I received a rerelease of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea that Finally Mine was part of a series when I requested it. And I honestly don’t know why I requested this book. I am not a fan of Lucy Score’s writing style and I just don’t enjoy her books. With that being said, this book was fine. It was entertaining enough that I kept reading it, but I won’t say it was a good read. The thing I have the most difficulty with is understanding who the target audience is. Was this book supposed to appeal to adults with its mild (and I mean MILD) smut scenes or is it trying to appeal to young adults with the dialogue? These characters are supposed to be nearly 30 years old and yet they talk like teenagers. At one point a penis was referred to as “junk”. Really? Are they 12? Give me a break. I have a lot of trouble taking a book (and author) seriously after that. As for the actual story? An abused housewife leaves her abuser and falls in love with the hometown hero. They’re both damaged in their own way, but finally see past the baggage that’s holding them back. Same song, different dance.

Wonderful story!! At first, I wasn’t too crazy about re-reading what was in the first book Pretend You’re Mine in this book but it became like catching up with old friends. Very interesting way to write the second book! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Aldo and Gloria and the rest of Benevolence! I would recommend both books very highly!!!

3-3.5 stars

I really enjoyed reading the first book in the Benevolence series and looked forward to reading Gloria and Aldo’s story, but other than a few scenes from their POVs, it was basically a retelling of Pretend You’re Mine. A good chunk of the story exactly the same, just from Gloria and Aldo’s perspectives. The only scenes that were different were those where they weren’t in the presence of Harper and Luke.

While I did enjoy this book, I wish the story had been more uniquely Gloria and Aldo’s. I really liked the new scenes included but didn’t feel I needed a recap of what went down with Harper and Luke.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Finally Mine by Lucy Score

Gloria is looking for a fresh start. After 10 years of a toxic and abusive relationship, she is free and looking forward to building a life for herself. Enter Aldo Moretta; Gloria’s high school crush and a true gentleman. Knowing Gloria needs time to heal, Aldo asks Gloria on a date in 6 months when he is deployed. When Aldo returns, things aren’t what they seem to be. It becomes apparent that they both have a lot of healing to do.

I read this as a standalone but it’s #2 book of the Benevolence Series. Due to the concurrent storylines, I would recommend reading the #1 first; Pretend You’re Mine. This was a dark read for me, there were a lot of toxic triggers. With that said it was a beautiful story about two people who’ve been through trauma and trying to find the courage and bravery to fall in love. Per Score’s typical fashion, this book is spicy but has a very slow burn. If you love small town romances and dual POV then I hope you enjoy this one!

TW: Domestic Abuse, Violence, Rape, War. IED, Limb Loss

This book, unfortunately, was not for me. I did my best to try and get into it, but it was incredibly hard, and ultimately, I was not enjoying it. Maybe I can come back to it and read it, but for now, it's a DNF. I'm giving it two stars because I do want to try again, but it didn't hit the mark for me this time.

Gloria is just getting out of an abusive relationship. While Aldo has always had a thing for her. However he gets injured while overseas with the national guard and is now working his way through that trauma. The events of Finally Mine are happening at the same time as Pretend Your Mine. I really loved visiting these characters again and seeing first hand how Aldo and Gloria's story played out.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Bloom Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book in the Benevolence duo and follows the romance between Gloria and Aldo. This story coincides with the first book but seems to still keep your interest. The down side is that it can feel repetitive at times. This is a great book about second chances and overcoming obstacles. Trigger warning due to domestic violence.

Definitely thinking this series isn't for me. I didn't love how the issues in this book were handled (domestic violence and losing a limb). I know it was initially written several years ago, but I don't think it holds up in 2023.

I already love Lucy Score’s books, but every-time I read another one of her books, I love her even more. This book is no different. I loved it. It was a beautiful and inspiring story of healing and love.

Gloria just recently broke free of her abusive relationship and is starting to put the pieces of her life together. Aldo is a home town hero who has loved Gloria from afar since they were in high school. Now is Aldo’s chance to be with the girl he loved for years but life has a way of changing things in an instant.

This was a beautiful journey healing the from the darkness life can bestow. Both Gloria’s and Aldo’s journeys were beautiful. I loved how they both overcame the trauma they endured and realized that they were strong and brave and worthy of love. That they were not broken and they deserve to be happy. They leaned on their friends, family, and each other. It was beautiful to read and experience along side these characters. Benevolence is a town I would love to be apart of.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Lucy Score, for this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a DNF @ 50% - I was so disappointed because I adore books by Lucy Score. However, this one was extremely triggering to me with toxic relationships & domestic violence that almost felt romanticized.

I will definitely read Lucy Score’s books in the future, with the exception of any future books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy Score's Finally Mine is getting a rerelease with a new updated cover, and I am here for it! Gloria has just escaped an abusive long-term relationship and she is focusing on healing and rebuilding her life. Aldo Moretta has loved her from afar since high school, and before he deploys for six months, he asks her out on a date--when he gets back. While overseas, he's injured in an IED explosion, and he returns home a shell of the man he was, and Gloria is forced to be strong enough for the two of them.

Lucy Score once again delivers a gentle, slow burn second-chance romance. I love that the path to their happily ever after isn't perfectly smooth. Instead, it's realistic. There are always bumps in the road, and when dealing with trauma (both new and old), healing isn't linear. Lucy does a wonderful job of not sugar-coating their experiences, while also providing that satisfying conclusion her readers love her for.

