Review Posted on June 29, 2023 to Goodreads and Storygraph

⭐️2

The initial part of the story was incredibly captivating and filled me with anticipation as I witnessed the characters engaging in their make-believe romance. However, my excitement dwindled as a considerable portion of the story was dedicated to recounting events that had already been covered in their previous book, "Pretend Your Mine." It was disappointing to encounter repetitive content, especially since I had already familiarized myself with their story. Additionally, the story felt excessively prolonged, lacking a sense of pace and direction. The conclusion, unfortunately, fell short of my expectations, leaving room for improvement. In summary, while the beginning of the story was thoroughly enjoyable, the rest of it failed to live up to that initial promise.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book! I loved seeing Aldo and Gloria fall in love and grow together. They are a great couple and are so good for each other. I didn't like how this book was kind of copy and paste from the first book. There was so many scenes and dialogue that was word for word from the first book. I wish there were more unique scenes between Aldo and Gloria. It would've made the story more exciting and I would've been able to connect with the characters more. My favorite part of this book was seeing Gloria grow and come into herself. She lost herself and in this book she was able to find a new version of herself that made her insanely happy. It was amazing to read about.

I really love Lucy Scores writing but I keep feeling like a few hundred pages from the end of the book could be shortened. Unfortunately this one was not any different

This book was hard to read at times and so emotional but I'm glad I did. This second chance romance was so much deeper than the popular rom-coms out there and I applaud Lucy for how well she wrote this. Gloria is coming out of a 10 year, abusive relationship and learning how to be herself again. Gloria and Aldo's relationship was so raw and real, and refreshing to read. The healing journey that they both go on was emotional and so good.

Let me say this first, I love Ina Moretta. She is the person we all know in life at one time or another. I know this women. I grew up knowing this women. She’s loud, opinionated, has her own style and loves her son. She just has a unique way of showing it! She stole my heart in this story and made me laugh and love.
Ok now I can move to how this story moved me. Normally, I look beyond the story to see what’s underneath or if it’s relatable. Well in this book there is nothing you have to look for, it’s all there right up in your face. The hurts, the flaws, the good times, the bad times and the beautiful. If you read Pretend Your Mine you were introduced to a lot of Aldo and Gloria’s story. This goes much deeper. This book shows you The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How it developed and happened. It’s not pretty at times and then again it’s beautiful, just like life is.
This author has a way of drawing you in from the first page to the bonus material. Even her notes give you meaning. I don’t know where she gets her inspiration from because each of her stories are so different but she just has a way of connecting with the reader every time. The characters are people with whom you can identify.
You will laugh, cry, be romanced, cheer, swoon and feel those palpitations in your heart and you may get some insight on things that may have never previously crossed your mind or you try to shut them out of your mind. She brings issues to light that are very current and gives you plenty to think about without preaching. You know we all have our battle scars some are just more visible than others and whether you know it or not we fight them everyday either consciously or unconsciously. While reading this book I realized it’s nice to know none of us are alone. Sometimes all you have to do is reach out or be that person that steps up!
This story takes place in Benevolence and it is the perfect description of what this story is all about!

This story featuring Gloria & Aldo tugged at my heartstrings. I am a huge fan of Lucy’s work and this one just hit differently but in a good way. Glad to be able to read and recommend this book. 4/5 stars.

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

This is the 2nd installment to Pretend You're Mine and it was a good read, I couldn't put it down!!

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!

“Sometimes you just have to believe that love will win.”

I love Lucy Score's writing, and Finally Mine is no exception. Gloria and Aldo go through so much needed healing, physical and emotional. Past trauma, struggles with acceptance, romantic moments and beautful courage will have you going through all the feels.

However, I will say there's almost too much that overlaps with book 1. I think if I didn't just read Pretend You're Mine that I would've enjoyed Finally Mine a bit more. I'd still give this a 3.5 star rating and I'm excited to read the next book, Protecting What's Mine.

If you love small-town romance and heartwarming stories about healing, read Finally Mine!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the copy!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a chance to review this book!

The story follows Gloria & Aldo. Gloria is coming out of a very abusive relationship, which makes Aldo sees that this is now his chance to pursue his feelings for Gloria. Before he deploys, he talks to Gloria and makes his feelings/intentions known, he tells her that once he is back home, she must be ready for a date with him. Aldo suffers an injury that affects all his plans with Gloria, making him return home basically as a completely different man than the Aldo that Gloria knows. We follow along in the story to see if they can achieve their happily ever after, or if they’ve completely drifted apart & have grown separately from each other.

This book has some trigger warnings, so I suggest looking into that before reading! It was a super emotional read, but I still quite enjoyed some parts!

I didn't really realize that this was a re-release of a book in a series that was previously released a while ago (2018-2020) or that I'd read the other two books (Pretend You're Mine and Protecting What's Mine) in the series when I requested this.

This book dealt with some rough themes. We start out with Gloria leaving her abusive boyfriend and barely making it out with her life because of the help of a stranger and later,Aldo, the man who has always loved Gloria, ends up losing part of a leg to an IED in Afghanistan while on National Guard duty. So the pair have a lot to work through.

I liked both of the leads and Aldo is very sweet (when he is not dealing with his own issues) and supportive of Gloria finding out what she wants her life to be now that she is free to choose. I liked that Gloria is now standing up for herself and has gained some insight into negative self talk. I also liked that both of the leads do get therapy to help with their significant issues. There is a good group of friends around Gloria and two great moms as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this- though I did disconnect during the long italicized passages (this is always a problem for me no matter the content)

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unpaid review.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I really wanted to love this book as I loved the original. However, this book is the same book as the first from Gloria and Aldo's perspective. I felt that it was little new information. I feel that I would have liked the book more if I did not read them back to back.

I didn't know much about this book when I requested it- I saw that the author was Lucy Score and decided to "blind" request it. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book. Although there are some triggering topics such as domestic violence, I think that this book will appeal to a broad audience. In the beginning, Gloria is leaving a horrible relationship that she stayed in for far too long. Aldo sees this as his chance to finally "make his move", but he wants to be respectful of the hardships that Gloria has faced. Before he is deployed, he makes his intentions clear... for when he returns home. He wants Gloria to grow and explore her newfound freedom. Unfortunately, Aldo comes home with a physical, and mental, piece of himself missing. He isn't the same confident and charming man that Gloria was looking forward to greeting when he returned. Gloria and Aldo learn to grow separately as new, strong, and independent individuals. But this growth also shows how much they really could mean to one another and they have to learn to navigate this new future that neither of them could have ever dreamed for. Since I wasn't sure what this book initially was about I am content with the read. There were times that the chemistry and relationship seemed rushed, but I have to be more aware of the time lapses in between events in the story and that clears that right up. #NetGalley #NetGalleyReview

Aldo and Gloria were two of my favorite characters from Pretend You Are Mine. They gone through some difficult times but are resilient. They don’t seem to erecting made up excuses for not being together. So I am so excited to read this book. But it was bit of a disappointment, maybe I am done with Benevolence because I still love Lucy Score’s writing. The characters seemed kind of tired. It is usually to read the same events from different perspective, this was not fun tho for some reason.

Wow! Stumbled across this book at random, mostly because I thought the cover was pretty. Boy am I glad I was lucky enough to receive the ARC. This book sucked me in from the beginning and I immediately fell in love with Gloria, Aldo and all the characters in Benevolence. This story was full of heartbreak, tears, laughter and romance!! Every page keeps you wanting more! Highly recommend reading! Can’t wait to read more of Lucy Score’s books.

Finally Mine is the sequel to Lucy Score's Pretend You're Mine, the second book in the Benevolence series.

Firstly, I can't help but draw comparisons between Benevolence and Knockemout, a book series I absolutely adore. That being said, I did enjoy Finally Mine. The story revolves around Aldo, Gloria, Aldo's mother, and even an evil kitten.

Before Aldo leaves for his National Guard deployment, he and Gloria agree to go on a date upon his return. Aldo wants to give Gloria space to adjust to her new life, having recently escaped an abusive long-term relationship. However, their plans are shattered when an explosion leaves Aldo severely injured.

During Aldo's absence, Gloria manages to find a job and rents an apartment, creating a better life for herself. Despite this, she feels disappointed as Aldo pushes her away. It takes Aldo's persistent mother, Mrs. Moretta, to get them back on track.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

"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."

Book 2 of the Benevolence trilogy, Finally Mine, by talented romance author Lucy Score, could be a manual for believing in yourself and knowing you are worth saving every time, every day.

Gloria was 17 when she met Glenn and slowly he became, "the man she'd let systematically strip of her everything right down to her dignity." After 10 years of being battered, bruised and beaten she takes a stand. It lands Glenn in jail but not out of her life, "the legal system isn't designed to protect victims. It's there to punish criminals."

Aldo watched and was tortured by Gloria's situation. He reaches out to her before he leaves for a 6 month deployment. He tells her to enjoy her freedom, find herself and know he wants more when he comes home.

Sadly, he comes home as an amputee, his own body and soul battered, bruised and broken. These two find their way towards each other while healing themselves and learning, "Today you are not a victim. Today you're a survivor."

This love story is filled with small town loving quirky characters and one evil cat, Ivan The Terrible, that give this couple shoulders to lean on as they heal their minds, bodies and hearts. I would change the third act where Gloria has her doubts about Aldo. I get her reasoning but I would love a romance where the couple work out the doubts together rather than apart. After all, being Finally Mine doesn't have to be at the finale of the story.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

*Check Trigger Warnings*

I thought Harper's and Luke's story was amazing but Gloria's and Aldo's? It was everything. Absolutely phenomenal! Heartbreakingly beautiful as a story of healing, loving and believing you can have more than what you've settled for (tragically settled for in Gloria's case). The strength of both Aldo and Gloria had me in tears multiple times. This couple will stay in my book lover heart for a very long time.

I loved how it was written to run parallel to Harper's and Luke's story, seeing events happening from a different point of view, and also feeling like you're visiting old friends. It truly makes you wish you were a part of their fictional world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this one slightly less than Pretend You’re Mine, but the love story was really sweet. Because it’s going on at the same time as PYM it’s a little slow but the dialogue and plot points remain witty and heartwarming.

This book was just what I wanted while also being everything I needed. Finally Mine is the sequel to scores Pretend You’re Mine. Once again set in the small town of Benevolence Score takes us on a familiar journey but through the viewpoints of two characters from the first book, Aldo and Gloria. Going into this book I thought it would be a continuation of the first but I LOVED the creativity of how Score essentially rewrites the first store but through Aldo and Gloria’s eyes.

Gloria: Gloria is a domestic abuse survivor and watching her becoming a strong, independent woman was beautiful to watch unfold. Score did a great job developing her character and letting Gloria’s personality shine right through the pages. I continued to love the friendship between Gloria, Harper and Sophie. They are such a fun group of friends to read about. I also enjoyed seeing Luke and Harper’s relationship through Gloria’s POV. Finally, her love and devotion to Aldo was everything. She was so brave for learning to be her own person, taking charge and going after what she wanted. I loved how she never gave up on Aldo even after his injury. I also loved how she wasn’t scared to take what she wanted out of their romance and to let Aldo give her the pleasures she never had before!

Aldo: 🔥🔥🔥 phew give me more of this hot Italian soldier any day! I loved his character in the first book and really enjoyed getting a whole book from his POV. Score once again did a fantastic job with his character. Creating this “perfect” confident man who then after losing a piece of himself on deployment crumbles to a scared, unsure and broken man provoked so many emotions. I loved Aldo’s comeback and reading about him finding himself again along with the love he wanted to return home too. The gentle and patient way he treated Gloria was beautiful. I also loved seeing his side of the friends he had with both Luke and Harper. They are all such fun characters to read about and you feel just like you’re part of this Benevolence family!

Overall I loved this book as much as the first one. The two epilogues brought everything together perfectly. This was such a beautiful story of finding love for not only another but for yourself despite any scars or baggage you may carry. Brava Lucy bravissima!