4.5 stars

I haven’t been reading romance as much lately, but I have to say, I really enjoyed this one!

Harper and Luke are such strong characters, but they also have pasts that they are running from. So when they agreed to be in a fake relationship with one another, I had my doubts. Soon it was apparent just how perfect they were for one another, and it didn’t take long to see how easily they fit into one another’s lives. But it was all an illusion, a temporary peek into what could be, because it was only supposed to last a month. But what if a month wasn’t enough?

This story was the perfect mix of romance, drama, and a hint of humor. The story was well-paced, both the narration and dialogue, and kept my attention from the first page to the last. It also isn’t often that I like all of the characters in a book, but I was surprised by how much I rooted for them all. With such distinct and charismatic personalities, it’s no wonder the friendships/relationships between them worked so well. Even the minor characters had me wanting to know more about them.

With all that said, I highly recommend this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

I really enjoyed this steamy romance novel and this book had it all. A sexy military hero, a sweet accident-prone heroine, angst, and it had a great storyline. Pretend You're Mine captivated me from the start. It had a quite a few spicy scenes and I felt like I heard the words "hard c*ck" about Luke more than a thousand times throughout this book. We get it, the man has an erection constantly (but I liked it). I liked this book so much that I didn't want it to end.

Harper and Luke were so cute together made for each other. Harper was so likeable that I couldn't wait for her happy ending. Luke's loving and supporting family and his past trauma made for a wonderful story that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to #Netgalley for an audiobook version in exchange for an honest review.

My first Lucy Score book and I enjoyed it!

I love the cover, it’s simple and colorful at the same time. That style of cover is one of my favorites.

Huge fan of the found family trope, so it was nice to see that included.

The banter! I love me some good dialogue. Half the time if there is bad banter it makes me dislike the book, but I enjoyed this banter.

Only annoying thing is a third act breakup, but this one actually made sense for the plot. I appreciate that since most writers just do that to wrap up the story or push things forward, but this one was more about character development than anything.

Oh man. This is the first book I’ve teared up reading in a long time. The main characters were personable and the side characters were just as good. I knew the MMC would have a tragic backstory based on his behavior but 😭😭 the FMC has one too, but is the sunshine of the pair. I loved them both, and I can’t wait to dive back into this world.

Harper walks in on her boyfriend “otherwise occupied” and since he was her boss, she’s out of a home and a job. In a mad rush to get out of there, she left with just her keys and a plan to drive to her best friend’s house a couple hours away. But she ran out of gas in a small town bar parking lot, and can’t just watch as a drunk starts hitting his wife there. She wakes up to Luke looking at her like she needs taken care of, and to end her massively bad day she has a black eye, among other injuries. Oh and she drove the wrong way, and is now further from her best friend’s. No money, no gas, no phone, she ends up staying at Luke’s house for one night only. It’s a whole house, it will be fine, she can go to her best friend’s tomorrow. But will she want to?

I wish there was more backstory. The small town was cute and I like how they all rallied for each other to do well.

Disclaimer to say this is only my third Lucy Score book, and I'm thinking her style might not be for me? The book was fine, but the main thing that jumped out to me was that a number of characters needed therapy. If you like Lucy Score, small town romances and military romances this will likely be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one checks all my trope boxes: forced proximity, one bed, fake relationship, small town romance

I did enjoy it BUT I wanted to strangle Luke at times. He was just downright mean to Harper at points and unnecessarily so IMO

I have not read any of Lucy Score's book's yet so this was a first of hers for me. It took me a little to get used to her style of writing with the back and forth of the emotions for Luke and Harper. Sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into them but I guess that is what makes a good author too, getting your readers involved with your characters. I loved Luke as a character with him being a hometown hero and all, but he really needed a good talking to.

I love how Harper was a take it as it comes sort of person and was a strong person that didn't have to have someone to lean on all the time. It is always nice to have someone there all the time, but when they have to go away, it is also nice to see someone that can fend for herself. Military wives are these types of people and for Harper to fall right into that whole line when Luke has to leave makes it nice.

Luke has had some rough relationships that have left him scared, but for me, he needs to learn how to trust people again and move on. I think romance readers will enjoy getting to know Luke and Harper and go on the ride with them during this book. I enjoyed reading it and know that if you stick with it and get through some of the back and forth, you will too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Overall this was an okay read. I didn’t love it but also didn’t hate it. It had all the small town romance drama.

I have loved every Lucy Score book I’ve read so far but this one kind of fell flat for me, or maybe I’m just in a romance slump. The story was good but I felt it could have had a lot more build up prior to Harper and Luke getting together. It all came off as a little too unrealistic for me.

Lucy Score never fails to remind me why I love reading. She quickly became an auto-buy author for me after first reading a book by her 2 years ago.

This is a series I hadn’t read by her yet, so when this landed on my kindle, I was beyond excited! This book is just another testament of why I love Lucy Score and her writing so much.

The characters were incredible and I fell in love with them early on and that love just kept growing and growing. Every part of this book just had me hooked and I hated whenever I had to put the book down. It also put me through the emotional ringer. I smiled, giggled, and cried. This book was so incredible and is added to the ever growing list of books I completely adore by Lucy.

