3.5 ⭐️

It took me awhile to get into this book. I found myself struggling to pick it up. But halfway through, it caught my attention and then I couldn’t put it down!!

Sometimes, I was super drawn to Luke. And other times, he annoyed the sh*t out of me. Like, stop telling the poor girl one thing and showing her another. And the self-loathing. At some point, it becomes exhausting.

Harper telling Gloria that she shouldn’t base her worth off anyone, especially a man, was kind of ironic. Considering that’s exactly what she did with Luke. After the 10th time of her telling him “I love you so much”, and he blatantly ignores her and refuses to say it back. Girl, what? Get OUT OF THERE.

Anywho— I really enjoyed the whole Garrison family. Aldo was also a favorite character of mine. I plan to continue the series, but I wasn’t obsessed with this book!

Like all of Lucy Scores books, I really enjoyed this one! I thought the ending was adorable and wrapped up well, but I was slightly bored during some of the beginning (felt it was a bit too drawn out). I also struggle with the believability at points, but also love the over-the-top cheesiness that kept me smiling throughout.
The spice level is 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thanks for the arc!

There is nothing Lucy writes that I do not fall in love with. I was so happy when I got approved for this book. Luke & Harper were easy to fall in love with & I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how their story unfolded. Thank you for letting me read this love story

Every time I read a book from Lucy Score I feel like I just found my new favorite by her and here we go again. I loved this story and the characters how they developed throughout. I loved how Luke’s town fell in love with Harper and the banter they all had with her and how they protected her. It’s a great new girl in small town finding her place kind of story that Lucy does does so well.

Spoilers! Cute story. I may have wanted to punch Luke through most of it though and it really hurt how I felt about his character. And Harper, she's literally just so amazing in every aspect but the fact that she tells Luke she loves him after just a couple weeks, stays after only knowing him a month, and forgives him instantly after he rips her heart to shreds just makes me want to shake her! Grumpy sunshine, fake dating, HEA. The spice is spot on a Lucy has a way to make you blush with her words. Love the side characters and I'm pretty excited to read more in Benevolence.

I enjoyed everything about this book, the charming characters, the fast-paced storyline, the humor and suspense. Harper Wilde has had a difficult life since the death of her parents when she was seven. Life doesn’t appear to be getting any better as she runs out of gas and money in Benevolence, Maryland. Meeting Luke Garrison may finally be a positive in her life. He is a captain in the National Guard, preparing to deploy. Learning that she has no money, he invites her to stay in his extra bedroom and offers her a job working at his construction business. Luke is immensely attracted to Harper, but knows that there can be no permanent relationship for them, but he never explains why. As Harper falls in love with Luke, the town has fallen in love with her and her positive and caring manner. The intimacy between them is off the charts, yet he still insists that he won’t love her. Asking her to stay while he is deployed, will his feelings allow him to finally let Harper into his heart? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I struggled with this one a little. I loved the MC, but I really want authors to write strong women, not women who settle for less than they deserve. Luke's backstory is tragic and I'm a sucker for a broken man, but not at the expense of her own happiness and sanity. I appreciate the implication that they had a HEA, but I would have liked to see more of that to feel confident about leaving these characters at the end of the book.

Pretend Your Mine is all of the fake dating/forced proximity/'oh but I can't love you" goodness that we all crave in a romance. When Harper is stranded in Benevolence, Luke let's her stay just for the night. One night turns into a fake relationship "just for the month" and as Harper finds herself falling in love with both him and the town, you fall with her.

Lucy Score writes a romance that we ROOT FOR. She writes a community that we want to be a part of and characters that we need to meet again. I loved sinking into this community and am ready to read what's next. (and isn't the cover beautiful?)

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this arc.


After finishing a book, I always go and read through others reviews to see what they thought of it, too. I am in complete shock that there are people who found anything wrong with this story!
First of all, i feel as though the point of it wasn’t the relationship that the two MC’s had at all. The point was finding family.
Much of the story, the MMC was deployed, leaving the FMC at home to deal with living in a new, small town. This was crucial in her character development. Had the story revolves around ONLY their relationship she would have been an entirely flat character.
Though the MMC was a tortured soul, and it can be viewed as annoying from some that he silently pines after his dead wife, I feel that what happened and how he felt is a completely rational and realistic reaction.
It was beautifully written, leaving me bawling like a baby at the end.
I’ll be starting Finally Mine immediately!

First of all this book had no business being as sentimental and sexy as it was, and I absolutely loved it! Immediately I wanted Harper Wilde to be my best friend, I fell in love with Luke Garrison and the people of Benevolence right along side of her!

This book is actually my first five star of this year. I loved The story line and always needed to know where the story was going. Characters were well written and the situation played out is a realistic storyline between two people who both have baggage to bring to a relationship. The spice is good but if this book has one downfall it’s the use of the word “sex” when talking about the female anatomy and not the action. Thankfully it’s only referred to that a handful of times. Otherwise, loved this book! Also, an easy read and a quick read.

I loved Luke and Harpers story. As the story progressed you could really feel the pain and sorrow and conflict each felt. I thought that Lucy score writes amazing, realistic characters that have amazing plotlines. I especially love her portrayal of the side characters (who become main characters in other books). I just love how she set up the whole Benevolence MD town and feel. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in the series!

This was my first Lucy Score book, and I will definitely try another. I liked the book, but there were some aspects of it that I didn't love.

