Where do I even start with Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score... Where has this book been all my life?
I know this is a re-cover and the book has been out for a while already, but I can't even begin to say how happy I am that this book got a new cover, and in turn- wound up on my TBR. The old cover is not something that would have drawn my attention enough to pick it up, and I would have gone along blissfully unaware of the GOLDMINE that is Pretend You're Mine.

This book had everything. The steam, the angst, the banter... I finished it in one sitting because I just couldn't stop. Luke and Harper may have become one of my top couples. They're real, and gritty. Luke is top notch book boyfriend material and Harper is so real and unapologetically herself.

If you haven't read Pretend You're Mine by Lucy Score yet, I would highly recommend you pick it up. You will not be disappointed.

This book is amazing. It will have you laughing, crying, gasping and all around loving it. Luke is a gruff military man who is used to taking care of everyone. Harper is a tornado of a mess just trying to keep her head above water. They meet and suddenly a fake romance is in the works. These two are made for each other, if only they can see it themselves. Thank God for the side characters always stepping in and pushing these two to where they need to be. If you already know Lucy's writing then you will know this book won't disappoint!

My first time reading anything by Lucy Score and I loved this so much. There was so much depth to her writing and I liked how she touched on tough subjects like child abuse. I also liked the spice and the plot was intriguing. I read this faster than I thought I would.

I was so excited to receive this ARC, I read it in one sitting. This book really had it all. Complex main characters with depth and a backstory, side characters that you fall in love with, and all the spice. This story actually tackled some really tough topics like death, PTSD, and child abuse. I felt a broad range of emotions when reading this, and I laughed and cried more than a few times. The ending to this book was absolute perfection, also. I highly recommend this book and I’m thankful to NetGalley and Bloombooks for this ARC.

Luke is a member of the national guard and wants a fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back about marriage. Harper is the perfect distraction... Of course they fall in love in spite of everything....

Love Harper and Luke. They are so sweet together. This is so great. Some tears, lots of laughs and many, many swoony moments. Really enjoy the small town too.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I’m a big Lucy Score fan, so I was excited to read this ARC!

While I didn’t love it quite as much as some of her other books, I thought this was a really captivating story.

Fake dating, grumpy x sunshine…should be a recipe for success. However, it fell a little flat for me and even though I was rooting for Harper and Luke, I wasn’t a huge fan of the way he treated her at some points.

I did love the female friendships that were portrayed and overall, it was an enjoyable read! Thank you for this ARC!

I have a confession to make...

I received my approval for Pretend You're Mine, last night.

I had a sink full of dishes, laundry overflowing the hamper and a very anxious dog looking for a walk...

None of these tasks were accomplished.

I was completely consumed by every word that glittered across the page. I was transfixed and mesmerized by the story of Luke and Harper. I could not get enough. I laughed, I cried, I hugged my pillow and I longed for the touch of Luke........... I MEAN MY HUSBAND!!! (hehe)

There is something about romance books that engulf me in all the feels. My husband doesn't seem to mind my romance books over thrillers either as he states I am a lot more affectionate after reading a romance compared to the fear I instill in him after he sees me close a book with the title "How to Murder Your Husband and Get Away With It" .

Don't worry Craig, I have bit the Lucy Score bug and I will be reading ALL of her previous publications this summer.

Here is a little teaser :

I only wanted to protect you...

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.

So what if kissing her sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can't he?

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. But he knows that he can't tell her the truth about his dark past. And she can't reveal what she's running from.

At least this isn't a real relationship. It's only for a month. It's only pretend. Until it isn't...

I have read a lot of Lucy Score, and somehow had not gotten to this series yet. Netgalley offered ARC's for new covers, and I am offering an honest review:

Mixed feelings on this one. Definitely a stay up way past your bedtime to finish it book, as usual for Lucy Score. This was a long book (as I said, waaay past bedtime), but I think it's because so many characters were introduced and developed. Three couples, not just one---even though one of them is the featured couple in the next book (reading that next). Makes for a lot of pages. Minor spoiler alerts for below:

Steamy, funny, even a few tears. While I was reading, I was engaged with the characters, but after I finished, I was feeling a little let down by Luke. While he was your typical broody alpha hero: successful contractor, super protective, National Guard Captain, he was also kind of a dick to Harper. I know it's a trope--the "can't get over the dead wife and love again guy" (that's the spoiler--and only a spoiler because it took so long to explicitly reveal it. Hints came early, and it wasn't tough to guess), but he really jerked her around. Now, to be fair, she totally let him, but the HEA came pretty suddenly for all the bad feelings that brewed up between these two. As long as the book was, maybe more focus on the main characters and less extra stuff would have left some room for Harper to get to think for a minute before taking Luke back (or even make Luke grovel a bit more after being such an ass to Harper).

Those reservations aside, this is still a 4-star book. Lucy's writing is engaging and you really get caught up in her stories. There's steam, so if you like clean, this may not be for you. I am looking forward to the next book--reading it next!

First off, how gorg is this new cover?! Pretend You’re Mine (Book 1 in her Benevolence series) is the book Lucy says made her into a full time author and it’s being rereleased on 5/9/23!

If you’re new here, lemme just say I love Lucy. I adore her books, her banter, and pretty much everything about her writing. She is the small town romance queen!

This book definitely has the essence of why I love Lucy so much, but it unfortunately fell short for me. It was really interesting to read one of her first books and see how much her writing has developed over the years, but the chemistry between our two main characters felt a little forced and I had a hard time really caring about either of them. Luke was pretty insufferable to me probably 80% of the novel.

I do love the conflict in this book and what they both have to overcome to be their best open & vulnerable selves with one another! The small town vibes are *chef’s kiss* too. Her books always have a really endearing cast of side characters and Pretend You’re Mine is no different.

Definitely worth the read, I just wouldn’t make it your first Lucy Score book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @sourcebooks @read_bloom & @netgalley for the arc! Excited to read Aldo’s story next

Romantic and will make you heart ache! Loved the chemistry between our main characters! Newer author for me, but again loving her writing style!

Pretend You’re Mine
Luke and Harper will always hold the most special place in my heart. Pretend You’re Mine was my introduction to the phenomenal story telling of Lucy Score, and it reignited my love for reading.
Harper finds herself in Benevolence, as her car runs out if gas, after she’s found her boyfriend cheating on her, and leaving her apartment and hometown in a haste without any of her things.
She happens upon a fight that outside of a local bar, proceeds to break it up and meets Luke while doing so.
And as they say - the rest is history….
Harper falls in love with Benevolence, it’s residents and small town shenanigans, and soon finds herself in fake relationship wit Luke.
The author paints a vivid picture of a small town life, and the tight-knit, meddling and caring community of Benevolence in this captivating romcom that has all the hallmarks of a primo romance! We get love, swoon, humor, spice, as well as amazing cast of well developed characters with a side of suspense in this unforgettable love story with a guaranteed HEA.
I highly recommend Pretend You’re Mine to everyone who enjoys a great book!!

This was my first Lucy Score book and I absolutely loved it!! She is great at writing small town love stories. This one definitely made me cry a bit, but the steam was great!