This book was so good. The only Lucy Score books I had read before this one was the Knockemout Series so I was used to the slow burn. This was no slow burn, and I loved it. I laughed, I cried, I was frustrated I felt all the emotions. The spice was perfect. These characters are so perfect and flawed at the same time. I love how there are actually a few different story lines intertwined, but in a way that you don’t ever feel lost or disconnected from the main one. I want happy endings for all of these characters, they’ve just been through SO much. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Lucy Score will never not be a favorite romance author of mine. I'd read her grocery list, her packing lists, the scribbles on all of her crumpled up post-it notes, and I'd give them all five stars. I loved having the opportunity to read an old favorite with a new cover again and to give it 5 stars here on this platform to push it forwards ... LOVE LOVE LOVE. Read it. Read the whole series. This is your sign to dive in. You won't regret it.

Moving past the pain to really love

Harper sees a man beating on a woman outside a bar after the worst day of her life and jumps in to help. When she is punched by the abuser, she passes out for a moment, and when she opens her eyes, finds the most beautiful eyes she’s ever seen looking back at her. Luke Garrison. This starts a chain reaction that is the whirlwind of Harper. Luke is just trying to get by in his life, to forget the pain of his past by keeping it buried as far down as he can. Harper has a bucket load of past hurt that she solidly places in the past and is determined to move forward, always forward with a cheery disposition. When Harper and Luke become close and pretend to date to keep his family off his back, things get real. Luke is also in the national guard and a natural protector. Their plan is to date for a month and when he leaves for his deployment, she’ll move along as well. But the best-laid plans…

I love the way Lucy Score portrays the nature of pain and angst that Harper and Luke feel. Luke says Harper is a mess. But she’s just messing up his quiet, lonely, and barren life. Giving it color and beauty. Luke was a hard character to like, though I felt his pain, I wanted him to be able to look at Harper and admit he loved her. He couldn’t do it… until it was almost too late. It took him so long to figure out that she was always meant for him. He gets the dumbass of the Year award. And yet even though I didn’t agree with his methods of dealing with pain, I am glad to see him come around and redeem himself by the end. I hope to see their story continue in the subsequent books in this series. This story is about unconditional love, forgiveness, and waking up before it’s too late. It helps to have a big family and small town all up in each other’s business with some wonderful side characters. I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my candid review

I love a good small town and fake dating romance. and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed reading from start to end. lucy score did not disappoint. I love ever second of this. if you love any of those tropes then you will love this book. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for allowing me to read this book.

This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Score, and it definitely will not be my last!
If you’re looking for a book that leaves you in an ooey gooey puddle - this one is for you. All of the characters were so so good. Luke and Harper had the best chemistry. Harper was sweet, sassy, and didn’t take crap from anyone. I was hooked from the very beginning and I just couldn’t put this book down. I was sad to see it end, but I am hopeful for this series!

Another great story by Lucy Score. Pretend You're Mine is the first book in the Benevolence series. The story of Luke and Harper. It pulled me in right from the start and I hated to put the book down. Everything I wanted in a possible romance and so much more.

I loved/hated this book. When secrets are kept for too long in a book it gets annoying. The writing style was super simpl, which kind of made it feel like there wasn’t much substance to it. Harper was was such a smartass which I loved. Honestly all the characters were great, I just didn’t really care for the writing style that much.


3.5 Stars

I'm going to need a prescription for the emotional whiplash I just received from Luke.

There were so many times I wanted to strangle him, but damn it, if I didn't love him anyways.

Harper was sweet, giving, patient, smart, and loving. I don't think any other woman would have put up with the back and forth like she did.

Luke was strong, somewhat controlling, and in total denial. But he was also loving and caring in his own way. You could see how hard he was struggling with everything.

I didn't really understand why he didn't just give her gas money and send her on her way the next day. That was the only thing I didn't really understand. The whole reason for Harper sticking around seemed far-fetched to me.

It was frustrating to see Luke get mad at Harper for creating a life for herself when he asked her to stay. What did he expect her to do? Obviously, he was a him issue and the internal struggle he had going on.

Overall I really enjoyed their story. They had so much chemistry and love for each other. I look forward to reading the rest of this series, as the supporting characters were equally as interesting and fun to read about.

Thank you Netgalley. Received an EARC in exchange to honest review.

Lukes past is heartbreaking but I hope he didnt put so much pain also to Harper.
This book is a closed proximity, small town, fake dating and found family trope.

I enjoyed the book, but at first it is hard for me to finish because of the emotional traumas and baggages the main characters have.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC in response for my honest review.

This was my first Lucy Score read and I liked it!

This is a classic girl (Harper) gets cheated on - runs out of the house without her wallet or phone and ends up in the middle of nowhere.

Girl then gets involved in an altercation and a boy (Luke) shows up to take care of her.

Luke's family likes to be overly involved in his life and so he and Harper decide to pretend to date for a month - to get his family off his back, and give her a chance to figure out her next move.

The thing they didn't factor in is the insane chemistry the two share.

There is sex. Lots and lots of sex (spicy and fun - but if that isn't something you like in books - this might not be the book for you!).

But just because they have this chemistry - it doesn't mean everything is perfect.

Luke lacks maturity and doesn't share his feelings - whereas Harper is solid about communicating and fighting for what she wants.

In the end - we get a HEA - but there are a few bends in the road to get there.

