Finally Mine By Lucy Score is a great read! This is the second in the series so if you haven't read Pretend You're Mine go back after this and read it!
Aldo is just the sweetest guy! Aldo has his life together: house, career, National Guard hot soldier! He's just perfect. At least Grace has always thought so. Although she was never in a situation where she could think about a life with Aldo before. Now however Grace has had to make some really tough life changes that will allow her to pursue a good man. One who values her and doesn't use his fists to break her down and feel less.
Grace and Aldo are just starting to tip toe into maybe, possibly going on a few dates, but Aldo is being deployed for 6 months. He tells Grace to date, find herself and when he gets back they can see where they are then. Aldo's deployment does not go as expected and soon both Grace and Aldo are faced with some life choices they did not expect. Will they find their happily ever after? Read Finally Mine by Lucy Score and find out for yourself. Happy Reading!

Gloria and Aldo’s story. Book 2 of the Benevolence series. I received this ARC as a new cover release from NetGalley in exchange for an an honest review. Score has an image ability to creat characters that we will fall in love with, laugh and cry with. Gloria and Aldo triumphed over tragedy and that brought them closer together. Can’t wait to read the final book in the series!

I would read Lucy Scores grocery list! LOL But she has such great writing and this is no different. I have been reading her backlist and this story is a new favorite! If you want small town, fun characters, beautiful love stories and banter that will make you laugh, read anything by lucy score!

Lucy Score does it again !

Military love - injured in action -

Gloria has had a rough life , struggled with abuse and mistreatment, once she finally gets away from that terrible relationship in comes Aldo, Both went to highschool together and both have been crushing on each other.

aldo recently got hurt in action, he tries to push gloria away but she doesnt allow it, reading how their love blossomed was wonderful and all around happy. if you need a good book to make your heart happy this is it.

3.5 stars rounded up!!

Finally Mine is the 2nd book in the Benevolence trilogy and it focuses on the love story of Gloria and Aldo, two extremely likable characters from the 1st novel. Gloria is a survivor of domestic abuse and Aldo is hero war veteran. While I thoroughly enjoyed their story, I was a little bummed that it takes place at the same time as the 1st book. I felt like I was rereading that book all over again and became bored at times. I would have liked it better if the story started from the end of book one. With that being said, I still couldn't stop reading. I absolutely love all of the characters and the fun, witty banner that they share. I still got all the feels! It felt good to be a part of Gloria's progression in strength from an abused victim to a confident survivor as well as Aldo's struggles to overcome and accept his new lifestyle. And this book wasn't filled with as many smut scenes, so I was happy about that, too! I am looking forward to reading the final book that tells Linc's story, but fingers crossed that it takes place after the first two books!!

Thank you to the author, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest opinion!

3.5 stars

Gloria has spent the last 10 years in an abusive relationship. One evening she finally confronts her partner to leave and his rage lands him in jail and away from Gloria. Aldo, who has always had his heart set on Gloria, sees his chance to be the man she needs. With his 6 month deployment coming soon, he makes a promise to Gloria for a date when he returns. In the meantime, she gains strength But tragedy strikes and the man who returns has his own scars and their happy ever after is threatened.

First off, I want to highlight the potential TWs: domestic violence, rape, gaslighting

So yes, domestic violence is a key element of the story line. I saw other reviews discussing how the topic of domestic abuse was handled. While reading, it was distressing to hear how the other people in Gloria's life didn't step in to help her or do anything drastic to support her until after she left her partner. I think this speaks to the abuse cycle and how the abuser can isolate the victim. Gloria felt trapped, alone, and worthless. It also speaks to the mindset of "why would someone choose to stay" or "why wouldn't she leave?". So often people victim blame rather than consider the hold an abuser can have. I understand the frustration of other readers, but I read this more as a reflection of how domestic violence is still surrounded by stigma.

I was frustrated to read the hero did not do more to help Gloria since he was apparently into her from the beginning. In my mind I like to think this is because he did not know the extent of the abuse! And his guilt for not stepping in is evident.

Gloria's recovery from her trauma and growth into was beautiful to read. The moments of self-doubt and emotional turmoil felt real and honest. It hurt my heart to read about her references to the "what if Gloria" as she reflects on where she could have been if thing Her journey into a confident survivor was brilliant and luckily gave her the strength to push Aldo when he needed it. They really are perfect together!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I have a difficult time being impartial about any Lucy Score book. They're just automatic 5 stars for me!

This story follows Gloria who's decided that she's finally going to leave her abusive relationship and finally start living her life. She connects with Aldo, someone who's been in love with her since high school.

