Brooooo...let's add this to the list of indie books that didn't need to be re-published once the author became a tik tok hit. Lucy Score has really well-written books...this is not one of them.

I've not read all of Lucy Score's books, but this one didn't feel like what I expected. I didn't read the first in this series, but from my research it seems that's ok. While in other books, Score has written characters who seem unlikeable that redeem themselves, but those in this current book left me feeling a bit meh.

The abuse that was suffered, and how the main character wasn't really helped/supported made me both sad and angry.

I'll always read a Lucy Score when given the chance, this just wasn't my favorite - Thank you, Netgalley!

4 stars out of 5!

This is the story of Gloria and Aldo. Gloria has just gotten out of a bad 10 year relationship. Aldo has had a secret crush on Gloria since high school. Aldo is set to deploy for 6 months and tells Gloria he would like to date her when her returns. In the mean time, Gloria has been piecing her life back together but then Aldo ends up getting hurt and comes back home early. The rest of the book is about Aldo's and Glorias relationship. The ups and the downs.

I really enjoy Lucy Score's books and this book was no exception. This series just keep getting better and better, I could not put the book down. I really loved the character development and thought the book had just the right amount of spice to it.

The reason I gave it only 4 stars was because parts from book 1 were copied and pasted into this book. I read Pretend You're Mine right before this book and I did not like reading the same wording over and over again. The 2 books take place at the same time so it was nice to see a different point of view, but I did not like the repetitiveness. This book could 100% be read as a standalone book.

Overall, this book was really good. I'm so happy how the book ended and I'm looking forward to reading Protect What's Mine.

this series gets better as it goes. the characters are written so well and I honestly enjoy the plot. the spice level is just right and I can't get enough!

I love Lucy score!! One of my favorite authors of all time and this book was no exception!!!! Loved the story of Gloria. I read the other book first so knew about their relationship and loved getting a closer look! Another win by Lucy score!!!

This was not the book for me. I ended up with a DNF at 20%. I’m not saying it’s objectively a bad book, just not my cup of tea.

After a painful past Gloria is free! Well, after a lot of fighting that is. Whew, it was sad to read about Gloria's life and how long she had it so bad but its a fact that this does happen. Made my heart break a little inside.

Aldo has loved Gloria for years. He even tried to talk to her long ago, but it was something that lead to Gloria being hurt so Aldo has always regretted it.

I loved how Gloria made her own path and a new life for herself. She still had that voice repeating all the words she'd heard throughout the years. It was impressive. Very sad though how she would talk to herself as past her, who should have left years ago.

Aldos path was lead by his "mistake" all those years ago. And he has some demons of his own to face.

I enjoyed the second chance for Gloria, and the new life she made.

This one is the 2nd book in the series. It could be a stand-alone book. There were a lot of things in this book that were in the first one.
This book was about Aldo and Gloria. Aldo & Gloria went to high school together. Aldo is an engineer and in the National Guard. Gloria was in an abusive relationship and walked away.
This is a love story about the 2 of them with some steamy romance scenes.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

DNF

I personally love Lucy Score with all of my heart, but I couldn't finish this book.

I was so enraged at the treatment of Gloria and how no one came to her side while she was getting abused and raped by her ex. It really took me out of the story, and I really couldn't continue afterwards.

I still will be reading Lucy's work, but this was a bit of a disappointment.

Thank you to Bloom, Lucy Score, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this novel. This was the second book in the Benevolence series. It is a small town romance about Gloria and Aldo. A military man who is pining over the girl he has loved since high school. I liked the back and forth between these two. The banter is great. I did hate the relationship back and forth with them. I know the circumstances require it but they handled the situations poorly. I honestly enjoyed book 1 of this series more. I did love getting to see another side of all the characters that were introduced in book 1. However, if you read book 1 right before this one like I did, I ran into the problem of chapters being repeated to the point of skipping through them. I will continue to read Lucy Score novels as I do like her style of easy writing. Overall, this was a quick, cute romance to read and I love the small town of Benevolence.

Loved this story that made me smile and root for the characters. There's romance, there's fun, but there's also the story of a woman who find herself and happiness.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love this book world. I got so invested in these fake characters lives lol. Couldn’t and didn’t want to put it down. The story flowed so well and I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Definitely recommend.

