Well by the time I was done this book I looked like a raccoon. Why you asked? Well for two reasons; I couldn’t put it down so I stayed up until the early morning hours until I finished it and second of all because I had tears in my eyes both sad and happy at different times.
The story pulled every emotion out of me that you can think of. Yes there were times of frustration so bad I wanted to throttle the hero, Luke. Yet I could feel his pain. Harper, oh Harper, such a strong female character. I don’t do spoilers. I feel it’s not fair to the author. You can read the blurb and get the gist. Better yet read the book. It’s my job to tell you how I reacted to a book. This is a story that deserves to be read. You deserve to find out every little detail going on in this story.
The secondary characters are almost as important to the story as the two main characters. There’s a lot going on in Benevolence. You’ll get everything you’re looking for and so much more, smiles, laughs, tears, that good ole hometown feel, heat, heart thumping moments, intrigue, drama and hope. Yes, your heartstrings will be pulled in all directions. One of my favorite parts was the correspondence between Luke and Harper. For the most part it put a great big old smile on my face. This book brings up a lot to think about and how people handle things differently in their own time. Thanks Lucy for always getting to the heart of a matter. You never seem to disappoint!

I want to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book...

I loved it! When a chance at being someone's heroine turns into a "pretend" relationship it was a good beach read

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I love Lucy! All of her books are great. Although it wasn't my favorite book of hers, I did thoroughly enjoy it!

This is my first Lucy Score book and it will not be my last. I fell in love with her writing and how she creates these adorable small town families. I loved Luke and Harper and their relationship. They grew so much together and it was so much fun to read. I also was just never bored while reading this, which is rare for a romance that is over 400 pages long. I loved all of the side characters and their relationships that they created with Harper, especially those who are Luke's family. I can't wait to read more in this series!

I just struggled to get into this one. I did not finish it. I can see where others will enjoy it though.

This was *SHOCKINGLY* (I know!) my first Lucy Score book! I know this was a re-release but I'm truly so happy I was able to read it this time around. She creates beautiful characters, and engaging plot and a seemless storyline. I loved this small town romance where Harper and Luke could find their happily ever after. Had everything from spice to sweet. Loved this one!

Thank you to Lucy Score and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy Score can do no wrong. This was a reread for me for the release and I loved it just as much this time around! Highly highly recommend.

Personally, I didn't love the book. A lot of the chemistry that was supposed to be between the characters just wasn't there. Like, it was extremely strained. And to be honest, she seemed way to good for him. For instance, he got mad at her for everything, and was hypocritical about secrets when he had a very important one, too. It just didn't seem that put together to me. The ending was a bit rushed, in my opinion. This just didn't have the same power to it that Lucy Score usually has. I love her books, read them almost religiously, and this one was a let down to me.

I do enjoy this author but compared to some of her other books (like Things We Hide from the Light and Things We Never Got Over), I just wasn't as excited about this read.

Lucy Score books have deep stories and this one is included in that! The characters are complex and the plot is engaging. I'm so glad I got to read her two new books!

Thank you NetGalley and Lucy Score!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Advanced Copy of Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC of Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score.

Pretend You're Mine tells the story of Harper Wilde who after a truly terrible day discovers that she has been driving for hours in the wrong direction and has run out of gas. She gets out of her car in the middle of a domestic dispute and without a second though launches herself at the guy. Harper gets in a few hits before the guy lays her out. Harper comes to with the most gorgeous guy ever leaning over her. He takes her into the bar whose parking lot they're in to get cleaned up. His name is Luke Garrison and his sister, Sophie, happens to be tending the bar. It comes out that Harper is homeless and has no money for gas so Sophie suggests Harper crash with Luke for the night. Luke begrudgingly agrees. Despite living in a gorgeous huge house, he only owns one bed and a crappy couch so they end up sharing the bed. They eventually decide to be in a pretend relationship for the month until Luke deploys to give Harper time to get on her feet and Luke a chance to get his family off his back. Of course, the two have a huge attraction to each other and the fake relationship line is continually tested.

Pretend You're Mine is a perfectly fine romance. It is longer than a typical romance novel so the characters are well-developed and there are plenty of opportunities for growth. I didn't find anything groundbreaking in the story but enjoyed reading it.

