I only wanted to protect you…
Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. Strong, sweet, and sexy, he doesn’t have a girlfriend and doesn’t want one. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she’s the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s out on another mission.
So what … another mission.
So what if a single bite of her lip sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can’t he?
Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make Luke’s house a home. When his arms wrap around her like steel, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.
One night of sleeping in the same bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can’t keep his mind off Harper’s wide gray eyes, or his hands off of her luscious curves. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman again. But he knows that he can’t tell her the truth about his dark past, and she can’t reveal to him what she’s running from.
Anyway, this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. Only pretend. Until it isn’t…
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I have so so many thoughts on this story. First off I will miss them now that it’s over. I became invested in their lives (not just the MC’s) while listening to this. While I hoped that they would end up together..sometime I feel that Harper is way too soft and understanding. Next This gave me the idea to get more in shape. Listening to Aldo and Harper run and get her in shape is inspiring. Lastly I love to laugh and this book covers that as well. That Polar Plunge?? I could listen to that scene over and over and laugh every time! “No Spectators Only Plungers!”
I also (surprisingly) had some tears well up. I feel that’s because I became so invested in them that I felt horrible when they did. Speaking of…I really wanted to hit Luke upside the head for what he said to her. I would have jetted to another town immediately. Good thing she is slow..and kind and nice.
Other great mentions are Sophie and Ty. I love both of them. They have an amazing marriage filled with fun. Gloria and Aldo..well the story would t have been or completed without them.
Overall I wasn’t sure I would like this and it spent some time on my TBR. I am pleased I finally gave it a chance. It’s worth a listen.
I loved this amazing book and the journey Harper and Luke took into their HEA.
This book wrecked me. Even with its Happily Ever After, I still found myself crying like a baby at parts. The writing and flow of the plot is so organic and authentic. The characters are raw, vulnerable, and addicting. The steam is HOT! I can’t wait to read the next books.
I loved Luke and Harper’s story, from the moment they meet they both have instant attraction but Luke has baggage from his past that prevents him from acting on that attraction. This book put me on an emotional rollercoaster, one minute I’m laughing the next I’m crying. I love the small town aspect of Benevolence and how everyone accepted Harper. This was an amazing book even though it made me cry so many times. Melissa Moran did an amazing job narrating this book. Another 5 star read/listen from Lucy!
I loved the characters in this book. Harper was like a breath of fresh air. I found myself cheering for her and crying with her. Luke was a like a big warm-hearted stray pup…frightened of the unknown and terrified to share his love. I’ll be reading more from this author.
PPRETEND YOU’RE MINE, book One of the Benevolence series by Lucy Score, is about strong, sexy broody Luke Garrison, a hometown hero and a member of the National Guard, is not prepared to meet a woman who ruins his solitude. Beautiful Harper is on her way to a new life…again, but something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. She agrees to be his fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he’s deployed, but one night sharing a bed, Luke cannot keep his mind off Harper or her luscious curves. PRETEND YOU’RE MINE is a sweet, hot romance with an undeniable attraction neither Luke or Harper could ignore, supported by an assortment of characters playing vital roles in their relationship. Lucy Score’s heroines are sassy, strong, and totally lovable women with strong heroes who loved them.
I’d like to say that this book really tugged at my heartstrings. What Luke had to go through was horrible and it wasn’t difficult to understand why he became the way he was. That said, my goodness was he frustrating and it took away from the book a little because the book felt longer due to the frustration.
That said, Harper was a joy. Sweet, happy and sunny, even given her past, she really brightened up the book and it’s no wonder that the characters were enamored with her. I really enjoyed her part and really liked her and Luke’s interaction, when he wasn’t being so hardheaded I felt like we were hitting our head on a stone wall.
Lucy Score excels at building a world where the people feel real and relatable and truly wonderful. Her small towns are idyllic. This book sets up a small town just like that and it was a pleasure to be in this story. I’m looking forward to the next story and especially excited because characters that were featured in this book will be covered in the next books of the series.
Harper & Luke are so freaking adorable and I’m for sure grabbing more books from Lucy this year! Just a few chapters in I was smiling at their interactions like they were friends of mine. I love that this book really lets you get to know the characters as they get to know each other.
This was one of those books that made me want to complete shut out everything else until I finished it. Less than halfway through (barely over a quarter actually) I was looking Lucy up to see how many books I could get to take me back to Benevolence because I didn’t want to leave.
Pretend You’re Mine was so sweet and funny with the perfect mix of emotion and heart added. I was caught up in the lives of these delightful and complicated characters and couldn’t wait for them to get their HEA.
