Pretend You're Mine

Pretend You're Mine is an emotional small-town romance about a lonely National Guard soldier, a woman running toward yet another new beginning and a fake relationship that starts as a convenient cover but slowly becomes the safest place either of them has known.

Pretend You're Mine Lucy Score introduces Luke Garrison and Harper Wilde in the town of Benevolence, where one month of pretending to be together turns into a love story shaped by secrets, grief, desire, protection and the terrifying hope of finally belonging.

What the book Pretend You're Mine is about

The plot begins when Harper stumbles into Luke’s life while trying to start over again. She is used to leaving, surviving and refusing to let the past keep her down. Her arrival in Benevolence is not part of a careful plan, but something about the town, and about Luke himself, makes her want to pause long enough to imagine a different kind of life.

Luke Garrison is a hometown hero and a member of the National Guard preparing for another deployment. He is admired by his family and community, but he has built his world around solitude. The last thing he wants is a woman in his house, his routine or his heart. Still, Harper becomes useful as a decoy: a fake girlfriend who can keep his family from pushing him toward a real relationship before he leaves.

The central conflict grows from the fact that neither Luke nor Harper is as simple as the arrangement they agree to. Harper is hiding what she is running from, and Luke is hiding the dark past that keeps him emotionally locked away. Their pretend relationship gives them an excuse to be close, but every shared room, kiss, meal and quiet moment makes the lie feel less like a performance and more like something they both secretly need.

In the middle of the narrative, Pretend You're Mine book becomes a romance about home as much as attraction. Harper begins turning Luke’s house into a place that feels lived in, warm and possible. Luke, who thought he had already closed the door on love, finds himself wanting a future he believes he does not deserve. Their chemistry is strong, but the deeper tension comes from whether either of them can risk honesty.

The characters around them add the warmth and pressure of a small-town setting. Family, neighbours and community expectations make it hard for Luke and Harper to keep emotional distance, especially when everyone seems to see the truth before they are willing to admit it. Benevolence becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes part of Harper’s temptation to stay.

As the first book in Lucy Score’s Benevolence series, the novel establishes a world of protective friends, complicated families, military service, emotional wounds and slow-burning romance. It begins with a practical agreement and a deadline, but grows into a story about two people learning that pretending can accidentally reveal the most honest parts of the heart.

Atmosphere, themes and style

The atmosphere is warm, steamy and emotionally tender, with small-town charm balanced by deeper pain. The book offers humour, attraction and domestic comfort, but it also carries the ache of grief, fear and the private histories people try to hide when they do not want to be seen as broken.

The main themes include fake dating, healing, trust, military deployment, grief, safety, chosen home, vulnerability and second chances. The central conflict asks whether love can grow when both people are preparing for goodbye, and whether safety is something you find in a place or in the person who makes you want to stop running.

Lucy Score’s style is accessible, romantic and emotionally direct. The story blends banter, longing, protective tenderness and sensual tension with the slower work of revealing wounds. The result is a contemporary romance that offers heat and comfort while still giving weight to the characters’ fears.

Luke is memorable because his strength is complicated by silence. He wants to protect Harper, but he is also protecting himself from a past he cannot bear to explain. Harper is compelling because she brings light, warmth and resilience into his life while still carrying her own reasons to fear staying anywhere too long.

For the audience, the book offers the pleasure of a familiar romance trope made emotionally rich. The fake relationship is fun and tense, but the real story is about what happens when two people who expected temporary comfort begin to imagine a future neither of them thought they could have.

Who this book is for

This novel is ideal for readers who enjoy small-town romance, fake dating, military heroes, wounded characters, protective love interests and stories where chemistry grows into emotional safety. It suits an audience looking for a romance with warmth, steam and heartfelt healing.

It will also appeal to readers who like connected romance series with family involvement, community atmosphere, domestic tenderness and characters who must face painful secrets before choosing love. Fans of slow-burn tension, forced proximity and found home will find Luke and Harper’s story especially rewarding.

Why you should read it

• It begins the Benevolence series with a strong fake-relationship hook and emotional stakes.
• The plot combines small-town warmth, military deployment, secrets, healing, chemistry and the fear of goodbye.
• The characters are vivid because their attraction is matched by grief, vulnerability and the need for safety.
• The atmosphere balances humour, tenderness, desire and the comfort of finding a place to belong.
• The themes of trust, home, second chances and emotional honesty give the romance lasting depth.
• The style is engaging and heartfelt, making the book a strong choice for readers of contemporary small-town romance.

Pretend You're Mine is a compelling choice for readers asking why read a fake-dating romance with genuine emotional weight. It offers heat, healing, secrets and the quiet beauty of two guarded people discovering that a temporary arrangement can become the home they never expected to find.