I Love Lucy.

I've been such a big fan of her since she introduced Knox into my life and I've been pacing myself in reading her backlog of work to stretch out how long I have with her. Pretend You're Mine was my latest read and while I did not find it a favourite, it was enjoyable.

Luke and Harper are the latest couple to come into the picture. Harper is on the go from her now ex-boyfriend and life takes her in the completely wrong direction and lands her in Benevolence with a black eye and some bruises. The town can't stop talking about her dramatic entry to the scene but all she sees when she comes to is Luke and his beautiful face. With nowhere to go for the night, Luke offers up his home and thus begins an interesting turn of events for her.

Small town romances are my comfort reads and while I love that this is another Lucy Score, this one wasn’t a favourite of mine. It was good but I wasn’t hooked like I’ve been in all the other books I’ve read by her. Luke and Harper were great and I liked what was happening but I felt like Luke should’ve been smacked for tossing her aside like the entire foster care system has done her whole life.

I JUSTTTTT felt like we were not quite able to decide what we wanted here. Harper is alone, Luke is getting deployed soon, Harper is a foster kid with no one who takes in dogs in similar states, Luke has no interest in relationships, Harper has an ex who won't leave her alone, Luke has an ex he is punishing himself over, Harper's foster dad is getting out of prison and coming for her, Luke wants to keep things uncomplicated.... it was just a lot. I think we could've trimmed down and fleshed out a lot more had we picked maybe 3 plot points but Harper and her mess were very superficial and it made the end conflict not as impactful. Usually, there's a high-tension scene but this time it was just little blip and off we went.

Lucy, I still love you. I liked this too.... but not as much. BUT THAT'S OKAY

This was overall a great read! I found it a bit slower in the beginning, but then it picked up and I was hooked. I loved Harper and found her character very relatable. I loved the small town vibes too!
Highly recommend!

Pretend Your Mine was a reread for myself as I read it a few years back with the older covers and it was a joy to relive this Lucy Score book again. The new front covers are so eye catching and beautiful! Such an upgrade. I loved the sweet plot and even sweeter characters. Luke and Harper meet under weird circumstances and had me laughing throughout the book. Pretend Your Mine has very steamy romance scenes, just like true Lucy Score writing.
Read this if you love: one bed, military romance, boss/employee, fake dating.
All in all, I love anything Lucy Score writes! & Pretend Your Mine is perfection.

This book hooked me from the beginning! Forced Proximity and fake dating tropes? Yes please!
Loved both of the characters and the spice and wit in this one. It was my first Lucy Score book and it definitely had me wanting to read more by her!

3.5 🌟. So, couple of issues, I while I overall enjoyed the book. I just felt like so much was bothering me about it too. One, that the Male MC was so selfish and only cared about his feeling. While it's somewhat typical in books, the Male MC just never grew out of it. As for the Female MC, I really just felt pity and annoyance for her. She just really desperately wanted a family and place to belong that she let so much slide. If I was in her position I would've screamed and cried and fought so much for how much more she deserved from Luke. It was a enjoyable, yet annoying read (if that makes sense.)

I love a good small town romance and Lucy Score knows her way around them. I hadn’t heard of her Benevolence series before but enjoyed entering this world, starting with Luke and Harper. I liked the mix of conflict and romance that seems to be a theme in this genre lately, adding a bit of a mystery vibe to the usual romance story structure.

I wish I could give this a higher rating but I had such a hard time relating to either of the MCs. Harper and Luke’s relationship was way too instant however the plot felt like it dragged way too much, which was weird.

I was close to giving this book 3 stars, but I'll round it up because of the overall pacing. One thing I was not a fan of was the MMC, Luke was a little too alpha hero and over-protective for my tastes. Harper, the MFC was fun and quirky with lots of feistiness. I sometimes felt she gave in to Luke too easily though. Overall, I enjoyed this book. This was my first read of Lucy Score and I look forward to reading more from her. I enjoyed the small-town romance trope with this one and the big family aspect. The pace of the story was quick and easy.

