I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

Review: Pretend Your Mine by Lucy Score
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This review is long overdue. I received this egalley months ago and I could not for the life of me get into it. Honestly, I wanted to DNF it because it felt like I was perpetually stuck at 30 percent, but everyone is always raving about Lucy Score so I forged on.

And I am SO glad I did. It’s rare when a book is so tough to get into at the beginning it will come together for me being a win, but Pretend Your Mine definitely did; a little over half way I was completely invested.

The characters are so good. I love the family dynamics, the small town comfort and the relationships that Harper builds with each one. What I did not enjoy was the length of the book, I think it could have been shorter but truly that was it.

Now, after reading this one, I’m looking forward to continuing the series, especially having been introduced (and loving!) the characters in this book.

Reviewing today on my IG.

I enjoyed this book and plan to read the rest of the series.
I really love the book covers and plan to buy the physical copies.

Thanks for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Score is the queen of books with broody men. I loved the Knockemout series, so tried this one and was not disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score. Lucy Score is one of the top romance authors on my reading list!

This became one of my favorite books.
I love how Luke learned how to open his heart again even though he was devastated after loosing his wife and unborn child.
I love this book.

I love a good small town romance. This one was fine for me! It was very long, so i found myself kind of just wanting to get through it. I reallly liked Harper, she was a very sweet and funny fmc. I felt bad for Luke and his struggle of letting someone in again. I understand the struggle for the character and that being part of his overall storg, but the constant back and forth became a little too much for me. I know that people will never get over the death of a loved one or will forget them; but i really feel like that cloud of him feeling like he was betraying his ex wife was dragged too. This was alright for me. I dont really feel like these two were meant for eachother.

This book was basically a Hallmark movie without Christmas & with more risqué drama and a lot of sex.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had so many of my favorite tropes from grumpy sunshine to forced proximity! Overall it was a cute read but I can’t say it was my favorite Lucy Score book. I feel like there wasn’t much to Luke and that he fell sort of flat which was disappointing because I was really excited to watch the relationship between him and Harper develop.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I was hesitant about this book at first because I did not want to get hooked into another series. At first, this book was a little slow for me but it kept my attention.

By the end I found I wanted more. I laughed and cried at the same time. I can't wait to read the next one.

I loved this! It had the small town feel and such fun and lovable characters! Maybe a bit cheesy at some times but sometimes you just need the cheese. With a box of wine. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This was a good small town romance. I really liked our heroine. She is probably one of the strongest and likeable heroines I've read in a while. I did struggle with her accepting less than the best at times because she was so accustomed to getting the short end of the stick, but I still really liked her. I think the main reason for my lower rating was that I felt like I needed a little more from her at the end to make up for some of the stupid things he did towards the end. I wasn't so easily forgiving as our saintly MC was, and I never felt like he fully redeemed himself. Maybe I needed more time with the couple together and happy after all the drama before it just cut off into the time jump epilogue. It was on the longer side, so I think that sort of thing could've been added and some other irrelevant parts could've been removed.

Luke Garrison gave me more whiplash than Knox Morgan and I didn’t think it was possible. Lucy Score certainly knows how to write a sexy, but indecisive man.
All in all, I really enjoyed Pretend Your Mine, the side characters were fun and quirky, and Harper & Luke had some instant chemistry that couldn’t be tamed, both of their backstories were fairly heartbreaking, but it was nice to see them overcome them once Luke managed to get over himself.

"Pretend You're Mine" is a contemporary romance novel written by Lucy Score. It tells the story of a woman named Kate, who is struggling to make ends meet and keep her small bakery afloat. To save her business, she agrees to a fake engagement with her best friend, the sexy and charming football player, Beck.

As Kate and Beck navigate their pretend relationship, they must face the challenges and complications that come with faking a romantic connection. Along the way, their feelings for each other begin to grow, and they find themselves drawn to each other in ways they never expected.

