I was confused when I got approved for this arc, because when I looked it up on GR I saw it came out in 2015. Once I realized they were being re-released I decided to give it a try. It was… fine. I’m not big into the military/deployment vibe but I think my biggest issue was how quickly things kicked off. For example staying at a stranger’s house you literally met that day- but it was a light, spicy read with a bit of plot (that did seem to drag on a bit).

I have been enjoying the books by this author. This is my second and I can see myself adding het to my must read list. As with the precious one, this has a lot going for it, romance, sexual tension a funny town, supportive friends and family. Harper has had a sad past but is moving forward and stops in the town of Benevolence on her way to a new life. In this quaint town she meets Luke who has a tragic past. It takes a town, friends and family to help them find their way.

I love Lucy Score’s books so much. They are the perfect blend of romance, spice and humor. I do typically find myself at the 3/4 mark wondering how/why things are going to get screwed up but I still wind up loving them in the end.

I loved the story of Luke and Harper and the whole Benevolence town.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lucy Score! I absolutely loved this romance with everything in me! From start to finish this was an absolute masterpiece! Lucy score has quickly become one of my instant buy authors because I know anything she writes will be an automatic 5 star read, and this one is no different!

I keep hoping to fall in love with a Lucy Score book but this one didn't do it for me. I tried. I found the characters to be blah and the plot just ok. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Just three stars from me.

I love anything that Lucy score writes and this one did not disappoint. The dynamics between Harper and Luke kept me enthralled till the very end. The supporting characters added to the story and I hope some of them get their own stories too.

so this was literally ugly love?

the mmc is a complete douche who makes me wish i had extra middle fingers and the ability to give him a good ‘ol nutpunch

harper was a pushover who let him continue to use and degrade him, making the readers, and me quite frankly, feel disgustang and just BLEH no no no. not cute

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I have to say, I am blown away by how beautifully written this story is. When Harper finds herself stuck in a town she doesn’t know, she finds herself in a sticky situation. Luke swoops in and gives her a place to stay and their love story begins from there. I do have to say I think Harper forgave him way too quickly at the end, but nevertheless, I’m happy they ended up where they needed to be.

I’ve only read one series by Lucy Score, but I love the angst she puts between characters so I knew I needed to read another small town romance by her!

Harper is stopping through small town Benevolence after her boyfriend cheats on her. She left her home with no real plan. She runs out of gas at a bar and spots a man abusing a woman and she jumps him to get him off her. She ends up knocked out, and when she opens her eyes Luke Garrison is standing over her.

He goes all protective mode on her and takes her to his house to make sure she is okay overnight. But he only has one bed so they end up snuggling all night 😂😂

But then he needs a favor from her — be his fake girlfriend for family dinner and she obliges. But we all know the fake dating always leads to real dating, right? Luke is leaving on a 6 month deployment soon so he literally doesn’t want to start anything and tells her that over and over. But then he asks her to stay.

Luke and Harper both have really big secrets they’ll have to discuss before they can move on with their relationship. And I think I loved how Lucy incorporated the real life emotions when it comes to trauma. Such a good read!

Tropes:
Close proximity (my fave)
Fake dating
Long distance relationship
Small town romance
Slow burn

Spice 🌶️🌶️

What a great read! I laughed.. I cried!! This is definitely not your average fake-dating trope! The character development was so good and I absolutely loved falling in love with the small town of Benevolence! Can’t wait to read Finally Mine!

Ugh I don’t know how to feel about this book. I love Lucy Score, and that’s why I requested this book. I didn’t know this was a military book and as a military spouse, it made me dislike this book. But I also didn’t enjoy the main characters.

Luke was in his feelings and honestly just really shitty the entirety of the story. All he seemed to be interested in was sex and when Harper wanted more, he told her he didn’t but then continued to lead her on? Then got mad at her because she found out about his lie and was trying to help him fix it?? He was aggressive for no reason, and treated Harper like shit. He was a selfish, cowardly man and I could not stand him.

And then the issues with Harper, who didn’t stand up for herself and basically let Luke use her the entire story. She knows Luke can’t love her and chooses to stay? He chooses Harper over his dead wife in the last 5% of the book. And the story about her past is just randomly thrown in to add some drama to the story.