*ARC courtesy of the author, NetGalley, and Bloom Books in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Thank you to the valued author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

Lucy Score is one of my all-time favorite authors, and of course this one did not disappoint! Pretend You’re Mine gave off TWNGO vibes (if you liked that, you will like this, I promise you) along with fake dating, military, small town, and enough suspense that this is very hard to put down.

Luke has secrets he’s running from rather than dealing with, and Harper ends up in Benevolence completely on accident, having left her cheating boyfriend without so much as her phone. She steps in when a man hurts a woman outside a bar, and Luke decides he needs to protect Harper, who didn’t care that Glenn, the abuser, was twice her size.

Luke’s protection turns into a fake-dating/ living together situation that helps Harper land on her feet and Luke’s family get off his case about dating. Maybe they fell into each other’s lives for a reason— because they can’t stay away from each other.

I loved every part of this- Luke’s past and his military service, Harper’s growth and determination to make a life in Benevolence, even if she didn’t explicitly mean to, and the town itself. It was just charming, and I couldn’t race to order the next book fast enough.

The spice is excellent, but the heart was everything here, and this book was simply filled with heart. Will be re-reading the next time I need a pick-me-up! (This is now on the comfort read list, folks.)

Go grab this. You’ll be glad you did!

This book was wonderful. I’ve been in a reading slump and this story pulled me out of it. Such a page-turning romance, I just loved it. The characters both primary and secondary were well written. I enjoyed the family dynamic and small town community as well. Steamy bedroom scenes added to the romance.
Highly recommend this trilogy. I’m starting Benevolence book 2 immediately.

I received an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is perfect for fans of small-town romances. The cast of characters are quirky and interesting and the romance plot is steamy. There was a bit too much will they won’t they for me but I still really enjoyed it. Love that our hero was a military man.

Lucy Score has a writing style that is easy to read and full of vibrant characters. If you like fake dating, tough men who are afraid of feelings, and spunky women that are there to "save" them from themselves, you will enjoy this book.
I felt like the book really jumped around major events and the relationship went too fast for me, but I ended up loving Harper.
3⭐

Lucy score has a special place in my heart She was my first introduction into smut! Though the knockemout series continues to be my favorite- pretend your mind had a lot of fun moments.

I enjoyed Harper and Luke’s story and found it entertaining and of course, because it is Lucy score, very steamy. But I just struggled to be invested in the characters.
I felt like they got together to fast. I wished there was a slower burn to this couple and that I was routing for them more!

Wow… just wow..

Lucy Score is something else with her writing. Luke and Harper will steal your heart, crush it a little bit and mend it back again.

Harper is on her way to find herself when she comes across Luke. He has been hurt that he has vowed to never love and she is just the ball of sunshine that loves everything. Their story is just incredible and heartbreaking and just… ughhh…

A cute small town rom-com. Our main character Harper rolls into town like the hurricane she is after her ex cheats on her. When she stops a jerk from attacking his girlfriend she gets a black eye and a fake boyfriend for her trouble. Luke is our broody boy next door who doesn’t want to feel love again.
I enjoy this book but I also found it repetitive at times which took away the fun for me. It’s definitely an instalove book which I don’t mind provided the pacing is good which as much as I wanted it to be this wasn’t. Still enjoyed it though 3.5

I absolutely loved this story! Luke and Harper broke me and then put me back together! Or so I had thought! This is a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns and things I never imagined would happen!! I loved every minute of this book!!

Fake Dating, in a small town, with a protective main male character (grumpy/sunshine vibes too!) are tropes that clearly reeled me in and kept me turning pages. The storyline at times was unbelievable/unrelatable but who cares - it's a made up story right? I liked Harper's attitute on life and how she wormed her way into everyone's heart in this small town. Luke's protective, grumpy vibes were enjoyable for the first two-thirds of the book but the last third had me face palming and wanting to smack him (but thankfully all the other characters called him a dumbass enough that I think he got the message... ). There were a few parts of the book that felt a tad slow for me and a side plot that I wonder if it was needed, but overall the book held my interest.