I really enjoyed the writing style of the book but I found the romance was borderline insta-love. Aside from that I loved the small town aspect and the characters.

Loved this book! Enjoyed getting to learn about the National Guard & reading about the impact it has on families when their son/daughter deploy. I loved that there connection was strong enough to make it through everything & he was there to save her in the end even though she didn't know what was going on. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends/audience!

3 stars.

Are you looking for a book featuring fake dating and insta-love that's set in a small town with forced proximity, raucous and fun side characters, with a hefty dose of "I'm the only one allowed to touch you" possessive alpha energy? Then "Pretend You're Mine" by Lucy Score is the book for you. In fact, most of Lucy Score's books are probably for you because she loves making books that have these same plot devices and tropes. When Harper and Luke meet, sparks fly super fast, but he doesn't want to get attached because he's about to deploy again and has *~emotional damage*~ aplenty. Harper and Luke start fake dating so he can save face with his family who have been nagging him about dating again, but their desire burns for one another quickly and brightly despite the practicalities of their situation. One thing Lucy Score knows how to do well is banter. There is some good, funny dialogue here. I really enjoyed getting to know Harper and Luke and the respective stories, but Luke was such an grumpy idiot that I wanted to smack the crap out of him. I also thought Harper was a little too perfect and it got on my nerves. Typically, I don't like books involving the military, but this one didn't bother me as much because it doesn't focus on American jingoism. Unfortunately, I found this book to be way, way too long at times. It's slow to start and it drags quite a bit in the middle. At one point, I felt myself losing interest at times. Also, the ending wraps up shockingly quickly, which is strange since this book is over 400 pages long! It almost feels like a very loose plot written around a lot of spicy scenes... and I mean A LOT of spicy scenes (not a complaint!). Speaking of such, Lucy Score loves to talk about the heft and heaviness of b4LLs and milking waaaay too much. 😂 Overall, this book is fine, but it's not Score's best. I wasn't ever bored, but I likely won't remember this come year's end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

I really enjoy Lucy Score's books, her romance and sense of humor. Pretend You're Mine reminded me a bit too much of Things We Never Got Over though with the small town romance, the overprotective male character, the badass female lead who finds a new family. Still fun and cute!

I was provided a free copy of this book from @NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Harper cruises into small town Benevolence on literal fumes after a really hard day. As she's trying to figure out what to do in a bar parking lot she jumps in to help out a woman being attacked and ends up knocked out herself. But when she wakes up staring into the eyes of Luke, her day turns around. Since he's leaving in a month on a deployment, and she has no place to go, she accepts his offer of help while agreeing to be his girlfriend until he leaves. What could go wrong?
While on one level this is your typical romance story, I appreciated where it strayed from the expected. I was a bit surprised when all discussed on the back happened within the first 40ish% of the book! I liked that it continued, that we got more than the superficial love story and got into the characters deeper struggles. They were flawed, made poor choices, grew, made better choices, and dealt with a lot of their difficulties!
There were a lot of bedroom scenes! 🫣 And a few trigger warnings for domestic violence, grief, and PTSD.
This is a republished in May (and was provided to me after that date), so it's available now if you'd like to pick it up! It is also part of a series, and the next book's review is quick to follow!
#NetGalley #PretendYoureMine

Harper catches her boyfriend cheating on her. She runs out of the house with no phone, no cash, and her car runs out of gas. After getting in the middle of a very public domestic disturbance She Mets Luke, an unavailable captian in the national guard set to deploy in a month. Harper needs a job and a place to stay, Luke needs his family to stop trying to set him up. So in comes fake dating at its best. Through the book we learn they both have some big issues they need to work through. Will they or won't they that is the question.

This book was a cute and fun romcam. Harper is a all in no plan kind of girl. While Luke is a natural protector not wanting anything serious but can't stay away from Harper kind of guy. My only issue is with the baby nickname. It was just annoying. But overvall I enjoyed the story. And cannot wait to read more of Lucy Scores work.

I really did not enjoy this book. It was predictable. The savior male with the helpless girl was not for me.