It was really lovely to see Gloria grow and learn to love herself and Aldo understands that she needs the time to heal and find who she is.

What I loved most about this book is all of the strong women that Gloria had in her life. She finally had friends to call her own and was able to find her voice. It was amazing to see her growth through out this book.

Highly recommend this book, but make sure to look up trigger warnings!

Another amazing novel by Lucy Score! Finally Mine was too good. This is a companion novel to Pretend You're Mine featuring characters Gloria and Aldo whom I loved! This can be read as a stand alone, but if course I recommend the whole Benevolence series. Also another gorgeous new cover from Bloom Books!

This is a re-release of a 2018 book and the second in a series. I knew neither of those things when I requested it. 🤡

Regardless, it was a sweet story and an easy read. Overall, I enjoyed it but I will say, at least for me, the characters and town didn’t have the same development and pull as some of Lucy’s other books, so I don’t find myself interested in reading the other two books in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

My 2nd Lucy Score book AND
Lucy does it again!! So brilliant, sweet, sexy, what dreams are made of romance, and hubba hubba. This can be read alone but the series will have you going for all of her books!

Thank you for the honor to read this book, Netgalley, Lucy and Sourcebooks, Bloom books.

“Finally Mine” lived up to the reputation of its predecessor! 100% a emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible.
I loved reading through the same timeline through Gloria and Aldo’s eyes. It brought a fresh new perspective to an already amazing story.
In this installment we follow Gloria and Aldo - both who are overcoming major life changes. Their circumstances have left them scarred, vulnerable and in their own eyes, broken. We follow them as they embark on separate healing journeys so that hopefully one day they can be together.
Full of love, healing, heartbreak, loss, courage, determination, strength and vulnerability - “Finally Mine” was another beautiful read in a fantastic series.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Finally Mine by Lucy Score is the second book in her Benevolence series and is being rereleased on 6/13 (thank you to @netgalley for the gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review)! I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first in the series.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics in a way that feels delicate. Our female mc is just coming out of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship and our male mc is in the military and fighting some battles of his own. I really loved how Gloria learns to stand up for herself throughout this novel and doesn’t let Aldo fight her battles for her.

This book takes place during the exact same timeline as the Pretend Your Mine but with a focus on Aldo & Glo instead of Luke & Harper. This is always a struggle for me personally because you know how the story will unfold. I did like seeing more glimpses of what was going on behind the scenes with Aldo & Glo though, they had some really beautiful moments!

My only qualm with the same timeline was that because there is so much interaction between all four characters, there are scenes and dialogue that are exactly the same, word for word, as they are in the first book. Would this be as noticeable if I didn’t read them basically back to back? Maybe not. But I did find it a bit cumbersome and distracting.

Please check the content warnings for this one before going in - the topics are handled very well as they always are with Lucy but there’s a lot of triggers throughout! 🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

#bookstagram #netgalley #bookreview #romancebookstagram

Thank you NetGalley and Lucy Score for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This is book 2 of the Benevolence series. I have fallen in love with this world that Lucy has built! All of the characters are so lovable. and I can't wait to see what happens next! This time around we follow Gloria and Aldo's love story (which happens alongside our favorite characters timeline from book 1).

It was so interesting, heartbreaking, and enthralling seeing the story's events through our new main character's eyes. Reading how this amazing pair find their happiness is definitely something I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Again, Lucy has quite a way of incorporating so many tropes many readers love!

Read if you love:
-Small Town Romance
-Friends to Lovers
-Second Chance Romance
-Mental Health
-Military Homecomings

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great and compelling novel. I had not read the first book in this series, but that did not hinder my reading of this book as this can be read as a stand alone. I greatly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more Lucy Score novels in the future as this was my first one.

Thank you Netgalley and Lucy Score for the ARC. This was my first Lucy Score book and I will definitely be reading more.
It probably goes without saying that I didn’t read the first book in this series but this can totally be read as a standalone. My big takeaway from this book is that everyone heals in their own way and in their own time. Trauma was a major theme in this book and each character carried that in a unique way. I appreciated that the author showed that there are so many ways to live after trauma.
Aldo was a super sweet MMC. I think I have a soft spot for the guy who never forgot his high school crush. My favourite character though was Harper. She was amazing. Loving, brave, determined, thoughtful, loyal, supportive….she’s everything we all want our best friend to be.
There are pretty heavy things mentioned in this book so check trigger warnings but this was a great read and I’d definitely recommend it.

Lucy Score balances a solid story line with romance and lust like none other! I loved Gloria and Aldo in this book and felt that their love was unconditional. How could one not fall in love with Aldo? His character was so well-developed and emulated what it means to be a man and a lover. It was wonderful to watch Gloria grow as a woman and into the role of wife. It was an awesome coming of age story line.

