Huge fan of Lucy Score... But this one fell short for me. I just couldn't get through it. I guess this series just wasn't for me.

*Thank you @read_bloom for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

DNF. I tried reading this like 5 different times. I couldn't do it. I love most of Lucy Score's work, but apparently tly not this one.

I decided to DNF this book at 30%. I felt like it was the same story as in Pretend You’re Mine but with added triggers and some back story. Overall, I didn’t feel like it was a new story. Both should have been combined in my opinion.

"Finally Mine" by Lucy Score is a beautiful and powerful story that explores themes of resilience, love, and overcoming personal challenges. The book follows a military man who has lost a leg and a woman who has endured an abusive relationship for too long.

One of the notable aspects of the book is the central question of whether these characters can let go of their emotional baggage and allow love to guide them forward. The story delves into the complexities of their pasts and their journey towards healing and finding happiness together.

While "Finally Mine" runs in the same timeline as "Pretend Your Mine," it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel without missing any crucial details. Whether readers are familiar with the previous book or not, this story is set to captivate their hearts.

The book offers a well-rounded reading experience, combining moments of angst, humor, and heartfelt emotions. It presents strong female and male characters who navigate their individual struggles and come out stronger on the other side. The journey of overcoming personal damage is a central theme, adding depth and substance to the story.

Overall, "Finally Mine" is a book that will resonate with readers who appreciate compelling stories of love, personal growth, and triumph over adversity. With a perfect blend of emotions and compelling characters, Lucy Score delivers a poignant and empowering read that will leave a lasting impact.

I adored Pretend You’re Mine so much and knew Gloria and Aldo were the subject of book 2 and I was hesitant to start this one due to the domestic abuse plot line. However, as usual, Lucy takes such care with her characters and their healing journeys from past trauma. Aldo also loses a limb in military service, and together, Gloria and Aldo develop a slow-burn second chance romance. I also liked the unique way this book follows the same timeline of book 1 so you get to almost re-experience that romance as well from a different perspective. This series is not my favorite of Lucy’s but I am excited for new readers to get to experience these stories!

Following Gloria and Arlo’s story overlapping with the first book we find how the two finally started a relationship after a decade of pining. If you read “Pretend Your Mine” you know half of this story. It did seem repetitive and I wish it would’ve skipped ahead further to start, but I understand the overlap was to give those who didn’t read book 1 some context. I liked how the trauma for our MC’s was addressed, but realistically they wouldn’t have been so open and accepting to help, and seemingly fast-healing (at least on the surface). But it’s a romance book and not the proper format to dig into the complexities of healing from trauma so I think the way it was described was fitting.

Overall I just couldn’t love this book. It was mostly repetitive and I didn’t want to root for these characters as much as book 1.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞
𝟒⚡️ 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

**Domestic abuse

I really enjoyed this book! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll route for both Gloria and Aldo. Gloria’s story of building a new life after an abusive past is inspiring and will have you cheering for her until the end. Two amazing supporting characters in both Gloria’s and Aldo’s moms! The kind of moms you definitely wouldn’t want to piss off. Don’t worry, in true LS fashion this books is filled with spice!

Gloria has lost ten years to a toxic and dangerous relationship, but that ends today. She is finally free and begins to search for who she really is and what her life can become. Gloria made be scared but she isn’t broken. And she sure as hell isn’t “poor little Gloria Parker”.

As Gloria begins her new life and vows to write off men for awhile, in walks Aldo Moretta, hometown hero. Aldo has had a crush on Gloria for a long as he can remember. Just when he thinks he is going to get his chance at stealing her heart, he is deployed for six months. When Aldo’s deployment is cut short by an injury, it’s up to Gloria to be the hero for them both.

Cheers⚡️

#Romance #FinallyMine #LucyScore #bookstagram

This one was not as great as the other Lucy Score books. For me, it's a 3/5 if we're rounding up. It is definitely a different heroine compared to other ones Lucy has written. Gloria was not your strong female character and the love story was not as well developed. I may have been biased about the storyline because I did not agree with the choices Gloria made and comparing her to other heroines that Lucy Score has written.

Small town romance, damaged hero and heroine. I love Lucy Score's writing and the characters she creates. Finally Mine has some heavier themes than some of the other books of hers I've read, trigger warning for DV. Overall a good story with a solid plot and an engaging romance

This is the 2nd book in the series but you could read as a stand alone. Definitely not as easy as a read as Pretend You’re Mine due to the domestic violence that Gloria went through….but I am glad Aldo came into her life. It was interesting to see the same timeline through another charter’s perspective. It didn’t read the series back to back so to me it didn’t feel redundant. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series. Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Be beautiful. Be fun. Be busy. Be excited. Be you. Everyone else will eventually catch up. You just have to give them something else to see.”

“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.”

“Talk to someone. Get it out. If you keep it in, it’ll eat at you from the inside out.”

“Most of my ugly scars are on the inside, and I’ve presented every last one of them to you. You’re still here. I think you owe me the same chance. Show me your scars, Aldo.”

Thank you NetGalley for an e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a phenomenal book. The cover was perfection, and anything by Lucy score is always a win in my book. The characters are beautiful and flawed and wonderful.

FINALLY MINE A Small Town Love Story Benevolence Book 2 by Lucy Score
This is the story of Aldo Moretta and Gloria Parker. Aldo has had feelings for her since she was a sophomore in high school and he was a senior. He was ready to make his move when he saw she had hooked up with Glenn Miller. He left and joined with the National Guard instead of staying around town to watch her with Glenn.
After years of abuse, Gloria finds it in her to escape the beatings, and plan out her own future. She is determined to loose the poor little Gloria moniker and reinvent herself. The night before Aldo ships out for 6 months, he tells Gloria he wants a future when she is ready.
One of the "stars" of this story is Ina Moretta, Aldo's mom. This story has plenty of angst, heartbreak, fortitude, and great chemistry. I very much enjoyed the way this paralleled the last book, except by Gloria and Aldo this time instead of Harper and Luke. I give this 5 stars.

I liked the first book and I struggle so hard to get into Lucy Score but unfortunately I had to force myself to finish this book. I think she is very talented but maybe her writing style isn't for me. Maybe I'll come back in the future and read more of her stuff and have a different opinion at that time. But I feel like everything I've read of hers is something I've read before and nothing out of the ordinary

I love this authors work with every fiber of my being, but this is not my favorite of hers. I should have looked at the trigger warnings more closely before I started reading that is completely on me.

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.