lololovesthings's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
3.75 stars!
I really enjoyed Gloria and Aldo's story in "Finally Mine," a he-falls-first love-after-abuse romantic drama. Lucy Score's banter and depth mix together to create two excellent main characters, as well as great supporting characters in an interesting small town. Aldo and Gloria both have their baggage, but they come together in a seamless way that makes you root for them both together and separately. I enjoyed watching Gloria transform into a strong, capable woman, and I also liked seeing Aldo redefine who he is post-accident in Afghanistan. I like how they leaned on each other for (reluctant) support. I liked peeking in on Harper and Luke once again, seeing things from Gloria and Aldo's perspectives. The spice is also good in this book. This is not my favorite Lucy Score book, but it is a good one. It is a bit too long, and it does border on trauma p0rn, but it's not so relentless that it's unreadable. Please check the trigger warnings as this book contains some very difficult subject matters.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.
I really enjoyed Gloria and Aldo's story in "Finally Mine," a he-falls-first love-after-abuse romantic drama. Lucy Score's banter and depth mix together to create two excellent main characters, as well as great supporting characters in an interesting small town. Aldo and Gloria both have their baggage, but they come together in a seamless way that makes you root for them both together and separately. I enjoyed watching Gloria transform into a strong, capable woman, and I also liked seeing Aldo redefine who he is post-accident in Afghanistan. I like how they leaned on each other for (reluctant) support. I liked peeking in on Harper and Luke once again, seeing things from Gloria and Aldo's perspectives. The spice is also good in this book. This is not my favorite Lucy Score book, but it is a good one. It is a bit too long, and it does border on trauma p0rn, but it's not so relentless that it's unreadable. Please check the trigger warnings as this book contains some very difficult subject matters.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Score, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape
avery_hutchinson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
I loved the endless love and support that the main characters provided for each other. Their character arcs were beautiful. However, the final conflict wrapped up too quickly, much like the first book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
bethelizabethuk's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
This is book 2 in the Benevolence series but the first one I have read. From other reviews, I can see that worked better for me as I’ve seen that there is a lot of repetition between the two. I might go back and read book 1 at some later date when I’ve had time to forget what happened. I really enjoyed this book. I love a small town romance and this one was cute with Score’s sprinkling of spice. Gloria was badass and I loved seeing her realise that and allowing herself to grow. I also loved the disability representation and showing that life doesn’t end and you can still do so much. There are some great side characters to fall in love with as well.
I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
beesneysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse
eemillers15's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Omg omg omg omg. This book had me swooning, laughing, crying, all the things!!!
Gloria finally gets the courage to leave her abusive husband, Glenn, after 10 years. Aldo Moretta has been biding his time, hoping for a chance with Gloria, and sees his opportunity. The two start a budding friendship, while allowing for each to heal their own personal wounds.
I LOVED reading Aldo and Gloria’s story! Military stories will always have a special place in my heart. The communication was perfection (90% of the time). The character arcs were so good and I loved how this story ran juxtaposed with Harper and Luke’s from “Pretend You’re Mine”. I could gush about this book forever.
Aldo is the perfect combination of “I need to protect you” and “you’ve got this” and I absolutely loved that! He is the best book boyfriend and deserves all the love!
Thank you to #netgalley, Bloom Books, and Sourcebook Bloom Books for an eARC of this rerelease! All opinions are my own!
Gloria finally gets the courage to leave her abusive husband, Glenn, after 10 years. Aldo Moretta has been biding his time, hoping for a chance with Gloria, and sees his opportunity. The two start a budding friendship, while allowing for each to heal their own personal wounds.
I LOVED reading Aldo and Gloria’s story! Military stories will always have a special place in my heart. The communication was perfection (90% of the time). The character arcs were so good and I loved how this story ran juxtaposed with Harper and Luke’s from “Pretend You’re Mine”. I could gush about this book forever.