This was such a good book, I think I binged it in like half a day. Lemme note the TWs first, because they are very on page - decades long domestic violence (repeated physical violence, sexual assault) on page, characters wounded on the front lines of war on page, character losing part of his leg in the war, gun violence, stalking, general physical assault, strangulation, murder attempts.

Okay so the review - the book starts off pretty heavily, with the FMC trying to escape her abusive relationship and her then boyfriend attacking and strangling her. It was a shock to see it so suddenly on page, but I guess it set the tone for all the healing (physical, but mostly mental) she had to do over the course of the book. The MMC also has trauma of his own, he loses his leg in a war attack on page (around 25% into the book), and he struggles with accepting himself as worthy after it.
The main relationship was really, really sweet, and I loved how they both were patient with each other regarding healing from trauma. There's a lot of on page slow-burn before and after they start the relationship, and their emotional growth was handled really well.

There seems to be a moderately heavy overlap between this book and the previous one (although I haven't read that yet).

I really loved the epilogue and bonus epilogue!

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I'm sorry, but I will be doing something I normally reject - I'm going to DNF this book at 25%. As a fan of Lucy Score and her beautifully written romance books, I was truly disturbed to read about Gloria, who has been abused by her partner for years. Neither her mother nor Aldo Moretta, the hero of this story, lifted a finger to stop this disgrace. I don't buy the justification that Aldo couldn't do anything because Gloria wasn't his to defend. Physical and mental abuse are serious situations that should be approached with sensitivity. The severity of harm Gloria endured was gut-wrenching, and even though Aldo is a soldier and a real hero who serves his country, he should also be capable of standing up to the abusive bastard who ruined the life of the woman he truly loved."

"The beginning of the story, and Aldo's preference for dating other girls instead of going after the woman he loved, made me angry as well. I'm sorry to say that I cannot continue to read a story with a hero I truly disrespect, so I am skipping this one.

As a big fan of Lucy Score, I'm looking forward to reading her future novels, but unfortunately, this one is not my cup of tea. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for sharing this digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is getting a new cover and Lucy Score has new readers, so here’s a new review. I got a copy from Netgalley because I hadn’t gotten around to reading the Benevolence series yet. This is the second book, and you should probably read the first one before reading this. While this can probably stand alone (there’s enough of the other story here to have it all make sense), Aldo and Gloria’s story runs parallel to Luke and Harper’s in Pretend You’re Mine.

The first book seemed too full of extra characters and world-building. It was long and there seemed to be too much going on. This one isn’t a lot shorter (is it shorter?), but it is more focused. That could be because a lot of the stage setting was done in the previous book. We got the basics of Aldo and Gloria’s story in the first installment, but this book fills it out. If you enjoyed Pretend You’re Mine, you’ll enjoy this one too. In some respects, it’s the same story told from another POV, in that you see Luke, and especially Harper, through the eyes of their friends.

It’s not just that, though. When I saw that this book would be about Aldo and Gloria, I wondered why they needed a book when their story was pretty much told in Pretend You’re Mine, but when I read it, I didn’t feel like I was just reading a retelling here. There is a lot of overlap and duplicated content. These four characters are pretty tightly twined together. But it was nice to focus on Aldo and Gloria. Harper butted in, but didn’t take over. I honestly enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one.

I liked Aldo a lot better than I did Luke in the last book, although it’s hard to believe that that guy could stand by and watch Gloria’s situation for a decade without trying to help. His character wasn’t written to stand back, so that’s a bit of a puzzle. In fact, shame on the whole town for that.

Gloria really seems to grow from the introduction we got in the previous book—she became a whole person, and I enjoyed reading her journey.

Trigger warnings in this book: domestic violence is a big part of the story—Gloria is a survivor, and has to learn to live with that. Her actual abuse is not heavily detailed, for the most part. Aldo survives combat injuries, but loses part of his leg, and has to learn to live with that too. There is some PTSD, as you might expect, for both characters. The book is probably less steamy than the first one—these two have a lot of baggage to unpack before getting down and dirty, but they eventually do, so it’s not a “clean” book.

Lucy Score can write happy, heart wrenching, funny, and steamy stories better than most, and this one has all of those things. I recommend it, but also recommend that you try the first book first.

Aldo and Gloria. What a beautiful story. This does read a bit heavy as it navigates some tough topics. But the way that Aldo and Gloria and the friends all deal with said tragedies is beautiful. Both of them had very difficult things in their lives that they needed to contend with yet found, and held on to, love. Very good read!