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ecravens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
meganashlee27's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Harper is on her way to stay with a friend, looking to make a fresh start. When she stops at small town restaurant to get a bite to eat, she stumbles across more than she bargains for, and ends up needing a place to stay for the night. Enter Luke, the handsome soldier, ready to save the day. But Harper’s need for a temporary place to stay night just fit with Luke’s need to get his family off his back. If she can pretend to be his girlfriend for the next month before he deploys, then he’ll provide her a job and a place to stay while she gets back on her feet.
I recently read the first two books in the Knockemout series by Lucy Score and adored them, so I was excited to pick up something else by her. At first it felt like the same kind of story…girl stumbles into a small town, gets picked up by a handsome stranger, and ends up finding love and family. Despite that first impression, there were some different twists and turns this time around. I loved Luke and Harper, the dogs, and the friends. I felt invested in how their relationship would turn out, through the good and the bad. Looking forward to reading the next book to get more of Aldo and Georgia’s story!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an advanced copy of this book!
I recently read the first two books in the Knockemout series by Lucy Score and adored them, so I was excited to pick up something else by her. At first it felt like the same kind of story…girl stumbles into a small town, gets picked up by a handsome stranger, and ends up finding love and family. Despite that first impression, there were some different twists and turns this time around. I loved Luke and Harper, the dogs, and the friends. I felt invested in how their relationship would turn out, through the good and the bad. Looking forward to reading the next book to get more of Aldo and Georgia’s story!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an advanced copy of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bixmer613's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing and Toxic relationship
lololovesthings's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Are you looking for a book featuring fake dating and insta-love that's set in a small town with forced proximity, raucous and fun side characters, with a hefty dose of "I'm the only one allowed to touch you" possessive alpha energy? Then "Pretend You're Mine" by Lucy Score is the book for you. In fact, most of Lucy Score's books are probably for you because she loves making books that have these same plot devices and tropes. When Harper and Luke meet, sparks fly super fast, but he doesn't want to get attached because he's about to deploy again and has *~emotional damage*~ aplenty. Harper and Luke start fake dating so he can save face with his family who have been nagging him about dating again, but their desire burns for one another quickly and brightly despite the practicalities of their situation. One thing Lucy Score knows how to do well is banter. There is some good, funny dialogue here. I really enjoyed getting to know Harper and Luke and the respective stories, but Luke was such an grumpy idiot that I wanted to smack the crap out of him. I also thought Harper was a little too perfect and it got on my nerves. Typically, I don't like books involving the military, but this one didn't bother me as much because it doesn't focus on American jingoism. Unfortunately, I found this book to be way, way too long at times. It's slow to start and it drags quite a bit in the middle. At one point, I felt myself losing interest at times. Also, the ending wraps up shockingly quickly, which is strange since this book is over 400 pages long! It almost feels like a very loose plot written around a lot of spicy scenes... and I mean A LOT of spicy scenes (not a complaint!). Speaking of such, Lucy Score loves to talk about the heft and heaviness of b4LLs and milking waaaay too much. 😂 Overall, this book is fine, but it's not Score's best. I wasn't ever bored, but I likely won't remember this come year's end.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and War
Minor: Death of parent
hopecobbledpots's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"...it’s not easy to be friends with someone who keeps making the wrong decision over and over again. Eventually everyone has to decide whether it’s worth it to keep trying.” ~ Gloria
New to me author Lucy Score wrote Pretend Your Mine in 2015. Bloom Books, an imprint of Source Books, re-released it with a new cover. Lucy Score has made quite a name for herself and gathered loyal fans in Bookstagram and Booktok.
Pretend You're Mine focuses on brokenness in individuals and how that effects relationships. Some of the tropes in this books includes:
-Fake Dating
-One Bed
-Abuse
-Violence
-Psychological Abuse
-Dead Spouse
Harper Lee Wilde cruises into Benevolence on fumes and immediately launches into action when she sees a man choking his girlfriend in the parking lot she landed in. Even though she gets knock around pretty good, she finds herself staring into the eyes of a handsome stranger, Luke Garrison. And that is how the story starts.
