This enchanting tale follows the journey of Gloria, a woman who has emerged from a toxic relationship and is now on a path of self-discovery and healing. When she crosses paths with Aldo Moretta, the charismatic hometown hero, sparks fly, but their blossoming love faces challenges as Aldo's deployment draws near. Lucy Score's impeccable storytelling skills shine through as she delivers a tale filled with laughter, tears, and moments that tug at the heartstrings.

What sets "Finally Mine" apart is the remarkable depth and authenticity of the characters. Gloria's growth and resilience are beautifully portrayed, making her a relatable and inspiring protagonist. Aldo's unwavering support and undeniable charm make him the perfect swoon-worthy hero. The chemistry between them sizzles off the pages. Lucy Score skillfully balances light-hearted banter, tender moments, and emotional depth, creating a narrative that is both captivating and uplifting.

Gloria is due a happily ever after. She's lost ten years to a toxic, dangerous relationship. Now that she's finally free—and medicating with makeovers and margaritas in her mother's kitchen—she has a long road ahead of her remembering who she really is. She's scarred. But scarred doesn't mean broken.

While Gloria's deciding to take the next decade off from men, along comes larger-than-life, hometown hero Aldo Moretta. He's saying all the right things and flirting in all the right ways. He's deploying for six months and wants a date...with Gloria...when he comes back. Swoon. Panic.

One kiss, one dazzling, remember-for-a-lifetime kiss and he's gone. But life and happily ever afters don't always take the straight path. When Aldo's deployment is cut short by an injury, it's up to Gloria to be the hero for them both.

I loved Gloria and Aldo's story and their history. This was a great book about second chances.

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

Finally Mine is the second book in Lucy Score's Benevolence series and it focuses on Aldo and Gloria, two of my favorite secondary characters from the first book, Pretend You're Mine. While Harper and Luke take center stage in that book, Aldo and Gloria's budding relationship can be witnessed in the background. In this new book, it's their time to shine!

Gloria's backstory broke my heart because she spent way too many years in a toxic and dangerous relationship before she was finally able to break free. She is clearly scarred by what happened to her and just wants her life back. She's hesitant to open herself up to love again, even though she can't deny she has feelings for Aldo. I admired Gloria's strength and resilience and was rooting so hard for her to get the happy ending she truly deserved with Aldo.

I adored Aldo too. Like Luke, Aldo is a hometown hero, He has a bigger than life personality and a heart just as big, and he only has eyes for Gloria. I loved the way he interacted with her too, gently flirting but always mindful of what he knows she has been through. I was definitely cheering him on every step of the way since he's exactly the kind of man Gloria truly deserves. Someone who worships her.

I was also intrigued by the fact that while I went into this book expecting a sequel, Finally Mine actually runs parallel to Pretend You're Mine in the same timeline. Where Luke and Harper's relationship was front and center, with Gloria and Aldo in the background, now as we follow Gloria and Aldo, we get glimpses of Luke and Harper's budding relationship in the background. That perspective shift made for a unique reading experience that I quite enjoyed.

If you're looking for a heartwarming, swoony, slow burn romance that is also an inspiring tale of strength and resilience, you'll want to check out Finally Mine. Available now!

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) in exchange for sharing my honest opinion about the second book in the Benevolence series. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book, I couldn't resist delving into the sequel. Usually, I tend to stay away from series unless each installment can be enjoyed independently.

To be frank, I had somewhat tempered expectations for this book, not anticipating it to captivate me as much as its predecessor. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story it presented. It intimately followed Glo's journey as a survivor of domestic abuse and her terrifying encounter with her soon be ex-boyfriend in a public setting. It was the timely intervention of a kind-hearted stranger named Harper that prevented her injuries from escalating further.

Witnessing Glo's strength, she ultimately breaks free from her abusive partner and takes refuge with her mother, embarking on a healing process that is both inspiring and courageous. While there was some repetition from the previous book initially, I noticed a gradual reduction as the story unfolded. The use of multiple perspectives in the narrative added a captivating dimension, seamlessly weaving together the different threads of the story.

To my delight, this book surpassed my expectations, resonating with me on a deeper level than I had anticipated. Importantly, it stands strong as a standalone read, making it accessible even to those who haven't read into the first book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the world of the Benevolence series once again, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this compelling second installment.

If you have read any of the books in the series or this one I would love to hear your take on the story.

Wow!!! I lived for this book! Aldo and Gloria were a match made in heaven. I really love the community of love that Lucy Score created in this series. I'm hoping for a part 3 because I am in love! I could not put this book down. All of the characters kept me so engaged with just enough drama, just enough romance and just enough comedy. A must read!

I love Lucy Score but wasn't the biggest fan of this one. Maybe because the ending was spoiled in the previous book? I really like the characters but wish there was a little more mystery around their whole plot and ending or maybe if something big happened to them outside of the plot from the last book. But it was still a fun read!

