Pretend You're Mine (26 in 2026 #20)

Author: Lucy Score Title: Pretend You're Mine Publisher: Bloom Books Date Published: 10/26/2025

Read Dates: 09/15/2026- 09/16/2026
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pretend You’re Mine is a dual POV opposites attract romance. Luke likes his quiet, orderly life where he tries to keep to himself in an incredibly nosy small town. But when an impulsive decision in response to a bad day leads Harper to come crashing into his life, he’s not sure what to make of her. Harper is chaotic with a big heart, and Luke somehow finds himself offering her a place to stay just for one night, which turns into a job just for one month in exchange for pretending to date him until he leaves for his next deployment to get his meddling mother to stop fixing him up!

I love Lucy Score and this book was great, but I’ll admit that Luke was not my favorite romantic hero of hers. He says over and over that Harper deserves better than him and I kept agreeing! Harper, though, what a romance lead I absolutely adored. She had a fierce determination to make the best of whatever life threw her way and would do anything to help someone in need which has you rooting for her to finally find the happiness and love she deserves. I loved the nosy small town and the found family themes. I definitely want to read the other two books in this series.

I only wanted to protect you…

Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. He’s strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. 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 deployed.

So what if kissing her 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 his house a home. When she’s in his arms, she finally knows what it’s like to feel safe. Protected.

One night of sharing a 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 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 what she’s running from.

At least this isn’t a real relationship. It’s only for a month. It’s only pretend. Until it isn’t…