There was no connection between the characters and I hated all the military talk and how dramatic Luke made it all seem. Honestly, not a fan of this one but to each their own!

I read my first Lucy Score book a few months ago, and I've read so many since then - now a must read author for me, so I was so excited to have this opportunity to read a new one! I enjoyed the love story (of course), but also the extended cast of characters and this wonderful town. Another hit!

This was okay. The plot was somewhat unrealistic the military aspect doesn't work that way with "Captains" and only a six month deployment, I can say this because I am in the military. I thought the plot line was really dragged out and some things could been taken out. I loved the foster aspect of it and wish more books would discuss that side. I really felt like the male was "gaslighting" every second he could and it really bothered me. I get it he's been through a lot but after like the third or fourth time of being gaslighted most women will walk away especially after what he did to her as the end some things you just can't go back to. I love the author's notes on why she wrote this book and i love the romance and found family theme at the end i just think some things weren't healthy.

I’ve grown to really enjoy Lucy Score’s work! If you liked her other small town romances this one is definitely for you as well! It seems the trilogy is being re-released with new covers!

This is not my first book from this author. I have read and enjoyed other books from her, so I was excited to give this book from her a try. It was a good read but there were things I liked and disliked about this story. The main characters Harper and Luke were okay characters, and although I enjoyed Harper, it took me a while to warm up to Luke. There were quite a few times where I thought both main characters could act and deal with things on a more mature level. I could have gone without Harper telling Luke repeatedly how she felt about him. He knew how she felt even if he didn't want to truly accept what he was feeling or made excuses for himself. Which at times it seems as if he did that a lot, but he didn't refuse sex. There were times where the story seemed as if was more about lust than love when it came to them. Then there were times where this story had me laughing out loud at their antics. This story also had sweet, steamy, heartbreaking and heartwarming moments but I was happy that Harper and Luke got their HEA in the end and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

I love this. Oh my stars! Lucy Score you are the Queen!! I will read anything you write!! This was absolutely amazing and so very good. I will be buying this trilogy to have on my shelf!!
I just reviewed Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Lucy Score has done it again!! This story was about Luke who is a hometown hero who can’t seem to make up his mind or believe in his feelings. It follows a girl who always finds trouble. This book kept me plenty interested but it was a bit long. I could’ve done without some of the part with Luke gone. But I think it was a solid read.

Pretend You're Mine is a sexy romance book telling the story of Luke who's a servicemember and Harper who comes to his small town of Benevolence and shakes things up as soon as she gets there. I enjoyed the backstory of Luke who has demons in his past and Harper who has her own past that she's trying to escape. A solid 4 stars - just wish the book was a tad bit shorter!

I love Lucy. I first read this book back in 2015 and when I saw it available to request with the new cover, I figured now was a good time for a re-read. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Lucy Score does small town romance so, so well. I love Harper and her strength and resilience in the face of all life has put her through. She brings such a wonderful light to the community around her, and people are immediately drawn to her. Luke is no different. Their ruse to keep his family off his back prior to his next deployment quickly becomes real, despite Luke trying everything to avoid it. Luke and his lack of communication skills and dire need for therapy are the one major shortcoming of this book. I love the good side of him with Harper and think their chemistry jumps off the page, but when he’s outright mean to her to push her away (more than once) I lose patience with him fast. The book also gets a little steam-heavy at times but it does get reined back in to let the plot shine again. Like I said, I love this book and look forward to continuing my re-read of the series.

Where to begin?! I LOVED this book.
This was a first reads for me from Lucy Score. It's not something I wouldve gravitated towards with the old cover, but when I saw the new upcoming release cover on Netgalley I knew immediately I wanted to try for a chance to read it. I was chosen and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed.

I laughed, I cried, (I dont remember the last time I cried with a book) I stayed up wayyyy too late trying to finish each page. I loved this book. I'm not sure if all Lucy Score books are amazing, but this one for sure has made me want to read the rest of them. All because of a cover change, the characters, the storyline, the chase and the slow to get relationship. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
100/10 will recommend to EVERYONE!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this amazing book.