Now that she walked away from a relationship that almost killed her, Gloria's shame is clinging to her, shame that she wasted 10 years in the wrong man when. When Aldo comes home from his military duty harmed, she is determined to rebuild her life and find a way to heal with him.
This is book 2 of the Benevolence series, and I loved it so much! I think I loved it even more than book 1, which is saying a lot, because I adored book 1.
What I did not know is that when Lucy score wrote book 1, it was not supposed to be a series. It was supposed to be a stand alone, but readers asked for more!
It is very interesting to see how she wrote book 2, Because it happens at the exact same time as Pretend You're Mine. We know that Gloria and Aldo end up together and I'm not spoiling anything here, because it's a romance, and you know fairly soon that 2 people will end up together, and at the end of book 1, Gloria and Aldo are engaged. But at the beginning of book 2, we go back to the very beginning of book 1, at the scene where a Harper saves Gloria from Glenn, and we follow Gloria and Aldo's story along the same lines of what happened with Harper and Luke in Pretend you're mine. I found this so interesting because the scenes that Gloria and Aldo share with Harper and Luke are used almost word for word in the two books. Although you may think it could get redundant, I loved book 1 so much that I didn't care to reread these scenes again!
Once again Lucy Score made me laugh and cry, and I felt all the feelings, swooning big time for Aldo,my new favorite boyfriend. Now on to book 3!
I received an advanced Review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Let me start by mentioning that this book has partner abuse and maybe a trigger warning for some. There are some gut-wrenching moments of abuse here, that were difficult to read. Finally, Mine is the sister book to Pretend You're Mine, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
We met Gloria and Aldo in Pretend You're Mine. Gloria has managed to heal physically and emotionally after many years of abuse. Also, an ex-military gentleman has been in love with Gloria since high school. Will they finally end up together after so many years and circumstances have passed?
Lucy Score writes beautifully and this book does not disappoint! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

I love the Benevolence series so much but I wish this wasn't the same timeline as Pretend You're Mine. I love Also and Gloria but the timeline made the story boring because I knew what was going to happen from reading the first book. Love these characters and Lucy Score but this kinda missed for me. I enjoyed the parts that we didn't see in PYM the most, naturally. The writing style and slow burn were fantastic as per usual with Lucy Score. I'm looking forward to Protecting What's Mine

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Before reading this one, definitely check trigger warnings! If you have material you’re sensitive to, I’d check to make sure the TWs won’t be harmful for you to read. Lots of trauma here!

This was an emotional spin-off from Pretend You’re Mine. I’d definitely recommend reading in order so you get the intro to these characters otherwise the beginning of the book can feel a bit disjointed.

If you like emotional, second chance, small town romances then you’ll enjoy this one. It had healing from trauma, finding someone to trust, and a deep love between the MCs.

I really liked this story Gloria was beaten on for 10 years by her boyfriend and she finally had enough. Aldo had been patiently waiting for her to be free a he had had a crush on her forever.. It took awhile, but slowly she opened up to him. He went away with Luke for his 6 months deployment, but their truck hit an IED and he was hurt quite badly. He was very ill tempered when he got back and she finally called him on it. I loved their demon kitten. It made me laugh at scenes that were not very funny. It was a good story

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Finally Mine was a story of emotional healing. Gloria and Aldo both experience their own traumas and must find a way to heal. On this journey, they each find out they heal best together.
Gloria’s character had the most emotional growth through the story as she learns to rebuild her life after 10 years in an abusive relationship. I loved her character arc so much through this story. I loved and admired her bravery for leaving and her sass when dealing with all things Aldo. Aldo, best described as macho Italian man, loses his leg and eventually learns that losing his leg doesn’t make him any less of a man. Honestly I originally wasn’t as big of a fan of Aldo because of how full of himself he was, but for all his ego in the beginning of the story, seeing him display his insecurities with Gloria made his character a bit more likable.
While I did like the overall plot, I do think the story could’ve been a bit shorter for the point the author was trying to put across. I also should add that I had not read the first book in the series before reading this book, so maybe I could’ve felt differently if I read that book first.
I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I fell in love with Harper and Luke’s story. It was beautiful. But I always wondered what ended up happening between Gloria and Aldo. I’m so glad we get to find out! These novels can be read as stand alone a or as part of a series. Loved getting to see these two grow together!

The story was sweet, and I like seeing how their love developed. But the individual character development wasn’t quite there for me. HOWEVER, I didn’t read the first book, I didn’t realize how connect they actually were. So the beginning of the story felt a bit choppy to me. But still enjoyed the Gloria and Aldo. I definitely recommend making sure you read the first book before jumping into this one!