Pretend You're Mine (Benevolence, 1)

This book!!! I loved it so much!! I was intrigued from the first few sentences. I wanted to know more about Harper and Luke and their situations. I was so sad to learn Harper had been in foster care since she was a child and no one adopted her😭. She is amazing and deserves all the love. Luke's family is truly the best!! I love Soph anf Ty so much!! James is so silly 😂. And Josh is so cute!! And Aldo!!! I love him so much too. And Gloria too!! She is so nice and also deserves all the love. And Robbie and Henry are so cute!! As soon as I read about Luke playing with them in his backyard and them staying for dinner, and their question about whether they would be adopted and then Harper and Luke's conversation about it, I wanted them to adopt those kids and their sister. I love grumpy Frank, too. And their conversation when she told him she loves him was heartbreaking. I felt so bad for the both of them, especially Harper. I totally get where Luke was coming from and Harper was so cool about it, but I just wanted to hug them. Lola and Max are the most adorable dogs ever! And I was so sad when he left for his deployment. But then he texted Harper and asked her to stay!!!!!❤️❤️❤️.I was so worried about Aldo!!! I just like him so much I couldn't stand the thought of him not making it. But I was so happy and relieved when he did!!! And I love Harper so freaking much! She's so awesome!! I love how she sees through Luke and Aldo's bs and tells them to their faces when they're being idiots. She's an amazing friend and so understanding. No wonder Luke fell in love with her! I love their playfulness and their dynamics. Honestly they're both just awesome characters. And their email fight was so endearing and funny. And learning about Karen broke my heart. I just wanted to hug Luke and tell him it wasn't his fault 😭😭😭. And Harper, once again, showed how amazing she is by taking Joni to the basement so she could stop saying Luke didn't love Karen. I'm glad Joni understood that Karen's accident wasn't anyone's fault and that Harper helped get both families to become close again. And I was so happy that Aldo and Gloria started dating! And omg, that scene with Glenn showing up was so scary!!!! I'm glad that was dealt with quickly and nothing major happened. And I was devastated when Luke ended things with Harper. And right after she got the letter from her evil foster dad😭. I suffered with her and actually cried. I'm glad Joni came around and was super awesome to her through it. And I was so happy when Luke finally admitted he loved Harper!!! I loved how they got back together. It was so sweet. And the epilogue was so amazing!! The perfect ending to this amazing, wonderful, and heartwarming story.I love going to these small towns Lucy creates. The stories are so amazing and the people so awesome! On to the next book in this series. I'm so excited!! Thank you, Lucy, for writing these beautiful stories!

I almost stayed away from this one because I’m not a fan of widower romances when I’m left with the feeling that the heroine is second best. I did not feel that way with this book (although I do understand why some readers may have felt that). This review will contain spoilers.I absolutely loved Harper and Luke (but there was a point towards the end where I hated him). I also loved the side characters—especially Luke’s family and friends. Even though Luke vowed to never get involved again, he couldn’t stop himself with Harper. The tension and build up between them was very well done. The sex scenes were intense and emotional. Even though Luke tried to keep up an emotional wall between them—it was obvious that he was in love with her. Harper was such a ray of light and free spirit. When Luke would tell her he couldn’t love her, she never let it get her down. She just tried to make the best of every day until it was time for her to leave.They were supposed to part ways when he leaves for his 6 month deployment but at the last minute he asks her to wait for him. And she does. This middle part of the book (where he’s gone) dragged for me though. I know it was important to show how Harper developed heartfelt relationships with everyone in Luke’s life (including his late wife’s mom). But I felt it went on too long and I started to bored. Once Luke returns though, the book picks up immediately.Luke notices how Harper has made his house into home while he was gone. He’s not sure how he feels about it, but he’s still so happy to see her. They have an intense reunion. For some reason though, little things start annoying Luke. They have a big Thanksgiving gathering and Harper invites his late wife’s mom without asking him or even telling him. (I did think that was totally wrong of her to do). This puts him over the edge. I absolutely understand why he would be upset but the way he treated her after that was just awful. Later that night he brutally breaks up with her and kicks her out. This is where I really hated him. He said horrible things to her and ripped her heart out and I wanted him to suffer for it lol.Well, he suffers almost immediately and I was so happy that Harper didn’t give in to his demands to speak with her or see her. She’s able to avoid him for quite a while and it was so enjoyable watching Luke slowly go insane from his stupidity. He gets some words of wisdom from everybody, but it was a “sign” from his late wife (that part annoyed me) when he accepted that it was ok to move on. I loved the ending and the way Luke professed his true feelings for Harper. I also loved the epilogue.

I never read a military romance before but I after this book I do not think that I hate it. This book was so much fun. I loved the relationships and the small town setting. It was such a sweet story. I loved it. The healing after losing a wife and child, the rebuilding of a new life after domestic violence.m, finding love/friends/family/and home after losing parents at a young age and growing up in the foster system, and so much more. This book touched so much. It was beautiful. I love this heroine. She so mature, communicative and insightful she has such a big heart.

I devoured this book. I went into this book completely blind and I am so glad I did. I was nervous based on some comments some friends had made, but this book did not disappoint. I don’t often read any military romances, but this had me wanting more of them.Lucy brought out all the emotions for me with this book and there were times where I was reaching for tissues. I loved Harper and Luke’s relationship so much. They were absolute perfection and I couldn’t get enough of it. They had their ups and downs, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye when this book was over.

História bem escrita, os personagens densos, bem construídos, nenhum santo, nenhum demônio (apesar de eles terem alguns dentro de si mesmos), a história é emocionante! Ri, chorei e torci por eles. Muito boa. Um pouco longa, mas de qualidade!

Wowsers! I read A LOT... but I couldn't put this book down! Loved it! An emotional love story set in a small town... off to find more Lucy Score books!

Dessa tre böcker som en liten serie har gett mig både skratt och gråt.

Loved It. Luke is hurt from the past and doesn't want to love again but... Harper is difficult to not be loved. Good start for a series.