DNF @ 70% - but shannon, you got to 70% why didn’t you just keep going and finish this one? thank you for asking - I will answer honestly. this book was a toxic relationship all wrapped into one. the FMC was clingy and desperate to move on with her life that she was willing to do whatever was possible to convince herself of that fact - which fair, it is relatable. but luke, our MMC, oh boy … he spends the majority of this book telling the FMC that he in fact will never love her because the only person he will ever love is his dead wife. talk about a mood killer 😭 I mean, you couldn’t just lie and say that you’ll always miss your spouse but it’s nice to move on again? nope, no room for any embellishment here. I just really couldn’t get past that and so, I’m done with this series v sorry netgalley

Luke and Harper’s story was an emotional rollercoaster! I laughed out loud, wanted to throw my phone and had tears streaming down my face - sometimes all at the same time!

No one writes a small town romance with a cast of wild and hilarious side characters like Lucy Score. Pretend You’re Mine did not disappoint. I loved Harper’s no nonsense attitude. After the first chapter I knew she was an FMC after my own heart.

Luke was just ok for me. Sexy? Sure. Funny and caring? You bet. But his emotional trauma/PTSD prevented him from seeing what was right in front of him, which led to a third-act breakup. A necessary writing device but not my fave.

I also didn’t think this needed the extra criminal activity in the third act, it kind of felt like it came from nowhere. Having read the Knockemout series though, I get where Lucy was coming from as this is part of her style. I do, however, absolutely adore that her HEA’s don’t need to equal pregnancy. There are other ways to have a family and I think it’s so important that Lucy showcases this in her books.

Overall, I’ll be sure to recommend this series and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Gloria and Aldo in book two!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books and Lucy Score for the advanced copy. These are my honest thoughts.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
⚠️CW:Deployment injury, domestic violence

What to Expect:
🕊️Small town romance
🕊️Military romance
🕊️Fake Dating
🕊️One Bed
🕊️Found Family
🕊️Strong female friendships

💭My Thoughts
I have extreme mixed feelings about this one. I LOVED the way the female characters all formed a strong bond and stuck together in the face of danger. Chapter one immediately had me hooked, and Harper and Luke’s banter had me swooning REAL quick. But overall I thought Harper had more meaningful interactions with the side characters. She did have a few vulnerable moments with Luke but they’re relationship seemed to be mostly based on lust (borderline more spice than plot for several chapters). It was too much for me and most definitely contributes to why this book is so long (480 pages).

But what bothered me the most was that many characters cleary had significant mental health struggles and it was all glossed over. Like one conversation and suddenly everyone was fine. I think if you’re going to bring in trauma like that, therapy and positive mental health supports should be included. The other books I’ve read from Lucy Score have been light and happy so this was also just a much heavier read than I was expecting. Lucy’s writing definitely has range!

Despite these mixed feelings, I still read book two and will share that review soon!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An enjoyable read

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Military romance
Friends to lovers
Great chemistry
Fake dating
One bed
Emotional reads
Small town setting
Grumpy sunshine

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Max the dog!
The epilogue

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Could have been shorter- was a little repetitive
Luke was hard to like
The conflict was annoying

This is the first book in the Benevolence series, and it was so good!
This isn't a new series, but the covers are getting a little facelift.
I loved Harper! She's got the best witty personality.
Luke is fun, protective, and who doesn't love a military man?
If you love fake dating, forced proximity, small town and military romance, you'll LOVE this one!
Thank you @scorelucy and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!

Fun book but not for me! I’m not one for a book that has a lot of smut and this book definitely has that! But that’s on me because that’s how Lucy Score books usually are !

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Luke is such a dreamy character and Harper was so cute.

Tropes:.
Fake dating
Found family
Military
Unrequited love

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Never read a Lucy Score book, but saw she had published something outrageously popular and had this opportunity to read something published a while back. I was curious if her earlier books would be any good.

Yowza. Had a hard time putting this down. It was longer than usual for a contemporary romance (possibly even from com-ish in some ways), but I really enjoyed the small-town quirk and our heroine's resilience, spunk and heart.

I'm not sure how #2 in this series will match up since most of the world-building and the outcome are already captured on these pages. Not sure I'll dive into that anytime soon. Now, I'm curious about her Goodreads Choice Award nominee.