Harper is a former foster child, who has had a difficult life. After a bad breakup she packs up to head to her friends to couch surf for awhile but accidently finds herself stranded in small town Benevolence. Harper walks in on a domestic issue and quickly becomes the town hero but needs a place to stay until she can get her car fixed. Enter Luke Garrison. Hunky and broody, Luke is a well-known town favorite and member of the National Guard. He only has a month before he deploys again and is sick of his family meddling in his personal life, so he offers Harper a place to stay in exchange for a fake relationship with her. What could possibly go wrong, it's only for a month, right?

Of course, we know the fake dating trope is going to lead to a shared bed and some sparks flying, which of course happened in this book. Luke and Harper both struggle with their developing feelings, Luke moreso than Harper, and we get a glimpse into both of their lives during his deployment and return. Ultimately Luke becomes a giant ass due to his tragic past, and everyone in Benevolence has to get involved.

I really liked Harper's character. I liked how she was a bad-ass survivor who didn't take crap from anyone. But I did find some of her actions a bit annoying/unrealistic. Luke's character was definitely flawed, but he did have some rewarding characteristics. Lot of secondary characters and the small-town vibe definitely added to the atmosphere of the book and made it even more enjoyable.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book, and give it 3.5 stars. I did find it a touch too long and sometimes got annoyed by the main characters. But I did enjoy it and hope to read the rest of this series.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another huge hit from Lucy Score! This was a fast, easy read, with characters to love all over again. Just the right amount of spice and plot. I will be recommending this to readers who need a light hearted beach read this summer.

Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score, book one in the Benevolence series, is a heartbreaking, wonderful, sweet yet humorous story with the perfect mix of emotion and heart added; a story you will want to read over and over again.

Harper, formerly a foster child passed through the foster system until she aged out, physically abused, alone in this world and always ready for a challenge. Harper was a go getter, a rescuer, a helper, a friend, a listener, and all she wanted in return was for someone to be the same for her, to protect her, save her, love her. Hometown hero Luke Garrison is drawn to her strength, but not sure how to handle her. Luke is constantly the target of his family's matchmaking. Knowing Harper is down and out, needs money, a job and a place to stay, he asks her to be his fake girlfriend and stay at his house; after all, he’s deploying in a month. With a consensual agreement to share the only bed, Harper and Luke realize there might be more than just sharing a bed between them. Harper and Luke both have secrets from their tragic pasts, so it is no surprise that these two kindred spirits share a deep, passionate, connection that Luke is finding hard to fight. It’s no wonder that Luke, his family, the town, can’t help but fall for this amazing, generous woman with a heart of gold who has lived a life of ashes. I highly recommend The Way You Are to other readers and although this is my first book by Ms. Score, it won’t be my last as I’m anxious to read the next story in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

When Luke and Harper agree to pretend to be a couple for a month, both think it is the perfect solution. However, neither of them figured on actual feelings developing before he deploys in that month. This is the first book I have ready by Lucy Score and I have to say it had a bit of everything in it. Small town romance meets pretend relationship turns real. I definitely will look for more from this author!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book

I should have DNF’d this book.

From about 30% on, I didn’t like it. The MMC is a doooooooouuuuuche nugget. He kicked her out of his house and basically told her that she’ll never be as good as his late wife. THEN when he finally tells her he loves her, she instantly forgive him? It’s a no from me. Also, he was just mean.

I also thought it was way too long. There was no reason for this book to be over 350 pages.

However, I did like Harper. Her personality was cute.

This was my first Lucy Score book. With how much y’all rave about her, I’m a bit disappointed

I truly enjoyed this book. The story was unique and was a true page turner.

Luke is impressed and surprised by his first meeting with Harper. Harper ends up an a small town with nothing to her name looking for a fresh start. After deciding to pretend to be dating for both of their benefits, they start to have feelings for each other. Together they encounter problems and struggles that they need to over if they are going to last. Although at times I felt there may have been too many problems they had to overcome, I loved the characters and the small town that was created in this story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.


Thank you Net Galley and Bloom Books for letting me read and review this book.

Pretend You’re Mine, the first installment of Lucy Score’s Benevolence series, is set to be re-released next week, May 9th with this gorgeous new cover. Although it was originally published in 2015, I was given a digital copy in exchange for my review. Thanks Bloom Books and NetGalley!

As romance books go, this was delightful. The characters were darling and likable, the town of Benevolence was charming, and the plot moved at a decent pace despite the main characters being separated by a considerable distance for much of the story. This was a lighthearted, relatively low stakes, entertaining book.

I would recommend this book to contemporary romance readers who enjoy some spice! Although heavy on spicy content, there is still a plot, so I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as smut. But its close! This is a great book for escaping reality. Having read Things We Never Got Over earlier this year, I appreciate how Score’s writing has developed over time.

Pretend You're Mine" by Lucy Score is a captivating and heartwarming romance novel that had me hooked from beginning to end. The characters are wonderfully developed and incredibly relatable, with flaws and quirks that make them feel like real people.

The story itself is a delightful mix of humor, romance, and emotion, with just the right amount of tension and drama to keep me engaged throughout. The author's writing style is charming and witty, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that had me smiling from ear to ear.

But what truly sets this book apart is the relationship between the two main characters, which is both sweet and steamy. Their chemistry is electric, and their journey from friends to lovers is both heartwarming and satisfying.

Overall, "Pretend You're Mine" is a must-read for anyone who loves romance novels that are both funny and touching. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a lighthearted and enjoyable read. It's the perfect escape from the real world and a wonderful reminder that love is always worth the risk.