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

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!

Finally Mine
by Lucy Score

4/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶

(NOTE: I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for providing an honest review).

Finally Mine is the second book in the Benevolence dulology (but @scorelucy if you are reading this, Linc needs his own book). It is a spicy contemporary small town romance with dual POV.

Gloria is finally out of a decade-long abusive relationship. Aldo wants to make his move. It happens concurrently with Pretend You're Mine, so all of your favorite Benevolence are there (and you get an interesting new perspective on Harper and Luke).

Nobody writes small towns like Score does. I would move to Benevolence or Knockemout in a heartbeat. The supporting characters really make her books sing, and Finally Mine is no different. For example: Linc, the man who deserves his own book. 😘

I read this on vacation at it was everything that I wanted it to be. If you are a Lucy Score fan, you want to read this one. You don't have to read Pretend You're Mine first, but I would recommend it. I would also recommend Linc getting his own book lol.

Lucy Score writes laugh out loud funny stories and this is no exception. Such a fun romance that kept me highly entertained!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the “Benevolence ” series. My biggest complaint is that it is the same story from the first book, just told in two other characters POV. The dialogue at major plot points is exactly the same as the first book. The themes in the first book of being unworthy of love and breaking up are again repeated in this story.

After reading the first story the ending to this story is already obvious. But Gloria’s character growth is enjoyable. Seeing her find herself again after being abused for ten years makes my heart happy.

The smut was a redeeming quality in this story. It was a slow burn, at a nice pace. But once they crossed the physical line it was every chapter thereafter. The details were spicy and enjoyable.

I wanted to love this book so much because the first book is one of my favorite Lucy Score books but it just didn’t do it for me.

It wasn’t because I didn’t like the main characters. I loved Aldo and Gloria but there wasn’t any NEW content here. This book followed the same timeline as Pretend You’re Mine THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. There was no element of surprise. We knew everything that was going to happen before it happened except it was told through Aldo and Gloria’s POV. When I pick up a sequel, I’m hoping to see a new timeline AFTER the one that we already read about in book one but that’s just me.

The one aspect of this that I did love was seeing Aldo’s POV during his time being deployed. War is a sensitive topic that you don’t see too often in books so that was kind of neat to read about.

Can we also take a minute to discuss how amazing both Aldo and Gloria’s mothers were!? Aldo’s mother was so freaking sassy and witty while Gloria’s mother was her biggest supporter. Both characters had been through a lot of trauma and it was bittersweet to see how they (along with the help of many friends and family) helped each other through the healing process.

All in all, good book but I’m still team Harper and Luke!

Loved Gloria and Aldo's story! I was introduced to this couple in Pretend You're Mine and couldn't wait to find out what happens between these two. Both are wounded - Gloria because of a history of domestic abuse and Aldo due to an injury during active service. Loved how they came together and can't wait for the next in the series!

Finally Mine by Lucy Score is an enthralling and uplifting romance that follows Gloria, a woman who has escaped an abusive relationship and is now on a journey of self-discovery. When Aldo, a hometown hero with a long-standing crush on Gloria, enters her life, their connection is undeniable. However, their budding romance faces obstacles when Aldo's deployment is cut short due to an injury.

This book beautifully explores themes of healing, strength, and finding love after overcoming adversity. Gloria's resilience and determination to reclaim her identity are inspiring, while Aldo's unwavering support and affection make him an irresistible and lovable hero. The chemistry between them is electric, and their love story unfolds with passion and tenderness.

Lucy Score's writing skillfully balances humor, emotion, and heartwarming moments. The story not only focuses on the romance between Gloria and Aldo but also introduces delightful secondary characters, such as the hilarious Mrs. Moretta and an adorable rescue kitten. With its captivating storyline and well-developed characters, Finally Mine is a must-read for fans of uplifting and heartfelt romances.

2.5/5

“Mija, sometimes the thing that makes the most sense is wrong. Don't hide away, trying to protect yourself from ever getting hurt again. It will be a sad and colorless life. Without pain, there is no joy."

i wasn’t as invested in gloria and aldo’s story as i was hoping to be unfortunately. this story and ‘pretend you’re mine’ are happening at the same time meaning a lot of this story was just a recap of those events… told from a different pov.

it was good but it wasn’t anything spectacular. i’m a lucy score fan through and through though and i plan on picking up the third book so i know how it ends!

thank you to netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an e-arc of this book!