I love anything Lucy score writes. I loved seeing the growth, I loved the emotion. It was gripping and sad and perfectly wonderful. I also love how it develops. Lucy score is great in that regard!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Such a beautiful story of second chances.
I did not read the first book but believe this was fine as a stand alone.

Gloria has spent 10 years in a bad relationship, and the time has come for her to walk away and fight for her own life.
Also has waited all that time for her.
But life likes to though curve balls, and when Aldo gets deployed, he does not come back as the same man.

Beautifully written around friendships, family, and perseverance, this book made my heart swell and brought a smile to my face by the end. I loved all the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 13 June 2023

I received access to this title and the first book “Pretend You’re Mine” on the day they published, but unfortunately was not able to download the other book in time. This was a cute story and from my understanding both books are intertwined as they follow 2 couples in a small town. I really enjoy Lucy Scores writing and the drama of her books reminds me of lifetime movies. Overall enjoyed this book 3.5/5 stars.

I was really excited to read Gloria and Aldo’s story.

Overall, I thought the book was good. It was less spice than other Lucy Score books that I’ve read. And there were times that it felt a bit cheesy to me.

But it was so nice to get to read their love story.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books in exchange for an honest review.

A reread for me.
Fits a second chance story even though their first chance was actually missed.
Steamy and full of emotion.

Lucky Score knocks it out of the park again! I never get tired of reading Lucy’s steamy love romances ❤️ Finally Mine is *chefs kiss* 😘

Really enjoyed it! I liked the first one more but it was good to hear their perspective. It was a great continuation of book one.

“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 was another re-read for me. Finally Mine wasn't my favorite book from the Benevolence series, but I've read it a couple of times.

Gloria and Aldo were friends for years and could have been more than friends, but Gloria ended up in a toxic relationship for a decade. Now out of that marriage, Aldo wants to go on a date with Gloria.

Aldo is deployed and when he comes home with an injury, Gloria is there to help him.

They have a lot to work through (not just with each other) and the book felt a little rushed, but we also don't see the years and years of Aldo pining for Gloria.

This might be an unpopular opinion/review but it is my opinion/review. This was not one of my favorite books and I love Lucy Score. Finally Mine is a story line very similar to Pretend Your Mine it’s almost like the same book. Gloria’s abuse was hard to listen to and I felt for what she went thru. It bothered me that Gloria was being abused for 10 years and no one in the town helped her, not even Aldo who was the town hero and had been in love with her since high school. I understand that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped but still everyone knew. I give this book 3.5
It took me a bit longer to read and it just didn’t keep my attention and struggled to get into it. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for my honest review.

This was excellent! I read Things We Never Got Over and enjoyed it… But I wasn’t really sure where the hype was coming from! This, however, is an easy 5 star read. I couldn’t put it down. It had just the right amount of drama, tension, angst, romance. I hadn’t realised that it was (kind of) the second in a series when I started it, so it reads just as well as a stand-alone but now I can’t wait to read the first and third books! It was a heartwarming, but also steamy, romance.

What to expect:

- small town vibes
- kind of second chance romance
- he falls first
- pretty spicy
- both MCs healing from severe trauma

Thank you NetGalley, publisher and the author for the advanced copy of this publication.

Lucy Score does it again. This is a weekend, beach-read, chick lit kind of book. Enjoy!

2023 Reread

This is the first time I have reread this book and I still loved it. Aldo and Gloria were so wonderful together and her strength is inspiring. They had a genuine and deep connection from the very beginning and they were so supportive of one another. I love all of Lucy's books, but this, and the others in the Benevolence series, are something truly special. I already cannot wait to read the series again.


***


Three years after Pretend You're Mine, Lucy Score takes us back to the town of Benevolence and the characters we know and love.

If you read Pretend You're Mine, you know the basics of Gloria and Aldo's story. Even knowing the basics, though, I was blown away chapter after chapter as events unfolded.

I have loved all the heroines Lucy Score writes, but Gloria has quickly become my favorite. Watching her loved ones rallying around her to lift her up was amazing, but seeing her learn to be strong and love herself was truly beautiful.

Smart, strong, and confident, Aldo has a romantic and vulnerable side that I loved getting to see. He really puts Gloria and her needs first, and is the perfect person to show her what true love really is.

Both Gloria and Aldo's struggles were difficult and led them to some dark places. Seeing them rise up and believe in each other and themselves made this book one of my top reads of 2018.

It was a treat getting to see some pivotal moments from Pretend You're Mine from a different perspective, too. #HarperandLukeForever

Finally Mine can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading Pretend You're Mine first so you can get the most out of the book. Then go and read the Blue Moon series next for more strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes.

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.

This is one of those feel good reads that I normally need in between my thrillers! I love the writing and characters in this book! I fell in love and was broken hearted and was laughing out loud. A must read!