This was my first Lucy Score book and i LOOOOVED it.

I read somewhere that this was like “Ugly Love” by coho and I definitely see the similarities - broody men who are broody because they tragically lost someone and blamed themself for losing someone. Women who are in an unknown competition with someone who isn’t there anymore.

This book tugged my heart strings and it tugged them hard. It made me laugh, cry, feel all do the emotions - but through every messed up thing that happened, I really was rooting for Luke and Harper. Seeing them get their happy ending + their happy little family, while honoring what they lost was beautiful.

I loved Luke’s protectiveness of Harper at all costs. He also gave her space when she needed it, but he also sucked at showing his emotions. “Stay.”

Harper brought out all of the pieces in lule that he didn’t want to come out and it was amazing to read about them falling in love.

It’s been two days since I finished the book and I’m still thinking about them. That’s how you know it’s a good one 🫶🏼

3.5 ⭐️

I love everything Lucy Score writes, and this heart-wrenching, soul-healing story between Harper and Luke was no exception. Harper is fun, positive, and has a spine of steel despite all the ways she's been mistreated and let-down, and Luke, battling pesky feelings that he tries to deny, loves hard without even knowing it. Their story has equal parts fun, spice, and heartbreak with a HEA that will make you swoon. The only thing I didn't love was the third person POV, but even that provided some insight to the characters that can't be detailed in first person. Can't wait to read more of this series because, as usual, Lucy knocked it out of the park!

This was my first, but certainly won't be the last Lucy Score book!

This gem contains all my favorite tropes - single bed, forced proximity, fake dating, and grumpy x sunshine. The best! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

I am a newbie when it comes to the Lucy Score fandom. I am gladly bowing down to the queen with the rest of them already at her feet. I haven’t read a lot of her books yet, but every book that I have read have been downright unputdownable.

I’m not sure how she does it every time, but she puts my heart through the wringer. I didn’t realize I was going to cry when I read this book. That is how good she is at with her writing. She flipped the cry switch in me, and I didn’t even see it coming. Lucy certainly knows how to write a girthy book as well. You won’t hear me complain when I love a book as much as Lucy’s books. The girthier, the better!

If you thought the book cover was going to hide you away from reading about a dirty talking military man, then the book cover did you good. This is one of those books that you can read in public without feeling like someone will judge you and still make you blush. One of my pet peeves is the nickname of baby which is Luke’s felony but if that’s all I must complain about, then you know it’s a good book! Also, the use of the term “heavy sack” is something that caught my eye but after the second time, it just made me laugh! LOL

The way Lucy Score will expand and constrict your heart with Pretend You’re Mine is amazing. My emotions were everywhere, and I loved all the characters. I loved the witty banter, that Lucy is so well versed at, the character growth, and the setting that was kind of a character. I admired Harper because she is so strong for such a crappy childhood. She is someone you want to be friends with, and Luke is someone who needs just the type of person that Harper is.

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Thanks so much to Netgalley, the publisher, and Lucy Score for this ARC of Pretend You’re Mine!! Lucy Score is such a comfort read for me, so I was super excited to get book 1 of her Benevolence Series!
 
Pretend You’re Mine follows Harper and Luke. Harper is new in town- after catching her now-ex cheating on her, she decides to leave town… with no wallet, phone, or gas money. When she stumbles into the town of Benevolence and helps break up a fight, she meets Luke, who reluctantly offers to let her stay with him as his fake-girlfriend to keep his family from commenting on when he’ll settle down. This book had the banter and spice Lucy Score always delivers on and kept me entertained throughout!! There’s a reason she’s a go-to author for me and I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series!

Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score, is the first book in her Benevolence series. Typically this author writes a fun witty romance, but this book is definitely more on the angsty side.

In Pretend You're Mine, we meet Harper and Luke. Their story alternates between dual POV's in third person narrative.
I did feel like the chemistry between Harper and Luke is a little too insta-love and too fast. I wanted more tender moments between them.

But, I do look forward to reading the second book, Finally Mine.

2.5 Stars
OK so, I've read a few Lucy Score books. Things We Never Got Over, By A Thread, and Maggie Moves On. So I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on her works. Granted, that's not always true, but I think I've done pretty good in reading a good sampling of her work.

Compared to her other works this fell really short for me. I couldn't connect with these characters, I felt like the pacing was really slow and was really hard to want to keep moving forward, and the fake dating POV had nothing new or interesting to offer in this case.

I will say though, the writing style is true to her. You could immediately tell this was a Lucy Score book, the writing was good, the humor, on point. I think this was just a perfect storm of some important elements just not really jiving together on this one.

Thank you NetGalley and BloomBooks for the ARC of this rerelease.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is romantic comedy at its best. This book had all the feels, I cheered so hard for Harper and Luke and cried like a baby through all their trials. Zany friends and found family make this a must read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley and Bloom Books

2 Stars

This book was previously published by the author in 2015 and is now being reissued with a publisher, which is very exciting for Lucy Score! That being said, I don’t think I would have requested this series if I had known it wasn’t a new release.

I previously read Things We Never Got Over and it was just okay for me. Unfortunately, Pretend You’re Mine I liked even less and I think I’m realizing this author just isn’t for me. I would say if you loved Things We Never Got Over and can suspend belief and love a lot of drama then give it a shot… you might love it!

Personally, I didn’t particularly like either of the main characters, so when they kept making questionable choices & it was playing out like a soap opera, I just couldn’t find a connection or really root for them as a couple. The spice was nice & spicy and I did like the bones of the book so I know a lot of people may love it.

I did get an ARC for the next book in the series so I will be giving Lucy Score another shot! I did like the characters Aldo and Gloria in this book so I’m interested to see where their book goes. They had quite a bit of their relationship timeline in this book though so I’m curious how it will play out in Finally Mine.

Thank you to Net Galley & Bloom Books for the ARC of Pretend You’re Mine in exchange for an honest review.

Overall? I loved this story, that said, Luke hurt my feelings and I’m not quite over it yet. This novel was the kind where my gut was clenching in heartache, and I would have to put my kindle down and walk away for a few minutes, but in the end I think that goes in the “positives” column. The author really pulled the emotion out of me. Both characters had their own immense grief to deal with, the likes of which I am not familiar with and thus probably can’t judge on how they dealt with it, but Luke was definitely a little bit of a D at points.

I loved the found family aspects, I love Harper’s positive nature, the hero puppers, and the author’s signature “touch of suspense”. This is 3rd party pov so beware of that if that’s something that matters to you.

Thank you to @netgalley & @read_bloom for the ARC of this re-release title. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars

I don’t know what to say. Fake romances are a dime a dozen right now and this one wasn’t anywhere near as heartwarming as I expected it to be. Harper is down on her luck and Luke gives her a job and a place to live. They’ve both got a backstory they’re keeping from each other. I gave this one the benefit of the doubt because I thought that it was going to be a soldier with PTSD, not ready to commit to love kind of story. Instead, Luke was a widower who verbally insulted and borderline physically abused her, while repeatedly telling her he’ll never love her. And she stayed. I guess there’s a romance by the end, but my stomach was still churning from events in the middle of the book so it never crawled out of that hole for me.
*Thanks to Bloom Books and NetGalley for this advance copy for review.

Pretend You’re Mine is the book that Lucy Score credits with allowing her to make writing her full-time gig. As with many of her books, it’s a cozy, small town romance that features conventionally sexy main characters and a good helping of spice (even a little butt stuff!).

This story is full of romance cliches and tropes – like a sunshine/grumpy romance, found family, a possessive heartthrob and a fake relationship – but for me, that’s part of its charm. It’s earnest and kind of cringe, but also absolutely delightful to read.

Sometimes it’s nice to read something kind of silly and heartwarming, and this is the perfect book for those times.

I’m not a big fan of the military but for some reason those types of romances hit different. (mixed feelings)

If you like the tortured grump and the sunshine heroine that brings him back to life then this book is for you.

Harper is fun and one of my favorite heroines. Luke is super protective and tortured which makes me want to give him a hug. The found family vibe and the small-town family are beyond adorable.

NetGalley Review - my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Pretend You’re Mine by @scorelucy was an amazing story about Harper and Luke and their meet cute turned fake dating turned real dating.
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This book was my first Lucy Score and certainly won’t be my last. It’s already on KU but is being re-released May 9!
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If you like fake dating tropes with lots of twists, a military deployment, and some thriller aspects, this is for you. When I tell you, ugh. I cried 4x!
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Thanks to @read_bloom for this ARC!
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#netgalley #lucyscore #pretendyouremine #bloombooks

I love Lucy Score and this was everything I love about her books. The writing did feel. a little more immature compared to her other works but I really loved the characters and the small town.

I received a digital copy of this book in return for my review. I had read a book by Lucy Score last year and found it enjoyable, so I was keen to explore more of her work. While her books are generally light reads and entertaining distractions, this one delved deeper and tackled the topic of grief.

Harper leaves her home after discovering her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She exits the house in haste, leaving her wallet behind, and eventually runs out of gas in a parking lot near a bar in the small town of Benevolence, Maryland. Feeling like she's reached her lowest point, Harper witnesses an attack on a woman named Gloria in the parking lot. Her instincts lead her to protect Gloria, and she impulsively jumps on the attacker's back. The attacker eventually throws her off and gives her a black eye. Luke, a local resident, sees the altercation and steps in to help.

Luke's sister, Sophie, owns the bar next to the parking lot. Harper goes inside to grab some food and meets Sophie. Both Sophie and Luke recommend that Harper spend the night at Luke's place and see a doctor the following day. Harper agrees to stay the night and leave the next day. She plans to depart the town, as she got lost and wants to head to Freemont to visit her friend. Luke offers to drive her home so she can pack her belongings and retrieve her wallet and purse.

As Harper stays in town, she and Luke start "fake dating," but soon the boundaries blur. Both of them have faced significant losses in their lives. Harper decides to stay with Luke for a month and work at his construction company. At times, I felt frustrated and disappointed to see Harper settling for less than she deserved. She appeared to be a contradictory character, presenting herself as somewhat independent yet allowing herself to be exploited and verbally mistreated, which seemed inconsistent with her backstory.

This book was previously released in 2015 and 2018. Despite its age, it doesn't feel dated and makes for an engaging, steamy read over a few days. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance novels, though it's worth noting that the story contains potential triggers.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: May 9, 2023

Pretend You’re Mine is my first Lucy Score book and I didn’t realize that this one was published previously and is getting a refresh and being rereleased this year!

Like Garrison is a hometown hero. When he’s not defending his country as a National Guard, he’s running his own construction company and helping family and friends.

Luke has a deep dark past. Something horrible happened to him and he has vowed to never fall in love again. He doesn’t deserve happily ever after so there is no point in chasing it.

Harper Wilde is running again. Always on the move, always making poor choices in men and having to start all over again. She too has a stormy past but when she rolls into Benevolence and puts herself in dangers way to save someone, she ends up in Luke’s care for the night.

Luke is tired of his family pushing him to find happiness and Harper realizes she is in the opposite direction of her original destination with nowhere to stay and no money…..They make a mutual agreement. Harper will stay in Luke’s house and fill the Office Manager position he has available for one month. They will pretend to be dating and by the time Luke ships out a month later, they will stage a fake break up and carry on their way.

The problem is, Luke cannot deny his attraction to Harper and she is determined to find out what he is hiding before she fall too deep.

I enjoyed Harper and Luke’s story. I do think Luke’s past probably could have been dealt with earlier on in the story. I would have liked more of their relationship AFTER the big reveal so to speak. There was quite a bit of spice in this one but it was integrated well with the storyline. This is a 4 star read for me and I recommend for any romance lovers (fake dating trope).

#NetGalley #pretendyou’remine #lucyscore

This was a long read and while it was good I felt like it was too long and could have been shorter. I did love Harper but Luke needed more depth. He swore Harper needed him even when she didn’t. The story was engrossing in a good way however I hated the ending!

I like the idea of this book but personally I found the pacing off. The relationship and set up felt fast paced and didn’t allow me to connect to the characters. It felt rushed and as a result I didn’t find the relationship believable. This may be a book that others will enjoy but personally for me I didn’t like the characters or the pacing of the plot.

Thanks netgalley for the arc! This was a cute book that was an enjoyable read. I love Lucy score books and this one didn’t disappoint! It had a bit of a slower start but picked up as it went on. I’m confused why this is an arc since it’s been out for a few years though. Also posted to goodreads.