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.

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.