What did I like about this story?
First, I loved the town of Benevolence itself. It reminded me so much of the town I grew up in. Everyone knows everyone. For the good, the bad, and the ugly. Benevolence may have been the setting but it many ways it was a character in and of itself.
The strong, healing relationships between the women. Harper is a stranger in Benevolence and she immediately comes to the aid of Gloria. Sophie comes to her aid. The whole town welcomes her. But she has a group of women who cluster around her to gird her up.
Harper's relationship with Mrs. Agosta, Robbie, Henry, and Ava. As a former foster kid, she understands what it is like and she is able to connect with them on a level that is unique because of her experiences.
Claire and Joni - I loved their relationship to Harper. It was absolutely beautiful. Especially Joni. She really was able to overtime so much.
Luke standing up to Harper's abuser. I'm not going to elaborate on this so it isn't a spoiler.
What was OK.
I liked that Luke gave Harper a job in his office. It sounds like it was right up her alley and she was truly able to help him and Beth with updating his systems.
Luke's doing things to show he cares for Harper. Luke maintains he isn't in love with Harper. But he does things to make sure she is cared for. Fixing her car. Making sure she is OK after the attack. Furnishing the house.
What didn't float my boat.
Luke. Luke Garrison is so flawed I cannot believe Harper didn't get the heck out of Benevolence. Then again she is flawed. But his flaws are horrid. The way he treats Harper - a sex object to be used, an office manager to be praised, but let anyone else touch her and they are trounced immediately. She is his property.
The sex scenes - I don't know if these are just Lucy Score learning to write sex scenes or if this is what she thought was good. It wasn't. In fact, the scenes described talk about the violence of the act and it was a turn off. I began skipping over them because after you've read it 6 times, it becomes the same. And I didn't need to read acts of sex making in violence again. It started to feel like this author was trying to write kink without calling it kink.
Overall, I'm giving this book a 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
New to me author Lucy Score wrote Pretend Your Mine in 2015. Bloom Books, an imprint of Source Books, re-released it with a new cover. Lucy Score has made quite a name for herself and gathered loyal fans in Bookstagram and Booktok.
Pretend You're Mine focuses on brokenness in individuals and how that effects relationships. Some of the tropes in this books includes:
-Fake Dating
-One Bed
-Abuse
-Violence
-Psychological Abuse
-Dead Spouse
Harper Lee Wilde cruises into Benevolence on fumes and immediately launches into action when she sees a man choking his girlfriend in the parking lot she landed in. Even though she gets knock around pretty good, she finds herself staring into the eyes of a handsome stranger, Luke Garrison. And that is how the story starts.
What did I like about this story?
First, I loved the town of Benevolence itself. It reminded me so much of the town I grew up in. Everyone knows everyone. For the good, the bad, and the ugly. Benevolence may have been the setting but it many ways it was a character in and of itself.
The strong, healing relationships between the women. Harper is a stranger in Benevolence and she immediately comes to the aid of Gloria. Sophie comes to her aid. The whole town welcomes her. But she has a group of women who cluster around her to gird her up.
Harper's relationship with Mrs. Agosta, Robbie, Henry, and Ava. As a former foster kid, she understands what it is like and she is able to connect with them on a level that is unique because of her experiences.
Claire and Joni - I loved their relationship to Harper. It was absolutely beautiful. Especially Joni. She really was able to overtime so much.
Luke standing up to Harper's abuser. I'm not going to elaborate on this so it isn't a spoiler.
What was OK.
I liked that Luke gave Harper a job in his office. It sounds like it was right up her alley and she was truly able to help him and Beth with updating his systems.
Luke's doing things to show he cares for Harper. Luke maintains he isn't in love with Harper. But he does things to make sure she is cared for. Fixing her car. Making sure she is OK after the attack. Furnishing the house.
What didn't float my boat.
