Unfortunately had to dnf this arc. The characters were obnoxious and the storyline wasn't very interesting.

Wow I don’t even know where to begin for my review. I couldn’t put this book down. The chemistry of Harper and Luke was off the charts! And the spice was holy moly, so hot! I loved the characters of the town and the small town setting. The plot was great and overall I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I knew I loved Lucy Score and her writing, especially her alpha male characters but this book took me by surprise in such a good way!

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Lucy Score and PRETEND YOU’RE MINE was no different! This was a fun and quick read with great characters, a well-developed storyline, and just a breeze to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review PRETEND YOU’RE MINE.

Short synopsis: Luke Garrison meets Harper after she breaks up an abusive relationship in a bar parking lot. Swearing to just fake date to get his parents off his back until he’s deployed he falls hard, and quick.

My thoughts: Wow this one had a lot to unpack. Heartbreak from the loss of a previous relationship, deployed National Guard Hero, abuse, fake dating, just once to get it out of our system, small town romance, tragic past and I can go on and on. No wonder this one was so thick!

I enjoyed the majority of this, Luke was a pain in the butt! He needs therapy and I say that with the best of intentions. He was sweet and caring (and possessive) when he wanted to be, and a total jerk when things got rough. Harper was sunshine, mystery, and hard headed.

I really liked all the side characters in this one, and I know we get Gloria’s story next (which I’m worried and excited for).

This was quite a bit (okay a lot) steamier than I usually read. Just giving you a heads up, it’s easy to skim through the open door scenes if it’s not your thing.

Read if you love:
- Small town romances
- Tragic pasts
- Fake dating
- Just one time to get it out of our system
- Deployed heros

Lucy Score is my mew favorite author. I read my first Lucy Score book in 2023, and I have a goal to read all her published books. Loved Pretend You're Mine with all my heart, just as I have wholeheartedly loved every single one of her other books!

Trigger warnings in the book

I wanted to like this book. And at times I did.. but there were also times I did not.
The main character Harper is a little too optimistic and too cheerful, making you feel she can't be real at all. She is too good to be true. , actions she lost her parents at the age of 6 and grew up in foster care, she was hungry for love. That is why, my heart ached for her. I cried for her so many time.
But the writing just wasn’t for me.

If you’ve read Lucy Scorr books, then you know going in that you’ll be smiling, crying and back to smiling going through a whirlwind of emotions. This book is no different. Takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions.
This book made me want to a small town and experience all the things Harper does! And I LOVED harper! Can’t wait to read next in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley for this arc to give an honest option.

Have you ever read the first book in a series and immediately started reading the next after you finished because the first book was so dang good?

I can not tell you how much I loved these books! I have the third (Protecting What's Mine) on hold at my library.

When I started reading Pretend You're Mine, I jotted down just a few things about the book that hooked me. I loved how the small-town vibe and quirky characters reminded me of The Gilmore Girls ❤️ The one bed and fake relationship tropes were predictable but so sweet and funny that I didn't mind a bit.

I really enjoyed the characters and the setting in this book. I liked Harper’s quirky Bess and I thought Luke’s struggles with his past were well written. The big conflict was good too! I would definitely recommend this book and I plan to continue the series.

Luke Garrison shows up at the local bar one night to find Harper Wilde literally going wild. As she wakes up, she sees this handsome man and it's an insta-crush. Luke is leaving for deployment in 30 days and his sister develops a plan to have Harper play Luke's girlfriend until deployment. Like most fake romance books, they end up falling for each other. But Luke (and Harper) are both hiding secrets that threaten to destroy them.

This book was freaking adorable and sultry. It was also an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I sobbed, I sobbed again. Lucy Score's best book so far.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read/review an advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am just a fan of Lucy Score - she could most like write a dictionary and I would enjoy it. This book is no different - it was thoroughly enjoyable. All the characters were relatable, but Harper, who had been through a lot in life, was so lovable and I thought her personality really shines through in this book. Luke, our MMC, is that character you love to hate and sometimes hate to love. He was definitely not as lovable as Harper and honestly his resistance, mostly for respect of his late wife, and bad attitude was often frustrating.