Where do I start? This is the very first book I read by Lucy Score. I didn’t know then that my love affair with Lucy would make me start stalking and reading EVERYTHING she had ever written. Ok, at the time she was just starting out and every time I saw a new book she wrote I immediately read it.
From the very first paragraph I was drawn into a world of characters that I just never wanted to leave. Harper drew me in right from the start. The way she looked at the world with hope and love even though she grew up only knowing pain, was just soo real! Luke..oh what can I say about Luke. I felt his pain of loss and understood why he was who he was, but I really wanted to kick his butt! Oh, but I did fall for him. He was a broken man who couldn’t understand how Harper always saw the sun rise after a dark night.
There is just soo much to love about this book! I just love every bit of it! It is my go to book when I need a pick me up! I confess to reading it about 2-3 times a year since it came out!
I just re-read this fantastic book. I loved it as much the second time as I did the first, over one year ago. I would only add that I enjoy the relationships between Harper and Luke with the secondary characters in the book. The friendship Harper forms with Also is beyond special. I love the relationship between Harper and Gloria, and the understanding of the recovery from trauma that they share. I love Luke and his relationship with his family. And I adore the relationship Harper and Joni build, not as replacement for those lost, but for support of each other. I could say every good thing about this book and it would never be enough.
This book came highly recommended by other readers, but I waited a long time to read it because they also said it was emotional. I tend to lean toward happier ROM-com books. That said, I am sorry I waited. This is easily one of the top books I have read this year, and perhaps one of the best romance books I have ever read.
Harper is the woman I want to be. She is the definition of resilient. She is intelligent, beautiful, and has a way of rolling with whatever happens to her a person only admire. Luke is damaged by grief, guilt, and a misplaced sense of responsibility. Outside of that, he is hot, hot, hot. Together they have to get through his deployment and grow to overcome the obstacles to their HEA. Their chemistry is magnetic and explosive at the same time. There is a strong sense of anticipation as they get together. Parts of the story are funny, poignant, and suspenseful. This book has everything.
I loved how this book really dived into how deployment affects the soldier who is away, and how the families handle being on their own for long stretches of time. The author tackles survivor’s guilt, domestic abuse, child abuse and more. The town of Benevolence is the perfect small town USA, with amazing detail to side characters in the story. As a reader, I never wanted to leave or have the book end. Yes, there are some moments in the book which even caused hard-hearted me to shed a tear, however I never felt like the book had angst for the sake of angst or that it was overly emotional. The emotion comes from dealing with real topics faced by so many of our friends and family members in real life.
If you have not read this book yet, do not wait a second more. I more than highly recommend that you read this today.
How long does it take to get over your first love? Can you replace them? Or simply love that way again? Luke Garrison still hasn’t moved on after five years. Enter Harper. She’s lands in Benevolence out of gas, no purse, no cash, no phone and proceeds to take on a guy abusing his girlfriend. Who does that? Luke takes care of Harper and her injuries. They start a tenuous only temporary relationship as Luke wants to keep his matchmaking mother at bay. Despite his best efforts to keep things strictly platonic, things turn steamy. Luke is very upfront what he can and can’t give her. What was supposed to be a few days turns into seven months. Harper builds a life in Benevolence by making friends, keeping Luke’s business running and becoming part of the community while Luke is deployed. It all blows up in her face though. Leav8ng is painful but staying is more painful. Luke finally gets it but maybe it’s too late.
I honestly put off reading this book for way too long! Harper and Luke’s story was amazing and I am still thinking about it hours after finishing it. I absolutely adored Harper so much! I think she was what really made this book for me. Her heartbreaking past has made her appreciate everything in her life. She was a goof at times and forges through life, sometimes without thinking, but her compassion and strength was truly inspiring. Luke has also suffered tremendous loss, but his response was the complete opposite of Harper. He was broody and closed himself from ever loving again. There were so many instances that I wanted to smack him over the head and I really don’t think he groveled enough to have Harper forgive him, but this is what made Harper so very special. As much as how angry Luke made me at times, I seriously melted with his reaction to the pups in this book!
I felt so many emotions reading this book; I swooned, I laughed, I sobbed, I was so angry, but then felt such contentment. What a fantastic book!!
I really liked this book set in a smallish Maryland town. Luke is one of the local hero’s who serves his country in the National Guard and who has frequently been deployed. Harper is a young lady with a sad but secret back story who is just trying to make a fresh start. It all starts with an agreement to pretend that Luke and Harper are in a relationship, but as you might guess, feelings become real.
There are some pretty heartbreaking incidents in this story as lies and deceptions become revealed. The HEA takes awhile to get to, but the journey is worth it.
The story is really good and the characters can’t be beat. Lucy Score has done a great job with character building in this book. Enjoy!
Pretend You’re Mine is the first book by Lucy Score that I’ve read. I really enjoyed the characters and plot of this story, and the writing was done well, also. I did feel like it dragged on a bit for me, especially in the middle. I liked that the conflict wasn’t resolved right away (I like that kind of slow burn), but I felt like forgiveness was quick.
I will absolutely read more by Lucy Score, starting with Finally Mine (I want to experience Aldo and Gloria’s start more closely!).
Pretend You’re Mine by Lucy Score is a contemporary, small town, military, fake relationship romance told in third person, dual POV.
Harper finds herself stuck in the small town of Benevolence, MD after leaving her cheating live-in boyfriend/boss, driving several hours in the wrong direction, and then jumping in to protect a woman from an abusive situation in a bar parking lot. That’s where she meets Luke, a broody military man who sees the fight and springs to the women’s rescue.
After some interference from his sister, Luke enters an agreement with Harper where she’ll be his fake girlfriend in exchange for room and board for a month until his next deployment. It will keep Luke’s parents off his back about not dating and give Harper a place to stay and earn some income before moving on. They share intense chemistry, but they also both have secrets.
How long will it take before the lines between fake and real blur? Will Harper leave when Luke gets deployed? What is she really running from? And will it catch up with her? What has Luke been hiding? What will happen if Harper finds out? Can they both let go of the past to make a future together? Read the book to find out.
I loved Harper and Luke’s story! They were both well-developed characters that were flawed yet likeable. There was much more sex than I was expecting, and boy was it steamy! Honestly, it was a bit much for me and I would have probably enjoyed the book even more if there were fewer sex scenes or if they were less graphic. But the story in itself kept me captivated, and I was deeply invested in the characters as I laughed and cried with them. It was heartbreaking, emotional, endearing, and very steamy. Highly recommended!
Well by the time I was done this book I looked like a raccoon. Why you asked? Well for two reasons; I couldn’t put it down so I stayed up until the early morning hours until I finished it and second of all because I had tears in my eyes both sad and happy at different times.
The story pulled every emotion out of me that you can think of. Yes there were times of frustration so bad I wanted to throttle the hero, Luke. Yet I could feel his pain. Harper, oh Harper, such a strong female character. I don’t do spoilers. I feel it’s not fair to the author. You can read the blurb and get the gist. Better yet read the book. It’s my job to tell you how I reacted to a book. This is a story that deserves to be read. You deserve to find out every little detail going on in this story.
The secondary characters are almost as important to the story as the two main characters. There’s a lot going on in Benevolence. You’ll get everything you’re looking for and so much more, smiles, laughs, tears, that good ole hometown feel, heat, heart thumping moments, intrigue, drama and hope. Yes, your heartstrings will be pulled in all directions. One of my favorite parts was the correspondence between Luke and Harper. For the most part it put a great big old smile on my face. This book brings up a lot to think about and how people handle things differently in their own time. Thanks Lucy for always getting to the heart of a matter. You never seem to disappoint!
This is my third read of this book and I realized I haven’t reviewed it. What’s to say that already hasn’t been said. This book is amazing. It will have you laughing, crying, gasping and all around loving it. Luke is a gruff military man who is used to taking care of everyone. Harper is a tornado of a mess just trying to keep her head above water. They meet and suddenly a fake romance is in the works. These two are made for each other, if only they can see it themselves. Thank God for the side characters always stepping in and pushing these two to where they need to be. If you already know Lucy’s writing then you will know this book won’t disappoint!
This story has a lot of feels. Harper might be accident prone, but she is gutsy, feisty, funny and adorable. My hear broke for her throughout this book.
Luke has had his own trials and believes he is not meant to have happiness with anyone else since the death of his wife. He was a bit of a possessive man child and I wanted to knock sense into his head regularly whilst reading this story.
Benevolence was a warm and welcoming town with great characters.
This is a great small town story that I could not put down! I loved Harper & her spunk from the moment we met her. She was also very strong & resilient because of her past. Luke helped her after she got injured. He is a hometown hero in Benevolence but has also gone through painful things in his past. He decides to help Harper so she can eventually go on her way but she grows to love the town, the people & her job there. There are so many feels with this story! I love Benevolence, the characters and cannot wait to go back for another visit.