Aldo is the perfect combination of “I need to protect you” and “you’ve got this” and I absolutely loved that! He is the best book boyfriend and deserves all the love!
Thank you to #netgalley, Bloom Books, and Sourcebook Bloom Books for an eARC of this rerelease! All opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
chemistryreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book is a sweet love story between Gloria and Aldo. It’s second chance romance with various spins throughout the book. Aldo is a wonderful male main character and Gloria has an excellent journey throughout this story. The book drags on a bit too long for my taste and a large portion of that is how much repeating material there is from the first book in the series. The ending and third-act breakup was such a letdown when I felt this book was much better than the first in the series. Overall, it felt a bit forced, but still managed to be a good romance. 3.75⭐️, 3🌶
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
morbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape
nickypizarro's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
The strength Gloria and Aldo possess. both as individuals and as a couple, is nothing short of admirable.
Gloria is coming out of a 10 yr abusive and toxic relationship but getting back out there so quickly wasn't exactly part of her plan. Hometown hero Aldo has other plans as he's been pining for the girl since high school but not until she's ready. The way he expressed his interest without making her feel uncomfortable was one of my favorite things. He promised a date in 6 months if she'll have him after he's back from deployment. Although an injury cuts his time short on deployment and getting back to the "old" Aldo is harder than it seems. This time it's Gloria who ends up being the hero.
While one of the main things I enjoyed about this book is how easily the plot/storyline interviewed with Pretending You're Mine, I wasn't the biggest fan of how many scenes were repeated. For a good chunk of the book, I thought I was just re-reading the previous book and I would've loved more scenes that weren't in the previous book. As well as lengthening it beyond where the first book ended to get a better look at how things ended after the first book ended. Harper felt like she was given more credit than Gloria with his health and getting him back to being Aldo but it was hard not to love and enjoy these two and their relationship.
Leaning more towards 3.5/5 stars for me
3/5 Twice Level
TWs: Mentions of domestic abuse, physical abuse, war, medical trauma, medical content, injury/injury details, blood, toxic relationship, and sexual assault/rape
While I have received an arc of this book, my thoughts are all my own.
Gloria is coming out of a 10 yr abusive and toxic relationship but getting back out there so quickly wasn't exactly part of her plan. Hometown hero Aldo has other plans as he's been pining for the girl since high school but not until she's ready. The way he expressed his interest without making her feel uncomfortable was one of my favorite things. He promised a date in 6 months if she'll have him after he's back from deployment. Although an injury cuts his time short on deployment and getting back to the "old" Aldo is harder than it seems. This time it's Gloria who ends up being the hero.
While one of the main things I enjoyed about this book is how easily the plot/storyline interviewed with Pretending You're Mine, I wasn't the biggest fan of how many scenes were repeated. For a good chunk of the book, I thought I was just re-reading the previous book and I would've loved more scenes that weren't in the previous book. As well as lengthening it beyond where the first book ended to get a better look at how things ended after the first book ended. Harper felt like she was given more credit than Gloria with his health and getting him back to being Aldo but it was hard not to love and enjoy these two and their relationship.
Leaning more towards 3.5/5 stars for me
3/5 Twice Level
TWs: Mentions of domestic abuse, physical abuse, war, medical trauma, medical content, injury/injury details, blood, toxic relationship, and sexual assault/rape
While I have received an arc of this book, my thoughts are all my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, War, and Blood
sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition
DNF 200 pages in- I was already not digging this particular series and I feel like Lucy is really against therapy or showing her characters in therapy.
It’s okay for DV survivors and war vets with new amputations to get therapy. Now therapy could come in this book in the rest of it but I’m just not up for 200 more pages of these two and their trauma responses and miscommunication.
It’s okay for DV survivors and war vets with new amputations to get therapy. Now therapy could come in this book in the rest of it but I’m just not up for 200 more pages of these two and their trauma responses and miscommunication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
hanreads__'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Can be read as a stand-alone but is part of a series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, War, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape