I love Lucy! I was soooo excited to get this book as an ARC, even though it’s a re-release with a new cover. The book did not disappoint and I can NOT wait to move on to book 2!!! Definitely a must read.

Luke mets Harper as she jumps in to save a stranger being abused by her boyfriend. He's everything you love about an alpha male. She is a lady down on her luck in need of a rescue and he refuses to be anything but her hero. They find themselves in a fake relationship and lines blur just before he is deployed. And that deployment threatens and changes everything...

I liked it. Granted, sometimes - specifically at the beginning of the book - it was a little over the top. (Some of their interactions made me cringe a little and was slightly annoying.) It still was entertaining and that lessened the farther I got in to the book.
The story hooked me, which is what we all look for. Luke is H O T and their chemistry was fire. (The text she gets as he leaves...story making!) Read it. You are gonna be glad you did.

NetGalley & this author/publisher provided the ARC I read for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Now I’ve cried in my bed 3 times bc I couldn’t go to sleep and break the momentum! I can’t wait to start book two!

This book was okay. There were equal parts I liked and didn’t like.

Things I liked:
- light: this book was a nice light read that wasn’t overly complicated. If you are looking for a quick easier read then look no further.
- smut: 👌🏾
- characters: for the most part the characters are very like-able. They may be a little over the top at times but the most of them where very relatable. I also like that the FMC stood up for herself and actually had some backbone.
Things I didn’t like:
-Pacing: pacing at the beginning was way off - it felt very rushed and not at all natural. This made it very hard to connect with the characters as individuals and as a couple.
-random subplots: there seemed to be some random subplots (mostly with the FMC) in this story that were used to create unnecessary drama and give the characters more dimension. I felt this took away from the main story and I found myself skimming through that whole part.
- MMC: yeaaahhhh he wasn’t for me. Im not the biggest fan of the ‘noble fool’ trope and really the whole conflict could have been avoided.

So all in all - not the best, not the worst.

"She could feel the shadow over his heart, and it broke hers."

Summary
Luke owns a local construction company and is a member of the National Guard - all-around small town hero. However, his family is constantly on his case about finding a life partner. So when Harper blows into town on her way to starting a new life, he thinks she'll make the perfect fake girlfriend to fend his family off until he deploys in a month. What he doesn't expect is to have his life turned upside down by this wild-hearted girl.

Why did I pick up this book?
I requested it on Net Galley, thinking it was the first book in a new series by Score. I got 80% of the way through and realize I think they just branded it as a "new release" because it got a new cover. This book was actually published in 2015. So I'm pretty salty because I could have avoided this whole thing, but now I owe a review to save my requests-to-reviews ratio *eye roll*

What did I enjoy about it?
I love a story with found family. I loved watching the blossom of Harper and Arli's friendship, as well as most of the others she fostered while Luke was deployed. The dogs were a nice addition, but sadly, this is it.

What did I not enjoy about it?
This book was full of contradictions, the characters laced with hypocrisy. For example: Luke says he has no attachment to Harper but is calling her babe every 5 seconds, starting the day after they first met. As in her other book I read, there is toxic masculinity throughout. Luke is too overbearing, past the point of romantic and crossing into possessive and overly violent. Someone else suffered a serious trauma and was told to "man up." Both Harper and Luke had an extremely unhealthy concept of boundaires. Also I hate premature proposals.

I LOVE Lucy’s writing and I loved the characters. And again I really enjoyed the insta love which I don’t typically like but it just worked here.

I especially liked the found family vibe, that is pretty standard in all of Lucy’s books. The spice was on point and it was laugh out loud funny!

This is my second book from Lucy Score and I still feel unsure about her writing. The blurb of the book was interesting but after reading it, parts of it felt unnecessary and again, the book was a tad too long. Characters were also too good to be true. i wish I liked the book more!

Thank you for the ARC!

This was my first Lucy Score book and the first in the Benevolence series. I always see people posting about the romance novels they read having wrecked them, but I’ve been reading this genre for a few months now without being wreck by one. Until now! This book made me happy, angry, sad and proud. This book made me laugh, sob and feel warm and fuzzy inside. I’m going to break my review into three parts:

Before deployment: I loved the MC Harper as soon as I met her. She is a fun loving, hot mess with a huge heart. She is brave, kind, impulsive and selfless. When she opens her eyes to see the male MC, Luke’s handsome face I knew they would be a fun couple. As much as Luke tried to resist her during their time spent fake dating the pull that they had for each other was undeniable. I enjoyed their hijinks as they tried to navigate sharing the only bed in Luke’s home. I laughed out loud the morning he caught Harper naked dancing on the counter. The romance scenes were good and spicy. I didn’t love some of Scores descriptive word choices for the sex scenes, but to each their own. I loved the development of Harper finding her place in Benevolence. It was hard to see them clearly falling in love while Luke closed himself off and pushed Harper away as deployment drew closer. I sobbed as they said their goodbyes and then continued to cry as Harper received the text that would chance everything. Stay.