Luke. Luke Garrison is so flawed I cannot believe Harper didn't get the heck out of Benevolence. Then again she is flawed. But his flaws are horrid. The way he treats Harper - a sex object to be used, an office manager to be praised, but let anyone else touch her and they are trounced immediately. She is his property.
The sex scenes - I don't know if these are just Lucy Score learning to write sex scenes or if this is what she thought was good. It wasn't. In fact, the scenes described talk about the violence of the act and it was a turn off. I began skipping over them because after you've read it 6 times, it becomes the same. And I didn't need to read acts of sex making in violence again. It started to feel like this author was trying to write kink without calling it kink.
Overall, I'm giving this book a 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Car accident and War
morbookish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Car accident
nickypizarro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm not ashamed to say that I've happily joined the Lucy Score hype/bandwagon.
Luke Garrison may be the hometown hero but even the best of us can't get away from our parent's nagging and concerns. In comes Harper, knocking him and the small town off-kilter... almost quite literally. He's only got a few more weeks left before deploying and his scheming sister suggests he fake dates the new firecracker in town to ease his parents and hold them at bay.
If I'm honest, I think I wanted to throttle Luke more times than I can count while reading this book. He was soo in denial and it was staring him right in the face. I'm usually good at figuring out what's holding some characters back but I wasn't expecting Luke's dark past. Let alone throwing Harper's in the mix as well. The way things ended up connecting was smart and I enjoyed the way the book's timeline is so easily intertwined with the second book in the series Finally Mine.
4.5/5 stars
3/5 Twice Level
TWs: Mind to moderate mentions of domestic abuse, physical abuse, death, war, miscarriage, medical trauma, medical content, injury/injury details, car accident, blood, child death, and grief
While I have received an arc of this book, my thoughts are all my own.
Luke Garrison may be the hometown hero but even the best of us can't get away from our parent's nagging and concerns. In comes Harper, knocking him and the small town off-kilter... almost quite literally. He's only got a few more weeks left before deploying and his scheming sister suggests he fake dates the new firecracker in town to ease his parents and hold them at bay.
If I'm honest, I think I wanted to throttle Luke more times than I can count while reading this book. He was soo in denial and it was staring him right in the face. I'm usually good at figuring out what's holding some characters back but I wasn't expecting Luke's dark past. Let alone throwing Harper's in the mix as well. The way things ended up connecting was smart and I enjoyed the way the book's timeline is so easily intertwined with the second book in the series Finally Mine.
4.5/5 stars
3/5 Twice Level
TWs: Mind to moderate mentions of domestic abuse, physical abuse, death, war, miscarriage, medical trauma, medical content, injury/injury details, car accident, blood, child death, and grief
While I have received an arc of this book, my thoughts are all my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kb33's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m not sure how to feel about this book. Luke needed therapy. And it felt like Harper forgave him too easily. The third act breakup dragged on and felt more heart wrenching than necessary. She wanted to leave town, but she decided to drag it out a few weeks to torture herself some more?
I liked the characters (mostly. Luke pissed me off too frequently, and the rest of the time was sex scenes). Yeah, this one wasn’t my favorite.
Additional TW/CW:
Graphic: Separation during deployment (if you don’t think this could be a trigger then you’ve never been with someone who was away on a rough deployment).
Moderate: Grief over death of spouse; the grief isn’t written in a very graphic way, but it is a frequent topic/main theme. IED explosion, loss of limb and recovery, unrealistic journey adjusting to prosthetic.
I liked the characters (mostly. Luke pissed me off too frequently, and the rest of the time was sex scenes). Yeah, this one wasn’t my favorite.
Additional TW/CW:
Graphic: Separation during deployment (if you don’t think this could be a trigger then you’ve never been with someone who was away on a rough deployment).
Moderate: Grief over death of spouse; the grief isn’t written in a very graphic way, but it is a frequent topic/main theme. IED explosion, loss of limb and recovery, unrealistic journey adjusting to prosthetic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
caree's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
kendra_jo's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty