I DNF’d this book. I am a fan of Lucy Score but I am not a fan of how this topic was addressed. It might be a solid read for some people but was not my cup of tea.

DNF

This book was happening along the same timeline as pretending you’re mine and I didn’t like that and it wasn’t about characters I liked much.

I really enjoyed this duology! Gloria's story was both sad and heartwarming, and the MMC had enough depth to him thanks to the dual POV.

I usually love Lucy Score and her lighthearted romances. I liked the premise of 'Finally Mine' but there were a lot of deep/dark themes that brought down the mood of this book for me. I didn't enjoy it like I have her other work. I didn't like that the whole town knew of Gloria's abuse and never stepped in to help her. Aldo had some sweet qualities but also had some that made me not love his character.

3.5 star rating, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for my honest review.

I dont typically like reading books that are a different POV of a previous story. Lucy Score did a great job when writing this book. This book gave the readers enough new content to keep them interested and engaged while still staying true to the original storyline. I absolutely love all the characters and seeing things from their perspective. Gloria & Aldo, Harper & Luke. I've laughed and cried as the characters have faced challenges and have grown and overcome their struggles. I look forward to reading the 3rd book in the series. Lucy Score is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors to read. I give this book 4/5 stars. Thank you Netgalley allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

What to say about this book... That first chapter grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. So much emotion was packed into the first bit and it continued. Each word had a purpose, was full of emotion. You couldn't help but cheer for Gloria. God, I fell in love with her. She's so strong and resilient and amazing. And Aldo. GAH!!! I loved him. He was the perfect book boyfriend.

Lucy Score writes amazingly. I highly, highly recommend Finally Mine. I can't wait to see what Lucy comes out with next!

This book put a whole new meaning to falling in love. Lucy Score has always been an amazing author but she outdid herself with this book. It will pull on all heart strings and making you head over heels for small-town romance. The characters of Benevolence, especially Luke and Harper, made this love story all the more compelling. Plus the spice was spicin’, it gave a whole new view on one-bed tropes.

I enjoyed following up with the characters in this book after reading the first one, but for some reason, just didn’t personally connect with Gloria and Aldo’s story like I did with Luke and Harper in the first book of the series. Maybe because many of the events overlap and you already know the ultimate outcome?

Thanks to Sourcebooks Bloom Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I have never read a Lucy Score book before, but I have heard great things about them. So I thought I would sit down and read a few chapters before bed and then I finished the whole book. I literally could not put it down, even when I was brushing my teeth.

There are some trigger warnings here for domestic abuse and mental health/PTSD but if you can handle that, this book is well worth a read. Gloria and Also's story was apparently long awaited for fans of Pretend Your Mine (which I now HAVE to go an read).

I didn't feel like I needed to read the previous book to know what was going on. The romance is beautifully and honestly written. Yes, there are some moments of pure angst but I did find myself laughing quite a bit. I particularly liked Sophie's snarky comments - hilarious.

If you want an engrossing read (and don't need much sleep) then this book is for you.

I loved that it was the same timeline as the first one, and I liked this story more than Harper and Luke’s but it was a bit drawn out and a slow read.


Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Lucy Score -oh my how you always capture my heart! From the moment we got the first glimpse of Gloria and Aldo, I knew we needed their story. And what a heart-filled, complicated, and emotional journey it is. Tender, raw, compelling, and emotively poignant, Finally Mine delivers a heart-hitting and authentic tale of healing and hope and the power of love.

Both of these characters have to overcome SO much personal trauma to find their way not only to each other but back to themselves. We got glimpses of their challenges in the prior story, but living it through their eyes was a whole new level of emotion. There is a real heaviness to them- Gia overcoming her domestic abuse and finding her own strength and healing and Aldo overcoming his war trauma, the charming and Gloria-adoring man now in a dark and complicated place. But what I loved most is that they connect so deeply because they are both broken in their own ways. I loved how their love story is a beautiful path to healing for them BOTH as individuals, but something they can do alongside each other, with compassion and respect and care.

I love how much Aldo has always loved and pined for Gloria- even as she was trapped in such a complicated situation. It’s hard to see all that through her eyes, to experience just how powerless and trapped everyone is (because truly, there is not right way to break free- it’s hard and painful and traumatic). But I loved Gloria’s path to freedom, to see her heal and find her voice and inner strength again. And equally complicated is seeing the impact of Aldo’s deployment on the character we know and love be changed so greatly. But Lucy keeps this story really authentic- it’s deeper and heavier than the one before, but it has to be because of the real pain these characters have experienced. Their journey is a hard one, Herculean at times, but a beautiful one. And how beautiful that Gloria’s healing, her confidence and hope in turn provide the avenue for Aldo’s.

If you’ve read PretendvYou’re Mine, there are some parts of this story that will feel familiar since they are told in concurrent timelines. For me, I enjoyed seeing the different landmarks happening from a different perspective and how those moments played into a different character’s love story, but if you don’t like stories that rehash already told elements through different characters’ lens, you may find parts of this too repetitive. But, again for me, the IMPACT and behind those moment felt different and most importantly unique catalytic to this individual couple-their story felt truly theirs.

I just adore this series- this one is a slower burn, but emotionally rich and rewarding. Another Lucy Score gem.

I loved Finally Mine even more than the first one!

This is the story of Gloria and Aldo. Gloria is finally free from a 10 year abusive relationship while Aldo is sent home early from deployment due to a life-changing injury. Both must learn to navigate through their emotional and mental health to finally get the ending they both deserve.

This story hits some really hot and hard topics. It's emotional. It's empowering. It's inspiring. While Aldo can be confident and alpha, that's not really what Gloria needs. He does a great job at stepping back to let her finally explore the world she had been so sheltered from.

This book will standalone even though it is part of a series. Much of it happens in tandem with the second book, so it may give away some parts of the first book if read out of order.

this book can be read as a stand-alone, but the story does overlap and begin with the same timeline as pretend you’re mine, so it would be best to have read that first.


gloria parker and aldo moretta have both experienced and garnered up a fair share of trauma; gloria being a survivor of domestic abuse and also with ptsd from the military. this story is about them finally coming together after years of knowing each other, all in their small town of benevolence.


this was a bit harder to get through because it had events that were in the first book, but it was interesting to read from different povs.


such a tough topic to write and read about, but lucy did well in developing the story.

Lucy Score's book offered a pleasantly relaxing romance read, drawing me into Gloria's courageous journey of escaping domestic abuse. Aldo, an appealing character, patiently pursues the woman he's long desired since high school. Together, they face hurdles but ultimately find their happily ever after. While not as gripping as similar stories, I was engaged and invested in Gloria and Aldo's pursuit of their HEA. Score's captivating writing style kept me hooked, earning it a solid four-star rating.

I love Lucy Score. Every book so far has been quite entertaining and pulls at the heart strings. However, as much as I wanted to learn more about Aldo and Gloria, I found myself a tad bored just because I knew the sequence of events already. I struggled with the lack of surprise going on since we got the same story line in Luke and Harper’s storyline. I can understand after reading the acknowledgements though that Aldo and Gloria wasn’t a planned book.

Unfortunately, it made it hard to want to really read and read because I knew what was going to happen. Despite that, I still enjoyed reading the two different trauma stories unfold. Aldo, a war vet and Gloria, domestic abuse survivor. Two battered souls finally finding each other. There is something sweet about that. I liked watching Gloria rise to the occasion and find her footing.

Aldo’s journey was something I couldn’t even imagine. Even as different as their trauma was, they could find common ground and grow with each other.

Finally Mine was a sweet and spicy read. Lucy Score never lets me down on the spice front. It contains several lessons and anecdotes for years to come.

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Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to enjoy and read this title. The new covers of this title are so much better than the old ones. This was and absolutely delightful read.

Finally Mine by Lucy Score, book two in the Benevolence series, is a heartbreaking, wonderful, fraught story with emotion, unending hope, the power of love, and the knowledge that through patience, and stamina, comes greater strength. Gloria Parker and Aldo Moretta fell in love during Pretend You’re Mine (Luke Garrison and Harper Wilde), only now you get the true full story of Gloria and Aldo. This is the story of how they fall in love, but fight it, because life is scary and there are no guarantees when the heart is engaged.

Aldo is a great guy, a soldier, hero and friend. After his recent deployment Aldo came home a hero, but lost part of his leg during the war. Moving on from a toxic, abusive relationship is never easy and Gloria spent ten years being told how worthless she was. Aldo and Gloria have circled around each other for years; never being on the same page. This story is how two wounded people can heal and be ready to move on to the next step in a relationship; as they fight for their chance: for themselves and for their relationship. They each lost a part of themselves but in order to feel whole, they had to hold on to what matters that most. Aldo and Gloria's story is heart-wrenching; it's not supposed to be easy. Life handed them a second chance, and they jumped.

Lucy Score wrote a wonderful story about Aldo and Gloria; not afraid of creating broken characters, hard times and fight to make her characters lives feel any emotion. The difficult topics of abuse and Aldo’s own struggles were expressed so well through dialogue and self talk. Your perceptions were spot on and so thoroughly explored So many characters with their own unique personalities made for an exciting and can’t put down read. I highly recommend Finally Mine to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Omg and I thought nothing would beat the first book. I stand corrected. I absolutely loved this sequel. Honestly just read it. Lucy Score has just become one of my top writers.

This book was alright. Nothing really monumental happened, especially if you've already read "Pretend You're Mine". It basically just filled in the gaps of the side characters from that novel, but didn't have any substantial moments of its own. I appreciated the digging into trauma and healing, but other than that it was just decent.

Finally Mine took all of the things I liked about Pretend You're Mine and fixed the things I didn't like about it, so for me this was a MUCH better book. I do think it is important to read Pretend You're Mine first - the books are happening concurrently and it's so fun to see the same events happening from different perspectives and getting more details from Gloria and Aldo, who are both important characters in Pretend You're Mine. This was such a beautiful and raw love story about two people who think they are "damaged goods" and claw their way back to who they want to be and come together to support one another.

Gloria has finally had enough of her abusive relationship, and works up the courage to leave her boyfriend and press charges. But she's been in this relationship for over a decade and has to complete start her life over - she has to move back in with her mother, find her first job, and gain back her confidence which is hard when everyone in Benevolence pities her. But Aldo sees how strong Gloria is. He's carried a torch for her since they were in high school and he wants to be her knight in shining armor, but he quickly realizes that it's more important for Gloria to save herself.

Aldo lets Gloria know about the feelings he has for her but that he wants to wait to go out until she's had a chance to live her life and see what she wants, and after he returns from a 6 month deployment. But while Gloria's life is starting to finally blossom and she becomes ready for a new relationship, Aldo's grinds to a halt - he loses most of a leg during an attack while deployed. Now back in Benevolence, Aldo and Gloria both need to find their value and relearn who they are in their new lives, all while trying to figure out if they deserve one another.

I absolutely loved both Gloria and Aldo's characters. At the beginning, Gloria has absolutely lost all sense of who she is and has no confidence, but she works so hard to carve out a life and friendships for herself and become self sufficient and strong. Aldo has always been strong and self assured, but his confidence takes a hit with his injury and his ego gets in the way, telling him he doesn't deserve Gloria. But even as they sometimes give up on themselves, they see how amazing the other is and continue to build each other up.

Since this is Benevolence of course there is a great group of supporting characters! I liked seeing Harper from the first book through Gloria and Aldo's eyes. And Aldo's mom was my favorite, she's such a firecracker!

The love in this was so beautifully developed. Although there is a mutual attraction, this is a bit of a slow burn with both characters wanting to be careful with themselves and with the other. But the love they have is undeniable and unfolds so sweetly. And of course there are some great steamy scenes!