Luke Garrison is just biding his time, waiting for the moment when he will be deployed again and his family will no longer be able to play matchmaker. Every time he turns around they're bringing an extra girl along to a family function, dropping hints about newly single women in town, or questioning his preference for solitude... all he wants to do is be alone. But they think they know better and don't seem to plan to give up their quest anytime soon. Little do they know the eternal bachelor has a little plan of his own...

The pages of Pretend You're Mine hold a story that is certain to entertain and leave your heart skipping a beat. This unlikely pairing found themselves with a little dilemma, one is avoiding love and the other is coming out of a nasty break-up and in no way ready to give it another chance... so pretending to be in love sounds like the perfect plan. That is until unexpected feelings start to enter the mix!

This is my first venture into this author's world and it didn't take long at all for me to feel right at home, her characters wandered onto the page, had me intrigued and easily lured me in... I couldn't get enough of the story they had to tell. It had sweet moments, steamy moments, funny moments, and a few moments that were downright torturous... and all those moments lead to one delightful happily ever after. Highly recommend!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

Mini Book Review
Pretend you ar Mine by Lucy Score

📚Tropes, Triggers and Thoughts📚
Second chance romance
Military
⚠️Abuse
⚠️Death of a loved one
Small town
Found family
Rescue dogs
Fake dating
First book in Benevolence series
Harper and Luke- Broken and hurt their pieces become whole when they are together; Each has a past they are running from and unresolved hurts
Extended family secondary characters that make the town feel real
A few unexpected twists that snuck into the narrative kept me turning the pages

Thanks to @netgalley and @bloombooks for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this Lucy Score book!
I laughed and I cried, it was a great story, wonderful characters all around. Can’t wait to get back to Benevolence in the second book!

Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, small town tropes >>>

I am just starting to read Lucy Score's books and I love her so much already. I love male mc's that are either active duty or veterans, so naturally I was obsessed with Luke from the second I started reading. This book has dynamic characters and great spice. Do yourself a favor and read this.

Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score is beyond words. I love when a book can bring me to tears and this one had it happen more than once. Luke & Harper are perfect together and the story is so beautiful. I loved both of their growth and development throughout the book. The small town setting was perfect! This book grabbed me right from the start. I can't wait to read the next from this amazing author!

This was my first Lucy Score book and I can see from the writing style why people like her so much. This book was a bit of small town, fake dating, and one bed tropes. It was filled with some cute quirky characters and the two main characters both had a bit of depth to their back stories.

I was able to appreciate this objectively for what she had in the story and can understand why people like her as an author. I am interested in reading other books from her. However, this specific book contained quite a few tropes I don't love (it was a bit instalove and had a third act break up and LOTS of lack of communication). So this particular book didn't rate highly for me as it was hard to enjoy it as much with these tropes, but I could see others enjoying it more. There were definitely cute moments that I appreciated and it has me interested in her as an author, but just wasn't a total win for me.

3.5/5 stars

Lucy Score does not disappoint. There are so many things to love about Pretend You’re Mine - grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, small town, the spice! After a wonderfully developed and intriguing plot, the ending was very abrupt and felt rushed - I was left with my jaw hanging open.

Pretend You’re Mine is my first Lucy Score book. Written a few years ago it is now being released with a fresh new look. This book has everything you want in a romance; a meet cute (however very different than most lol), sizzling chemistry, a fun loving community, and hopefully a happy ending.

Harper is down on her luck and on the move again. When she makes a wrong turn Harper finds herself with a broken down car in a small town she has never seen before. It is here she finds herself in the midst of a scuffle and face to face with Luke Garrison.

Luke is a hero in the community. A local business owner, and member of the National Guard, Luke is stern and closed off. Having suffered many losses in the past, Luke is not ready to love again.

This book is enjoyable. The characters are interesting and have depth. Some of the most beautiful characteristics a person can have are found in Harper. She has strength and resilience that is admirable. On the other hand Luke is kind however quite brooding. It seems his behaviour verges on abusive at times which is unfortunate. Some might think it sexy but I think a line needs to be drawn at times. Still the characters intertwine creating interesting dynamics that keep the reader engaged throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Accident prone Harper just caught her boyfriend cheating and ends up in small-town Benevolence, where she meets Luke, who is getting ready to redeploy for the National Guard. In a twist of fate, Harper ends up intertwined in Luke's life as his fake girlfriend. But, can what was supposed to be one month turn into more?