Though this ending was not my typically preferred happily ever after - it was still a good ending and I think more realistic than most HEA - love isn’t always easy, it takes work and I believe this is a perfect portrayal of that.

this was a really cute book!

thank you to the author, netgalley, and the publisher for this advanced copy to review!

Pretend You’re Mine
By Lucy Score
I received this book from #netgalley as a re release.
It’s a fake dating romance that was barely fake. It was instant lust and the first night she meets him she’s sleeping in this complete strangers bed because there is no furniture? How does she know he isn’t some serial killer!? I digress. Ok it was very unrealistic. But I eventually loved the chemistry between Harper and Luke. He’s a military man with a sad past. And she’s a woman on the run from her past. Bada bing bada boom….passion…sexy time and more spice than I expected.
I enjoyed the book a lot more than I was expecting to with how it began.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#romance #romancebooks #lucyscore #netgalleyreads #review #bookrecommendations #bookreview #alwaysreading

I didn’t do my research on this one, and kinda lived to regret it.

When I saw a Lucy Score book on NetGalley I jumped at it because so many reviewers I have similar tastes with love her. The one book I did try, I didn’t like, and several reviewers told me I should try a different book because the one I read wasn’t her best. So I thought a ha! I’ll try this new book. But this is not a new book…it’s a rerelease.

Pretend You're Mine started out cute, yet quickly went into TOO MANY PECS, NOT ENOUGH PLOT. And I can appreciate an author building the book’s world (I do love me a small town with all the quirky, fun characters!), but at some point I don’t want any more inane details. I want depth. Yet the details, so many details, just kept coming.

But that wasn’t the only issue I had with this story. I found the heroine’s behavior toward the hero marginally problematic. If roles were reversed and the heroine was the one saying no and the hero kept pressuring her, I don’t think we’d be amused. We’d be raving about consent and respecting boundaries.

And the hero? He was a big pile of UGH. The widower who feels “responsible” for his wife’s death when he wasn’t? This hero had a martyr complex the size of the Grand Canyon. Dear Sir, get thee to a therapist, pronto. I’m also not a fan of using a tragic secret from the past to artificially build drama. Just tell us what happened already, even if you don’t want the heroine to know.

Finally, I think this book was about 200 pages too long - I ended up skimming a lot of the narration and just read the dialogue, which thankfully was good. Even still, it took me 10 days to read the book. I’m thinking this is another case of a super popular author I just don’t click with. Lucy Score seems to write books that focus a lot on the chemistry part of a relationship, whereas I prefer stories where there is more of an emotional connection first. Chemistry is good. Chemistry is important. But it doesn’t get my gears turning when I read a book.

I have the next book in this series (also a NetGalley ARC of a rerelease), and I’m determined to get through that one as well. So we’ll see if I change my mind about this author…

* thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received an advance copy of this ebook from the publisher for a honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This is a fast paced romance. I absolutely loved the characters and the writing style. This book is set in Maryland. I adored Harper’s character. The characters are relatable and enjoyable. This book is in stores for $18.99 (USD). You guys need to read this book it is addicting.

Luke and Harper. As a military spouse myself, I understand some of Luke’s thoughts and fears. Harper is a mess; impulsive and strong and ready to handle her problems all on her own. These two need a lot of help from their friends, but the ending makes it all worth it.

these were my first Lucy score books and did not disappoint! I really enjoyed this and flew through them!

Lucy Score never fails to deliver an emotional, heart warming read. I truly loved the characters. Harper is one of those characters that you just want to be your best friend. She of course falls and tries to fix our dear MMC.

Luke and Harper are hands down one of my favorite couples. I loved their growth and understanding of each other as we made our way through the story.

This was an emotional read for sure. Diving into Luke’s past was not for the faint of heart and actually really sad.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Lucy can write the dictionary and I’d be happy to read it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was only my second Lucy Score novel, and I’ve decided I’m a big fan. I really enjoyed reading Harper and Luke’s story, but I do wish so much of the book wasn’t focused on Luke’s time away. I feel like that part could have been shortened, and it wouldn’t have taken away from the story at all. The side characters were super cute and likable as well! Overall it was a great quick romance read with some excellent spice.

When it comes to lucy score she never disappoints and packs an amazing page turning story that keeps you enthralled all the way to the end. I highly recommend reading anything by Lucy Score and you wont be disappointed for sure.