I highly recommend this book to any Lucy Score lover and anyone who loves a great romance.

Meet Luke Garrison, a strong and broody hometown hero, and Harper, a wildly beautiful woman who stumbles into his life. When Luke needs a fake girlfriend to keep his family at bay before his deployment, Harper becomes the perfect decoy. Little do they know that their pretend relationship will ignite a real and intense connection that neither can resist.

Lucy Score weaves a tale of desire, vulnerability, and second chances in "Pretend You're Mine." Luke's strong and sexy demeanor, combined with Harper's fierce independence, creates a dynamic and electrifying romance. As they navigate the boundaries between their fake relationship and their growing feelings, readers will find themselves completely engrossed in their story, rooting for love to conquer all.

While the premise of a pretend relationship may seem predictable, "Pretend You're Mine" surprises with its depth and emotional complexity. The characters' pasts and their secrets add layers of intrigue and suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Lucy Score strikes the perfect balance between heartwarming moments, steamy encounters, and the emotional journey of self-discovery.

Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. He’s strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she’s the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s deployed.

Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. When she’s in his arms, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.

One night of sharing a bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can’t keep his mind off Harper’s wide gray eyes or his hands off her luscious curves. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman again. At least this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. It’s only pretend. Until it isn’t…

This book touches on so many things - military romance, small town, fake relationships. I really enjoyed the story, but I will note that it was a slow start. I liked the characters and the storyline. I can't wait to read the second book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Score is a delight. Her books are funny and filled with delightful characters. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend to others.

I had high hopes for this but parts of it just fell flat for me. I loved meeting our main characters and the angst for the first half was pretty good. However, I feel like it got very repetitive and I found myself annoyed at Luke. I would have liked his "big secret" to be revealed sooner. Also felt like more could have happened during his deployment then what we got and the "twist" at the end came from no where.

Really loved this book! Harper, the main character, is witty, strong, and personable. I found myself laughing at her banter with others in the story. I love how Lucy Score builds up the small town feel and slowly weaves Harper into its existence. The spice is here for this book! Great story

Harper is on her way to stay with a friend, looking to make a fresh start. When she stops at small town restaurant to get a bite to eat, she stumbles across more than she bargains for, and ends up needing a place to stay for the night. Enter Luke, the handsome soldier, ready to save the day. But Harper’s need for a temporary place to stay night just fit with Luke’s need to get his family off his back. If she can pretend to be his girlfriend for the next month before he deploys, then he’ll provide her a job and a place to stay while she gets back on her feet.

I recently read the first two books in the Knockemout series by Lucy Score and adored them, so I was excited to pick up something else by her. At first it felt like the same kind of story…girl stumbles into a small town, gets picked up by a handsome stranger, and ends up finding love and family. Despite that first impression, there were some different twists and turns this time around. I loved Luke and Harper, the dogs, and the friends. I felt invested in how their relationship would turn out, through the good and the bad. Looking forward to reading the next book to get more of Aldo and Georgia’s story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an advanced copy of this book!

“You can’t put your worth in someone else’s hands like that. Whether those hands are stroking you or hurting you. It doesn’t matter. Your value comes from inside. Whether you mean something to him or not has nothing to do with how inherently valuable you are.”

“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 24 hours in a day. And if I don’t take advantage of those things, it’s my own fault.”

So not going to lie, I read this book when I was a real funk. I just was in a really pivotal place in my life where my mental health was not the best and so I was really leaning on literary worlds for escapism... and this was the perfect book for that. There were so many moments where I had sort of self reflective epiphanies and this was definitely the case of the right book at the right time. Lucy Score is someone who could write anything and I would read, so I was very excited to be able to read this book.

This book was definitely filled with angst and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, but I think that makes the story feel even more real. Overall I loved Harper as a protagonist and even though I didnt always love Lukes words or actions, I did find myself rooting for them from start to finish.

This wasn't my first time reading this book, but Pretend Your Mine was one of my first Lucy Score books to read. I loved diving back into Luke's story.

Luke is a member of the National Guard, about to deploy again, and he has a long twisted history and feelings of guilt over losing someone close to him. He's not about to get too close to someone.

Harper is trying to start her life over again when she crosses paths with Luke. Feelings develop...and then he's deployed.

When Luke returns he realizes that while he also has these feelings, he *shouldn't* have them and pushes Harper away.

This book is full of twists and turns before they eventually get things right. It's intense and a great read (or re-read.)

This was a delightful read. Luke Garrison, the esteemed hometown hero, is devoted to his duty in the National Guard and eagerly poised for another deployment. With unwavering strength and an irresistible charm, he effortlessly captivates all who encounter him. Amidst his quest for solace and seclusion, he never fathomed the prospect of discovering profound love. Yet, fate intervenes as the captivating and vivacious Harper serendipitously emerges into his existence, presenting an unforeseen chance. Recognizing the perfect ruse, she assumes the role of his ideal decoy, a simulated companion to assuage familial concerns until his imminent deployment.