This was my first book by Lucy Score. I was quickly drawn in by her descriptive and lighthearted writing. The story flowed easily, although the added curveball from Harper's past left me scratching my head as it really wasn't needed. I did struggle at times to love the dynamic of the MC's as Harper allows herself to be walked all over, and Luke came across as cold-hearted and cruel at times.

With all of that said, I look forward to reading the other books in the Benevolence series as I really enjoyed some of the other characters that were introduced to us.

3.5 / 5 (Rounds up to 4)

Welcome to a small town where everyone knows everyone and this happens to be Benevolence, Maryland. Harper has just left her cheating boyfriend and decides to drive to her old college roommates' home to couch surf for a bit. However, Harper ends up stopping in a small town called Benevolence and happens to see some jerk wad named Glenn hurting a woman named Gloria. Harper ends up attacking Glenn to get him to stop hurting Gloria and Harper ends up getting a bit hurt. When Harper opens her eyes, she is met with a face of a beautiful man. This man happens to be Luke and Luke informs Harper that she has driven four hours the wrong way from her destination. Sophie, Luke's sister insists that she stay the night with Luke and that Harper and Luke should pretend to date for one month until he deploys overseas for six months, and the reason for the fake dating is so everyone can get off Luke's back on making sure he is okay and for Harper to find a place to live within that month. Harper is given the office manager job at Luke's business and as she makes it easy for him and makes his home feel more like a home, will Luke allow her fully in? Will Luke allow Harper to know why he struggles with letting people in?

I first read Lucy Score back in March 2023 and that was Things We Never Got Over, which I absolutely adored. I saw Pretend You're Mine on NetGalley and knew instantly I needed to request it and I even made the decision back in March to read as much Lucy Score books as possible because she seems like an author that is going to become a favorite.

Pretend You're Mine is one of Lucy's older books that is being released so that is something to keep in mind as you read my review.

When starting Pretend You're Mine, I became instantly excited over the fact that this book takes place in Maryland! I grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland and have not lived in Maryland for almost a decade, so seeing books that take place in any area of Maryland makes me heart happy.

The beginning of this book felt a little too insta love like for my taste, but that feeling of dislike for insta love was quickly thrown away as I kept on reading. The chemistry between Harper and Luke is intense and it just leaps off the page.

It was so fun reading this and the dynamic between Harper, Luke, the Harrison family, and just the whole town. One thing I really loved about Things We Never Got Over was the small town and how it came together for the main character and how a found family was formed and these things were found too in Pretend You're Mine.

I squealed, laughed, swooned, and teared up a bit as I read this amazing book. Harper cracks me up with some of her decisions and one of my favorite scenes is when Harper brings a dog home to Luke's named Lola and he is pretty annoyed by this, but he falls for Lola and ends up bringing a small tripod terrier dog home named Max and tells Harper to not say one word about this due to all the grief he gave her over Lola. I teared up during the revelation about Luke and even teared up as well as swooned when Luke came home from his deployment.

Harper and Luke make one another better and pulls each other's strengths out and loves one another for who they are even when they do not want to admit they love one another. Harper brings life back to all areas of Luke's life even when he is not wanting it and expecting it so it was nice to see Luke grow from Harper.

Harper is a really resilient character with all she goes through and even when her dark secret comes out. Luke and all the town members of Benevolence make her feel like the first time she actually has a family and because of that she really starts to flourish and grow into such an amazing character.

I could gush and gush about how amazing this book is and how I loved each and every part of it, but we will be sitting here forever. Just know that this book is amazing with all the dynamics packed into it and that it is a pretty spicy romance that has a lot of sweet moments, but at the same time deals with grief, other day to day life problems, and is about finding yourself as well as growing a found family.

You all seriously need to get this book and read it. I guarantee you that you will not regret it!

I didn't realize this was a re-release with a new cover but I am not mad about that. I really loved the story. This book grabbed me right from the start. Luke and Harper were adorable. I loved both of their growth and development throughout the book. The small town setting, Luke's family. and their best friends were an added bonus to the storyline. The ending was perfection.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy as they’re released with new covers.
I was really excited to see the Benevolence books re-released with new covers! I hadn’t read some of LS’s earlier books so this was a fun read. There was a lot of good spice, characters that were beautifully flawed and so loveable, and so many supporting details that made the story hard to step away from.
I loved Luke and Harper and this little town.