I will say that I gave this 3.75 stars because the storyline that we were presented with was: Luke has a past, Harper loves him and wants to make it work. And then with about 10% left of the book we find out that Harper is actually also being threatened and so it's no longer just about Luke getting over himself - now Harper needs to run away to protect all her new friends. It felt a little out of left field. I don't think we necessarily needed that little secondary storyline (unless it had been mentioned more than one time in the first 20% of the book).

That said - super cute. I am looking forward to reading book 2 and 3 of the series. I loved that it was an instant attraction, that it had dual points of view for the majority of the story, and that Harper was awesome - not just as a girlfriend to Luke, but to EVERYONE and that she was all about moving forward.

Fun read - so glad I requested a copy.

Harper is on the run from her troubled past and cheating ex-boyfriend when she takes a wrong turn and randomly finds herself in the small town of Benevolence. Here she meets Luke, a National Guard captain with a mysterious past of his own. Soon they find themselves in a one month fake relationship to give Harper a place to stay and to keep Luke’s family pleased that he’s finally met someone, just until he deploys again.

This was such a cute story, overflowing with so many of my favorites - small town romance, found family, grumpy sunshine, a little mystery, a little spice, and even rescue dogs! How can you possibly go wrong?
Even though Luke drove me crazy at times, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this whole community. I feel like I stepped straight into an amped up version of a Hallmark movie.
My only dislike was that it was written in 3rd person, but it was still such a great read! I can’t wait to read more from Lucy Score and the town of Benevolence!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This gorgeous edition releases on May 9th!

Small town romance with an overprotective emotionally unavailable man?! Yes please!

I really enjoyed this story- and the spice was top notch 🔥The female MC was a strong, independent woman and I absolutely loved how she stood up for those around her, and had such a tender heart, even with all the hardships she went through growing up. It was a great combination of angst and sweet romance between these characters- and the build up to their relationship was beautiful. That ending--holy heart!

Loved it- strong 4 star book for me!

So excited, I got to read this story. I love a small town, fake dating spicy romance. It made me feel so many emotions I have laughed and cried page after page. The characters were amazing, even the smaller ones, and in my opinion it had a perfect ending.

Absolutely loved this story!

Lucy has a way of hooking her readers from the beginning of the book. I was drawn to the characters, Harper and Lukeand could not put this book down. Take a little town, mix some romance, drama and spice and this book was a hit for me!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

“My feelings for you aren’t dependent on yours for me. I like you. I probably love you. I think you’re an amazing guy. End of story.”

For those who don’t know, Things We Never Got Over is my favorite Lucy Score book. For those who don’t know, Things We Never Got Over is one of my all time favorite books. And while I’ve loved all of her other books with my big, sloppy heart… not one had that TWNGO vibe. I can’t really explain it. You just know when you know. Until Pretend You’re Mine.

It hit me instantly. Benevolence was painted in my head with the same shades as Knockemout. The characters even laughed the same way. Or so they did in my head. A sister town. A set of characters that could easily visit each other.

The second thing to hit me was the memory of a quote from a book I’ve read a long time ago: “some people go through life never knowing love. The intense, all consuming, forever after love. And you are lucky enough to have had that twice in this lifetime.” That’s what I thought about when I learned Luke’s story. Followed by: “what a dumb*ss” 🤣

Lucy Score spared no effort in this. She went straight for the jugular. And there I was crying and crying. Here, there, everywhere. I cried for Harper. I cried for Luke. I cried for them together. I cried for them individually. Hell, I probably cried for myself too somewhere in there too. It was absolutely incredible 🖤

There’s something about small towns.

What’s inside:
🖤small town romance
🖤fake dating
🖤one bed
🖤broken hero
🖤found family
🖤military romance

Adult. 5 stars ⭐️

I had a hard time getting into this one. I know, I know… not a popular opinion, but once I did get into it, I did enjoy this couple.
I thought it was well written and they couple was sweet.

My favorite parts of the book shouldn't have been the chunk when the leading man was deployed. I liked Harper, and I liked watching her work hard to better herself, her job/Luke's company, and make a home out of his house and the town. But Harper and Luke's relationship bothered me. It felt like at too many times he was rough and unkind, and then he'd be sweet but then he'd insist he could never love her.
There were a lot of potential triggers in here, so I recommend readers check into this before reading.

The perfect cheesy romance.

I was really excited to get an ARC of this but then I realized it was a book published a while ago that was just being republished. Still a great read!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

I was going to give this book 3 stars because I felt that some very important plot points were kind of brushed over and not discussed until the last 1/4th of the book (the stalker, the dead wife thing - pretty big stuff!).

But I loved the banter, the chemistry, and of course the ending made me cry. I always love a found family book, but mix it in with humor, romance, and some steamy sex scenes - I am a goner. So although it's not a 5 star read, it earned itself another star with that ending.

I'm really starting to love Lucy Score books! Keep 'em coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this digital advanced reader copy of the re-release of this book in return for my immensely honest opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and SourceBooks Bloom for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Check the triggers**

Read if you like: Dual POV, one bed, forced proximity, fake dating

This was tough for me. I HATED how Luke spoke to her. It's hard to root for this couple. They seriously did not need to be together. This book is like the poster child for trauma bonding. It is far too long. It easily could have been around 300ish pages. The sex scenes were so cringy. Wow. The wording is very repetitive and just weird. You may love this. It's not for me.