During deployment: Although I continued to enjoy the developing relationship between Harper and Luke, my favorite part about him being on deployment was watching Harper make Benevolence her home. I loved seeing her find her place and creating her first real family. I loved seeing her enjoy the town, her friends, and making a positive impact of the lives of those who lived in the small town. My heart broke as Harper found what Luke kept locked in his basement and discovered the reason he would not let himself love her. I cried as she found Karen’s mom and with her big heart show Joni how to live again. I also loved watching the relationship between her and Aldo when he came back from deployment. Watching them become like brother and sister was so sweet. Then the way Aldo helped Luke surprise Harper with his return home, made me cry all over again.

After deployment: This part of the story was rough. I was so mad at Luke for pushing Harper away. The internal conflict that he has was hard and emotional to read about. My heart hurt for him but at the same time I wanted to slap him and tell him how dumb he was being. As their separation continued I loved seeing the towns people rally around Harper. It was very clear that she had finally found where she belonged, and she just needed Luke to see it too. I liked watching as Luke and Ty worked together to protect Harper from her own past secrets. Luke couldn’t stay away from that girl even if he tried. I loved the role that Joni played in helping Luke see that it was OK to love again. Joni and Harper‘s relationship was so sweet and special. I loved how Harper and Luke were brought back together with Luke finally coming to his senses. I sobbed all over again as they were reunited. The epilogue tied everything together in a happily ever after that I was hoping for.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed in my life. Pretend You’re Mine had a lot going on and some may not like
the somewhat unrealistic combo of situations in it this book, but I loved it. This book was an emotional roller coaster that I didn’t want to get off of. I am so excited that it is only the first in a series.

I really should have paid better attention to the tropes and synopsis of this book before requesting it. Lesson learned,,,I feel like this is not the typical kind of Lucy Score book I've heard my friends talk about. It was not my cup of tea. But I will continue reading Lucy's newer books!

I’m already a fan of Lucy Score. I actually discovered her here on NetGalley. So when I got the chance to read some of her older titles on here, I jumped at the chance. I definitely liked this one and loved seeing where Lucy’s style was almost 5 years ago compared to now. Her writing has grown so much in such a short time, I’m definitely more obsessed with her current titles and am waiting with bated breath for her next release.

Honestly, there’s nothing I love more than a strong, protective, alpha male main character. 🥰

The Gist:
Harper accidentally lands in Benevolence after a break up. She gets herself into a situation where Luke finds himself the hero of the moment. Her plans were never to stop or be in Benevolence.

Luke is a broody military man living in the same small town where he grew up. He has a history and is absolutely not looking for love.

Things I loved:
-Lucy’s writing style
-Burly alpha MMC
-Military representation
-Small Town Charm
-Harper’s strength


My Reflection:
I really love this book, but it’s sooo much like TWNGO. The resemblance is very strong and feels a bit repetitive. I know this is a rerelease, and technically was written first. I just adored Knox and Naomi so much that a very similar book written by the same author is tough! For that reason, I give Pretend Your Mine 4 stars.

If you’ve never read TWNGO, you’ll love this one!

Thank you to Bloom, Lucy Score, and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this story, especially Harper. She’s a strong woman, because she chose to live in the present and hope for the future despite her past. Luke, on the other hand, walled himself away because of his past and din’t want anything to do with building a future with Harper. The storyline was good, but at times it felt like the story would never end. I am heading to Gloria and Aldo’s book.

Pretend You’re Mine is the first standalone novel within the Benevolence series. If I recall correctly, this novel was self-published back in 2015 and then rereleased in 2018 and now again in 2023. Each novel in the series seems to focus on a new couple in the small town of Benevolence, so they could be read as standalones, and it seems this republication is treating them as standalones. The story follows Harper Wilde who ends up running away without a cell phone or money after some events at home. She ends up at a bar in Benevolence where she ends up meeting National Guard Luke Garrison. As a foster child passed through the system since the age of seven, experiencing feeling lost and abused along the way, Harper was a sympathetic character that you wanted to root for. Luke is the brooding hero who has completed three tours overseas and will be shipping out for his fourth in a few weeks. Not only has he been away on multiple tours, but years also ago his wife passed away in a car accident and he has been grieving ever since.

Luke decides to make a deal with Harper for them to help each other as he will give her a place to stay, and she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend until he is deployed to get his family off his back. The two have great chemistry together, but it is obvious that Luke is not ready to open his heart fully. Some readers may automatically be turned off by Luke still holding on to his wife, but I have seen it done well in other stories, so I held out hope. Unfortunately, for me, I could not see in any way Luke was ready to have a new relationship. It seemed I saw a new red flag with every page. While I could see the love develop, I honestly could not explain Harper’s decisions. For me, I needed more exploration into why she put in so much work for Luke yet her past relationship was straight-forward in why it ended. I understand that the situations are different yet there still should have been something in the writing to explain why Luke was worth the extra effort.