This one made me cry--full on ugly cry--while on a camping trip. I listened while I walked the dog around the state park, and I'm sure people were wondering what was wrong with me. The answer? Lucy Score. Her books wreck me in the best way every time.

I felt like the overlap between the start of this book and the scenes in the first book left me not overly excited for the book since you already had an idea of what was happening. The romance being built off of Gloria’s freedom after years of abuse was also a little off putting.

Overall, this was an okay read.

Finally Mine is the second book in the
Benevolence series. The overlapping timeline can get repetitive but Lucy does a good job with providing enough new plot to keep it interesting.
I loved the addition of new characters. I will be interested to read book 3.

Special thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks/ Bloom Book for providing an advanced reviewer copy to me in exchange for my honest review and opinion!

OMG! I completely, utterly and fervently loved this book! Gloria and Aldo's story is a story of pain and loss but also a story of overwhelming love for each other! I cried in some parts of the book but I also smiled like an idiot in others! I just love Lucy Score's book so much that I always can't wait for her next!

Lucy Score does it again. I love her writing and story telling so much l.
She is truly one of my favorite authors! loved the first book in this series, but I fell more in love with this town and it's people even more in this book. Aldo and Gloria had great character development and this story answered so many questions I had from the last book. There story showed true pain but also immense strength. I can't wait to read the next one.

I've decided that Lucy Score is one of my favorite authors. I especially enjoy her heartwarming small-town romance novels. I was thrilled to learn that the second book in the 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 series, 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒆, runs parallel to the first book. This time, the focus is on the romance between Aldo and Gloria, which we caught glimpses of in 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒆. I was excited to witness their emotional journey towards finding true love. What really struck me was the character development of Gloria, who had endured almost a decade of domestic abuse before finding the strength to break free. Seeing how she learned to love and value herself despite her past was inspiring. And Aldo was endearing and oh-so-hot and sexy. He was patient and understanding with Gloria despite the fact he was dealing with his own trauma. The man could make a girl swoon! I absolutely loved 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒆. It's a beautiful story filled with hope, love, and growth that will have you feeling all the emotions. Make sure to grab a copy and prepare to be taken on an unforgettable journey. Don't forget the tissues!⁠
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Thank you, @netgalley and @Read_Bloom, for the opportunity to read a copy of this phenomenal book!

"You look at me like… like I’m something incredible. You look at me like I’m a hero.”
"You are, Aldo. You’re my hero.”

I knew I was going to love this book! Knew that it was going to be my favorite in the series! ( I haven’t even read book three yet! ) Yup, Gloria and Aldo have taken my heart. The two of them have been through so much. I love town Aldo show Gloria that even though she has scars she’s not broken and she’s worth everything. I loved how Gloria made a little realize how much he is a man with what he’s lost. This book starts out with Gloria getting out of a very long, abusive relationship. I love how Aldo let the relationship blossom slowly. Intimacy was even taken off the table at first so that it could be a slow process of them getting to know each other. I freaking loved that! I loved how caring Aldo was with Gloria. The things that man did for her! He truly showed her what it was like to be loved by a good man. Be still my beating heart!!! Once the sexy scenes started man did things start to burn! Aldo in the bedroom? Perfection!!! I really liked that for the most part the two of them communicated with each other. Making sure the other was happy and pushing through the fears and struggles. There were some really funny moments with Aldo’s mom, Mrs. Moretta! Omg that woman is hilarious. Overall there was nothing I would really change from this romance! While this book is number two in its series it can totally be read as a standalone.

Read if you like:
3rd person dual POVs
Childhood crushes to lovers
Hero falls first
Military hero
Hero with prosthetic
Slow burn romance
Open door romance
Swoony hero

I absolutely loved this book. I love how Lucy Score can take characters from a story and give them their own time to shine. Aldo and Gloria's journey was heartwarming. Aldo is such an amazing man and it was great to see Gloria work through what happened to hear. I think it's a story that needed to be told and was done right. I read both Pretend Your Mine and Finally Mine back to back and still want more of Benevolence. Her writing style and character development really makes you fall in love with the town and the people. I'm so excited to see if there is another in the series and what characters we get to learn more about!

Lucy Score is one of those authors that I trust with any and everything. She never fails to write books that are beautifully written and have such heart behind them.

This is a series by her that I’ve been wanting to read and was so happy when this book landed on my kindle. This was such a character driven story (which I always LOVE). Seeing the dynamics between the characters as they grow was such a beautiful thing to read about. Lucy always writes characters that draw me in and make me fall in love with them so easily because she writes them with so much love and care. You can feel it in the words she writes.

Overall, this story was beautiful and I highly recommend to any Lucy Score readers and just any reader who loves a great romance that gets you swept up in everything.

Lucy Score is one of those authors that I trust with any and everything. She never fails to write books that are beautifully written and have such heart behind them.

This is a series by her that I’ve been wanting to read and was so happy when this book landed on my kindle. This was such a character driven story (which I always LOVE). Seeing the dynamics between the characters as they grow was such a beautiful thing to read about. Lucy always writes characters that draw me in and make me fall in love with them so easily because she writes them with so much love and care. You can feel it in the words she writes.

Overall, this story was beautiful and I highly recommend to any Lucy Score readers and just any reader who loves a great romance that gets you swept up in everything.