slowly becoming one of my favorites EVER

Gloria is breaking free from an abusive relationship and discovering her true self. She's making friends and pursuing her desires, things she couldn't do before. You can feel Gloria's pain, but also her passion and determination to prove she's more than a victim. She's becoming independent and strong, overcoming obstacles along the way.

Aldo is the perfect guy - kind, caring, and attracted to Gloria since high school. They finally have a chance together, but Aldo's deployment complicates things. He returns home early after an accident, facing obstacles and trying to push Gloria away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the opportunity to read Finally Mine.

Aldo and Gloria are dealing with so much and the way that it was handled was so beautiful. It showed how complicated trauma is. Gloria is learning to stand on her two feet after finally finding freedom from her evil ex (thanks to Harper’s heroics). Whereas Aldo is dealing with the aftermath of his life changing injury. Together Aldo and Gloria heal from all that life has thrown at them.

This book follows the same events of Pretend You’re Mine, but from Aldo and Gloria’s perspective. Unfortunately, it feels a bit repetitive. I took a long break between the first book and this one still read like a carbon copy of book one. While I loved the brief moments of insight where we got new information about these two adorable characters, a lot of the conversations already happened in Pretend You’re Mine.

It’s sickly sweet and worth the read, but not necessarily the kind of book that you’d want to binge right after book one.

All in all, I still enjoyed the journey. It was a very cute book and although I was frustrated with Aldo, I loved the way he comes to his senses. Gloria was such a lovely character and it was amazing to see her bloom. This book really pulled at my heartstrings.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the review copy!

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve previously read from Lucy so was excited to jump into this one. She did a great job in developing this small town series with great characters and an engaging plot line.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

Seeing Gloria overcome her previous relationship and find her way to Aldo was so emotional and honestly just perfection. Angst, humor, and emotional pull is all I ever need in a book. This covered heavy topics such as abuse and war, but made a happy ending out of the horrible starts that Gloria and Aldo got to their relationship.

Overall, this one was basically a repeat of Pretend You're Mine.

Found myself hoping for something new and exciting, but that was few and far between

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wish this two book series had been turned into just one big book with interchanging parts. Simply because the repetition took so much away for me.

I really enjoy the writing style of Lucy Score. Her romances are such a beautiful build up which create tension and passion. Her characters are deep and emotional keeping me engrossed to not put it down, this book was a bit of a heartache of its own with abusive characters but overall love diving into her small towns and Complex characters lives.