The book explores themes of friendship, love, trust, and the idea that sometimes pretending can lead to real feelings. "Pretend You're Mine" is known for its humor, steamy romance, and well-developed characters. It's a popular choice for readers who enjoy contemporary romance novels with a touch of humor and a slow-burning love story.

I'm a big fan of Lucy Score since reading Maggie Moves On. She does a great job with small town romance trope. Whole I enjoyed this novel there were some elements that I had to suspend my disbelief for and it felt a bit "instalove"

The small town romance follows Harper and Luke, who find their live-in boyfriend sleeping with another woman. Harper, a new town hero, becomes involved in a bar and accepts a proposal to act as a fake girlfriend and work as an office manager for Luke. They develop strong feelings, friendships, and secrets, leading to two separations. The story alternates between third-person narratives and is relatively long, with some editing needed. The pace of the story is okay, but it is not considered an instalove. The h rating is 3 stars, with Luke having some past demons that need to be worked on to allow himself to feel for Harper the way he should. Despite his grand gestures to get Harper to forgive him, it wasn't enough for me. Overall, the story is an easy read with some potential improvements.

I just reviewed Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score. #NetGalley

I enjoyed Pretend You're Mine. it was a cute small-town romance. I do with there had been a little more to their fake dating than there was.

Even though I have several of Lucy Score’s books on my shelf, this is the first that I have read by her. Pretend You’re Mine is the first book of the Benevolence Series.

Our main characters in this book are Luke & Harper. Harper finds her boyfriend cheating on her and storms out of the house with nothing but the clothes on her back. Not thinking straight, she forgets her wallet and finds herself running out of gas in a small town with no gas money. When she pulls into a parking lot of the local bar, she finds a man beating a woman. she jumps into action(on him) and starts attacking him thinking he will stop. Unfortunately, he turns his anger onto her…in comes Luke to the rescue. Luke is in the National Guard awaiting deployment. With nowhere else to go, Harper ends up staying at his house, sharing a bed until he leaves. He made it clear that he was not interested in a relationship but quickly ended up being “friends with benefits”. Ugh!

Both of these characters have experienced a big loss. Harper lost her parents at a young age, forcing her into the foster system with some awful families. Luke tragically lost his wife/child in a car crash. Each handles their emotions differently making them perfect for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I had some serious issues with Luke. I haven’t disliked a MMC this much in a long time! I feel that Harper should have made him grovel more. He was a complete jerk and his yo-yoing with her emotions was so frustrating. Especially when Harper was so loving, funny and made some really great friendships in the short time she was there. Even though I enjoyed the epilogue, I couldn’t get over how Luke treated her.

My biggest complaint is that this book is way longer than it needed to be.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬…
Fake Dating
Forced Proximity
Small Town Romance
Friends With Benefits
Workplace Romance
Dual POV (3rd person)
Military Romance
One Bed

CW: Death of family members, Domestic violence, physical violence

Even though I am behind in my reviews, I would like to thank @netgalley, @read_bloom & @scorelucy for the ARC of this book for my honest review!

I've been obsessed with Lucy Score books since picking up the Knockemout series - which admittedly I liked better than this, BUT I did still enjoy this. It was a quick read with likeable characters. I already have book #2 so I plan to finish out the trilogy, and will continue to read Lucy Score's books!

This was a good small town romance. I really liked our h. She is probably one of the strongest and likeable h I've read in a while. I did struggle with her accepting less than the best at times because she was so accustomed to getting the short end of the stick, but I still really liked her. I think the main reason for my lower rating was that I felt like I needed a little more from the H at the end to make up for some of the stupid things he did towards the end. I wasn't so easily forgiving as our saintly h was, and I never felt like he fully redeemed himself. Maybe I needed more time with the couple together and happy after all the drama before it just cut off into the time jump epilogue. It was on the longer side, so I think that sort of thing could've been added and some other irrelevant parts could've been removed IMO