I believe there is a lot of potential in this novel, but I think the last half of the book took some elements too far. There are some moments that Score seemed to write to drive home some of the emotions of the characters to the reader, however, it just did not quite get there. The writing itself was enjoyable as it seemed it was just the content choices that did not work for me. I think Score has a lot of potential to work for me as a reader, but this storyline just does not mesh with me. The ending did not work for the characters’ journeys, and I did not think events matched either. While I had my expectations for how I thought the story should play out, I would have been okay if it did not happen if it made sense for the characters. For this story, unfortunately, it just did not make sense. Other readers may disagree. Overall, I still enjoyed Score’s style and want to read more from her even if this one did not work for me.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bloom Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

3.5⭐️, 3🌶️

•insta love
•fake dating
•small town
•found family

don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Lucy’s writing but this book just wasn’t for me! While I did enjoy the characters, I found myself frustrated with the MMC many times throughout. He didn’t want a relationship but kind of strung her along in a sense. And again I really enjoyed their personalities but as a couple a lot of miscommunication + the insta love vibe just through me off and I don’t enjoy reading books like that. & I found the storyline to drag on a little bit.

I loved the found family vibes, the spice was great and so many laugh out loud moments! Love Lucy’s writing and I’m sad that I didn’t love this book but it won’t stop me from reading her books in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Besides my overall dislike for Luke, I like Harper and wish she had someone better. I wasn’t a fan of Luke’s comments or his comments of Harper not being her. Overall a good story, a little unnecessarily long but overall I liked it

“Stay.”

Pretend You’re Mine is the first book in the Benevolence Series by Lucy Score, and it will make you fall in love with Benevolence and its residents! Harper needs a new start, and when she lands in this small town with no phone, no wallet and out of gas – only to see a woman getting smacked around – she does what any sane woman would do and jumps on the man’s back to stop him . . . to then be helped by sexy Luke Garrison after taking a hit to the face. Luke’s sister comes up with a temporary plan to help Luke and Harper before Luke leaves for another National Guard deployment, which they both agree to for their own personal reasons. But how long can they play at pretend? And when both have a past that will come out sooner than later – will they be able to “stay” together?

This was my first Lucy Score book, and there was a lot that I liked about this novel, but also some that I didn’t. I loved the characters and the small-town feel – there is something to be said about community and family shining through the pages. I loved the military-heroism undertones, the girls-sticking-together vibe, and of course the steam was on point. However, I felt Luke was a bit overbearing and irrational, Harper a tad desperate, and that there was too much fluff that was unnecessary and made this book much longer than it needed to be.

I did NOT buy at all that Aldo would be overall mentally and physically better in this short time span and able to run again – sure, it makes it a better story line for Harper to connect to all of Luke’s friends and family, but I believe prosthetics take longer to customize to the person and multiple visits to fit.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and Luke and Harper’s story; I was invested in the outcome and appreciated how Score tied the ending nicely in a bow! It is obvious why Score is a powerhouse author and well loved among her readers. I will definitely read more of her books and will recommend this one to others! 3.8 stars!

Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to review this novel! All opinions are my own.

Fake relationship fans rejoice you will LOVE this one.

Luke is a brody National Guard, who just wants to be left alone. Harper is trying for a new start at life. These two enter into a fake relationship, but as their close proximity continues they sizzle and catch fire!

This one is so good!! Sexy and heartfelt, with a hero who has a little bit of jealous that comes out!

I absolutely adored this story, and Harper and Luke’s happy ever after.

Thank you Netgalley and Lucy Score for this ebook. I am officially a Lucy Score fan. This book did it. I read Finally Mine first which tbh I think was the way to go. Harper was my favourite character in that book and I loved her just as much in this one. Pretend You’re Mine is definitely more steamy though 🔥 and I’m not complaining. Harper and Luke had electric chemistry and even though I knew how it ended (since I read book 2 first) I couldn’t put this down.
“What am I supposed to do, be all ‘woe is me’ for the rest of my life? I still get access to the same sunrises everyone else does, the same twenty-four hours in a day. And if I don’t take advantage of those things, it’s my own fault.”
The themes of trauma and grief are handled gently and beautifully. Harper, though fictional, is a great role model for how to live with loss rather than leave it all behind. I highly recommend this spicy but emotional small town fake dating romance.

This is my first time trying the very popular Lucy Score, and I can definitely see why her books appeal to fans of Colleen Hoover - very similar in regards to the trauma-bonding romance style, with main characters that you just want to shake while you tell them they can do better. But that being said, I did still enjoy parts of this story, and I can definitely see why it has many 5-star reviews from fans of Score/Hoover/etc. So, 3 stars from me, and I probably won't try another from Score, but I would still recommend to readers who I know love this genre. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score is an emotional, feel good, romance. This story had more depth and real life emotions in the plot and characters than most books I read. She managed to capture all of our real emotions and put them on paper. This is a must read!