This was my first Lucy Score book and I'm sure it won't by my list.

Rating 3.5/5
Spice 4.1/5

Thanks NetGalley & Lucy Score for the chance to read this book; these opinions are my own

My first Lucy Score book and it did not disappoint, I LOVED IT ❤️

Luke Garrison is a Captain in the Air National Guard (& soon to be deployed to Afghanistan for 6 months). He owns his own construction and bidding company as well. His buddy Aldo and him also have a patent on a military device too. In other words he is a millionaire but doesn’t flaunt it or anything. He is a dreamy, smart, tattooed, muscular man, and protective of those he cares for. Luke has a hard time with feelings and emotions and knowing what he wants.

Harper Wilde lost her parents when she was young and had to go through the foster system. She makes her own family. Harper just had a bad situation coming home to her boyfriend getting freaky with the delivery girl. She grabbed her phone and ran out the door. Not paying attention of course to her gas and ends up in Benevolence. Of course with no money, no gas, and feeling down she finds a quaint look bar Reno’s. Harper is clumsy, a blonde, makes rash decisions, has lived a hard life, and just wanting someone who loves her for her and that she can trust.

I don’t want to give away all the secrets. Trust me you will want to get this book,
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC Copy.

It’s a suspenseful romance with twists and turns. Spice is also very strong but so good. It’s a grumpy to sunshine. It’s forced proximity. It’s fake dating. All of my favorites wrapped up in a fantastically written book. Happy surprises and some sad moments too. I will definitely say there were some tears and also very happy feelings too. The chemistry is OFF. THE. CHARTS!!

A good quote:
“I can still be sad. But I don’t have to wallow or completely ignore the good that is still waiting for me. That’s careless and wasteful.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First, how amazing is the cover? It caught my eye immediately. Second, I don't know how I feel about this book. I am not Luke's biggest fan at all but feel for him. He suffered a huge loss. But I feel like he will never love Harper like she deserves to be loved. She will always come second. Its like he wanted his cake and to eat it too. Like Buddy, you cant want someone but tell her in the same sentence you'll never love her. Take a step back and see how that makes her feel. But of course that didn't happen. When he says:

"Harper wasn't Karen. And that was the problem."

I wanted to punch him. Of course she will never be her! I will admit, I do not know what he's going through. I have never lost my spouse. But there is someone standing in front of you that loves you, that is willing to give you her all, and all you say is "I can't love you?" But then he realizes his mistake and tells her he's loved her all along. He's never not loved her. Umm yeah, he did. He told her that multiple times.

And Harper, my dear sweet Harper, you deserve to be someone's first choice.

What do you do when one of your favorite series has new covers? Request the new eARC and enjoy it all over again like it’s the first time!
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No one familiar with my page is shocked when I say that Lucy Score is one of my all time favorite, auto-read, auto-buy authors! Her books consistently grip me from beginning to end, and Pretend You’re Mine is no exception!
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This book made me feel wrapped in a warm hug at times and gutted me at others (which is how I like my books…give me all the feelings…through fiction…see what I did there?).
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Our MMC, Luke, is a hometown hero getting ready to deploy and FMC Harper is embarking on a new life. After a MEMORABLE first encounter, two agree to a fake relationship to relive the pressure his parents are putting on him to settle down.
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What was meant to be an easy, no strings decoy relationship begins to feel like a lot more and the lines between playing pretend and truly falling get blurry!
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Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Read if you like:
🛌 One bed
🤫 Fake Dating
💪🏼Strong FMC
👿 Broody MMC
🏘️ Small Town Romance
❤️‍🩹 Love After Heartache
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Pretend You’re Mine is available on KU, but don’t kis out on adding these BEAUTIFUL new covers to your shelf 🥰
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Thank you NetGalley, Lucy Score, and Sourcebooks Bloom books for this eArc!